How long did it take before you realized that you missed the obvious?

by pistolpete 24 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  pistolpete

  Remember when the public speaker in the Kingdom Hall or Convention related the Ten Plagues and the Parting of the Red Sea?

  The finale when Jehovah closes the Red Sea and swallows Pharaoh's entire army of Egyptian men.

  When I was a little kid about 5 years old and listened to this story, I would think---WOW Jehovah is strong.

  When I started school and started learning compassion as early as the first grade I started wondering?????

  Wondering about all those Egyptian Men!!

  Many of them were fathers, husbands, and sons.

  So what about the thousands of wives that became INSTANT WIDOWS?

  How about the Parents who lost their child INSTANTLY?

  NO ONE EVER TALKS ABOUT THAT!
  

  But that’s not all. What about all the innocent animals that were killed with some of the plagues?

  What about the terrible suffering and pain that many of the Egyptian people suffered because of the plagues---- and who had no idea this was a fight between Jehovah’s crony-Moses, and Pharaoh.

  The Nation of your average Egyptian citizen had nothing to do with enslaving Israel. That was all done by the political leader of the nation.
  

  A lot of innocent Egyptian Grandmothers, tons of young women looking forward to getting married and having a family, thousands of children whose only interest was playing with the other kids, and your average citizen working hard to provide for his family-----had to pay a heavy price with their life and health for something they weren’t even aware off.

  Then I started thinking; Why couldn’t Jehovah who is all powerful just put Pharaoh out of commission and lead all Israel out of Egypt without any causalities of innocent humans and animals?

  By the time I was 13 years, it became obvious to me that when the God of the Bible was being described, the focus was on his power to KILL—CAUSE SUFFERING AND PAIN.

  The HAVOC and PAIN he caused on innocent humans, AND animals was always hidden.

  You see this over and over every time you read in the bible about Jehovah doing some great act.

  But it’s not obvious to those who are still suffering the effects of INDOCTRINATION!

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0edulDy1PYE
• 

  truth_b_known

  How many Egyptian chariots and spears have been recovered from the bottom of the Red Sea?
• 

  Jofi_Wofo

  Great points.

  Despite being a naturally skeptical person, I allowed myself to be convinced that I didn't need to know anything more than, nor question anything about, the information that God had (supposedly) already given us. All I can now see in Watchtower and biblical literalist doctrine is contradiction, discrepancy, omission, dishonesty and absurdity.

  How did we miss it? Human cognition wasn't programmed optimally to find truth. It was programmed optimally to allow us to survive the context in which it evolved. Obedience to tribal authority and adherence to group loyalty were always more important than whether or not any of the myths used to foster those ties had any truth to them.

  The second that we stop thinking of it as "our" doctrine and start thinking of it as "their" doctrine is the second that we no longer understand how anybody could ever believe it.
• 

  Rocketman123

  How many Egyptian chariots and spears have been recovered from the bottom of the Red Sea?

  Answer = They were most likely being transferred to other locations for numerous reasons, one being for sale

  Thinking in the confines of intellectual honesty and truth.

  Mythological story telling is what most ancient civilizations did, including the ancient Hebrews. ie. the days of creation, Noah's flood, the coming Messiah, Armageddon
  
• 

  Tameria2001

  As a JW (grew up in the cult) I never really read through the bible much, but I knew all the stories like so many of us. I never gave much thought to them, not sure why. It was only after I had finally become an adult, married with my own children when things started to click. Still trying to be a "good" Christian at the time did I finally take a deeper look at what was in that book (the bible). In the new testament, Jesus said you know me you know the father. But everything I read in the old testament makes me think that the god of the bible was not some loving caring father. Although I never really understood what that meant because my own biological father was a total prick to me growing up. Instead, I came to the conclusion that the god of the old testament was either talking about multiple beings or one psychotic SOB who was all over the place.
  
• 

  waton

  How about the same question for the flood, the deluge? The evildoers were not even human, or fully human. evildoers nerver are, but think of the baby pandas. who's distant offspring will never see paradise.

  that much collateral damage, nearly 99.99999% is surely against the geneva convention.
• 

  Pete Zahut

  When I started school and started learning compassion as early as the first grade I started wondering

  As a kid I used to wonder:
  

  If all the first born were killed, what happened to twins?

  If the Egyptian army rushed into the dry river bed after the Israelites and were swallowed up by the water, who was left to travel all the way back to the City to report what happened?

  I was told that if I wasn't careful, I'd think my way right out of the Truth.
• 

  pistolpete

  If the Egyptian army rushed into the dry river bed after the Israelites and were swallowed up by the water,

  who was left to travel all the way back to the City to report what happened?

  LOL---yea that's a good point
  
• 

  Biahi

  Pete, that’s what they told me, too! I didn’t know why we sang that 🎶 Fear not those who kill the body, but cannot destroy the soul. If they teach that we don’t have a soul, maybe we should fear those who would kill our body. I asked my mom, and she told me not to think too much, or I would think myself right out of the truth. So sad.
• 

  snare&racket

  100% agree pistol pete

  I remember asking a circuit overseer if Adam in the garden of Eden needed a sword for any reason? He said no...

  So Jehovah invented the Sword, not man then? i asked. He looked confused,

  The spinning sword protecting the garden of eden, existed before Adam sinned. Why would god invent a weapon, a weapon responsible for the death of millions?

  Why does nobody attribute its design to god? Surely this makes the concept of a sword unique, holy?

  He thought I was crazy, I was just a kid though!

  Re-read the bible without the cult hat on and there is a "Wait a minute!l" every other verse!

  I think it was Ingersoll who said "Why would I listen to the advice on raising children by the same God that decided to drown his own?"

  My favourite, Hitchens said, had god asked him to take his child to a mountain, bind him then slaughter him like an animal.... he would say "F**£ you!" and suffer the consequences!

  People put a 'dunce' hat on when reviewing these stories and remove themselves emotionally, logically and ignore anything inquisitive.