Are Jehovah's Witnesses Really Loving? (agape)

by metatron 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  metatron

  Jehovah's Witnesses used to quote "by this, all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love amoung yourselves"

  very prominently. Some older publications referred to this scripture FIRST in discussing the claim that the Watchtower

  has the true religion. If you check carefully, in recent magazines, you will notice that it has been de-emphasized - and

  downgraded to a lesser status.

  You don't need a degree in Theology to figure out why - the Watchtower finds the claim difficult to stomach, in view of

  the often minimal fellow-feeling that actually dominates congregations.

  From ancient Greek, we know that love can be defined several ways - such as principled, idealistic love ( agape),

  family love , or friendship, comradeship ( phila). ( I'll leave out eros).

  Are Witnesses good examples of agape - principled love? They claim their "ministry" shows this - but the motivation

  for doing it is primarily peer pressure ( "you must have put SOME time in this month, sister!") or selfish concern to

  avoid being slaughtered at Armageddon. Witnesses commonly make jokes about whose house they would like to

  own after the Great Tribulation, while walking from door to door.

  Witnesses also claim that their avoidance of war is principled love - but again, this is mostly a product of obedience

  to Watchtower commands, not because they love people. There are MANY religious and political groups opposed to

  war - even ENTIRE nations! Witnesses generally avoid any act of organized charity whatsoever. It is rare to find

  any who would admit to contributing to groups helping the poor or helpless like Amnesty Int'l, Habitat for Humanity,

  or Care. Either they get preached to - and saved as Witnesses - or they are damned as 'bird food' at Armageddon,

  so charity is not necessary.

  The tragedy of this is that it teaches people - ESPECIALLY CHILDREN - that such active compassion is a waste

  of time. Witness kids sadly get molded into the idea that Christianity is little more than "field service" and meeting

  attendance. No feeling - or even faith ( as shown by the scrupulous house to house records demanded by Circuit

  Overseers) - is needed. This lack of feeling is a big reason why their "ministry" is so dramatically unproductive -

  people at the doors quickly detect the fake smiles and mechanical obedience.

  metatron
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  OUTLAW

  Love amongst JW`s is conditional..They will turn on each other like rabid dogs..WBTS only need give the command..It often does...OUTLAW
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  joannadandy

  Great post Metatron.

  Obviously they do not have agape since every convention we had to have a talk reminding us to agape the hell out of each other no matter what. Meanwhile you could head into the women's bathroom to hear sister elder, and sister wanna-be, rip-apart sister doesn't attend enough because she is wearing the same dress she wore to the memorial.

  It's all bogus...anyone who honestly believes they all love each other unconditionally is kidding themselves. The sheer logistics of getting that many imperfect humans to be respectful of each other is impossible! People are evil and rude and uncaring, the JW's are no exception.
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  cruzanheart

  Interesting post, metatron. I agree that the emphasis on love has definitely been downplayed to a mere monotone recital of how wonderful "we" are. Before I left, I think I heard it more when they were giving talks on how we could contribute to the Society's coffers more than applying it to human beings. But whatever they SAY, what they DO proves there is no love anywhere in that organization.

  Nina
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  Big Tex

  "What you do speaks so loud I can't hear what you're saying." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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  Xandria

  Actually, I believe a very very, few know what true agape love is. The majority of JW's would not know what Agape love was if it came up and bit them. Literally.

  They would turn you in, just like the gestopo. If it meant them moving up the rank and file hell ya. Ah the holier than thou, love.. love is ..haughtiness, Lording ( almost wrote Larding oops ), controlling and deceptive to these people. I have had more loving encounters with a rattler than with some. At least I knew what drove the rattler to do what it did.... No guessing with the JW mentality. No wonder I question certain things or have a mistrust.

  Xandria
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  Elsewhere

  The bOrg is more concerned about LAW than LOVE.
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  Loris

  Great topic Metatron

  active compassion

  They don't have it. I was dissassociated nine months ago. My grown children left at the same time. No explanation, they just stopped attending meetings. Last weekend a brother came by to see if two of my sons could help him move some furniture. His daughter, my one time friend, is having to sell her house because she lost her job and she is disabled. She is moving into the parent's house and her furniture is going into storage. He made a point to walk over to me and pat me on the shoulder and ask how I was. (We were in the front yard at my house when he drove up)

  My point is that when we were active we could be counted on to help out anyone. Car trouble, Lawn clean-up after a storm, moving this same sister into her house, looking for stray cats under a house, whatever. I wondered at the time where were the other "companions" who were closer than brothers? Why could they count on us but no one else?

  Of course two of my sons and a daughter went to the sister's house and moved her furniture. I am very proud of my family. They did not pick up the conditional love practiced by that mob at the KH.

  Joannadandy

  You made me remember an experience at a District Convention a few years back. A pregnant sister in the ninth month had to go pee. She went to the ladies room and of course there was a long line. She asked if she could go to the front of the line and was told by the self appointed guardian of the door that everyone else had to go just as bad and she could just stand in line like them. Gutsy Gail said, "Well, Piss on you." and spread her legs and let loose a flood of pee in the corridor then walked away.

  Love- NO NOT AT ANY KH I EVER ATTENDED

  Loris
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  kls

  agape?a jw ? they are so plastic and fake .The only thing they want is to save their own asses.The only love they now is when the watchtower tells them . when to feel and how to feel.I rember going to meetings and the fake smiles and looking at each other was creepy.It was not narural or self taught. kls
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  Gamaliel

  When we first moved to "where the need was greater" from California, we felt true love out in the sticks. We were helped with gifts of furniture and semi-skilled labor to get our house set up. People were neighborly. We'd have other families over for meals. We'd help them fix things and they'd help us fix things. We associated with some of the nicest people for years. We had lots of friends in the whole circuit were extremely nice, and we were all generous with each other. My first experiences at Bethel included getting invited to parties, getting a nice air-conditioned job as a graphic artist(there were only a few in 1976), free meals and lodging all over Europe, sisters who were anxious to feed us in our local congregations, getting a beautiful room that looked out on a NY skyline, instant access to the Bethel library, the Gilead library and a couple private libraries.

  The truth is I was rather blind and unfeeling to what was happening to a lot of other people stuck in sweaty, factory jobs, or those who went to congregations and were ignored because there were too many Bethelites. It was partly luck that kept me blissfully ignorant. My brother was accepted and got a job designing electrical equipment, my roommate was involved in the new computer initiatives. Most people never got a job that they really wanted, I seemed to get everything I wanted without asking. I thought about a job in Writing, and even that looked it could happen. But then I started getting some of my questions answered. They pay attention to easy questions. The answer to hard questions is: "bye-bye."

  So I would have to say I felt loved, and I felt I was being loving and generous to others. But it wasn't a complete love, it matched what Jesus said in Matthew 5:

  For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?

  It looks like it was completely conditional, not conditioned on them or me, but conditioned on what they believe the Society is trying to tell them that they must think about me. Having been raised among them, it makes me wonder if I even know what love is. Some still act like they love me, and I believe I love some of them, but some who must have thought they loved me, now act like they hate me, and some who acted like they hated me are starting to act like they love me again. What's up with that?

  Gamaliel