The org gets a free pass and doesn't have to meet its own rules. If someone is stumbled by the org going beyond what is written, then that's their fault for lacking humility and not waiting on Jehovah. The individual is always to blame, never the cult.
What Happens If the JW Beard Policy Stumbles a Person
by Cold Steel 37 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Anony Mous
When I made that argument they said it was impossible to be stumbled by the guidance of the faithful and discreet slave. Elders, FDS and CO can by definition not stumble anyone.
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Ding
Stumbling = doing anything not approved of by the elders or anyone higher in the WT hierarchy.
Sometimes rank and file JWs use "stumbling" to try to control fellow JWs as well by saying, "You are stumbling me."
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WTWizard
And suppose that prying into people's business makes someone stumble? Unlike the beards, there is clear directive that those who pry into others' business are supposed to be marked as walking disorderly. This includes those who are stumbled because of every little thing (presumably to engineer the congregation). You don't like MP3 players because someone could be playing Led Zeppelin music? Too damn bad. You want everyone wearing white shirts? Why?
If I was a hounder-hounder and saw virtually everyone wearing the same color shirts, I would call a hounder's meeting and demand why everyone is wearing the same color shirt. Ditto for skirts that are all the same height, suit coats all about the same color, shoes that are all black (or some other color), and so on. Chances are good that it is because someone just had to impose a stupid rule, and my rule would be there will be no rules issued within the congregation unless they had a valid reason for it. Ditto if "sisters" wore skirts without pants in frigid weather (if they all did so), or the men all had their sweat boxes on when out in field circus in blistering heat. As for not leaving something with women in field circus, I would ask "What is this, Mea Shearim? We are not in ultra-orthodox territory, so there are no rules to be issued to emulate ultra-orthodox country".
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Londo111
BTW...in regard the OP, I would say Russell was the JW Hubbard and Rutherford the JW David Miscavige.
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Wake Me Up Before You Jo-Ho
@Londo111 YES! Russel was the crackpot. Rutherford was the more sinister, calculating one like Miscavige. Shout out to all the Suppressive Personalities who made it out!!
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UnshackleTheChains
It's amazing how the GB has created the illusion that beards stumble the brothers? If anything their delusional rules have the opposite affect in that it only adds to the list of rules that give ammunition to Joe public that JW.org is indeed a high control religion/cult.
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UnshackleTheChains
Whilst on holiday in a tourist location last year, I remember seeing men of all age groups wearing beards. Clearly some of the elderly ones wearing beards had a Bob or two in their pockets. What struck me about them was how smart and respectable they looked wearing their beards. It was another reminder of just how backward and narrow-minded the organisation' truly is when it comes to controling people's lives. Fussing over trivialities!
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Saethydd
In that case, it is solely the fault of the person who was stumbled.
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Rainbow_Troll
Drearyweather, your comparison only emphasizes the fact that the Watchtower Society is a corporation that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus, a man whose idealistic code of ethics and frequent outbursts of moral indignation would never have been tolerated in a corporate environment.