u/wtfnitinfoten

If you're young and still a Jehovah's Witness, ask yourself this before putting money in the contribution box:

Who benefits most from your money—your future, your family, or the Organization?

You worked for that money.

That $50 could go toward:

• Your emergency fund
• Your education
• Your first car
• Investing for your future
• Helping someone you personally know who needs it

But you've been taught that giving it to the Organization shows your love for Jehovah.

Pause and think:

If God knows your heart, does He really need your money to prove your loyalty?

And if you wouldn't give money to another religion simply because they told you God wanted it, why should this Organization get a different standard?

Don't give because you're afraid you'll disappoint Jehovah.

Think. Question. Verify. Then decide where your hard-earned money can actually do the most good.

Your future self might thank you.

One thing that changed my perspective wasn't finding all the answers, it was giving myself permission to ask questions without feeling guilty.

If God exists and created us with the ability to think, reason, analyze, and distinguish truth from error, then why would He expect us to stop using those abilities when examining our own beliefs?

What also made me pause was noticing how often Jehovah's Witnesses are reminded to wait for direction from the Governing Body, trust their guidance, avoid independent thinking, and not rely on their own understanding when it comes to spiritual matters.

Yet the Governing Body has also acknowledged that they are imperfect, can make mistakes, and are not inspired or infallible.

That raises a sincere question:

If they're ordinary humans who can err, why should millions of people feel they must suspend their own reasoning whenever those men speak?

Would a loving God give each of us a mind capable of reasoning, only to expect us to outsource our conscience and critical thinking to other imperfect humans?

We're encouraged to question politicians, advertisers, social media, conspiracy theories, and every other religion. We praise critical thinking, until it comes to examining our own beliefs.

Why should our own religion be the exception?

I've come to believe that honest questions aren't evidence of weak faith. They're evidence that truth matters enough to investigate.

A belief that's true doesn't become false because someone asks difficult questions. If anything, honest examination strengthens what's true and exposes what isn't.

For me, that realization was the beginning of genuine faith; not faith in men, but confidence that truth has nothing to fear from sincere questions.

What do you think? If God gave us the ability to reason, shouldn't we use it, especially when examining the beliefs that shape our entire lives?