a love so hypocritical ........

by Richie 5 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Richie

  I am curious to find out how many of you have experienced this: when there is a sickness in the family, there are very few witnesses who really deeply care from the heart, unless of course the person who is ill is very strong in the truth, has many hours in fieldservice, attends the meetings without interrruption or is a aux.- or regular pioneer. Yet, witnesses who are not as strong in the truth will be visited less or more likely not at all. For instance, I hear of so many instances where a sick person had to go to the hospital and everybody in the congregation would know that, yet the only ones showing real care were their immediate family members who manifested enough natural compassion and love to visit these ones. (Needless to say, if this person happened to be disfellowshipped and became gravely ill, then I know that nobody at all cared (even his/her closest family members who are in the truth), except those who have the capacity to unconditionally love without the restrictive (and mostly unbiblical) boundaries.
  Personally, I would even say that most of the witnesses have hampered their ability to show heartfelt compassion or deeprooted love. Their love is strictly conditional depending on how the congregation views that person....if spiritually strong then show unrestrained love, if not strong then the individual is stigmatized and the love is less or not there at all..... In my opinion one of the strongest proofs that JW's organization cannot be guided by God's spirit as they claim...!

  Let your love be without hypocracy (Rom 12:9, 2Cor 6:6), Love your neighbor as yourself (Rom 13:9, James 2:8), the greatest of these is Love (1Cor 13:13), By their fruits (love etc) you will recognize them (Matt 7:20), Love is long-suffering (1Cor 13:4).

  .......If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but do not have love, I have become a sounding piece of brass or a clashing cymbal.......
  .......And if I have the gift of prophesying and am acquainted with all the sacred secrets and all knowledge, and I have all the faith so as to transplan mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.......
  .......And if I give all my belongings to feed others, and if I hand over my body, that I may boast, but do not have love, I am nothing......!

  Richie :*)
• 

  metatron

  It's really disappointing when it hits you - that after many years
  in the 'truth', you realize how superficial friendship within it
  is. I truly believe that this organization is dominated by men
  who have no real idea of normal human relations or family life.
  It's like a foreign language to them. They probably don't understand
  why they are running into such bitterness and opposition especially
  in Western nations. I'm sure they just blame the Devil for everything
  and shut off their thinking abilities.

  metatron
• 

  TR

  It's true, Richie. You're nothing to the cong if you're not "spiritualy strong." I told the story a while back of a sister that had breast cancer and died all alone except for her boyfriend. She had a baby with her boyfriend who was interested in 'jovahs and came to all the meetings. I know him personally and he's one helluva nice guy. Now he's raising his boy alone, and is doing great, I might add.

  He became disillusioned with the "trooth" and left because of the unloving attitude shown to him and Cheryl. I can still remember seeing Cheryl at the mall, her sad face looking at me with the hope that I would at least acknowledge her presence. At the time she was undergoing chemo for her cancer and died just a few weeks later. Of course I didn't find out until a few years later when I was no longer in the "troof". I really, really felt sick when Larry told me about her death. It shocked me, and I apologized to Larry for the bad treatment from the cong and from myself.

  TR

  The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
  —Edmund Burke
• 

  DB

  Richie, you are correct. The love is performance-related and very conditional.

  Of course, in human relationships, at times the same thing happens. Sometimes we tend to show greater care to those who meet our approval.
• 

  Room 215

  Sadly, Richie, you're quite right....

  But what else can you expect from an organization that squelches any sponanaeity in the showing of affection, and that actually instils a mistrust of those in their company that lag or are slow to buy into the whole program (How many times have we heard ``you need to watch your associations even inside the congregation, brother?'').
  
  I've often thought tht the Kingdom Halls are actually among the most underutilized of assets. It would be so easy to foster a spirit of closeness and community if these were used in ways similar to the smaller Protestant denominations do, as sort of community centers, or pot-luck church suppers or picnics, etc.

  But, of course, the Bible's mention of ``love feasts'' is lost on today's JW. The KH is too sacred a building to be put to such social uses, and the sort of announcements of a personal nature that would encourage a bonding among the fellowhip are anathema to them.

  Is it any wonder that so many--too many -- JWs come across as emotionally distant if not outright cool, to the congrgeation's lesser lights? That's what makes the ``love bombing'' they indulge in with newcomers so transparently hypocritical.
• 

  Pureheart

  I am so sorry to see people become disallusioned. People come in to the congregation drawn by love. They leave their "worldly family" behind and replace them with strangers. As long as they stand on their own two feet they are fine. But if they ever fall in a needy situation they find that they are all alone. And who comes to their rescue? The very family that they threw away. I have seen it happen over and over. It is a shame that many of us learned who really cares about us the hard way.

  Pureheart