by blondie 32 Replies latest watchtower bible
Once again, Frank, a picture is worth a thousand words.
SM, I'm glad my "logic" is understood by your husband. I did my these reviews for myself for 2 years before it dawned on me not to go. It is hard to learn to think "outside the box." That means going to sources other than those provided by the WTS otherwise your research is self-serving and builds on itself.
Blondie
? Have you ever had the book study overseer offer to work with you in field service and give helpful pointers or tips?
This one got me. When I was in, faithful to JWism and pioneering, it usually came about that any and all brothers/elders/ms that showed up for field service went by themselves in one cargroup, and sent the sisters and children together in other cargroup. Even if there was room for one or two or even three more in the cargroup, they still wouldn't take a load of sisters.
Being quite outspoken, (which amazingly never got me in trouble, I guess I never spoke out against anything they could argue with,) I used to speak with the elders, pioneer brothers, circuit overseers, anyone really, including once GB member George Couch's right hand man Bob Rains, about how the "spiritual shepherds" really should mix it up a little and work with the sisters in service to encourage them. In one congregation where I was still pioneering and respected, (although I suspect the "respect" had more to do with the fact that my dad was a respected elder,) SOME of the brothers would break up the cliques and put a brother in each cargroup. Interestingly, when this started happening, the attendance in field service exploded. We would have multiple cargroups out on any given day of the week, morning AND afternoons. Even Sundays would usually see at least 3 or 4 full carloads.
Just shows how the dubbies are starving for real support instead of being beaten over the head with the "do more, do more" stick.
Clearly nothing has changed though. Just a couple of weeks ago, my dad called up on a weekday morning. He wanted to stop by and have coffee. When he got there he was all dressed up for door-knocking. I asked him what happened. He said he was the only brother that showed up, so he opted out of the cargroup and let the sisters go by themselves. Big sigh.
How can the shepherds train and teach if they can't even work in the same group with women and children? They are hierarchical and elitist, whether they can see it or not. "Fine shepherds," indeed.
Odrade
p.s., my husband just read this and wants to add: The J-duds have tools, all those brothers, they're a bunch of tools... LMAO!
Thank you Blondie!
First I'd like to comment on a great point Odrade made. The local leaders are poor shephards because their Masters are weak leaders themselves. If one leads by example, as Jesus said to do, then the failure of the local "men-in-charge" is merely a symptom of the faulty leadership skills of the PO's, CO's and Governing Body! Partly this is due to the high control this frightened bunch of little men maintain. They are so afraid of letting the flock think for themselves and so quick to punish any "opposers" that they never know what is really happening with their people!
Now for this WatchTower's Flogging! They just keep on beating and beating the poor publishers! I think that the bigger the Organization gets the harder it is to keep the average dud under control. The WTS has to just pound their god-like authority over the heads of the duds more and more, louder and louder to be heard and obeyed! I think so many are leaving or at least sidestepping their Masters because they are just getting tired of the bloodletting!
As the older die-hard duds die, the younger ones are just not as single minded on all of the WTS rhetoric. The quality of the membership is suffering. They are counting on quantity and not quality anymore. The greed-bug has got them. The Governing Body love the power and wealth too much! And I hope they choke on it! Maverick
Attacking the Person This type of fallacy attempts to disprove or discredit a perfectly valid argument or statement by making an irrelevant attack on the person presenting it.
the society discredits others all the time. Just last week at the circuit assembly the d.o. went on and on about the media and how they lie and can't be trusted and how shows like Dateline are similar to tabloids.
What hipocrites!
Hello blondie hope you and your hubby are well.
wannaexit
some questions for blondie.
Do you ever agree with any thing the WT?
What are you going to do with your life when the WT collapses like you keep predicting?
Could you take critasisam about your comments like you do with the WT?
There are many more questions like theses i would like answers to.
Get a life or better still get on with your new found life if its so good
Hey BB: Welcome! You remind me of this old guy I got at the door one Saturday morning. He was just the most pissy, old fart you would ever meet. So after trying to play nice, and as I was ready to walk away, I mentioned that he might feel better if he took an asprin!
That's advice YOU might consider.
Some of us like Blondies hard work. If you don't, maybe you should play somewhere else! Maverick
BIBLE BASHER,
I for one enjoy Blondie's commentaries. I look for them every week and I hope that she continues them. If you don't like them MOVE ON. There is plenty of other stuff that you can read on this board.
wannaexit
Great review, Blondie. I especially like how you identify the primary tool the WTS uses to evangelize.
Bibble Basher, great truths stand up to criticism. Why are you afraid of a thorough book study like this one?
Particularly hard to take this week is the example of a Cambodian pastor influenced by the Watchower message. Missionaries have a name for that kind of activity. It is called sheep-stealing. From a short literature search reveals that most churches - both protestant and catholic - work together in the missionary fields, chosing to specialize in their respective areas of strengths. JW's don't of course, because they firmly believe that everybody else is wrong.
To balance that story out, here are some examples of JW's going the "other way".
The testimony of a hundred witnesses
Christian Missions around the World
Preachin the gospelOne of our teams in Cambodia is in a provincial town with 20,000 people and no other church expect for a Jehovah's Witness cell who moved out recently. The Korean leader of our team said his strategy was not to do development work like so many of the Christian NGO's in Cambodia. He said he just intended "to preach the gospel so that people understand about Jesus Christ, get saved and go to heaven". I thought that this was a new and innovative approach! Given the hype, money and effort that development work gets in countries like Cambodia do we need to shift our focus?
Development work is good (I did it in Africa for 2 years) and it can open doors, but many folk working a full week in a busy NGO job find they are too whacked for evangelism at the weekend. Is it time for some back to basics on the frontline?
sounds like there is more than one that needs to get a life. You dont like it when its done to you.
Hey, Bibble. You are not so smart you can read my heart! Hugs for poor Bibble.
