JW Question

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
mostly our fundamental doctrines have been established, they get reformed from time
to time if knew understanding upon a text comes to light, but the basics are there. yes
of course it continues, but its in the application, for example, the sanctity of life
determines, what kind of job you'll do, whether you can carry a weapon, what kind of
...[text shortened]... ate in, etc etc, all these things need to be weighed in the
balance by our perceptive powers.

How can you as an individual believer, who you say is continuously weighing up perceptions of God's will - as interpreted from scriptural texts - through your "perceptive powers" and because you are exercising "self-determination", put pressure on the people who run your organisation, and who decide which perceptions are permitted and which are not, to bring about reform that, say, you and others perceive to be necessary, while people more senior to you within the JW organisation do not?

Originally posted by FMF
How can you as an individual believer, who you say is continuously weighing up perceptions of God's will - as interpreted from scriptural texts - through your "perceptive powers" and because you are exercising "self-determination", put pressure on the people who run your organisation, and who decide which perceptions are permitted and which are not, to bring ab ...[text shortened]... erceive to be necessary, while people more senior to you within the JW organisation do not?

why would i want to put pressure on something that i already believe to be scripturally
sound? if i have an issue i am free to write to, phone or visit the branch office, every
six months a circuit overseer visits the congregations and determines what issues the
brothers are facing, he submits a report to the branch and articles are produced in our
magazines dealing with those issues. I can call any elder 24/7 if i have a personal
issue or to seek counsel.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
why would i want to put pressure on something that i already believe to be scripturally
sound?

Well, if - for example - you did not think the ban on blood transfusions was scripturally sound, and the people who run the JW organisation thought it was. Could you argue the case in at one of your meetings?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
[...]articles are produced in our
magazines dealing with those issues.

Different or opposing views on JW policies, perceptions and interpretations are debated in your magazines? Actual change can be brought about by these debates?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
why would i want to put pressure on something that i already believe to be scripturally
sound? if i have an issue i am free to write to, phone or visit the branch office, every
six months a circuit overseer visits the congregations and determines what issues the
brothers are facing, he submits a report to the branch and articles are produced i ...[text shortened]... g with those issues. I can call any elder 24/7 if i have a personal
issue or to seek counsel.

Let us know what they say about the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium
in relation to Christ. Is it real or fake?

Originally posted by FMF
Well, if - for example - you did not think the ban on blood transfusions was scripturally sound, and the people who run the JW organisation thought it was. Could you argue the case in at one of your meetings?

na, no arguments, you could discuss it with someone, but the content of a meeting is
pre arranged, many months in advance and us uniform throughout the earth, so what
the brothers in Indonesia will be considering on Sunday will be the same article that I
am considering in Glasgow.

Originally posted by FMF
Different or opposing views on JW policies, perceptions and interpretations are debated in your magazines? Actual change can be brought about by these debates?

mostly our doctrines are fixed and people write in for clarification of a text.

Originally posted by RJHinds
Let us know what they say about the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium
in relation to Christ. Is it real or fake?

umm were in the business of promulgating Biblical truth, why would these things be of
interest?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
na, no arguments, you could discuss it with someone, but the content of a meeting is
pre arranged, many months in advance and us uniform throughout the earth, so what
the brothers in Indonesia will be considering on Sunday will be the same article that I
am considering in Glasgow.

And "self determination" and "conscience" and "weighing up" in this context - if such things were to result in deviating from that which is "uniform" - actually means, not so much what they mean conventionally, but instead [you get to determine whether you] 'acquiesce, leave, or be removed'?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
mostly our doctrines are fixed and people write in for clarification of a text.

So how could the organisation's ban on blood transfusions be "reformed" in reality, if it were perceived to be necessary by a sufficient number of individual JW believers having weighed up the issue from a biblical standpoint?

Originally posted by FMF
And "self determination" and "conscience" and "weighing up" in this context - if such things were to result in deviating from that which is "uniform" - actually means, not so much what they mean conventionally, but instead [you get to determine whether you] 'acquiesce, leave, or be removed'?

well you could harbour doubts about a doctrine and still remain a witness, but then, if
you taught it to someone else while harbouring doubts it would be kind of weird. Its an
interesting thing, doctrine never comes between brothers, its the mundane things.

Originally posted by FMF
So how could the organisation's ban on blood transfusions be "reformed" in reality, if it were perceived to be necessary by a sufficient number of individual JW believers having weighed up the issue from a biblical standpoint?

they could petition the branch committee.

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
well you could harbour doubts about a doctrine and still remain a witness, but then, if
you taught it to someone else while harbouring doubts it would be kind of weird. Its an
interesting thing, doctrine never comes between brothers, its the mundane things.

Do you think that "doctrine never com[ing] between brothers" is a healthy thing, spiritually and intellectually speaking?

Originally posted by robbie carrobie
they could petition the branch committee.

It is not considered appropriate to debate such things directly with fellow believers? You have to go through the 'chain of command'?

Originally posted by FMF
Do you think that "doctrine never com[ing] between brothers" is a healthy thing, spiritually and intellectually speaking?

it wasn't always like that, in the early years they used to have mega debates until
things got ironed out eventually. I think its good spiritually for we are united, whereas
if you contrast to the nominal Christians, they all believe different things and are
disunited as a consequence. Our Christianity is not an intellectual undertaking, our
truths are quite simple.