Double post
JWs Letters Target Recently Bereaved
by steve2 18 Replies latest watchtower scandals
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joe134cd
Dose anyone know the location in NZ that happened in. -
Heaven
JWs... the ambulance chasers of the religious world.
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darkspilver
I suppose the problem is the WT's use of scriptures such as Eccl 7:2
If you still have the WT Library cd-rom, just search for "obituary" and you'll find stuff like this:
Yeah, I suppose you could - but how many R&F wanting to expand their public ministry would seriously actually do that
No, much better off looking in the WT Index under 'Field Ministry'
This then directs you to the back page of the April 2008 Our Kingdom Ministry:
Comfort the Mourning Ones
1 Losing a loved one in death is a traumatic experience, especially for those who do not have the Kingdom hope. (1 Thess. 4:13) Many often wonder: ‘Why do people die? Where do they go? Will I ever see my loved one again?’ Below are some suggestions for giving comfort to those we meet in field service who are mourning the death of a relative or a friend.—Isa. 61:2.
2 From Door to Door: A householder may tell us that he just had a death in his family. Is he in emotional turmoil? Is the house filled with grieving relatives? In such cases, it may be best not to give an extended witness. (Eccl. 3:1, 7) Perhaps we can express our sympathy, give him an appropriate tract, magazine, or brochure, and excuse ourselves. Then we can return at a more suitable time to share further comfort from the Bible.
3 On other occasions, we may discern that more can be said on the initial call. Though this is not the time to refute wrong views, we may be able to read with them the Bible’s promises regarding the resurrection. (John 5:28, 29) Or we could share what the Bible says about the condition of the dead. (Eccl. 9:5, 10) A Biblical account of a resurrection may also provide comfort. (John 11:39-44) Another option would be to consider the words of hope in Jehovah expressed by faithful Job. (Job 14:14, 15) Before leaving, we may offer What Happens to Us When We Die?, When Someone You Love Dies, or another appropriate brochure or tract. Or we might leave the Bible Teach book, draw attention to the information in chapter 6, and arrange to discuss the subject further when we return.
4 On Other Occasions: If a funeral or memorial service is being held at the Kingdom Hall, will unbelievers be present? Literature that provides comfort could be made available for them. Some funeral homes have appreciated having some appropriate literature on hand for grieving families. At times, funeral notices appearing in the newspaper have opened the way for writing a brief comforting letter to bereaved family members. In one case, after receiving a letter that included some tracts, a widower and his daughter went to the publisher’s home and asked: “Are you the people that sent me this letter? Well, I want to know more about the Bible!” The man and his daughter agreed to a Bible study and began attending congregation meetings.
5 Ecclesiastes 7:2 says: “Better is it to go to the house of mourning than to go to the banquet house.” The mourner is usually in a better frame of mind for listening to God’s Word than the merrymaker. All of us should be alert to recognize appropriate opportunities to comfort those who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
DarK SpilveR
That's all folks!
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jwfacts
Heather Henare, from grief counselling service Skylight, was not aware of any cases of religions targeting grieving people, but people in grief were more susceptible to sales pitches.
"It is a time, unfortunately, people take advantage of people."
This quote from the article nicely sums up the situation.
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sherrie11
Joe, it was Wellington in NZ
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sparrowdown
I coud never bring myself to tell some grieving person I met in the D2D work that their loved one was not in heaven. It just seemed cruel and insensitive to bring these things up in their time of grief.
I always felt like I was being a bad witness, bad, bad witness tsk tsk, for it though.
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steve2
Yes, joe, it was Wellington. The newspaper had an article on the topic on 31st May and one the following day with another example of bereaved relatives being targeted by JWs.
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joe134cd
Thanks sherrie11 & steve 2.