It's up to your conscience

by Marilyn 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  Marilyn

  These words were done to death when I was a witness. Is it still a popular turn of phrase? Later it was slightly changed to "your Bible trained conscience". Which really meant WTS trained brain. We were supposed to do everything according to our conscience which was meant to imply freedom to decide what felt right for us as individuals. Nothing could be further from the truth. The only thing that felt right was if we did exactly what they (strongly) suggested we should do. And if our conscience misdirected us we could look forward to being on the recieving end of some dirty looks at best and some stiff 'admonition' from the elders at worst. Was there anything at all that was actually left to our conscience?

  Marilyn
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  ashitaka

  No, Marilyn, it was left up to other people consciences, because ifwe really had a mind of our own at all, then we would have been chastised about it.

  ashi
• 

  Frenchy

  Agreed. The whole concept of the Society is to eliminate personal initiative in making decisions. When you are told to pray about a matter it's not to allow God's Holy Spirit to guide you but rather it is intended as an exercise to move you to do what you have been told should be done. The Holy Spirit as a means of guiding a person to an understanding of how a particular (or the entire body) scripture should be applied is totally by-passed.

  -Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-
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  Frenchy

  SIDENOTE:

  When something is 'left to your conscience' it's not that the Society recognizes that you are an adult and therefore capable of making decisions for yourself but rather they are saying: "Look, we can't come right out and tell you what to do for fear of: 1) legal reprocussions; 2) We're about to change that rule; 3) It would be bad PR for us to tell you outright.

  -Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it-
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  ARoarer

  Marilyn, if you did listen to your own conscience, if it didn't go along with the WT thinking then you had a "seared conscience". Either way you can't win. I think what has been so healing since I stopped going is the way my conscience is more attuned to what seems wrong and what seems right. No longer to I depend on WT to be "master over my faith".
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  ashitaka

  Frenchy,

  That side note was right on.

  ashi
• 

  Xena

  Frenchy hit the nail right on the head with those side notes!!!

  Loved the way it was usually put...doing this is a matter for your Bible trained conscience of course MATURE CHRISTIANS would want to blah blah blah = If you are a MATURE CHRISTIAN you will do EXACTLY as we "suggest"

  But isn't it nice of them to let people think they aren't brainwashed puppets??? (Groan)
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  Room 215

  Hi Marilyn,

  I tend to hold exactly the opposite opinion. In my experience, there was too little ``trust your own conscience'' and too much of ``didn't you take note of (pick one) (1) that issue of Our Kingdom Ministry; (2) that Watchtower (3) our last Circuit Assembly (3) what the Circuit Overseer said..... ad ininitum, ad nauseum.
  
  It seems I hard far too little advice to `take a hard look at your personal circumstances, pray over the matter, and decide for yourself.''
  
  Anyway, my 2 cents; regards from Room 215
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  Marilyn

  :::::::::I think what has been so healing since I stopped going is the way my conscience is more attuned to what seems wrong and what seems right.

  ARoarer, this has been the case for me too. I very much liked this point.

  Marilyn
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  OUTLAW

  Hey Marilyn,the WBTS idea of "Its up to your concience" means:Do as you were told,or theres going to be trouble...OUTLAW