how to answer= where do we go to if jw not right? I have tried the answer is not 'where' but to 'whom' (meaning Jesus) any suggestions that a jw can understand? thanks as always, carla
Christian help please? asap to where or whom
by carla 5 Replies latest jw friends
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nicolaou
I told my Mum that I was convinced that JW's did not have the Truth but that did not mean I had all the answers. I told her I am always looking for truth.
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blindersoff
any suggestions that a jw can understand?
This is probably the biggest problem & depends a lot on the particular jw. The standard garden variety jw can't grasp anything that is not programmed in by their literature & meetings. The concept of being a Christian without belonging to an 'organization' is completly beyond them. So to them it is a simple choice of either belonging to WTS or Methodists or Catholics,etc,etc. Ray Franz introduced me to the idea that leaving JW does not mean we have to join some other religious organization. I read both of his books (a must read for all who will) & I kept waiting for the bottom line--WHERE WILL I GO? He even implied one could possibly remain a JW & still be a Christian (with some difficulty). We are judged as individuals, not by what organization we belong to.
But if the jw is not already receptive to thinking, I doubt that there is anything you can say to make a difference. It is the same frustration felt at the door when nothing you said got through. The WTS condemns 'independent' thinking, but anything other than 'independent' thinking isn't thinking at all, but is simply blind acceptance, which is what they want.
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jaffacake
Hi Carla,
I would simply suggest they look at how that question was answered in the Bible. The question was not about someone possibly leaving a religion or an organisation.
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AuldSoul
carla,
John 4:19-24 — The woman said to him: “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our forefathers worshiped in this mountain; but YOU people say that in Jerusalem is the place where persons ought to worship.” Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, The hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will YOU people worship the Father. YOU worship what YOU do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation originates with the Jews. Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.”
Prepare yourself for the reality that there isn't a Scripture JWs cannot explain away. However, after listening to the explanation of these verses you could point up that if their explanation is correct then Jesus didn't address the woman's concerns. She wanted to know WHERE, also.
Jesus clearly answered that it isn't a question of WHERE, it's a question of HOW; namely, with spirit and truth. There would not be a specific place or organization tied to true worship of God.
AuldSoul