Billy's Comments You Might Hear at the 10-12-08 WT Study (MAINTAIN LOYALTY) (page 4)

As I read this study article today at the KH, it became quite evident to me that it has been written for the purpose of getting the soon-to-be laid off COs mentally prepared and "spiritually encouraged" to keep on the full time service and not think of engaging in a "materialistic" new normal life, may be out of bitterness for having been made redundant, and possibly being counseled by local elders who will play the part of the "older prophet" as they see these new aging pionners arrive in congregations as potential material burdens. Same reasoning with laid off bethelites. This view seems to be confirmed by the next article which deals with families and congregations having to take care of the elderly faithful ones who will need material support. The WTS is paving the way for the official announcement, IMO.

shopaholic

6 For example, our employer may offer us a promotion with better pay and other benefits. Or perhaps we realize that we can obtain greater financial rewards if we move to another country or region to find employment. At first, such opportunities might seem to be a blessing from Jehovah. But before we act on them, should we not examine our motives? Our primary concern should be, "How will my decision affect my relationship with Jehovah?"

Oh my, , this one brought back plenty of memories. I say take the money and run!!! I know so many JWs that honestly think the only reason a JW should relocate is to assist with an ill relative or to serve where the need is greater, I'm not joking. If you relocate simply for work, then you are either chasing riches, trying to find a way to leave the org, looking for a way to commit fornication, etc. If you are not relocating due to sickness (yours or someone else) or spiritual goals, then you are not putting Jehovah first. Thats one of the reasons why you have 40-year-old JW single adults living at home with their parents. Pathetic!!!

I agree with Mary, they tell you not pursue financial opportunities but yet they want you to consistently donate money.

Billy the Ex-Bethelite

BluesBro-

Good comments. Actually, the wicked old prophet deserved to be painted in even worse light than they did. He should have given the young prophet his donkey, but you can clearly read that the old prophet didn't get off his ass for the young prophet. Also, the old prophet didn't really give a great prophecy, he only said, (1 Kings 13:22) ". . .your dead body will not come into the burial place of your forefathers." He didn't say he'd be killed by a lion today, he just said you won't be buried in the family plot. Big deal. So the old geezer scoups up his dead body and puts him in his own tomb and is later buried with him. Now that's weird. But later, that tactics prevents the old prophets bones from being burned on the alters when Josiah invades. Big deal. All the prophets were done with their bones by then. Weird account indeed. The only point of the whole thing seems to be... "Don't trust old prophets."

RedPill-

During the lesson, I was keeping track of all the stupid comments. Huge contradictions only paragraphs apart. Everyone should have been slapped on the way out.
I use Internet Explorer for JWD. That seems to prevent any of the problems you mention.

truthlover-

Glad to be of assistance. But it was really Hojovah's will that you successfully print the truth about that trash.

aligot r.-

I haven't looked at next week's Botchtower lesson yet. Thanks for your observations. Sounds valid. I might take a look at that lesson tonight... or I might have a beer and watch TV.

shopa-

When one makes more money, they are in a better position to help others in practical ways. But the bOrg wants you to be poor preachers instead. Then nobody is really happy or helped, so they look to the promised Kingdom which is so close but never actually "here".
When it does come to helping materially, the bOrg wants you to give your money to them, then they can go and distribute the goods, taking credit for the generousity for themselves.

V

REPORT FROM MY MEETING

Hillarious. The congregation was all over the place on this one:

One comment likened the 'old prophet' to the fellow JWs. "The biggest tests come from within the congregation" ... that's a quote!
A brother insisted that Jehovah had something to do with the lion killing the young prophet, regardless of what the paragraph said.
An elder stated that elders need to watch themselves and avoid being like the 'old prophet.'
My wife whispers to me, "the God I believe in would never do that" (regarding the death of the young prophet).

And my personal smirk was reserved for the WT writer who made that point that the deceitful old prophet was from Bethel. My favourite WT study in a long time!

V
www.watchtowercomments.com

BabaYaga

Bravo, Dear Billy... BRAVO.

Room 215

Wonderful, Billy.... I find if particularly amusing that whenever they refer to the ''progressive revelation" of ``new light" as ''sharpening" their understanding, in actuality their changes go in the opposite direction: from precise/dogmatic (the meaning of ``this generation'' or the identities of the ``kings of the north and the south") to the muddled and ambiguous!

Also, the message I got from the ''old prophet" story is that sometimes one can be misled by a person with all the credentials of an approved representative of God who asserts that the ruinous b.s. he is passing on to you is something ''Jehovah told me." Sound familiar?

Mickey mouse

Similar experience here V. The looks on the congregation's faces were hilarious. They were simply confused. It certainly made my husband think and not in the "WT good, world bad" way.

C- to whoever wrote that article. A+ to Billy.

sir82

Paragraphs 13 & 14 appear to be the centerpiece of the article. They make no sense whatsoever.

The paragraphs are written such that it is apparent what the "right" choice (turn down the job, stay with the abusive husband) is and what the "wrong" choice is (take the job, leave the husband).

Well, either a JW has a conscience, a free will, or not. If there is a "right" choice and a "wrong" choice, well, there's no free will, is there? What if the JW considers the elder's advice and takes the job anyway? What if the wife stays with her husband, even after contemplating everythig the elders said? Woops, I guess there's no room for that, is there?

The article is muddled and confusing, in addition to the very valid points made above about the horrific stretch to make the OT story fit into the theme of the article. Anyone with the intellect of a 3rd grader or above should see right through it. The fact that 90% of JWs just gobble this dreck up as "timely" and "oh so deep!" is either revolting or pathetic - probably both.

Doubting Bro

For a religion that loves to misapply scriptures to fit their agenda (ok, most do that but the WTS is especially good at it), this "lesson" really takes the cake. How anyone could read that account and say the moral of the story was to not materialistic is beyond me. It really makes me wonder if the writing committee even reads the Bible. Good comments all, I really don't have much to add other than to wonder if the writing department has an unhappy camper who slipped one through. The parallels between the false religion set up in BETHEL,gold calf=organization worship and the old prophet claiming to speak for God yet causing bad things to happen to folks who follow his advice is remarkable.

Billy's Comments You Might Hear at the 10-12-08 WT Study (MAINTAIN LOYALTY)

truthlover

followed your print off instructions and voila!! got it!

aligot ripounsous