To Thine Own Self Be Fairly True....

by hillary_step 4 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  hillary_step

  Hello,

  Ray Franz is a liar, thank God for that, because if he was not.....

  Few bodies of people on this planet have more hope vested in the term ‘truth’ than the WTS. By this term they divide the world between the living and the dead, the good and the bad, and seek to build the garrotes of exclusivity around their empire.

  Yet, it has been repeatedly noted that on an individual basis the average JW has, not a respect for truth, but a fear of it. This is quickly established by asking some of the many embarrassing questions that frequently surface on boards such as this. Rather than search for truth, they seek to confound the reaching of frightening conclusions by labeling anybody questioning the doctrines of the WTS as ‘apostate’, ‘liars’, ‘weak spiritually’ ‘contentious’ or in my case recently ‘obsessed with detail’.

  The problem is that once ‘truth’ has been found, no ‘truth’ exists outside these boundaries, therefore anyone still searching for ‘truth’, once they have found ‘truth’ cannot have good motives. The Mother of all circular arguments.

  Note what a ’76 WT 7/1 stated:

  Rather, those humbly seeking the truth will be asking questions of the kind that sincere truth-seekers inquired of Jesus.

  So it seems that only if we ask certain questions in a certain way are we sincere. Imagine a civilization based on this reasoning. A world, packed hemisphere to hemisphere with village idiots.

  Of course there is no real need for individuals to seek truth if the WTS has already found it for you:

  Jehovah has a teaching organization in the earth today. Sincere truth-seekers should listen to it. Not only should they learn what is false to clear it out, but they should learn what is true to put in its place……..It is a case of setting aside pride and prejudice and with an open mind going ‘to the law and to the testimony’ and reasoning together. Sincere ones will do this. All the more so if they sincerely believe they are right, for they will want to help the one calling on them to see the right. They will either be helping or be helped. Truly sincere ones will be happy in either case.

  Amidst this cacophony of slogans throttling the word ‘sincere’ to death, you will note that those who desire to grasp the fundamental truths of WTS doctrine need to be ‘sincere’, lack ‘pride’ and ‘prejudice’ and submit their reasoning to the ‘teaching organization’, the discriminators of truth and falsehood.

  I suppose we need not be surprised when those of us who have succumbed to this conditioning, duck for cover, or twitch helplessly in no-mans-land, when truth approaches and invites us out for coffee

  HS

  If a thousand old beliefs were ruined in our march to truth, we must still march on. - Stopford A. Brooke
• 

  wannahelp

  Note what a ’76 WT 7/1 stated:

  quote:
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  Rather, those humbly seeking the truth will be asking questions of the kind that sincere truth-seekers inquired of Jesus.
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  Ahh.. There's where your argument goes bad <Toungue in cheek)

  That's Old light.. The new light now says that to do any independent thinking is bad... :-)
• 

  larc

  Hillary,

  That was a powerful essay you wrote. I read it twice and spent considerable time thinking about what I could add, so here is my shot at it.

  All the words the WT uses, such as, "humbly seeking the truth" and "sincere truth seekers" are obviously designed to get one to turn their minds over to them. All the words they use to denigrtate those who think for themselves are further designed to cripple the indepentant thinking and quetioning ability of the individual. Now, I have heard many of the negative connotations, but Hillery, your lable is a new one for me, you are "obsessed with detail." That is a bad thing?? If the Wright Brothers were not obsessed with detail, we would not have had the airplane as soon as we did. (I know a lot about their story.) Yes, without critical thinkers, we would have a world of village idiots, as you put it. Most thinkers that made progress were sincere, but they were not humble. They fought established ideas and did not submit to accepted ideas.

  Yes, we were conditioned like this (compliant acceptance), but we escaped it. We no longer duck for cover or twitch helplessly.

  By the way, I though your last paragraph was poetry in an essay.

  I will invite truth in for a cup of coffee any time I can learn. I know you and others here will do the same. John 17:3 is true.
• 

  Farkel

  HS,

  Well put!

  : The problem is that once ‘truth’ has been found, no ‘truth’ exists outside these boundaries, therefore anyone still searching for ‘truth’, once they have found ‘truth’ cannot have good motives. The Mother of all circular arguments.

  Or at least, the Mother of non-sequiturs.

  Farkel

  "When in doubt, duck!"
• 

  ozziepost

  Well done H.S. for another poignant post.

  The WTS has an absolutist approach to the sureness of their grasp of 'truth'. Interesting that the scriptures should indicate that this should NOT be so eg. "Doing great things unsearchable, and wonderful things without number." (Job 9:10)

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
  Anonymous