Looking for Society quotes on discipline . . . .

by ithinkisee 5 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  ithinkisee

  One of the traits of a cult is as follows (from Hassan's book)
  

  Group members cannot see the control by guilt and like other abuse victims are conditioned to blame themselves when things are wrong, even grateful when a leader points out their transgressions.

  I am looking for Society articles with examples of people grateful for the discipline they received and how we should also have that attitude. I am putting together something pretty cool, so your help is appreciated.

  Thanks in advance,

  -ithinkisee
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  ithinkisee

  I did find this ...

  Watchtower 2003 10/1 p23 Accepting Jehovah?s Discipline
  We all need Jehovah?s discipline. (Proverbs 8:33) In fact, we should long for discipline that is based on God?s Word. As we study God?s Word, we can accept the discipline that comes directly from Jehovah through the Scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) At times, however, we will receive discipline from fellow Christians. Realizing the spirit in which such discipline is administered will help us to accept it willingly.

  I just love answering my own thread!

  Any others?

  -ithinkisee
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  stillajwexelder

  *** w03 10/1 pp. 20-23 Appreciating the Purpose of Discipline ***

  Appreciating

  the Purpose of Discipline

  WHAT comes to mind when you hear the word "discipline"? One dictionary defines discipline as "the practice of making people obey rules or standards of behaviour, and punishing them when they do not." Although this is by no means the only accepted definition, many people today ascribe a similarly negative connotation to anything that has to do with discipline.

  The Bible, however, presents discipline in a different light. "The discipline of Jehovah, O my son, do not reject," wrote wise King Solomon. (Proverbs 3:11) These words refer, not to discipline in general, but to "the discipline of Jehovah," that is, discipline based on God?s lofty principles. Only such discipline is spiritually productive and beneficial?even desirable. In contrast, discipline that is based on human thinking that is in conflict with Jehovah?s lofty principles is often abusive and hurtful. That explains why many have a negative attitude toward discipline.

  Why are we urged to accept Jehovah?s discipline? In the Scriptures, divine discipline is described as an expression of God?s love for his human creatures. Thus, Solomon went on to say: "The one whom Jehovah loves he reproves, even as a father does a son in whom he finds pleasure."?Proverbs 3:12.

  Discipline

  or Punishment?Which?

  Discipline as expressed in the Bible has many aspects?guidance, instruction, training, reproof, correction, and even punishment. However, in each case, Jehovah?s discipline is motivated by love, and its goal is to benefit the recipient. Jehovah?s corrective discipline is never for the sole purpose of punishment.

  Conversely, God?s acts of punishment are not always aimed at correcting or educating the recipient. For example, from the very day Adam and Eve sinned, they began to suffer the consequences of their disobedience. Jehovah expelled them from the paradisaic garden of Eden, and they succumbed to the effects of imperfection, sickness, and old age. After hundreds of years of painful existence, they perished forever. All of this was indeed divine punishment, but it was not corrective discipline. Willful and unrepentant, Adam and Eve were beyond correction.

  Other accounts of Jehovah?s acts of punishment include the Flood in Noah?s day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the elimination of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea. These actions by Jehovah were not intended to provide guidance, instruction, or training for the recipients. Regarding such acts of punishment by God, the apostle Peter wrote: "He did not hold back from punishing an ancient world, but kept Noah, a preacher of righteousness, safe with seven others when he brought a deluge upon a world of ungodly people; and by reducing the cities Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them, setting a pattern for ungodly persons of things to come."?2 Peter 2:5, 6.

  In what sense were these acts of punishment "setting a pattern for ungodly persons of things to come"? In Paul?s letter to the Thessalonians, he points to our day as the time when God, through his Son, Jesus Christ, will bring "vengeance upon those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news." Paul adds: "These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction." (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 9) Obviously, such punishment is not designed to teach or refine those receiving it. However, when Jehovah invites his worshipers to accept his discipline, he is not referring to the punishment of unrepentant sinners.

  It is significant that the Bible does not describe Jehovah primarily as a punisher. Rather, he is most often described as a loving teacher and a patient trainer. (Job 36:22; Psalm 71:17; Isaiah 54:13) Yes, godly discipline that is administered as a corrective measure is always accompanied by love and patience. By understanding the purpose of discipline, Christians are in a better position to accept and to administer discipline with the right attitude.

  The

  Discipline of Loving Parents

  Within the family circle and within the Christian congregation, there is a need for all to understand the purpose of discipline. This is especially true of those who are in positions of authority, such as parents. Proverbs 13:24 states: "The one holding back his rod is hating his son, but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline."

  How are parents to administer discipline? The Bible explains: "You, fathers, do not be irritating your children, but go on bringing them up in the discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah." (Ephesians 6:4) This admonition is reiterated in these words: "You fathers, do not be exasperating your children, so that they do not become downhearted."?Colossians 3:21.

  Christian parents who understand the purpose of discipline will not act harshly. The principle stated at 2 Timothy 2:24 can be applied to the manner in which parents administer discipline. Paul wrote: "A slave of the Lord does not need to fight, but needs to be gentle toward all, qualified to teach." Hysterical bursts of anger, screaming, and insulting or derogatory statements hardly qualify as loving discipline and have no place in a Christian?s life.?Ephesians 4:31; Colossians 3:8.

  Parental correction involves far more than an act of punishment administered quickly and decisively. Most children need repeated admonition before they correct their thinking. Thus, parents must spend time, exercise patience, and give much thought to the manner in which they administer discipline. They must keep in mind that children are to be brought up in the "discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah." This means a course of training that lasts for years.

  Christian

  Shepherds Discipline With Mildness

  The same principles apply to Christian elders. As loving shepherds, they endeavor to build up the flock by providing instruction, direction, and reproof when needed. In so doing, they bear in mind the real purpose of discipline. (Ephesians 4:11, 12) If they focused only on administering punishment, they would simply penalize the erring one and leave it at that. Divine discipline involves much more. Motivated by love, elders follow up and follow through on their counsel. Because they are genuinely concerned, they often schedule several sessions of encouragement and training.

  According to the admonition found at 2 Timothy 2:25, 26, even when dealing with those who do not readily accept discipline, elders are to instruct "with mildness." The scripture then states the purpose of discipline: "Perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil."

  At times, it is necessary to disfellowship unrepentant wrongdoers from the congregation. (1 Timothy 1:18-20) Even such drastic action should be considered discipline, not merely punishment. From time to time, elders endeavor to visit disfellowshipped individuals who are not actively engaged in wrongdoing. During such visits, elders act in harmony with the real purpose of discipline by outlining the steps needed for a person to return to the Christian congregation.

  Jehovah Is the Perfect Judge

  Parents, Christian shepherds, and others who have the Scriptural authority to administer discipline should take such a responsibility seriously. They must not presume to judge others as permanently incorrigible. Hence, their discipline should never take the form of vengeful or hostile punishment.

  True, the Bible refers to Jehovah as one who will administer severe and final punishment. In fact, the Scriptures say that "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." (Hebrews 10:31) But no human should ever try to compare himself to Jehovah in this or any other regard. And no one should have reason to feel that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a parent or a certain elder in the congregation.

  Jehovah has the ability to achieve perfect balance when administering discipline. Humans do not. God can read the heart and determine when someone is beyond correction and thus is in line for decisive and final punishment. Humans, on the other hand, are unable to render such a judgment. For that reason, when there is a need to administer discipline, those in a position of authority should always do it with the purpose of correcting.

  Accepting Jehovah?s Discipline

  We all need Jehovah?s discipline. (Proverbs 8:33) In fact, we should long for discipline that is based on God?s Word. As we study God?s Word, we can accept the discipline that comes directly from Jehovah through the Scriptures. (2 Timothy 3:16, 17) At times, however, we will receive discipline from fellow Christians. Realizing the spirit in which such discipline is administered will help us to accept it willingly.

  The apostle Paul acknowledged: "True, no discipline seems for the present to be joyous, but grievous." Then he added: "Yet afterward to those who have been trained by it it yields peaceable fruit, namely, righteousness." (Hebrews 12:11) Jehovah?s discipline is a manifestation of his deep love for us. Whether we receive or administer discipline, let us keep in mind the purpose of divine discipline and heed the Bible?s wise counsel: "Take hold on discipline; do not let go. Safeguard it, for it itself is your life."?Proverbs 4:13.
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  stillajwexelder

  *** w75 1/1 pp. 13-16 Do You Show Appreciation? *** THIS IS MY FAVORITE

  Do You Show Appreciation?

  "Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. . . . Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you."?Prov. 4:5, 8.

  THERE are many things in life that we really ought to appreciate. We should appreciate our fathers and mothers. They brought us into the world and spent a lot of time raising us. We should appreciate the care that they gave us. If we have true friends, we have good reason to appreciate them too. And what about the things we learn, the work that we do and the gifts that we receive?do we show appreciation for all these things? Oftentimes, when a gift is received the individual receiving it says, "Thank you, I appreciate it very much." But the question might be asked: Does the individual appreciate it? Does he really wish he had been given something else, or nothing at all? What will he do with it? Just what does "appreciation" mean?

  2

  The word "appreciate" means "to esteem, to evaluate highly, to approve warmly." Who are the persons that you as an individual esteem? What are the things that you evaluate highly and warmly approve? How do you show it? If there truly is appreciation, it will be evident in the things that you say and do.

  FAMILY

  RELATIONSHIPS

  3

  A very young child does not really have a sense of appreciation. However, it does have a strong instinctive attachment to its father and its mother. When there is danger, it knows where to run for protection. For example, a youngster may be romping around in the yard, with its mother nearby. All of a sudden a stranger may walk into the yard, and the child may become frightened. It runs and grabs its mother and hides its head in its mother?s skirt, and it feels protected. If the mother has dealt lovingly with the child in the past, the child feels secure here. It really thinks that this is all the protection that it needs against any intruder. But the child is instinctively concerned about itself. That it may really lack appreciation for its mother and her guidance may become readily apparent in its reaction when reproved for some misconduct.?Prov. 12:1.

  4

  However, when a person reaches adulthood he looks at matters altogether differently from what he did when a child. The apostle Paul said: "When I was a babe, I used to speak as a babe, to think as a babe, to reason as a babe; but now that I have become a man, I have done away with the traits of a babe." (1 Cor. 13:11) To have appreciation one must have knowledge, and that knowledge must reach the heart. As an individual grows to adulthood he acquires knowledge, and his own experiences may cause the knowledge to touch his heart. Now he comes to the point where he can appreciate or see the value of what his father and mother did for him when he was a babe. It may be that he is now raising his own children, is faced with the problems of discipline, loses sleep to look after the youngsters when they are sick, and works long hours to see that they are fed and clothed and sheltered. Now he is learning for himself the patience and loving concern that are required to bring up one?s children in "the discipline and mental-regulating of Jehovah." (Eph. 6:4) These experiences may cause him and his wife to think back to the days when they were young children, and perhaps for the first time in their lives they fully appreciate what their parents did for them. Now they are able to evaluate highly and approve very warmly what their own parents did. When such appreciation develops, it is good to give expression to it, and this can be done again and again, in a variety of ways.?1 Tim. 5:4.

  5

  While it is to be expected that appreciation for what one?s parents have done may not come to full bloom until one reaches adulthood, even to young children the Scriptures state: "Honor your father and your mother, just as Jehovah your God has commanded you; in order that your days may prove long and it may go well with you." (Deut. 5:16) If you honor your father and your mother, you will be showing high regard or appreciation for them.

  6

  Unfortunately, in many homes the children display a shocking and persistent lack of appreciation for their parents. (2 Tim. 3:1, 2; Deut. 27:16) The basic problem may be that the parents themselves do not appreciate their children. Perhaps they did not really want them and so do not view them in the way that is expressed in Psalm 127:3: "Look! Sons are an inheritance from Jehovah; the fruitage of the belly is a reward." Lacking such a wholesome viewpoint, perhaps the parents do not spend time with their children, do not provide them with needed parental companionship and do not answer their many questions. In other cases, it is the children who, influenced by bad associations, have failed to respond to the loving oversight of their parents. But if both parents and children earnestly apply the wholesome counsel of God?s Word it will help to prevent the development of such an unpleasant atmosphere. It should be realized, however, that merely saying that one has appreciation does not prove it. Do one?s attitude and actions on a day-to-day basis give evidence of it?

  7

  In answering that question, consideration ought to be given to the attitude manifest in the home toward the giving and receiving of discipline. A father who loves his children will see to it that they receive needed discipline. (Prov. 13:24) The book of Proverbs, in the fourth chapter, verse 1, urges us to appreciate discipline, saying: "Listen, O sons, to the discipline of a father and pay attention, so as to know understanding." Discipline does not always mean chastisement inflicted by way of correction or training through suffering. The very first meaning of "discipline," according to the dictionary, is "the treatment suited to a disciple or learner, education, development of the faculties by instruction, exercise, training, whether physical, mental or moral." So when we read of a father?s giving discipline we should not visualize a man who simply barks orders at his children and then applies physical chastisement when they fail to do what they are told. What we are talking about is a father who really cares for his children, spends time with them and takes great interest in their physical, mental and moral development. He wants to help his children to come to know the true God and His ways as the father does. He wants them to have confidence in God?s care and in the fulfillment of everything that He has promised. (Gen. 18:19; Deut. 11:18, 19) Such a father will patiently help his children to cultivate godly qualities such as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22, 23) So, while it is true that there are times when chastisement may be needed, when the Bible says, "Listen, O sons, to the discipline of a father and pay attention, so as to know understanding," we should think principally of a father who patiently provides mental and moral instruction for his children.

  8

  Sons and daughters who honor their parents, and in this way honor God, will not rebelliously spurn such discipline. They will listen when the Scriptures tell them: "Anyone foolish disrespects the discipline of his father, but anyone regarding reproof is shrewd." (Prov. 15:5) They will think seriously about what is written at Proverbs 4:13: "Take hold on discipline; do not let go. Safeguard it, for it itself is your life." How do you react?

  9

  The inspired proverbs further urge: "Acquire wisdom, acquire understanding. Do not forget, and do not turn aside from the sayings of my mouth. Do not leave it, and it will keep you. Love it, and it will safeguard you. Wisdom is the prime thing. Acquire wisdom; and with all that you acquire, acquire understanding. Highly esteem it, and it will exalt you. It will glorify you because you embrace it." (Prov. 4:5-8) As a young person listens to the instruction of his father, accepting his discipline, he is going to acquire wisdom. He is going to learn how to put into application in his own life the things that his father has told him. He will not simply let the instruction ?go in one ear and out the other.? When a young person truly gets the point of that Scriptural admonition, discerning that "wisdom is the prime thing," he will be willing to listen to his parents and will be eager to benefit from their experience in life. He will "highly esteem" or appreciate the wisdom that they impart, and especially when it is in harmony with God?s own Word, the Bible.
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  rawconscience

  i dont have quotes from the watchtower people but i would suggest a book by Michel Foucault called Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison. it directly relates to the christo-fascist jw's.
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  rawconscience

  im curious what you are putting together