How many of you find it extremely frustrating to discuss the bible with friends and relatives who are still jw's? I never before appreciated the amount of conjecture and speculation jw's (myself included at one time) put into every biblical passage. For example: Jesus says at Luke 12:42, "Who than is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?" To the jw, this verse indicates that there will be a God appointed organization of men who will be given the task of interpreting and applying the holy sciptures to a small group of bible adherents that come into existance during the last few decades of the nineteenth century. This, inspite of the fact, that Jesus makes no such statement in the text. Jesus gave the illustration of the faithful and wise servant in response to Peter's question about a previous parable, "Lord, are you telling this parable to us or to everyone?" Clearly, the intent of Jesus illustration of the wise servant, was to show the disciples that all share the responsiblity to care for one another spiritually, and will be held accountable for what we do with this responsibility.
It's very difficult to get past this type of reasoning, but I feel it is critically important to reach out to those who are still on the inside.
Just a thought... Tech 597