Do Jehovahs Witnesses believe Eccl. 10: 19 is literal or is limited in application in some way?
Money Is The Answer For Everything - Eccl. 10: 19 (NASB)
Money Is The Answer For Everything - Eccl. 10: 19 (NASB)
by Sea Breeze 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Sea Breeze
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Drearyweather
These are some of the explanations from JW literature on this verse:
Dining with friends can be most enjoyable, but to obtain bread or wine, you need money. Since money is the means by which material things are obtained, it “meets a response in all things.”
Yes, a good meal may be enjoyable. But neither food nor drink can be obtained without money. In this world, money is a necessity. It is a valuable asset that must be managed wisely.
Eating, along with pleasant conversation, can be most enjoyable. But bread cannot be obtained without money, and there is limited rejoicing from drinking wine when a person has very little for life’s necessities. In this present system, money is the means by which all material things can be obtained and, therefore, it “meets a response in all things.” The thought behind Solomon’s statement may be that through industriousness a man can get the money he needs for bread and wine, for the comforts that add to the enjoyment of life.
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Sea Breeze
Looks like they limited the application of this verse to purchasing bread and wine.
Why then don't they limit Eccl 9: 5 - "But the dead know nothing" to just the body?
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DesirousOfChange
Do Jehovahs Witnesses believe Eccl. 10: 19 is literal or is limited in application in some way?
First, let's define the crowd you mean when you use the term "Jehovahs Witnesses". Do you speak of the R&F JW? Or do you speak of the JW hierarchy -- the JW Leadership, ie, GB?
The Leadership, including the GB, DEFINITELY believe money is the answer to everything. At the same time, they "preach" to the flock to "keep the eye simple" and ridicule anyone who "is determined to be rich". Of course, both of those examples are fluid. What is "simple? And what is "rich"?
I believe that the average JW today has a greater concern about financial stability than their peers from decades ago. The JW today DOES NOT count on Armageddon "fixing" all their problems. Instead, the average JW is carrying on in life just like the average "worldly" person. For example, husband & wife both have jobs. Ten or twenty years ago that didn't apply to higher education, but today even many of the average JWs are going to college or at least some kind of higher education (trade school, etc). Lots of the men are in union construction trades and many of the women or in nursing. All the young JW couples that I know of are traveling extensively -- seeing the sites of the US, going on cruises, and even international trips are quite common.
They all have come to realize that "money is the answer for [almost] everything". I added the "almost" because we all know "money doesn't buy happiness". Of course, it's a helluva lot better being rich and unhappy than broke and unhappy!
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Halcon
I think after 1995 the attitude of JW towards money drastically changed. So I believe that yes, they consider the verse these days as quite literal.
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LongHairGal
DESIROUS OF CHANGE & HALCON:
I remember the saying about ‘keeping your eye simple’ and ‘being rich’ and who is to measure and say what these things really mean?
I remember 1995 as this is what woke me up and I ‘Faded’ at some point.. Any wise Witnesses realized they had to get decent jobs and not count on ‘Armageddon’ coming to save them from not preparing! This was almost 30 years ago. It is nice to hear that now the younger JWs are more in reality and realize they need education for trades and other careers!👍🏻
As somebody who (thankfully) was not raised a Witness, I could never understand how anybody with an ounce of sense would take advice from people cloistered somewhere who have no idea what everyday life is like in the real world! ..When I heard they did away with time counting slips for publishers at the 2023 annual meeting - I was so Glad I never listened years ago to all the criticism about my full-time job with busybodies telling me I should be in the ministry instead!
I would have liked to tell off a few elderly Witnesses who are no longer with us - to say to them how wrong they were about everything! Now their religion is being dismantled.
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Halcon
LongHairGal
And the change of attitude for everyone is of no fault of their own. What else were you supposed to do now that the horizon was so uncertain.
And yet, not too long ago... perhaps 2016... a couple of elders still came up to me and essentially judged me for working on meeting nights during my company's 4th quarter rush. I told them sorry peeps, but I gotta support my family. They proceeded to give me the old not enough faith schpeal to which I responded don't worry I'll be back to weekday meetings by January.
To be fair, some elders I knew were totally fine with that. Unfortunately, the judgemental ones by definition were always the loudest.