WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? Are you?

by Terry 17 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Terry

  Methinks I pushed the topic button a wee tad too early!

  Here is what I meant to say.

  If nobody else is responsible, then, are you?

  If you listen to the admonition of the Watchtower Society and the Governing Body and you fear the consequences of not obeying them, are you responsible for your actions--or, are they?

  If a gun is put to your head and you are forced to act; that is called coercion. What you do you will not be legally liable for under fear of death.

  How is it any different if we obey the WT on pain of death? If the threat is real to us it is the same as having a gun pointed.

  The WT governing body obeys (their perceived) orders from God and they view themselves as slaves. To be a slave is not a volunteer position! Anyone acting under life/death compulsion is coerced.

  COERCE:

  to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

  At what point can we be said to be personally responsible?
• 

  seeitallclearlynow

  ?

  Yes, I am responsible Terry.

  Care to elaborate?
• 

  blondie

  Will I be getting some money if I say yes?
• 

  Glenmore

  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.
• 

  Glenmore

  Terry, that's better. I'd say that the individual becomes responsible when he or she KNOWS the facts and still follows blind leadership. Glen
• 

  Glenmore

  Actually, one more thing. When we were about 6 months out one of the elders finally came by. He's "one of the annointed" and a lovely man. He told me he couldn't leave as he had helped 61 people into the "Truth" (I wasn't asking him to). The thing I won't forget is this:

  A long-time brother at Bethel had told him that "the brothers would not be able to stand the changes to come".

  At the time, I just thought it strange, just JW folklore about "special knowledge". But on reflection it seems to me this comment came from someone who KNEW the truth about "the Truth". It was bogus. And his position was to assume that it was better not to tell The Truth, but that is best for the R&F not to know.

  That is controlling information to keep people in line, and that is EVIL.
• 

  ezekiel3

  Responsible: Able to make moral or rational decisions on one's own and therefore answerable for one's behavior. (Dictionary.com def #4)

  According to this no faithful JW is responsible. They make moral and rational decisions based on what the GB says with fear of banishment and eternal destruction as an alternative.
• 

  Terry

  So, are they responsible for not being responsible?

  The point being: at what point is irresponsibility something that excuses us?

  Faith: if we adopt it as a way of accepting what we are told without investigation; how are we, then, responsible/irresponsible?
• 

  jwsons

  The problem is They never tell us what is the result if we don't follow them up anymore. When you buy a mobile phone, you sign-up a contract and the seller has responsibility to tell us everything beforehand, even if we thought we make a mistake to buy that model, he will tell us what will happen if we can not fulfill the contract. For a JW, He/or She only says what we can have (Paradise, Spiritual Paradise bla bla..) and never mentions about shunning procedure. Am I right ? Or they simply cheating Sellers ?

  jwsons
• 

  Terry

  The governing body seem to be offering the brothers (and sisters) indemnity against punishment as long as the arbitrary (and incorrect) instructions are followed. It is a kind of KING'S X.

  Isn't that the real bargain?

  You will not be held responsible for following a wrong instruction! You have no standing before Jehovah; only WE do.

  T.