Does the wtbs consider rock climbing an extreme sport?
by hoser 7 Replies latest watchtower bible
-
-
AlphaMan
Does the wtbs consider rock climbing an extreme sport?
The Governing Body discourages extreme sports like rock climbing.
If any rocks are going to be climbed, it is going to be theirs and the JW will be an extremely good sport about doing it.
-
hoser
Lol alpha man
i am asking because in the latest study watchtower they gave an illustration and it seemed to me that they put it in a positive light.
-
gbrn
I live in an area where rock climbing is very popular because of the local geography. Many, many Witnesses are involved. I know of several elders who are really into it. I've never heard once in this area that it is an extreme sport (at least from the 40 and under crowd). They pride themselves on being "safe" when they go out to the mountains and the rock climbing gym. I'm sure it changes from region to region though. I'm just tellling how it is like where I live and from what I've observed.
Layton Kor was a famous rock climber who became a Witness. I had heard that he still climbed until his health didn't allow it, but had stepped back from the climbing scene when he became a Witness. I recently saw his book in a local bookstore.
http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23133405/climber-layton-kor-famous-colorado-first-ascents-dead
-
L3G
There are regular backpacking trails (for example, in the western USA) that have sections which require repelling/rock climbing. Since the WTS has long held backpacking as OK, that may be a reason for accepting rock climbing. However, as I recall mountain climbing has been condemned as too dangerous. Of course, this was all some years ago when I was active, and I haven't kept up with all the "new light." Maybe blondie or someone who's up on the latest pronouncements from "God's mouthpiece" can share with us the "current understanding" of the matter.
Ooooh, it seems so strange and foreign to use those in-house terms now! NU LITE? Is that the opposite of "old darkness"? So were the pyramids and Miracle Wheat "old darkness"? Hummm, maybe they were "new darkness" or was it "old light"? It's all so confusing. I guess I'd better SIMPLIFY, and BE LOYAL AND UNITED, and JUST KEEP TO WHAT THE FD&S says. Everything is so much simpler and easier then...
-
prologos
rock climbing the the dangerous part of base jumping.
-
BluesBrother
Six days old but I thought that this quote from The Awake would add to the thread :
Aw 2002 10/8 p 20 "Thrill Seekers - Why The Fatal Attraction?"
Firstly it describes Roman gladiators in the arena, modern bullfighting, base jumping and motorcycle stunt men , then :
Rock climbing up the sheer sides of mountains with nothing but tiny fingerholds and toeholds is attracting thousands. Even television and magazine commercials advertising everything from trucks to headache remedies show climbers hanging precariously from steep mountain precipices hundreds of feet in the air, secured only by a thin rope. It is reported that in 1989 some 50,000 people in the United States dared to take part in this sport; more recently an estimated half-million are drawn by its fatal attraction. Worldwide the numbers are increasing.....................................................
The Christian View
Christians view life as a precious gift from Jehovah God. When one deliberately puts his life in danger by taking needless chances just to demonstrate his daring courage—his machismo—or to excite the crowd or satisfy his own need to experience a rush, he is, in effect, showing contempt for the marvelous gift of life that God has given us. Jesus certainly showed deep respect for his life and did not unnecessarily endanger it. He refused to put God to the test.—Matthew 4:5-7.
Christians, likewise, have an obligation to show respect for life. “I once climbed a steep rock cliff and found myself unable to go backward or forward,” wrote one Christian. “To this day I shudder at how close I came to dying. What a stupid waste it would have been!” -
Magwitch
I remember being told there would not be a resurrection for a person who died doing a dangerous sport.