Tolerance

by Chariklo 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Chariklo
    Chariklo

    Fernando, it's taken me all this time, other things in life permitting, to explore your two links posted above as thoroughly as they deserve.

    It's very interesting and I've already learned a lot,; even though I've read through everything there's far too much to think about for me yet to feel I have it all under my belt, so to speak.

    However, doesn't it all carry with it the same problem in essence, though not in its particulars of course, as the WT and other very doctrinal faiths? The Tawrat, Zabur and Injil may indeed be very important and relevant, but I'm a bit resistant at the moment to thinking that any one set of teachings will contain the whole truth.

    For instance, before my brain was mashed up by JW's, while adhering to my own church (I have no idea what I'm going to do about that and I'm certainly not going to rush back there nor go anywhere else in a hurry) I was very interested in the spiritual insights and practices of other religions and cultures. While still in my capacity as one of the WT's minions, I called fairly recently, surprisingly, and I am ashamed to say it, on a Moslem family who actually expressed some interest. Their spiritual approach to life impressed me even then, still deluded and brainwashed as I was. I know other Moslems who I count among my friends and who as far as I know have never found out about my extraordinary almost-assimilation by the Borg. For Moslems read Hindus, Jews and Buddhists...I have friends among them all...and have also always been interested in other approaches to spirituality, worlwide.

    Rigid doctrines don't sit well with me, nor any attempts to coerce and enforce one point of view, and at the same time, in keeping with the title of this thread, my preference is always to treat others with respect and view their beliefs with tolerance.

    So, while continuing to explore the information on those very interesting links, Fernando, concepts like

    Ephesians 4:5 explicitly says there is only "one faith" namely that of Abraham.
    This faith (a wide opening of our spiritual eyes) follows a hearing of the unabridged "gospel" message known in Hebrew as "bissar" and in Arabic/Urdu as "Injeel"/"Injil" (Romans 10:16,17).

    trouble me just a little bit in case it should be thought that in those writings the whole of Jesus' teachings could be contained. Of course they couldn't. Even in just 3 years' ministry, he will have said and taught so very much that couldn't get itself written down.So, while they may be unabridged, in the sense of being a complete rendering of what has been recorded, they cannot possibly be a complete rendering of everything said and done. Can they?

    But I do like your approach, Fernando. It's the wide opening of our spiritual eyes, as you say, which is so important and which frightens the wits of of the WT!

    After all, what if the rank and file actually began to think?!

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