by family_man 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Bebu,
I have been looking for a link to a WT article that came out a year or 2 ago, where they changed their long-held stance on pinatas being pagan forms of worship to being religiously-neutral in themselves.
LOL. They should be embarrased to print crap like that... where did you find this?
FM
Ask them about pinatas. Refer to last year's Awake article on them. Specifically the phrase where it says(paraphrasing): "It does not matter how it was viewed hundreds of years ago, but rather how it is viewed in your area today." This same line of reasoning can be applied to basically any iffy holiday/celebration that witnesses abstain from, including birthdays.
Look it up, it is the best argumentation available that is currently up to date.
I cannot find this anywhere on the net now! It's quite frustrating. If the search function for this site were working properly (*ahem!* cough cough), you would very likely find it here. I read the scanned Awake issue here on the board.
Does ANYONE have that article??
bebu
My advise to family_man is this:
We know that is is not easy to 'enlighten' members with scripture or the errors of the organization.
What, then, if anything, is left to do?
Question: Do you believe in the diety of Jesus Christ? If so, you know that through him we are saved.
JWs do not believe this. They believe that through them only will we be saved.
So, Let him into your heart and he will straighten the mess that the WTS have created. He has more power
than any words you or I can exchange with them. I have dozens of pages of damning documentation that is both
organizational propaganda as well as scriptural corrections - it doesn't amount to a hill of beans if there isn't a reason behind what we do. If you are a Christian and you want to save someone from a non-Christian cult you need to first of all show them where they go wrong but also give them hope.
I wouldn't think a truly God Fearing member would just up and leave over a quick conversation over the history of the organization or the misinterpretations of the scriptures.
Look up Jay Hess. His ministries have helped thousands. He was an elder, a MENSA member and a leading writer of the Watchtower. He knew of the corruption and the failures of the organization before Ray Franz book ever crossed his table and his comment was "How could you be in this organization and NOT know that?"
Talk about smarts. Anyway, he has some very fascinating material to listen to that is both insightful and has a touch of class and humour.
I will leave a link here for anyone who wants to download and listen to his talks.
http://www.jwinfoline.com/Page/audio.htm
Lorri MacGregor's testimonial was shocking and a blessing. I don't know of a more powerful one to show how someone has been saved. Maybe listening to her's with your wife may help.
Anyway, in closing, If you ask her to pray to Jesus Christ and invite him into her heart and help her with her decisions you will get more done in that moment than any amount of bible ping pong or finger pointing.
Regards
Left_Field
Some sweet person pm'ed me the article reference, family man:
From the 9/22/03 Awake:
?We found that for many people in Mexico, the piñata has lost its religious significance and is considered by most to be just harmless fun. In fact, piñatas are used in Mexico on many festive occasions, not just for the posadas or for birthdays.?
?When considering whether to include a piñata at a social gathering, Christians should be sensitive to the consciences of others. (1 Corinthians 10:31-33) A main concern is, not what the practice meant hundreds of years ago, but how it is viewed today in your area.?
If you can look that up with your wife, that may help you out with your stand.
bebu
