Very true BluesBrother she was only a study and meeting attender ........ got to follow the rules you know , no food and clothing for you unless you were dunked in a pool .
Give a man a fish...give a Haitian a watchtower.
by maninthemiddle 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Quendi
You've got to admire the "Christian love" among Jehovah's Witnesses. I have a personal experience I'd like to relate that has a bearing on this topic.
I was disfellowshipped in 2005 and have not returned. I made up my mind to stay out in June 2010. Prior to that, I was making every effort to get reinstated. In July 2009, I lost my job and my apartment and had nowhere to go. So I appealed to a brother who had maintained contact with me evern after my disfellowshipping to let me stay with him. I also suffer from Type II diabetes, and unknown to me the disease was getting out of control. This brother took me in, but because of the WTS policy about the df'd, we kept my presence in his home a secret from his congregation as well as my own. However, I did let the elders on my judicial committee know about my situation.
By fall 2009, my diabetes had reached a critical stage. The brother I was living with took me to his doctor and paid for all the treatment. Thanks to his timely action, I was able to get my diabetes under control although the doctor told me I was only days away from slipping into a diabetic coma and possibly dying. Now I made all this known to my judicial committee, telling them I was ill, unemployed, homeless, and jobless. I wasn't drawing unemployment insurance at that time either. What was their warm and loving reaction? They didn't give a damn, but only criticized my spotty meeting attendance!
The Witness I lived with and I both realized we couldn't forever keep our arrangement secret so I moved out. Fortunately for me, I had always cultivated good friendships among non-Witnesses despite WTS injunctions against this. My economic situation is still bad as I am still unemployed. But my so-called "worldly friends" have provided food and shelter as I continue to look for a job. Aside from the Witness who initially helped me, not a single local Witness has inquired about me. Of course, since I'm df'd I didn't expect any locals to do so, but I thought that the elders would at least inquire about my spiritual and physical health. Not one of them has done so. I last spoke to them in June and have no plans to do so again.
As for the Witness who originally aided me, he got furious when I told him I could not in good conscience return to the organization. I thanked him for all he had done for me and told him I wanted to remain his friend. I will say here that he himself had been df'd years ago and I stood by him all the years he was out, never cutting him off. I had hoped he would continue to do the same for me, but I suppose WTS theology has proved stronger than our friendship. That's too bad.
My point is I would be living on the street now if it weren't for "worldly people". So I never use the phrase "worldly people" anymore. They helped me when so-called Christians would not. I made it a point to tell my judicial committee this as well. They were furious, but couldn't say anything in rebuttal. I asked them, "Why is it that you say I am still one of Jehovah's sheep, but don't even inquire about my circumstances or even offer a little help?" The silence that followed that question was deafening. And it's not like they don't know how to reach me as I gave them my cellphone number.
My case is different from the young woman who is the subject of this thread. But I think the overlying principle is still the same. The organization does not promote true Christian love even toward those who show an interest in its religion. And if you have been disciplined or expelled but still need help, you can forget about that. But I have learned some valuable lessons from this experience. I don't have much in a material way, but I contribute what I can to charitable organizations whether they are religious or not. I have seen that all of us have an obligation to help those in need, and I will certainly do so whenever it is in the power of my hand.
Quendi
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sd-7
A Haitian man said: "You truly are God's people. If only I accepted your beliefs, I would not be starving to death now." He later accepted a Bible study. Once he qualified as an unbaptized publisher, he received loving material provisions such as food and clothing. What a fine example of Christian love!
--sd-7
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GLTirebiter
As for the Witness who originally aided me, he got furious when I told him I could not in good conscience return to the organization.
So, it appears he wanted his help to convince you to return to the Kingdom Hall: conditional love, aka manipulation.
They helped me when so-called Christians would not.
"Would not", or "were not allowed to"? You said it yourself; he took a risk by taking you in, and you both knew you should hide it from your congregations. When a member must hide a charitable act from their "christian" congregation, that speaks very poorly of the organization.
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Quendi
Thanks for that correction, GL Tirebiter. You are absolutely right to say others "were not allowed to" help me. Of course, most were completely unaware of my situation and perhaps they would have helped had they known. That's something I suppose I won't ever find out.
I also want to thank all of you for allowing me to share my experience. It is all part of the healing process and putting the WTS behind me, and I appreciate your kindness in allowing me to express myself here.
Quendi
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Band on the Run
As much as I despise the Witnesses, I feel very strongly that counsel or congressperson had no business asking such argumentative questions. It is quite an example of Witness persecution. HIs point is correct but it is not the forum to raise it. The only way it might be relevant were if the Witnesses contracted with the government to provide social services and failed to do so.
Jesus' instructions are so express in the Gospels regarding feeding the poor in the now. Most groups would say that immediate needs must be met but charity alone is not the role of religion. Love one another as I have loved you. What you do for the least of these, you do for me. Early Christians stood out for staying and nursing plague victims. Their love was commented upon not their quarterly knock at doors.
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wasblind
" A Haitian man said: "You truly are God's people. If only I accepted your beliefs, I would not be starving to death now." He later accepted a Bible study. Once he qualified as an unbaptized publisher, he received loving material provisions such as food and clothing."
That ain't christian love, that's Blackmail !!!!!
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PSacramento
I believe that anyone involved in relief work shoudl do just that and that preaching should be left for those that actively seek out "spiritual councelling".
I've seen it first hand, it doesn't take puting a bible or litertature in anyone's hands, if they see love and love working through you ( the relief worker) they will take the step to come to you and find out what "you are all about".
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sd-7
That ain't christian love, that's Blackmail !!!!!
Of course I should add that that's a fictional experience, what I wrote earlier, but it makes about as much sense as the picture that prompted this thread...
--sd-7
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sd-7
Quendi's experience reminds me of what ultimately drove me to start asking hard questions. It was the woman who later became my wife, she was DF'd and I tried to help her out in a material way, and once the elders found out, they forbade it--actually pulled me in the back room at a circuit assembly to do so. Maybe things might've turned out quite differently for us if I'd just ignored the bastards. But I listened to them, and eventually she got reinstated.
On the other hand, she told me that the elders found her during door-to-door ministry while she was DF'd and offered to give her rides to the meetings. When her daughter was born, some of the sisters actually gave her baby clothes--evidently something that was okay for them, but not for me to do while she was DF'd. (Not that I tried--we lost touch until about 2 years ago.) So I guess it probably depends on the elders, whether they're by-the-book or actually trying to be decent shepherds. Most times, going by the book is safer for their position, so...there you have it.
Based on official policy, helping people just for the sake of helping people is not considered very important unless it creates a new convert and can be boasted about in the literature. Otherwise, it's the recruiting work that takes priority.
Sucks.
--sd-7