I have a real problem with this one. Jesus said follow his steps closely. Never read in new testament about people living in convents. Paulus workt. Why should a person living in a convent put his faith on God? He already has food and living place set up for him. What about staying up to date about regular lives JWs in congregations live? How can you understand there problems if you live a sheltered life for decades. JWs in congregations trying to live according too bible principals( work for there food) live under the rules of People living in a convent ( live with help of contributions). It doesn't seem bíblical.
Should a Cristian live in a convent?(bethel)
by asp59 5 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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truth_b_known
1st Century Christians had no convents, but they all lived in a commune. You sold everything and gave the money to the congregation. In turn you would have you basic necessities met.
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DesirousOfChange
1st Century Christians had no convents, but they all lived in a commune. You sold everything and gave the money to the congregation. In turn you would have you basic necessities met. ~ Truth b known
TBK, when the WT crew assigned to review this board reads your post I'm really afraid of what you might have just initiated for JDubs.
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truth_b_known
DesriousOfChange:
The Watchtower knows and has known this. The story of Ananias and Sapphira is what comes to mind. They sold their land, donated some of the money, but stated they donated all of it. Peter called death down upon them for their deception and they died on the spot.
The Watchtower has always beat the drum of what a simple life 1st Century Christians lived. Sure, they had jobs, but not much in the way of material possessions. Most Christians, especially in the United States, would refuse to live this way. The Watchtower also knows this.
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road to nowhere
Truth b
Yes, but WT has held special regard for Lydia because "she was rich". It was in one of the study books
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Anony Mous
You must understand that there were different Christian faiths (actually Jewish sects) in the early centuries. So the Bible reflects different stories from Paul, Peter and others.
It seems some Christians did indeed cut themselves off from the world in order to wait for the end of the world to come (basically a doomsday cult version). They seemed to have all died off (for obvious reasons).
I don't have a problem with people choosing to cut themselves off from the world for religious reasons, there may be legitimate reasons to do this (eg. people with feelings of pedophilia or people with PTSD) and may even be beneficial (becoming deeply learned and being able to share that wisdom with the community). To say you are required to live your life like that is an entirely different thing.
The Christians living in a commune thing is highly unlikely, some people have brought that up, but the reason Ananias and Sapphira were killed in the story, is because they lied and bragged about their donating all their possession when in reality they kept some for themselves (more of an OT punishment, fitting to some Christians that still believed in the strict Deuteronomical law).
The idea of an intentional communal living situation with its own religious and legal system for a permanent system (not to wait for the 'end to come'), did not exist until it was dangerous and full enough in places like Europe for some people to want to exit 'society' into the recently discovered lands like the Americas. This was a way of both political and religious thinking through the Victorian period that culminated in Engels and Marx.