Has anyone felt like leaving God altogether?

by lookingnow22 82 Replies latest jw friends

  • gro
    gro

    yep, the force is with you
    but a god!!, I for one think not.
    all religion is made up, isnt it,
    just take that wich is good to you,
    from where ever you find it and make,
    up your own religion, set of ethics, whatever.

  • Mulan
    Mulan

    Six years ago, when it all hit me, I felt that there was no God at all. My God had been the WTS, and if it was not "the truth", then there was no God. It took me months to figure out why I didn't believe in God anymore. I had always thought I was a spiritual person, but I was just a religious person. My religion failed me, so God did too. I felt that way for a very long time. Now, my feeling is "I don't know". But I tend to think there is a God, because the creation is just too complex, but I don't believe there is a vindictive God, who is so paranoid, and selfish, that he requires us to constantly be "puffing him up" and praising him for everything that happens in our lives, good or bad, or he will kill us. Whatever my paradigm is now, that just doesn't fit it.

  • safe4kids
    safe4kids

    BugEye's Wife:

    I felt like that about praying for quite a while after leaving...I think it takes time to sort through all of our different emotions and baggage from the borg...

    I eventually gave up prayer altogether; it was patently obvious to me that "the great one" wasn't listening but I do remember those conflicting thoughts and feelings, worrying that I might be offending god in some way....I finally came to the realization that god, if he existed, had offended me mightily and if he wasn't interested in patching things up, then neither was I.

    Now, I feel a spiritual connection with others, with my children, and with myself but it isn't dependent on a religious interpretation of life...and I am at peace.

    Dana

  • emyrose
    emyrose

    Yeah, and I did leave God almost immediately after leaving
    the org due to enormous guilt. I started living and having
    lots of fun-fun, which back then I thought was just being
    sinful. But as time passed I came back to God for comfort
    and love. I still love praying to him and am grateful to
    have him back in my life. Today, I don't view God as an
    over-demanding rule-freak that JWs make him out to be. Rather,
    I just think of him as our creator and thus, our superior.
    My approach toward him/her is respectful awe, praise and love.

    Emyrose

  • BugEye
    BugEye

    Dana,

    Beautifully said

    Dave

  • larc
    larc

    Hi Comf,

    I related to your book store experience. I came to the same conclusion as you, but gradualy over a period of time. It is a wonderful thing to have the fredom to think for yourself and make your own decisions. I have made major mistakes in my life, but I have had some major successes as well, and I give myself full credit for both. I don't say "the Devil made me do it" when I mess up or credit God for a self created blessing. I have a nice feeling of inner peace, that people with a different perspective don't seem to be able to understand.

  • safe4kids
    safe4kids

    I appreciate the feelings and opinions expressed on this topic and I don't want to offend anyone...I am happy when people are able to find what works for them and am not advocating my viewpoint over those of others...just sharing my personal views...

    That said, I do not feel awe or comfort towards 'god'...I am awed by the abused woman (or man) who takes a stand and stops the cycle of abuse for herself and her children....

    I am awed by the person with a chemical addiction who takes responsibility for his/her disease and gets help....

    I am awed by the individual who risks his/her life to save a complete stranger...

    I am awed by the love in my children's eyes...

    I am awed by the beauty and power of the ocean....

    I am awed by the simple acts of human kindness I see around me on a daily basis...

    I am awed by my personal responsibility to show kindness whenever possible (don't do this one perfectly )...

    I am NOT in awe of a cowardly supernatural being who refuses to take responsibility for innocent beings......

    Emyrose..I am not in any way attempting to slam your feelings and your belief system...these are just some of the things I cannot reconcile with the concept of a loving, active creator...I believe we can all have different paths to the same peace of mind and serenity...

    Dana (of the I'll shut up now class)

  • lookingnow22
    lookingnow22

    Wow! Talk about a can of worms!
    Thanks everyone for your opinions and comments, and keep them coming. My mind is in overload thinking about the things that have been expressed in this thread. I'm surprised at the lack of "Christian God" supporters in this thread.

    I'm currently working on a little project on the duality of God as shown in the bible, and how to reconcile this with our reality. Anyway, thanks again.

    Peace and...ah heck, no love today
    Looking

  • TR
    TR

    I'm beginning to feel that there is no "God" but possibly a race of superior beings that created humans. That at least explains to me why God is so non-existant in preventing wickedness in our world. Either that, or we evolved from nothing, which is hard for me to accept.

    TR

    "cults suck"

  • rem
    rem

    My appeal is for everyone to at least think about leaving god. Most of us came out of the Watchtower and we thought long and hard about organized religion. Some of us gave up on organized religion; some others embrace it. For those of us who came to the conclusion that organized religion is bunk, why stop there? Why not rethink everything – including the god question?

    I know that I was afraid to even think about the subject of whether god exists at first. But as I shed all of my Watchtower superstitions, I found that I was in control of my life and that if there was a god, surely he/she/it would not mind me verifying its existence. And if I found that god did not exists anyway, then there is no way to offend him by questioning (unless he’s hiding from all of us).

    For those that take the time to contemplate this question it can be very rewarding, no matter what the outcome. If you find that you still believe in god, then you are that much better off because you have proved it to yourself. If you find that there is no evidence for god, then you may find a sense of freedom and responsibility in your life that can be very satisfying.

    I just think everyone owes it to themselves to at least give the subject serious thought. Don’t dismiss it out of hand as if god’s existence is a given. It’s time to rethink all of those concepts that we just knew were true not so long ago.

    Rem

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