To Meet or Not to Meet

by Frenchy 16 Replies latest jw friends

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  waiting

  Hey Path,

  Any attempt to follow the Biblical advice to fellowship and discuss the Bible leads to apostacy charges and disfellowshipping.

  I believe that's the Society's point to their followers. "Follow us - or be damned.

  I agree with all the thoughts of this post - none are absolutely right or wrong. I guess that's the way it should be on a conscience matter. To me, this is not a black and white issue. Where is the sin? Not associating? That is not a sin - that is not receiving or giving face to face encouragement. And, BTW, are all meetings encouraging? That is a personal opinion.

  There is a man on another forum called Adopted 777 who I have spoken to through ICQ. He sends, at his own cost, bibles worldwide - and speaks with other via web with these persons. I don't agree with all his thoughts - but at the present, he's doing more than I am. Who am I to say?

  According to Friend's post, wouldn't this man be leading others to God's Kingdom through Jesus Christ? I know the JW answer - absolutely not. But why not?

  waiting
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  Frenchy

  Anyone else?

  -Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-
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  RedhorseWoman

  I used to feel that gathering together was extremely important. No matter how I felt about the unloving nature of the congregation, I considered it extremely important to continue in fellowship.

  I finally got to the point, however, where I had to admit to myself that the gathering together was not upbuilding in any sense. In fact, it was only serving to destroy my spirituality.

  I have been inactive as far as meetings are concerned for some time. However, I have continued to associate with those who value a relationship with God, whether JW's or others. This type of "gathering together" serves to upbuild, and I seek it out.
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  Seven

  RedhorseWoman-I find it interesting that you used the words those that value a relationship with God instead of the word Christians. I'm not nitpicking here. I find myself using the word less and less-maybe because I'm not sure what the word really means anymore.
  I am attracted to people who give light to the world just as in that Prov. The path of the just is a shining light. I would rather have one good discussion per month with such individuals than to be trapped in an unloving congregation.
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  RedhorseWoman

  7, I've found that there are those who do not consider themselves Christian, but who very much value their relationship with God. I may not agree with all of their beliefs, but I definitely relate to their sense of the divine. I am learning. I used to believe that I had the truth and that anything else was of Satan. Now I know that what I had was but one small piece of the truth and that there is so much more to learn.
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  Pathofthorns

  "Only a little of the first fruits of wisdom, only a few fragments of the boundless heights, breadths, and depths of truth, have I been able to gather." - Martin Luther

  You are in good company RHW in reaching the conclusions you have.

  Path
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  waiting

  Good quote, Path.

  waiting