Comments You Will Not Hear at the WT Study (10/7 Suffering)

It took me a long time to understand the Witness obsession with perfection. They want it, but don't hope to attain it in "this old world". Added to that is their association of imperfection with sin. The assumption is that a perfect being would never sin. Yet Satan was very nearly the most perfect creature that God ever created, and he fell. It's a deliberate choice towards evil that makes someone bad, not some "error" or "flaw".

Deferred dreams, deferred hopes, spur the Witnesses to action. I think the Christian message, on the other hand, elevates the believer to a state of grace (undeserved forgiveness). Knowing we are forgiven, we can enjoy a relationship with Christ in our daily walk, now.

OnTheWayOut

Comments on Para. 7
Has Jehovah ever been involved in the ruler ship of humans? Yes, the Isrealites. That was a stunning success.
King #1 Saul. Handpicked by Jehovah, ends as an apostate suicide after failing to murder the next anointed king.
King #2 David. Handpicked by Jehovah, wrote large sections of Bible. Forgiven for adultery, murder, and conspiracy (Bathsheba) although his love-child dies as punishment. later disobeys by taking a census, 70,000 people die by God's hand, David lives.
King #3 Solomon. Blessed by Jehovah as wisest man on earth, wrote large sections of Bible. Is allowed to remain king even though he dies an apostate. Will be resurrected. (WT 2005 7/15 p. 31)

This is great commentary. Jehovah's first choice consulted a medium and died unfaithful.
Jehovah's second choice failed miserably to remain faithful (as noted above)
but is held up as a good example.
The successor of the second choice failed miserably but is held up as a good example.

Para. 8
Now that Jehovah has allowed thousands of years for humans to experiment... Has he? He had to confuse the languages of Babel when this happened...

Yes, God changed the rules. He destroyed the world in Noah's day. Men tried one central location for their
capital and God scattered them about, confusing their languages. God caused divisions among men for that.
If the Japanese and the Chinese were not "different" from each other, would they have warred so much?
Even at the beginning, Man attempted a coup. Cain wanted to rule by eliminating the competitor, so God
changed the rules and banished Cain. Often, God interfered with military might ruling by drowning the Egyptians
or smiting an army or knocking down the walls of Jericho.

So has God "allowed thousands of years for humans to experiment" ?
If a scientist is running a double-blind test, but peeks at who's getting the placebo, and tells them,
it's not a valid test at all.

If Jehovah was really interested in allowing humans to experiment self-rule, why he would cobble them
with "demonic" rule, imperfection and death?

outofthebox

Excelent!

BluesBrother

It does not give a lot to comment upon, no statements that are more outrageous than usual. At times like this perhaps it is good to apply the organizations own counsel and ask oneself , "Why was the article written?" "What is it trying to tell us?"

It is saying that it is good to suffer - reminds me of John Lee Hooker "It Serves Me Right To Suffer" -, if suffering is in the good cause, the cause of the Watchtower Society. Suffering for God with another Christian group would count for nothing , of course..So what should this do for the average dub in small-town USA or the villages of Brittain? They use examples of extreme violent persecution in the first century, nobody today, or very few in the world experience that.

So...Perhaps the faithful are intended to feel a little guilty, " I am not suffering like that , so what am I complaining about? I had better do more in the ministry..."

just my thoughts....

watson

I Really appreciated the line of reasoning on Jah's involvement in government being a stunning success. Excellent discussion point!

Robert222

I was thinking the same thing as other commenters - no one is suffering like the first century christians. If a person today lives in a country where the JW are banned, persons need to obey the government where they live, or leave (if they can). Its JW policy and rules that have caused millions of JWs suffering in our modern day. And, it is not suffering when you are bothering your neighbor every Saturday with magazines that they have already refused. JWs are truly lofty in their own minds.

IndependantThinker

Has it occurred to anyone but me the one word (when boiled down) latest themes of the WT study kind of follow the "Rutherford Rainbow"? Rich, Justice, Suffering? Maybe it's just me but it's kind of like deja vue. Just sends shivers up my back.

journey-on

Very good. Thank you for the presentation. Just a thought I had on this:

Similarly, no matter what those with the earthly hope may now lose or voluntarily give up because of serving Jehovah

Here it comes.....voluntarily giving up for Jehovah

Nothing we may willingly or unwillingly give up in this present world for Jehovah's sake

Willingly or unwillingly give up?

THE GROUNDWORK IS BEING LAID. The WTB&TS is getting ready to start begging for $$. Reread this article

and read between the lines.

Comments You Will Not Hear at the WT Study (10/7 Suffering)

WT Comments

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