Answer: The way I see it, you (talking to the JW) have this choice - you stay a Witness and you will one day die, bitter and disappointed, in "this old world," hoping that their might be a resurrection, or you leave and take hold of your life for what it is, a precious gift you may never have again.
Dave
Your answer to a JW's question "What is an alternative?"
by ukescott 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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PrimateDave
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garybuss
ukescott, I'd ask you, where do you want the Jehovah's Witness to go if she quit being a Jehovah's Witness? You must have a motive in debating with a Jehovah's Witness. Why are you debating the Witness?
Would you allow someone to debate you on your beliefs on the same level as you are debating the Jehovah's Witness? -
Nathan Natas
A good alternative to lies is objectively verifiable rational TRUTH.
"When "The Truth" is found to be LIES,
and all the joy within you dies,
Don't you want somebody to love?" - Jefferson Airplane
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ukescott
ukescott, I'd ask you, where do you want the Jehovah's Witness to go if she quit being a Jehovah's Witness? You must have a motive in debating with a Jehovah's Witness. Why are you debating the Witness?
Would you allow someone to debate you on your beliefs on the same level as you are debating the Jehovah's Witness?That's a good question. I believe that there are definitely many other better alternatives. But since I have never been in WT myself, I'd like to hear more about your insights.
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freyd
"Hence it is that we sometimes see an honest, truth-hungry child of God gradually progressing from one denomination to another, as a child passes from class to class in a school........ if he still continues to grow in grace and knowledge and love of truth, and into an appreciation of the liberty wherewith Christ makes free, you may by and by find him outside of all human organizations, joined merely to the Lord and to his saints, bound only by the tender but strong ties of love and truth, like the early Church. 1 Cor. 6:15,17; Eph. 4:15,16" --CT Russell Volume 3 Studies in the Scriptures p 186
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Narkissos
The alternative imo is "faith" -- whether in "God," in "ourselves," in "reality," in "being" or in the "course of events". "Faith" exceeds its object however defined. Asking for any objective alternative (a better "organisation," for instance) is actually wanting to live by "sight" instead of "faith" -- the essence of "idolatry".
It is an argument "to the believer," but it goes deeper than that I think.
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Fleshybirdfodder
The alternative isn't easy. But at least there is an alternative.
FBF
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rassillon
My reasoning on this when I pose this question and when I first had to reason it out myself is that you have to examine the following.
What was the options BEFORE the WTB&TS and the IBS and before Russell. Was there an organization then?
Once that is answered then you have to examine if the ORG was actually CHOSEN by GOD.
If not then the options are just the same and to think otherwise is just cult mind control.
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yaddayadda
The fact is that there has always been groups of Christians gathered together in congregation like structures from the first century down to today. Christians are encouraged and expected to associate with other Christians, for obvious reasons. Going it alone is not really an option for a Christian if he really is interested in conforming to the scriptural counsel and Christian historical precedent in this matter.
There is nothing intrinsically unscriptural with the notion of a religious 'organisation' as such; it is really just a collection of congregations conforming to an accepted body of beliefs/interpretations. The only difference between them is the degree of authority exerted by those leading each congregational grouping, whether it be a single, 'independent' congregation or a global, highly structured supercluster. A sincere Christian is deluding themself if they think Christianity and 'congregation' can be divorced from each other. They have always gone hand in hand.
When a troubled JW asks 'what is an alternative' (to JW's) they are instinctively and correctly asking 'what other congregational group can I associate with?' This is the dilemma for JW's who wonder about 'alternatives' to being in the organisation. They recognise the need to associate together with other Christians in meaningful worship (Heb 10: 24, 25, etc) but they see the idea of swapping JW's for some other denomination as going from the pan to the fire, because of the doctrinal chasm. So in their mind they rationalise their situation and decide to stick with the devil they know, as it were. I think it's a very human, understandable rationalisation and I would never offer some flip solution such as "you don't need any 'organisation', just read your bible and pray at home alone", or similar. That's not the answer.
When one gets away from the paradigm that there is a 'true Christian religion' that they must stick to and realises that there are only good and bad people everywhere, ie, that it is all about Christian individuals, not organisations, the answer becomes apparent. The solution boils down to where one feels comfortable and can find wholesome association, warm friendship, and mutual encouragement to continue to walk the Christian path, assuming that is what the asker of the question is still wanting to do. My advice to those who have determined to abandon the JW organisation but who still want to be Christians is to reach out and form new Christian relationships with those in other churches. It really is all about relationships in a congregation, not membership in a religion. You will likely be pleasantly surprised, despite the doctrinal differences you encounter. -
itsallgoodnow
I would say, nothing is easy. No easy answers to all questions. You have to start from the beginning, like a child, and start working on figuring out answers to your questions. Not easy answers, nothing comes too fast. Not everyone takes the same path, but you have to do the work and figure out what your path is going to be. I'd say that's a great alternative!