Another Humble Opinion

When I was a child and after we had moved to town, I went through the ritual many of us go through in regard to Jehovah’s Witnesses. Their representatives would knock on the door, and everyone in the house would hide. Sometimes, I would be told to go talk to them and ‘get rid of them’.

My parents were both warm and friendly people; so at first, this was hard for me to understand. It soon became clear though. After being told that we were not interested in what they had to say or that we had our own religion, they would continue to literally preach right there on the porch.

They were as aggressive as salespeople, usually describing a dismal state of spiritual consciousness in the world. And my recollection is that they would go around and around with this; the impression they left was incomplete. They meant to get around to ‘the good news’, I suppose; but we never gave them the chance.

All of that having been said, I should also point out that a few of our family friends happened to be Jehovah’s Witnesses; and at any time that our families visited, I never saw this aggressive behavior. There was never any push to convert us, and our get-togethers were always pleasant and cordial.

Most people who know me also know my position on religion, any religion. While I do not ascribe to religions or labels, I understand the general value of the various institutions around the world which sustain the moral consciousness of man; it is this moral consciousness that keeps us from destroying the achievements of civilization.

Those of you with the cynical attitudes, who see things as really messed up, imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have a moral conscience, that need or compulsion to do good, to help one another, or simply not to do damage or to be hurtful. Where that compulsion comes from is for each one of us to find out for ourselves; and you can assume the blind faith of our fathers, or you can stumble around in the dark until you somehow figure it out, as I have had to do.

Even if you never go into the church down the street, just knowing it’s there keeps the spark of enlightenment alive.

The little booklets published by the Jehovah’s Witnesses can be found everywhere. Most people, or should I say ‘many’ people, look upon them with a sort of scorn. At the laundry facility or at the doctor’s waiting room, we would rather pick up a copy of ‘People’, or ‘Redbook’, or ‘Sports Illustrated’ than either of these. We have presupposed notions of what is contained in them. And the rationale is common and familiar.

We have our own religion. We only need to dwell on that stuff at designated times. Many Christians believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses aren’t even about Christianity. Rumors portray them as people who don’t listen to music and don’t dance. And, of course, there are always those who consider themselves as far too knowledgeable to learn anything from something so simple. Yet, it is important to know what NFL player is earning what or what Angelina and Brad are up to these days or what colors are in style for the season.

There is one thing on which I think we all might agree. Of the numerous criminals, the shoplifters, the armed robbers, rapists, murderers, even the bigots and the racists, it is doubtful that we would find any of Jehovah’s Witnesses among them.

The Watchtower, 6/1/2011: End of Poverty

“Extreme poverty is the result when nations, governments, and individuals act only to promote and protect self-interest.” This statement really stood out for me in this article. There is a great deal of truth throughout the article; it is all common sense. And it is interesting that we deny common sense for ourselves.

The article brings up the quote from Ecclesiastes 8:9, “Man has dominated man to his injury.” An interesting statement coming from Solomon, considering all the wives, concubines, and slaves under him.

And after raising many questions, the answers are shown to exist in Leviticus 25:10 and 23 and also in Deuteronomy 15:1-14. We even have an example of the early Israelites falling into poverty in Mathew 22:37-40, because they failed to observe those earlier teachings.

If the devout from that time could not heed God’s words, what are the chances that we, as a civilized society in the 21st Century will? There can be an end to poverty if everyone follows the same wisdom, but wasn’t it Jesus who told Judas that there would always be poverty? The suffering of some is not necessarily a test for them, but it might be an opportunity (and maybe a test) for those who do not suffer.

It has been pointed out in other sources that our planet can barely sustain the present population as it is; and if the third-world countries are brought up to par with the rest of the world, it will be catastrophic. The sacrifices necessary to make it work have to happen on national levels.

In other words, nations as a whole have to give up their statuses of power and economic well-being and meet the poorer nations halfway as those try to rise up. I see handfuls of individuals willing to do this, but I cannot see any government willing to compromise the security of a country for the sake of world equality.

Here in the United States, where the people supposedly govern themselves, will we give up some of the consumption of fuel and timber and food, our present way of life, so that others can live as we do.

Awake!, 6/2011: Terrorism
This article starts out like an action movie, illustrating the violence of our times, and has images of bloodshed, horror, and living in fear. It is concise in defining the subject matter and in sorting out who might be and who might not be a terrorist. One who does not keep up on world events daily might find it informative. And then it raises the question as to whether a world without terrorism is possible.

There are several quotes from the Bible which I do not feel necessary to list, because it goes back to the same thing. If everyone believed in the same wisdom, we would all get along. And there are various examples of people who have turned to Jesus and found peace.

This again is common sense; you can believe what you want, but even the atheist has to agree that the way of Jesus is peace. (I am still trying to understand how a race of people could define themselves as Christian and be slave owners and rapists, however.)

The problem, as I see it, is that this is such a simple notion, it falls into the category of ‘too good to be true’; and so, many walk around it.

Oddly, the article does not mention Muslims anywhere. That is whom we perceive as the terrorists, isn’t it? The Buddhists are non-violent, and most of us do not perceive Hindus as a warring people. Yet, it was a Hindu fanatic who assassinated Gandhi.

Another problem I have with the Jehovah’s Witness perception (and perhaps other denominations as well) is that they envision the rapture-to-come as something taking place on Earth. I’m sure we are all familiar with the images of families of different colors picnicking in a peaceful park, the children all playing together, and animals (predators and prey) all lying side by side.

It gives the impression that the Heaven we look forward to will be here on the planet. There are quotes in the Bible which support this if one takes them literally. I have to wonder though if God is planning to bring all the ones who have been here before us back to Heaven on Earth. Will He then make the world bigger? Will He replenish all the resources which we have drained from the planet? Will this new immense population not produce any garbage at all? Will people still eat? Will they still eat hamburgers, while the lions and wolves become vegetarian? To be a believer is to believe in miracles.

This is only a belief shared by an insignificant minority, but the Spirit created a physical domain so that It could experience what we know as feelings and sensation and even death; and in this death, the personage It created will depart the physical domain and return to a spiritual one. Time and space, as we know them, will cease to exist; and the individual consciousness will transmute into the Spiritual-consciousness.

Some religious sect might seek me out and kill me for my beliefs, and that’s okay. I will pray for them. So much for terrorism. I cannot speak for the rest of the world.


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