WT 6/1/05 Saved not by works alone.......

by jula71 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  jula71

  OK, I got bored and pulled out the 6/1/05 WT and scanned through it. One article grabbed my attention due to the fact it hit a topic I posted on last week, works. It’s entitled “Saved, not by works alone, but by undeserved kindness.” From the first paragraph my BS alarm was going off. With these words:
  
  
  
  Ok, if that’s the case their wouldn’t be a need to keep records on individual time, would there? There wouldn’t be guilt driven talks about “low hour publishers.” They wouldn’t announce the names of pioneers from the platform so the audience can ooooohhh and ahhh for 5 minutes. This point is carried on further in the article by the sub-heading “Not in Comparison With the Other Person.” It goes on to quote Gal. 6:4
  
  
  
  Ok, again, in himself alone. Why is time reported so religiously? Then it goes on….we do all we can do. Then at paragraph 11, the whole tone changes, almost like someone else took over the writing. Then next subheading “Proper view of our work” And you guessed it, proper view means doing ALL WE CAN!!!!. It continues on telling the importance of reporting time. And the only scripture used for that is:
  

  (Mark 6:30) 30 And the apostles gathered together before Jesus and reported to him all the things they had done and taught.

  
  And this where the subtle indoctrination comes into play. My first thought was, ok, report to Jesus the only way they can directly, through prayer. Then it hit me how carefully and sneaky they do it….report to Jesus…….JESUS = ORGANIZATION The R & F would never catch this, never question it. It just amazed me how they do it. It is a “study article” so I look forward to Blondie’s take on it when it comes up.
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  Elsewhere

  Good catch!

  Jebus = bOrg

  Jehover = bOrg

  Therefore

  Do whatever we tell you or you are acting against Gawd!
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  M.J.

  Matt 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.
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  Scully

  One of my favorite passages in the Bible is from Romans 14:1-12. It's the passage about how true Christians (as opposed to True Christians™) are admonished against judging one another because "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God". Paul goes on about how it is a sign of spiritual weakness to judge someone on account of what their conscience permits them to do, whether it is the type of food one chooses to eat, or what days one chooses to observe or not observe.

  Finally, Paul sums up by saying "So, then, each of us will render an account for himself to God." (Rom.14:12)

  Nothing there about reporting hours or placements or Return Visits™ or Bible Studies™ to the apostles or elders. Reporting slips are the tools of publishing corporations, piecework factories and MLM businesses. God, if he exists, doesn't work that way... because he doesn't NEED to work that way.
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  mustang

  "Then it hit me how carefully and sneaky they do it..report to Jesus...JESUS = ORGANIZATION The R & F would never catch this, never question it. "

  Indeed, Captain!!! In this instance, they can claim (at least lip service) to "SALVATION BY GRACE" but they demand "SALVATION BY WORKS".

  (Fruit Inspectors is what Dr. Gene Scott called these types; since "..by their fruit you will know them..", all your neighbors in the congregation become Fruit Inspectors and hold everyone else up to scrutiny.)

  Driving with the brakes on , are we? This is an example of what has been called "DUAL OPPOSING DOCTRINES"(credit to Amazing). I believe that he phrased it something to the effect that ". the WTS has the amazing capability of being able to reconcile DUAL OPPOSING DOCTRINES at the same time.".

  Or as used to be said about the "white man" by the American Indians: WTS-man speak with forked tongue, or out of both sides of the mouth at the same time.

  [Just can't do without metaphors :) ]

  And as indicated, the R&F "just doesn't get it". That shows you how effective their propagandizing method is; it is finely honed and tuned. They hedge their bets with the best of them.

  It is just like 1975: "we said it, but we didn’t say it".

  Mustang
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  logansrun

  A possible JW apologetic regarding the "extra-Biblical" practice of reporting time, etc could be Matthew 16:19 where Jesus says to Peter regarding the congregation (which is the JW explanation):

  "Whatever you may bind on earth will be the thing bound in heavens, and whatever you may loose on earth will be the thing loosed in the heavens."

  And, of course, Paul often talks about "obeying those taking the lead" among the early Church.

  Tomato, tomatoe. The Bible can be used to support many different orientations.

  B.
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  HappyDad

  
  Back in the mid 1980's when the steel industry was shutting down in western Pennsylvania, I lost my job of 20 years.

  It is in my makeup to do whatever I could to find work of any kind. I do not like being on unemployment and feeling that all is lost. So I went into outsidesales. For those who don't know.........outside sales is where you go to the potential customer as opposed to inside sales such as a furniture or department store.

  An old brother that I was friends with (and by the way......he told me so many story's about back stabbing JW's and covered up indiscretions of elders and others, that I wondered why he stayed in the borg)....anyway.....he told me that since I was a JW that I would probably be successful in sales work since that is basically what we were as JW's..........SALESMEN. He went on to tell me about how we "trained" to overcome objections at the door was the same as trying to sell a product.

  It took a while for this to sink in my younger but somewhat open mind, but after thinking about what he said, I had to agree. Needless to say.........I WAS very successful in sales work. At least I got a nice paycyheck for what I sold.........got nothing from the WT but heartbreak and grief! All sales organizations have what they call the IFS method..........INTIMIDATION.........FEAR.........SARCASM At every weekly sales meeting, the manager would praise the ones who did well and rip the heart right out of someone who had a bad week. It didn't matter if the one having the bad week sold more the previous week than the Golden Boy of this week sold all year. It was all too much like dubland and I just let it pass. I even spoke my mind at times hoping to get fired so I could go back to unemployment. I would tell the manager that so and so had a great week last week, so why belittle him for this week. It didn't matter. Salesmen only count in the present to those using them. Does this sound familiar? The same tactics used by Brooklyn........trickled down to the local cong.

  Hey....as dubs.........it cost US money to leave their publications at homes......only to have them thrown into the garbage.

  HappyDad
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  jula71

  LMAO @ "fruit inspectors"

  No doubt, they try to go out of their way to say.....not by works.........then their very next line is "turn in your time yet?"

  I go to a meeting once every few weeks..........the only phone calls I get is for time.....I let my voice mail get it

  but I should be happy about that............their not on my back!!!!
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  Elsewhere

  From the book "1984":

  doublethink - believing two contradictory ideas at the same time.

  Once you has a person believing two contradictory ideas at the same time, you has a controlled person who will do and believe anything you tell them.
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  A Paduan

  imagine Jesus standing there and checking through a list of monthly service records

  can they really be on the same planet ?