the martyr syndrome

by eyeuse2badub 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  eyeuse2badub

  What is the gravest sin a jw can commit? I’m not even going to consider the so called “unforgiveable sin” since no one knows what it is anyway! Is it lying, cheating, stealing, pride, envy, being gay? During my teen years in the 60’s, fornication and adultery seemed to be no, no! My mom had me and my 2 brothers scared shi*less about committing fornication! It must have worked because I didn’t commit fornication, I got married at 19! Lol! The only thing that anyone ever got df’ed for was sexual sins. I think that’s still the case even today. But is fornication/adultery more grievous to a jw than taking a blood transfusion? Sure both are considered gross sin, but which has the most lasting stigma attached to it and why? Both “sins” are conscience decisions. One gives momentary pleasure, one possibly saves a human life! Which one will jehober forgive?

  I think that most here agree that accepting a lifesaving blood transfusion is almost the ‘unforgiveable sin’ for a jw. But why is it considered such a horrific sin? IMHO I believe that it’s because or the “martyr syndrome” JW’s love their martyrs. Martyrs attain a hero status in jw land. JW parents are so proud when their child gets to die for refusing a blood transfusion! O the irony!

  End of my rant! What do you say?

  just saying!
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  sir82

  What is the gravest sin a jw can commit?

  For a JW, the unforgivable sin is asserting the belief, by words or actions, that the governing body is not an immediate and direct representative of Almighty God.

  Anything else - murder, child abuse, atheism, etc. - can be forgiven. But speaking or acting against the GB? There is no punishment strong enough, in their view.
  
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  FedUpJW

  /\ /\ /\ /\ /\ This pretty well sums it up.

  One could "curse God and die", and still have a chance. Deny Jesus multiple times and be forgiven. Say a negative word about any of the Gibbering Booby members and you have as well as been consigned to the lake of fire for all eternity.
  
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  ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara

  “I promise you that any of the sinful things you say or do can be forgiven, no matter how terrible those things are. But if you speak against the Holy Spirit, you can never be forgiven. That sin will be held against you forever.” — Mark 3:28-29 (CEV)

  Let’s face it – that’s a very sobering teaching! But let’s put it into context. Note that Jesus didn’t address his comments to his disciples or a mere crowd. He was talking specifically to Pharisees who had personally witnessed his miracle of completely and instantly healing a blind and mute demon-possessed man (Matthew 12:22). Rather than acknowledging the obvious fact that Jesus was exercising divine powers, the Pharisees were so spiritually depraved that they attributed his power to Satan (v. 24).

  “Their problem was not blind ignorance, but willful rejection,That deliberate refusal to believe, even though knowing the truth, seems to be what Jesus called the unforgivable sin.”

  As the Quest Study Bible puts it, “Jesus gave the solemn warning in these verses to people whose hard-heartedness placed them on the brink of disaster. Blasphemy against the Spirit evidently is not just a one-time offense; rather, it is an ongoing attitude of rebellion – a stubborn way of life that continually resists, rejects and insults the Holy Spirit. This is what makes it, in effect, an eternal sin (Mark 3:29). Blasphemy against the Spirit is not unforgivable because of something done unintentionally in the past, but because of something being done deliberately and unrelentingly in the present.”

  If you believe in god then you worry about this BS.

  Zing
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  Scully

  Saying that you think their beliefs are bullshit. That's the one that will get you tarred and feathered and tattoo'd with a scarlet A on your head.
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  Vidiot

  Hell, according to the "super-secret" () elders' manual, just thinking that the GB are wrong constitutes "apostasy", i.e. an unforgivable sin.
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  Doug Mason

  Zindagi ...

  Another way of looking at these passages in Mark (as well as with any other parts of the gospels) is to be cognisant of the time when it was written and the contexts.

  Mark was written about 70 CE and differences had started to emerge within those Jewish communities. It is quite rational to see the (anonymous) writers throwing barbs at their own contemporary opponents, namely the emerging Rabbinic Jews.

  Mark was written about the time of the destruction of the temple, so the Sadducees were suddenly deprived of their power and authority, enabling the Pharisees to exert themselves.

  All writers had their eyes firmly fixed on their contemporary situation. They wrote for the purpose of influencing their own immediate community. None of them wrote a documentary history.

  Doug
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  ZindagiNaMilegiDobaara

  @Scully...Thats one criteria for being a cult ie fear mongering and mind control.

  I do not give a goose.

  @Doug Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the above. I agree totally that yes all writers wrote with the purpose of influencing their audience/community.

  Zing