What do I Believe?

Question

I haven't been brought up with a religious background and have never even thought about religion/evolution/meaning of life/death etc but I have started working with a new colleague who is a very strict Jehovah Witness. They have got me thinking about what I should believe in.

But before I decide what "I believe", I want to try and understand all religions and beliefs and why people believe what they do. What proof do they have that THEIR religion is the right one.

Any feedback would be great.

Answer 1

Too many people criticize a religion by isolating a single minor idea and pretending that the minor idea is the main point of the religion. Sadly, critics of Jehovah's Witnesses often do that.

The main point of Jehovah's Witnesses concerns the reality of God's Kingdom government, and the obligation to help others to share in its blessings. Jehovah's Witnesses understand the Scriptures to teach that God's Kingdom will soon replace all earthly governments.
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite

That Kingdom will rule over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
(Acts 24:15) There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Until that resurrection, there is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire

While a limitted number of humans will be resurrected to heaven to share in ruling over mankind, the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]

Interestingly, the Scriptures are full of references to this earthly hope.
(Psalms 37:11) 'the meek will possess the earth'
(Proverbs 2:21) 'upright will reside in the earth'
(Isaiah 45:18) 'God formed the earth to be inhabited'
(Matthew 5:5) 'the mild will inherit the earth'
(Revelation 21:3) The tent of God is with mankind

Learn more:
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/trueworship.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/

Answer 2

I'm delighted that your JW colleague has got you thinking about religion and what you should believe in. However, I would caution you against taking their word as "gospel". I was brought up from birth in a JW family and understand their theology very well. I left that organisation when I discovered that they were twisting the Bible to suit their own beliefs and that they were perverting the word of God. My opinion, I know, but it's based on years and years of studying the Bible.

I would recommend that you start your search by reading God's word, but not the New World translation JW's use. Might I suggest you find a Baptist church and ask the minister to help you? It's not that I think Baptists are the only "true" religion, it's just that they believe in God's word and will speak openly and honestly about the liberating message of the Gospel.

You don't need to subscribe to a religion - but you do need to get in touch with God and find out what he has to say. That's why you need to read his word, the Bible. I recommend you start with the New Testament and the life and works of Jesus. I can't speak for other religions. All I know is that Jesus is the way, the truth and the light and no-one comes to the Father except through Jesus.

Check it out and be assured that if you are genuinely seeking, God will never turn you away.

Answer 3

Go out and get yourself a Bible. If you decide to study the Bible with your witness friend, make sure to use your own until you are sure you feel comfortable with the New World Translation (your friend cannot make that decision for you - only you can). If you have a question or if something doesn't make sense to you, write it down so you don't forget it and make sure all your questions are answered. Do that with any religion you decide to study. Ask God in prayer (he won't care if you feel like you don't know how to pray, if you are sincere, he will know it) for his guidance and holy spirit to find the right path.

Take it seriously. Never EVER believe anyone tells you about doctrine unless you see it for yourself from the Bible.

One very good thing to consider when shopping for a religion is Jesus' words at Matthew 7: 13-23 and John 13:35. Actions speak louder than words.

Answer 4

You need to do your own research, you'll just get biased answers here. It'll probably take you a long time, but I would study various religions try and get both sides for example Islam, what Muslims say about their religion and what other religions. theologists say about it. This should help you make your own judgements.

As to the question of evidence, we know that the universe was created due to the big bang. A mass of gases which one day exploded and created the universe, we only this due to having powerful telescopes. So If a religion stated centuries before the theory came about would we believe there is a God?

"Do not the Unbelievers see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? " (Quran 21:31)

This video may also help:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HgcDm5UkcBc

Answer 5

Don't look for proof, because it's not about proof. There is no proof either way. It's about likelihood.

I'm an atheist because of my own endeavors to seek the truth with objectivity. I read the Bible, I read Answers in Genesis, and I read dozens of apologetics sites, books, and so on...

Then I read Talk Origins, a few books by Dawkins on evolution and religion, and so on...

And my conclusion was that religion and theism had either weak answers or no answers at all.

I remain agnostic, meaning that I hold the position that the existence of a god or gods cannot be known, but I do not believe either, and so therefore I am an agnostic atheist.

Don't be in a hurry, don't stop looking for answers until you are satisfied with them, and remember that truth is not afraid of scrutiny. You'll be just fine.

Answer 6

I find it amazing that with all the media that was around at the time of JFK's assassination, 50 years later we still don't have the definitive answer to why he was killed. Yet when it comes to the bible, events that occurred thousands of years ago, in a time where stories where embellished and passed on by word of mouth, some people take it as "the truth".

Anyone who had anything to do with what is now in the bible, was "edited" by leaders of society (Emperor Constantine for one). The goal has always been to conquer lands or to control populations. Religion was the very first form of government.

My father went to seminary to become a Jesuit Priest so I've heard all the "stories" about the bible I can stand. Thank goodness he saw the "real" light and decided to leave and join the real world.

I could go on forever, but I fear that I'm surrounded by a bunch of narrow-minded, brain-washed bible thumpers.

I look forward to all the negative ratings.

Answer 7

Go ahead and study with Jehovah's Witnesses.

90% of Christendom believe the trinity.

by studing with the Witnesses you will prove or disprove this teaching.

90% of Christendom believe in the immortallity of the soul.

by studing with the Witnesses you will prove or disprove this teaching.

Just on these two points you can eliminate 90% of Christendom if the Witnesses are correct.

As to their bible please note:

Old Testament:
In fact, the New World Translation is a scholarly work. In 1989, Professor Benjamin Kedar of Israel said:
"In my linguistic research in connection with the Hebrew Bible and translation, I often refer to the English edition as what is known as the New World Translation. In doing so, I find my feeling repeatedly confirmed that this kind of work reflects an honest endeavor to achieve an understanding of the text that is as accurate as possible. Giving evidence of a broad command of the original language, it renders the original words into a second language understandably without deviating unnecessarily from the specific structure of the Hebrew....Every statement of language allows for a certain latitude in interpreting or translating. So the linguistic solution in any given case may be open to debate. But I have never discovered in the New World Translation any biased intent to read something into the text that it does not contain."

New Testament:

While critical of some of its translation choices, BeDuhn called the New World Translation a “remarkably good” translation, “better by far” and “consistently better” than some of the others considered. Overall, concluded BeDuhn, the New World Translation “is one of the most accurate English translations of the New Testament currently available” and “the most accurate of the translations compared.”—Truth in Translation: Accuracy and Bias in English Translations of the New Testament.

“Here at last is a comprehensive comparison of nine major translations of the Bible:

King James Version,
New American Standard Bible,
New International Version,
New Revised Standard Version,
New American Bible,
Amplified Bible,
Today's English Version (Good News Bible),
Living Bible,
and the New World Translation.

The book provides a general introduction to the history and methods of Bible translation, and gives background on each of these versions. Then it compares them on key passages of the New Testament to determine their accuracy and identify their bias. Passages looked at include:

John 1:1; John 8:58; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:15-20; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1

Jason BeDuhn
Associate Professor of Religious Studies, and Chair
Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion
Northern Arizona University

Answer 8

First of all it should be about religon because i think in some ways the meaning of religon has become a set of strict rules that repress people. After ages of repressing yourself you will just find yourself acting extra bad to make up for lost time. We can all say what religion you are and try to sell it to you, but I think it is more about God and seeing how you feel about your life and whether you need a change. Whether you are happy being the way you are or if you desire something more. Whether there are days you sit down and feel empty and then your ready to consider a faith. Faith is so much more then rules, thats why i see Christiality more as a faith then just a religon because it allows me to live my life but everyday i ask god what i should do and he shows me. Whether its through dreams or things that look like conicidences but I know is god speaking. A lot of people will say they don't believe in God but look at there lives are they actually happy, and if they are for how long. I'm not going to say there is a right religon but you need to consider what is right for you.

Answer 9

Ask your Jehovah's Witness friend for a copy of the book, "Mankind's Search for God". It will give you an idea of what other people believe. Since there are more false religions than you can possibly research in one lifetime, however, you are better off to learn what the Bible says and then, you can eliminate several without much effort. You are on the right track. God bless you in your efforts.

Answer 10

I'd rather not drift through life 'believing' anything - I want to understand, and to know.
The JWs have to rank amongst the very silliest of made-up American sects. (I know, I was brought up as one!) They change their prophesies and beliefs every couple of decades, and quietly forget or deny all the end-of the world predictions they have made that have come and gone! They are also completely hypocritical;-
Try asking your colleague why, whilst preaching that the United Nations were an evil organisation, part of the 'abomination' described in Revelations, they were actually affiliated to the UN and claiming benefits from their association with it!