Watchtower and Community Service

by hillbilly 22 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Mum

  I was in a Shriner's Hospital for Crippled Children as a child for about a year altogether. I also visited their outpatient facility annually for check-ups. I had some cognitive dissonance (or whatever it's called) about not even being able to buy a Shrine newspaper. The Shriners were Freemasons, too!

  Toward the end, when I was doubting, I started doing some volunteer work at my daughter's school. Once I went to my (elder) husband's place of employment selling raffle tickets for a school fund raiser. When I saw the expression on his face and heard how he said, "What are you doing?!" I think I knew the end of my days in Dubdom were in sight.

  Since I left, I have been a volunteer teacher of English as a Second Language, served on various church committees, volunteered at my granddaughter's school, and done volunteer work on other community projects such as exterior house painting in a poor neighborhood, donating to food pantries and assisting real live neighbors in need.

  It's much better this way. I am not dangling the carrot in front of people, but actually feeding them.

  Sandra
• 

  dsgal

  I was told that community service was like putting a band-aid on a heart attack.They are so far away from something which was a big part of Jesus' ministry.He knew people needed help right then and he helped them.This is one area where witnesses are sorely lacking.
• 

  Mary

  I still do volunteer work (I haven't been able to though the last 5 weeks.....not till I'm recovered) and have asked this question many times to our elders. Their response is: while there's nothing WRONG with doing volunteer work, our time would be much better spent in the ministry. Charity work will not serve mankind's long term problems, only the Kingdom will. Therefore, don't bother wasting your time helping some poor soul out now, as hours in Service are far more important!

  Whenever we have a WT study on the Good Samaritan, there's always comments made saying that that's what WE'RE doing: we are preaching to our "enemies". I get really irritated and the last time it happened, I put up my hand and explained that this illustration that Jesus gave is not talking about preaching, it's talking about performing acts of kindness and helping people out with MATERIAL needs, end of story.

  Needless to say, the Hall was dead quiet after I said that. After all, everyone knows its true. But seeing as no one in the Hall actually DOES any charity work, then there's that uneasy feeling that they're not doing what Jesus told them to do.
• 

  mouthy

  Perry my blood boiled as I read your first post!!!!good job you corrected it!!!!

  Yes We never helped in the "wicked world" did we? But since coming out I have been a probation

  officers asst:,Chaired a support group for EX JW for over 12 years-Housed any that have been thrown out of their houses by their families ( showing how much they love them HMMMM) Until they could get apartments etc.... Given interviews etc: to expose the false Profits!!!( I know it isnt spelt that way-it is my way)
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  Preston

  I actually did some volunteer work while I was still pimpin' for the FDS. I took a class in sociology as a requirment for my B.S.. Part of my grade rested on completing some form of volunteer work. Since the project had to be approved by my teacher, I asked my teacher If my..."public (wink, wink)ministry" for my church could fulfill the requirement... He did the right thing by saying no, because I volunteered at a nursing home for the project, and I had a blast. I got to hear senior citizens talk about sex, play games with them, and wheel them around for lunch. When iItold one of my JW friends what I did, he told me that he took a similar class, and was able to get around it by claiming his field service anyway. He wondered why I didn't bitch enough to my teacher to get around it... One of my elders though, was impressed. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that his wife was a nurse, so he had a higher degree of respect toward working with the elderly....
• 

  Pistoff

  Perry, you could have been WT writer, that is some good stuff; course, I am such a patsy I found myself feeling guilty for wanting to do charitable works.

  I think I am being called a bigot on that blood salvage machine thread, because I am calling the donation a self-serving hypocritical publicity stunt.

  I recognize media manipulation when I see it.
• 

  SLOAN

  Pistoff,

  You are DEAD ON!! That's exactly what it is: a publicity stunt. Just so they can publish it in there literature and speak of it in the media.

  They make me SICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• 

  Buster

  The 'we don't help the world around us' attitude goes all the way back. Can you imagine a Christian religion that refused to so much as even pray for an end to war. These things must occur, and it would be contrary to God's will pray otherwise. Russell touted that one all through WWI.

  What an absolute ignorance of the 'Do unto others' rule. How would they like it if they weere a victim of a violent crime and we, as neighbors, wouldn't help - because the signs of the times called for an increase in crime, and God must have intended it so.

  I remember giving the old JW attitude when asked for contributions in a department store parking lot. I was sooooo proud of myself. But now I enjoy community service, in several forms. Though I do typically avoid religion-based charity efforts. I'll do more when the kids are raised.

  (Perry, I also thought you were serious until I read other posts - nice job)
• 

  Perry

  Wow, I wrote the little satire piece thinking that I'd get a laugh. In retrospect it really isn't very funny. After reading the comments from some really nice people it just drove home the fact how vunerable we all are to words.

  Without question, that piece is in direct opposition to everything Jesus stood for. He didn't give a good ficus about what was in the future, he lived in the here and now!

  Isn't it a tad bit scary how a skillful use of words can cannabalize an entire body of works for strictly selfish ends and make it appear right? Whether Christ was the son of the almighty or not is a personal question. But, the fact remains that he did charitable works constantly.....because he could.

  If we can....we should. Life has so much more meaning when we do. Too bad the WT misses so much joy in the here and now and simply pimps its followers for the crack cocaine high of self-righteousness. Amen.
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  hillbilly

  Perry --satire?-- I thought you cut and pasted that from the WT CD ROM-- I was going to ask you to edit it only to add the issue and date. In escence you summed up every attitude I ever heard from the collective intelliegence of my spirtual leadership.

  HATE THE ORG_LOVE THE PEOPLE, HB