"Draw Close To Jehovah" study - strange logic..

by BluesBrother 11 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    What do you think of the reasoning in this paragraph from this week's meeting study?

    Draw Close To Jehovah - chapt 4

    21 Consider Jehovah’s self-restraint from a different angle. If you had unlimited power, do you think you might, at times, be tempted to make people do things your way? Jehovah, with all his power, does not coerce people to serve him. Even though serving God is the only way to everlasting life, Jehovah does not force us into such service. Rather, he kindly dignifies each individual with freedom to choose. He warns of the consequences of bad choices and tells of the rewards of good choices. But the choice itself, he leaves to us. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) Jehovah simply has no interest in service performed out of coercion or out of morbid fear of his awesome power. He seeks those who will serve him willingly, out of love.—2 Corinthians 9:7.

    The WTS tells us that God gives us all a free choice as to whether to serve him or not . That means only by being a baptized & active J W. Other forms of service are null and void in their view and only serve Satan the Devil, but to continue. They are saying that we may please ourselves,' is not God good? 'It is up to us what what we do with our lives. BUT if we make the wrong choice,in this generation unique among others, we will be bloodily slaughtered at Armageddon and our carcases left for the crows to fight over. If we make the right choice however, wonderful happiness in a a paradise Earth will be ours , forever.

    Is that a free choice? or "Hobson's choice"It is more like Clint Eastwood holdin a gun to someones head and saying "Go ahead punk, make my day !. Choose wrong and you die.......Can that really be a fair representation of the loving God?

    It is not as though predicted calamity were a random act that was inevitably going to come , and this were just a warning.....They paint the situation as being like a scientist who warns a community of a coming volcanic eruption . That man gives a fair and clear warning, makes arrangements for a place of safety and then he must leave the final decion as to evacuating up to the individual person . On their own head be it.

    Armageddon is not depicted as being like that . It is a targeted specific judgement against certain people, brought entirely by whom ? Jehovah God himself. He is supposed to bring it, and he is supposed to be able to not bring it - if he chose.

    So to say that God is being "Oh so kind" because he warns us before he targets us for destruction is just a nonsense . It is reasoning that can only be swallowed by the indoctrinated dubs who swallow down this stuff with relish. Worst of all I see it as a grave insult to the real character of the loving God who is worshipped by millions all around the world.

  • sir82
    sir82

    Exactly so.

    How "free" is "free will" if the result of making the "wrong" choice is death, imposed by the one who presents the opportunity to choose in the first place?

    It is quite telling, I think, that this simple thought apparently never crosses the minds of the 7+ million who believe this stuff.

    Of course, it is a problem for mainstream Christianity as well - just substitute "eternal damnation" for "death".

  • Frazzled UBM
    Frazzled UBM

    "Jehovah simply has no interest in service performed out of coercion or out of morbid fear of his awesome power." In fact in the world according to the WBTS that is exactly what he does. The capacity for self-deceit is unbelievable!

  • Slidin Fast
    Slidin Fast

    Those thoughts went through my head yesterday. The issue was discussed here recently.

    It makes me think of the ducking stool used for those accused of witch craft in medieval times in the UK. If an person accused of witchcraft drowned having been held under water then she was innocent. If she survived then she was guilty and was taken away to be hanged.

    I feel so blessed to live under such free will.

  • insearchoftruth
    insearchoftruth

    That is so true, sort of like 'passive coercion', the belief or thought that the power is unlimited....but J is not using the unlimited power to make things better also amazes and amuses me.

  • Phaedra
    Phaedra

    That they can even speak as if they know the thoughts of God and what he thinks/feels towards humans is most remarkable. As if they just had a breakfast conversation with him this morning where he expressed such sentiments:

    GB: Boy, you sure do have a lot of restraint, Jehovah. With all of your power, you can make the nations know that you are God and make them serve you!

    YHWH: Well, I'm too kind to force people to do that! I'll allow each person the dignity and free will to choose to serve me. Otherwise, if they don't, eternal death, you know? Their choice...

    Phae

  • XBEHERE
    XBEHERE

    The WTB&TS does use coercion to stay in the religion. They tell you that the world is bad, wordly associates are an evil, bad influence so you are stuck in their social structure. So if you do leave, more than likely you will be all alone. Perhaps even your family (wife, kids, or extended) won't even acknowledge your existence. So what do people do? People lilke me? We stay in, lead a double life, and be miserable.

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    It's all one HUGE guilt trip. They WTBTS only supplies JWs enough information [ propoganda ] to make one choice, and that "choice" is to chose the WTBTS. When you deliberately keep information from someone, leading them to only one "choice", isn't that the same as telling a lie? BTW, I skipped the meeting.

    DD

  • 88JM
    88JM

    If the JW's think their God isn't coercive, then I would love to see how they think a coercive God would behave. I suspect it wouldn't be that much different.

  • leaving_quietly
    leaving_quietly

    This particular paragraph will be used when I "come out". I will say how much I appreciate that Jehovah allows us free will, and based on that free will and the research I've done, I choose not to be part of this religion.

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