The word "grace" tends to emphasize God's mercy, whereas the term "underserved kindness" emphasises that humans are not worthy.
When you gain broader perspective it becomes apparent that JWs are not a very God oriented religion.
Undeserved kindness
by life is to short 18 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
-
flipper
Jeez - I can just see all the heads bobbing along with the words. Getting that stuff washed into their submissive brains.
What's really tragic is that it's being drilled into kids in their formative years.
Mrs. Flipper
-
stuckinarut2
Yet another example of FOG
Fear
Obligation
Guilt
You are NOT worthy. YOU are a SINNER. You deserve to die. Etc...
Hang on, WHY does every human on earth deserve to die because of a sin that Eve committed 7,000 years ago?
If the "wages of sin is death", then she paid the price for her "sin", and yet we need to keep paying the penalty for thousands of years into the future??
Huh? If a monetary debt is repaid, it doesn't need to keep being paid over and over again!
So "undeserved kindness" is a farce of an idea!
-
Xanthippe
Using their own logic, why wouldn't God be kind to the humans he created? They're still blaming us for the actions of a mythological pair in Eden, but by their own logic sin is inherited and therefore not our fault.
Humans are not wilfully doing anything to prevent God being kind to them if sin is an inherited trait like eye colour, so why is god's kindness undeserved?
it seems to me this god they've 'created' who thinks his children don't deserve anything, not even love, is their excuse for rejecting their own children if they don't obey this religion.
-
Fencing
The word "grace" tends to emphasize God's mercy, whereas the term "underserved kindness" emphasises that humans are not worthy.
When you gain broader perspective it becomes apparent that JWs are not a very God oriented religion.Yes, this exactly. "Grace" has a more positive connotation, more uplifting in tone. "Undeserved kindness" has a far more negative connotation to it, reinforcing a feeling of worthlessness. It's understandable why the WT has stuck with it for so long. It's really a microcosm of the entire tone of the religion: You can never do enough, you can never be good enough, and you maybe (probably) won't survive the big A anyway.
It's a good example of the weird, schizophrenic take JWs have on salvation, simultaneously rejecting "once saved, always saved" and the notion of simple faith leading to salvation (as in most mainstream evangelical groups), and rejecting the notion that works can lead to salvation. When everything in the religion is setup to make you work for your "salvation".
-
LongHairGal
I agree that it is "Grace", not undeserved kindness.
I always felt the Jehovah's Witness religion changes terms to differ just for the sake of being different. However, in the case of their use of the term "undeserved kindness", I believe the point is to stress just how unworthy people are and to induce more guilt. Very manipulative.
That is what it's all about:....Fear, Obligation and Guilt.
-
Fernando
It's not all bad news I believe.
Potentially very good news in fact...
Some could even be woken up using this article and this question:
"Is a right and clean standing with God earned or imputed?"
If imputed as a "free gift" according to scripture, and this article, then (serving and following) the Watchtower Organisation and their ruling religious clergy class and hierarchy is redundant.
-
Fernando
I doubt there is anything the GB and their minions fear more than the liberating gospel of grace - the real reason behind Ray Franz' disfellowshipping and the related 1980 Bethel witch-hunt and purge.
-
Chook
I willingly accept undeserved kindness , I welcome it any time, who's offering?