Posts by nuthouse escapee

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

Still Thinking: I will check that website out and also Carl Sagan's book.

RIP: oops. I guess the JW assumption about atheists is still in our head. We are just babes in our journey so I think/hope they will forgive us and not "tear us a new one". lol

CoC: thankyou for your response

J. Hofer: I guess it is a matter of accepting that we don't know what happened and probably never will.

Black Sheep: LOL, thanks

Smiddy: It certainly was a shock to realize that everything was based on lies. I now believe that the Bible has pearls of wisdom (as you stated), but is just a collection of writings thrown together that try to explain the culture of its time and perhaps also an excuse for engaging in horrific acts in the name of a god.

Xanthippe: Wait for me. lol. I'm now on that same road. JW > Christian > ? (current point in journey)

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

WOW. Never expected this many responses, I am over-whelmed, and grateful. I will reply but it is going to take a while.

Panhandlegirl: Thanks for the book recommendation, I will check that out. Fear of being zapped is part of the problem for me as well. I know the JW's are wrong but...

Empty Inside: It was so much easier being told what to believe. I do enjoy thinking for myself though.

Aware: I also thank the 'unknown entity'. I have actually prayed for him/her/it/them to forgive my ignorance.

Inbetween: (good handle BTW) It just doesn't make sense that a loving creator would allow all the suffering. Boy were we arrogant as JW's thinking we knew it all.

King Solomon: apt description "idling in neutral". Also liked your description of a "Frankenstein" system of belief. Pretty much describes my current belief system.

What Happened: That's the rub isn't it. If he/she is there why doesn't he/she fix it. The JW answer to why God allows suffering just doesn't cut it.

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

Thank you UMADEVI &OTWO for responding. It helps knowing it's not just me.

Tal: I live about 30 km from a major university town and will see if I can get that Philosophy Textbook.

To all who reply over the next while, your comments are sincerely appreciated. It is getting late and I must get some sleep but will reply to your responses tomorrow. Leslie

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

Thanks Tammy: I am so turned off religion because of having been a JW for so long(48 yrs as a born in). I no longer believe the Bible is God's word. I feel this way because if it were that important for us, why is it so confusing and how can it be spun to have so many contradictory interpretations. Perhaps my having an under-lying mental illness just adds to the confusion. -Leslie-

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

Thank you for the recommendations Tal. I will definitely give those authors a try. I LOVE reading. I guess I need to not obsess over this. I have (bi-polar & OCD) so it is hard sometimes to wait for answers but I am not as bad as I was. Thanks for the reminder that I don't need to decide RIGHT NOW. Leslie (I've been really messed up since the encounter with the snake, it really threw me)

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

It's a bit of a pickle isn't it. I feel stuck in the middle of the debate. I want to believe in something but as you pointed out Rip, the athiests will say it's from being weak-minded. The Christians say come to Christ. I have prayed and had 'things' happen but is it co-incidence? Athiests will say yes, Xians will say no.

I guess what I'm really asking is whether or not there are others on the board who are still on the fence or undecided as to what they believe. I know no one can tell someone what or if to believe but I hope I'm not alone in my confusion or it really speaks volumes regarding my mental state and decision making abilities. -Leslie -

69

Not Sure What I Believe In Anymore

by nuthouse escapee in

jw
friends

inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what i believe.

i have days where i believe in a creator and other days when i don't.

then there are times when i refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, i have no idea.

nuthouse escapee

Inside my head is a tangled ball of wool when it comes to what I believe. I have days where I believe in a Creator and other days when I don't. Then there are times when I refer to this as believing in 'something' but what exactly this something is, I have no idea. At times I just refer to 'it' as an entity or force. I think (today anyway, could think differently tomorrow) that maybe 'something' started the ball rolling and then things evolved from there. Is it just me or does anyone experience this kind of no man's land?Leslie

26

Victoria, Australia: State Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse by Religious Organisations

by AndersonsInfo in

victoria, australia: state inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious organisations.

the victoria, australia, state inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations, including the jehovahs witnesses and the watch tower society, has officially commenced, with the last of the formal submissions being presented to the inquiry committee on friday, 21 september, 2012.. .

a large number of submissions have been received by the inquiry in relation to the religion of jehovahs witnesses, the watch tower society, their internal lawyer vincent toole and his law firm vincent toole solicitors.

nuthouse escapee

Thanks Barbara. It is great that this inquiry is taking place. Modern means of communication are certainly making it easier to expose the injustice done to victims of abuse. They can't just sweep it under the carpet and expect it to go away. Hopefully more victims will speak out and be motivated to pursue prosecution of the guilty. (the perp & those covering it up). The victims are realizing how huge this problem is within the WT org. and that they are not an anomaly. Leslie

13

Steven Unthank's submission re: Appearing before the Inquiry into the Handling of Child Abuse

by AndersonsInfo in

state government of victoria.

a submission to the inquiry into the handling of child abuse by religious and other organisations in relation to the church of jehovahs witnesses and the watch tower society corporation.

submission by the unthank family.

nuthouse escapee

Thank you so much for the information Barbara. Will be sending positive vibes to Steven & his family. He lost a battle but may win the war yet. That is a very comprehensive list. I hope his material receives the attention it deserves and that the organization is widely exposed for it's treatment of victims of sexual abuse and it's lack of protecting others within it's walls.

Your continued work and timely updates regarding this is very much appreciated. Leslie

62

Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower SUICIDE . How many JW suicides can you recall?

by Anti-Cult in

how many jw suicides can you recall?.

is it more common than the rest of society?.

i personally know of 5.

nuthouse escapee

Personally knew 5 of them. 1 hung himself (late 20's); 2 carbon monoxide in car ( one was 40's father of four, the other 20); 1 electrocuted herself (unscrewed light bulb, finger in socket standing in pan of water. Had attempted before with pills & wrist slashing) 1 by running her car into an oncoming transport truck ( 20, pioneer, left note)

Also sister 50's attempted by driving car into a river. Rescued by passerby & taken to hospital. Spent time in psych ward.

Personally had more than one attempt. Hospitalized. Grateful I wasn't successful. Feeling unworthy and not good enough eventually takes its toll on people. You become desperate and feel like there is no other way out of the darkness. By the time one reaches that point you really don't care if you live or die. You just want the emotional and mental turmoil to stop. -Leslie-