by jambon1 24 Replies latest jw friends
Remember visiting brothers in Ireland...one young MS guy was telling me he got a speeding ticket and he prayed hard to Jehoover about it and he got let off in court and therefore he did not relinquish his position...he was so glad prayer worked.
The same week a sister had a stalker...she prayed hard about it and told the police...one night the stalker caught her, dragged her to a bus stop and violently raped her.
The power of prayer...utter nonsense.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tKxPSddoJ8
Father Janovich: Why didn't you call the police?
Walt Kowalski: Well you know, I prayed for them to come but nobody answered.
The Society decided to name themselves Jehovah's Witnesses instead of Christian Witnesses. That way they could avoid the Christian liberalism kindness and love in favor of the authoritarian Jehovah.
To make this evil God into a loving god they turned him into a back yard pet. That's why a JW can say without a doubt that this backyard god has the time, energy and concern to find their car keys or set them up in the perfect job so they can also pioneer.
It's all nonsense of course.
I always found jws that advertised that god had specifically answered their prayers but not other jws with the same needs, as attention seeking, wanting to be seen as special, and in some cases liars. I figured that they should keep it to themselves and thank god and be more helpful to others secretly. Not letting the right hand know what the left hand is doing.
When I was still conducting studies with a Congolese family, the father of the family once told me that when they were still in Congo, they saw that the JW's there were taking good care of each other. But literally only to each other, not other people. He asked me why JW's only helped themselves and not the ones outside the faith. I used Galatians 6:10 ''Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.'' (After having left the JW's I see that this verse is in no way a justification for only helping fellow believers, but I remembered this being told in my own study with an elder, that's why I told the same to this Congolese family).
This Congolese father saw people in Congo that were non-JW's who were lacking basic needs, such as food and clean water, and saw them basically starving, he saw that they just did not get help or food or anything, whereas the JW's were only there to help people within the organisation. Some time after I had this conversation, an elder couple (pioneers for many decades) asked me how the study went with the Congolese family. I told them that they were uncomfortable in the fact that they saw in Africa that non-JW's were not receiving any help at all and that JW's only cared for themselves.
This couple said to me LITERALLY: God only helps the JW's because we are the only ones praying to the true and right God. The non-JW's pray to a false and imaginary God, and that's the reason God does not listen to their prayers, and that is why they lack food every single day whereas the JW's get listened to and receive their food.
Completely sickening and evil thought IMHO, but that, apparently, is the thinking of JW's.
(Unrelated to the topic about the prayer: no surprise that there is this big growth there in Congo when you hear these kind of stories. Why would you want to belong to the organisation? For literal food or spiritual food? My guess is that most of them there are in the organisation because they need the literal food)
What intrigued me was the question ...that is before I came to the realization that it was a book cooked up by the Jews to keep themselves in line with their leaders's veiws....was the criteria Hobo used to choose good ole Abe and his progeny as His people. What I wondered at was how come there wasn't a single person on earth at the time who could match him for goodness? And what was so good about him? He almost let his wife have her virtue violated. Was willing to murder his son on hearing g a voice asking him to do so? Or was it an angel or a dream? Hell too effing immaterial to remember. Was it a piece if flaming lumber? Who cares . The book is so full of s***. The same flawed principle is carried through in the prayer business. Pick and choose who yu wanna listen to, who yu wanna make rich or famous or a criminal or a Judas.
There's a friend , catholic, who prayed to St. Anthony for the return of a lost ear ring. Two months ago. Expensive. Found it 3 dys later in the trash. Believes implicitly that prayers are answered. Similar to an example given in another post above. Prayer helps in finding an ear ring . But doesn't when asking in anguish for a terminal disease or malady or hunger to be ameliorated or ended.
Typical human traits pinned on to an imaginary sky pilot.
This from jambon1 nails it:
"JW's will readily tell you that people without faith are egotistical and selfish but how much more egocentric and self centred is it to claim that the creator of the universe is intervening in your daily life.
Similar to prayers at meal times - "thank you for providing this food especially considering you've left millions in dire poverty".
The only point I would add to this excellent summation is, It is far from unique to JW organization: Pentecostals and the fundamentalists in other religious groups also malign those who "lack" faith in the power of prayer and endlessly advertise the way Lord has answered - and keeps answering - their prayers.
I will never forget a former colleague of mine - a church-going Baptist - who would make it known the Lord helped her find a parking lot. I kid you not.
In a world of pain, poverty, misery and despair, the Lord had time to attend to the mundane needs of his "child". Sickening.
I will never forget a former colleague of mine - a church-going Baptist - who would make it known the Lord helped her find a parking lot. I kid you not.
^^^^^^^ Only if they happen to get a good spot though, right? They only speak up when something good happens.
"Please Jehovah! Help me find my car keys. It is my turn to take the Circuit Overseer out to lunch and I can't miss this opportunity to prove to him that I should be made an Elder this time around. I will spare no expense in feeding your earthly representative and his wife at the finest restaurant that I can afford. Thank you for paying attention to me, your humble servant. Amen"
