Reading the watchtower boggles the mind

by bobld 5 Replies latest jw friends

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  bobld

  Example:March 2014 wt mentioned how to providing care for the elderly.Wait let us go back to the January 2014 wt page 29 p.15 Says in part" What about those of you who have made sacrifices to serve Jehovah full time,such as:gave up promising careers,successful business,simplify your life,remained unmarried or if married decided to forgo having childern to make yourself available for Bethel service,international construction work,circuit work,or missionary service.Should you feel that the sacrifices you made were unnecessary or ILL-TIMED? Not at all!

  BETHEL SERVICE oh they kicked me out when I got old..and told me to see your timely advice in the March 2014 wt.
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  stuckinarut2

  Seriously f'd up stuff!

  Were you asked to leave and support yourself in your older age?

  Wow....
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  steve2

  Well, I've seen my four grandparents slave for the Watchtower and end up poor and cash-strapped ... and this was in the 1960s and 70s. Surely to goodness, Witnesses have seen enough older brothers and sisters end up poor and cash-strapped to have begun to wake up from their sleep and bother to make their own provisions for old age!

  Yes, of course I feel for the plight of older ones who have "put the kingdom first" and ended up with second-best - but honestly, all Witnesses with beating hearts need to open their ears and eyes and see what their eventual lot on earth is.

  They cannot - repeat CANNOT - nowadays get to old age and poverty and cry, "Poor us!". The warnings that old age comes to all who live long enough have been around for literally decades.

  Enough bleating about poor older JWs.

  Start telling the next few generations of Witnesses to stop praying and door-knocking - useless pursuits if ever there were - and start preparing for the practical monetary necessities of older age.

  While I loved my JW grandparents, it's instructive that each of their children, including those still in the organization, took practical steps to ensure they did not end up like their "obedient" JW parents.
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  DesirousOfChange

  While I loved my JW grandparents, it's instructive that each of their children, including those still in the organization, took practical steps to ensure they did not end up like their "obedient" JW parents.

  Steve, it seems obvious to me that your family members who are "still in" cannot be considered whole-souled to Jehovah. Seems to me they're just keeping one-foot-in-the-door just in case Armageddon does happen in their lifetime.

  If they were REAL JWs they would have followed Jesus' admonition to "sell all [their] belongings and follow me".

  Doc [with a smile]
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  AndDontCallMeShirley

  Sadly, it's the predictable and inevitable result of people willing to shelve all common sense to follow the advice of fools:

  .

  "If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the "last days" in 1914, Jesus foretold: "This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur."-Matt. 24:34. Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in highschool and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!" Awake!1969 May 22 p.15

  "Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that a destruction of even greater magnitude is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus' prophecy will shortly have a major fulfilment, upon this entire system of things. This has been a major factor in influencing many couples to decide not to have children at this time." Awake! 1974 Nov 8 p.11

  "Yes, since the summer of 1973 there have been new peaks in pioneers every month. Now there are 20,394 regular and special pioneers in the United States, an all-time peak. That is 5,190 more than there were in February 1973! A 34-percent increase! Does that not warm our hearts? Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end." Kingdom Ministry May 1974 p.3 How Are You Using Your Life?
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  steve2

  Doc there is more than a grain of truth in what you write. A notable absence in my extended family are any witnesses with fire in their bellies - they're closer to lukewarm - although I am sure they'd be insulted to de described as such. This is New Zealand after all and zealous Witnesses are rare beasts in this part of the world.

  But will the older ones in my family ever leave? No. What they lack in zeal, they also lack in the ability to think for themselves. In a way they are so conditioned to waiting and having no other options that they'd be lost without the organization. I always hold out some hope that younger ones in the organization will make the break though.