JW's don't believe in sunday school classes. Even if a child is too young to understand or if the information is over their heads, JWs are taught to force their children to sit through 2 hour meeting, home Watchtower studies, book studies, and assemblies that last from 9am to 4pm and can last up to 3 days.
(Compare this artical to the Watchtower of Sept 1,1996,pages 12-15)
The JWs reason that since the WT represents Jehovah,then the WT's suggestions must be perfect and must contain an answer to every question that might arise. In reality it gives the elders license to use clever/religious-sounding human reasoning,making it appear that God's Word is the basis for their rules on all manners of issues-some personal,others simply trivial".
"Again and again leaders of the JW organization take scriptural precepts and stretch them to extreams. For instances, Jesus Christ taught to not be apart of the world's affairs,but JW leaders preach a form of unreasoning contempt for everything non-JW.
1. JWs teach dispite the example of the Beroeans did not accept the apostle Paul's explanation of the Bible unequestioningly. Rather,they"examined the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so"-Acts 17:11. However,JW leaders teach,"Never question those taking the lead among you",or ealse be suspected of being a "complainer against God's Word" or an "apostate".
2. A JW is not allowed to befriend any non-JWs at work or school because in doing so he/she would be considered to be"friends with the world " and thus,"A foe against Jehovah".
Since JWs are so suspicious of all non-Kingdom preaching activities and use of free time for recreation,the JW leaders forbade all school sports,clubs and any inner action with YMCA.
History proves that all this has done little to protech JWs from "worldly" behaviors,nor has it proved to detour JWs from alcohol abuse,drug use,adultry,fornication and other sins of the "world". Thus buried under hundreds of non-Bibical opinions and "suggestions" a.k.a=rules by the society and/or congergation members,the Freedom that belongs to Christ and the golden rule has lost its spiritual meaning as far as true believers of Jehovah are concerned. Thus,when sincere individuals who never abandoned the use of God's name,nor the rejection of the trinity nor the hope of the new earth,tried to reach out to others in simple kindness to others who were not treated kindly by others,the leaders of JW were unmoved. They seemed only concerned that these individuals seemed to ignore THEIR regulations and personal opions -Matthew 12:8,10-14.
In sum,we might say that these added laws and opions became affixed to the Law of Christ much as barnacles beome attached to the hull of a ship. Likewise,the WT's "suggestions" and the non-optional opions of JW leaders encumber the Law of the Christ and expose it to corrosive misuse. However,instead of scrapping such extraneous opions and "suggestions"=laws away,those in positions of leadership in JW keep adding more. By the time Jehovah's day comes the "ark" or ship is so encrusted with "barnacles" that it's barely afloat!(compare Proverbs 16:25)
Rather than protechting the Law of the Christ that belongs to freedom,these organization leaders committed the folly of betraying it. Why though,did their fence" of rules fail? Those in position of leadership in JW fail to understand that the battle against corruption is fought in the heart and not in pages of the Watchtower(Jerimiah 4:14) The key to victory is love-love for Jehovah and the Law Of The Christ that belongs to freedom. Those whose hearts are thus filled with love remain faithful to Jehovah and his Son,Jesus Christ,NOT to some religious organization and it's man-made rules/opions/"suggestions" that are not Bibically backed or precisely proved from the scriptures.
Leaders in JW had a opprotunity of teaching the people so as to promote and inspire love. Why have they failed to do so? Evidently they lack faith.(Matt 23:23.foot note) If they had had faith in the power of Jehovah's spirit to work in the hearts of faithful humans,they would NOT have feel the need to take ridgid controll of the lives of others.(Isaiah 59:1;Ezekiel 34:4) Lacking faith,they do not impart faith;they burned the people with man-made commandments/rules/"suggestions"that are NOT optional.Matt 15:3,9;23:4.
Those in positions of leadership in JW did not promote love. Their religious sounding man-made WT "suggestions",opions and thus LAWS produced a religion obsessed with externals(ridgid dress codes),with mechanical obedience for the sake of looking holy=appearence-a fertile breeding ground for hypocrisy(Matt 23:25-28).
Their regulations/"suggestions"=rules produced countless reasons for judging and unjustly shunning others. Thus proud and authoritian,they lost sight of the main purpose of the Law of Christ that belongs to freedom. What is the lesson for us? Clearly,a ridgid,tradition-oriented frame of mind does not promote the pure worship of Jehovah.
Does this mean that worshippers of Jehovah today are not to have ridgid religious non-Bibically backed "suggestions"/rules forced upon them when not specifically spelled out in the Scriptures? We say:YES! The WT/JW organization says:NO! That is why the burdens continue for those in Jw and family and friends in assocation with them.
Some final thoughts from the Living Bible... "They keep making up so many laws! They load you down with impossible demands that they themselves don't even try and keep"-Matthew 23:2,4.
"These rules may seem good,for rules of this kind require strong devotion and are hard on the body,but they have no effect when it comes to the conquering of a person's evil thoughts and desires. They only serve make him proud.-Colossians 2:23.
"Be warned there is no end to opions ready to be expressed, studying them can go on forever,and become very exhausting".-The Song Of Solomon 12:12.
"For they teach their man-made laws instead of those from God".-Matthew 15:9.
Don't let others spoil your faith and joy with their wrong thoughts and ideas, instead of what Christ has said".-Colossians 2:8.
Christians FREELY choose in their hearts to accept the yoke of obediance to this law. In doing so,they find that it is a kindly yoke,a LIGHT load.-Matthew 11:28-30.
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