Karl Klein's life experience......WTF?

by logansrun 5 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  logansrun

  From the Oct. 1, 1984 Watchtower page 28:

  "It may be added that I am thankful to Jehovah that when I was spiritually weak the opportunity for yielding to temptation did not lie close at hand and that when it did I was spiritually strong enough not to yield. In other words, the inclination toward wrongdoing and the opportunity for it never coincided, for Jehovah knew that at heart I really wanted to keep doing the right thing. How grateful I am that errors are not what Jehovah watches! -- Psalm 130:3"

  Okay, is it just me or does this thought not raise a mountain of philisophical and theological problems? Klein insinuates that he actually knew what was going on in the mind of God and that he actively interfered in his life. This line of thinking borders on solipsism.

  What about all those who are "God fearing" people who "want to do what is right" and yet sin on occassion? (King David, Peter etc..) Why didn't God alter their life course so they did not carry out their temporary moment of weakness? Or does God play favorites? Are those that do fall into weakness actually evil people who do not want to do the right thing?

  Anyone else see this?

  Bradley
• 

  VeniceIT

  From what I heard by people that knew Klien personally that article was a farce. He has a whole huge section on Rutherford and how great he was 'blah blah blah' when in truth someone that knew him well told us that he was Terrified of Rutherford and had nightmeres and couldn't sleep at night and slept most of the time on his couch, I guess it wasn't a huge secret his fear of the man, and then in this article he's like ohh he was just great.

  Makes you wonder how much of that article is true or not..............

  Ven
• 

  Francois

  I see it as you apply it and I see it as it applies to divorce. "What God joins together let no man put asunder." Yet divorce is rampant. Therefore God has nothing to do with marriage and never did. It is purely a human contrivance, this marriage business. See it?
• 

  metatron

  One of the more sickening aspects of Bethel life was what we called 'ass-kissing'
  or 'kissing up' - often flattery and yes-man behavior designed to aid one's Theocratic
  career.

  I recall Karl Klein making a pious flattering comment in the Bethel Watchtower study
  about how great Knorr's direction of the Society was. ------- you guessed it! Knorr
  was conducting!

  Klein was also rumored to be the hatchett man for some articles on pop music. He was into
  the classical stuff and would freely attack pop lyrics, without regard for accuracy
  or the comments of the composers ( Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds = LSD).

  Still, his life story had an unusual amount of honesty in it - Rutherford saying he
  made an ass of himself, etc.

  metatron
• 

  logansrun

  Yes, Karl did have an unusual honesty about certain things and was known to be on the emotional side. All the same I still find this particular comment in his life experience quite perplexing, and even, condescending (why did God allow me to be tempted? Am I not worthy of his maneuvering events in my life?).

  Best,

  Bradley
• 

  BluesBrother

  Or does God play favorites?

  According to J W teaching, yes.

  How about the experiences during the second world war, and other times. Some people, we are led to believe were "Spared" detection and internment by divine intervention. "Jehovah blinded the eyes of the persecutors"

  Others were rounded up and faced horrible conditions and for some, death. Why were some spared and not others? were they more worthy?

  I always suspected that it was really just the luck of the draw.