Well- You knew THIS was coming next after the article of HOW to be Jesus friend. So the WT society was setting it's members up to seek friends ONLY in the ranks of Jehovah's Witnesses. Basically in this article " Maintaining Friendships in a Loveless World " - even from the title you get the impression the WT is showing that the world is loveless- but the Jehovah's Witnesses ARE NOT. It's mind control at it's worst. I'll share some of the most noticeable bizarre quotes.
It starts by inferring the world is awful with awful people . It states on page 17 , paragraph 2, " During these last days , people in general are disloyal and fail to show natural affection. The friendships they do form are often shallow and self-serving . To keep our identity as true Christians, we must rise above such attitudes. " Translation : Worldly people don't have valued friendships , non-Christians are selfish, we as Jehovah's Witnesses are not !
Now notice how condescending the NEXT statement is and how it suggests that we CANNOT have as strong quality friendships with people unless we LOVE GOD ( WT society ) . It states, " True, those who do not love Jehovah can also form rewarding friendships . But when individuals are drawn together by mutual love for God, THEIR FRIENDSHIP WILL BE UNSHAKEABLE. " Really ? It continues, " If opposers of God try to cause divisions, these enemies discover that friendships among true Christians are unbreakable. Throughout history , servants of Jehovah have proved their willingness to face death rather than betray one another. Without a doubt, the most satisfying friendships we can enjoy are with those who love Jehovah. " So again, translation : Jehovah's Witnesses are TRUE friends , worldly people or " enemies " are NOT true friends. Puke.
Then later in the article it states that when a person studies with Jehovah's Witnesses - " worldly friends " will leave them because the person studying will not " run with them to the " same low sink of debauchery". ( Thus insinuating the friends of the person studying are immoral, wicked and not worth hanging out with ). Then the WT turns the tables onto the Bible studies former friends, it states, " Really, it is THESE friends who are being disloyal to you, not the reverse. " So by dissing the former " worldly friends " the WT manipulates the view of the new JW convert. The WT comes out even firmer stating " We cannot expect to remain a friend of God if we side with those who choose to be friends of the world. " So the obvious translation ? The WT society and Jehovah will dissapprove you if you socialize with non-witnesses who are friends with the world.
Then in the article it says how being a good witness friend includes counseling your friends if you see them dating a non-witness person and the loving thing to do would be , quote, " A good friend would seek the help of loving shepherds in assisting a companion who has taken a false step." Translation : Spy on your friends- if you see them slipping up- rat them out to the elders because that is true, caring friendship . Be nosy, not too trusting , because our brothers and sisters are imperfect and need Jehovah's forgiveness.
With friends like this - who needs enemies ? No thanks. I think I'll enjoy my friends who care for me unconditionally without holding any preconceived prejudices which were brought out in this article. So- I'm interested in your takes on this article . Our JW relatives will be studying this mind control drivel in December at their meetings. Is it any wonder the Jehovah's Witnesses are in a " closed " environment ? With information given to them like this - is it any surprise that they consider themselves better than other human beings ? As always I look forward to your takes and observations. Peace out to all, Mr. Flipper