Saving them for what? (page 2)

Simon

We need a world of people like you Seven - that would be paradise
Most people just can't or won't make the time to do anything.
An elderly couple in my wife's old congregation needed a lot of care and the brother died last week. His wife needs a great deal of help and is unfortunately left on her own as some see 'meetings' as more important.
Guess what ? Some 'spiritually weak ones' in the congregation have the strange idea that the sister is more important than the meetings and needs their care and attention.
Where on earth could they have got that idea ? Maybe it was listening to that Jesus guy...

waiting

7, Congratulations on being kind and neighborly. It's an art lost. In our congregation, an 80 yr. old couple had given their road front land 50 yrs. ago to the cong. to build KH. They lived on back piece all that time. Cong. sold KH for $230,000 and gave old couple zip. It was suggested by me to have a yard cleaning or picnic or something for them - I was told by elders that there were "no written guidelines" for actions like that.

Several others in cong. suggested actually paying them a percentage of sale since it was their land in the first place. That was suppressed quickly and quietly.

I asked one very kind sister why she didn't speak up at the treatment of this old couple. She actually likes this couple much more than I do.

Her response? She shrugged and said that she figured the elders would do something, if it was appropriate. She said she really didn't know why she was silent. She knew the situation.

I think we've put humanity on the backburner in order to place more literature and bring more people into our organization. We've been taught to do that - and we do it without thinking much about the consequences to our family and friends.

However, most of our congregation is really good at saying: "well, that's just our congregation - that's not how the organization is." But I'm beginning to feel that is how much of the organization really is. Oh, well.

RedhorseWoman

Seven, I applaud you for coming to the aid of this sister.

When my Mom was in a nursing home (she had been a faithful Witness for over 40 years), I asked the brothers in her home congregation and also the brothers in the congregation nearest the nursing home to visit her. I could spend time with her only on the weekends, and being a Witness, she was unable to participate in a lot of the activities (holidays and such).

No one ever came. She got a few cards in the beginning, which she really loved, but they quickly stopped.

I could have also used some help. I had my own family to deal with, plus a full-time job. Then I had added to it my Mom's place and all her financial affairs. One brother offered to help with mowing the lawn, but he never showed up (sigh).

I think the thing that hurt the most, however, was the response (or lack thereof) of my cousin who at the time was a CO in Pennsylvania. He had been pretty close to my Mom, and they kept in contact by mail.

I wrote to him and told him that Mom had had a severe stroke and she could die at any time. I asked him to write or send a card because I knew Mom would have loved to hear from him.

He wrote...two years later, and several months after Mom had died. I couldn't contact him when she died because he moved around a lot....additionally, I was upset that he hadn't bothered to write or call during all that time. I figured he just didn't care.

His letter, however, absolutely stunned me. It was as if he had not read a word I had written. The beginning of his letter was all about the Bible Studies they had started and how much the congregation was growing. Then he said "I hope you're keeping active in service, Auntie Ann". DUH!!! I had told him that after the stroke, Mom was almost totally destroyed physically. She couldn't walk, could barely talk, was incontinent, and couldn't even open her eyelids until we were able to get surgery done to enable her to open them slightly.

This loving JW family member who was such a wonderful "shepherd" cared nothing for his supposedly beloved aunt. All he was concerned about was that she was still preaching!

Martini

Now back to RHW original thought...

Yep, I too do not feel motivated to direct people to the WT organization.However I do agree as Christians we should be witnessing to the magnificent things of GOD however insignificant they may be to many! The difference now for me is that the WT's trade mark or invention of doing it door to door IS not the ONLY method for accomplishing this. I prefer to do it with sporadic and extemporaneous praise in deed, word, poetry and song. I love God and what God gives to us each day so I think it's proper to give credit where credit is due.
Now I'm learning to love all my neighbors unconditionally, which happens to be the second command of Christ. In fact did he say "LOVE your enemies but tell them soon I plan to kill them."
Our preaching work as JW's is counter productive if after showing love to our enemies Jesus comes and delivers them a death blow. Seems contradictory doesn't it?
This though is how the WT would have it! Enough with the insanity.

I send you all my Christian Love.
Martini

RedhorseWoman

Martini, I agree with you 100 percent. I have always had a difficult time going door to door. I have always been much better in the chance encounter category.

Of late I have stopped berating myself for my lack in door-to-door preaching skills. I find it much more beneficial to "do" rather than to preach.

I feel that even a simple act of cultivating a garden or rehabilitating an abused or abandoned animal gives more praise to Jehovah than any amount of hours spent door to door.

Seven

RedhorseWoman-Why do I get the distinct impression
that if you are unable to go out in service, it's to the glue factory with you? Your Mom a faithful
Witness of 40 years ceased to exist in the eyes of
the congregation when she placed her last magazine. I feel for you for what must have been going on inside you at this time. Compassion I assume is for the spiritually weak. Then the Society has the chestnuts to print such McSpiritual food as the So Much Need for Comfort!
article (before next week's WT study)in the 5/15
WT. Read the-A Comforting Brotherhood on p.6. It's enough to make you hurl! Jehovah, help us all!

Martini

7of9,

McSpiritual food! LOL hahahahaha!
...and I thought I was getting happy meals for the last 23 years!

I'm glad you agree RHW.Really what is so loving about our message when in reality it's a death sentence for most.Thinking about this wouldn't it be far more loving for our Creator to just leave humankind as they are 'just going along getting along' for as long as they are able, instead of destroying billions of men, women and childen at Armaggedon? That or resolve the problem with some kind of realistic open dialogue as opposed to fragile ancient writings. Not that I disaprove of the bible,but often it leaves much to be desired in the way of an up-to-date response from God, especially when an untold number of human lives are involved.
In the end if humans bring extinction upon themselves, well at least they cannot blame a loving God.

Thanks for reading,
Martini.

Edited by - Martini on 24 May 2000 17:57:48

RedhorseWoman

This is one point that has grated on me for years. The WT always points out how there is so much love amongst the brothers, and that this proves that JW's are the only true religion.

My experience has always been that the love is not only conditional, based on one's actions, but it is also reserved for those who inhabit the cliques in the congregations. Most of the cliques I have experienced are based, not on spirituality, but rather on money and social status.

There are some who exhibit this Christian love, but as you pointed out, Seven, it seems to be exhibited mainly by those who are presumed to be spiritually weak.

The spiritually weak are also those who tend to place less emphasis on "magazine pushing" and more emphasis on exhibiting Godly qualities. Hmmm....is this indicative of something, do you think?

mgm

Good point Redhorsewoman. I was always wondering how can love be an law.
Like the husband says, I have to love my wife, cause its gods law.
Or in the meeting, I have to love all the brothers, in order to gods comittment.
But the problem is, that love is fake. The real love comes from the heart and not the brain. And as long as every fellow brother is kind of a spy, how can real love develop? When you have to be scared to really say, what you feel, how can you ever have a deep relationship to another?
JW is a brain religion, not a heart religion. Knowledge comes befor feelings!
Shure as you mentioned, there are exceptions, but in general it is quite cold among brothers!!

waiting

Redhorse,

I'm sorry that you had such an ugly experience with persons who were supposed to be your friends - and your mother's friends.

Such things should not happen, but they do and sometimes it is almost unforgivable. Compassion is hard for a lot of people, but so is Christianity.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us.

Saving them for what?

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