Millie210 posted this on another thread - I thought it deserved it's own OP:
I took an elderly friend to the meeting last night. The study is in the "Imitate Their Faith" book which is merely a compilation of previous short stories about Bible characters that were featured in a series of Watchtower articles.
They waste no time beginning their spinning and supposition with the Cain/Abel story. They launch a theory that perhaps Eve had the prophecy of Gen. 3:15 in mind when she uttered the words "I have produced a man with the aid of Jehovah".
They slyly introduce this thought with the phrase "her words suggest..." this is what she thought.
Her words in no way suggest anything of the sort but they dont let that fact interfere whatsoever as they continue to build on it but switch tactics and ask the statement they had just made but now its in question form:"Did Eve think she was the woman mentioned in Genesis 3 and Cain was the seed"?
They could have just as easily asked was Eve a unicorn? Because at this point they have just turned it in to a question...no liability/accountability there, right?They then go on to make some strong statements prefaced with "if"
If she fed Cain such ideas growing up, they did his imperfect pride no good."
Then they mention Abel and his names meaning. The meaning is supposedly "breath" "air" "vapor". This word can be used as vanity also as it is later in Ecclesiastes. So guess which meaning they leap on? Breath? Nope.
Vanity. They then make the jaw dropping statement followed by the sneaky question:
Did that choice of a name reflect lower expectations as if they put less hope in Abel than in Cain?We can only guess"
Now that this groundwork has been laid (on absolutely nothing) they warn parents not to "fail" with their children like Eve did by fostering pride and ambition instead of love for Jehovah (apparently these are the only two choices in child rearing) lest you end up with a murderer for a son.
Of course by this time the informational damage has been done. No one discounts everything above when they see that final statement. Instead they get the heavy message that what Cain did is Eves fault and it was due to bad parenting which is defined as NOT teaching your child to love Jehovah but to have pride and ambition instead.
I guess its because my eyes are so open now but I see this SO clearly and I was completely dumbfounded at the audacity with which they do it AND with the apparent nonchalance of the audience who parroted back comments without any seeming shock whatsoever.
Oh, and one final though. They dont have their definition of Abels name very accurately rendered either if you look at outside sources.
Im so glad I got asked to go and that I went. It reinforced why NOT going is such a good idea. In my search for truth, they merely snarl up the process. Such a waste of time.