We are free to love

by purplesofa 78 Replies latest jw friends

Gopher

Another thought-provoking post, Purps !!
Yes we are free from a hate-filled organization. It takes a while to unlearn the distrust of humanity the WTS filled us with, especially for those of us who had it imprinted on us from a very young age.
Your point about visualizing JW's walking past dying non-JW's to get to their own is blunt, but actually not far off. It stems from an selfish way of thinking of themselves as superior to the rest of the human race. That superiority is implanted at each district convention, the superiority of their way of life and their teachings and the supposedly wonderful experiences that occur as a result of people's membership in the Jehovah club.
I hate how such teachings taught me to be selfish and kept me distrustful of my peers all throughout my JW life from a young age. The social backwardness is slow to reverse, but as you say it can be done. We just have to have the courage to reach out and let the love and caring come out from deep within, regardless of whether it gets returned or appreciated. Because when we have learned to drop the distrust and actually do make a connection, it is real (and not based on our old JW standards of judgment).
PEC

TLK, welcome to JWD.
What does having, imaginary invisible, friends have to do with love?
Philip (of the I believe what I can see class.)
Barbie Doll

TLK You say everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ and is born of God and everyone who loves the father loves his Child as well. You are wrong, in the Bible it says love everybody. But that is not what most Christians do. Why are Christian so cold-hearted with no feeling for others. They think they are better then everybody. They have bad attitudes, because, they were Baptized and Jesus loves them, they think they are the only ones. There are some Christians that love everyone, but not very many. I was Baptized, I worked with the teenagers, teaching the Bible to them. I was rape by one of the higher ups in the Church. The people in the Church wanted me to go in front of everybody and ask forgiveness for being rape, I would not do it. The people in the Church forgave him for raping me. They made it OK for him to rape me. I well not go to any Church again. I believe there is no God. BD
TLK

Hi BD,
Those words aren't mine but God's.

[URL]http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=62&chapter=3&verse=16&version=31&context=verse[/URL]

On the subject of rape, you may feel that the church made it OK but it sure wasn't with God. He doesn't want us to have sex outside of marriage, let along force someone else to have sex.

That said God wants you to forgive so he can forgive you.

[URL]http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=48&chapter=11&verse=25&version=31&context=verse[/URL]

[URL]http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=49&chapter=6&verse=37&version=31&context=verse[/URL]

The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant

21Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
22Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.[f]

23"Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand talents[g] was brought to him. 25Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

26"The servant fell on his knees before him. 'Be patient with me,' he begged, 'and I will pay back everything.' 27The servant's master took pity on him, canceled the debt and let him go.

28"But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii.[h] He grabbed him and began to choke him. 'Pay back what you owe me!' he demanded.

29"His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, 'Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.'

30"But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. 31When the other servants saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed and went and told their master everything that had happened.

32"Then the master called the servant in. 'You wicked servant,' he said, 'I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. 33Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?' 34In anger his master turned him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

35"This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart."

So if you sincerely ask God to help you to forgive the perpetrator, He will make it surprisingly easy for you. Also, He will heal the emotional wounds like they never existed.

With love,
TLK
purplesofa

TLK
i cannot say I know what it was like to have been raised without bible teaching. Or without the JW influence in my life.
I can offer very little answers or solutions to lifes lack of love shown throughout the world.
Your road and journey is different than mine. I will respect your path, thats all I can do. I would be foolish to judge it and tell you whether it is right or wrong.
I know that for myself, when I am confined to a very small box, I am like an animal that gets crazy. I tried to conform, I was told that was right, the JW teaching was right and I wanted to be right. Love is not about right and wrong. I fineally became true to myself, accepted myself and with the help of opening up so many people I shut out for so long, my ability to love is amazing.
I used to be very judgemental of gay people. How can so many people be immoral, when they try to do what society has told them is RIGHT as far as sexual preferance and they are trapped in a box much like I was, trying to conform. I hope this is making sense. If someone is seeking to love another, sometimes the truths we have been taught need to be looked at and analyzed and changed. Not everyone around us needs to be the changing. So that is what the witnesses are indeed expecting, in the name of GOD,
Your comment to BarbieDoll infuriates me.
On the subject of rape, you may feel that the church made it OK but it sure wasn't with God. He doesn't want us to have sex outside of marriage, let along force someone else to have sex.

That said God wants you to forgive so he can forgive you.
You have decided that the most loving thing BD can do is forgive the person who raped her.
So if you sincerely ask God to help you to forgive the perpetrator, He will make it surprisingly easy for you. Also, He will heal the emotional wounds like they never existed.
so she has to ask god to help her to forgive the rapist, then god can forgive her and then we all can forgive the rapists............what in the heck does she need to be forgiven for???? being a victim???
I could go round and round with you and never get anywhere. I am glad I have escaped that mindset. The mindset that keeps sick actions perpetuated and lets them worsen with the glad hope GOD or something will step in and annihalate 99% of mankind. How absolutely loving is that?
You cannot rain on my parade right now. It took me almost three years to be able to even be able to post thoughts as I am now, and for that I am grateful, a return of my mind and my heart.
purps
TLK

Hi purps,
I am here in love, not to offend. Please forgive me if I have offended you in any way.

I too was raised with Biblical teaching, but without the JW influence on my life (save the odd knock at the front door once in a while).

None of us has the answers-only God. Not surprising as He was there in the beginning and knows the end already.

Yes there are only two paths in life-the narrow one to God or the broad road which leads to destruction.

It is good for none of us to judge, as Jesus (who is the judge) says 'judge and you will be judged'.

God loves accepts us as we are. Gay or straight, black or white, rich or poor, yourself, myself and BarbieDoll included. All have sinned and fallen short of His glory. He wants to change us and save us from the consequences of our sin, which is death. All we have to do is ask.

Would it be more loving if God just destroyed us all such as the world in the days of Noah? He is giving us a chance which we don't deserve so grab it with both hands.

Love TLK
eclipse

On the subject of rape, you may feel that the church made it OK but it sure wasn't with God. He doesn't want us to have sex outside of marriage, let along force someone else to have sex.

That said God wants you to forgive so he can forgive you.
I too feel anger when I read these words. A rape victim does not need to be forgiven.
He doesn't want us to have sex outside of marriage, let along force someone else to have sex.
First of all, rape is not about sex. Sex is the brutal weapon used, it's not about forcing someone to have sex.
Are you saying if a rape victim just lies there quietly, to save her life, or the life of her sleeping children in the other room, that she is unwittingly having sex?
God loves accepts us as we are. Gay or straight, black or white, rich or poor, yourself, myself and BarbieDoll included. All have sinned and fallen short of His glory. He wants to change us and save us from the consequences of our sin, which is death. All we have to do is ask.
Wow, I am glad that god is now accepting Black people. I guess the Asians, Indians and the Aboriginals are sh*t out of luck.
Not forgetting the beautiful multiple-racial children.
You imply that god wants to save all of us, yet it says most will be destroyed. That's love for ya..
I honestly think that you have no clue what true love for humanity would look like, unless you could copy paste it from your bible,
which I noticed you have not. So either it's not in the bible, or you missed the point of this thread entirely.
purplesofa

I good friend of mine, just the other day, thanked me for not forcing my views on him, his path was personal as everyone's is.
Thank you for your posts, I learned alot
purps
Gopher

Possible TROLL alert --
TLK and Jehovah Saves might be the same person, quoting scriptures at us.
TLK -- post number 14 earlier on this thread: IP address v26cHnmoTy7/F+cA
Jehovah Saves -- last post number 15 (from yesterday on this thread): v26cHnmoTy7/F+cA
I will not respond to people like this who are not here for an honest discussion.
RAF

Thanks Barbie Doll for the pics:
I specially like those with the cats and mouse or rats it talks about the fact that loves can take over

We are free to love

Share this