Blondie's Comments You Will Not Hear at the 05-01-2011 WT Study (LAWLESNESS)

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    blondie

    Comments You Will Not Hear at the 05-01-11 WT Study (FEBRUARY 15, 2011, pages 28-32)(LAWLESSNESS)

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    DO YOU HATE LAWLESSNESS?

    “You [ Jesus] hated lawlessness.”—HEB. 1:9.

    OPENING COMMENTS

    What about one of the ten commandments about coveting, an unenforceable law per the WTS. The “laws” the WTS concentrates are small in comparison to murder yet the WTS cannot and will not enforce that law even under Caesar’s laws. Can the elders enforce any laws since they cannot read hearts? Do jws feel accountable to God or to the men who represent the earthbound WT organization? Why do they feel they are home free when no human can see them but God sees everything? Why does it only count when 2 humans see them but not one God?

    *** w06 6/15 pp. 23-24 pars. 16-17“*** T he third aspect of God’s Law to Israel that we are going to consider is the tenth commandment, which prohibited covetousness. The Law stated: “You must not desire your fellowman’s house. You must not desire your fellowman’s wife, nor his slave man nor his slave girl nor his bull nor his ass nor anything that belongs to your fellowman.” (Exodus 20:17) No human could enforce such a commandment, since no one can read hearts. That commandment, however, elevated the Law to a plane higher than that of human justice. It made each Israelite aware that he was directly accountable to Jehovah, who can read the inclinations of the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7) Moreover, this commandment got to the very root of many illicit acts.—James 1:14.

    The law against covetousness encouraged God’s people to avoid materialism, greed, and grumbling about their lot in life. It also safeguarded them from the temptation to commit theft or immorality. There will always be those who have material possessions that we admire or who in one way or another seem to be more successful than we are. If we fail to control our thinking in such situations, we could become unhappy and feel envious of others. The Bible calls covetousness a manifestation of “a disapproved mental state.” We are far better off without it.—Romans 1:28-30.

    But who only can judge per the WTS?

    *** w081/15 p. 14 par. 7***Jehovah has appointed Jesus as Judge; hence, we do not have the right to judge anybody. That is fitting, since—unlike Jesus—we can judge only by the “mere appearance to [our] eyes” or “the thing heard by [our] ears,” whereas Jesus can read the intimate thoughts and reasonings of the heart.—Isa. 11:1-5; 2 Tim. 4:1.

    *** w84 11/1 p. 13 par. 19***Often we have to know what is on a person’s mind before we can help him. Since, unlike Jesus, we cannot read hearts, there is only one way to obtain this information: by asking well-thought-out questions.

    Must jws report murderers per the WTS?

    http://www.silentlambs.org/education/92_murder_letter.cfm

    START OF ARTICLE

    1. What did Jesus teach regarding love?

    STRESSING the importance of love, Jesus

    Christ told his disciples: “I am giving you

    a new commandment, that you love one another;

    just as I have loved you, that you also

    love one another. By this all will know

    that you are my disciples, if you have love

    among yourselves.” (John 13:34, 35) Jesus

    commanded his followers to show self sacrificing

    love toward one another. That

    love would be their identifying mark. Jesus

    also exhorted them: “Continue to love your

    enemies and to pray for those persecuting

    you.”—Matt. 5:44.

    COMMENTS

    Note that the identifying mark is not about the trinity, hellfire, immortality of the soul. It is not an endless discussion of doctrine. It is actually more of a challenge, showing love, and a self-sacrificing one at that.

    There is a reason the story of the Good Samaritan is remembered by many.

    So what is it to show love to those who show love to you. Matthew 5:45-47 says

    Matthew 5:45-47 (New International Version, ©2011)

    45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?

    2. Followers of Christ should develop a hatred for

    what?

    2 In addition to teaching his disciples

    about love, however, Jesus taught them

    what to hate. It was said with reference to Jesus:

    “You loved righteousness, and you hated

    lawlessness [wickedness].” (Heb. 1:9; Ps.

    45:7) This shows that we must develop not

    only a love of righteousness but also a hatred

    of sin, or lawlessness. It is noteworthy that

    the apostle John specifically stated: “Everyone

    who practices sin is also practicing lawlessness,

    and so sin is lawlessness.”—1 John

    3:4.

    COMMENTS

    Notice Jesus taught them WHAT to hate not WHO. Does the WTS teach its members to hate individuals?

    PRACTICES—What does the WTS teach that this means; how many times does a person have to do a particular sin for it to be practicing?

    Why does sin need practice?

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/203997/1/Why-does-sin-need-practice

    3. With regard to hatred for lawlessness, what areas

    of life will this article consider?

    3 As Christians, then, we do well to ask

    ourselves, ‘Do I hate lawlessness?’ Let us examine

    how we can show our hatred for what

    is bad in the following four areas of life:

    (1) our attitude toward the abuse of alcohol,

    (2) our view of the occult, (3) our reaction to

    immorality, and (4) our view of those who

    love lawlessness.

    COMMENTS

    Alcohol—an old problem—Rutherford was a drunk and nothing happened to him

    Occult—the increase of members from so-called developing countries

    Immorality—a long problem with jws—no saints

    Our view = disfellowshipping

    Keep Alcohol in Its Place

    4. Why did Jesus enjoy freeness of speech when

    warning about heavy drinking?

    4 Jesus occasionally drank wine, recognizing

    it as a gift from God. (Ps. 104:14, 15)

    However, he never abused this gift by indulging

    in heavy drinking. (Prov. 23:29-33)

    Jesus thus had freeness of speech when

    counseling against such a practice. (Read

    Luke 21:34.) Misuse of alcohol can lead to

    other serious sins. Thus, the apostle Paul

    wrote: “Do not be getting drunk with wine,

    in which there is debauchery, but keep getting

    filled with spirit.”(Eph. 5:18)He also admonished

    the aged women in the congregation

    not to be “enslaved to a lot of wine.”

    —Titus 2:3.

    COMMENTS

    Occasionally---how many times???

    Heavy drinking—how much?

    Misuse = immorality

    Aged women or rather men, and elders at that

    5. What questions might those who choose to

    drink alcoholic beverages ask themselves?

    5 If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages,

    you would also do well to ask yourself:

    ‘Do I share Jesus’ attitude toward heavy

    drinking? If I need to counsel others on

    this matter, do I have freeness of speech?

    Do I drink to escape worries or to ease

    stress? How much alcohol do I consume

    each week? How do I react when someone

    implies that I might be drinking too much?

    Do I become defensive or even resentful?’

    Allowing ourselves to become enslaved to a

    lot of wine can affect our ability to reason

    things out properly and to make wise decisions.

    Followers of Christ strive to safeguard

    their thinking ability.—Prov. 3:21, 22.

    COMMENTS

    Choose to drink….did Jesus define “heavy” drinking

    Counsel others—freeness of speech = hypocrisy (coming to meetings with alcohol on breath)

    Consume each week = is there a WT limit in print?

    Defensive or even resentful = because the elder talking to you is a lush?

    Wine = not beer or hard liquor?

    Reasons things out = let the elders, CO, DO, WT reason it for you and tell you what to do…even not to drink at all because you might STUMBLE someone.

    Avoid Occult Practices

    6, 7. (a) How did Jesus deal with Satan and the demons?

    (b) Why are occult practices so widespread today?

    6 While on earth, Jesus firmly opposed Satan

    and the demons. He rejected Satan’s direct

    attacks on his loyalty. (Luke 4:1-13) He

    also identified and resisted subtle attempts

    to influence his thinking and actions. (Matt.

    16:21-23) Jesus helped deserving ones to

    escape cruel domination by the demons.

    —Mark 5:2, 8, 12-15; 9:20, 25-27.

    COMMENTS

    What is a direct attack from Satan per the WTS?

    Helped “deserving ones”—what is deserving?

    *** w97 8/1 p. 13 pars. 20-21***Thus we can stay loyal in the face of all manner of persecution. True, relatively few of us today suffer such direct attacks on our loyalty.

    7 After Jesus’ enthronement as King in

    1914, he cleansed the heavens of the contaminating

    influence of Satan and the demons.

    As a result, Satan is—now more than

    ever—bent on “misleading the entire inhabited

    earth.” (Rev. 12:9, 10) It should come as

    no surprise to us, then, that fascination with

    the occult is widespread and is growing.

    What measures can we take to protect ourselves?

    COMMENTS

    How many jws know that the WTS taught that Jesus’ enthronement took place in 1878 even past 1914 to 1922? That his presence began in 1874 which is why the 1879 WT title said “Heralding Christ’s Presence” since his presence had already happened?

    The Life-giver is present; and, since 1878, when he took his great power and began the exercise of his authority, none of his members need to sleep. Thy Kingdom Come, 1891, page 240. view

    Since that time it has been emphatically manifest that the time had come in A.D. 1878 when kingly judgment should begin at the house of God. It is here that Rev. 14:14-20 applies, and our Lord is brought to view as the Reaper crowned. The year A.D. 1878, being the parallel of his assuming power and authority in the type, clearly marks the time for the actual assuming of power as King of kings, by our present, spiritual, invisible Lord–the time of his taking to himself his great power to reign, which in the prophecy is closely associated with the resurrection of his faithful, and the beginning of the trouble and wrath upon the nations. The Time Is At Hand, 1902, page 239. view

    The living stones are taken out of the quarry (the world); and by the experiences and discipline of the present life they are shaped and chiseled and polished and thus fitted for their places in the temple which, during the time of the presence of the Lord--viz, since 1878, when he took his great power as king--is being noiselessly put together..." The Watchtower, July 1, 1922 , page 207. view

    8. What self-examination may be in order concerning

    our choice of entertainment?

    8 The Bible clearly warns of the dangers

    connected with spiritism. (Read

    Deuteronomy 18:10-12.) Today, Satan and

    the demons influence people’s thinking

    through movies, books, and electronic

    games that promote occult practices. When

    selecting entertainment, therefore, each

    of us should ask himself: ‘Over the past

    months, have I chosen to be entertained by

    films, TV programs, electronic games, books,

    or comics that feature uncanny practices? Do

    I understand the importance of rejecting occult

    influences, or do I downplay these dangers?

    Have I even considered how Jehovah

    might feel about my choice of entertainment?

    If I have opened the door to such satanic

    influences, will my love for Jehovah

    and his righteous principles impel me to act

    decisively and slam that door shut?’—Acts

    19:19, 20.

    COMMENTS

    Clearly warns? – about tobacco (betel nuts and coca leaves) being spiritism?

    Or the jw reasoning that Lord of the Rings was okay because the humans did not practice magic and that Harry Potter was bad because the humans did practice magic!!!

    Or the majority of jws that I knew gladly and eagerly went to Disney movies peppered with witches and magic.

    Or that fact that jws carefully screen out any mention of made up magic but are not on guard against the real pedophiles in their congregations?

    The Bible has the account of Saul going to the witch of Endor…

    If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages,

    what should you consider?

    Heed Jesus’ Warning About Immorality

    9. How might a person nurture the love of lawlessness?

    9 Jesus upheld Jehovah’s standard of sexual

    morality. He said: “Did you not read that

    he who created them from the beginning

    made them male and female and said, ‘For

    this reason a man will leave his father and

    his mother and will stick to his wife, and the

    two will be one flesh’? So that they are no

    longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what

    God has yoked together let no man put

    apart.” (Matt. 19:4-6) Jesus knew that what

    we take in through our eyes can affect our

    heart. In his Sermon on the Mount, he

    therefore stated: “You heard that it was said,

    ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say to

    you that everyone that keeps on looking at a

    woman so as to have a passion for her has already

    committed adultery with her in his

    heart.” (Matt. 5:27, 28) Those who ignore Jesus’ warning

    are in reality nurturing the love

    of lawlessness.

    COMMENTS

    But then why did God allow polygamy until the first century and the WTS until 1947 in Africa? Is the WTS suggesting they were ignorant of what was going on in the congregations?

    *** w95 9/1 p.25***I married Olabisi Fashugba in February 1941 and knew enough not to take any additional wives. But until 1947 when the missionaries came, polygamy was common in the congregations. Polygamous brothers were told that they had married more than one wife in ignorance. So if they had two or three or four or five wives, they could keep them, but they should not take any more. That was the policy we had.

    -------------

    Why no mention of the adulterer and murderer David here? What a perfect example illustrating this.

    10. Relate an experience showing that an individual

    can break free from pornography.

    10 Satan promotes sexual immorality by

    means of pornography. The present system

    of things is awash with it. Those who view

    pornography find it difficult to erase the immoral

    scenes from their minds. They can

    even become addicted to pornography. Consider

    what happened to one Christian. He

    says: “I secretly viewed pornography. I created

    a fantasy world that I thought was disconnected

    from the world where I served Jehovah.

    I knew that this practice was wrong but

    told myself that my service to God was still

    acceptable.” What changed this brother’s

    thinking? He states: “Although it was the

    most difficult thing I have ever done, I decided

    to tell the elders about my problem.” This

    brother eventually broke free from this degrading

    habit. “After I cleansed my life of

    this sin,” he admits, “I finally felt that I had a

    truly clean conscience.” Those who hate

    lawlessness must learn to hate pornography.

    COMMENTS

    I’m starting to thing that pornography should be a permanent topic in every study article. It is interesting that almost all accounts of jws with the “problem” are men…does that mean jw women don’t partake?

    “one Christian” = only jw

    Knew it was wrong and that God sees everything; wasn’t God real to him? Would he have watch porn in front of an elder or 2 elders?

    How did he break free; why no practical tips for other “sufferers”?

    11, 12. How can we show hatred for lawlessness

    when it comes to our choice of music?

    11 Music and its accompanying lyrics can

    strongly influence our emotions and, therefore,

    our figurative heart. Music itself is a gift

    from God and has long held a place in true

    worship. (Ex. 15:20, 21; Eph. 5:19) But Satan’s

    wicked world promotes music that glorifies

    immorality. (1 John 5:19) How can you

    tell whether the music you listen to is defiling

    you or not?

    COMMENTS

    So what kind of music is acceptable? Is all modern music bad? I remember in the 60’s that the twist was considered an immoral pagan African dance.

    *** w627/1 pp. 410-411***To illustrate: Suppose a young adult or a parent has heard about the twist and wants to know whether it would be proper for a Christian. Well, observe how people describe it. You will likely find frequent comments in newspapers, perhaps such as this one: “The Twist, stemming from a dance called the Madison that erupted a number of years ago in Philadelphia, is a rhythmic, shoulder-shaking, hip-swiveling step in which the partners synchronize their movements but do not touch.” 1 One popular American magazine devoted many pages to the dance and said: “To the song’s insistent beat the partners rock back and forth on the balls of their feet while frantically twisting their hips.” 2 If local news media shed little light on the matter, one could find publications in a public library that discuss recent trends. Thus if one opened the 1962 Britannica BookoftheYear, he would find several comments, including this: “There was also a revival during 1961 of two teen-age dances, the twist and the fish. They were publicly condemned by several U. S. clergymen. In late fall, the twist in particular suddenly took on the characteristics of a major dance craze. . . . It features a minimum of movement of the feet and a maximum of bodily gyrations.”

    Many of the news reports will likely have a few words about the origin of a new dance, and this is true of the twist. Time magazine, for instance, commented:

    “The Twist at first was an innocent enough dance; it has since been largely discarded in favor of such refinements as ‘The Roach’ and ‘The Fly.’ But the youngsters at [a certain New York nightclub] have revived The Twist and parodied it into a replica of some ancient tribal puberty rite. The dancers scarcely ever touch each other or move either feet. Everything else, however, moves. The upper body sways forward and backward and the hips and shoulders twirl erotically, while the arms thrust in, out, up and down.” 3

    That nightclub and its revised twist, further explained this same news report, “might well have remained just another flesh spa for the midtown beatnik crowd” had it not been popularized with café society by a newspaper society editor.

    So what have you learned about this dance? In this example we have found that the dance craze mainly involves bodily gyrations and that the words used to describe them are “frantic,” “sensual” and “erotic.” You have also learned what kind of persons developed the dance and that it is basically an imitation of some pagan tribe’s dance, involving gestures of a sexually suggestive nature.

    12 You might start by asking yourself: ‘Do

    the songs I listen to glorify murder, adultery,

    fornication, and blasphemy? If I were to

    read the lyrics of certain songs to someone,

    would that person get the impression that I

    hate lawlessness, or would the words indicate

    that my heart is defiled?’ We cannot

    hate lawlessness in word while glorifying it

    in song. “The things proceeding out of the

    mouth come out of the heart,” said Jesus,

    “and those things defile a man. For example,

    out of the heart come wicked reasonings,

    murders, adulteries, fornications, thieveries,

    false testimonies, blasphemies.”—Matt.

    15:18, 19; compare James 3:10, 11.

    COMMENTS

    Are “kingdom” songs the only acceptable music then? Even classical music from the 1800’s is not acceptable especially when you factor in the morality of the composers and performers.

    Adopt Jesus’ View of Those Who Love Lawlessness

    13. How did Jesus view those who became hardened

    in sin?

    13 Jesus said that he came to call sinners,

    or lawless ones, to repentance. (Luke 5:30-

    32) How, though, did he view those who became

    hardened in a course of sin? Jesus gave

    strong warnings against being influenced by

    such ones. (Matt. 23:15, 23-26) He also clearly

    stated: “Not everyone saying tome, ‘Lord,

    Lord,’ will enter into the kingdom of the

    heavens, but the one doing the will of my

    Father who is in the heavens will. Many will

    say to me in that day [when God executes

    judgment], ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy

    in your name, and expel demons in your

    name, and perform many powerful works in

    your name?’” However, he will reject those

    who unrepentantly practice lawlessness, saying:

    “Get away from me.” (Matt. 7:21-23)

    Why such a judgment? Because such individuals

    dishonor God and cause harm to

    others by their lawless practices.

    COMMENTS

    So who decides who is hardened? The elders, CO, DO? Who decides who is repentant? The elders who cannot read hearts?

    14. Why are unrepentant sinners removed from the

    congregation?

    14 God’s Word commands that unrepentant

    sinners be removed from the congregation.

    (Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-13.) This is

    necessary for at least three reasons: (1) to

    keep Jehovah’s name free from reproach,

    (2) to protect the congregation from contamination,

    and (3) to help the sinner come

    to repentance if possible.

    COMMENTS

    How can the elders remove “unrepentant” sinners when they cannot read hearts? What is “evidence of repentance” or “fruit befitting repentance”?

    Keep God’s name of the WTS reputation free from reproach…what about the flipflops of the WTS and out and out lies, e.g., saying that they consistently taught that Jesus’ presence began in 1914?

    Who protects the congregation from the contamination from sins that are not prosecutable like not showing love, harmful gossip, etc.

    15. Loyalty to Jehovah calls for an answer to what

    searching questions?

    15 Do we share Jesus’ view of those who

    have become set in their lawless course? We

    need to give thought to these questions:

    ‘Would I choose to associate regularly with

    someone who has been disfellowshipped

    or who has disassociated himself from the

    Christian congregation? What if that one

    is a close relative who no longer lives at

    home?’ Such a situation can be a real test of

    our love of righteousness and of our loyalty

    to God.*

    * For a detailed discussion of this subject, see the September

    15, 1981, issue of The Watchtower, pages 26-31.

    COMMENTS

    “close relative” = only parents and children? If healthy adults must the leave the home?

    What about “necessary family business”? Does that no longer apply?

    *** w07 1/15p.20***While caring for necessary family matters may require some contact with the disfellowshipped person, a Christian parent should strive to avoid needless association.

    *** w83 1/1 p. 31***Of course, the grandparents have to determine if some necessary family matters require limited contact with the disfellowshipped children. And they might sometimes have the grandchildren visit them.

    *** w81 9/15 p.29 par.18 ***The second situation that we need to consider is that involving a disfellowshiped or disassociated relative who is not in the immediate family circle or living at one’s home. Such a person is still related by blood or marriage, and so there may be some limited need to care for necessary family matters.

    ***w11 7/15 p. 31 par. 15*** But what will those dear parents do? Will they obey Jehovah’s clear direction? Or will they rationalize that they can have regular

    association with their disfellowshipped son and call it “necessary family business”?

    In making their decision, they must not fail to consider how Jehovah feels about what

    they are doing.

    16, 17. What difficulty did a Christian mother face,

    and what helped her to uphold the arrangement for

    disfellowshipping unrepentant wrongdoers?

    A viewer of pornography

    nurtures love for what?

    16 Consider the experience of a sister

    whose adult son at one time had love for

    Jehovah. Later in life, however, he unrepentantly

    chose to practice lawlessness. Hence,

    he was disfellowshipped from the congregation.

    Our sister loved Jehovah, but she also

    loved her son and found it extremely difficult

    to apply the Scriptural command to

    avoid associating with him.

    COMMENTS

    What lawless are they talking about, harmful gossip, oh that’s right that is not enough to get someone kicked out…45 years, several congregations and countries, never saw it happen.

    17 What advice would you have given this

    sister? An elder helped her to realize that Jehovah

    understood the pain she felt. The

    brother invited her to think about the pain

    Jehovah must have experienced when some

    of his angelic sons rebelled. The elder reasoned

    with her that even though Jehovah

    knows how painful such a circumstance can

    be, he requires that unrepentant sinners be

    disfellowshipped. She took the reminders to

    heart and loyally upheld the disfellowshipping

    arrangement.* Such loyalty makes Jehovah’s

    heart glad.—Prov. 27:11.

    *See also the January 15, 2007, issue of The Watchtower,

    pages 17-20.

    COMMENTS

    But God still associated with Satan (even Jesus did) until 1914 per the WTS.

    So again, who decides they are unrepentant when they cannot read hearts?

    What about the elders who have regular contact with grown children who are df’d under the “necessary family matters” clause? Yes, it still goes on and the July 15 WT will not stop it in their case. Elders cover for each other or at least have interesting “reasoning” that does not apply to the rank and file.

    18, 19. (a) Cutting off contact with a practicer of

    lawlessness gives evidence of our hatred for what?

    (b) What may result when we are loyal to God and

    his arrangement?

    18 If you face a similar situation, please

    remember that Jehovah sympathizes with

    you. By cutting off contact with the disfellowshipped

    or disassociated one, you are

    showing that you hate the attitudes and actions

    that led to that outcome. However, you

    are also showing that you love the wrongdoer

    enough to do what is best for him or

    her. Your loyalty to Jehovah may increase

    the likelihood that the disciplined one will

    repent and return to Jehovah.

    COMMENTS

    Not that you hate the person? How many jws have wondered why David was not put to death as an adulterer and a murderer, “repent” or not? Why an exception for him, was he the only repentant adulterer in Israel, there is no record that any of David’s contemporaries that were adulterers were spared, there is no added statement to the law.

    *** w92 7/15 p. 12 par. 19***The obligation to hate lawlessness also applies to all activity by apostates. Our attitude toward apostates should be that of David, who declared: “Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies.” (Psalm 139:21, 22)

    *** w90 1/15 p. 24***

    Because the wicked were guilty of bloodshed and of bringing reproach on God’s name, David declared: “DoInothatethosewhoareintenselyhatingyou,O Jehovah,anddoInotfeelaloathingforthoserevoltingagainstyou?WithacompletehatredIdohatethem.Theyhavebecometomerealenemies.”(Psalm139:21, 22)

    19 One individual who was disfellowshipped

    and was later reinstated wrote: “I

    am happy that Jehovah loves his people

    enough to see that his organization is kept

    clean. What may seem harsh to outsiders

    is both necessary and really a loving

    thing to do.” Do you think that this person

    would have been helped to come to

    such a conclusion had members of the

    congregation, including her family, maintained

    regular contact with her while she

    was disfellowshipped? Our supporting the

    Scriptural arrangement of disfellowshipping

    gives evidence that we love righteousness

    and recognize Jehovah’s right to set standards

    of conduct.

    COMMENTS

    How clean does the WTS want to keep the organization when they have hidden pedophiles in their midst to “protect” God’s name in the community?

    www.silentlambs.org

    “Hate What Is Bad”

    20, 21. Why is it important to learn to hate lawlessness?

    20 “Keep your senses, be watchful,” warns

    the apostle Peter. Why? Because “your adversary,

    the Devil, walks about like a roaring

    lion, seeking to devour someone.” (1 Pet.

    5:8) Will that someone be you? Much depends

    on how well you learn to hate lawlessness.

    COMMENTS

    Hate lawlessness or hate the lawless?

    21 Developing a hatred for what is bad is

    not easy. We are born in sin, and we live in a

    world that caters to fleshly desires. (1 John 2:

    15-17) By imitating Jesus Christ and developing

    deep love for Jehovah God, however, we

    can succeed in cultivating hatred for lawlessness.

    Let us be determined to “hate what is

    bad,” fully confident that Jehovah “is guarding

    . . . his loyal ones; out of the hand of the

    wicked ones he delivers them.”—Ps. 97:10.

    COMMENTS

    Did you know that only the elders who were on the judicial committee can talk or have “business” with a df’d person? Not even the other elders. Why have so many elders not developed a hatred for pedophiles in their congregation? Blondie has had enough experience that they are only interested in covering it up; it makes them look bad. The laws of God and Caesar do not come into play, just the law of CYA.

    How Would You Answer?

    What will help us to examine our

    attitude toward alcoholic beverages?

    What protective measures can we

    take against occult practices?

    Why is pornography dangerous?

    How do we display hatred for lawlessness

    when someone we love is disfellowshipped?

    CONCLUDING COMMENTS

    What a sad, useless article except for another beating about pornography. It must be a BIG problem that renders elders and MS useless. I wonder how bad it has to be before they take any action? Will they take action on the word of a wife only…(foolish question)? I bet for every confession there are ten male jws keeping their own counsel.

    There was a time I could feel the hate from several sisters in one congregation. Why you might ask, I guess I was “too perfect” in their minds and the minds of their husbands who kept saying, you could be more like her.

    Happy May 1, May Day…never celebrated in my area. It’s a big union day and used to be a parade day in the Soviet Union. We are 1/3 of the way into 2011….argh…but I’m making plans for my flower beds and garden.

    Next week, RECEIVE GOD’S SPIRIT, NOT THE WORLD’S. My 6 year old question, “how do you know when you get holy spirit” still waiting for a credible answer.

    Love, Blondie

  • Pistoff
    Pistoff

    "Jesus occasionally drank wine, recognizing it as a gift from God. (Ps. 104:14, 15) However, he never abused this gift by indulging in heavy drinking. (Prov. 23:29-33) Jesus thus had freeness of speech when counseling against such a practice. (Read

    Luke 21:34.)

    It is not that simple; Jesus converted water into wine at a point in a wedding feast when many had likely consumed lots of wine; that IS heavy drinking. In this instance, per the bible account, Jesus would have to be viewed as supporting heavy drinking.

    Also, his disciples were at one time accused of being drunk.

    The distinction must be made between heavy drinking and drunkenness, something the WT ignores here. As always, their portrayal of Jesus is black or white.

    "Those who ignore Jesus’ warning are in reality nurturing the love of lawlessness."

    What a ridiculous statement. It is saying that for a person to have a sexual thought, even repeatedly, a trait of human nature, is to nurture the love of lawlessness. Can the WT not recognize hyperbole? Is Jesus really saying that thinking and doing are the same thing? What was the context of what he was saying?

    "Do the songs I listen to glorify murder, adultery, fornication, and blasphemy? If I were to read the lyrics of certain songs to someone, would that person get the impression that I hate lawlessness, or would the words indicate that my heart is defiled?’ We cannot hate lawlessness in word while glorifying it in song. "Those who ignore Jesus’ warning are in reality nurturing the love of lawlessness."

    The WT has never been any good at realizing that a song's lyrics are a trope, a character, and are usually the voice of a character that is not the songwriter; it is art, a comment on a viewpoint.

    They take everything literally. Billy Joel got flack for "Only the Good Die Young"; he said that literature about Jewish guilt was universal, why did his song about catholic guilt get criticized? My brother regarded the song as wicked, I just thought it was about a character that you make your mind up about for yourself.

    This article continues the recent trend to dumb every single thing down to a 3rd grade level; no nuance, no taking of any single thing Jesus said or did in any kind of context.

    Good work Blondie.

    P

  • OUTLAW
    OUTLAW

    Another Sunday Morning..

    Blondies Comments and a Cup of Tea..

    "Lawlessness"..

    Of course..

    The WBT$ Blames all the Worlds Problems on Me..

    I didn`t do it..

    ....................... ...OUTLAW

  • cult classic
    cult classic

    "Lawlessness" - One of those JW buzzwords that blankets everything and everyone they want to demonize.

    Good review Blondie.

  • poopsiecakes
    poopsiecakes

    sigh...I guess I won't be hearing from my mum any time soon

    Thanks for the comments, Blondie - I always read your weekly thread. I like knowing what clap trap my family is listening to.

  • EmptyInside
    EmptyInside

    Thanks for your comments Blondie.

    I just want to add the final song was number 120 "Listen,Obey and Be Blessed".

    It was the Special Talk today,so I had to sit through this Watchtower. And the part of not talking to disfellowshipped family members really made me sad. One point they ignored,if you have close friends,they are like your family. And it's equally distressing when you are told you must cut off contact from the person closest to you.

  • JW GoneBad
    JW GoneBad

    Blondie wrote:

    Par 10 states in part: "Consider what happened to one Christian. He says: "I secretly viewed pornography...................."

    I thought 'deja vu'. Didn't we read in last weeks' study about a 'brother' who also viewed pornography and went on and got addicted to weed. They are giving us guys a bum rap as though ladies know better than to do that. There are reports out there that say female subscription/viewing of pornography is 10' high and rising. WTBTS admit it our sisters like it too! And lay off the guys!

    One thing I am addicted too are your reviews Blondie. Thank you.

    'I’m starting to think that pornography should be a permanent topic in every study article. It is interesting that almost all accounts of jws with the “problem” are men…does that mean jw women don’t partake?'

  • JW GoneBad
    JW GoneBad

    Sorry, my previous post went haywire on me when I tried to copy and paste. It should have read as follows:

    Blondie wrote: 'I’m starting to think that pornography should be a permanent topic in every study article. It is interesting that almost all accounts of jws with the “problem” are men…does that mean jw women don’t partake?'

    Par 10 states in part: "Consider what happened to one Christian. He says: "I secretly viewed pornography...................."

    I thought 'deja vu'. Didn't we read in last weeks' study about a 'brother' who also viewed pornography and went on and got addicted to weed. They are giving us guys a bum rap as though ladies know better than to do that. There are reports out there that say female subscription/viewing of pornography is 10' high and rising. WTBTS admit it our sisters like it too! And lay off the guys!

    One thing I am addicted too are your WT Study reviews Blondie. Thank you.

  • Mary
    Mary
    Let us examine how we can show our hatred for what is bad in the following four areas of life: (1) our attitude toward the abuse of alcohol, (2) our view of the occult, (3) our reaction to immorality, and (4) our view of those who love lawlessness.

    Alcohol abuse? That's rich since the second President of this cult was a notorious drunk who used to have whiskey smuggled in from Canada during Prohibition. He was also a womanizer, though God knows what any woman would see in him. He abandoned his wife because she couldnt' give him his "marital dues" and sought comfort elsewhere. As for the occult, well, all you have to do is read some of Charles Russell's writings to figure out he was fascinated by it. The center-piece of all his work revolved around Pyramidology, which was denounced by Rutherfraud in later years as being 'demonic'. As for 'lawlessness' (which means doing something illegal, or "contrary to the law"), what about the Organization hiding thousands of pedophiles within over the years? What about them refusing to pay Caesars things to Caesar when the French government imposed a stiff taxation on them? What about them allowing the brothers and sisters in Malawi to be beaten, raped, tortured and murdered because the Organization wouldn't let them buy a frigging 'party card' while at the same time, giving the green light to the brothers in Mexico bribing the authorities?

    You might start by asking yourself: ‘Do the songs I listen to glorify murder,

    Though thousands will be falling,Yes, at your very side,Ten thousand at your right hand,No harm will you betide

    'Nuff said. These study articles get nuttier each week.......

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    You are so right, Blondie, that the "evils" mentioned are unbalanced. They read like the current list of obsessions/problems of the society; alcoholism, pornography, the popular Vampire series, and secular music. Quickly followed by seven paragraphs on the "loving" disfellowshipping arrangement.

    A quick bait-and-switch, and love is hate and hate is love.

    No direct address of the problem of pedophelia or other serious sins. No mention of gossip theft, murder, or covetousness.

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