by Open mind 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
This week's Q&A on using the Keep Yourself in God's Love book says that coverage of the Appendix with Bible students is optional.
Anybody else pick up on this?
My take on it is, if you, the JW Sales Rep, think that anything in the Appendix is going to raise eyebrows with your potential convert, just skip over it. If they don't take the time to read it on their own, too bad for them.
om
if it's too kooky, just skip it
What do you mean, if?
if it's too kooky, just skip it
What do you mean, if?
what exactly is in the appendix?
This fits well into my opinion that the recruitment process involves deception. Newly interested ones are not provided with a (current) complete list of disfellowshipping offenses. If the list is a good thing, everyone should know it backwards and forwards.
This book was an appeasement to Teddy.....
It will be replaced very soon as much of the Appendix is of flip-floping subjects.
This is probably why no fixed schedule has been formally announced by the WTS (a first in my lifetime).
The appendix contains the following 7 topics:
How to Treat a Disfellowshipped Person
Head Coverings- When and Why?
Flag Salute, Voting, and Civilian Service
Blood Fractions and Surgical Procedures
Gain the Victory Over Masturbation
The Bible's View on Divorce and Separation
Resolving Disputes in Business Matters
Some of these topics, such as disfellowshipping and flag salute, are also covered in the main text of the book with references to additional material in the Appendix. I don't think the purpose of the Appendix is to hide information. Keep Yourselves In God's Love is a book worth reading, but more for what it does say (and how it is said) than for what it doesn't.
Besides, isn't this book designed for newly baptized ones or those who are very near to being baptized? By the time they even get to this book, or to a certain part of it, it may be too late to back out. If you want to talk about deception you should look at what is or isn't mentioned in the book What Does the Bible Really Teach as that is the book designed to teach someone everything they need to know in order to be baptized.
jabberwock
I now suggest using that appendix first. If you place a Washtowel Teach book, throw in a Keep Yourselves in God's Tyranny book at no extra charge. Have the student read the appendix, and look up the scriptures in context. Compare it with reality: Does what the God's Tyranny book match with the Bible? Does following what it says do good for yourself and/or society? If the answer to either is "No", then you have lost a study to honesty.
Gain the Victory Over Masturbation
The very fact that it's potentially mandatory to study material such as this with a grown adult just shows what a kooky religion it is. Seriously.
I've been attending church for almost 6 months and I've never heard them talk about things like oral sex, anal sex, masturbation - mutual or otherwise. Why? Because it's between you and God and you and your spouse; it's nothing to do with the church.
Y'know what they spend a lot of time talking about in church?
Jesus.
Crazy, huh?
I don't know about "God's Love" but the "What Does the Bible Really Teach?" book has the whole 1914 thing in the appendix.
So this may reflect the same attitude as the first book to study with converts.
The core teaching about Jesus' presence starting in 1914 is relagated to the back of the book- a little footnote says to refer to it.
That way, the JW doesn't have to cover more than "The Bible proves..." and "World events prove it is correct..." and "If you need
to learn more, it's in the appendix."
