Loyalty...When Is It Right or Wrong?

by BluesBrother 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  BluesBrother

  You will remember the frequent exhortations to "Maintain loyalty" to Jehovah..a thinly disguised instruction to never question the WTS. Sometimes they came out and said it :

  Wt (simplified) 7/15 2011 pp10-16

  "8] No matter what false teachers say, we will not follow them! We have no reason to listen to people who are like wells with no water. Those who listen to them will be disappointed. We are determined to be loyal to Jehovah and to his organization. This organization has never disappointed us and always gives us an abundance of pure waters of truth from God’s Word"

  Of course the quality of loyalty is, in principle, an admirable one. To be true to one's standards , loyal to your wife and family , are correct and praiseworthy things ...But.....this good quality can easily be exploited by those in control of others. Loyalty is demanded as a right to those men and organizations who no longer work for the good of their subordinates . This comment from the North Korean regime this week started this chain of thought :

  "Even if we give up our lives, we should continue to show our loyalty to our leader, Kim Jong-un, until the end of our lives", the newspaper said, demanding a "70-day campaign of loyalty".

  We see it as manipulation and exploitation , misplaced loyalty. Although there may be no comparison with the physical harm done to the North Koreans, we see in the WTS a requirement of loyalty to the men running the organization as indistinguishable from loyalty to God.... I call that misplaced .
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  JW_Rogue

  This organization has never disappointed us and always gives us an abundance of pure waters of truth from God’s Word

  This a very odd sentence, they are telling 8 million people how they are supposed to feel. How can they say that no one has been disappointed? Why do some leave if they aren't disappointed by something?
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  Finkelstein

  The comparison to authoritative dictatorship of whats happening in North Korea to the WTS is quite similar on many aspects but so too are other religious cults.

  To cultivate mind control you usually have to establish self serving propaganda to acquire and sustain that mind control and this is accomplished by provoking fear and ignorance.

  Loyalty first before evaluative rational reasoning.
  
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  Finkelstein

  The majority of people who left the JWS was due of finding out the water of spiritual truth was tainted with self organized corruption.
  
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  talesin

  To the OP, BB. I instantly thought of the expression "loyal to a fault". That would describe one of my parents, and I've learned that sometimes it's good to examine who and what you are loyal to, and perhaps change that focus to another purpose. It's good to be faithful, loyal - it's a sign of a good friend. Once you find out that the object of your trust is false, it's time to let go of being loyal to them. xx tal
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  Phizzy

  As I pointed out on another Thread, the supporters of the Nazi Party were loyal, and of course ISIS supporters are loyal, or lose their heads, literally.

  It only makes sense to be loyal to a Cause that has proved itself worthy.

  Has the WT/JW religion done this ?
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  Vidiot

  Loyalty is "right" when it's deserved.

  It's "wrong" when it isn't.
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  prologos

  The Nuremberg trials, even of the lower cadre established, that following wrong commands from "above" are no excuse for misdeeds committed under orders, or feelings of loyalty. If Armageddon and the wt 1000 year Reich do not come by 2075, all perpetrators will be guilty as charged. laughable loyalty.
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  Ucantnome

  This organization has never disappointed us and always gives us an abundance of pure waters of truth from God’s Word"

  i think think they have a sense of humour.