He may allow situations to develop that reveal our true motives and heart condition?we should welcome such tests....opportunity to demonstrate the depth of our loyalty to Jehovah.
This, of course, is coded witness speak for: bad, mind numbing things will happen in congregations that shake people's faith in in "God's channel" to the core. Being crushed by seeing "God's voice" commit adultery, scheming, sex abuse and lying, they are now told that it was one of those "situations that reveal our true motives and heart condition."
OH. I see. I was not able to live with an elder's cavalier lying about a judicial matter involving a suicidal teen; in reality, it was a test from God (oops, sorry JEHOVAH) and it was MY fault for not seeing it as a test.
Oh well. My bad.
Thanks BLONDIE; awesome as usual.
It is not a good idea for the WT to analyze the life of Jesus too much, or to encourage JW's to emulate Jesus. Jesus was not a stickler for the rules, what with hanging out with the low lifes, and his rebellious bad attitude about the elders, I mean, religious leaders. Not good to encourage the rank and file to think deeply about what Jesus accomplished with his life, teaching and death: he made an out of touch, oppressive religious system irrelevant, and empowered each individual believer to connect to God by himself. NO one of them were to be called father, right? Or elder, CO, DO, for that matter.
MUCH better to call in the old, familiar examples from the OT: real good stuff here, with lots of vengeance, war and absolute power over the little people.
HEY WT: I am a christian; that means I don't need YOU, your crappy magazines with their crappy analogies, and I don't need your congregations either. That was Paul's contribution: as soon as Jesus freed us from all that structure, Paul comes in and brings it right back, complete with all the rules and attitudes he forgot to leave behind.
Christians congregate by CHOICE; it isn't necessary but it can be a very good thing. I just can't remember ever feeling that I was in a congregation of equal believers in Jesus, trying to discern what his amazing life and death meant for me with the interference of the old gray control freaks in Brooklyn.
Thanks again BLONDIE; as usual, you hit them where they live.