Read the full text here and remember about the wisdom of not trying to serve TWO MASTERS:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=21867&site=3
>Remaining in Association with Jehovah’s Witnesses
>An active baptized member of Jehovah’s Witnesses finds significant errors taught in the central publication of the religion, The Watchtower journal. The error is taught with frequency in private and public settings arranged by the religion. The significance reaches to the point that, in some circumstances, premature death could result from abiding by the error. What conscientious options are available to this member?
>Or, is it possible to remain a member and retain the same dignity and conscience? This writer believes the individual’s conscience and personal dignity—their honor—can be retained in either setting, but that the third choice has unique honor.
>...instance (remaining a member) the individual is not taking a public stance of repudiating the error, but neither are they removing themselves from membership, formally or informally. Even in this case it is possible the person is acting honorably. How so? The individual may simply be trying to do all possible to root out the error by whatever means is otherwise available and at the same time cause as little emotional, mental and spiritual upheaval as possible. This person believes emotional and mental stability are essential to happiness and that meaningful spiritual aspiration is essential for both. On one hand they realize an erroneous teaching is death dealing in certain circumstances, but they believe they can make more gains on overcoming this error by working from within and helping to change the flaw, and at the same time not cause the meaningful spiritual aspiration of others to be overcome to the point of causing them to effectively experience a living death that could last for many, many years. Again, this person has made a choice in good conscience, they have acted honorably.
Experience shows that a person who recognizes the error but remains a Jehovah’s Witness will find themselves ridiculed from persons inside and outside the religion. Why is this?
>Some persons outside the religion will feel you are a coward for not standing up denouncing the error publicly. These ridiculers are also likely to feel by virtue of continued membership you are helping to perpetuate the error. On top of calling you a coward, these will also repudiate you as a hypocrite. On the other side of the aisle some persons inside the religion will feel you are a hypocrite for continuing a membership in something you are not in full agreement with. These ridiculers will denounce you as a spying traitor in that you are not in full agreement but remain privy to inside information anyway. This situation may be the worst of all because persons both sides make you the object of ridicule.
>This is an act of neighborliness that, in my opinion, reflects the historical record of Jesus who was willing to build up a person rather than tear them down. This Jesus recognized when people were acting in good conscience and commended them accordingly. Such a course has the practical value of always rewarding conscientious choices, which encourages thoughtfulness, and that is something that no one can intelligently criticize.
What brings on these comments? I am one who has chosen the third option mentioned above. There are many others like me who I know personally, and we have all experienced that described above. Thankfully I can report that discouragement has come only from what I will respectfully call idiots, on both sides. That is, whenever a thoughtful person on either side realized the good conscientious choice, they responded encouragingly. Of course, idiots are not thoughtful and they act accordingly. Quite a few of my friends have succumbed to vicious emotional assaults from idiots on both sides, and their lives are the worse as a result. Of course, they knew the stakes of making the choice they made, so they are not complaining.
>In the scenario I speak of, they have not removed themselves from membership but instead have made a choice to stand and fight for gains as best the system will allow it. This is not an easy fight. Those who have experienced it know the fight is extremely demanding and, in the end, in most cases the person ends up being caste out of the religion because of thoughtless persons who do not comprehend the good fight, or else they are just plain worn out to a point where they can no longer keep up the fight. In this case they still have not withdrawn. Rather, it can be said they have fought the fine fight to the finish. These are the only ones who cannot be deemed traitors by virtue of withdrawing membership
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You were warned about this MS and all the Marvin Shilmers a long time ago. About serving two masteers. About trying to have your cake and eat it too.
That crises of conscience was going to come some day, is the the day?
