How I am dealing with "The Bible says you have to go to all the meetings!!"

Check_Your_Premises

Here is the basic approach I am going to use. My wife is a newly dunked dub, and my kids have been hearing the propaganda for about 3 years now. I figured out it was a cult about 6 months ago. Now the big deal lately is the kids want to know why I don't go to the meetings. They think I am some sort of jerk or something!

"The Bible says you have to go to all the meetings" they tell me.

Here is the rough outline on our upcoming Bible study.

Go through Jw explanation. (am I missing anything?)

Heb 10:24-25 "...not forsaking the gathering together..."

Doesn’t say regularly. It doesn’t give you a number of times to get together. It doesn’t tell you how often. It doesn’t even say you have to. It says don’t forsake.

Heb 13:17 "...be submissive to those taking the lead..."

Does this mean, "do whatever they say?" Does it mean you have to obey them if you disagree with them on somehting that isn't explicitly stated in the Bible?

Nowhere does it say you have to go to 5 meetings. I think we have to be careful about saying the Bible says we have to do this or that when it doesn't.

A bunch of don't add or subtract from the word of God verses

Deut 4:2, Deut 12:32, Prov 30:6, Matthew 15:6-9, 13

I AM NOT SAYING THE JW ARE WRONG FOR SAYING WE HAVE TO GO TO EVERY MEETING.

Why do you think I would be uncomfortable saying that? I will ask. (This opens up an opportunity to cite Matthew 7:1-4 "judge not lest ye be judged" and John ?:? "...he among you without sin cast the first stone" this demonstrates a more non judgemental approach as oppposed to the "if you are not a jw you are from Satan" approach)

I am just saying I don't think that is what the Bible says. I also think we have to be careful about thinking such things are what is most important. The danger is that we might think our salvation is because we do some required duty like going to meetings.

Ephesians2:8-10 "...by grace you are saved lest any man should boast"

Without HIM, all of our works of righteousness are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

Summary

So you see it is not that gathering with other Christians isn't important, or that such things don't help build up our faith. I just think it is not a good idea to say the bible says we have to go to 5 meetings when it doesn't. I also think we have to be very careful that we don't think such things can save us, or make us better then people who don't go to 5 meetings. When we do that we are saying that Christ's sacrifice wasn't enough. We are saying that we could save ourselves and we didn't even need him!

Galatians 2:21 "...if justified by law, then Christ died for nothing..."

Gill

Excellent CYP!

JWs quickly get confused between what the Bible says and what the WTBTS says the bible says. It's good to set the record straight for them!

Good luck with your family.

If it's any help to you, I as a child apparantly 'wanted' to go to the meetings according to my mother. She overlooks the fact that I may have 'wanted' to go to the meetings because she had taught me that if I didn't I would die very soon at Armageddon!

So you could ask your kids with your wife present, 'What do you think might happen to you if you didn't go to the meetings and out in service any more?'

Regards

Gill

Terry

Here is an open question:

IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN AN ADMONITION, ADVICE, COUNSEL AND A COMMAND?

WHAT IS CONSCIENCE FOR IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE?

Terry

googlemagoogle

yeah, i would have also said "i don't see no 5 in this verse".

another thing i would say is "the bible also says to sell everything you own and give the money to the poor".

Check_Your_Premises

I like that one Terry. I have also been reflecting on the differences between what is descriptive vs subscriptive.

Thanks!

Keep fighting the fine fight of the faithless!

Bubbamar

Great research! But personally, I think you are wasting your time. What you say is not found in the WATCHTOWER so it holds no merit. They are just gonna think satan has a hold on you.

Sadly, I don't think there's any answer you can give them that will be okay with them. If she just got dunked - she's pretty far gone in terms of cult indoctrination.

Good luck to YOU! So glad you figured out it really is a dangerous cult.

Check_Your_Premises

I know they won't agree. Basically it is to give myself cover.

I keep getting the attitude so I have to address it. It also offers the opportunity to present some genuine Christian teachings such as salvation coming not through works but through faith.

Baby steps.

TD

Heb 10:24-25 "...not forsaking the gathering together..."

The problem is that JW's think the Bible was written for, to and about them.

This allows them to overlook the fact that this was specific counsel given to a specific group at a specific time in regard to a specific problem in the early history of Christianity and the JW meetings bear little semblance to these first century gatherings

Check_Your_Premises

Nice avatar by the way...

The problem is that JW's think the Bible was written for, to and about them.

Boy, aint that the friggin truth!

"Audacity, always audacity!"

M.J.

So you could ask your kids with your wife present, 'What do you think might happen to you if you didn't go to the meetings and out in service any more?'

I think Gill's right on. Maybe you have to dig deeper on WHY they think that? What are the consequences for NOT doing it? Is THAT scriptural?

You might combine Terry's approach, along with googlemagoogle's...go over some examples of admonition, advice, counsel and commands, some of which AREN'T FOLLOWED by JWs. Ask why not? Was it just advice? Was it just applicable to the current situation when written?

How I am dealing with "The Bible says you have to go to all the meetings!!"

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