Dear Readers,
Today, I was thinking how much Muslims, Scientologists and fundamentalist Christian denominations like the Jehovah's Witnesses , the Amish are and other religious groups are obsessed with how former members of their specific religious groups live their lives. I can guarantee the Jehovah's Witnesses, believe it or not, that I don't live my life any different than you do. I just no longer believe in the existence of any god. Apostasy isn't a crime, it's an exercise in religious decision-making. Why bothering staying in a religion that your unable to agree with on everything? There really isn't much point in it. I understand why people do and have done this, but I could never do it.
When I left the Jehovah's Witnesses at 22 years old, much to the upset feelings it caused in my controlling mother, I knew I was making the better decision to leave than by continuing to stay.
Now, the JW's a few years ago had written in "The Watchtower" that all former JW's are "mentally-diseased", how very Christian of them, because apparently in their eyes that is what Jesus would want them to do and that is what their "loving" god wants them to do. Again, this is nothing to me but a scare tactic if you ask me to make the JW's submit to their religious instruction by making ex-JW's look like the "bad guys". Well, sometimes the bad guy might be the person sitting next to you in your Kingdom Hall.
Ask Candace Conti who had to endure years of abuse from a pedophile at her Kingdom Hall. What about the fact when JW's go door-to-door on Saturdays, they ask the householders if they are concerned about where the world is headed. Well, a large reason for why the world is in a negative state of affairs is because humans choose to misbehave and do not improve themselves, if you ask me. Waiting for Armageddon to come can really be a pain in the behind. I don't see the "warnings" in the Bible or Watchtower and Awake! magazines of natural disasters, wars, incurable diseases killing people, genocide, murder or food shortages as having anything to do with ancient Biblical prophesy, it's more of a scare tactic to get people to convert into the JW organization/denomination. All of these "bad things". There are actions that we can take to help reduce murder, genocide, incurable diseases, food shortages and wars. We can never stop natural disasters from occurring. We have no control over the unpredictable forces of nature and it would be arrogant even to try, not to mention the pitiable consequences that could and have occurred when we try to assume that we have the ability to control nature. We humans are a part of nature, but we can never control it. I really don't think that becoming a Jehovah's Witness changes your life for the better, if your an alcoholic, focusing on something other than drinking, which is good, may result because of conversion, but I don't the religion improves your life . It will definitely keep you busy.
The JW's have a real big problem with alcoholism due to their lax views on drinking. Their cousin denomination, the Seventh-day Adventists, now they don't allow their members to drink at all. My dad is an SDA, a liberal one, he has never drank in his life. I haven't either. I've never drank alcohol or smoke. Not everyone who drinks or smokes abuses nicotine or alcohol, too many people, do unfortunately. I was involved with Adventism for a while, I had a more positive experience with them than I did with Jehovah's Witnesses. My dad is ethnically Jewish, has some African blood, but his family have tried to keep as close to their ethnic Jewish identity as much as they can. Being an atheist, I also consider myself to be a secular, cultural, and Humanistic Jew by choice. None of the Jewish people that I have met drink, at least not very much. Now, I'm sure the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society still accuse former JW's of engaging in "disgusting" behaviors. I don't think that consenting adults having non-marital sex, gay sex, watching porn films ( I decided to mention sexual issues first, since religious fundamentalists have such an infatuation on whose doing what with whomever else), having blood transfusions, studying the beliefs, practices and histories of all religions or engaging in independent thinking donating to the Red Cross, or supporting the some of the causes of the U.N. are "bad things" nor do I think that are hurting any outside parties. It's funny that the Jewish and Christian bibles contain no prohibitions on bigotry or child molestation, I think they should.
Apparently in the JW's eyes it's okay to hate on non-JW Christians, the U.N., soldiers, political activists, romantically and sexually-active couples of the same-sex, unmarried heterosexual couples, transgendered persons whom have undergone a sex-change operation, former JW's and just about everyone else. Well, keep in mind, it's not bigotry if you do it in the name of Yahweh or "Jehovah" as the Abrahamic god is called. Despite the fact, most of these people or activities aren't hurting anyone, strangely enough the Biblical authors and plagiarizers didn't seem understand, the fact that there is no harm factor in these situations.The U.N. isn't even mentioned in the Bible because it didn't exist at the time the Jewish and Christian scriptures were written. In the Torah, the Hebrews go to battle with the Canaanites all the time. So, it really doesn't condemn war. Yahweh commanding the Jews not to eat blood or food sacrificed to pagan idols, is not the same as having a blood transfusion. The Bible is simply wrong about gay male sexual activity being an "abomination". The Apostle Paul and other Christian scriptural writers were simply wrong about homosexual feelings and sexual behaviors as being "shameful lust", "unnatural" or that they will "receive recompense for their errors" and will "not inherit Yahweh's kingdom". I think that a loving same-sex couple should allowed to inherit Yahweh's kingdom than a genocidal maniac like Hitler.
What about the fact that Paul writes to middle-eastern Christians in his letters to their communities that women should not be permitted to speak in church, teach or preach. Yet, Jewish women like Deborah were prophetesses. He practically encourages religious intolerance by telling Christians not to even eat a meal with pagans because what do the followers of Christ and worshippers of Yahweh have in common with the people of Baal? Geez, Paul was a jerk! Why did Christianity deviate from it's Jewish originations? This seem to have happened when Gentiles starting joining the religion. Jesus said his message was only for the House of Israel ( i.e. the Jews). Jesus condemned the Temple priests for being hypocrites and felt that the Jews had a direct relationship with Yahweh and shouldn't go to the Temple for everything. Jesus' prediction of the destruction of the Temple really isn't all that "miraculous" as a lot of Jews weren't happy with what the Temple rabbis were doing.
Unfortunately, religious fanaticism still has a stronghold on people, there are still severe consequences resulting in our world due to Biblical and scriptural literalism, the JW's play a part in that. I think younger generations are abandoning religion or at least questioning the beliefs and practices of their religion because they notice many logical inconsistencies and moral problems within their religions, including Jehovah's Witnesses that are of great concern to many people. Apostasy isn't a bad thing, sometimes it is necessary. Thanks for reading.
Sincerely,
B.W.
Thanks for reading.
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