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Full disclosure: I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I left 15 years ago and have not been back. I am now attempting to search for a church, but I have real dealbreakers based on what I know to be Scriptural.
This is not a discussion to change my dealbreakers, or discuss whether I'm wrong about my tenets. There are only a handful of things that I still find overwhelmingly clear, and must be present for my faith in the church to be present.
So which denominations that exist today do a good job of keeping their congregations clean in the sense that they don't wink and look away at their flock living unbiblical lives? And which also hold to the basic structural requirements that have only very recently begun changing?
- Do not ordain women or gays
- Are complementarian or openly patriarchal (not egalitarian)
- Do not soft-pedal teachings that are unpopular in our era (e.g. wifely submission)
- Do not look the other way at open sexual immorality or lawbreaking (have a functional form of excommunication/disfellowshipping)
- Have some form of evangelism
I recognize that congregations will vary somewhat within a given denomination, and I am willing to do some legwork and put in a lot of prayer (I've already visited 2 churches, looking to try others.)
Full disclosure: I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I left 15 years ago and have not been back. I am now attempting to search for a church, but I have real dealbreakers based on what I know to be Scriptural.
This is not a discussion to change my dealbreakers, or discuss whether I'm wrong about my tenets. There are only a handful of things that I still find overwhelmingly clear, and must be present for my faith in the church to be present.
So which denominations that exist today do a good job of keeping their congregations clean in the sense that they don't wink and look away at their flock living unbiblical lives? And which also hold to the basic structural requirements that have only very recently begun changing?
- Do not ordain women or gays
- Are complementarian or openly patriarchal (not egalitarian)
- Do not soft-pedal teachings that are unpopular in our era (e.g. wifely submission)
- Do not look the other way at open sexual immorality or lawbreaking (have a functional form of excommunication/disfellowshipping)
- Have some form of evangelism
I recognize that congregations will vary somewhat within a given denomination, and I am willing to do some legwork and put in a lot of prayer (I've already visited 2 churches, looking to try others.)
Full disclosure: I was raised as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I left 15 years ago and have not been back. I am now attempting to search for a church, but I have real dealbreakers based on what I know to be Scriptural.
This is not a discussion to change my dealbreakers, or discuss whether I'm wrong about my tenets. There are only a handful of things that I still find overwhelmingly clear, and must be present for my faith in the church to be present.
So which denominations that exist today do a good job of keeping their congregations clean in the sense that they don't wink and look away at their flock living unbiblical lives? And which also hold to the basic structural requirements that have only very recently begun changing?
- Do not ordain women or gays
- Are complementarian or openly patriarchal (not egalitarian)
- Do not soft-pedal teachings that are unpopular in our era (e.g. wifely submission)
- Do not look the other way at open sexual immorality or lawbreaking (have a functional form of excommunication/disfellowshipping)
- Have some form of evangelism
I recognize that congregations will vary somewhat within a given denomination, and I am willing to do some legwork and put in a lot of prayer (I've already visited 2 churches, looking to try others.)
Thank you ahead of time to any that respond!
Well, I'd suggest Mormonism, except that I'm sure that when you were a JW, you were likely taught that we were an evil cult. We do, however, meet most of your requirements.
Why did you leave? What is keeping you from going back?
I was raised in too. I find The Brethern remarkable similar plus I think they may have compounds. The Assemblies of God seem to come close. If you really want to amp it up Westboro Baptist Church might be a good fit. I think their women have to wear head coverings even just to sit in on a service. Even the JWs are not that intense about the head coverings.
How attached are you to the doomsday aspect of the Watchtower or would you prefer a more heaven/hell when you die kind of thing?
Well, I'd suggest Mormonism, except that I'm sure that when you were a JW, you were likely taught that we were an evil cult. We do, however, meet most of your requirements.
They didn't teach us that you were an evil cult. Really the only religion that they trashed was Catholicism, but I've learned that it depends on the elder body.
I actually read a book written for non Mormons about the church some years ago. The handcart pioneers were fascinating! I was not conscious of my spiritual need at that time, though, more just curious. The primary obstacle would of course be coming to believe in Joseph Smith as a prophet etc. I appreciate your response.
Well, I'd suggest Mormonism, except that I'm sure that when you were a JW, you were likely taught that we were an evil cult. We do, however, meet most of your requirements.
Why did you leave? What is keeping you from going back?
I was raised in too. I find The Brethern remarkable similar plus I think they may have compounds. The Assemblies of God seem to come close. If you really want to amp it up Westboro Baptist Church might be a good fit. I think their women have to wear head coverings even just to sit in on a service. Even the JWs are not that intense about the head coverings.
How attached are you to the doomsday aspect of the Watchtower or would you prefer a more heaven/hell when you die kind of thing?
If you are even slightly sincere with your comment about Westboro then we had very different experiences with the JWs. They were not hateful, something that people seem to believe means "disagrees with my morals." But that is exactly what I didn't want to get into.
Doomsday aspect... you mean no heaven/hell, just Armageddon followed by earthly eternal life? I'm not attached to that or to the more traditional heaven/hell. I'm kind of working off of 'knowing them by their works' and picking the 'works' that I have never once had cause to doubt. Anything else... prayer, and I'm openminded.
If you are even slightly sincere with your comment about Westboro then we had very different experiences with the JWs. They were not hateful, something that people seem to believe means "disagrees with my morals." But that is exactly what I didn't want to get into.
Doomsday aspect... you mean no heaven/hell, just Armageddon followed by earthly eternal life? I'm not attached to that or to the more traditional heaven/hell. I'm kind of working off of 'knowing them by their works' and picking the 'works' that I have never once had cause to doubt. Anything else... prayer, and I'm openminded.
There is way more to that church then just picketing. If you care to you could watch this and see how the groups mirror each other.
I didn't understand why you left in the first place.
I didn't understand why you left in the first place.
They are not setting a Christlike example. I don't need to know any more.
As for why I left the JWs - I left in that primetime window where so many young people leave, their late teens. I felt no spiritual need and both of my parents left at that time as well, shortly after having moved out of state. There was no bond with KH friends, no shepherding visits, none of the things that might have halted the drift had I left my longtime cong.
There was no major inciting event, although like everyone else I've heard with concern the more recent accusations of child abuse, and actually recently learned that our elder body went rogue and disfellowshipped my father without doing the paperwork (the Society had no record of it.) I am just not drawn back in that direction.
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