by TooBad TooSad 29 Replies latest jw friends
Proplog2,
When read against the background of the demise of the judiac systems, it makes perfectly sense.
When read against a different background it is necesary to start looking for something big. And that is exactly what has happend. For 2000 years people have been looking forward so something as the end of times and the lords return. Yet, failed miserably. Including the standing on the treshold JW for more than 130 odd years.
Cheers
Borgia
The sense of urgency is a tool used to keep members knocking on doors and hyped emotionally so that they will not take the time to look at what they have been told, and question the very teachings that they consider to be true. People can be emotionally controlled for years with this technique, and if they leave the religion, it is weakness and lack of faith on their part, not the religion or its teachings
I have to disagree with that statement. The Bible over and over again encourages us to have a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency keeps one from becoming lazy and complacent which can, and has led some to give up.
I have to disagree with that statement. The Bible over and over again encourages us to have a sense of urgency. A sense of urgency keeps one from becoming lazy and complacent which can, and has led some to give up.
A false sense of urgency has caused people to waste their entire lives chasing a false hope. My JW MIL is 73 years old and has been preaching the same thing her entire life. She now fights with younger JW's who deny that the WTS was behind the 1975 hoopla. She was there.
The sense of urgency that the Bible encourages has nothing to do with following the false predictions coming from the mouth of false prophets.
A sense of urgency keeps one from becoming lazy and complacent which can, and has led some to give up.
True, but "urgently" preaching the "good news" will not bring Armageddon any sooner than it's supposed to come. I came to suspect that the WTS thinks, the more we preach, the sooner Armageddon will come. That is impossible, especially because no one know the day or hour and the day is already set in stone.
Warlock
Their soon has been out for over a century, and I wonder don't the dubs know that? If they do and still go along with the idea that it will be coming soon then they deserve all the manipulation and exploitation they are given.
THANKS for the great quotes and excerpts, Blondie!!! These will be archived and USED!
hugs,
Annie
Why do you always jump to the conclusion that there is some ulterior motive for saying the end is soon? They are simply following the example of the early Christians. Christians have always believed the Master was coming soon. And there are even suggestions that it may seem that Jesus is taking to long to return.
Those who don't believe it is coming soon - don't really believe it.
A thought just came to mind... How many would keep active in the field service, and regularly attending all the meetigs if they dropped the "soon" nonsense. As was said earlier in this thread, "The sense of urgency is a tool used to keep members knocking on doors and hyped emotionally so that they will not take the time to look at what they have been told."
Sure, it's meant to keep the publishers active, but I bet a great majority of JW's would take things allot easier, and not try so hard -- maybe even not going to all the meetings -- if they stop using "soon". Here's a novel concept: Try using love for Jesus and God as a basis for faith & activity. This is the proper motivation. But as everyone here knows, too much emphasis on the "the end is coming soon" for the past 100+ years will make one question this organization.
This is Freddy F's take on the matter. (taken from douglas Walsh.)
Page 20 (17)section C
Q: Is there , in view of the final arrival of Armageddon, any urgency in the need to preach the gospel of the kingdom throughout the world unto all nations? A: yes. We believe that the battle of Armageddon will arrive within the generation that began witnessing the events of 1914 and still continues witnessing the evidence of the fact that we are living in the time of the end of this world and the time of the presence of this established kingdom of God.
Page 23 (20) Section A
A: Yes we do. We realise that preserving our lives and proving worthy of everlasting life in Gods new world depends on our obeying the command to preach the good news of the established kingdom, because those who do not align themselves on the side of this kingdom will be destroyed in the battle of Armageddon, and according to the divine rule which is given in Ezekiel’s prophesy, chapters 5 and 33, God constitutes as witnesses a watchman class, and he commands this watchman class to give a warning of the coming of the battle of Armageddon, the great executional sword which shall destroy all the adversaries of Jehovah God and of his kingdom by Jesus Christ, and there Jehovah God tells the watchman class that id they fail to warn the wicked of the coming of the executional sword the wicked man shall die all right because of his own wickedness but because he failed to receive a warning at the mouth of the watchman class God will require the blood of the wicked of the watchman's hand......
"in God's due time, sometime in the future, when God is ready"
very good point TBTS
the reference to "soon" is yet another domination/manipulation/control tactic.
Would anyone want to discuss the fact that the New Testament is full of scriptures regarding the urgency of the times?
I don't have any problem with that concept at all. Even the manipulation part. Jesus was a manipulator too. He made people feel guilty about their money. He advised people to sell their belongings and follow him in the preaching work.
And do you really put your life on hold? How do you do that? Is marrying the wrong person - putting your life on hold? Many people build their life around an idea and find out later it was a "bad" idea.
Basically, people can't put their life on hold because time keeps movin on. Those who lived the witness life and made the witness type sacrifices were still living "their" lives.
What about the people who die in useless wars? What about the nuns and priests that sacrifice their sexual pleasure? What about the starving artist who simply "starves" and never achieves fame or fortune?
JW's are just another group recruiting people into their dream world. It happens all the time, everywhere. At least they have the experience of a group who shared their dream.
And now those who have opted out of that dream have the pleasure of sharing their life experiences with others of similar experience.
And then we die. So what!
And then there's the problem with living on the North Side of Chicago and being a Cubs Fan. Next year. Next year. Next year.
