Since leaving the JW Organization, who is believing?

by Issa 66 Replies latest jw friends

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  Onager

  Firm atheist here, but hopefully not a gobby one! Happy to be friends with deists and theists and even have discussions based in their world views as long as it's in the abstract and isn't disguised proselytizing at me.

  I did worry that it was an artifact of my JW indoctrination that made me reject all other religions automatically, leaving agnosticism or atheism as the only options. I have done research though and once I learned the model of religion and how it's a means of social control it became obvious (to me) that all religions were man-made.

  I did pass through deism and agnosticism on my journey to atheism, but the lack of evidence eventually led me to choose atheism as the only logical position (again, for me).
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  ballistic

  I'm someone who passed through a full cycle upon leaving the witnesses. First through a mixture of belief in some kind of god and evolution, then for some years onto atheism and then I took up meditation and moved past science. I still work in the scientific field, however I like the term "pre-rational" to explain biblical dogma type religions and "post-rational" meaning you accept science in this solid world of Maya as Indian religion calls it, but that the universe exists simultaneously in your mind as well as out there.

  In a sense this journey was like coming awake from the witnesses and then a slow journey of coming awake again, although some people experience religious awakenings or enlightenment to be spontaneous.

  Another big thing for me was realising that I never believed the "truth", but I was simply brainwashed. I didn't even know what faith was - all the time I used to knock people's doors to talk about it. My advice to anyone out there is unless you feel the power of faith in your heart, don't just go-along with it because of something you've been taught in your "brain". Knowing facts about something is not faith, nor is believing that on balance, it's probably the truth, or it seems "logical" or better than the alternatives. If you've become numb into feeling anything at all for your religion, that isn't faith.

  I'm also left with a feeling that the whole journey was somehow necessary to reach this point.
  
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  Fred Franztone

  I think people who are born-in and then leave are more likely to become non-believers. If you grow up to develop the right kind of reasoning skills then you're unlikely to simply leave and then join another group or subscribe to another theological belief. The logical thinking that leads you out of the organisation usually leads to atheism, ultimately. That was the case for me, as a born-in who never really believed whole-heartedly.

  Those who join the JWs as adults obviously lack the same innate scepticism of religion, as it would prevent them from joining in the first place. So I think those who leave having not been born-in are often likely to move on to some other religion or at least keep believing in god.
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  punkofnice

  My path:

  Jobo until 2010

  Church going Christian for a while

  Investigated mysticism every now and then along the way

  One day the penny dropped and I became a Nihilistic non believer. I'm not an atheist (if my understanding of what an atheist is is correct), because I totally rule out any possibility of a god/s, I don't even give wiggle room for evidence. Forget that. There is no god and that's that. Won't get fooled again!
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  galaxie

  I am an atheist... To the extent of the limitations of my reasoning power. Outwith the scope of the human brain well who knows? Does that make me agnostic /atheist. There's a lot of explanations about the spark of life which science endeavours to discover, if they evidentially discover 'god' (whatever form) then the ball game changes..but I'm not holding my breath.
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  Still Totally ADD

  Born-in. My wife and I totally escape April of 2011. Went to a small community Church my wife gone to as a little girl. She came with me because unlike her I never was ever in a church before. I was searching to see if the Wt. was telling the truth about other religions. It was nothing like they said. After six months we left because the pastor was ragging on atheist and my wife was at that point already. I soon came to that same conclusion.

  I have many reasons on why I am a atheist now but I feel those who do believe in a god is great but religious institution are the corrupting factors that cause most of the problems in this world. And cause their followers to do and say crazy things. This is my belief in a nutshell. Still Totally ADD
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  The Scotsman

  I believe an intelligence is responsible for us being here. I do not attend church and am not inclined to do so.
  There is still a "spiritual" part inside me... somewhere.
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  ttdtt

  I don't believe in any god.
  Would I be happy if there was something, and there was some type of afterlife.. SURE!

  But there is no indication in any way there is anything out there.

  Just because we tiny microbes in a vast universe cant explain where life came from, where the universe came from, does in no way give evidence that there is a god.

  Sadly, after almost 5 decades of being sure there was a loving god, that ship sailed and sank.

  As a JW you were well taught how to find inconsistencies and holes in other religion (while not looking at your own), so I think its hard for an XJW to move to another false religion.
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  Phoebe

  Reading all the posts, I guess I shouldn't be here really then because I do still believe in God. I try very hard to look at things without my JW eyes so to speak but nevertheless, I do still believe in God. Someone said here this isn't the place for faith but I have faith and I do believe this life isn't all there is. I don't know what else there is but I believe there is something.

  I will never become involved in an organized religion ever again though. At the moment I am just praying a lot and reading my bible. Sorry, but it's just how I feel. You can all shoot me now hahahaha
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  ttdtt

  Phoebe - I actually envy you a bit.

  Feeling there is nothing ahead but the void isnt fun.