the point was made at the assembly today, that we have to 'prove' our love for jehovah to him.
as i sat there, bored, this thought struck me as odd.
since jehovah is supposed to be able to read 'hearts', why do we as humans, have to prove anything to him, since he already knows us down to our kidneys and would know if we loved him or not.
Black Sheep-Funny, I never felt I had a good heart when I was doing all the things one is supposed to do to 'prove' oneself to Jah.
Avocado-The predestination thing has always been troubling. If Jehovah knows what the outcome of a matter is from the beginning, what is the point of trying. It has left my eyes wobbling too.
CJ
........... holy spirit or any " fruitages of the spirit " like love, kindness, mildness, meekness , etc.
shown by men considered for elder or ms positions.
qualities or true positive character traits are not that important to the wt society in appointments of these men in jw congregations.. no, the real " qualifications " that a jw man needs to exhibit is being able to report 10 hours a month in knocking on people's doors offering wt and awake magazines !
An uncle of mine (an elder) says "it is all political", boy is he right!
CJ
i miss a few but honestly i could count them on one hand after being in the organization for almost 5 decades.
some jws are ok but most, i simply tolerated, due to being an elder..
I would love to say yes, but the reality is I never really had friends at the hall. Oh yeah, they would invite you to their baby showers, wedding showers, weddings, house warmings...always when a gift was required. But no one to go to lunch with, or shopping or something fun.
CJ
the point was made at the assembly today, that we have to 'prove' our love for jehovah to him.
as i sat there, bored, this thought struck me as odd.
since jehovah is supposed to be able to read 'hearts', why do we as humans, have to prove anything to him, since he already knows us down to our kidneys and would know if we loved him or not.
3M-Yes, it always about doing more, more, more. Nothing is ever enough, not enough time, money, volunteering in someway or other .
R anmac-It was rather agonizing. No, I don't remember the part about Jesus and the teachings of the Pharisees, I did fall asleep sometimes, and was daydreaming at others-trying to get through it the best I could.
MrMonroe-HaHaHa! I know you are commenting in jest, but, at the same time, as humans we do have to prove our love for other humans in a visible manner, be it mowing the lawn or whatever because humans can't read the heart. So your logic makes sense for proving ourselves to others. (By the way, my husband would have listed, sex, sex and more sex as the first thing!)
CJ
the point was made at the assembly today, that we have to 'prove' our love for jehovah to him.
as i sat there, bored, this thought struck me as odd.
since jehovah is supposed to be able to read 'hearts', why do we as humans, have to prove anything to him, since he already knows us down to our kidneys and would know if we loved him or not.
The point was made at the assembly today, that we have to 'prove' our love for Jehovah to him. As I sat there, bored, this thought struck me as odd. Since Jehovah is supposed to be able to read 'hearts', why do we as humans, have to prove anything to him, since he already knows us down to our kidneys and would know if we loved him or not.
Comments would be appreciated.
CJ
curious, with almost 25,000 members here.
network of j.w.
does anyone have any up to date info on the status of the volunteer "spies"?.
Balaamsass-I remember, something about the medical records thing brought up at a meeting. There was something mentioned about a sister having an abortion and a sister in the medical records dept. of the facility coming across it. She demanded that the offending sister bring it up to the elders, or else. I remember being outraged at the time, that someone would violate medical confidentality rights.
The issue was that we need to keep the cong. clean, therefore, violating human laws was a requirement for 'those in the know'.
CJ
since jehovah's witnesses supposedly have "the truth" and are part of god's visible organization living in a "spiritual paradise" you would naturally expect that they should be the happiest people on earth!
this clearly is not the case.
wha happened?
Wow, all these experiences are heartbreaking. The pressure exerted on JWs is intense to say the least. I know have a dear friend who had been a pioneer for 17 yrs. She told me she would cry every Monday morning at the thought of having to spend another week in service. So much for the 'joy' JWs are supposed to feel. As said by others in this topic, no one is EVER doing enough.
I, too, have had many experiences with panic attacks (even to the point of going to the hospital, thinking I was having a heart attack) and will probably have to be medicated for the rest of my life. Would these problems be so severe had I not been raised 'in the truth'? I sincerely doubt it. When I needed mental help, my parents called the elders, who in all reality, tried to help, to the best of their limited ability. My parents should have had enough back-bone to defy the Society at the time and gotten me the professional help I so desperately needed. It makes me very angry at all the years wasted as I struggle in early puberty through my twenties and early thirties with debilitating mental illness.
So much sadness in so many. Such a waste.
CJ
i was re-reading another thread (http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/jw/experiences/218101/2/governing-body-pics) and i just couldn't help thinking that the faithful and discreet slaves may perhaps be faithful and discreet, but they are certainly not humble.
they let other witnesses treat them like special holy men.
not that i would have expected anything different from them, but i feel they should at least act otherwise for appearances' sake.. would it be fit for the members of the board of directors of any big company (enron, say) feel they have a special quality to them, one that puts them above all other humans, just because they approve things with two thirds of the vote?.
3rdgen & Avocado-You are both so right. Also, nice to have you both here, sorry for the late welcome.
CJ
http://www.themercury.com.au/article/2011/11/11/276021_todays-news.html.
Very sad indeed. However, I'm surprised they tried to do a lap-band surgery at all with all her other medical conditions. SHE made her own decision, she was most likely informed of the inherent dangers of this procedure before had. I'm glad she had her medical wishes respected, as I would want my own respected too. That being said, I'm going through my wallet to find my ancient blood card and tear it up.
CJ
is it really possible to continue as a jw but not believing in it anymore.
for how long can one keep up with this pace of life?.
i will appreciate it if any scientific study had been done on this and what has the result showed?..
They can go on as long a they personally need to, and their emotional stability holds. Their personal needs maybe because elderly family members are in, or a spouse, or all their kids. One cannot judge why they haven't 'bitten the bullet' yet and left. Very difficult either way.
CJ
