Is the problem with the JWs or the Bible?

by sonnyboy 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ms. Whip

  if the bible were a dish prepared by god...

  the jws froze and reheated it to the point it makes me want to puke.

  ~whip
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  mrsjones5

  Personally I think our society would have done better to quietly put the Bible aside and follow the way of the TAO.

  I really want to read this book:
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  Midget-Sasquatch

  I think the two work synergistically. For practical life, the Bible does have some laudable principles of universality, mercy and charity. But there's also alot of familiar narrow-mindedness and backwardness too. In a way, the compilation reflects the good and the bad in us, and depending on what a person is inclined towards they can select bits of the book to convince themselves further of their having it "right".
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  mrsjones5

  I find it curious that many people leave the JWs only to embrace another form of Christianity, yet don't seem to acknowledge the possible Biblical validity of the JW's practices.

  Oooook Now I'm curious, which practices exclusive to the jws do you find biblically valid?
• 

  Hellrider

  Sonnyboy:

  Is shunning justified in the scriptures?

  Many of their rules are justified in the scriptures, or more correctly, justified in their interpretation of the scriptures!

  The practice of shunning is mostly justified by certain passages in the letters of Paul, like in 2.Thessalonians:

  " 3:13 But you, brothers and sisters, do not grow weary in doing what is right. 3:14 But if anyone does not obey our message through this letter, take note of him and do not associate closely with him, so that he may be ashamed. 3:15 Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother."

  But as with the entire Bible, if you were to pick and choose scriptures to live by,and not see the Bible as a whole, the results could be much sicker than the JWs already are. I think I`m gonna start my own "christian" sect, and the one passage I`m gonna emphasise most, is "an eye for an eye,a tooth for a tooth"...(see my point?). The message of Love is the guiding principle in the NT, and overshadows everything else, or at least all the other passages must be read in this light. Also, the principle of "judgement belongs to God", and "judge nor, or you shall yourselves be judged". I see those two principles as the core of the NT. And the shunning principle is both judgmental and un-loving.
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  Ingenuous

  I don't think the Bible is the cause of this problem. If the Bible really could be interpreted any way, could be used to justify anything, than no one would be able to see where they've been lied to, manipulated, or abused via the twisting of scripture. No one would post a statement which says, 'Wow, I thought they were telling me the truth until I read the Bible, and that in context.' If the Bible was just the equivalent of philosophical PlayDoh, no one could ever point to where someone misused it to lead them wrong.

  The "problem," as I see it, isn't limited to JWs, though it is painfully demonstrated too often among them. The problem occurs whenever anyone abdicates their responsibility to think and reason for themselves. When someone decides someone else is equipped to do their thinking for them, that it is necessary to elect a mediator of reality, it leads to outrageous behavior on the part of leaders and followers alike. This is bad enough when the leaders' motives are considered to be good - it's worse when those motives are revealed to focus on justifying a particular personal flavor of reality.

  Since not everyone who leaves JWs to join another hierarchically-arranged religion do so because they want to be completely responsible for thinking for themselves, they often trade one mediator of reality for another. Others, seeing the trap of surrendering their independence of mind, may still join such a religion because they find within it a community from which they can gain comfort and satisfaction, while at the same time knowing they will not be sanctioned if they don't agree with every "jot and tittle".

  JMHO
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  A Paduan

  Who says that there is a problem ?

  If it's not meant to be the salvation of your flesh, who can say that the bible doesn't work just fine ?

  If you believe that you can earn your salvation, you will read it as a fundamentalist, as if it were history and understand it "according to the flesh" - there's plenty in there to inform not to, but people do it anyway - so they way I see it, is that it not only works fine, it is a miracle of awesomeness and laughing proportion - a treasure before an eye, that cannot be earned, stolen or even given to those who don't accept it.

  Once there was a man who sought for the great treasure - many had known and had known it in the ancient things - it could not be kept quiet, and the man had heard of course .......and began to desire this thing. He looked at the ancient things, and, not seeing, he made his own stories up, and he looked at the ancient things and not, seeing he made his own stories up, and he looked at the ancient things not seeing he made his own stories up! And so it was that the treasure, yet in view, could not be taken.