I told Blondie I'd do the Comments this week to help give her a bit of a break. This week's study is all about resisting the spirit of the world. This is nothing new really-----they've been preaching this for decades, but it still unbelievable how hypocritical they can be........
The study article is in black, my comments are in blue and unless otherwise noted, all scriptures are from the NWT.
RESIST "THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD"
"We received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God." -1 COR. 2:12.
Q 1, 2. (a) In the past, why were canaries put in British mines? (h) What danger do Christians face?
IN the year 1911, British authorities passed a law designed to save the lives of coal miners. Each mine was required to keep two canaries. For what purpose? If a fire erupted in a mine, rescuers would carry the canaries underground with them. The tiny birds are sensitive to poisonous gases, such as carbon monoxide. If the air became contaminated, the birds would show signs of distress, even falling off their perch. This early warning was vital. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that kills by stopping red blood cells from delivering oxygen inthe body. Unless alerted to the danger, the rescuers could faint and then die without ever realizing that they were being poisoned.
2. In a spiritual sense, Christians face a situation similar to the mine workers. How? When Jesus gave his disciples the assignment to preach the good news worldwide, he knew that he was sending them into a hazardous environment, one dominated by Satan and the spirit of the world. (Matt. 10:16; 1 John 5:19) So concerned was Jesus about his disciples that on the night before he died, he prayed to his Father: "I request you, not to take them out of the world, but to watch over them because of the wicked one." -John 17:15.
The fate of the average canary in a coal mine over a century ago has become part of coal mining legend and it is true that they were extremely sensitive to both methane and carbon monoxide and once they stopped singing, the miners high-tailed it out of there (if they could) before they also succumbed to the deadly gases. However, one thing the miners never did was to loudly proclaim that there was poisonous gases in the air when the canaries continued to sing. That would have been detrimental to everyone and if it continued, the offending party would more than likely find themselves out of a job (and probably beaten to a bloody pulp by some pissed off co-workers).
The Organization has been proclaiming the ‘deadly gas in the air’ for over 130 years now even though the world goes on singing as it always has.
Q 3, 4. What warning did Jesus give his disciples, and why should that interest us?
3. Jesus warned his followers about the danger of what could amount to a death-dealing spiritual sleep. His words have special meaning for us, living as we do during the conclusion of the system of things. He urged his disciples: "Keep awake ... that you may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man." (Luke 21:34-36) Happily, though, Jesus also promised that his Father would provide holy spirit to refresh their memories and to help them stay awake and be strong. -John 14:26.
4. What about us today? Is that same holy spirit available to help us? If so, what must we do to receive it? What is the spirit of the world, and how does it operate? And how can we successfully resist this world's spirit? -Read 1 Corinthians 2:12.
While there is no doubt that Jesus encouraged his followers to "keep awake" and pursue spiritual interests, his message and warning to his followers differed greatly from how the WTS views these words. From the time Jesus spoke these words to the time Jerusalem was attacked by the Romans was less than 40 years—the warning was given to that generation. The Watchtower Society has been preaching "The End" for 130+ years now.
Even if you ignore the obvious fact that the WT has (obviously) been dead wrong regarding "the End", their view of what constitutes a "death-dealing spiritual sleep’ is quite different than what Jesus meant. Their interpretation is: losing faith in a man-made Organization—not in the Son of God. Miss two or more meetings consecutively and you’ll more than likely get a ‘shepherding call’ from the local gestapo telling you how weak in the Truth you are and that you better watch yourself, lest you die at Armageddon as this article suggests:
Holy Spirit or the World's Spirit?"...whenever the local congregation officially meets for the service meeting, the Watchtower study or the weekly book study, there will be present God’s holy spirit as an organizational helper. That helper is also present at every circuit and district assembly. All national and international conventions of Jehovah’s witnesses likewise have this unique spiritual blessing. It is quite manifest that Jehovah’s holy spirit does not rest upon the denominationally divided gatherings of the spiritually sick people of the false religious organizations. But long experience shows that God’s holy spirit does reside wonderfully with his people! Knowing this to be a fact, then, it means that in order for us to keep up with the truth we must unfailingly be present at every official meeting of God’s people with whom we are actively associated. Can we conceive of a ministerial angel in heaven finding an excuse for not being present when God’s court officially meets in heaven? Certainly not. So likewise we as God’s ministers should not have excuses for being absent from meetings."—March 1, 1956 Watchtower p. 151 par. 28
Q 5, 6. What can holy spirit do for us, but what must we do to receive it?
5. The provision of holy spirit was not limited to the first century. It is readily available today, and God's spirit can give us the strength to do what is right as well as energize us in his service. (Rom. 12:11; Phil. 4:13) It can also produce in us tender qualities, such as love, kindness, and goodness, which are aspects of "the fruitage of the spirit." (Gal. 5:22, 23) However, Jehovah God does not force his holy spirit upon unwilling recipients.
6. It would be reasonable, then, for us to ask, 'What can I do to receive holy spirit?' Well, the Bible shows that there are a number of things we can do. An important step is quite straightforward-ask God for it. (Read Luke 11:13.) Another useful step is to study and apply the counsel in God's spirit inspired Word. (2 Tim. 3:16) Of course, not everyone who simply reads the bible receives God's spirit.
Really? Why not? Are only certain individuals entitled to receive God’s spirit? What about the Ethiopian eunuch? He was simply reading from Isaiah when Phillip came along, answered a couple of questions and then the Ethiopian eunuch got baptized. Wasn’t the holy spirit upon him when he got baptized? What about all the hundred and twenty people who were celebrating Pentecost (which, by the way, was a Jewish festival, not a Christian one) when the holy spirit appeared in the form of tongues of fire?
In addition, how can the ‘Great Crowd’ (which make up 99% of the religion) receive the Holy Spirit? Isn’t the Holy Spirit reserved for ‘anointed’ Christians? Since the Organization teaches a two-tiered class of Christians, who was Jesus talking to when he said:
"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; [that is] the Spirit of the truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, [but] you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you." ---John 14:16-17.
John 3:5-8 . . ."Most truly I say to you, Unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. What has been born from the flesh is flesh, and what has been born from the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel because I told you, YOU people must be born again. The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone that has been born from the spirit."
Luke 24:49: "And, look! I am sending forth upon YOU that which is promised by my Father. YOU, though, abide in the city until YOU become clothed with power from on high."
John 15:26: "When the helper arrives that I will send YOU from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one will bear witness about me"
John 16:7: "Nevertheless, I am telling YOU the truth, It is for YOUR benefit I am going away. For if I do not go away, the helper will by no means come to YOU; but if I do go my way, I will send him to YOU."
Acts 1:5: "..because John, indeed, baptized with water, but YOU will be baptized in holy spirit not many days after this."
Acts 2:4: "and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance."
Romans 8:26: "..In like manner the spirit also joins in with help for our weakness; for the [problem of] what we should pray for as we need to we do not know, but the spirit itself pleads for us with groanings unuttered..."
Another classic example of them speaking out both sides of their mouth.
(paragraph 6 continues): But when a sincere Christian studies God's Word, he can absorb the sentiments and outlook reflected in the inspired Word. It is also vital that we accept that Jehovah has appointed Jesus as His representative and the one through whom God has provided his spirit. (Col. 2:6) Accordingly, we want to model our lives on Jesus' example and teachings. (1 Pet. 2: 21) The more we strive to be like Christ, the more we will receive holy spirit.
This of course, is mostly smoke and mirrors. The Society pays lip service to the rank and file ‘modeling their lives on Jesus’ example’ and in reality, insists on them participating in numerous man-made traditions that are mentioned nowhere in the bible: attending 5 meetings a week (yes, there are still 5—even though the book study has been shortened, it’s still there–it’s simply been integrated into the Thursday night meeting), preaching door to door as often as possible, reporting the number of hours you spend each month doing this, along with all the literature you placed. There is absolutely no charitable work that is encouraged (and is even discouraged), and even little things, like buying a car with two-doors instead of four, can make others look down upon you as being ‘unworthy’.
There is little that Jesus practiced that Jehovah's Witnesses practice today.
Q 7. How does the spirit of the world influence individuals?
7. In contrast, the worId's spirit influences people to reflect Satan's personality. (Read Ephesians 2:1-3) The spirit of the world operates in a number of ways. As is evidenced all around us today, it encourages rebellion against God's standards. It promotes "the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the showy display of one's means of life." (1 John 2:16) It produces fleshly works, such as fornication, idolatry, spiritism, jealousy, fits of anger, and drunkenness. (Gal. 5:19-21) And it fosters apostate speech that violates what is holy. (2 Tim. 2:14-18) Inevitably, the more a person allows himself to be influenced by the spirit of the world, the more like Satan he becomes.
In all honesty, I have seen every single one of these ‘works’ in every congregation I’ve been in----this is not something privy to other religions. And notice how they tie in "apostate speech" and put it on the same playing field as "spiritism", "drunkenness" and "adultery"? And as "proof", they off the two Ol’ Faithfuls: Hymenaeus and Philetus who had "....deviated from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already occurred...". In actuality, 2 Tim. 2: 14 -18 does not mention the word "apostate" at all, but since when did that make any difference to the Writing Department?
Moreover, I love how they (as per usual) do not specify what "apostate speech" supposedly consists of, but we all know it means that if you have any differing views other than what the Governing Body members do, then apparently, "the more like Satan" you become. So much for 'making sure of all things..."
Q 8. All of us face what choice?
8. We cannot live in a spiritual vacuum. Each individual must choose what he will allow to govern his life-holy spirit or the world's spirit. Those who are now dominated by the spirit of the world can break free from its influence and allow holy spirit to guide their lives. However, the opposite is also possible. Those who for a time were led by holy spirit can become ensnared by the spirit of the world. (Phil. 3:18, 19) Let us consider how we can resist the world's spirit.
In reality, what the second sentence is saying is: Each individual must choose what he will allow to govern his life-the WTS or their own conscience and we all know that there really is no choice. As Witnesses, you most certainly are not allowed to be guided either by your conscience or the Holy Spirit-----in order to remain in ‘good standing’, you have to be guided solely by whatever you read in the Watchtower articles, no matter how insane it might be or how many times they’ve gotten ‘new light’. What Jesus might consider ‘the spirit of the world’ and what the WTS considers ‘the spirit of the world’ are two totally different things.
Recognize Early Warning Signs
Q 9-11. What are some warning signs that we might be succumbing to the spirit of the world?
9. The British coal miners mentioned earlier used canaries to provide an early warning of the presence of poisonous gas. If a miner saw a bird fall from its perch, he knew he needed to act fast to survive. In a spiritual sense, what are some early warning signs signaling that we are being influenced by the spirit of the world?
10. When we first learned the truths contained in God's Word and then dedicated our lives to Jehovah, we probably read the Bible eagerly. We likely prayed fervently and often. And we delighted to attend congregation meetings, viewing each one as a source of spiritual refreshment, like an oasis for a thirsty man. That course helped us to break free of and keep free of the world's spirit.
11. Do we still try to read the Bible each day? (Ps. 1 :2) Are our prayers frequent and heartfelt? Do we love congregation meetings, attending all of them each week? (Ps. 84:10) Or have we lost some of these good habits? Of course, we may have many demands upon our time and energy, and it can be challenging to maintain a healthy spiritual routine. But if some of our good habits have suffered over time, could it be that we are succumbing to the spirit of the world? Will we now make a strong effort to revive the good habits we once had?
Of course, missing from these paragraphs, is the very important fact that when some "first learned the truth", they understood that all the problems they see in this world would be gone very, very soon—within one generation at the most. They were given very selective readings of the scriptures that supported the WT’s views and were told that they could live forever in a paradise earth where they would never grow old or die. They were discouraged from attending university, encouraged to quit a job if it meant missing meetings, discouraged from saving for a retirement or anything long term and were subtly encouraged to marginalize family and friends who were not Jehovah’s Witnesses. This was all done with the understanding that this System would be gone immediately or sooner.
Decades have passed. Not one single person who joined Charles Russell’s group in the 1870s is alive today and the next generation is all but gone as well. Nothing that the Society has predicted has ever come to pass. And they wonder why those who were enthusiastic in the beginning are becoming depressed and ‘downtrodden’?? Only the truly arrogant (or brain-dead) could complain about a group of people starting to lose their faith when none of the wonders they were promised years ago, are anywhere in sight. In actuality, the Governing Body members should be thankful that anyone at all still believes their insane drivel instead of whining about a slow down of ‘good habits.’
"Never Become Weighed Down"
Q 12. Jesus told his disciples to "pay attention" to whom, and why?
12. What else can we do to resist the spirit of the world? When Jesus admonished his disciples to "keep awake," he had just warned them of some specific dangers. "Pay attention to yourselves," he said, "that your hearts never become weighed down with overeating and heavy drinking and anxieties of life, and suddenly that day be instantly upon you as a snare."-Luke 21:34,35.
What’s interesting about this paragraph is that if you actually listen to the Organization with regards to education, pension plans and savings, then you will more than likely end up far more stressed about the "anxieties of life" than if they had just let you decide for yourself what to do with your life. In other words, the scripture quoted in Luke 21:34, 35 becomes an oxymoron if you apply the council of the Governing Body members.
That Jehovah’s Witnesses suffer a higher rate of depression and mental illness than the average ‘worldly’ person is no secret as seen in several scientific literature review: http://www.seanet.com/~raines/mental.html Q 13, 14. It would be fitting to ask ourselves what sort of questions about eating and drinking?13. Think about that warning. Did Jesus condemn the enjoyment of food and drink? No! He was aware of Solomon's words: "I have come to know that there is nothing better for [the sons of mankind] than to rejoice and to do good during one's life; and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God." (Eccl. 3:12,13) Yet, Jesus knew that the spirit of the world promotes a lack of self-control in those areas.
14. How can we be sure that the world's spirit has not poisoned our senses as to the dangers of overeating or heavy drinking? We might ask ourselves: 'How do I react upon reading counsel in the Bible or in our publications about gluttony? Am I inclined to dismiss this admonition as irrelevant or extreme, perhaps offering excuses or justification for my ways?* What is my view of the advice about alcohol, using it-if at all-in moderation and definitely avoiding "drunken bouts"? Do I minimize such advice, feeling that it for some reason does not apply to me? If others express concern about my drinking, do I become defensive or angry? Do I encourage others to downplay such Bible counsel? Yes, a person's attitude is a gauge as to whether he is succumbing to the world's spirit.-Compare Romans 13:11-14.
* Gluttony is a mental attitude, one marked by greedy or excessive indulgence. Thus, it is determined, not by someone's size, hut by his attitude toward food. A person may be of normal size, or even be thin, and yet be a glutton. On the other hand, in some cases being overweight is the result of an ailment, or hereditary factors may contribute to obesity. A key issue is whether a person, whatever his or her weight, is excessively greedy as regards eating.-See "Questions From Readers" in the November 1,2004, issue of The Watchtower
The real question they should be asking is not ‘am I over-eating?’ or ‘am I a drunk?’ but rather ‘why am I over-eating’ or ‘why am I an alcoholic?’ We all know Witnesses who fit into one of these categories, as they both fall under the category of addictions. I’m not talking about someone who overeats at an all-you-can-eat-buffet occasionally, or who gets plastered at their friends’ wedding, but people whose lives are centered on these things. To gloss over the problem and tell them that they’re ‘acting like Satan’ does not get at the root of the problem one bit. If anything, it contributes to the addiction as the person becomes more depressed wondering why they can’t control themselves. Instead of lambasting those who have addictions like these, the Governing Body members should be encouraging anyone who suffers from an addiction to seek professional help----something that they rarely, if ever do.
Addictions generally develop out of feelings of anxiety, dread, doom, and fear----which are all traits of the Organization. They are constantly harping on ‘are you doing enough to merit eternal life or eternal destruction?’ and make no bones about verbally bashing family members who have left "the Truth", putting them on the same level as Satan himself. You are forbidden to have normal family relations with them on pain of getting disfellowshipped yourself and there is the ever-present threat of Armageddon looming on the horizon. So really, it is no surprise at all that so many Witnesses develop addictions such as ‘over-eating and heavy drinking’----the sad thing is: most of them look to the religion to help them overcome their addictions without realizing that the religion itself is probably a big part of the problem in the first place.Avoid Being Choked by Anxiety
Q 15. Jesus warned against what human tendency?
15. Another vital step in resisting the spirit of the world involves managing anxiety. Jesus knew that as imperfect creatures, we have a tendency to become anxious about mundane matters. He lovingly said to his disciples: "Stop being anxious." (Matt. 6:25) It.is understandable that we are concerned about important issues, such as pleasing God, caring for Christian responsibilities, and providing the necessities of life for our family. (1 Cor. 7:32-34) What, then, can we learn from Jesus' warning?
This is just unbelievable.......They actually have the nerve to include the man-made rules that they have enforced on everyone as being in the same category as ‘providing the necessities of life’. Who’s fault is it that the average Witness is made to feel guilty as hell if they miss a couple of meetings or only get 2 hours of Service in each month? Who makes them feel guilty if they want to go to university or accept a job where shift work is required?
Q 16. What effect does the world's spirit have on many people?16. The world's spirit, with its emphasis on the showy display of one's means of life, infects many individuals with an unhealthy anxiety. They would have us believe that money equals security and that a person's worth is measured, not by his spiritual qualities, but by the quantity and quality of his possessions. Those duped by this propaganda will slave to gain riches and are constantly anxious about acquiring the newest, the biggest, the most advanced products. (Prov. 18: 11) Such a distorted view of material things breeds anxieties that choke an individual's spiritual development.-Read Matthew 13:18, 22.
I can’t help but wonder how a multi-billion dollar publishing company can tell it’s members that ‘money doesn’t equal security’ yet offer ‘suggestions’ on how you can donate all your material possessions to them:
From the December 1, 1994 Watchtower page 19:
How Some Make Donations to the Kingdom-Preaching Work • CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLDWIDE WORK: Many set aside or budget an amount that they place in the contribution boxes labeled: "Contributions for the Society’s Worldwide Work—Matthew 24:14." Each month congregations forward these amounts either to the world headquarters in Brooklyn, New York, or to the nearest branch office. • GIFTS: Voluntary donations of money may be sent directly to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 25 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn, New York 11201-2483, or to the Society’s office that serves your country. Jewelry or other valuables may also be donated. A brief letter stating that such is an outright gift should accompany these contributions. • CONDITIONAL-DONATION ARRANGEMENT: Money may be given to the Watch Tower Society to be held in trust until the donor’s death, with the provision that in the case of personal need, it will be returned to the donor. • INSURANCE: The Watch Tower Society may be named as the beneficiary of a life insurance policy or in a retirement/pension plan. The Society should be informed of any such arrangement. • BANK ACCOUNTS: Bank accounts, certificates of deposit, or individual retirement accounts may be placed intrustfor or made payableondeathto the Watch Tower Society, in accord with local bank requirements. The Society should be informed of any such arrangements. • STOCKS AND BONDS: Stocks and bonds may be donated to the Watch Tower Society either as an outright gift or under an arrangement whereby the income continues to be paid to the donor. • REAL ESTATE: Salable real estate may be donated to the Watch Tower Society either by making an outright gift or by reserving a life estate to the donor, who can continue to live therein during his or her lifetime. One should contact the Society before deeding any real estate to the Society. • WILLS AND TRUSTS: Property or money may be bequeathed to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania by means of a legally executed will, or the Society may be named as a beneficiary of a trust agreement. A trust benefitting a religious organization may provide certain tax advantages. A copy of the will or trust agreement should be sent to the Society. • PLANNED GIVING: The Society has assembled information on "Planned Giving." Those who are planning to make a special gift to the Society now or to leave a bequest at death may find this information helpful. That is especially true if they wish to accomplish some family goal or estate-planning objective while using tax benefits to minimize the cost of the gift or bequest. This information can be obtained by writing to the Society at the address shown below.
If looking for security through material possessions is such a big no-no for ‘true Christians’, then why does the Organization try sucking every dime out of you (tax free of course) that they can?
Q 17. How can we avoid being choked by anxiety?
17. We can avoid being choked by anxiety if we obey Jesus' command: "Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom and [God's] righteousness." Jesus assures us that if we do this, the things we really need will be added to us. (Matt. 6:33) How can we show that we believe this promise? One way is to seek first God's righteousness-abiding by God's standard of what is right as regards financial matters. For instance, we refuse to falsify our tax returns or to tell even "little" lies in our business dealings. We do all within our power to honor our financial commitments, letting our "Yes" mean Yes" when it comes to paying off debts. (Matt. 5:37; Ps. 37:21) Such honesty may not make a person rich, but it brings God's approval, produces a clean conscience, and greatly reduces anxiety.
Excuse me while I puke .......For anyone on here who is not aware of how the WTB&TS has avoided The Tax Man, you should be aware that in 1990, The California Board of Equalization wanted to put a tax on the sale of books, tapes and other religious items sold by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. The WTS filed a ‘friend of the court’ legal brief in support of Jimmy Swaggart’s stand that a religious organization should be exempt from such taxation. This was especially ironic since Jimmy Swaggart was not only considered part of ‘Babylon the Great’, but had, just two years earlier, been exposed as a lying, cheating, slimeball who got caught with a hooker in a hotel. But I guess when the Almighty Dollar is involved, it’s easy for them to look the other way. On January 17, 1990 the Supreme Court in California ruled against Jimmy Swaggart and less than a month later, the Borg announced some ‘new and improved light’: their literature would be offered on a ‘donation’ basis-----a move that was done solely to avoid ‘paying back Caesar’s things to Caesar'.
In addition, they fought tooth and nail against paying the $50 million dollar tax bill that the French government dinged them with back in the mid 1990's. They howled long and hard about how "unfair" it was and planned on appealing it to the European Court of Human Rights. I can't remember what happened with that case---if they won or not, but since they are always telling the r&f how it doesn't matter if we think the taxes we have to pay are fair or not------just pay up, how do they justify taking this sort of thing to court? Why aren't they following their own advice? The fact that they can actually write such a hypocritical statement shows they have no conscience at all.
Q 18. Jesus set what fine example for us, and how do we benefit by imitating him?
18. Seeking first the Kingdom involves having our priorities in order. Consider Jesus' example. At times, he wore a good-quality garment. (John 19:23) He enjoyed food and wine in the company of good friends. (Matt. 11:18, 19) But possessions and entertainment were like seasoning or condiments in his life, not the meat of it. Jesus' food was to do Jehovah's will. (John 4:34-36) Life is so rewarding when we copy Jesus' example! We have the joy of helping downtrodden people receive comfort from the Scriptures. We gain the love and support of the congregation. And we make Jehovah's heart rejoice. When our priorities are in order, possessions and pleasure are not our masters. Rather, they are servants, or tools, that help us worship Jehovah. And the more active we are in work that supports God's Kingdom. the less likely we are to he overcome by the spirit of the world.
While there is nothing wrong with the wording of this paragraph (and is no different than what every other Christian denomination teaches), the reality is that a lot of Witnesses are not well-off materially and many have to work well past retirement age simply to afford day to day things such as food, medication, repairs on their vehicles, clothing, etc. Many of those from my parents’ generation never paid into a company pension plan as they were told that the New System would be here long before they ever had to worry about retiring-----they believed it and never made any long term plans for saving.
And they sure as hell can’t expect any financial assistance from the very people who told them this lie—no way Hosé----you can starve in the streets for all they care. And if any of them decide they don’t want to live hand to mouth for another 20 years and decide to take a job where they miss some meetings, they’re made to feel as though they’re letting Jehovah down and are one short step away from growing horns and levitating off a bed.Keep On Minding the Spirit'
Q 19-21. How can we keep 'minding the spirit,' and why should we do so?
19. Thoughts precede actions. What many refer to as thoughtless actions are often actions prompted by fleshly thinking. Thus, the apostle Paul reminds us of the need to guard our thinking. He wrote: "Those who are in accord with the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh. but those in accord with the spirit on the things of the spirit." -Rom. 8:5.
This is another thing that I find irritating. Since the vast majority of Witnesses are told that they do not have a heavenly hope, are not Born Again, are not spiritual beings, will never have The Spirit ‘bear witness’ with their spirit, why are they constantly told to dwell on ‘the things of the spirit’? If they believe and are taught that they are only fleshly beings, what a huge surprise that they dwell mostly on ‘things of the flesh’. How exactly is someone supposed to dwell on ‘the things of the spirit’ when you are constantly being reminded that you are in fact, a second class Christian whose only chance of eternal life depends on well you obey a group of men who have never got one prophecy right in over 130 years?
20. How can we avoid having our thinking-and thus our actions--dominated hy the spirit of the world? We must put a filter on our mind, striving to block out the world's propaganda to the extent possible. For example, when choosing entertainment, we refuse to let our minds be sullied by programs that glorify immorality or violence. We realize that God's holy, or clean, spirit will not reside in a dirty mind. (Ps. 11:5; 2 Cor. 6:15-18) In addition. we invite God's spirit into our minds through regular Bible reading, prayer, meditation. and meeting attendance. And we work along with that spirit as we regularly share in the Christian preaching work.21. Certainly we must resist the spirit of the world and the fleshly desires it fosters. But doing so is worth our earnest effort because, as Paul states, "the minding of the flesh means death, but the minding of the spirit means life and peace." -Rom. 8:6.
Once again, there is nothing wrong with these two paragraphs per say and it is true that Christians should watch how they choose their entertainment. However, the vast majority of Witnesses that I know all watch fairly violent movies, or at least by the Borg’s standard. I remember when Terminator 2: Judgement Day came out, we were in the line to see it and at least 12 other people from my congregation were in line too. A number of the brothers (both married and single) went to strip clubs and partied their brains out every Saturday night.
Perhaps if the Society actually allowed the rank and file to use their brains in a positive way, they wouldn’t run into these problems. Think about it: they’re not supposed to go to university, do volunteer work, they can’t celebrate their or their kids’ birthdays, they can’t celebrate any secular holidays whatsoever, they’re not supposed to befriend ‘worldly’ people or spend too much time with relatives who are not Witnesses, hell, they’re even cautioned about how much time they spend working out. A good friend of mine used to go to Gold’s Gym years ago and he was getting pretty buff. The flabby-bodied elders didn’t like that and said during a "local needs" talk that we shouldn’t spend too much time worrying about our physical appearance and then looked directly at my friend and sneered "Can you see Jesus going to Gold’s Gym?"
The Witnesses have no outlet for any creativity and are severely criticized if they try to make something of themselves or make long-term plans for the future. They’re only supposed to work just enough to live hand to mouth, study for the meetings, go the meetings and listen as they tell you what a slacker you are, prepare for Service, go out in Service and have a family study every week. That’s it. That’s all you’re really encouraged to do.
It’s really no surprise that a lot of Witnesses have mental and/or emotional problems or suffer from depression or struggle with an addiction and articles like this will most likely only add to their feelings of worthlessness.
Can those that reign over 6.5 million Witnesses really not come up with something than stupid articles like this that do nothing except add to the problem? I guess like the canaries mentioned in the beginning of this article, the rank and file can drop dead for all the upper echelon cares. As long as they're well taken care of with narry a bill to worry about, the only real care they have for 6.5 million canaries are the sacrifices they get out of them while giving absolutely nothing in return.
Do You Recall?
- To receive holy spirit, what should we do?
- What are some ways that the world's spirit might affect us?
- How can we resist the spirit of the world