Comments You Will Not Hear at the 8-17-03 WT Study

by blondie 25 Replies latest watchtower bible

HadEnuf

When I was very ill for over 10 years...the elder's were always on my back to get to more meetings, stay regular in service, etc, etc, etc. THAT was what would make me feel better. It never ended. Nag, nag, nag...pick, pick, pick . Made me feel worthless and only made me sicker. When someone breaks their leg do you encourage them to join a marathon? No...you let them heal and then let them gradually work their way back to just being able to walk without pain or a limp. The whole organization is guilty of heaping loads and loads and more loads on the sheep and hasn't a clue to the emotional abuse they are heaping upon the sheep they are supposedly keeping safe in their "bosom" of protection.
acsot

Blondie, thanks for the review. I sure hope my mother doesn't get the idea into her head about going to the meeting on Sunday - if I have to listen to the dub version of this article I'll need to do vomit duty in the bathroom. I'm still waiting to hear from the elders as to what help they've organized for my mother during the week. I know that if it doesn't involve counting time there won't be a whole lot of volunteers.
I know that many of the rank and file would rather participate in genuine charitable works such as visiting and caring for the elderly than dragging themselves out in field service, but with the WTS' constant injunctions about doing more and equating other types of charity with wasting one's time, the average dub feels guilt-ridden about taking time away from the precious door-to-door work.
I'm getting angry at the thought of it all , better stop here.
undercover

Even if I don't comment on each WT comment thread, I usually do read them. Thank you, Blondie.
I know that many of the rank and file would rather participate in genuine charitable works such as visiting and caring for the elderly than dragging themselves out in field service, but with the WTS' constant injunctions about doing more and equating other types of charity with wasting one's time, the average dub feels guilt-ridden about taking time away from the precious door-to-door work.
Something about that comment made me think of my parents. They have spent most of their adult lives trying to live up to the standards set out by the Society. Five meetings a week. Field service on weekends. Family studies. Preparing for meetings. In doing so, they have never given to charities or causes. They have never volunteered their time to good causes(outside of helping a few elderly in the congregation). Yet, they think that they are good, giving, charitable people. How? Because they spend time "preaching the good news of the Kingdom". They are good people, but charitable is the last thing they are. It's not their fault, I guess. They have been(how I hate to use this word) brainwashed.
Only in the last few years, has my family(wife and I) started giving to "worldly" charities. Even as I started doing this, I had tinges of guilt. Common sense prevailed though and now we give what we can to our favorite charities. It won't change the world, but every little bit helps.
Winston Smith :>D

Thx for the weekly summaries of the WT study Blondie! I always enjoy them [and get more out tof this than when I go to the Sunday Meeting, auggghhh!]
When someone breaks their leg do you encourage them to join a marathon? No...you let them heal and then let them gradually work their way back to just being able to walk without pain or a limp. The whole organization is guilty of heaping loads and loads and more loads on the sheep and hasn't a clue to the emotional abuse they are heaping upon the sheep they are supposedly keeping safe in their "bosom" of protection.
HadEnuf
Amazingly ignorant, isn't it? Oh, you have cancer? Maybe you should study more and attend more meetings. That should do the trick. FS & Meetings are the answer to everything for the elders.
Winston.
blondie

Thanks, liquidsky. Feel free to share.
Hi, Carlton.
I can't believe you found this quote. Thank you. You get better all the time.
Well, all I did was search using God, love and channel, and it popped up. I was sure that the WTS had at some time made themselves the only channel to God’s love.
You must be a trial lawyer.
Carlton, if I had a dollar for every time someone said that, I could retire. I grew up in an abusive family and was always defending myself and my younger siblings verbally.
You know how to use sarcasm to cut thru th BS. Please continue.
I have a PhD in sarcasm. I once entered a put down contest. The only woman amongst 50 men. I won hands down. I have to be careful though not to use my "gift" on those I love.
Hey, Maverick, I struck a chord with you, eh?
And they are slick at linking Love and Guilt! Their love is conditional, only conditional and nothing but conditional! They claim to be encouraging the friends and aiding them to see the greatness of God when what they actually do is demean and denigrate the RF using tales of why the RF should not whine at the burdens placed on them.
I have been at the end of their guilt trips. I refused to play one elder’s guilt game and he got so frustrated he stormed off making a big scene. I just played the meek sister who was not getting his point. He blew his cover with 2 sisters who were standing by.
Hey there Pistoff. Still enduring? Just remember this, the reason I left was because of the lack of love shown in the WTS as an organization. You can imagine that my 47 years around the Society has provided me many, many examples of how their actions do not match their words.
What I love about the reviews is the way you compare the unloving, uncaring corporate culture of the WT to the fantasyland loving atmosphere they paint of the congregation.
Thanks, Confucious.
To see what is right, and not to do it, is want of courage or of principle.—Confucious
Yxl1, good observation.
This would have been one of the WT studies where at its conclusion, they would all get up and be nice to each other....for about 15 minutes. An hour later, all the "love" will have evaporated and its back to the usual gossipy backstabing crap.
That is because they do things to be viewed by men not God.
95stormfront, it is sad to see that my experiences in my area are duplicated in other areas of the organization and over a long time period.
Not only the love I remember, but also the type of "love" I see practiced currently amongst all the JWs in my family.
When will the ever learn?
Hi there, (Inspector) Gadget,
I didn’t want to put down the ransom, but I did want to illustrate how the WTS used a line of reasoning that was ridiculous applied to God. God does have all power and it was not a long time in his view. But Jesus gave up a lot to come down here. And he was the one that became human and suffered physically as well as being abused verbally and emotionally. All his family and friends deserted him.
As for God, I don’t know what would be worse, to watch a loved one died and have no power to stop it, or to have all the power in the universe but to hold back from using it?
Nosefateru,
If this were you & a JW conversing, you would have really thrown them off balance.
Well, the majority of JWs are not encouraged or rewarded for thinking deep or out of the box. I commented on this once after a WT study some years ago. Fortunately for me, the 3 JWs thought I was a deep thinker.
All I had done was reverse the reasoning in this WT article:
w99
6/1 pp. 4-5 God Is Not Slow Regarding His Promise
In the first century, there were some who apparently felt that God should have fulfilled his promises sooner. They had become so impatient that they even considered God to be slow or late. On this account, the apostle Peter had to remind them that God’s view of time is quite different from ours. Peter writes: "Let this one fact not be escaping your notice, beloved ones, that one day is with Jehovah as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day."—2 Peter 3:8.
According to this way of figuring time, an 80-year-old person has lived only about two hours, and all of mankind’s history has lasted only about six days
. When we look at things from this perspective, it becomes easier for us to understand God’s way of dealing with us.
Welcome, Hadenuf,
When someone breaks their leg do you encourage them to join a marathon?
Not only would most elders do that, they would have a story about some sister who had run a marathon with a broken leg.
Arggh!
Ascot, I’m so sorry for you and especially your mother since her hopes probably are higher than yours.
I'm still waiting to hear from the elders as to what help they've organized for my mother during the week.
Your situation reminds me of this account from Jesus:
Luke
18:1-8
18
Then he went on to tell them an illustration with regard to the need for them always to pray and not to give up, 2 saying: "In a certain city there was a certain judge that had no fear of God and had no respect for man. 3 But there was a widow in that city and she kept going to him, saying, ‘See that I get justice from my adversary at law.’ 4 Well, for a while he was unwilling, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Although I do not fear God or respect a man, 5 at any rate, because of this widow’s continually making me trouble, I will see that she gets justice, so that she will not keep coming and pummeling me to a finish.’" 6 Then the Lord said: "HEAR what the judge, although unrighteous, said! 7 Certainly, then, shall not God cause justice to be done for his chosen ones who cry out to him day and night, even though he is long-suffering toward them? 8 I tell YOU, He will cause justice to be done to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?"
Undercover, I’m glad you don’t condemn them.
Yet, they think that they are good, giving, charitable people. How? Because they spend time "preaching the good news of the Kingdom". They are good people, but charitable is the last thing they are. It's not their fault, I guess. They have been(how I hate to use this word) brainwashed.
It is best to be balanced like Jesus who look care of both spiritual and physical needs recognizing that a hungry person needs to be fed before the can concentrate on the spiritual. Jesus did not chide Martha that no food was necessary but only a little, what was sufficient. Jesus also fed the multitude who had not eaten for several days before he continued talking to them.
Greetings, Winston, a good point:
Maybe you should study more and attend more meetings. That should do the trick. FS & Meetings are the answer to everything for the elders.
The reason these solutions are given is that they require little time and effort from the elders.
Blondie (good job everyone)
KGB

You know the JW's do not know the least thing about the Love of God or the Love of man. It was because of this lack of love that I backed out of they're religion. I have witnessed many times their lack of love.
This week at my church we do this every year, we excepted donations of clothing. Then some of us spend 5 days, and hard work too I might add in sorting and then we let the whole community come and take all they want for free. You would never see this from the borg. Not ever !! We have a community food bank and a few toher things we do for our community here. This is some of the love that Jesus was teaching. Love thy neighbor as thy self he said, the only ones they help are their own. That to me is a very selfish act and boy don't we know just how selfish they are. Remember we are all dommed to hell death and they claim all the glory. I sure am glad I no longer have that weight on my shoulders and not having to face judgement for their deceit. Thank God, Praise the Lord for that....
What really blows me away is that they will sit before you and read from the bible of this love but yet still not love as the bible instructs us and remain such selfish people.......They should all be ashamed of themselves..................It sure is good to find people who will share the love that Jesus shared in my new Christian faith....OH ! by the way, I sure do love all of you too.............God Bless you all
blondie

KGB, I'm glad to see that you are free from the barrier the WTS puts up between us and showing love to those who are our "neighbor."
Blondie
blondie

Don't forget to study for the WT study this weekend. Blondie
jgnat
Great study, Blondie. Thanks for contributing to my sanity. I can't but help notice that some of the best descriptions of the breadth and scope of God's love this week come from Babylon the Great. Not that we can check the source. As usual, the WTBTS assists in the humility of these contributors by neglecting to attribute the quotes.
"One scholar notes that this expression means "as far as possible; as far as we can imagine."
"According to one reference work, the idea conveyed may be expressed: "You have made [my sins] as if they had not happened."
Judicial Committees, marking, and bad association kinda takes the wind out of Jehovah's compassion, doesn't it? A few WT snippets which qualify Jehovah's love, (para 9)...each of his faithful servants is of value to him. (para 14)...if we repent of our sins and strive hard not to repeat them.
I found a nice history on the Amplified Bible, here http://www.gospelcom.net/lockman/amplified/ As it was completed in 1958, the contributors would have to be condemned members of Christendom, Babylon the Great. Why does the WTBTS continue to quote "corrupted" sources, unless they have trouble believing their own rhetoric?
My bible study questions for the week:
So sparrows and faithful humans count, but unfaithful humans don't?
I have seen sparrows destroy their neighbour's nests. Are those sparrows forgotten by Jehovah?
Repentance is not enough, but we should "strive hard" as well. What is the scriptural backing for this "striving"?
blondie

Hey jgnat,
"According to one reference work, the idea conveyed may be expressed: "You have made [my sins] as if they had not happened."
Back in the days when Ray Franz and others were forced out, many small groups at Bethel were studying together using Bible commentaries and other reference books. I'm sure the WTS is trying not to endorse any of them at this time although I'm sure the libraries at Bethel still contain all these books.
The WTS feels that they have the ability to pick out what is accurate in light of their doctrines without being contaminated by the "inaccurate" information. I have heard that expressed when I visited Bethel and saw researchers reading info that was discouraged at the congregation.
And yes JWs will never measure up to the WTS standards just like the common people of Jesus' time could never measure up to the standards of the scribes and the Pharisees.
Blondie

Comments You Will Not Hear at the 8-17-03 WT Study

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