Who Draws The Line and Why? (page 2)

Thirdson

HS,

Every situation has its own set of circumstances so there is no right or wrong answer to this. I would make these comments.

1. Just because you are old doesn't mean you don't deserve to know the truth. Just because you are old doesn't mean that only JWs can provide a satisfying hope. Just becuase you are old doesn't mean you can't make new friends. There are examples of long-time JWs who have quit the org. There are also plenty of stories of old timers who have been abandoned by JWs.

2. Are JWs the only religious group that makes house-bound people part of their community?

3. Are JWs the only religious group that can get people to turn their lives around. Does finding the truth out about JWs destroy families, break up marriages and turn reformed prostitutes back to their previous lives?

I think in all senarios you could answer that they deserve to know the truth about their religion. Even then it doesn't mean that they will change their belief or viewpoint.

Thirdson

roybatty

Excellent post Dakota. What if any of this people became irregular in their meeting attendence or field service? Would they still receive this same "love" from the congregation?
I recall this one older sister in the Hall who had been a life long JW. After her husband had died and her kids had grown up and moved away, she took up some new hobbies. One thing she started doing was making arts and crafts and selling them at a local crafts show. So she stopped going out in service on Saturday mornings, and instead would be selling these items she had made. For the first time in her life she was receiving praise from people for her talents. How did the congregation react? Oh, they didn't kick her out but there was plenty of talk about how Sister so and so was becoming "spiritually weak" because she was no longer out in service every Saturday.
I guess I see your point that ignorance is bliss but its also conditional, just like the love of the average JW.

simplesally

What about the sister who was faithful all the time but had a son who didn't believe? So when it came time to help around the house, no one was there? Or when she couldn't cook they said she was a complainer, that she had family.........

When it was time for a rest home and she went because her "family" wasn't her "family"?

aChristian

Hillary,

You asked: Would you try to inform them of the failings of their religion if you were given the opportunity?

I think you know my answer. Of course I would. Why? Because I have good news to share with them.

Sure, these people's lives may be somewhat better with JWs than they used to be without JWs. But I know they could be much better still as free Christians. I know how much better my life is since I shed the heavy yoke of Watchtower slavery and replaced it with the kindly yoke of Jesus Christ. I also know that even though the Watchtower yoke may be a bit lighter than the various yokes these people used to bear, it is still much heavier than the one Jesus Christ requires His followers to carry.

Because I know these things, I would feel compelled to tell these people that Christ died to set them free. Free not only from sin's condemnation to death, but also free from bondage to religious laws and to all men who make them.

Some here may choose to "leave well enough alone" because they have nothing better to offer these people. But I believe I do have something much better to offer them. I would encourage them to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ rather than with a religious publishing house. And I would invite them to attend Church with me and my family and encourage them to become part of a new spiritual family, one whose love for them and friendship with them would not be contingent on their total loyalty to a few men in Brooklyn, New York.

hillary_step

Herbert,

Welcome to the board and thank you for your comments. Thank you all for your commenbts so far.

I would suggest that my own disposition toward these scenarios has not been stated as noted by Ms. Waiting, or indeed implied. They are 'real-life' situations that exist as we speak. I believe I have represented them honestly.

As Mindchild noted, this is a moral question that reaches deeply, and as you have noted, perhaps even deeper than many of us would like to accept.

Nevertheless, we are straying from the point of my simple personal questions by embellishing these situations with additional 'what if' details. Just for the record, I note my questions again.

Would you try to inform them of the failings of their religion if you were given the opportunity? If you would why? If you would not why?

I have settled my own conscience with this matter, but am interested to know how others have grappled with the implications of these issues, and what decisions they have made.

Many thanks - HS

Simon

I don't think it's the religion that is helping these people - just the help and attention by local individuals.

Still, it would be hard to burst their bubble and I probably wouldn't try.

For some people, being a JW is a 'better way of life' but just because it is less bad than something else doesn't make it good.

wonderwoman77

Very interesting questions and comments here. I prolly would not try to tell them all the failings of their religion. If they have found what they feel is happiness, i should not try and take it from them. I respect others and their beliefs as long as they respect mine. I might talk to them about why I do not hold their beliefs if they wanted to engage in that conversation, but I would never flat out tell them they are wrong...

BATHORY

G'Day hill'oes

I couldnt express my views better than aCHRISTIAN did.

I may also add that when you say " in trying to inform them about the failings of their religion " how can you say such a judgemental thing ?

Who are you or we to judge that their religion has failed, failed what anyhow, it hasnt FAILED in giving them, even beit false, a hope for a nice afterlife. Actually ignorance and the striving for truth aside, would we not all want that ? Did you means to say that their religion is based on man made laws, ( not the failing thing ), that being the case, you got to ask yourself how will that influence their lives assuming you convinced them of this, and would that be beneficial for THEM. I say all striving for truth, even if found to be ugly at the time, is beneficial not just for you but mainly for your generations to come.

RunningMan

Flip the situation around. Imagine that you are the crippled man who is happy in your belief (JW, athiest, or otherwise). Would you want someone to "tickle your ears" so that your ideas would be reinforced? Some people may. I would not.

Personally, I would find it insulting if someone condescended to flatter my beliefs rather than engage in a real, human debate. And, if I were handicapped, it would feel more than insulting. It would feel depressing.

Also, most apostates are not evangelists. We do not go from door to door trying to ram our beliefs down other's throats. So, the likelihood of one of these persons coming into contact with me and initiating a discussion is pretty slim.

The truth is out there, and I won't hide it from anyone. However, I'm not going to seek out people to press my views on them. If they are happy in their belief, they can remain so - just as happy Scientologists and Seventh Day Adventists can do.

How much damage has been done by JW's who push their beliefs on others? - familes broken up, children who die from lack of medical treatment, Witnesses who became diseased and even died from lack of a vaccination, men imprisoned for declining alternative service, needless murders of Malawians, futures blemished for lack of education.

The sins of JW's pile as high as heaven. This question should be directed at the Witnesses, not the underground.

Utopian Reformist

Hilary Step:

You chose three plausible situations that reflect reality and the demographic range of individual backgrounds and personal circumstances inside the organization today.

I think everyone can relate to all three scenarios and may have had contact/association on a personal level with at least one of them.

In the case of the 75 year old man, if he were a neighbor or friend, without regular association from blood relatives, and his health was in jeopardy, then in an emergency situation, I would attempt to intervene in the most peaceful possible manner, and in small doses. If I met with resistance, I would just acquiesce. Peace of mind can be powerful and why destroy his support mechanism without cooperation?

In the case of the 39 year old disabled man, I would wait until he displayed signs of disappointment, burn-out, frustration, sadness and began decreasing his activities. I would provide the same level of involvement as the local JW,s only without resorting to making any demands at all, and hope he would reciprocate with participation in learning the truth about the truth.

In the case of the former prostitute, who now has a wonderful family, I don't think I would offer any information unless it was requested. Once a person is abandoned or alone in this world, and suffers for years, it is difficult to destabilize that person's only life-support system, once they find it. It would take years and turn into a very long wait.

The world often says "people have to crash and burn to learn". Sometimes, it's true. While certain people may have lived under terrible circumstances, then becoming JW's SEEMS to have improved their lot in life, the only real change is that OTHER HUMANS finally took notice, showed concern, gave love and lifted their hands.

Human interest stories with "fairy-tale" endings occur all over the planet in different organizations. It proves that humans can support one another out of tragic situations. The JW theology may provide an impetus, stimulated by fear and guilt, but in the end, it is the individual him/her self that makes the internal decision to take personal responsibility and make a change.

Y

Who Draws The Line and Why?

Share this