Comments You Will Not Hear at the 8-22-04 WT Study (July 15, 2004 issue) ABBREVIATED Review comments will be in black and parentheses ()
WT quotes
will be in red and quotes ""Quotes from other sources
will be in blueDO YOU FIND DELIGHT IN "THE LAW OF JEHOVAH"?
"Happy is the man?[whose] delight is in the law of Jehovah."?Psalm 1:1,2 (snippet)
Whole scripture:
Happy is the man
that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked ones, And in the way of sinners has not stood, And in the seat of ridiculers has not sat. But his delight is in the law of Jehovah, And in his law he reads in an undertone day and night.How well God must like you--you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
you don't slink along Dead-End Road, you don't go to Smart-Mouth College. Instead you thrill to GOD's Word, you chew on Scripture day and night.?Psalm 1:1,2 (Message Bible)
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.?Psalm 1:1,2 (King James Version)
www.biblegateway.com /cgi-bin/bible
Opening Comments
I finished the 4 th week on my new job. I am making fewer and fewer mistakes, yay! My chronic pain has been at a new high though and Irrev had an operation last week. So things have been busy.
Once again the WTS is resorting to using the OT. Is it no surprise that Jesus is either a distant second in the minds of JWs or an afterthought? Is there no delight in walking in Jesus? footsteps?
While happiness seems to be the theme, actually "apostates" feature prominently in this article. Nothing new, but warnings galore.
START OF ARTICLE
Paragraphs 1,2
Jehovah supports and blesses us as his loyal servants.
Notice JWs are not supported and blessed as "Christians" or "followers of [Jesus] Christ.
True, we face many trials. However, we also enjoy genuine happiness.
This is not surprising, for we serve "the happy God," and his holy spirit produces joy in our hearts. (1 Timothy 1:11; Galatians 5:22)
And if you are not happy?.you are not a loyal servant. Only JWs have "genuine happiness" or "true happiness."
Joy is the state of true happiness resulting from the expectation of something good.
And our heavenly Father certainly gives us good gifts. (James 1:17)
What did Jesus give?
Just as the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his soul a ransom in exchange for many." MATTHEW 20:28
No wonder we are happy!
And you better be!
The Secret of Happiness
Paragraph 3-9
Psalm 1 shows why a godly person is happy. (verse 1)To be truly happy we must comply with Jehovah?s righteous requirements.
As interpreted by the Watchtower Society.
w94 10/1 p. 8 The Bible?A Book Meant to Be Understood Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God. All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah?s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.?John 6:68.We can be happy if we pursue a similar course (Luke 1:5,6) and firmly refuse to ?walk in the counsel of the wicked? or to be guided by their ungodly advice.If we reject the thinking of wicked ones, we will not be ?standing in the way of sinners.?
In fact, we literally will not be found where they often are?in places of immoral entertainment or of ill repute? What if we are tempted to join sinners in their unscriptural conduct?"Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers."If we rely on God and are "pure in heart," we will reject the spirit and life-style of sinners and will have clean motives and desires, along with "faith without hypocrisy."?Matthew 5:8; 1 Timothy 1:5.To please Jehovah (not Jesus?), we surely ?must not sit in the seat of ridiculers."Some ridicule godliness itself, but in these "last days," former Christians who have become apostates often prove to be especially scornful in their ridicule.
What thinking would that be?
Hiding child sexual abuseWatchtower Society association with the UN as a nongovernmental organization
http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/watchtower.pdf
Flip-flop Watchtower doctrines
Organ Transplants
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/transplant.htm
Rape is fornication
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/rape_is_fornication.htm
Rape is not fornication
http://quotes.watchtower.ca/rape_not_fornication.htm
If we never ?sit in the seat of ridiculers,? we will avoid the disaster that is sure to befall them.What disaster would befall a person who did not speak out about wrongdoing even if it is an organization that claims to represent God?
"?Now in case a soul sins in that he has heard public cursing and he is a witness or he has seen it or has come to know of it, if he does not report it, then he must answer for his error. LEVITICUS 5:1w97 8/15 p. 27 Why Report What Is Bad?The Law stated that if a person was a witness to apostate acts, sedition, murder, or certain other serious crimes, it was his responsibility to report it and to testify to what he knew.Hasn?t the WTS apostasized by its false prophecies?
Hasn?t the WTS murdered with its flip-flop doctrine on organ transplants and constantly "evolving" doctrine on the use of blood?
Hasn?t the WTS been hand in hand with the abusers of children when they hide their deeds and pressure the victims and their families not to seek help outside the congregation?
We could lose the spirituality we have acquired through a study of the Scriptures (actually a study of the WT publications)In fact, we could then go from bad to worse.I know of many JWs that "saw the light" when they finally actually read and studied the Bible without the "help" of WT publications.
Our downward spiral might begin if we follow the counsel of the wicked.Translation: apostates; people who don?t believe everything the WTS tells them to.
Then we might associate with them regularly (on the Internet???).In time, we might become faithless apostate ridiculers.Translation: no longer having faith in the WT, telling their secrets and having the WTS? own actions make them an object of ridicule.
Obviously, friendship with wicked ones can foster an ungodly spirit within us and can destroy our relationship with Jehovah God.If anyone?s faith in God has been destroyed, it has been by the lies and cruelty of the WTS.
Prayer will help us to keep our minds fixed on spiritual things and to avoid companionship with wicked ones.Including those bad ones in the congregation. There will be a lot of personal marking going on.
PICTUREFather, mother, teenage daughter, pre-teen son, heads bowed in prayer during family study.
Interesting points
Father and son are dressed in casual shirts.
Mother and daughter have skirts on
Book must be older since it is hardbound/Title is a foreign language?Polish perhaps
Never stoop to the level of wicked ones.Yes, never get as low as the WTS has in its support of child abusers and persecution of victims.
Although we reject wicked practices, we do give a tactful witness to others?we preach the good news of the Kingdom to all sorts of people (even wicked ones), and we treat them in a kind manner.We are confident that those "rightly disposed for everlasting life" will become believers and delight in God?s law.?Acts 13:48.So after demonizing people who do not agree with the WTS, now they have to do damage control, otherwise how will JWs ever be able to go door to door and have association with wicked ones?
He Delights in Jehovah?s LawParagraphs 10-12
When possible, during periods of personal study and meditation (Craig), we have read "in an undertone," sounding out the words. Doing this when reading any portion of the Scriptures will?Mean that it will take a long time to do the weekly Bible reading assignment.
"The faithful and discreet slave" has encouraged us to read the Bible daily.But they probably don?t?too busy doing "the Lord?s work."
Do you find delight in reading the Bible daily?.Who has time after all the WT publications the average JW has to read?
Our eternal happiness depends on our taking delight in God?s law.Actually, it depends on figuring out what the WTS? interpretation is this week.
Not a day will pass without our giving consideration to spiritual mattersWith many JWs that means walking by the Bible on the table.
He Becomes Like a TreeParagraphs 13-16
Like all other imperfect humans, we who serve Jehovah (not Jesus?) experience difficulties in life.I thought the WTS taught that our difficulties are a result of not being good servants of Jehovah?
With God?s help, however, we are able to endure these tests successfully?In fact, we can live forever.This is the carrot that motives JWs, plus the hope of seeing their friends and relatives brought back to life.
?Everything we do succeeds? because our main objective is to do Jehovah?s will.Only if we do it the WT way.
The Wicked Seem to ProsperParagraphs 17-20
Translation: The apostates? lives don?t fall apart, they don?t kill themselves, their marriages prosper.
How the lot of the wicked differs from that of the righteous! Wicked ones may appear to prosper materially for a time, but they are not prospering spiritually.Really, I can name many on this DB who have progressed beyond the rote obedience to the WTS and not being able to discuss the Bible without a WT publication.
But now the WTS does some damage control.
Even if wicked ones prosper materially, they have no lasting security?.Notice how the WTS is focusing on material prosperity as if that is the reason these ones left?rather than a dearth of spiritual teaching, a flood of hypocrisy and a vacuum of Christian love.
Surely, though, we are happy that such evildoers will SOON be gone forever.Yes, everyone who is not a dedicated baptized JW will die, including 1-day-old babies?what evildoers those babies are!
Carrot moment: Obedient humans (only JWs) will eventually (in whose lifetime?) receive God?s gift (not Jesus?) of everlasting life. The Blessed "Way of Righteous Ones"Paragraphs 21-23
Our heavenly Father?views us (only JWs) as his approved servants (not Christians?)."The way of righteous ones" will remain forever (not children of the unrighteous though), but incorrigibly wicked people (1 day old babies and up) will perish because of Jehovah?s adverse judgment.We (only JWs) are privileged to live on a paradise earth when wicked ones (1 day old babies and up, all 6 billion plus) no longer exist. Concluding CommentsYes, how happy JWs will be when all the wicked are removed (including 1 day old babies and up, all 6 billion plus).
How happy they will be when "such evildoers will soon be gone forever."
"What happiness" JWs "will experience if we (JWs) are privileged to live on a paradise earth, when wicked ones no longer exist."
Blondie