"The way of the truth is the best way of living. No better way can there be found."

by nicolaou 75 Replies latest jw experiences

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  nicolaou

  "The way of the truth is the best way of living.
  No better way can there be found."
  
  Remember that? It's the opening line to 'Make the Truth Your Own'. (My apologies if any of you suffered a gag reflex there.) I was reminded of it because of something my Mum said to me recently, to paraphrase;

  "Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth' I would still stay in because it's the best way of living."

  Well I'm sure all of us have heard that sort of sentiment before but have you ever thought just how breathtakingly hypocritical and selfish such a stand is?! To my mind there are three important aspects here.

  (1) The JW's relationship with God and Christ.

  If a JW accepts the possibility that the Watchtower Society do not have 'the Truth', that in fact there may be no evidence that they are God's sole representatives on Earth, then shouldn't such a person who calls himself 'Christian' put that organisation behind him and search for God elsewhere? Does that person hold Jesus sacrifice as of so little worth that they are effectively saying; "sorry Jesus, I know it was pretty awful on that stake and that you went through all that suffering for me but actually I'm quite happy and cosy with my bunch of chums here in this little misguided bit of false religion and I'm staying put. Hope you don't mind."

  (2) The JW's relationship with the public.

  Again, if the JW has reached that intellectual point of accepting that they may not have 'the Truth' then surely it is an act of gross hypocrisy and selfishness to present that information as a life saving message? If your only motivation for going out in field service is to spend some nice time with your friends, doing something that may give you all a feeling of having done something 'worthwhile', or even if you hate the ministry and your motivation is just to stay 'regular' so as to preserve those relationships and friendships which you understandably value - well! Never mind the poor buggers at the doors whose very lives you may be risking, or whose marital harmony you might be destroying. Never mind those poor children whose university education you've just jeopordised. So long as you spend a nice hour or two with your friends and have a nice cup of tea at the end of your service then it's all worth it isn't it?!!

  (3) The JW's relationship with family members.

  Do I even need to write anything here? How can a JW who is capable of accepting that the Truth may in fact not be 'the Truth' shun a family member? Only because of hypocritical self-interest.

  I know, I know. They are victims too, they have been misled by masters of cult propaganda just as we all were. But there are so few excuses for ignorance now. Sometimes, you just have to tell it to them like it is.

  So how do you say; "Mum, I love you, but you're a selfish and hypocritical woman?"
• 

  quietlyleaving

  another mantra is that they are putting Jehovah first and Jehovah pours out rich blessings.

  I'm feeling quite convinced that as xjws grow in numbers and as Jehovahs witnesses continue to be challenged about the inhumaneness of their beliefs they will have to confront the reality of their self interest more and more.

  The sad fact is that for many JWs becoming more ethically aware has to come from their leadership.
• 

  penny2

  "The way of the truth." It would be all right if it was the truth!

  So how do you say; "Mum, I love you, but you're a selfish and hypocritical woman?"

  Maybe you don't say that (I have learned by bitter experience that sometimes silence is better).

  penny
• 

  chickpea

  point #3 is the absolute rebuttal to that
  idiotic drivel that the b0rg offers the best
  way of life there is

  we know too many tragic stories about the
  ruined lives that are in the wake of that
  heinous cult and the blind unthinking loyalty
  to its declaration of sole possession of the Truth TM

  that thing about calling your mom hypocritical
  because of her unthinking allegience?
  you really hankering to open that ugly can of worms?
• 

  nicolaou

  Of course I'm not actually going to say that to my Mum, I love her to bits. I just get so frustrated by her blinkered, myopic view of life. In many ways my Mum has proven herself to be a very selfless and honest person - but that side of her natural personality is completely skewed when the Watchtower impinges on some aspect of our lives.
• 

  LouBelle

  That side of our personality was skewed at one time. One thing I have come to know is that you cannot make them see the truth about the organisation. They have to find it out for themselves and if they don't want to go down that road, WE have to make OUR peace with that and let them be.

  I have 9 family members who are still in the faith (two are disfellowshiped but still believe it to be the truth) Before I got disfellowshipped I tried to reason with them, I asked them to even read their own literature about certain issues - but they kept their heads in the sand. That is where they are comfortable - it is all they know and they are happiest there (even if they are not - they will tend to say they are)

  So you love mum for mum and let her be - even though your heart aches.
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  isaacaustin

  I have heard that so many times. Of course, anyone living and adhering to the tenets of most faiths would have the same results as JWs without all the ridiculous rules- holidays, education, blood ban, etc.
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  jookbeard

  "They way of the truth is the best way of living la la la lala la lala ahh la"

  watching a young baby dying a slow death through the blood ban certainly doesn't make the best way of living, or may be I'm wrong
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  isaacaustin

  of course the statement itself is a baseless assertion...based on the unproven assumption that the WT is the truth.
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  carla

  Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth' I would still stay in because it's the best way of living." --- I have seen you guys post things like this for years so obviously many, many jw's see that somethings are wrong in the org or doctrines. Once again you could use their own literature against them, remember the wt quote about 'even a drop of poison in a glass of water' analogy? I believe their point was that even if a non jw church has some things right they still serve up poison by not having everything right like the jw's, something like that.