Why no JW charitable activities?

kgfreeperson

It is my impression that the only "community work" JWs do is door-to-door preaching. How do they justify never taking an active, or at least organized, role in alleviating suffering--even of their own members?

Lady Lee

They do the life-saving work of bring the good news to people so they can becomes slaves

DJ

My mom enlightened me one day that she was asked by her study conductor prior to baptism..."Do you know why you will go and do the field service work" My mom said "uh...." He said, "Because you love people...." I think that says enough right there.....she loves people because he told her that she did. This is how they justify everything. They go door to door so they don't have to give to a poor person,etc.. They gave at the office, type of mentality.

My dub sister told me one day that she USED to give $ to cystic fibrosis but she longer sees the need since becoming a jw because we will always have disease in this system. Scary, huh?

amac

I remember asking this question when I was an active JW and being told that the best help we could give people was teaching them about Jehovah so they could get everlasting life. And in my head I would think "Oh brother! What a crock."

Another reason I remember hearing as to why we didn't get involved with groups to save the earth was that only Jehovah could save the earth and in the new system we would be able to help save the earth. The society has an answer for everything that has the possibilty of distracting its loyal followers.

Stephanus

My dub sister told me one day that she USED to give $ to cystic fibrosis but she longer sees the need since becoming a jw because we will always have disease in this system.

I wonder if we can actually quantify the actual numbers of diseases that no longer exist or at least aren't the threat they once were when Russell began preaching. Perhaps Metatron has some data? But just off the top of my head: tuberculosis, cholera, smallpox, syphillis, typhoid, diptheria, rubella and polio. What about treatment of non-disease? Eg, all the breakthroughs in the new "bionic" technology; eyes, ears, and limbs. Cataracts can be cured with artificial lenses for your eye. Laser eye surgery. All breakthroughs because someone did research and someone provided the money for the research. Yes, we'll always have disease, but not of the range and severity that those of Russell's day experienced.

DJ

Stephanus,

She ought to know that shouldn't she? She told me this while we were searching for a cure for our father's brain cancer. I think that she heard the look I gave her....but it seems to me that jw's cannot connect things unless it is in the wt.

Goshawk

Just a shot in the dark.

But it is easier to isolate (read control) a person if the beings outside the good associations (control group) are dehumanized. The paradox of helping, caring for, or showing concern for a group that will be nothing but rotting meat for the birds (read could come at any time) would start the good association (read control group members) thinking of the outsied population as human beings with needs like theirs.

Goshawk