i can remember my stepson getting baptized when he was 16.he did it just to fit in with the crowd.he did not know what that was going to entail.he faded out and his mother turned him in to the elders for living with his girlfriend and they disassociated him.later he invited us to his wedding and we didnt go.i feel bad about this today-but back then i was making a tough choice for righteousness sake -so i thought.
Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 06-08-08 WT Study (GUIDANCE)
by blondie 25 Replies latest jw friends
-
-
heathen
I think the real problem is that the WTBTS has been wrong on every issue at some point ,to call themselves a reliable guide at this point is like GW saying mission accomplished . I do know they have bizarre explanation why people fall away because of their lack of flexibility but most people are not contortionists in any aspect of faith especially when it comes to their religious beliefs , most people want something solid to hold on too .Let's use a parable shall we since the WTBTS seems to be using them in this article .A man is tossed over board on a ship and begins to swim to where he believes is land but it turns out to be a mirage and no matter where he swims keeps finding himself in deeper water until he finally drowns . End of story.
-
WTWizard
Do I even want God's guidance? Suppose God has a reliable track record of misleading me for HIs nefarious purposes. Or, He has some agenda for me--the Value Destroyer Training School. And that's not where I want to go. Obviously, His guidance would only be good for God.
On top of that, the whole issue of morality is so simple. I have found all the guidance I need within a few sentences. "Any volitional act that is good for self or society is moral, and any volitional act that is bad for self or society is immoral" and "No use of initiatory force, threat of force, or fraud may be used against another person or their property". How simple is that? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to find out if a course of action fits one of those categories, and if so, where. Is an action good for self or society, or bad? Honesty is the best guidance there.
With it that simple, the map illustration breaks down. It becomes like taking a long trip down I95, that you are familiar with. Once you reach the exit, it takes two minutes to get to the destination. Does one really need Acme maps (or, for that matter, any maps) to find something that is right in plain sight? I don't think so. And no more do I need a Washtowel or an Asleep to decide for me whether or not a course of action is good for self or society (or bad), or if it is initiatory force, threat of force, or fraud. Thus, I have no need for Jehovah, any organization that may or may not be under His guidance, or any Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger to make those decisions for me.
-
Exterminator
Our Christian brotherhood is another valuable resource in seeking Jehovah's guidance. Central to that brotherhood is "the faithful and discreet slave" with its representative Governing Body.
Jehovah>brotherhood>faithful and discreet slave> Governing Body. There we areBy the way, I note that "Governing Body" is capitalized, but not that bogus "faithful and discreet slave"
-
blondie
boyzone, translating works on every article. Would that be doublespeak?
hi jringe01, this all illustrates how the WT speaks out of both sides of their mouth.
hey santisimo, the WTS always emphasizes the need for repetition and that the rank and file should not be concerned if it is the 4th time the Revelation book has been studied.
hi studier, as long as people are locked in the true believer mode they trustingly believe all the crap they are fed.
Yes, blueblades, the WTS is responsible for the harm it has caused with human doctrine. The WTS says even if a jw suffer, they still benefit for "obeying."
WTWizard, the thing is that the 'valueless' things ordinary jws are told to avoid are the very things that those "counseling" have in full, hypocrites they are.
Hello, libh, this is a carryover from the drama last year where the WTS demonstrates its proclivity to add to and rewrite the Bible.
I'm not surprised, ataloa, that they would allow this baptism. Was he 16 or older? It might have different too if it were a non-jw father since they "revere" the male headship in the family. But since it was only a woman.........
So Witness 007, what opened your eyes?
Thanks, kazar. Many on JWD are no longer fooled by the semantic games of the WTS.
Thanks, Casper. It's amazing how things stay the same.
Hi heathen, actually I was surprised to read in the older publications around 1931, that only anointed jws were considered "Jehovah's Witnesses" since that tied in with out anointed jws being spiritual Israelites and Isaiah 43 being only applied to Israelites.
*** w81 2/1 pp. 21-22 par. 6 The Time for a Watchman like Ezekiel ***
Ezekiel’s people were the ones to whom Jehovah had earlier said by his prophet Isaiah: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant whom I have chosen.’” (Isa. 43:10-12) So Ezekiel pictured the organized body of Jehovah’s spirit-anointed witnesses at the present time, the spiritual Israelites.
*** w65 6/1 p. 336 pars. 6-7 Increase Your Praise of Jehovah! ***
It is quite well known that there is only one organization of people today that has been immovably established despite persecution and ‘set as a praise’ for Jehovah’s name. More than thirty years ago they were given a name that was based on Jehovah’s Word, namely, Jehovah’s witnesses. (Isa. 43:10) These are, not Jews according to the flesh, but, rather, spiritual Judeans (meaning, ‘praisers of Jehovah’), spiritual Israelites composed of many nationalities who have been brought out of captivity to Babylon the Great.—Rom. 2:28, 29; 9:6; Eph. 2:11-18; Heb. 8:7-13.
7 These people, Jehovah’s witnessesand their companions, are the only ones in the earth who are praising and blessing the most important, the most wonderful and the most holy name in all the universe, the name of Jehovah! Other scriptures identify this singular class as “fearers of Jehovah,” ‘seekers of Jehovah,’ “the meek ones,” “the upright ones,” ‘the afflicted and poor ones.’—Ps. 22:23, 26; 33:1; 74:21; Jer. 20:13.
*** w58 11/15 p. 698 par. 17 Reading the Meaning of the Signs and Wonders ***
In order to back up those signs and wonders the great crowd of the remnant’s dedicated companions of good will must be out front with them. To the anointed remnant of spiritual Israelites Isaiah 43:10 says: “‘You are my witnesses,’ is the utterance of Jehovah, ‘even my servant whom I have chosen.’” This servant class has to be seen; it has to let itself be heard in order to be witnesses of Jehovah. And in order to join with the anointed servant class in the world-wide witness work, the great flock of dedicated sheeplike persons has to be seen in union with them and let themselves be heard in unison with them
Hey bobld, like the Malawi/Mexico fiasco, no average jw knows about the UN fiasco or the child abuse deception. The WTS operates on the concept that if the rank and file can't know it through WTS publications, then it is all apostate lies or media lies. It isn't healthy to ask questions. As the bible says, the religious leaders are saying that God is not seeing and he has left the land.
yes, caliber, our experience and cognitive dissonance finally gels and our eyes are opened.
Good question, IMHO. My husband said that the elder schools concentrate on doing this the administrative WTS way and to cover their butts legally. He noticed that elders flaunted the instructions, slept during the program, and did not learn to show the love that Christ showed. He learned that the most important book was the elders manual, not the Bible, and that they call Legal at Bethel first and foremost, not the GB or their minions.
Good illustration, Bluesbrother. It reminds me of how some of my doctors pooh pooh the internet until I tell them I use a website set up and run by high level doctors. jws aren't even thought to be capable of reading and understanding the bible without WTS help.
Good points, OTWO. It boils down to the jws being told they cannot have a relationship with Jesus or God without going through their organization. Nothing in the Bible tells Christians to pray through the WTS but the WTS determines which prayers are heard.
jehovahsheep, I can imagine that most of us on JWD have shunned someone in the past and now regret it. Can you reach out and apologize and forge a new relationship? I did with one df'd woman from 20 years ago that I met at a clinic. We talk often now and she has forgiven me for my unkindness.
Hi heathen, I have always been amazined at the jws that believe WT doctrine but don't understand it. They so desperately want to live forever on a paradise earth, they will accept any crap and put the responsibility on the organization.
WTWizard, jws are so selective as to what they obey. It takes a threat from the WTS that their paradise home is in jeopardy to even get their attention. They say God sees all things, but it is only what the WTS sees that matters.
Exterminator, the phrase "governing body" does not even occur in the Bible, even the NWT.
Good comments everyone. I learn from you every week.
Love, Blondie
-
lrkr
Q 8. What were the implications of Eve's eating the forbidden fruit? 8. Remember, though, that we have to be willing to follow Jehovah's guidance. God will not force us to do so if we do not want to. The first human to choose not to follow Jehovah's guidance was Eve, and her example shows how serious such a bad decision can be. Think, too, of the implications. Eve ate of the forbidden fruit because she wanted "to be like God, knowing good and bad." (Gen. 3:5) In doing so, she put herself in God's place, making her own decisions as to good and evil rather than following Jehovah's guidelines. Thus, she turned her back on Jehovah's sovereignty. She wanted to be her own master. Her husband, Adam, pursued the same rebellious course.-Rom. 5:12.
Does it strike anyone else as funny, and somewhat embarrassing, that we used to accept the story of a woman and a talking snake as a legitimate source of guidance in our lives. Literally!!!! Most of us believed that story literally!!!!
EMBARRASSING!!!