Just got back from the WT Study and it overall was just so blindingly biased and leading.
I had to read it from the platform too, I hope they couldn't see the confounded look on my face as I read this craziness out!
First we consider the faith of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and Moses.
All of these people are held up as sterling examples of blind faith, with the article pointedly saying that their imaginations sustained their faith in gods promises for them.
No mention anywhere at all that all of these characters saw and talked to angels, spoke to god himself, saw and performed miracles, or any of the other feats experienced by these characters.
No, according to the article the greatest drive for these ones was the faith they had because of this: "If we visualize what God has promised to do, we are thinking about something that will definitely happen."
Abraham et al get 4 paragraphs worth of discussion. No mention of Abraham's immense wealth, or that he was literally surveying the country that was promised to him. No, he did it because "It is likely that Abraham’s ability to form a mental picture of what God had promised enabled him to perform outstanding acts of faith."
A great side note on this subheading is the emphasis placed on the fact that they "did not receive the fulfillment of the promises in their lifetime". HINT HINT Brothers don't expect to see this in your lifetime!
Moses gets the same rundown in paragraphs 11-13.
These 3 end with this gem: "Even when Pharaoh threatened Moses with death, his faith, love for God, and likely a mental picture of a bright future strengthened him to face the threat courageously."
Haha... NO! I'm pretty sure having had a conversation with god and then making various plagues occur at will gave him this courage. No imagination needed.
Now we get to the best part. Paragraphs 14-18. How nowadays we can follow these example of blind faith (as portrayed by the article, that is)
Paragraph 14: "Such hopes of those who ignore Jehovah’s purpose for the future are mere fantasies." Yes, don't try to bother getting a good job, stuff like that is fantasy.
Paragraph 15: "On the other hand, as Christians we are encouraged by visualizing our hope... Perhaps you “see” yourself living on earth forever. Think about cooperating with others in making this globe into a paradise... You are healthy, energetic, and have a bright outlook." Yes, these ideas are reality!! "This appealing mental picture is based on Scriptural truths about the future."
Paragraph 16-18: Wrapping up saying we have to tell others about these wonderful "truths"
Just WOW.