Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone (page 5)

Seven

S2,

I guess for me the identity robbing aspect of the WTBTS is a major issue.

This is a key issue with me also. I have learned to leave the hall at the hall-the only way I can manage to deal with it. This leading a double-life
for the sake of preserving family ties is beginning to take it's toll but for now it's my only option.

Frenchy:

These men spent their lives forming
and tending to congregations. So what are we to do today?

The scriptures emphasize the duty of assembling ourselves together and of living up to our privileges as God's people before
the whole world, conducting meetings and working towards advancing his kingdom on earth. Is it possible to feel spiritual satisfaction when missing much of what a congregation would call the
joy of Christian living? I think it possible even though the Bible could prove me wrong.

Frenchy

Seven:

Is it possible to feel spiritual satisfaction when missing much of what a congregation would call the joy of Christian living? I think it possible even though the Bible could prove me wrong.

If you have that 'spiritual satisfaction' then you have it and I don't think that point can be argued. I'm happy for you that you do have it.
As I have stated before, I feel a need for something beyond just believing. I feel a need to reach out to others, not so much to convince them of a particular fancy of mine but to interact with them. I was wondering if anyone else here feels that need, the need to be with others, the group.
There is a part of me that just does not want to be swept along with the masses and yet a part of me wants to belong.

SolidSender

seven - hi from tomorrow. hey cool photo, i feel like i'm writing to a movie star or something. anyway re: your post june 27 9.12pm, touching on some deep stuff there. I think the double-life phrase is as good a summation as any of the dichotomizing effect of WTBTS indoctrination. Double-life, double-mind, the real you and the THEM you. Having to censor one's thoughts before speaking etc. Leading a double life is maybe an attempt to lead a Life, a complete whole life rather than that of trying to live the extreme identity-less position inherent in the JW "lifestyle". I know the question wasn't asked of me but about christian joy and meetings - what do mean by joy or what are you expecting from it? what does it feel like? i ask because what it means to me may not be what it means to you - it's subjective and so if you could clarify. I know they were not christian but when you think of the prophets - they were filled with the spirit and close to God etc etc, would they have been filled with godly joy? does joy mean a constant smile on your face. whatever - i don't think it meant a life on easy street for the prophets. i'm trying to "arrive" at realistic expectations of these things myself-SolidSender

SolidSender

Frenchy - hi. you're getting at lifes balancing act there, to me it's part of being human to desire to belong, relate, be accepted, loved, wanted and so on but the question seems to be - at what price? Would you leave your conscience at the door for such things?-SolidSender

RedhorseWoman

Meeting together, sharing thoughts, discussing points.....in fact, is that not exactly what we're doing here?

If we were all within commuting distance of one another, would we not find it interesting and mutually beneficial to assemble together and share these same points?

I highly doubt that the early congregations were set up the way that organized religion is today. Distance alone would preclude that.

I also doubt that any organized religion today can come anywhere close to what the Christian congregations orginally were set up to be. Today they are more like beaurocracies than anything else, and the main issue in most groups is control.

The entire concept of worship gets lost in the shuffle to support the organization (and I'm not referring solely to the WTBTS here).

Seven

Frenchy-I also have an overwhelming need to belong-somewhere or to something. This is perhaps
why I participate in this forum. It provides the comfort and security I enjoyed as part of the congregation but without the consequences of speaking what's on my mind. I find this to be an oasis-a place to relax among friends.[Thank you,Simon]

Seven

S2-Christian joy. What a concept. It is that special connection with Jehovah God that I know there is a reason for my existance-for all of our being here. Everything becomes very clear and makes perfect sense. It is that one perfect moment
of clarity where you know you somehow "fit in" to the grand scheme of things.

Rhw: Your final statement would make a great topic
for a new thread!

SolidSender

Seven, mmmmmmmmmm that kind of christian joy – I could probably get you some for a hundred dollars a gram. Which closing comment do you mean re: the new thread?

Seven

S2-When worship becomes the worship of an organization-[see RhW's reply above]

SolidSender

Frenchy - i've often given thought to this very subject, namely if jesus knew what man was going to do to man in the name of religion, bible and christianity why the hell did he give it to us? ( very simplified way of trying to explain what I mean ) Maybe he covered this in the wheat among the weed parables and similar? Back to your question though, I'm going to assume that we've established that Christianity itself is OK and that a group of people of themselves are not necessarily a negative. It seems that what we have to imagine here is unfortunately something totally foreign to our experience - true christianity. so i guess in theory it may be possible to have a group of christians as long as
they kept sight on the spirit and not the law. It's almost to simple to comprehend. jesus removed the law and hence to those who have faith in him made us all equal before God. A group of people who all consider themselves equal in this respect, that's hard to imagine - kind of leads me back to my original question - why the hell did he give us the bible if he knew all this shit was gonna happen?_SolidSender

Purgatory, Limbo or the Twilight Comfort Zone

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