by hoser 6 Replies latest jw friends
The latest study watchtower December 2016 study article by undeserved kindness you were set free has a picture at paragraph 19 of some construction workers.
I always thought the foreman wore a white hard hat.
Besides that I hate the term undeserved kindness. It demeans me.
If I had been kind to you and you abused the gesture, that would be misplaced kindness. THAT would be a demeaning thing to say about you. I don't get the undeserved thing either.
The JW's use "undeserved kindness" because Freddie Franz was too anti-historical-Christianity to use the term "grace".
grace (in Christian belief) = "the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings."
Ask just about any Christian and they'll be able to explain what "grace" is then ask a JW what is "undeserved kindness" and you'll get anything but an official Watchtower definition because the WT has a habit of redefining words to suit the hierarchy of their sectarian/religious-cult organization.
Typically, the supervisors wear white hardhats. The illustration depicts an actual KH project. There are 3 supervising elders telling one poor schmuck what to do. Each elder tells him to do something different. When he follows the direction of one elder, the other two have him disfellowshipped for not following the direction of Jehovah's appointed servants.
Yea: Jesus said: " good for nothing slaves-- why have you not--. let's face it, much of humanity deserves more kindness than to be considered bird feed. and ---white or gold hardhats are stowed in the rear car window-shelf for emphasis. exwlemming: good one.
The whole concept of sin and grace (aka "undeserved kindness") are the cornerstones of a sick, evil religion.
The idea that we as a race of sentient beings are "deserving of death" due to the actions of 2 people is down right revolting.
Try disciplining your kids for something they did not do over and over again. See how messed up they become.
^ truth be known
Exactly how I feel.
I wrote this about it a few years ago:
The wages sin pays is death
The notion of being a sinner is one that I struggle with. Religion plays its trump card in this area. Getting people to accept that they are somehow guilty of something they have absolutely no control over is, quite frankly, astonishing. Furthermore, that you deserve eternal punishment for this thing that you have no control over is also quite something.
The acceptance that you are a sinner puts religion in control from the outset. Accepting this ideology means that you now have to find a way out. A way to ‘atone’ for your inherent sin. This is where religion comes in. Your way out of sin is to practise or exercise faith in the particular religion which has convinced you that you are a sinner in the first place. But the modern day manner of exercising faith is fairly easy, by comparison. What do I mean? Well, the bible goes on at length about what gods people had to do thousands of years ago to atone for their sin. Animal sacrifice was a massive part of it. This costly and inhumane manner of worship apparently made the people constantly aware of their need to atone for their sin.
And that's just it for me. That's where religion has you right where they want you. The need for repentance and atonement puts religion at the forefront of your mind, day after day. In the case of Jehovah’s witnesses, you are duty bound to perform as many ‘fine works’ as you can. Preaching, teaching, going to meetings and assemblies are all ways in which you exercise faith in Jesus sacrifice. Yes, by convincing you that you are a sinner, the religion conveniently fills the gap that is required to ensure your salvation.
Previously, I referred to the scripture at Romans 5:12. This is used, along with the Genesis account, to explain why human beings grow old and die. But, it would strike me that animals also grow old and die. Yes, they die of the same or similar illnesses as humans. So, what is the reason for that? Or is it the case that cats and dogs just aren't intelligent enough to come up with a conscious explanation? What makes humans so special that we are to gain a way out of death and the animals aren't?
The blame apportioned to humans for their own death, which they have no control over is completely unjustified. To teach that a person is a sinner, despite having absolutely no control over it, yet again just doesn't make any sense to me. But the creation of the ideology as far as religion is concerned really does add up. It creates a reliance on something or someone else to ‘save’ a person – religious organisations and Jesus Christ.
Moving on from the idea of inherent sin is personally liberating. It removes any need for or reliance on a religion. It takes control away from religion entirely. It also creates a feeling of worthiness within a person. That you are worth something. That you are valuable. That you don't need or deserve to be subservient to an invisible God, simply to get by every day or to secure a future for yourself or your family. It empowers you to work out your own destiny, not waiting for someone else who is more powerful to do it for you.
