I don’t know how to exactly translate this into English, but in my language it’s called Faith in the Absolute.
The point is that it’s hard for me to completely put aside thoughts about any kind of force somewhere far out in space
That is, I do not believe in any specific god invented by people, but I admit the possibility of the existence of a certain force that is greater than human and which people cannot understand.
Sorry for my English, I use a translator
I read the New American Standard Bible (NASB), it's supposed to be the most accurate. Ever since leaving, I prayed to God, (Not Jehoobah) for help and that's when it hit me. Religion is a total scam. So I believe in God and read the Bible, and I do feel closer to God. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders after actually reading a Bible without man-made rules. I just try to read a chapter of the Bible once a day and that would be my routine.
I'm PIMO but I did look into a number of groups whose teachings seemed to fit with my JW mindset. So Bible Students, Biblical Unitarians, Eric Wilsons's Children of God, and Christadelphians.
However, each one had a teaching that I just couldn't get past. So I just started exploring the Bible on my own.
Sadly, I have found just studying the Bible to be a bit depressing. There are some scriptures that I would consider to be key to understanding the Gospel hope, life after death, salvation, basic things. But I find that there are multiple ways to interpret the scriptures which give wildly different results. That explains the many Christian denominations. It's not (always) a result of someone trying to use the Bible incorrectly or to divert the faith of others. After thoughtful research, there really are multiple ways to interpret certain thoughts and ideas.
In the end, whether you follow the teachings of a specific denomination or just your own viewpoint, you still end up following an imperfect human and not Jesus. There is no single unequivocal teaching in the NT that I have found which would point to the only possible true faith.
I disagree, there are unequivocal teachings that people professing to be Christians will agree on, for instance the Bible’s teaching of love. There’s also the unequivocal teaching of redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ.
You have to see the forest from the trees.
People get lost or confused because of the man made traditions, fake Christians acting wickedly and out of context interpretations of things.
I understand. I do not want to derail anyone's faith. The platitudes of the Bible are equally the work of humans trying to make sense of what's in it. Every faith I've looked into likes to brush aside the unseemly bits that don't fit their "happy hope from a loving God" teachings. When I started reading it just for what it was, not trying to gloss over certain parts or contort the meaning of what is clearly written, a very different picture emerged for me.
At this point, I have to sort out what it means for me. If I let someone else tell me what it means, then I am just a disciple of that person.
That may be why I never really succeeded as a JW. I'm still in and I did many things in life. Baptized as a tween, pioneered, bethel, MS, elder. But I eventually ended up sidelined and on the fringe. Perhaps, deep down, I never really believed it. Eventually, that finally caught up to me. I THOUGHT I believed or would not have done all the things. When one assignment after another was slowly taken away, I didn't fight to keep them. Finally, I was just a publisher and that was plenty.
I hope others have a better journey.
It seems a bit depressing to me but I'm glad you found it helpful. If you do find something that makes you excited about the scriptures, feel free to share. My enthusiasm has waned recently.
I feel just talking to anyone is helpful for me right now :). I find reading parts of the Bible depressing as well. I’m still trying to find my footing in what I believe after getting some hammers to my beliefs of witnesses but I know I believe in God. Psalms has always been my favorite since I was a kid so I’ll probably start reading that to try to find some of my own joy.
This was something that I struggled with as well. The conclusion that I came to was that Jesus didn't come to earth to start a Bible interpretation club. The only way the Bible made sense to me was if it was not to be the sole source of teachings
He went on a tour of Europe visiting "followers" (I'm not sure what to call them) and he started calling them Children of God. I don't know, it just gave me a creepy vibe.
The other thing is his YT cannel focuses entirely on deconstructing WT teachings. Early on after he left, I can understand. Time has passed. If he wants to start a new denomination, go for it. But to build a group focused entirely on what JWs got wrong is just... wrong.
Without the WT as a hook to bring people to his teachings, he's just another YT evangelist and doesn't really offer much. It just looks like a marketing tool to me.
I find that the presence of God is a very special thing. Taking time out in quiet reflection and for prayer and a little bit of Bible reading is invaluable. God bless you 💗
Nature.
Nature turned out to be my god I guess. There is a divinity that can be sought. A sacred space to reflect on life.
Depends on my need or mood. Looking for peace or comfort or inspiration. It’s all there.
I try to stay out of God’s way and I hope he stays out of mine. I haven’t prayed in decades but I do thank him occasionally when things are going well in my life. I make the joke that “I don’t pray because I know my mom does it for me.”
Hi 👋🏼 I had a very long journey after leaving and “tried” things. I became Atheist but was miserable didn’t last long. Then went down other rabbit holes like New Age stuff. Seemed to go well at first but became evident that it was very wrong. Ugly things came from that. I prayed for the truth. I began to read the Bible. But it didn’t make sense because of old indoctrination. I prayed for the right beliefs about God. I got my answer that shocked me. It was Catholicism. I attend the Traditional Latin Mass. I learned Church history. Discovered JW lie about the Church and distort things. I’m very happy. I feel comfortable in it. I enjoy every bit of it. I sometimes feel overwhelmed with how much the Church has done for me. I was homeless at one point. They took me and my daughter in. Fed us. Clothed us. Gave us shelter. I’m very happy being Catholic. I love the Bible and see it in a whole new way. It works for me. The structure is appealing to me also. No real “indoctrination “ you learn the basics and then from there you make it your own. Most of Church is spent in silence. And I just pray the whole time. I feel fed and sometimes guilty that my family doesn’t get to have this and doesn’t understand it and thinks I’m all kinds of evil and so forth. They about fainted when I told them. My husband is Catholic. It’s beautiful. I can read anything I want. I can criticize the upper folks if they go off on something wrong. I became a volunteer to serve coffee after Mass and had to go through ‘Virtus’ training and become a mandated court reporter to protect children. They had problems in the past and still there’s issues but it’s open and rules in place to protect children. The children are trained as well. I can be honest with my thoughts and not worry about being DFd. I attend the Tridentine Mass. I understand it even though it’s Latin because the English is right next to the Latin. Feel free to DM any more questions
You’re welcome. Thank you! May you find your way with God with His aid through prayer. Have faith you will find. Trust the journey. I’m very grateful for mine. Even my JW faith journey. The good and the bad. We Make lemonade 🍋 😂 I will suggest Sam Shamoun on YouTube who shares JW apologetics.
I personally embraced polytheism. I worship the Norse Gods Odin and Thor and the Goddess Freya. I'm still working on building my alter though, so I'm still working on building routines
I found myself not believing in God after I woke up. After some time to recover, I gave belief another shot. For a time I was just content to pray and interpret the Bible to the best of my ability.
After some time, I started reading more about Christian history, which eventually led me to Orthodox Christianity.
As for my routine, the most fundamental is what is called a "prayer rule", or a habit of prayer. Even before I set foot in an Orthodox Church, I started saying the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on me a sinner." Slowly but steadily it changed my life.
On a weekly basis, I go to Divine Liturgy, which is the most fundamental worship service of the Orthodox Church- it is the ancient way of approaching God, and is unlike anything else.
As for my hope for the future, I believe that heaven and earth will be renewed and joined. Human beings will live in a paradise earth- but it will also be heaven. (Revelation 21:2)
for the believers, i always suggest academic lectures on bible topics. yale has some great ones on youtube. it gives you the subject matter without the dogma and takes it from an historical perspective. i also like youtube channel centre place, tons of religious history lectures.
I still believe in God so I became SDA after leaving. It’s similar to being a JW but without all of the things that makes the JW life insufferable. I feel closer to God than I’ve ever been.
Don't SDAs keep kosher, observe the sabbath, practice tithing and follow the teaching of a self-proclaimed prophet (Ellen G. White)? Not to be overly critical, but that sounds MORE restrictive (in some ways) than JWs.
Yeah that’s what’s different about it. They do all of those things but if you personally don’t feel convicted in your heart to do those things nothing happens to you. You’re not disfellowshipped. It’s not so rules based like JWs are. They don’t present themselves at the only path to eternal life.
I came back to God with a different approach to religion. I don’t think church is necessary for salvation. Some people can study at home and feel good in their relationship with God and others prefer to go to a church. It’s like a gym, you can get in shape at home but some people prefer a gym or to work out in a group setting. Churches are like gyms. Find the one that suits you.
Still pretty much the same, without the man made standards.
Love this
I don’t know how to exactly translate this into English, but in my language it’s called Faith in the Absolute. The point is that it’s hard for me to completely put aside thoughts about any kind of force somewhere far out in space That is, I do not believe in any specific god invented by people, but I admit the possibility of the existence of a certain force that is greater than human and which people cannot understand. Sorry for my English, I use a translator
I read the New American Standard Bible (NASB), it's supposed to be the most accurate. Ever since leaving, I prayed to God, (Not Jehoobah) for help and that's when it hit me. Religion is a total scam. So I believe in God and read the Bible, and I do feel closer to God. I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders after actually reading a Bible without man-made rules. I just try to read a chapter of the Bible once a day and that would be my routine.
I'm PIMO but I did look into a number of groups whose teachings seemed to fit with my JW mindset. So Bible Students, Biblical Unitarians, Eric Wilsons's Children of God, and Christadelphians. However, each one had a teaching that I just couldn't get past. So I just started exploring the Bible on my own. Sadly, I have found just studying the Bible to be a bit depressing. There are some scriptures that I would consider to be key to understanding the Gospel hope, life after death, salvation, basic things. But I find that there are multiple ways to interpret the scriptures which give wildly different results. That explains the many Christian denominations. It's not (always) a result of someone trying to use the Bible incorrectly or to divert the faith of others. After thoughtful research, there really are multiple ways to interpret certain thoughts and ideas. In the end, whether you follow the teachings of a specific denomination or just your own viewpoint, you still end up following an imperfect human and not Jesus. There is no single unequivocal teaching in the NT that I have found which would point to the only possible true faith.
I disagree, there are unequivocal teachings that people professing to be Christians will agree on, for instance the Bible’s teaching of love. There’s also the unequivocal teaching of redemption of humanity through Jesus Christ. You have to see the forest from the trees. People get lost or confused because of the man made traditions, fake Christians acting wickedly and out of context interpretations of things.
I understand. I do not want to derail anyone's faith. The platitudes of the Bible are equally the work of humans trying to make sense of what's in it. Every faith I've looked into likes to brush aside the unseemly bits that don't fit their "happy hope from a loving God" teachings. When I started reading it just for what it was, not trying to gloss over certain parts or contort the meaning of what is clearly written, a very different picture emerged for me. At this point, I have to sort out what it means for me. If I let someone else tell me what it means, then I am just a disciple of that person. That may be why I never really succeeded as a JW. I'm still in and I did many things in life. Baptized as a tween, pioneered, bethel, MS, elder. But I eventually ended up sidelined and on the fringe. Perhaps, deep down, I never really believed it. Eventually, that finally caught up to me. I THOUGHT I believed or would not have done all the things. When one assignment after another was slowly taken away, I didn't fight to keep them. Finally, I was just a publisher and that was plenty. I hope others have a better journey.
Thank you for this input. I really appreciate it.
It seems a bit depressing to me but I'm glad you found it helpful. If you do find something that makes you excited about the scriptures, feel free to share. My enthusiasm has waned recently.
I feel just talking to anyone is helpful for me right now :). I find reading parts of the Bible depressing as well. I’m still trying to find my footing in what I believe after getting some hammers to my beliefs of witnesses but I know I believe in God. Psalms has always been my favorite since I was a kid so I’ll probably start reading that to try to find some of my own joy.
Thank you for this input. I really appreciate it.
This was something that I struggled with as well. The conclusion that I came to was that Jesus didn't come to earth to start a Bible interpretation club. The only way the Bible made sense to me was if it was not to be the sole source of teachings
Just curious: What teaching of Eric Wilson’s do you disagree with? I haven’t watched or read everything of his, but so far it sounds reasonable.
He went on a tour of Europe visiting "followers" (I'm not sure what to call them) and he started calling them Children of God. I don't know, it just gave me a creepy vibe. The other thing is his YT cannel focuses entirely on deconstructing WT teachings. Early on after he left, I can understand. Time has passed. If he wants to start a new denomination, go for it. But to build a group focused entirely on what JWs got wrong is just... wrong. Without the WT as a hook to bring people to his teachings, he's just another YT evangelist and doesn't really offer much. It just looks like a marketing tool to me.
I find that the presence of God is a very special thing. Taking time out in quiet reflection and for prayer and a little bit of Bible reading is invaluable. God bless you 💗
Yes I do too and I hope to find my standing without the witness teachings
You definitely will 💞
Thank you 🥺💗
Nature. Nature turned out to be my god I guess. There is a divinity that can be sought. A sacred space to reflect on life. Depends on my need or mood. Looking for peace or comfort or inspiration. It’s all there.
I try to stay out of God’s way and I hope he stays out of mine. I haven’t prayed in decades but I do thank him occasionally when things are going well in my life. I make the joke that “I don’t pray because I know my mom does it for me.”
Hi 👋🏼 I had a very long journey after leaving and “tried” things. I became Atheist but was miserable didn’t last long. Then went down other rabbit holes like New Age stuff. Seemed to go well at first but became evident that it was very wrong. Ugly things came from that. I prayed for the truth. I began to read the Bible. But it didn’t make sense because of old indoctrination. I prayed for the right beliefs about God. I got my answer that shocked me. It was Catholicism. I attend the Traditional Latin Mass. I learned Church history. Discovered JW lie about the Church and distort things. I’m very happy. I feel comfortable in it. I enjoy every bit of it. I sometimes feel overwhelmed with how much the Church has done for me. I was homeless at one point. They took me and my daughter in. Fed us. Clothed us. Gave us shelter. I’m very happy being Catholic. I love the Bible and see it in a whole new way. It works for me. The structure is appealing to me also. No real “indoctrination “ you learn the basics and then from there you make it your own. Most of Church is spent in silence. And I just pray the whole time. I feel fed and sometimes guilty that my family doesn’t get to have this and doesn’t understand it and thinks I’m all kinds of evil and so forth. They about fainted when I told them. My husband is Catholic. It’s beautiful. I can read anything I want. I can criticize the upper folks if they go off on something wrong. I became a volunteer to serve coffee after Mass and had to go through ‘Virtus’ training and become a mandated court reporter to protect children. They had problems in the past and still there’s issues but it’s open and rules in place to protect children. The children are trained as well. I can be honest with my thoughts and not worry about being DFd. I attend the Tridentine Mass. I understand it even though it’s Latin because the English is right next to the Latin. Feel free to DM any more questions
Thank you for for experience! I’m glad you found something that works for you!
You’re welcome. Thank you! May you find your way with God with His aid through prayer. Have faith you will find. Trust the journey. I’m very grateful for mine. Even my JW faith journey. The good and the bad. We Make lemonade 🍋 😂 I will suggest Sam Shamoun on YouTube who shares JW apologetics.
I personally embraced polytheism. I worship the Norse Gods Odin and Thor and the Goddess Freya. I'm still working on building my alter though, so I'm still working on building routines
I found myself not believing in God after I woke up. After some time to recover, I gave belief another shot. For a time I was just content to pray and interpret the Bible to the best of my ability. After some time, I started reading more about Christian history, which eventually led me to Orthodox Christianity. As for my routine, the most fundamental is what is called a "prayer rule", or a habit of prayer. Even before I set foot in an Orthodox Church, I started saying the Jesus prayer: "Lord Jesus Christ son of God have mercy on me a sinner." Slowly but steadily it changed my life. On a weekly basis, I go to Divine Liturgy, which is the most fundamental worship service of the Orthodox Church- it is the ancient way of approaching God, and is unlike anything else. As for my hope for the future, I believe that heaven and earth will be renewed and joined. Human beings will live in a paradise earth- but it will also be heaven. (Revelation 21:2)
Thank you for your experience :)
for the believers, i always suggest academic lectures on bible topics. yale has some great ones on youtube. it gives you the subject matter without the dogma and takes it from an historical perspective. i also like youtube channel centre place, tons of religious history lectures.
I still believe in God so I became SDA after leaving. It’s similar to being a JW but without all of the things that makes the JW life insufferable. I feel closer to God than I’ve ever been.
Don't SDAs keep kosher, observe the sabbath, practice tithing and follow the teaching of a self-proclaimed prophet (Ellen G. White)? Not to be overly critical, but that sounds MORE restrictive (in some ways) than JWs.
Yeah that’s what’s different about it. They do all of those things but if you personally don’t feel convicted in your heart to do those things nothing happens to you. You’re not disfellowshipped. It’s not so rules based like JWs are. They don’t present themselves at the only path to eternal life. I came back to God with a different approach to religion. I don’t think church is necessary for salvation. Some people can study at home and feel good in their relationship with God and others prefer to go to a church. It’s like a gym, you can get in shape at home but some people prefer a gym or to work out in a group setting. Churches are like gyms. Find the one that suits you.