"Draw Close to Jehovah"

robhic

My JW girlfriend (I know that's a topic in and of itself) is sick and confined to bed. Yesterday a Pioneer lady dropped by with a bunch of magazines and an eight audio cassette tape library of the same name as the title to this thread. Eight tapes in a special, titled, plastic folder/binder to hold them? Jeez, what is such a major topic? And she didn't take any money for it.

I guess my thoughts and questions on this are: Can they count time and/or the placement of the magazines? (My G/F is baptized) WTF can take 8 audio cassettes to say? How can these able-bodied people in good conscience stop by to see (for all of about 10 minutes) a very sick and disabled woman who can't get out of a bed by herself and expect her to (and sadly I'm sure she will!) buy into this bullshit? No matter how "close she draws" to jehovah, he ain't gonna get her outta the bed.

Anything -- anything -- that goes right is to jehovah's credit. Anything bad and he never gets "called on the carpet" for it. You can't win (and jehovah can't lose). I was so close to asking if my G/F would be able to levitate outta the bed after listening but I didn't want to cause a major scene, panic and terror amongst the true believers. I made a reply once to a comment my G/F made about "spiritual food" by telling her next time she wanted me to bring her something to eat I would defer to jehovah instead of getting her anything to eat since I am just a human. It didn't play well with her! I've learned my lesson.

But 8 tapes!? Holy cow I hope she doesn't want to listen when I visit! Has anyone else seen or listened (been forced to listen? ) to this massive production?

Robert

blondie

Eight tapes, what could they count that as, a book?

Nosferatu

Take those tapes and record some of her favorite music on them.

Room 215

I believe that's the title of the book they're ``studying" at the Congregation Book Study these days.... I can't believe they wasted their tapes on this pre-digested pseudo-spiritual pap. What a waste..

BrendaCloutier

"Draw Close to Jehovah"

Off actual thread but: I tried when I was "in" and found it impossible to do... Now that I've been out for a long time, I find "god" much easier to draw close to.

-bren

MerryMagdalene

Yes, this is the publication they are reading and regurgitating on a weekly basis @ Book Study. My mom gave me a copy in book form (paperback) and asked me to read it as she feels the section on God's "justice" will answer some of my objections.

There are a total of 31 chapters broken down into 4 sections after a 3-chapter introduction. It is based on what they claim are God's 4 cardinal qualities of Power, Justice, Wisdom, and Love (drawn from a somewhat bogus interpretation of Ezekiel 1:5, 10).

outoftheorg

HAVEN'T READ THAT BOOK AND DO NOT INTEND TO.

HOWEVER, IN ANY PUBLICATION OR TALK ABOUT "DRAWING CLOSE TO JEHOVAH" IT SEEMED THAT QUIETLY AND SLOWLY THAT STATEMENT TRANSFORMED INTO."DRAW CLOSE TO THE SOCIETY" OR ORGANIZATION AND THE GOD THEY CLAIM TO WORSHIP WENT TO SECOND PLACE ON THE LIST.

IS THIS WHAT TAKES PLACE IN THIS BOOK / TAPE ALSO??

Outoftheorg

MerryMagdalene

But of course! You are so right, outoftheorg.

In this one, as far as I can tell, the changeover begins on page 75 with Jehovah's protective power being expressed through timely spiritual food dispensed by--who else?--the faithful and discreet slave. And it continues on from there with how He restored pure worship through them in 1919, and it seems to be woven in and out of the rest of the book as far as I can tell (skimming), creating a nice flimsy tablecloth on which they can continue serving up the rest of their slop.

oops. sorry. my anger is showing again.

a pleasant evening to all and greatest good wishes!

--Merry

seattleniceguy

I read and enjoyed the Draw Close book while still a Witness. It takes a much warmer tack than much Watchtower fare, and appears to encourage thinking. It also contains a lot of facts about the natural world - intended, of course, to illustrate how awesome Jehovah is - and I have always found the natural world and sciences fascinating, so I ate that up. I'm not sure how my perceptions of the book would change if I were to re-read it now. (Except for the fact that I'm positive that their connections from the natural world to Jehovah are sketchy at best.)

The book actually came out with another one, something like Unified in True Worship (very close in both title and content to the book it cloned, United in True Worship). This book was mortifyingly different from Draw Close. I remember feeling actual shock at the contrast in writing styles. Whereas Draw Close tried hard to feel warm and approachable, Unified felt cold, Stalinesque. It seemed to just arbitrarily say things. Its writing was terse and authoritarian. Whereas it might be possible to derive interesting points from Draw Close, Unified felt like unmitigated indoctrination.

Just my two cents.

SNG

robhic

Thanks to all who replied. I am thinking this 8-tape audio cassette folder must be like a "books on tape" deal for blind people. Does anyone know if leaving the magazines and this tape library with a baptized member allows them to count their time, too? Robert

"Draw Close to Jehovah"

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