When you were really "in", did you have a pet idea that would steer wt into divine favor?

by prologos 9 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  prologos

  WT writers ( Klein) admitted at one time, that His Majesty's doctrinal Ship was zigzagging to find the right course, and many of us believed, that if we accepted the Bible as true, cleaning up the teachings would establish the right bearing. so: Did you have a hobby-horse idea you were riding? Writing to Brooklyn perhaps? button holing whoever would listen? here was mine:

  We were all Spiritual Israelites, not just the partakers. key text: Rev.7. the sealed come out of the 12 tribes, so the members of these tribes must be greater and more numerous than the 144 000 spread over ~ 2000 years.

  As Shakespeare, presently in vogue, might say : "much ado about nothing", yet it is interesting to dwell into these follies.
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  Village Idiot

  My "pet" idea was an explanation, through metaphor, of Christ's relationship to God and the Holy Spirit. It was based on the JW, non-Trinitarian concept of Representative Christology. Ready?

  God was like a sun and the Holy Spirit (impersonal) was like the sunlight. Christ, the son of God (created as firstborn), was like a prism through which the light shone turning it into a rainbow. All the angels and perfect humans were like diamonds reflecting the light from the prism (Holy Spirit) their sparkling being the act of worship.

  Fallen men were like dirty lumps of coal from which diamonds could be made when held under enormous pressure.

  This belief in mind was in contrast to the JW metaphor in which an individual JW was like a piece of charcoal in a coal heap - all the JWs - which would die out unless it remained close to the others. Of course, this was an analogy which ignored the act of individual salvation in favor of group salvation which the Watchtower holds so dear.

  I never wrote to Brooklyn, they would have just sent the letter to the local congregation. I did mention it to one of the elders who was later part of my judicial committee (For a reason that was unrelated to my disfellowshipping). The elder had used the charcoal analogy implying that I was getting too far away from the heap which represented the organization. I responded to that with my analogy which showed that being in proximity to others was not a prerequisite to salvation.

  It's so good to be clear headed now. I don't waste my imagination counting angels on the heads of pins.
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  prologos

  That is a very interesting analogy. I have to sleep on that. Wt would not be interested. how would money flow out of that pot at the end of your refracted rainbow? Their internal glow can not grow.
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  Ucantnome

  No
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  jookbeard

  the old fables and urban legends that there are hidden manuscripts in the Vatican that prove the WTS is being used by God, and that the Devil is so convinced that jw's are truly gods chosen people that he would do anything to get us to leave the faith etc, I believed it for a little whole, sad was'nt I!
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  Anders Andersen

  At two separete occasions single (divorced) sisters (one older, one younger) engaged me in a conversation about how they feared to end up all alone in Paradise.

  Both were told by some nutcase JWs that 'in paradise nobody gets married anymore. So if you're single at Armageddon, you're single forever.' Thanks for making them feel better, @55hole!

  Anyway, I told both of them that WT reasoning on this topic didn't make sense, and Jesus clearly referred to those with a heavenly calling only when he said they wouldn't get married but 'be like angels'.

  Not long after we got some 'new light' saying we shouldn't be dogmatic on this point. Probably GB were getting tired of all the single sister writing letters to inquire about their paradise prospects to get lai....eh married.

  Another topic was: will we see children that never made it because of a miscarriage in ressurection? WT said no, I said yes, no reason to think otherwise. WT also changed their position on that.

  But so did I. That's the one thing I don't like about having discovered that the whole God/Bible thing doesn't make sense: I won't live forever with my wife and daughter. I will never get to see and hold my first child who unfotunately was never born. I won't see my father again.

  But then again: if something "appears too good to betrue, it usually is. Don’t be quick to believe advertising claims and testimonials, thinking, “This is different.”"
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  prologos

  AA: "-- he said they wouldn't get married but 'be like angels'. I always covered the two possible outcomes by referring to male nipples, possibly under the angels garments or the 6 wings, those breast ornaments never seem to raise our desire to nurse children in men right?, and ladies desires are hormone driven, so, as "children of the resurrection", without those chemicals urging you on, why would you have the maddening intense desire to procreate?

  "--will we see children that never made it because of a miscarriage? Sorry for you about that experience, good though, because miscarriages might be nature's way of stopping an unviable fetus to go on. I had the unfortunate experience to actually see the expelled embryo, because it was happening in an emergency hospital. No point of a resurrection there, except a re-implant into the healed womb, so, You must be talking of a very late term interruption, perhaps when a name was already picked, which we experienced too.

  Just discussing the text, without endorsing the extended talking snake tale.
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  elbib

  My pet idea was an analogy some WT writer used in one Awake! article which made my faith in God extremely firm: A blind man cannot design a camera, and matter is purely material which has no sense of vision.

  Then I wrote to the Writing Committee informing them how much I liked the analogy. In return they wrote something very profound: "A blind man who is in the operation theatre for an eye-surgery does well in not arguing with the medical staff that 'first you prove me light exists, then only you perform the surgery.' Blind man has nothing to lose--if at all he loses something it will be darkness.
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  Anders Andersen

  With regards for my lost child: I know about the mechanics. I now also know that up to 50% of all fertilized eggs are miscarried, most of them without the woman even knowing they were (about to be) pregnant. 'Fortunately' for us our miscarriage was very early in the pregnancy, however as it was our first we were very happy and in anticipation of the joy ahead. Regardless we would welcome a 're-implant' or ressurection or whatever. Again: as many opinions as people believing that 'extended talking snake tale' (lol @ that)

  @elbib,
  What they said about the blind man refusing operation can be understood as:
  

  We (the JW leaders) are medical staff and know best. Your are (spiritually) blind. Obey us. Trust us. Don't ask questions. You have nothing to lose, because if we're wrong everyone is wrong, and you're blind anyway.

  It's a false dichotomy, and I think it's more haughty and condescending than profound ;-)
  
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  prologos

  Anders Andersen: "believing that 'extended talking snake tale' (lol @ that). My pet project as in the OP was to base my observation, course corrections on the belief in the bible, it being the inspired, the inerrant Word of God. well, with the creator emerging imhop as the great scientist that he/ she is, only a handful of bible references are accurate. It is truly a Spin-on of the talking snake store. without that fable, there is no original sin, no need for the ransom, paying of ransom, slaving for the Guardians Of the talking snake Doctrine. I get great satisfaction of thinking, listening to a pompous pontification from the platform, " this person really believes in talking snakes!, asses (donkeys) RNWT!"