"The way of the truth is the best way of living. No better way can there be found."

"The way of the truth is the best way of living.
No better way can there be found."

Remember that?  It's the opening line to 'Make the Truth Your Own'. (My apologies if any of you suffered a gag reflex there.)  I was reminded of it because of something my Mum said to me recently, to paraphrase;

"Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth' I would still stay in because it's the best way of living."

Well I'm sure all of us have heard that sort of sentiment before but have you ever thought just how breathtakingly hypocritical and selfish such a stand is?!  To my mind there are three important aspects here.

(1)  The JW's relationship with God and Christ.  

If a JW accepts the possibility that the Watchtower Society do not have 'the Truth', that in fact there may be no evidence that they are God's sole representatives on Earth, then shouldn't such a person who calls himself 'Christian' put that organisation behind him and search for God elsewhere?  Does that person hold Jesus sacrifice as of so little worth that they are effectively saying; "sorry Jesus, I know it was pretty awful on that stake and that you went through all that suffering for me but actually I'm quite happy and cosy with my bunch of chums here in this little misguided bit of false religion and I'm staying put.  Hope you don't mind."

(2)  The JW's relationship with the public.

Again, if the JW has reached that intellectual point of accepting that they may not have 'the Truth' then surely it is an act of gross hypocrisy and selfishness to present that information as a life saving message?  If your only motivation for going out in field service is to spend some nice time with your friends, doing something that may give you all a feeling of having done something 'worthwhile', or even if you hate the ministry and your motivation is just to stay 'regular' so as to preserve those relationships and friendships which you understandably value - well!  Never mind the poor buggers at the doors whose very lives you may be risking, or whose marital harmony you might be destroying.  Never mind those poor children whose university education you've just jeopordised. So long as you spend a nice hour or two with your friends and have a nice cup of tea at the end of your service then it's all worth it isn't it?!!

(3)  The JW's relationship with family members.

Do I even need to write anything here?  How can a JW who is capable of accepting that the Truth may in fact not be 'the Truth' shun a family member?  Only because of hypocritical self-interest.

I know, I know. They are victims too, they have been misled by masters of cult propaganda just as we all were. But there are so few excuses for ignorance now.  Sometimes, you just have to tell it to them like it is.

So how do you say; "Mum, I love you, but you're a selfish and hypocritical woman?"

another mantra is that they are putting Jehovah first and Jehovah pours out rich blessings. 

I'm feeling quite convinced that as  xjws grow in numbers and as Jehovahs witnesses continue to be challenged about the inhumaneness of their beliefs they will have to confront the reality of their self interest more and more.

The sad fact is that for many JWs becoming more ethically aware has to come from their leadership.

"The way of the truth."  It would be all right if it was the truth!

So how do you say; "Mum, I love you, but you're a selfish and hypocritical woman?"

 Maybe you don't say that (I have learned by bitter experience that sometimes silence is better).

penny

point #3 is the absolute rebuttal to that
idiotic drivel that the b0rg offers the best
way of life there is

we know too many tragic stories about the
ruined lives that are in the wake of that
heinous cult and the blind unthinking loyalty
to its declaration of sole possession of the Truth^TM

that thing about calling your mom hypocritical
because of her unthinking allegience?
you really hankering to  open that ugly can of worms?

Of course I'm not actually going to say that to my Mum, I love her to bits.  I just get so frustrated by her blinkered, myopic view of life.  In many ways my Mum has proven herself to be a very selfless and honest person - but that side of her natural personality is completely skewed when the Watchtower impinges on some aspect of our lives.

That side of our personality was skewed at one time.  One thing I have come to know is that you cannot make them see the truth about the organisation.  They have to find it out for themselves and if they don't want to go down that road, WE have to make OUR peace with that and let them be.

I have 9 family members who are still in the faith (two are disfellowshiped but still believe it to be the truth) Before I got disfellowshipped I tried to reason with them, I asked them to even read their own literature about certain issues - but they kept their heads in the sand.  That is where they are comfortable - it is all they know and they are happiest there (even if they are not - they will tend to say they are)

So you love mum for mum and let her be - even though your heart aches.

I have heard that so many times.  Of course, anyone living and adhering to the tenets of most faiths would have the same results as JWs without all the ridiculous rules- holidays, education, blood ban, etc.

"They way of the truth is the best way of living la la la lala la lala ahh la"

watching a young baby dying a slow death through the blood ban certainly doesn't make the best way of living, or may be I'm wrong

of course the statement itself is a baseless assertion...based on the unproven assumption that the WT is the truth.

Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth' I would still stay in because it's the best way of living." --- I have seen you guys post things like this for years so obviously many, many jw's see that somethings are wrong in the org or doctrines. Once again you could use their own literature against them, remember the wt quote about 'even a drop of poison in a glass of water' analogy? I believe their point was that even if a non jw church has some things right they still serve up poison by not having everything right like the jw's, something like that.

winston churchill said it like this:

A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject

sound like a JW to anyone besides me?

(My apologies if any of you suffered a gag reflex there.)  

Peace to you, dear Nicolau! While it is understandable that regurgitating ANY of their "stuff"... whether it is accompanied by a melody or not... could make one feel very nauseous...  what literally made me gag was:

"Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth'I would still stay in..."

Sorry, no offense to you or your mum... but statements like this really do effect me physically... albeit briefly.  I SO wish your mum understood what she is saying:  living with a LIE... and even one in reference to GOD... is the BEST way of living... no matter what.  Of course, you could always ask her, "If you've never lived any other way of life, mum, how can you know?"  And no, her "former" life (assuming she had one before the WTBTS), is not the ONLY "Way."  Then perhaps point her to John 14:6 ("I am the Way..., etc."). 

Again, peace to you!

Your servant... and your mum's... and a slave of Christ,

SA

AGuest certainly has a point and it looks like you touched on it yourself in your first point.  If anyone is willing to live a lie because it is comfortable then I can hardly see how Jesus Christ would be okay with that.  Especially if that lie hurts other people.

I can understand how Christians disagree about certain teachings (tongue speaking, prophecying, can salvation can be lost, etc.) but the difference between Christians and the Watchtower is that Christians can agree to disagree on peripheral doctrines.  The Watchtower promotes an all or nothing (take it or leave it) approach to their doctrines and disfellowships anyone who disagrees with even a single piece of it (say 1914).

TRUTH should matter to a J W because , unlike some religions, it is a concept that depends upon reasoning and a convincing  argument.

No truth, you have nothing...A statement such as this is just the same as the ones that they deride from other religions. "My religion is good enough for me, thank you"

(My apologies if any of you suffered a gag reflex there.)

I did, but your apology is accepted.

I would also add a fourth point to your list. Many JWs have never lived as anything other than a JW. How can they say something is the best way of living, when they have no basis for comparison?

"Even if the Society are wrong about some things or even if they are completely wrong and it isn't 'the Truth' I would still stay in because it's the best way of living."

I would tell my mom, "Mom, you're selfish, hypocritical and a blaspheming worshipper of men." (And yes, I had a nice mom, thank you)

villabolo

i LOVE that song...yay

The best way of living? 

Sure, until you slice an artery.   Or a relative decides to leave the borg.  Or your child turns out to be gay.

It's probably the best way of living if you just happen to be a straight male with ambitions to become a window cleaner and to brown nose your way to eldership.  Of course, all of this could have been true of you in 1978 when you died from kidney failure and couldn't have a transplant.

"The way of the truth is the best way of living.
No better way can there be found."