Kay said you were going to college now. (What are you taking?) College was at one time discouraged and that may also be a point of contention with you. Some elders today still feel that we should not go to college. However, the WTS has not really said that a person can not go to college. It really is a personal choice since the Bible does not prohibit college.
Yet this guy goes on for about 177 words after this to show why college is wrong. This is typical of JW writing. Most questions from readers in the watchtower start off: 'The bible is unclear on this matter' or 'the bible is silent on this matter' or 'this is a personal choice.' This is followed by HOWEVER and they go on to try to prove that it is wrong, despite already stating the bible says nothing about it and it is a personal choice. If he was genuine in the above statement he wouldn't try to prove college as evil. He dosen't want to say the society was wrong in condemning college.
If you want to be independent from God, making our own choices, you must ask yourself if it is safe to do this? If we are living in the last part of the last days, as prophesy seems to indicate, is it really worth the risk?
The ol' gun to the head. This is misleading logic. Who said you are rebbeling against god? The JW's assosiate society and governing body as the same as god. This is ridiculous. I remember arguing with a sister (don't ask how this started) about how oral and anal sex shouldn't be condemned..I asked her 'show me in the bible where it is condemned' and she said 'Its in the watchtower' and im like thats not in the bible though and she says 'Its the same thing!'
I beleive god, if he or she or they exsist, would never put a gun to your head in beleiving in him or not. I think you would be judged on your conduct to fellow humans regardless of your beleifs.
Oh god...now this guys goes on for another 470 words why college is wrong again. Why is he so critical of college? It seems either 1) he thinks you left because of college or 2) he has a grudge against it, possibly because he is now a low-paid window washer and resents those who can actually earn more than $15,000 a year.
Lets look at this from another point of view. Many think the WTS is
misleading people doctrinally as well. If you were responsible for extracting people from an immoral world, teaching them what God requires and aiding them to continue to follow God's requirements for the rest of their life, what sort of parameters or boundaries would you define? Would you let them do whatever they wanted, let them choose for themselves what to do and suggest parameters that would allow people pursue wealth and material benefits?
Noone is reposnsible for that. Each one is responsible for their own faith and their own spirituality. This kind of thinking leads to gestapo-like religious regiems such as the JW. They beleive their flock must be kept under control at all times at all costs.
The answer is obvious but how would YOU go about directing a large crowd if you were responsible for six million people?
Many world governments have already solved this dilema at a much grander scale. There are judicial systems, health care systems, education, road maintenance, hospitals, etc. If you were to turn the JW's into a government in charge of a country, it would be classified as communist or fascist. It has already been determined that to rule a large amount of people crushing all opposition and rulign with a ruthless iron fist will only cause the government to fall.
Remember you are responsible for six million lives and God is
holding you accountable. Not only that but you are responsible for warning six billion other people that a storm is coming and you also have to prepare them to survive it. How would you feel if that responsibility were on your shoulders? What would you do?
The governing body, in their senility, have already decided they are these people. This is a grand self-delusion to beleive god has chosen you without any evidence. Does he really need you? Does he really need printing presses? Does he need circuit assemblies and watchtowers?
You have a son. Do you allow him to make all of his own decisions? Or do you set parameters, looking our for his future welfare? What do you want him to turn out like? The rest of the world or someone who worships Jehovah?
Forcing him to be that is exactly what most JW do, and the children leave. You can set some moral guidlines for your child, but ultimatley he or she will make his or her own descisions and beleive what they want. Forcing to become a clone will do no good. Would you suddenly stop talking to your child if he or she dosent share your political viewpoint? Oh wait the JW already do that evil practise.
If you believe this world is really coming to an end then having faith in someone that can save you starts to become increasingly important.
As has everyone at the dawn of every century since the dawn of time. The end is nigh! Why do we need faith in anyone other than god? Why do we need to join a club?
Consider too that you are going to have a bunch of critics, who think they know better how to get the job done, telling you that what you are doing is wrong and too restrictive? But a small group of anointed men have taken that responsibility on their shoulders.
It is arrogant and hypocritical to say you are 'only human' and at the same time dismiss all critisism as evil and wrong and from satan. Beleiving your are infallible is wrong.
Wow! What a job!!! Why did they do that? Could it be because God selected them and gave them the responsibility and also the latitude to carry out his instructions in a reasonable way, a way that not all will agree with?
Yup, god appeared to them and said 'hey, old dudes, wanna govern my chosen people? you do? great, here is a printing factory and some land in new york. have fun. Im gonna go play golf' has any JW considered also the much higher likleyhood that they are just men who only beleive god chose them to lead and have no evidence to back it up? How can the JW say the governing body is simply human and makes mistakes and also claim them to be directed by god?
You will have to admit the governing body is succeeding in developing better people while the rest of the world is floundering. If God is not behind them can you explain why that is?
Oh yeah, splitting families apart and teaching hate is making better people. Never lifting a finger to aid fellow humans in need, such as the homeless and poor and hungry is 'etter people' indeed.
What really is important today? An education? Money and all the stuff it can buy? Free will? Sex? Marriage? High paying job? Friends? Jehovah? What is reasonable and what is restrictive? What is overly restrictive and what is prudent? The world is eagerly pursuing a course, actually many courses, but
are they happier for it? Not if I interpret what I see on the news correctly.
Again, attacking college. This dude is starting to sound like the unabomber.
But now look at JWs. They have lower paying jobs, go to meetings all the time and go out and try to find other that might like to adopt such an austere life style. Are they confused? Are they unhappy? Are they dying from AIDS? Getting divorced? No!
They may not be dying from aids but they are bleeding to death from not taking blood. They are getting divorced, and also staying in torturous marriages that benefit noone. And they are very unhappy. Wearing a smile means nothing if there is nothing behind it.
Are you truly happier now that you have adopted a critical view of the WTS? Quite the opposite probably.
hehehe. He almost sounds curious here, I sense that he is saying all of this to help him feel better about talking to you, but I think he shares some doubts by his tone and is in a way asking you what you know. This guy is actually asking for help if I read him correctly.
If the WTS organization is not really doing God's will then who is? Does it make sense that God would have an
organization in the last days that would lead people to the road to life or not?
God's will in the new testamnent as preached by jesus (gods will is a little different when the apostles preached it after his death, their message was salvation through the death and ressurection of jesus, jesus message was never about his death but about accepting gods kingdom and to obey two simple rules, love your neighbor and love god)
His message was never to establish a man-headed organization.
Frankly there is not another
organization that is collecting people out of the world and teaching them what God requires.
What god requires is a hotly debated topic not satisfactorly explained by any one as of yet. We don't seem to have a clue.
The WTS is teaching us to love others, even enemies.
This guy really is naive.
We are taught prejudice is wrong, whether racial, or ethnic or
national. What other religion truly brings people together from all these backgrounds peacefully?
By turning them into clones. This is an artifical solution. People are diverse by nature, making them all conform to one standard is unhealthy and wrong.
You see JWs or the WTS as imperfect. What do you expect? God has been using imperfect people to guide imperfect people for millennium. God has always done that and the direction the leader takes was not always beneficial. Moses did not do everything right, did he? David made decisions that caused people died in war. Did that mean David did not have God's support or that God was not really using him? Of course not. Did God correct matters over time.
Isn't it far more likley these men were not guided by god at all?
Can we really pick and choose what we want to do or should we be obedient to those taking the lead? This is an especially important question, in this independent thinking world, when we see evidence
that God really is backing them and the evidence really supports that
conclusion.
The evidence is imaginary. Faults are simply brushed aside. They certainly are TAKING the lead. None of us voted them in. They jus sorta declared themselves leaders.
College might allow you to better support your
family and provide greater measure of financial security. But if college makes you so independent that you question God or leave his organization will you really benefit. College or not, you get to choose but at the same time we must serve Jehovah. The latter leads to everlasting life but the former will not.
Godamn!!!! This guy hates college? Whats the talley for how much he has bashed college while at the same time stating there is nothing wrong with it?
If I have not really ticked you off, I hope not, I would like to hear from you. If you would like to discuss any of this or have another view or other questions you would like to discuss please sent me a note. If I can help I would be glad to. As I said at the beginning I have felt much as you do but have over time realized that the direction the WTS is providing is better than I could conjure up or any I could get elsewhere. It took a long while for me to realize that.
Again, he has doubts. They have not been erased. He is prime for a fall. This email is begging for you to send him more detailed falacies from the society.
Can you truly make a case that the WTS is not backed by God, that they are truly misleading you or making you a slave? If you think you can make that case I would be interested to see how you develop that conclusion. If you present it I will try to poke holes in it. But hey, is there really anything wrong with someone checking your experiment? Mixing the wrong chemicals could cause an
explosion.
Yup, he is an apostate in the closet. He is asking for apostate info :) Give 'im what he asks for and prepare to meet his guy on our forum within a year.
I have read apostate material, recognized it for what it is and refuted it. [\quote]hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....closet apostate!!! RING RING..who is it? CLOSET APOSTATE.
[quote]Hang in there. Life in this world is not easy but you can make it. You can lead your family into a wonderful new world. Whatever road you take ask Jehovah for direction and you will be successful.
Christian love,
Apostate waiting to happen
He is sincere, but he is subconsciensly asking for help from you. Give it to him!
-Dan