I noticed some interesting things at the "Bible Study"..ahem... Here is the quote:
Holy Name, Holy Spirit
13) God’s holy name has been impugned, besmirched with lies and slander. In Eden, Satan lied about Jehovah and implied that He is an unjust Sovereign. (Genesis 3:1-5) Since then, Satan—the ruler of this unholy world—has made sure that lies about God have proliferated. (John 8:44; 12:31; Revelation 12:9) Religions have painted God as arbitrary, remote, or cruel. They have claimed to have his backing in their bloodthirsty wars. The credit for God’s marvelous acts of creation has often been given to blind chance, or evolution. Yes, God’s name has been viciously maligned. It must be sanctified; its rightful glory must be restored. We long for the sanctification of his name and the vindication of his sovereignty, and we delight to play any part in that grand purpose.
What does arbitrary mean? According to Websters:
a : based on or determined by individual preference or convenience rather than by necessity or the intrinsic nature of something <an arbitrary standard> <take any arbitrarypositive number> <arbitrary division of historical studies into watertight compartments — A. J. Toynbee>
b : existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will <when a task is not seen in a meaningful context it is experienced as being arbitrary — Nehemiah Jordan> I was wondering how the WTBTS is any different than other "false" religions in this regard? What could be more random than God saving some chickens in Myanmar, but letting countless humans die for various reasons? What could be more arbitrary than a JW waitress getting the exact amount of tips she needs, but letting Whitney Heichel be murdered? What is more unreasonable than claiming that God stopped the humidity so the "Silver Sword" could be printed, mistakes and all, but allowed a faithful Sister to kill a passenger and nearly die while on the way to the Memorial? Is there anything more capricious than "spirit-directing" the appointment or reappointment of child predators to positions of religious authority?
Isn't the WTBTS quilty of painting God as arbitrary, remote, and cruel? How does a God who multiplies chickens, but let's pioneers be mauled by pit-bulls inspire trust? How can JWs honestly believe that God intervenes in some cases but not in the others? This makes God far more mysterious and illogical than "Christendom's" view of, " We don't know, the Lord works in mysterious ways."
2 Peter 2:1,2: However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU. These very ones will quietly bring in destructive sects and will disown even the owner that bought them, bringing speedy destruction upon themselves. 2 Furthermore, many will follow their acts of loose conduct, and on account of these the way of the truth will be spoken of abusively.
DD
