Daniel1555 was right (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/273311/1/I-am-not-going-for-JC), those two elders returned yesterday. They said Body of Elders discussed my case in their meeting on Sunday, and they have something to convey to me. After a normal nice talk, they said: “You were an elder before and Body of Elders has used you for brining many back to God’s organization; hence our reasoning is not going to work in your case.”
I interrupted: “When I stepped down from serving as an elder, I gave you a secondary reason of my busy secular schedule. Actual reason could be discerned from what you just said. I “helped many to return to JWs org, through my shepherding calls.” That means there were many others whom I could not persuade to return to JW org. Because my WT-trained reasoning worked with the gullible, but not with those who had sound reasoning power and were well-grounded in the Bible—these were the ones who actually inspired me to THINK properly!”
They said: “What you are experiencing is typical of most of servants of God. John the Baptist sent his disciples to Jesus to know whether he was really the messiah. Ultimately, his doubt was cleared. Similarly, having doubts is normal. What is not normal is keeping away from God’s appointed channel.”
I know what you mean—the supposed appointment of “a faithful and discreet slave.” (Mathew 24:45) Here too, context matters. Mathew chapter 24 is the setting which begins with the famous question of disciples: “What are the events that would precede the end of the world?” Jesus gave many events and, as a conclusion he said:
1) One is free to act like an appointed faithful and discreet overseer of a household caring for them or to become an unfaithful and indiscreet overseer, mistreating them (Mathew 24:45-51)
2) One is free to behave like the wise virgins being always prepared, or to behave like the foolish virgins leaving the preparation to the last minute (Mathew 25:1-13)
3) One is free to act like the servants who increased wealth through its diligent use; or to act like the one who “dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.” (Mathew 25:14-30)
4) One is free to care for others as Christ’s brothers and sisters or to be self-serving. (Mathew 25:31-46)
[Interestingly, in the gospels of Mark and Luke, Jesus simply concluded: You are free to be on the watch or to be self-serving! (Mark 13:34-35; Luke 21:34-36)]
Through these four wonderful pictures (a picture is worth a 1000 words), Jesus is conveying, with absolute clarity, a simple message: BE PREPARED WELL IN ADVANCE LOVING OTHERS AS YOU LOVE YOURSELF, because the end (of the world or of you) may come at any time. Hence none of those picturizations suggest even remotely the appointment of God’s organization on earth, because God has a very simple approach. He has defined true religion as LOVE (James 1:27; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8-10; 1 John 4:7, 8; Mathew 7:12, 21-23) and false religion as self-serving. (Colossians 3:5; Philippians 3:19)
Prima facie, this is right, because the true religion, called LOVE, works automatically, without the help of an organization. Everyone wants to be loved—for this to happen, one has to give the love first—this is the experience of everyone on earth. “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (Luke 6:38) When you love, you get good returns, then you make more and more investments in love, and you get more and more returns, and become self-motivated to love more ……. On the contrary, if a person belongs to false religion (self-serving, which is not a big mistake, because a lotus cannot grow without mud), he will find transient joy which will ultimately make him seek the real joy that comes from loving. It is only a matter of time—let him take enough time, but of course without any external force! (Luke 15:11-31)
Besides, God has no need to appoint a religious organization on earth. (Mathew 16:27; Romans 14:12) His agency on earth is (the judiciary wing of) all Governments. (Romans 13:1-6) On the contrary, most religions are like that old religion that earned the name of “killer of prophets.” (Mathew 23:37) And JW org (who prohibits even greeting those who differ with them) would have been the killer of more number of prophets than any other group if they had political powers also. [Courtesy to JW.net as I picked this point from this net] (Fortunately, because of their stand on voting, JWs can never become friends with Governments of this world)
Then the elders said: “Organization is very loving when it comes to caring for its flock, and merciful towards erring ones. But rejecting God’s organization, which is the primary identifying mark of an apostate) is a question of discipline.”
I said: “My little daughter can reply to your threat of discipline (which is a synonym of disfellowshipping among JWs).” I called my 5-year-old daughter and introduced the elders to her, and asked her to sing her most favorite song to them. She sang:
“God’s Love is so wonderful, (thrice)
Oh! Wonderful love!
So high YOU CAN’T GET OVER IT, (Thrice)
Oh! Wonderful love!
So deep YOU CAN’T GET UNDER IT, (thrice)
Oh! Wonderful love!
So wide YOU CAN’T GET AROUND IT, (thrice)
Oh! Wonderful love!”
Then I dismissed her, and I told the elders: “You understood what she sang. You cannot disfellowship anybody from God’s love—especially for advocating and practicing something on which, God says, “the entire law” hangs. (Galatians 5:14; Compare Mathew 21:43)
Practicing love is “God’s will” and if one does this, he has nothing to fear (1 John 2:17).
They left saying: “We would meet again.”
I said: As friends, you are always welcome to meet me. But you have no right to call me for a JC. Because you came to my door-steps when I was an unsuspecting member of my former Church, claimed you, you only, have the truth, made me a JW, rather made me a good-for-nothing person! No more wastage! You can complete all the formalities yourselves, without me!
Remember: You CANNOT starve a person who delightfully does fasting!