religious or secular?

by fader 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Carmel

  We all respond to stimuli differently. I, like you, felt pretty "unspiritual" and certainly not religious when I left Dubville. It took more than a decade to have a belief system that was satisfactory to me, but I still don't get into the reverent state that many of my peers do. When I spent four years in Israel, most all my friends and co-workers visited the shrines daily or a least every weekend. For me, it only happened in-frequently and even then I could only stay a couple minutes and I was ready to move on and do something! So are we "secular" or "huminist" I don't think so. I like you feel there is an inteligent force behind the ordered universe, and it ain't the god of the bible so to speak.

  carmel
• 

  seedy3

  Interesting you bring up the kids. I was raised by very devoute JW parents, I Temp/Vacation Pioneered many a time, never made it to MS, but my Dad was an elder and my mom was a Reg pioneer for many years. I am on the same level as many of you, I am not religious at all, however I do research religion and find it facinating. My older kids, now 29, 27, 25 were all rasied up to some point as JW's, Nopne of them are now however. My oldest attends a Unitarian Universalists church, my Youngest child, of these 3, is agnostic/athiest pretty much the same way I am, but does not have the interest in religion as I do, My middle one just left the BOrg and I don't think he knows what he is as yet. He went back to them many years after we had stopped going.

  However I have 2 younger ones living with me, both boys, one 14 and one 12, the oldest one is so far showing signs of being athiest, he will say the name "Jesus Christ" at times as an expression of distain or swearing, one time I jumped on his case for it, I told him "many people beleive that Jesus Christ is God and to be using that name as a swear word would be very insulting to them so you shouldn't do it, you need to have respect for their beliefs and that includes his mother". He looked at me funny and said, "your kidding me right, they really beleive this guy is God?? That's wierd". The younger one I have a feeling may become a catholic, he h as all kinds of catholic dipictions of Jesus hanging in his room and when the neighbors invite him to go to church with them he always wants to go (My older son will go at times too, but I think that's to be close to the two girls that live next door LOL). I have neveer tried to influence their thinking on the subject of God, my wife has wanted them to atten shurch but I refuse to let that happen, I say when they are old enough to understand they can make their own choices. At times they have Q's about religion, and I give them a historical viewpoint of where it comes from, not a religious view for belief.

  Seedy
• 

  imallgrowedup

  Fader -

  I've copied and pasted this from another thread from a while back that has a similar theme. I hope this helps a little: (taken from: http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/62041/944935/post.ashx#944935 )

  * * * * * * * * You bring up a great question. After coming to this board, I've noticed a lot of people asking that question, really wanting to know one way or another about the existence of God. I've seen some who are hopeful for his existence, and I've seen some down right deny his existence. I think it is another commonality of the people of this board to go through a phase of thinking this through. I have to say, it kind of surprised me to see this because I naively thought that anyone who had come from being a JW realized the "need" for God in their life, and upon leaving, would automatically be seeking him and would choose Christianity. Boy! Was I wrong! But through reading the posts in here, I've come to believe a few things that may or not be true, but fit within my own world view. Here's my two cents:

  I personally believe in the God of the Christian Bible and in Satan of the Christian Bible.

  I believe that God allows Satan to rule this earth until the return of his son, Jesus Christ.

  I believe God never promised us our lives would be rosy or easy, only that he would be there to help ease our suffering on earth while Satan rules it. Even the Apostle Paul speaks of and glorifies suffering.

  I know that the WTBTS has it's roots in the occult and relies heavily on "theocratic warfare" when it is their only way "out" of sticky situations. The definition of "theocratic warfare" is plain and simple: it means "lying through one's teeth in order to perpetuate other lies." And who does the Bible say is the father of lies? Satan. So, we have occult and we have lies. Therefore, I believe the WTBTS is not lead by God (Jehovah), but by Satan.

  I know that Satan was the angel of light, so therefore, he can appear as "light" to those who are really in darkness. So, if he can appear as "light", then he can appear as "Jehovah" to those who have been "tricked" into believing he is Jehovah.

  I believe that Witnesses were unwittingly mislead by Satan into believing he was Jehovah, and when Witnesses were hurt in "his" name, it drove an even deeper wedge between them and the real God because they became so angry with Jehovah for not being there for them when the chips were down, that many abandoned belief in any God altogether. I believe this is Satan's ultimate triumph because it's a win-win situation for him. First, he "tricks" people into unknowingly believing in his organization, (or sub-organization) and then, when they leave and don't want anything to do with the real God, he still wins because if they are not a part of the real God's organization, they are STILL part of Satan's larger organization!

  I believe this makes the real God in Heaven, and our Lord Jesus Christ very sad indeed because he wants to have a personal relationship with each and every one of us.

  I know that my life has changed TREMENDOUSLY since I stopped fighting God and accepted him into my life. I don't have so many quesstions, and I don't feel like there are few satisfying answers even though I am going through the hardest time in my whole life right now, and that ain't no joke. But I don't feel defeated and I don't feel depressed like I was before I invited him into my life.

  Just so you know, the last thing I am trying to do is "cram" my beliefs down anyone's throat, nor am I saying that my beliefs regarding Witnesses is the absolute answer. I am simply answering your post from my own experience, and hope that I've been able to help you in some small way, whether you share my beliefs or not.

  Good luck in your search.

  imallgrowedup
• 

  logansrun

  "God? I have no need for that hypothesis." -- Napolean Bonaparte

  I think any concept of deity from the revealed religions (Judeo-Christian-Islamic and Hinduistic) have about as much accuracy as a watch thats been sat on by an elephant. Of course there's "something more" to existence. We just don't know what the hell that is, whether a personal god, ground of being or just simply the infinitely complex laws of the universe.

  At least there's sex and beer.

  Bradley
• 

  Purple

  Yep fader I feel the same way. I was raised a catholic that actually went to church every week and sunday school. Almost became a nun...later I became more aware of a spiritual need amd eventually I became a witness and have done the fade away. I feel the same way, I have no spiritual need, dont believe in anything anymore and avoid going anywhere that has to ddo with chursch and stuff. I think that means I am an agnostic????

  I wonder if it is just a stage and something will start growing again eventually or whether this will be permanent. I mean I will never have anything to do with organised religion again. If anything the study and beliefs of wicca are interesting to me but not that interesting.

  Good luck and I hope good things come out of life for you and we hear more from you.
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  darkuncle29

  I am trying to be spiritually aware. Organized religion disgusts me. I am also into non-materialistic thinking; non-consumerism. I still buy things like CD and stuff, but not to MAKE me feel good or popular. I find that I don't have a need for alot of stuff.