The Watchtower is always saying how we have to watch everything we do or say because we just might offend somebody's conscience and Lord knows we wouldn't wanna do that!
Did you find yourself offending the consciences of others?
Did YOU Disturb The Consciences Of Others?
by minimus 29 Replies latest jw friends
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frankiespeakin
I think this whole don't disturb the conscience of others thing is just a scam by the GB to get their wacky ideas across that may not have any scripture to back them up so they just chalk it up to conscience issues like in their council not to show too much affection while at public prayer worship.
It might offend the conscience of the easily offend-able highly indoctrinated GB member or his wife. They don't need a scripture to push that wacky idea conscience comes to the rescue.
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keyser soze
To me, the whole idea of stumbling others was just another form of control. It was a way to keep you from doing things they didn't want you to do, but had no scriptural basis for forbidding.
I remember a talk once from a CO, who said that we couldn't stumble others, that each of us was accountable before God. While I agreed with it, I remember thinking that if flew in the face of everything they had taught up to that point, certainly what I had read in their publications.
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zoiks
I tried to always be ultra-sensitive to others' consciences, to the point that I would fret over the length of my sideburns. So pointless.
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minimus
The Organization has "Stumbled" many.
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blondie
There was always that unknown person who was stumbled by what anyone did. If the elders would not identify the person so they could follow the Matthew 18 principle, I knever took it seriously or the elders.
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minimus
You're right, Blondie!
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WTWizard
This is one of many tricks to enforce unwritten rules. They can use this trick to ban coffee, candy, snacks, and whatever they want to on a local level. If coffee stumbles one person, or the lead hounder thinks it might, the congregation can use that to ban coffee (or coffee breaks), even if they cannot prove it stumbles anyone and if the Filthful and Disgraceful Slavebugger doesn't already ban it.
Some of the other tricks include "bad associations", that "loose conduct" card (where the hounders tell you to do something, you do not, and they count that as brazen disregard of authority), and giving the hounders and hounder-hounder double honor. Of course, there is the "bringing shame and reproach on Jehovah's name" and its twin "bringing praise and honor on Jehovah's name" theme. With these tools, they do not need to find where in the Bible (or even in the Washtowel) something is forbidden.
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undercover
Ya know...I tried to be mindful of how my actions or speech could affect others but over time I realized that no matter what I said, how I said it or what I did or didn't do, someone was always "stumbled". So by the time I was going inactive I had pretty much of a "fuck it" attitude. I was tired of trying to please everyone, especially those a little on the unstable side so I just minded my own business and did what I wanted.
Which is a good way to start a fade. Just mind your own business, don't get involved with anything going on in the congregation. Ignore the rumors, the gossip, the news. You'll realize just how insignificant all of it really is. And you'll feel better. And you haven't even started missing meetings yet.
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Cthulhu
I always seemed to be offending someone's conscience. Usually it want's most people though, just a few of the ones that "mattered," like the PO (at the time). I was working at a YMCA camp where NOTHING regligious EVER took place. Nobody else seemed to care in the least, but this guy sure did. Then there was the issue of the goatee. People will find just about anything to pick at. Oh yeah, I didn't wear a suit jacket to the hall either.