C-U-L-T
WATCHTOWER 15/10/09 RE. D/F'D FRIENDS
by BluesBrother 41 Replies latest watchtower bible
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sd-7
So let's see...if a person leaves the organization, this by definition means they no longer love you? Or God? Who is it that tells us that we cannot even acknowledge the existence of the one who leaves? The person? Or the organization?
"When Bible Students are abandoned by former friends who have no love for God"
--This is 'loaded language'. It assumes: (1) that these friends abandoned you, when it is the organization that tells you to abandon them, because they are on the outside [us versus them!]. (2) That these friends have no love for God, which is an assumption. Agreeing with every nuance of JW doctrine does not prove anything about one's love for God. It proves everything, however, about one's loyalty to organizational directives. Since ultimately, that is what matters to a JW (since that is what matters to the GB), I guess that makes sense.
One can't help noticing, too, that this 'friend' of one who had to be disfellowshipped IMMEDIATELY begins questioning that person's character and motives. Not an ounce of empathy or interest in what caused the person to sin and how to help restore that person's spiritual strength. Is that the sort of friend you really want?
We might add, who would stay in the organization just because it gives us 'friends'? That is way too much effort, with way too few rewards. It does sound a bit infantile, from a certain point of view, especially given how little it takes to earn said friends' distrust.
Take it from me: in the organization, friendship is just a light-switch, and you're not even really the one who gets to turn it on or off. Total strangers are the ones who do that by proxy. Tragic, but true.
Small Along the Watchtower,
SD-7