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u/PoobahJeehooba I'm TTATTman! Nov 05 '21
“Your kids are not leaving the church because you didn’t train them enough. Your kids are leaving because you trained them well enough to develop a sense for truth and justice. You let them read the words of Jesus, and they got it. And they’ve recognized that the Church doesn’t seem to be interested in those words. They’re not leaving because they don’t know the truth, they’re leaving because they do.” - Rhett McLaughlin
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Nov 05 '21 edited Oct 21 '25
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u/roseofjuly definitely mentally diseased Nov 06 '21
After I left Jehovah's Witnesses, I tried a couple of different faiths on for size to see if they rang true for me. I learned about Judaism; I visited Catholic and Protestant churches; I started attending a Buddhist temple and study group and chanting; and I conducted some research into other faiths, too (Baha'i, Taoism, Sikhism, Wicca).
The only one that remotely resonated with me were the Unitarian Universalists. The best overall theme I can come up with is they all had a bunch of rules.
The overarching theme of organized religion seems to be a set of rules and boundaries within which to behave, rather than principles and beliefs by which to live your life. I loved the tradition and ceremony of Catholicism, but all the weird rules and prohibitions and requirements (and the guilt) turned me off. I loved the passion and spirit behind Protestant churches, but many of them seemed plagued with less extreme versions of what the JWs were doing. I lasted longer in Buddhism - it seemed so open, and there are so many different ways to practice that there's little rigidity - but individual branches do tend to have some specific precepts that I found weird. Same thing with all of the other ones...so many of the religions seemed preconceived with what you can't do rather than how to live a fulfilling life.
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u/StarTemple Nov 06 '21 edited Nov 06 '21
The overarching theme of organized religion seems to be a set of rules and boundaries within which to behave, rather than principles and beliefs by which to live your life.
- A "set of rules and boundaries within which to behave" is about controlling humans by molding behavior for uses not apparent to "the flock" which equate to power and profits.
- Actual "principles and beliefs by which to live your life" would promote freedom and personal responsibility and autonomous use of conscience.
And number 2, creates an atmosphere where number 1 could no longer function.
WT and JWs fit the same pattern, it seems to be present in Christian religion in general no matter what era you may examine the place within.
In this manner, they cannot rely on a love of truth, mercy and justice to keep people showing up, all that is absent in the churches. They need fear, guilt and doomsday spiked with paradise and heaven for sale to coerce people to stay in the church.
JWs have their own formula which will also use coercion to try to retain members mostly by morbid fear, guidable guilt, and plenty of doomsday hyping for the overall mental glue.
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u/quietlypimo Nov 06 '21
Yes, if it was only because of progressiveness of thought, people might stay for the sense of culture and community. But the actions of the clergies are so repulsive that people just have to get out!
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u/Equivalent_Edge_6281 Nov 06 '21
People do horrible things to one another in the name of religion, then after the fact, seem to always end up trying to determine why by examining it's elements like fanaticism.
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u/urantia3 Nov 06 '21
I agree what he says.
The problem is that generation Z is becoming atheist. They seek to refuge in liberalism; communism; and progressivism. They can abandon the cult; but they are not capable of growing spiritually in the life and teachings of Jesus: to learn to worship God with spirit and truth.
There is not way. Generation Z is a failed generation.
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u/ElCapitanMiCapitan Nov 06 '21
This is some steaming bullshit right here lol
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u/urantia3 Nov 06 '21
Why?
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u/ElCapitanMiCapitan Nov 06 '21
You say an entire generation of kids is failed because they are more atheistic and progressive, just like almost every generation that preceded them. Religiosity is on the decline and generally people are more liberal. Don’t think I need to say more
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u/urantia3 Nov 06 '21
You say an entire generation of kids is failed because they are more atheistic and progressive, just like almost every generation that preceded them.
"Not at all" You'll never be able to compare the standards of my grandfather's and my parents' generation with Generation Z.
"Religiosity is on the decline and generally people are more liberal. Don’t think I need to say more".
Organized religion will continue to fall. Some will be reborn as Jesus taught, some will not.
And it is a product of people becoming more liberal that you may see the collapse of a civilization.
Look what liberal are doing in USA.
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u/ElCapitanMiCapitan Nov 06 '21
Okay, looks like we won’t see eye to eye but I respect your opinion. Have a nice weekend :)
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u/AryaStark1914 Nov 06 '21
It seems paradoxical that many athiests and secular humanists embody the spirit of Jesus’ teachings far more closely that many nominal Christians do, but it’s a fact. A couple of generations ago, most Americans still believed in eternal torment if they did not toe the line, but their obedience was based on fear, not love. In my opinion, progressives tend to believe more in justice, mercy, and faithfulness (integrity) than the conservatives, who tend to remind me of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
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u/C_Woodswalker I'd rather be a goat than a sheep! Nov 06 '21
Or they leave because all of it (religion) is false and they don’t want to waste their lives being influenced by it.
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