I’m sharing this saga with the ex-JW support group because it explains a source of great strength which cemented my decision to permanently detach from the Jehovah’s Witness organization in which I was raised. Perhaps others who want to leave but are scared or unsure can benefit from reading this. I stopped attending meetings when I was about 15. I tested out of high school early and started taking general education courses at a local college. I remember being annoyed that I had to take such a wide variety of classes that didn’t interest me. How silly and naïve I was. Fast forward to my Cultural Anthropology class. My instructor presented us with a single hypothesis which could possibly explain much of the world religions. It’s a complex explanation but here’s my abbreviated version: Long ago, long long ago, we’re talking back in the days before Christ, our planet experienced catastrophic events which affected much of the entire planet, often simultaneously. Great floods, fire raining from the skies, the sea parting, etc. These events are observed in different religious documents and some timelines of events from entirely different doctrines have astonishing parallels. It’s hypothesized that celestial events (comets or other planets which hadn’t settled into orbit) could have grazed our planet causing these occurrences, which terrified the inhabitants. Survivors of the catastrophes needed explanations so they could cope with the trauma. As humans, we always need to know why. Of course, it was “god.” Each village, tribe, and community responded by interjecting their beliefs into what they observed. The bible was born, as were many other documents and stories across the planet. And now we go around arguing over who is right. My teacher explained all of this as it relates to the cultures of our planet and the religions they embrace. I’m pretty sure I sat there with a look of shock on my face the entire time. I was free. No wonder I had been discouraged from pursuing higher education. It all became so clear. That semester, I decided that no single religion was right. They’re just different perspectives. I chose my own perspective. This is the hypothesis of the 1950s scholar Immanuel Velikovsky, a friend of Einstein. Much of his work has been rebutted and some even disproved. He has faced harsh scientific criticism, but there is no denying some of his conclusions. Perhaps it wasn’t Venus or Mars that sideswiped our planet as he had suggested, but I believe he was on the right path. I wish someone would carry on his research and figure it all out, but people are reluctant to invalidate something as precious as religion, and I understand that. You can learn more about his ideas through his many books such as Worlds in Collision and Earth in Upheaval. That’s my experience. Of course, then I was left to face the terrifying realization that I had NO IDEA what happens after death but I was pretty sure it didn’t include “a never ending paradise on earth.” But that’s another long story. Thank you for reading. :)
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 18:02:59 +0000
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