u/MistakeAlert6865

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hey all, last post i made here was some questions regarding catholic doctrine, as of currently i've basically come to accept that christ's true church is the roman catholic church and (spiritually) consider myself one

i'm still living with my parents so i cant attend mass or go to ocia even though im dying to, i haven't told them my specific catholic beliefs all they know is that i believe in orthodox christian doctrine, they have a ton of hate for the church and constantly try to slander it with things that are completely false. like most people my age i unfortunately fall into temptation a ton, it tugs my conscience though but it's something thats taken over me a lot since a couple years ago, i can't go to confession which also sucks

because i left this really high control system i have a ton of doubts sometimes, generally being intellectual doubts about the truth of certain things, especially since most people who leave that cult become atheists, the r\exjw sub isnt any better, they just trash on the bible and christians in general, i mean someone mentioned they were converting to catholicism and they got clowned on by the entire sub till a mod stepped in because people were being assholes, i generally try to avoid places like that but if youre on reddit youre bound to find some antitheist, honestly sometimes i feel kind of agnostic for no apparent reason

my parents have been... divided to say the least. my dad has been accepting of my point of views and recognizes the unhealthy atmosphere where you can't ask questions or look at contrary points of views and have to discard everything negative as lies, he thinks thats totally contrary to scripture so at least he's somewhat on my side. my mom on the other hand is a superfanatic who treats the governing body and the organization as god himself, she talks more about the organization than the lord, she doesnt even read the bible she just reads publications as if they were more valuable, she constantly trashes on me and calls me a pagan and part of "babylon the great" (false religion), that my beliefs are "lies satan has been in charge of spreading", that i left "the truth", that only "jehovah can attract me back to his organization", saying that when i see the "destruction of babylon the great" and the "great tribulation" i will sh*t my pants, etc. it is genuinely so tiring, yet she cant refute anything i say, if i pull up any verse from john regarding the diety of christ she will refuse to respond and scream at me telling me to shut up and be quiet

i have absolutely no privacy in my house, i don't have headphones, there are cameras everywhere, my mom always looks at me, i feel extremely uncomfortable listening or doing anything spiritual around her, even when she's gone im still paranoid about the 3 cameras that are actively looking at me at all times

a lot of stuff has happened but i feel much more peaceful in my interior, i actually feel like i have a purpose and feel full for the first time in my life, lust has kind of hit me really hard and i'm still trying to fight against it but its a slow process, if you're able to please pray for me and my parents because they are genuinely blind 🙏💕, whenever i have some freedom i'll go to confession and do ocia so i can get confirmed as soon as i can

hi, its been about 3 months since i left the jw cult for christ and ive been doing a ton of deep study (even writing a theological document on the diety of christ), i cant go to church because i still live with my parents and theyre still in the cult

anyway, im very divided on what denomination i should join. ive generally been drawn towards protestantism, specifically lutheranism since i agree with most of their theology (also my favorite composer bach was lutheran), calvinism is a bit different since i feel like a omnibenevolent god wouldnt predestine people to eternal suffering, also sola fide and sola scriptura feel very reasonable. those are the main two protestant groups ive been drawn towards

as for catholicism, i feel weirdly attracted towards it, since its the original church set up by christ, but at the same time i have a hard time trusting men, especially those who claim to be infallible. also i feel like saint veneration feels a bit like idolatry, but things like eucharistic miracles i dont really have an explanation for since some have been scientifically verified, i also feel like they put mary on a very high pedestal, and their doctrine of salavation is

orthodoxy seems interesting too for the same reasons as catholicism, except kissing icons and venerating them also seems odd, and their rejection of the filoque is also a bit off putting imo

hopefully i dont start a denomination war in the comments lol

hey, i've recently been reading a bit about biblical prophecies and history, i'm glad the exodus has some support, however there's this one prophecy in ezekiel 29 that is pretty hard

"And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries, and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries."

as far as i know, none of this happened? the text is pretty clear when it says whats going to happen, so i feel like reinterpreting it might be a strech.. any help would be appreciated!!

the Lord revealed this to me today and it's genuinely the strongest argument i've seen so i wanna share it here

Isaiah 44:24

"Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer,

who formed you from the womb:

“I am the Lord, who made all things,

who alone stretched out the heavens,

who spread out the earth by myself"

with this verse, we can conclude the following:
- Yahweh was the only creator
- He ALONE created all things
- He ALONE created the heavens and the earth

in the nwt (the jw bible), they add a line in this verse that says something along the lines of "who was with me during creation?" as a rhetorical question

here's where Christ comes in

Hebrews 1:10-12 (this is the Father talking about the Son)

"He also says,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,

and the heavens are the work of your hands.

11 They will perish, but you remain;

they will all wear out like a garment.

12 You will roll them up like a robe;

like a garment they will be changed.

But you remain the same,

and your years will never end."

not only is this a quote from Psalm 102 (which is talking about God Almighty), but it is applying it to Jesus as the creator of all things.

Colossians 1:16-17

"For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together"

both of these verses are clearly showing Jesus as the creator of all things. (john 1:3 also helps), something which is only attributed to YHWH Almighty, as He created all things by himself. so either the Bible is contradicting itself (some think that Jesus was an agent of creation and was alongside the Father, but isaiah disproves that), or Jesus is God Almighty.

if there's any flaws please let me know!! but i think this is one of the strongest arguments for the diety of Christ

hey my brothers, i've got a decent grasp on the diety of Christ and the trinity itself, but i'm still struggling a bit when it comes to debating about it. a lot of times, my parents (unprovoked) will begin debating with me about how my beliefs are "irrational" and "satanic" and how i don't want to accept "the truth", it's kind of a straight up slander, i've shown them an insane amount of verses that undeniably prove the diety of Christ, yet they refuse to answer a lot of my questions, and instead of answering my objections i get told i have no knowledge of the Bible and get insulted..

it's genuinely very hurtful to have your own parents, who proclaim themselves as "true christians" to be extremely hurtful and straw manning their own son, while at the same time denying obvious evidence that Jesus is God Almighty. genueinly might just give up, there is no way i can change their mind even if the Bible straight up said the word trinity, they'd rather stick to the watchtower magazines where their doctrines get a software update every year than the Bible. just showing them that Jesus was "before all things" and that "all things were created by Him", and the explicit mentions of Him being God, his stating of divine titles, the fact he resurrected himself, and just using basic logic to piece things together will not change their mind under any circumstances.

also, tomorrow a jw elder whom i have respected my entire life, someone who has studied deeply and is extremely knowledgeable on history and the Bible itself is coming to "talk" to me, it's genuinely a bit concerning since i know Jesus is God, but i'm not the best prepared to debate on topics like this, especially with a man almost quadruple my age and experience. if i take the cowards way out, i'll prove my parents point that i'm just finding excuses to deny "the truth". if you can please pray for me and my relatives who are blinded by the devil

O Lord Jesus may the veil be lifted off, amen.