Why do we get stumbled out of JW's because of imperfect people?

by reniaa 78 Replies latest jw friends

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  LovesDubs

  You can only forgive just so MUCH of that "imperfection" and since the JWs are of the mind set that they are SUPERIOR and CHOSEN by God they are self positioned as ABOVE and BETTER than anyone who isnt a JW. We went to the doors of people who were Christians already telling them to their faces that God did NOT ACCEPT THEIR WORSHIP because unless they became JWs they were worshipping some false God and NOBODY out there was hearing their wasted prayers. Ohmy GOD! Puhhhhhlease! So yeah...when you go out in service with all these two faced cretins who smile and admonish and conduct book studies with "interested ones with the right heart condition" and then on the ride HOME they are ripping apart that same Bible study's house cleaning habits or gossipping about Sister Gotrocks or hooking up with another sisters husband...

  Not only were my eyes OPENED to the nauseating hypocrisy within the ranks...I had no expectation EVER of them actually being perfect but even a MODICUM of morality would have been nice. Haughty, self centered, self righteous, mocking, arrogant, self important cult members...yep if thats the CREAM of Gods CROP of followers, I cant wait to get to paradise and spend the rest of eternity with them...cant you?

  LD
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  LayingLow

  I can't really comment on the statistics for why people leave the JW's. I know that from reading posts about how people had problems with the people, you might draw the conclusion that the reason they left was imperfect people. However, that may not be the case. I left for purely doctrinal reasons as did many others as you have read in their comments. If you read some of my posts talking about certain things I've seen in the organization you may draw the conclusion that people are the reason I left but that would the furthest thing from the truth.
  
  Personally, I don't think that individual conduct disqualify a religion as God's favored people. Using the instance of Israel, God didn't choose them or keep them because they were righteous. He actually was just fulfilling his promise towards his friend Abraham.
  
  Now the Father promises Jesus a bride, his body, Christians. Using the Abraham/Israel model, God will stay faithful to his favored people until the conclusion of the age. When Jesus returns a second time he will sift the weeds from the wheat.
  
  Using the Israel model that you put forth, we should expect a group of people who were formed by God and later fell into wrong teachings and improper conduct. Eventually there would appear splinter sects and there would arise groups like the Pharisees who felt they had "the truth" and that all the other Jews (Christians) were dirt.
  
  Does any of that sound familiar? How did it go for the Pharisees? Jesus came looking for those who were willing to be humbled and prepared for what God was soon to do.
  
  The pharisees rejecting the rest of the Jews sounds so much like the JW's rejecting rest of the Christians. Was it necessary to become a Pharisee so that you could be saved when Jesus came back? Just a guess here but I imagine it will be a similar scenario when he comes back again.
  
  On a side note, what was the defect of the Pharisees? Didn't they push an outward form of godliness but forget to be cleaned on the inside? The Holy Spirit is promised to indwell Christians in this age but the JW's stick to rules in order to show godliness and teach that the "great crowd" isn't indwelt by the Holy Spirit at all. What's the deal with that?
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  real one

  He asked TO WHOM ELSE are we to go. Doctrines will be flawed, yes. The truth isn't an org...it is Jesus and trusting in him

  AMEN!!! yes!
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  real one

  On a side note, what was the defect of the Pharisees? Didn't they push an outward form of godliness but forget to be cleaned on the inside? The Holy Spirit is promised to indwell Christians in this age but the JW's stick to rules in order to show godliness and teach that the "great crowd" isn't indwelt by the Holy Spirit at all. What's the deal with that?

  man, will she ever get it?
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  Tired of the Hypocrisy

  Hey R.,

  I am tired of the hypocrisy, the lies, the false prophesies, and the way they beat people over the head with a few selected group of Mosaic Laws on some things and blatantly disregard other laws. For instance, how many times have we been told that a man wearing a woman's clothing and a woman wearing a man's is detestable? (Deuteronomy 22:5) Fine, it was in the law. But so is there a law about a man not shaving his beard, indeed even his sidelocks must not be cut. (Leviticus 19:27) But since judge rutherford HATED beards the brothers are not allowed to wear one or to be "considered for priveleges" if they do because it is a sign of spiritual weakness. So, if they want to come out and use the Mosaic Law I grant them that they can if they wish. Christians are not bound to the Mosaic Law, because according to the jw religion Jesus abolished it. In fact, He completed it and put the Christian congregation under a New Covenant. But if they want to enforce the Mosaic Law then fine, but enforce the whole thing not just the ones they feel like enforcing or bullying people with to make them fall into their version of what a submissive person needs to be to forward their magazine sales and cultish enslavement of people into the service of some ill-conceived organization that masquerades itself as God's Prophet but utters profane lies and false prophesies. Maybe they should have read what happens to a false prophet before they became prophets of profit!! (Deuteronomy 18:22 ) If they had the truth ever, I am sure they lost it somewhere along the line.
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  Rocky_Girl

  I wasn't "stumbled out" of the Witnesses, I looked at the organization as a whole and failed to see the love that Jesus told us would be obvious among His people. I left because I was following Christ and He led me away from the JWs. I would never allow the actions on one or two people to keep me from serving God.
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  whoknows

  For me it was not the people that caused me to leave. It was the fact that I was no longer able to stifle my doubts and questions about the JW TEACHINGS and I finally decided to examine my lifelong religion of 40 years. I can forgive imperfection, but not deliberate deceit. I would say the majority of JWs that we knew were good and decent people, and we had a few funny, smart, kind individuals as close friends. I miss them. Of course, our little group was considered the radical unrighteous liberal wing by some in the congregation (we drink Martinis before dinner - oooooh), but we managed to mostly ignore those jerks.
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  reniaa

  Thankyou for your replies guys you cleared up some thoughts i've had from this forum especially as what one poster says is right, if I just read the general posts then it's easy to start thinking people left because of the hypocracy and imperfections of other people but as most that have posted on here have said it was the imperfect teachings that made them leave not the people.

  I am wondering now whether to start a thread on the teachings but not sure i want to open that bag of worms lol
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  new light

  Your question is loaded, biased, and assuming. I, and most of the rest of us, were not "stumbled" out of the JWs. We left. It was a deliberate, decisive action based on deep flaws in JW doctrine and prophesy and repeated mistreatment of the members by the leadership that results in broken families and early deaths. People that are "stumbled" are usually just excusing non-action or nursing hurt feelings. I pity anyone who leaves what they believe to be the truth due to the imperfections of others. Who exactly is this "we" to whom you refer?
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  reniaa

  It was a rhetorical we not meaning anyone in particular.

  If you look at my post above this thread was inspired by having read a lot of other posts on here talking on the hypocracy they found in JW's and it confused me because nothing they mentioned couldn't also be found in any other organisations for example....cliques, power hungry, exploiters, greedy, selfish, pleasure in others suffering, abusers of power etc which is a human nature thing rather something to hold against the JW's but as I mention above most of those that have replied say I am mistaken and in the end it was mainly the teachings that made them leave which i accept and stand corrected.