What It's All About

by B_Deserter 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • B_Deserter
    B_Deserter

    According to Jesus, the second greatest law, after loving God, is "love your neighbor as yourself." It is the principle that binds the entire body of the law together, and every rule a Christian should follow should have its motivation in these laws. "Love they neighbor" answers the question of why Christians behave in a certain way. Even those of us who are non-Christian like me realize the wisdom in this statement. It is not solely Christian, but universal, taught by nearly every major religion and philosophy. It finds its roots in the oldest moral writings of mankind. It is very probably the first moral code humans ever came up with.

    But this is not the Watchtower organization's motive for making laws. Its motivation is this: "never make the organization look bad." That is the basis for Jehovah's Witness law. Why can't JWs in the United States have beards? It makes the organization look bad. Why can't a couple be alone together on a date? It makes the organization look bad. Why can't a victim of child molestation report the crime to the police without retaliation by the elders? It makes the organization look bad. Why can't I eat bacon in front of those Muslim bible studies? Because they might be stumbled and think badly of the organization. Why can't our Kingdom Hall have black people and white people worshiping at the same time? Because the local community is very racist and won't be "receptive" to the organization.

    It's also why certain things are allowed in certain areas, but not in others. Beards, for example, are fine in south France, but not in south Jersey. In the organization, love is not what it's all about. What it's really all about is IMAGE. IMAGE is everything in the organization. It's not about how holy you are, it's how holy you APPEAR TO BE to the elders. Want proof? How about the arrangement of PRIVATE REPROOF? There is no distinction between public and private reproof in the Bible, but it is an arrangement the organization came up with in order to deal with sinners who HAVEN'T MADE THEIR SIN PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE. They get a lesser punishment (it isn't announced on stage, so no public humiliation) solely because people DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT. If you get drunk with friends once in a while, usually nothing happens. BUT get a DUI and your name in the paper and you're booted before you can say the word "disfellowship." By booting you the organization's image is secured, and that's all that really matters.

  • purplesofa
    purplesofa

    good post

  • Mickey mouse
    Mickey mouse

    Yep. Shame on them.

    It's also the reason why there has been a complete failure in dealing with the issue of child abuse within the org.

  • Lozhasleft
    Lozhasleft

    Outside you are as whitewashed graves but inside you are full of filthy and venomous things... (I paraphrase but you get the point) Good post Loz x

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    Organization is the anthesis of Jesus's teachings.

    Organizations take on a life of their own and through the Bible, both OT and NT, you will never see God deal with an "organization" put with individula(s).

    Jesus chose NO ONE of the estabilished religious organization of his time and before he left he todl his disciples that the HS woudl guide them and that HE would be with them, he did NOT tell them to create an organization or anything along those lines.

    NO ORGANIZATION can be held higher than an individual !
    Jesus's command to love each other and to love our enemies was clear, his commands to take care of each other and to take care of our enemies were juist as clear.

    Organizations create a "them and Us" view and this is the opposite of what Jesus taught:
    ONE FLOCK - Christians and ONE SHEPPARD - Jesus.

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