Those of us who were "born into" this religion seemed to have no choice but to stick it out until we were of age to evaluate it critically and make it on our own without our families.
I always had questions.....but I never ever doubted it was the "truth". My feelings were always that this was God's people. I can't relate to the idea that any resposibility for being a dub was mine. There was no "other choice" to make for me at the time I was a dub. Any doubts or questions I had was always calmed by the fact I was in the right place.....there was no other place to go in my eyes.
I may have missed the point here.........any correction here, will gladly be accepted.
Side point....paduan....why do you always write in red?
...I do not know of any Witnesses that get up in the morning and say "let's go lie to these people". To the contrary, their motivation is in saving lives. We are not out to destroy others faith, as opposers do, but to build peoples faith in Jehovah God and his wonderful promises. His promises are not lies for God cannot lie.
Sword of Jah
This comment reminded me of the Awake magazine before 1994 where it mentioned in the forward of the "Creator's promise that the generation that saw 1914 would live to see the conclusion of the system of things". That is what I believed and that is what I taught.
Then when the Society changed their understanding of the scripture, "God's promise" regarding the generation that saw 1914 also changed. In other words what I had been teaching before was no longer true. I had been spreading untruths to people. If I was stating God's purpose was something it wasn't, then would I not have been lying?
No you were not lying. You were reading scriptures and that is not lying. The interpretation was a bit off, but after analyzing the new understand, if you still insisted in teaching the old interpretation, then that would have been lying. Would you rather have the brothers not publish this new understanding? Progress is good. I'm sure that the brothers in Bethel knew that they were going to take heat for that change, but they went with the truth.
but after analyzing the new understand, if you still insisted in teaching the old interpretation, then that would have been lying.
So you are saying if she would have taught what she felt was the truth.....even if it was different than the society's new viewpoint.....it would have been a lie?
If this were true......then the society was also lying. If her old viewpoint was a lie......where did she get the viewpoint in the firstplace? Basically your saying.....all viewpoints that differ from the society and are vocalized are lies.....correct?
From 1971 - 1975 I was telling my school friends that they were all going to die in 1975.
What you were preaching back then is not my concern. That was your choice if you were wording it that way. I doubt you were following a demonstration fromt the Kingdom Ministry.
I guess you were concerned with people's futures whether the end was supposedly coming in '75 or anytime in the future. There's nothing wrong with that, it's better to be ready than no to be.
With the recent hurricane alerts in the Gulf of Mexico, many in the Texas coastline were taking precautions: boarding up windows, leaving the coastline. The hurricane missed Texas completely and instead hit Louisiana. Where those Texans wrong in taking precautions? Like the old saying goes: better safe than sorry.
There's nothing wrong with that, it's better to be ready than no to be.
Is it also better to make a false prophecy than to make none at all?
1975 WAS a predicted date! That was by the Organisation you support. Do you also feel it was better for all those who sold their homes and buisnesses to be ready just in case?
This comment must surely be added to the celebrated annals of thoughtess comments. It is probably the most understated comment it is possible to make about the rusty brains that set WTS dogma.
Go tell it all those who died prior to 1969 for refusing organ transplants, or those poor boys homosexually raped while in prison for following the WTS policy, since changed I might add, that precluded them taking up non-combatant duties.
Your organization has the blood of innocents on its hands. Wake up.
HS
Edited by - hillary_step on 4 October 2002 5:59:54
