Posts by the pharmer

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

· These same JWs knowingly held fast to an incorrect view.

(This seems unreasonable)

Ok.

· As regards the incorrect view, these JWs spoke that view to others as a correct view.

(This seems unreasonable and just plain wrong)

Ok.

djeggnog,

The above highlighted points, along with the following two conflicting statements of yours which I pointed out earlier, remain to be reconciled -- even after your most recent post. As much as I appreciate all your efforts and information, I would most like to have you address these points specifically and have these important conflicting issues resolved, if you don't mind. Thanks.

If you were to read a passage of Scripture and were to draw a conclusion that is a different from the one reached by Jehovah's Witnesses, this would not necessarily mean that your conclusion was incorrect.

…

If you were to read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes my view as one of Jehovah's Witnesses as to the meaning of this same passage, in my mind you have a mistaken view that needs to be adjusted to the Scriptures

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

Djeggnog,

Given the fact that you gave an actual instance where I (as a non-JW) could have held a correct view which would have opposed JWs (who held an incorrect view as the WT defined it), how do you reconcile your two seemingly irreconcilable statements below?

If you were to read a passage of Scripture and were to draw a conclusion that is a different from the one reached by Jehovah's Witnesses, this would not necessarily mean that your conclusion was incorrect.

…

If you were to read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes my view as one of Jehovah's Witnesses as to the meaning of this same passage, in my mind you have a mistaken view that needs to be adjusted to the Scriptures

Thanks.

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

I guess I want to clarify that it's not that I'm on a search for something, but rather, I want to test the somethings to see if they stand up to the claim - i.e. its authenticity.

I like the quote jgnat!

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

Djeggnog,

In reading your post and considering just your first three sentences, I highlighted areas that need to be reconciled.

You said:

If you were to read a passage of Scripture and were to draw a conclusion that is a different from the one reached by Jehovah's Witnesses, this would not necessarily mean that your conclusion was incorrect. Before the early 1960s, Jehovah's Witnesses had taken the view that the "higher powers" (KJV) or "superior authorities" (NWT) to which the apostle Paul refers at Romans 13:1 were Jehovah God and Jesus Christ. However, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society were deluged with so many letters during this time period from Jehovah's Witnesses all over the world that were unable to follow the reasoning that led some to such a conclusion, but they continued to speak in agreement on this point as they awaited the settling of this question .

So the objective information you give in your first three sentences is:

· I can be correct about a scripture apart from the WT (i.e. independently), even to the point of being contraryto the WT.

(This seems reasonable)

· The WT can be incorrect about a scripture.

(This seems reasonable)

· JWs across the world were unable to follow WT reasoning on a WT incorrect view of scriptures (due to its incorrectness).

(This seems reasonable)

· These same JWs knowingly held fast to an incorrect view.

(This seems unreasonable)

· As regards the incorrect view, these JWs spoke that view to others as a correct view.

(This seems unreasonable and just plain wrong)

You said, “The truth is going to be the truth no matter who has it, so the question is, how sincere is your search for truth?”

I would like to answer that. I believe, as I’m in relatively in the beginning stages of examining things, I am as sincere as I possibly could be. I want to remain as open, objective, and unbiased as possible. I would like to think that if you or anyone else (including myself) were able to show me how a certain belief is not true, that I would not hold fast to that incorrect view. And I certainly hope I wouldn’t speak about the incorrect view as being trueregardless of the reason – that seems blatantly wrong. It would go completely against my conscience to live that way.

I hope that shows you just how sincere my search for truth really is.

Sincerely,

Pharmer

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

wannabefree,

To be clear, what I meant by "taking the WT" out of the equation was to substitute "Mormon view" for "WT view", but to still be presenting the question to the same JW. From a JW perspective (or even an xJW perspective looking back), does it make it any easier or more comfortable to answer since "WT" is no longer part of the question?

It was just a thought that came to me, sorry if it seems weird or irrelevant, but the way I see it - some information is better than no information. It's impossible to form a sound conclusion about anything if one is left with having to make assumptions (which I will try not to do).

Thanks.

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

wannabefree, wobble, and Mad Sweeney:

Very interesting perspectives!

Everything considered so far, it makes me wonder how taking the WT out of the equation might affect the difficulty or comfort level with this question as seen from a JW’s perspective. For instance, since I’m also examining Mormonism (I have a good friend who is Mormon), the question would then be:

If I read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the Mormon view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about the passage (i.e. who is correct)?)

Any thoughts?

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

Do you believe that you must have a set of beliefs? If so, why? Do you think that your life would fall apart somehow if you had no beliefs

poppers,

This is probably better done as a seperate topic. What I believe, is irrelevant to this subject. However, I do want to point out how, even if one believes they don't have to have a set of beliefs, by definition they are holding onto a belief.

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

(djeggnog, I wanted to thank you for your thorough response, you sound sincere. I didn't want you to think that all that effort you put into it wasn't appreciated.)

I'm still trying to make my way through all the replies, I do appreciate them!

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

AnneB,

You also said,

Pharmer (Farmer), eh? Whatcha cultivatin'? Is this not a ploy to get people to "examine their faith"?

There is no ploy. It was an honest question with the hopes of understanding my friends approach and view of things. My friend wants me to be open to examining anything, while remaining objective, open-minded, and eliminating as much bias as possible. I would like to be held accountable to that end. It’s not a matter of win/lose¸ but rather one of facts.

The name “Pharmer” seems to bother you somehow; let me share the "secret" with you so as to dispel potential assumptions.

I grew up and was raised on a farm in ND. My career is one as a pharmacist.

Let me know if there are any other personal issues of mine that bother you.

137

Is this not an easy question?

by the pharmer in

i wanted my jw friend's perspective on something, so i asked them this question:.

if i read a passage of scripture and conclude about it something that opposes the wt's view of the same passage, in your mind who has the truth about that passage (i.e.

who is correct)?

the pharmer

AnneB,

I see your point, however, your assumption is incorrect. Although I don’t have the time to address every issue like this, perhaps by me clearing up your misconception I will be preventing further ones. I in fact did say exactly what I wanted, and I was open about it.

If you look at my initial post, I explain why I’ve posted this question. Because I had asked my friend a question that I had assumed was easy, after having not heard from them it dawned on me that maybe it wasn’t such an easy question after all. I thought it was easy, but perhaps they didn’t. It was natural for me to approach the topic line in a “Is it not…” sort of way (having thought it was an easy question).

It is not a case of wanting someone to agree (or disagree for that matter), I assure you. In fact, if it is not an easy question, I want to be shown how it is not, from a JW perspective. Notice how I am welcoming the comments that tell me that it is not an easy question. I only want a truthful, honest answer.