G'day Max,Nice post.When reading the suggestion to have a family study on meeting night I'm reminded of how much from the platform was received with raised eyebrows from the struggling parents. Their reaction? "What would they know? They haven't got any kids." I'm sure that reaction is found all round the world. Upon the announcemnet of a new circuit overseer to the circuit what is the common thought? "He's an older man with grownup children, so he must have some experience." The pictures in the magazines showing the ideal family (in Oz we refer to them as the all-American family - no offense meant!) actually have a negative effect because most families view that as unattainable, they'll never be like that, so they'll never be "good enough".Down in Sydney it became known that there was an 'underclass' of young JWs made up of 'fringe' JWs and some who are regular meeting attenders and 'token' publishers. They have their own network to arrange social activities. Certainly they are leading double lives. Elders seldom hear of their activities because their own children are excluded from invitations. I venture to estimate that this underclass is numerically stronger than the 'official' JW young ones.Your comment about "spiritual weakness" and "not having an accurate knowledge" is most apropos. I made these comments on MrMoe's thread "You Can Have True Faith - October 1, 2001 W/T"
Ozzie"Evil is the absence of empathy"
Movie (2000), Nuremberg
The article in the October 1 W/T is a classic in reflecting the official Watchtower attitude to the state of sinful mankind. Notice paragraph 4 of the study article on page 14. The question on the paragraph reads: "What is often the root cause of young ones' going astray?". This question is repeated in the Review Box at the end of the study. The paragraph reads: "A child's rebellious attitude and behavior are usually symptoms of spiritual weakness, reflections of what is in his heart. For whatever reason a youth goes astray, the root of the problem often lies in his not having "an accurate knowledge of truth" (2 Timothy 3:7)" What do we learn from this? That only the spiritually weak commit sins. These are the ones who haven't got enough knowledge. But is that scriptural? We know that the scripture says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). The reality is that Witnesses do not see themselves as sinners. Oh yes, they have inherited imperfection from Adam, but they don't REALLY sin. It's on this basis that the elders, including the PO that you speak of, would have judged you.
Of course the organisation continues to use the enforced compliance methods that use rules as their medium. This is so much like the Pharisees of Jesus' day. The org has not come to appreciate that love is the thing that is needed along with faith. The works will naturally follow. The R&F may protest that "we need rules" but they miss the whole point of the Christian message.Cheers,Ozzie"Evil is the absence of empathy"
Movie (2000), Nuremberg