by Ding 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Some people on this forum have said that they never really believed any aspect of WT teaching, that they couldn't wait to get free of it all.
Others seems to have been really gung ho, believing it all until something happened that got you questioning "the truth."
I would say my own high water mark was about 50%, which put me squarely on the fence, trying to decide if I should be in or out.
How about you?
I never really believed that only JWs would survive Armageddon.
I pioneered not believing in Satan as a literal spirit, I didn't believe in 1914 as a pivotal date (far to complicated to be believable) and I didn't believe in 1975--and so I wasn't stumbled when nothing happened!
Ding, I think your point is important-- because probably most JWs have put one or two or possibly dozens of dodgy doctrines on the back burner. There they sit simmering away and getting nowhere. Then one day yet another new inconsistency comes along and behold! the whole stove collapses.
Probably about 75 to 80%. Varying constantly, though.
Once I realized that the religion is an 'all-or-nothing' proposition, I think it helped force me out.
If Jehovah were content to destroy me at Armageddon for doubting even <1% of 'The Only True Religion', and I knew my remaining 20-25% an insurmountable obstacle...really, why bother at all?!
In this way, the cult makes moderation untenable. The only way I could remain in would be to either force myself to believe (is this even really possible?) every remaining last bit of nonsense...
Or else, practice deceit and subterfuge by pretending to. And still probably die at Armageddon, because Jehovah is a reader of hearts...
And even though I could fool my family and the congregation at large...Jehovah would really know I was faking...
Might as well head out into the world, and enjoy whatever days you have...
I was pretty gullible when I was younger, and I was raised up in it. At the time I thought I had thoroughly researched everything to believe in it at about 95%. My research at the time consisted of only Watchtower literature, their bible, and no internet to fact check. But to give credit I didn't even know what the internet was; this was before the internet became what it is now. I did though have a very hard time believing that only the JWs were going to survive Armageddon. I saw people who I witnessed who were very good people, and done wonderful things for their families and fellow human beings, while on the other hand, I saw JWs who were total slimeballs. That was something that always bothered me. There were certain teaching of the Watchtower that I just could not wrap my mind around either. Come to find out later after really doing proper research on why I couldn't, and that was it was because those things were what the people in the Watchtower totally made up to try to justify their lies.
I fully believed the types and anti types
The Babylon book had everything fitting, then they kept tweaking the 6th to 7th in particular until it too fell apart
Mom used to laugh about all the 1914 generation saying they have do something, everyone is dieing
If you open your dictionary to the word: GULLIBLE, you'll find my picture.
I believed it all. All the hocus pocus holy spirit and all that. Anything that didn't quite "fit", well the Big J would sort it all out before The End.
Multi Generational Born In = Believed Everything. Lock, stock, & barrel.
0%. I was raised in the religion and thought it was garbage from very early childhood. However, the ten commandments and Jesus' teachings about brotherly love and compassion resonated with me.
I remember telling a friend with an unbelieving dad, that non JW people that were good would survive Armageddon as God has said if there was only one righteous person in S&G he wouldn't destroy it. My friend looked horrified .....,
