Question about "good works" ??? ??? (page 3)

Brigid

Scout,

hmmm. I appreciate you attempting to bring balance to the discussion, but my experience in many many congregations was that not once were we encouraged nor did we think to offer anything but watchtower and awake magazine (or the books we were offering at the time). I was personally discouraged to give a couple of canned goods to the hungry in our community because watchtowers and gods kingdom were the only things that could save them--it was misleading to do otherwise.

Again, I appreciate the balance you're attempting. I'm sure (I'd like to think) there were a smattering of witnesses who took the infirmed shopping or offered some kindness other than to attempt conversion. I certainly never knew any nor was I ever encouraged to do so.

Thanks for your balance and causing me to dig deep in my witness files for information. What I found was vastly different than what's filed in your data banks. Neither are invalid. However, I do believe the official stance of the WTBTS is still that charitable giving is a moot point next to the preaching work.

Blessings,

~Brigid

LittleToe

Scout:
You may be able to speak of your own motives and of those you knew, however my post was about the party line.

But on the point you raise, maybe we never went to the same congs. I went to quite a number, North and South of the border, in over 30 years of being a JW.

I'll stand corrected on the "many" JWs being nice people, but not on the allowance of humanity shining through. It was my experience that MOST JWs thought twice before giving to charity, which completely stymied spontaneous heart-felt giving. Even those that did expressed feeling a twinge of guilt, as if they'd robbed Jehovah, combined with a sense that they had done something good.

Such is the bittersweet emotional turmoil of someone in a high-control group.

Merry:
Thanks for that

I suspect you wont find any literature to contradict it...

MerryMagdalene

Nope, no literature to contradict the kind of good works and charity Kristofer is asking about, but none actually encouraging it either--lots of cautions about it, and guidance as to what what we could do that is more important (literature distribution). A lot of the articles I looked at seemed to be designed to counter observations from people on the JWs overt lack of charity and good works.

From personal experience: Yes, the JWs in my cong were kind, caring, and generous. But when some schoolfriends and I wanted to start a club for visiting seniors at the nursing home on the weekend, I was told I could not take part as a JW because setting up any kind of organization (even one as small as a club) to do charity work would be seen as trying to set something up in place of God's Kingdom. So I could go to the Home on my own, with my mother, but not as part of a group...after field service.

~Merry

scout575

Merry Magdalene: Of course it would be much, much better if JWs spent their time doing charitable work, but its hardly surprising that they 'major' on the preaching and disciple-making work, after all the Bible commands Christians to 'go therefore and make disciples.' ( Matt 28:19 )

If I still believed the Bible's warnings that Jesus is 'coming quickly' ( Rev 22:20 ) I would still be spending my spare time time trying to 'rescue' people from the "everlasting destruction" and the "flaming fire" that the Bible says will be inflicted on the countless millions of people ( like me now ) who "do not obey the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ." ( 2 Thess 1:8,9 ). If the Bible threatens violent destruction to those who aren't Christians, is it any wonder that JWs are so pre-occupied with their preaching work, and therefore limit the amount of time they spend helping people in practical ways. I blame the Bible for its dire threats of destruction.

LittleToe

I guess if ya feel the need to have something to blame ya can strain out the gnat...

sinis

Merry Magdalene: Of course it would be much, much better if JWs spent their time doing charitable work, but its hardly surprising that they 'major' on the preaching and disciple-making work, after all the Bible commands Christians to 'go therefore and make disciples.' ( Matt 28:19 )
If I still believed the Bible's warnings that Jesus is 'coming quickly' ( Rev 22:20 ) I would still be spending my spare time time trying to 'rescue' people from the "everlasting destruction" and the "flaming fire" that the Bible says will be inflicted on the countless millions of people ( like me now ) who "do not obey the gospel of our lord Jesus Christ." ( 2 Thess 1:8,9 ). If the Bible threatens violent destruction to those who aren't Christians, is it any wonder that JWs are so pre-occupied with their preaching work, and therefore limit the amount of time they spend helping people in practical ways. I blame the Bible for its dire threats of destruction.

I don't think preaching is going to save anyone. In fact the kingdom that Jesus spoke about has been preached in the entire inhabited world. Right or wrong, the kingdom teachings have been spread by almost every denomination known. Only a few countries either ban christianity or frown upon it. I also don't think an almighty god would inflict death on people who are not "christian" per se as the two most important rules, according to Jesus, was to love God with your whole heart and your neighbor as yourself. Most people inherently do this. From the lyrics of a Dio song:

We pray to someone
But when it's said and done
It's really all the same
With just a different name

love2Bworldly

The following experience sums up how I feel toward the Watchtower Society and Jehovah's Witnesses in general (although I realize there are a few decent people involved in that cult):

A family had a baby daughter that was deathly ill and the doctors enforced a court-ordered blood-transfusion to the young child. Because the JW parents would not agree to the elders' plan to kidnap the child out of the hospital (who was in such bad health that probably if they moved the child she would have died), the elders and the congregation shunned the family and made terrible comments to them like "I hope your child dies from AIDS". Several years down the road the child dies from the same life-threatening illness. The congregation did not even acknowledge the child's death, nor all the JW relatives, however, the local town church and all the neighbors brought over food and took care of the family during their time of need. At the funeral the place was packed, EXCEPT for the first 2 rows reserved for relatives who were basically all JWs.

That is their idea of Christian love!

Question about "good works" ??? ???

Brigid

LittleToe

MerryMagdalene

scout575

LittleToe

sinis

love2Bworldly

LittleToe

ferret

leastone

Share this