by darthfader 27 Replies latest jw friends
Isaac,
I must have read verse 16 a million times -- Its so clear now that "the world" is the desire of the eyes/flesh and the showy display (I read them as excesses of life)... So, the world is not about having a meal with friends, going to a movie, donating blood, voting or even (gasp) higher education.
Darth Fader
Right. But in dubland it becomes a curse word to denouce anything the org disapproves of.
Some of my responses in the past have been:
"Ok. If you say so. Say, I'm starving. Let's eat!"
"Well, ultimately, we only have control over ourselves. So I look at who I am and try to base myself on a principled foundation. That's really all any of us can do."
"What you focus on expands. So let's not focus on the evil, let's focus on the good."
I answer,
"Really? Does Jesus know that?" because that's not what he told his apostles in Matthew and John.
I would remind them that THEY are also lying in the power of the wicked one. Just tell them about all their scandals that made the news in recent years.
They quote this scripture to deceive the listener into feeling that being around them is like being in 'paradise' and all the bad in the world doesn't apply to them as well. Sad to say, but it does.
I would say that "the wicked one" is Jehovah Himself. Satan tried to impeach that Almighty Lowlife Scumbag and create a free world, but that Pig did not allow that.
Actually, the whole world "in the power of the wicked one" is totally essential for JW doctrine.
Otherwise, they could not explain why everyone else except themselves are evil and about to be destroyed.
On the other hand - it makes it pretty hard to explain why their god has left the world this way for (in their chronology) over 6,000 years since throwing Adam out of the garden.
Well, if the world is lying in the power of the wicked one, I'd say, listen: Jesus Christ, who JWs believe is reigning as King in heaven, has given the means to break up the works of the Devil by means of his death and resurrection. If he wasn't afraid of the wicked one's having the world under his sway, why would we be? Following the Christ means we can conquer the Devil, because he did it first in our behalf, knowing that we couldn't do it by ourselves.
Ironically, my JW mom actually thought I was crazy for expressing similar sentiments.
--Christopher
