Why I'm no longer a Jehovah's Witness.
The reason I’m a atheist isn’t because I don’t like the idea of God. It’s because I’ve studied the bible at great length and have found some fundamental flaws.
So in the Garden of Eden, God allowed Adam and Eve to eat from any tree in the garden, except from one. If they ate from that tree, then they would no longer be perfect and would become sinful and die. Eve was deceived by a snake (Satan) and was told if she ate from it she would become like God, knowing good and bad (therefore being able to make a choice between them, which is freewill). So Eve took the fruit to Adam and they ate it. They were cast out of the garden of Eden and lead long lives of suffering because of this.
My problem with this story, is that God is described as a merciful, loving character, that gives people second chances, as long as they have the right heart condition. But why would God put the tree in the garden in the first place? Surely by not allowing them to have access to it, is straight away tempting them to eat from it. If Adam and Eve didn’t eat from it, then surely over time as more people populated the earth, someone would have eaten from it, therefore causing them to be cast out and to be imperfect and to sin and die. So why would a loving God put this temptation there in the first place? Because of one man and womens “sin” the rest of all generations of humans have had to suffer because of this.
Now by deceiving Eve, Satan was challenging god, saying that he didnt have the right to rule and that humans could rule themselves because now, they know from good and bad. So baring that in mind, is gods right to rule, worth millions upon millions of people suffering and dying? Doesn’t that seem extremely selfish and unloving? Not to forget that it completely contradicts the whole purpose of the bible of God loving us. I don’t want anything to do with a God that would put himself before the suffering of people he claims to love so much.
Apparently god gave us free will. But if the first choice, that the first humans had , was to live not knowing good from bad(pretty much like toddlers) or eating from this tree and positivily dying, then its not much of a choice is it? That’s just manipulating the subject into thinking they have free will, but you’re really just choosing for them, or giving them such extreme circumstances that obviously no one is going to take the dying option. That’s so far from free will is disgusting. And it’s the same now. The bible says you have to do x, y and z other wise you’ll die at Armageddon. Some of those things being fornication, adultery, HOMOSEXUALITY ( basically anything that ISNT heterosexual), GETTING DRUNK etc. That’s not giving you a choice. That’s manipulating the believer into doing what you want, out of fear of being killed.
There is no explanation why homosexuality is a sin. None what-so-ever. It JUST IS. That’s not good enough for me. Love is love. Why should it matter what gender you fall in love with and why should the consequence of being something that’s natural to so many people be death? You can’t tell a whole bunch of people that they can’t live forever in paradise because they “commit homosexual acts”. It’s ridiculous. Which leads me to believe that God doesn’t like anything that he didn’t originally purpose, meaning he isn’t open minded to new things. But the bible teaches people they have to change for the better, to Gods “standards”. So God expects us to fully change ourselves but he cant even accept one new thing he didn’t purpose for us.
Women aren’t equal to men in the bible. Ranking order goes:
So we’re the lowest of the low. But I thought God loves us all the same? Well apparently not. Women are not allowed to teach men! They’re not allowed to be elders or ministerial servants OR EVEN SAY A PRAY OUT LOUD IN THE PRESENCE OF A MAN! Many reasons I’ve heard for not allowing women to be Elders (like priests) in the congregation is because “they’re too emotional and can’t disconnect themselves to judge a situation”. That’s completely sexist and stereotypical and disgusting. Since there’s no proof that God inspired the writers of the bible, they basically thought women are worthless and had to shove it into a religion.
The bible says that the wicked people will die at Armageddon and everyone who survives will live on a paradise earth forever. Those already dead will be resurrected (as death acquits you from any sin) Yet animals apparently don’t get a resurrection. This bothers me because animals are the most innocent creatures on this planet and yet under go inhumane suffering all over the world because OF HUMANS. So why do innocent sentient beings not get another chance? The horrible cruel life they have now is all they have according to the bible.
When people stop believing or do something wrong, they’re supposed to be excommunicated. Also known as disfellowshipping. This means they cannot have any contact with family or friends within said congregations, UNTIL they come back and rejoin. That my friends is emotional black mail. The only reason people will come back is to be with their family! What loving religion would separate families because one person believes something different. Not loving at all. Now that I’ve met many ex JW’s on this site, I know how traumatic and emotionally abusive this religion is. It turns families against each other and leaves scars that can never be healed.
There is no scripture saying you can’t celebrate birthdays. And yet jw’s won’t celebrate them because there were two examples of birthdays in the bible and at both a person was killed. The events that took place on those birthdays were bad, but that doesn’t mean birthdays are bad.They think that funerals are a time to remember a persons life which is true, you mourn and remember. But Why not celebrate the fact a person is alive another year? Where we can still speak to and touch them and be grateful they are still here? I mean we are grateful every single day but what’s wrong with having one special day that we pay extra attention to? Also another reason I heard was that the bible never mentions Jesus celebrating his birthday and we have to follow in his footsteps. God forbid we think for ourselves and do something Jesus hasn’t mentioned before.
If any witness can give me an explanation of these 6 things then maybe I will consider going back, but so far all I have is ”That’s jehovahs way of doing things and since he is perfect he is never wrong” “We all have to make sacrifices” “You’re going to fall away from Jehovah because you’re an animal justice warrior?” “Homosexuality is disgusting and unnatural. ITS A PERVERSION! Two men having sex is the same as having sex with animals” “Jehovah was testing Adam and Eve’s loyalty and now we’re paying the price.”
Incompetent answers for an incompetent book.
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