by Gig 6 Replies latest jw friends
I'm fairly new here but regularly I read posts that recognize the significant lack of love among JW's. Would I be speaking too simply to say that since God is love... they just haven't truly accepted Him into their hearts rendering them incapable of exibiting pure Christian love in their lives?
Love isn't something we do FOR Him, it's something He does THROUGH us. I believe the WT requirements pushes it right out of them. Everything we do is motivate either by love or fear.
Oversimplyfying? No. I think the JW's overcomplicate things. Ray Franz made a good point in one of his books- Some things we just cannot understand- YET. The jw's and others try to come up with all the answers- plus "strive" toward perfection. It is a good thing to always try to improve upon ourselves but to strive with the impossible as our goal dooms us to failure. It also makes us very judgemental. We fail so miserably that we direct our own attention to the shortcomings of others. By doing that we do not have to dwell so harshly on our own shortcomings. IMHO any person or people who set such unreachable goals or standards for themselves and their followers are clearly going to lack in the "love" department. This, to me, is simple to understand- whats the old saying- "You must first love yourself before you can love someone else". And it is hard to love yourself when you always see failure in the mirror- The dilima of a jw life.....
Gig,
I don't think you are over simplifying at all.
What has happened is MANY JW's have The WTBS in thier hearts....not Jehovah or Jesus. So it makes for very cold friends....and not TRUE spiritual family.
Jesus who had the right to tennis courts and luxury 5 star hotel stays did not have a place to lay his head. Still this being the case he collected money for the poor. To make thier life more comfortable....not His.
Now I do know some JW's who go for Jehovah and The Christ and without them some of us would have never lasted so long as JW's.
There was a Brother my children and I would not have ever eaten if not for him. An elderly pioneer couple made most of my service possible. Even now dissed there is a Sister who if I needed her would even let me move in with her! Very Christ like...still and all she is not afraid because she owns about every bound volume avaliable and can take you to an articel of a paragraph in any of them to show why she feels what she does is correct. Having this knowledge she has made her not afraid of the elders.
Still this shows lack of love in the JW Org.The Sister I speak of...the reason she studied so hard is because years ago...long b4 scandels....she was dissed without a hearing. She was having problems....2 elders visited....reported to the other elders and they announced her removal!! She was never consulted. For awhile she wondered in the world and when the day came she decided to return she swore no one would ever put her in that position again! So now SHE tells the elders how it is....not them her!
The JW Religion is one of the coldest and most FAITH breaking Religion out there! When I walked into the Sister's home who I have been speaking of her walls are cover with bound volumes and other publication dating back to who knows when!! I get the chills just walking in as it so reminds me of the Pharisees of Jesus days. What everyday person who works....takes care of a family.....household responsibilitys.....preparing for meetings on current lessons.....preparing for service at least once a week if not 3 or 4 times.....what person could keep up with all this just to DEFEND themselves in thier FAITH against the shepards of the flock?!?!?! How cold and Un-LOVING in deed.
You know the Pharisees were not acused of pagen influance in thier worship.....they were acused of having twisted the scriptures. They had no love. The one thing that GOD is....GOD IS LOVE.
Jesus represented His Father perfectly......and thus He ate and Drank with tax collectors and ladies of unfortunate employment. He did not tell them they were correct in thier life style BUT He did love them and share Good News with them about His Father.
All a person needs is a bible,thier Heavenly Father.....Our Savior Christ Jesus.... Jah's Holy Ghost....and LOVE. No one should need the knowlegde of a Hundred Books from Men (who can't be sure if the light is bright enough or not ) to defend themselves from Shepards of the flock!
Anyway...I am on a tangent now..... and I am baking snowman coookies....so no time for tangents
Ty for making me think Gig...
Agape,
Utopian_Raindrops
Every person in any organization, has to be looked at individually. There can be some really loving people in any organization or religion, and the complete opposite. I do not know if I would make up my mind on the love in the Jehovah's Witnesses based on a board of Ex-Jw's. You would have to see both sides to understand.
Gig- It is that easy, and I think Kelsey summed it pretty well.
Whyhideit, by way of clarification I definately didn't come to any conclusion based only on what I have read here (ex/anti JW). I have attended enough meetings, read enough WT books and mags, and then engaged enough JW's myself to recognize it, even as a potential candidate in their eyes. I saw it and obvoiously most here have seen it as well. Evaluate individually, yes...altogether fair and proper. BUT, the WT "effect" is by design and supposed to dull their loving senses enough to REJECT anyone and everyone who simply disagrees with ANYTHING WT related. That rejection certainly isn't christian because it is the opposite of the Bible's teachings about love.
Faith hope and love, and the GREATEST is love. Thanks for your reply, I'm SURE we're on the same team.
