No help or charity for anyone else??

by lavendar 8 Replies latest jw friends

  • lavendar
    lavendar

    I found this on the WTS website. Do JW's ever help ANYONE ELSE but their own?? (words in red - my emphasis)

    True Christians today also recognize that followers of Jesus must show concern for the poor and needy, especially among fellow believers. ( Galatians 6:10 ) Therefore, they manifest real concern for the material needs of deprived ones. In 1998, for example, a severe drought ravaged much of northeastern Brazil. The drought destroyed the rice, bean, and maize crops, leading to widespread famine—the worst in 15 years. In some places, even drinking water came to be in short supply. Jehovah’s Witnesses in other parts of the country immediately organized relief committees, and in a short time, they had gathered tons of food and had paid the cost of transporting the supplies.

    Witnesses supporting the relief efforts wrote: “We are very happy to have been able to help our brothers, especially because we are sure that we have made Jehovah’s heart rejoice. We never forget the words of James 2:15, 16 .” Those Bible verses state: “If a brother or a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day, yet a certain one of you says to them: ‘Go in peace, keep warm and well fed,’ but you do not give them the necessities for their body, of what benefit is it?”

    In one of the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the city of São Paulo, a humble and zealous Witness who is poor materially often struggles to make ends meet. She says: “Even though I live in poverty, the Bible’s message has given real meaning to my life. I do not know what would have happened to me if I had not received help from my fellow Witnesses.” Some time ago, this hardworking Christian woman needed surgery but was unable to pay the hospital bill. In this particular instance, Christian brothers and sisters in the congregation were in a position to cover the cost of the surgery. Giving help to fellow believers in need is practiced by true Christians worldwide.

  • Hortensia
    Hortensia

    Not that I know of.

  • Junction-Guy
    Junction-Guy

    Lavendar, while it's true that some JW's may help their fellow humans in need, the billion dollar watchtower society does very little to help, even though they operate under the guise of a charitable organization.

  • gaiagirl
    gaiagirl

    A common reply I've heard JW's give when asked to contribute to some charity is "I pay my taxes, there are social programs to help (whatever the cause is).

  • Junction-Guy
    Junction-Guy

    Another common reply I have heard whenever they have been questioned on the charity status of their org is "Well we arent in the charity business, we preach the good news"

  • NotaNess
    NotaNess

    I like how it seems to imply the lady in Brazil is still living in poverty, yet if you asked most witnesses, they will probably tell you we take care of our people and you won't see other faiths taking care of their own people like we do.

    Really, is this why the lady is still living in poverty? Takse some of the millions and help a brother (or sister) out! Stop waisting money on printing materials and buy houses for your brothers and sisters.

  • RollerDave
    RollerDave

    More than a few charities have connections to non-JW religious organizations, and we wouldn't want to be a part of Babylon the great!

    We must help the needy, especially, uh, I mean ONLY our brothers and sisters, but not always. Oh, we we must be sure to crow about what ptitful little we actually do so it seems more.

    Let's not forget, if you give a man a fish, he eats for a day, but if you bring a man into the watchtower, he is saved for eternity, but he never has time to go fishing!

    Roller

  • LongHairGal
    LongHairGal

    Lavendar:

    It is even worse than you imagine. They don't just help any JW, they only help those JWs who they feel are better or more popular than other JWs. So, if you are not in the clique and don't know the right people you are simply out of luck.

    I saw this years ago and it stumbled me a bit. I even approached an elder about it and got an unsatisfactory answer. True christians? Hell, no.

    LHG

  • dedpoet
    dedpoet

    I was told that the best help we can give anyone is to teach them
    the "truth". No jw I knew would help non jws in more practical ways.

    It must be a real comfort to starving people when a jw comes along
    and offers them a bible study or a watchtower - after all, what could
    be more nourishing than spiritual food at the right time?

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