Something about religion

by free2beme 2 Replies latest jw friends

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  free2beme

  When I was a Witness, I thought all religions were wrong and all people were wrong, unless they were in the Witness religion. I would speak with other people and share the thoughts of the Watchtower organization and no matter what another person said to me, I did not listen, as I was the only one right and all other religions and faiths (any faiths, even no belief in god and those into science), were all wrong and not worth the time. Even when I made statements to others, saying things like, "we are glad to see you believe in Jesus" or "we are glad to see you read the Bible." I honestly thought they were wasting their time and unless they became a Witness, it was certain death for them. When I left the religion I started attending other faiths and studied other philosophies and this is the conclusion I have come too.

  It does not matter what faith you hold too, it does not matter what religion you attend or study and it does not matter what philosophy you hold too (atheism, science, etc). You are the same way and only now, you added your past religion on to the list of faiths you think are wasting their time and not doing what is right in your thoughts and eyes. It is with all certainty, that I have learned that it is what defines religion and to say otherwise is to ignore what you are thinking and to say something that makes others feel better. No different from saying, "I am glad you read the Bible" or "I am glad you believe in Jesus." You believe what you believe and see others as not being correct in their beliefs, unless they share the same thought.

  Maybe I am saying something that is simple to read, but troubling to accept. Yet in all, it is a reality I realize and I think others do too. All religion and faiths are wrong, until you join them and then all others but that one are. To add, other truths about all religions.

  1. They all have urban legends of faith causing change in people's lives.

  2. They all have people who have had their lives changed dramatically from joining.

  3. They all have miracles they hold too, that seem unique and special to the religion.

  4. They are to some degree, about control (some more then others).

  I have studied several, attended many and talked with people from all over about how they feel and how they see others and have yet to see one faith that did not fall into my conclusion and would hear anything to the contrary as "Were glad to see you read the Bible."
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  tetrapod.sapien

  hi free2beme!

  welcome to the board!

  yes, we are all ignorant and arrogant animals. but i will just say, in defense of science (and not necesarily those who are "into it"), that science is no religion. the implicit assertion in science is that it is neutral in it's observations. in that way, science is all about over turning cherished theories. it seeks the opportunity to describe reality better.

  it's sounds like you have really been around the block with regards to worldviews. i think it's great that you see clearly one of our greater weaknesses as humans. no matter what you believe, it means you are better off as a human.

  look forward to seeing you around.

  cheers,

  TS
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  Rod P

  free2beme,

  Yes, I have come to pretty much the same conclusion as you.

  I also think that science has it's own sacred cows and cherished beliefs, even if they claim dispassionate objectivity and empiricism.That is an interesting subject, but not right here.

  I was a JW, but during the course of doing field service, I actually converted to Mormonism. As a JW, something began to deeply disturb me along the way. I had met some very knowledgeable and intelligent individuals of other religious and philosophical persuasions. When I listened to what they had to say, I found that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS) had many inconsistencies, illogical arguments, and questionable interpretations of scripture, to say the least. Doctrinal issues, false prophecies and dates, assumptions about only JW's having Christian fruits, ever-changing "new light", etc. created some huge dilemmas in my mind.

  The JW's believe that they are teaching only what the Bible teaches, and all the rest of Christendom is preaching false doctrine based on wrong interpretations of the scriptures. They would get into the soul doctrine, the hell doctrine, the trinity doctrine, the blood issue, and on and on, to argue how everyone else but the WBTS was teaching the truth from the Bible. They would erect "straw men" by describing the WBTS version of what other churches taught, and then would proceed to demolish their arguments. When I was better informed by talking with people of those faiths, I found out that the WBTS arguments did not hold any substance, and some of it was downright misrepresentation of a deceptive order.

  One of my dilemmas was the Bible itself. How can one base his whole faith and salvation on the Bible alone? How can a JW, or anyone else for that matter, actually know with certainty what the correct interpretation of the Biblical contents are? Take two men (or women) of different religious backgrounds, and assume for just a moment, that they are highly intelligent and well-informed on the Bible. Let us then ask each of them the same question on a Biblical matter involving interpretation of scripture. Give them six months to research the topic thoroughly. Now put them in a room to debate the matter. The odds are they will stale-mate, with each one remaining equally convinced they are right and the other person is wrong. The tendency will be that each one will be simply defending the position and rationale of the religion they already belonged to. And even if one person had won the debate over the other. What would that have proved? It may simply be a case that one person was a better debater than the other on that particular topic. Choose a different topic, and the outcome might have been different.

  One argues a literal interpretation, while another argues a symbolic or allegorical understanding. One puts Scripture A in juxtaposition with Scripture B, C, D, E and F, while the other guy interprets Scripture A in the context of Scripture C, E, G, H and I. Biblical interpretation is frought with difficulty. There is much that needs to be understood with certain historical, cultural, linguistic, etc. backgrounds, any one or all of which can completely render different understandings or interpretations of the same passages. Then there is the problem of the many versions of the Bible. If you tried to resolve all of these issues, you would find yourself up against some very profound and scholarly works by men who had spent their entire lives studying this stuff. The amount of material that has been produced would fill whole libraries. How on earth can you and I sort thru all that and come up with the infallibly correct versions of the "truth" about anything from the Bible where there are all these variances. It boggles the mind!

  And so, if our very salvation and eternal life depends on making the so-called one right choice about the Bible and which church or religion is right, then the human race is in trouble. I just think this whole premise is ridiculous and illogical, and I do not believe the God of the Universe operates that way. Is He going to judge us for what is in our intellect or what is in our heart?

  Furthermore, how about all the other religious books around the world which people outside of Christianity also believe is from God (eg. Koran)? To be fair and unbiased about this, we need to examine those as well. Do so, and it will change your thinking forever!

  Rod P.