"You are only looking at things 'critical' of the Watchtower" (page 3)

Ding

Sab,

How about following up with, "Okay, tell me what things critical of the WT you are considering"?

sabastious

^ Interesting approach.

They would undoubtedly respond with something like "I don't view things critical of the Watchtower." Which would be a very damning statement, of course they wouldn't realize it lol.

-Sab

GLTirebiter

What's the scripture that talks about having cheating scales or two pairs of scales?? (read: a double standard)+

Amos 8:5 "Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?"

littlebird

Perhaps you could mention to them that you are trying to be like the bereans who daily examined the scriptures to see if what Paul was saying was true. (Acts 17:11) If the jws really have the "truth" then they shouldnt be fearful of critical sources.

NorthPeace

Many ex-JWs had 2 or more decades reading literature provided by the Society, purposely avoiding anything critical of the WTS. This is what got Wile E. Coyote into difficulty. He never read any independent reviews of A.C.M.E. products, obviously. Must've been the JW of coyotes, rejecting everything from his mailbox except A.C.M.E. brochures

NorthPeace

allelsefails

It has worked good for me to slip in a crticism in a group of praise (I've had SOME good exp in JW cong.) The cong is great, the brothers loving, but I'm surprised that they still teach 144,000 is a literal number. It is good to follow Bible's morality and reject worldly ideas and materialism, but I'm surprised they still teach that 607 was Jerusalem's destruction. etc...etc... They still don't like it, but they can't do the "you're only negative" card on me.

Chalam

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (New International Version)

21 Test everything. Hold on to the good.

1 John 4:1 (New International Version)

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Hebrews 4:12 (New International Version)

12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

James 1:22-24 (New International Version)

22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

John 1:1 (New International Version)

The Word Became Flesh

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Blessings, Stephen

Heartofaboy

Acts 17:11 (New International Version)

11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

The WT get around this by saying the Bereans were not trying to prove Paul wrong (ie not trying to prove the WBTS wrong ) just trying to prove to themselves the truth of what he (the WBTS) was saying..........WT / Borg' logic!!

Hoaby

dozy

A group of 8 middle aged / old men in New York make a claim that they are the sole channel of God , the only ones who have the authority to interpret and reinterpret the bible , that every other religion and indeed every other organisation is part of "Satan's world" and that the world is going to end "very soon." with 99.9% of the earths population being annihilated. Why shouldn't such a powerful claim be subjected to questioning and criticism? Why should everyone be expected to take such a claim at face value?

"You are only looking at things 'critical' of the Watchtower"