One To Get Them Thinking...

sweet pea

Besty and I told my best friend last night we had decided to stop going to the meetings (mainly due to exhaustion/heart not in it/few organsiational issues in the news had bothered us etc, etc). She was disappointed but felt that we should do what's right for us - she would only have a problem with us if we went down the 'apostate route'! Further into the brief discussion we had Besty asked her a classic "HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF JEHOVAH'S SPIRIT HAD BEEN WITHDRAWN FROM THE ORGANISATION" - She thought about it for a moment and concluded that zero growth would possible be a sign - we didn't have the heart to tell her that taking into account the drop out rate/population growth that that is precisely where the Borg is right now!! Besty and I reckon that we should all be asking our nearest and dearest this innocuous, thought provoking question. Up for the challenge?

cyberdyne systems 101

Hi sweetpea,

unfortunately i have burned most of my bridges when it comes to asking such a well reasoned question, my ministry (for want of a better word) is to talk about the dubs to people whom i've met since that time. There is one person that I regularly talk to who is well in, but its hard going, but maybe its an idea, of course they love to put spin on things, if their numbers grow its God speeding it up, if its slow it means the end is real near

CS 101

AnnOMaly

The alternate view on the 'no growth' issue (I've encountered this too) is 'we should be glad, since a slow-down shows the good news has been preached to max effect and the end must be close.'

slimboyfat

Greater increase = more work to do!

Decrease = the end is near!

Same old same old.

Slim

Pubsinger

Hiya

I'm not sure it's the right question - because I'm not sure that God's Spirit was ever with the ORGANISATION. I do think that the Spirit is with INDIVIDUALS within the organisation.

As for your friends answer, that's typical of JW flawed thinking.

0% increase indicates withdrawal of the Spirit? Therefore growth indicates Spirit is with them. So if the Catholic church shows growth this is evidence of God's Spirit?

By your friends' reasoning all other religions should have fizzled out by now.

For me it's this whole ORGANISATION thing which is the biggest red herring going. Constantly looking for the One True Organisation.

I feel that the ONLY logical conclusion I've ever been able to reach, after everything I've discovered about the WT is that they cannot be God's EXCLUSIVE channel. However I don't feel that I could say that God has NEVER used the organisation or doesn't approve of sincere individuals.

One thing I do believe that God has done is make information about the WT (and anyone else for that matter) freely available.

So slightly different question and answer:

Q. If God wanted to show us that the WT was not his Exclusive Channel how might he do it?

A. By making information about the WT freely available to all. (?)

"and God said "let there be the internet . . . and there was the internet"