Originally posted by Conrau K
Look, I am not interested in what Raj said. What I find more interesting is this claim of a JW to be a representative of God and some jurisdiction over other people to 'direct their lives'. Do you believe this?
Conrau , I think this should be answered straight from the horses mouth dont you think ?
First off you State " I am not interested in what Raj said "
Bad move : Without understanding the first part , the second part is irrelevant to you .
My answer was a Response to his statement , Both MUST be considered just as every coin has two sides . do NOT take my statements out of context , to do so is insultory and demonstrative of a lack of reasoning .
If however you will allow me to address that concern of your I will do so .
First reread the ENTIRE post , then contemplate the following
Mankinds view of Authority ( I should probably make a PDF of this discourse)
I conducted an Experiment just this morning after I read your comment .
I asked my son who is 15 , Speaks 2 langauges fluently reads and writes in Both
Both of which are fairly difficult languages and require a great deal of effort .
Japanese and English
The question posed
" Son , when I say the word Authority what comes to your mind , just give me the first image that pops into your head "
Answer " Hmmm , I see a Russian Soldier with his boot on my head and a gun pointed at me "
Wow .........I was set aback , but it is an indication of a deep subset of thought processes that the WHOLE of Human kind is dealing with at some gut instinct level
The World as a whole has the Viewpoint that Authority is a Bad thing
You cannot deny that .
But the reality is , that without Authority there cannot be Peace . Period it just isnt possible
But that begs the questions
What Kind of Authority
What should that Authority be Based on
What is my personal View of Authority
Am I willing to Accept Authority if it is the Correct Source and Has the Right Foundation?
Hence the Right to Direct , To Set Standards , to Place restrictions on what is right or wrong
Jeremiah 10;23
23 I well know, O Jehovah, that to earthling man his way does not belong. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step. 24 Correct me, O Jehovah, however with judgment; not in your anger, that you may not reduce me to nothing. 25 Pour out your rage upon the nations who have ignored you, and upon the families who have not called even upon your name. For they have eaten up Jacob. Yes, they have eaten him up, and they keep at exterminating him; and his abiding place they have desolated.
Notice that in Verse 24 , The prophet actually ASKed to be corrected , But first He made a realization in verse 23 , I well Know That to Earthling Man it does not belong even to direct his own steps . ...........a VERY humble statement .
Does mankind have the true inaliable right to direct himself ,........Look at the world around you and see the disagreements , conflict , War , dissent , Strife , Deception , Greed , Power struggles , domination ......... and really truthfully ask yourself ,........ Does Mankind actually have the right to make the rules ?
Might is Not Right , and it is Not true power , Ther are time it must be used , but only in a sense of Justice , and that Justice must be in truth .
The Right to Direct Mankind ..........
If Mankind is so Bad at directing itself which is plainly evident , then wouldnt you agree that It NEEDS , direction ? I surely do , Just as Children NEEd Parents who actually give a crap about how their children turn out as adults
But where should that Authority come from ?
What Kind of Authority should it be .
And if it is such should we not be WILLING to subject ourselves to it ?
Mankind has been ruled by Kings , Governments , Dictators , Patriarchs , Heirarchy as well as many other forms of rulership ......Which one of them has actually SOLVED all of mankinds problems , or brought them to peace with each other ?
Not 1 , and they wont , they cannot . Because the for of Authority that they represent is based in Falsehood , and Greed . The Rich rule the Poor , and keep them poor so they can Stay Rich .
I stated , I represent this Person named Jehovah , who is God , and that I am a Witness of this Person , He is real , and to me that is how I view him and have to many experiences in my life that absolutely prove it . No Human explanation could work around what I have experience , and I am a pragmatist and Realist , a Skeptic even .
I did not grow up as a JW , but I grew up in a Violent world have seen firsthand 3rd world countries , and lived among them , have traveled extensively , and have had my influences from every part of this planet .
I have seen first hand , that Man does not have the right to rule anyone . But without a Common set of guidelines and principles to live by Mankind cannot and will not get along . ( This was in prophecy)
Daniel Chapter 2:
41 “And whereas you beheld the feet and the toes to be partly of molded clay of a potter and partly of iron, the kingdom itself will prove to be divided, but somewhat of the hardness of iron will prove to be in it, forasmuch as you beheld the iron mixed with moist clay. 42 And as for the toes of the feet being partly of iron and partly of molded clay, the kingdom will partly prove to be strong and will partly prove to be fragile. <B>43 Whereas you beheld iron mixed with moist clay, they will come to be mixed with the offspring of mankind; but they will not prove to be sticking together, this one to that one, just as iron is not mixing with molded clay.</B>
44 “And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite; 45 forasmuch as you beheld that out of the mountain a stone was cut not by hands, and [that] it crushed the iron, the copper, the molded clay, the silver and the gold. The grand God himself has made known to the king what is to occur after this. And the dream is reliable, and the interpretation of it is trustworthy.”
If Authority is from the correct source , and has the correct qualifications then it is incumbent upon everyone , to be WILLING to accept that Authority , because failure to do so , is to subscribe to Human suffering and Conflict from the Lack of a common standard .
So that begs the Question , Who Has the right to Make the Standards of which to live by .
I asked m son another question , " If I were to walk into Hatsumi Sensei's Dojo, and openly challenge him , and the Beat him , would that then Make me the Authority in His Dojo ......?"
My Kid's answer surpassed every persons reasoning I have read in these forums to date .
He thought for a good 4 minutes , quite pensively , then answered
" .......... No I dont think it would , Because it is HIS Dojo , and he holds the History of all that Teaching and is the source of that form of knowledge "
This from a 15 year old .
And he is exactly right ........... Even if My technique or knowledge from other sources , could surpass his , It would not mean that I was the Master of HIS technigue
only of mine . But HE would STILL be the Authority in HIS Dojo , because that Dojo represents his Teaching , But if on the other hand , He stood me in front of his students, and announced me as the new Soke . and Handed his lineage over to me ,
Then I would be that Authority .
Authority must have it Basis in Respect , Honor , Truth , and Love , o Concern for those who are subjecting themselves to that said Authority .
This is Why Jehovah's Witnesses are WILLING to subject themselves to God's Authority , not out of Blind ignorance , but because of it' source .
Isaiah 32 1-7
1 Look! A king will reign for righteousness itself; and as respects princes, they will rule as princes for justice itself. 2 And each one must prove to be like a hiding place from the wind and a place of concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a waterless country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land.
3 And the eyes of those seeing will not be pasted together, and the very ears of those hearing will pay attention. 4 And the heart itself of those who are overhasty will consider knowledge, and even the tongue of the stammerers will be quick in speaking clear things. 5 The senseless one will no longer be called generous; and as for the unprincipled man, he will not be said to be noble; 6 because the senseless one himself will speak mere senselessness, and his very heart will work at what is hurtful, to work at apostasy and to speak against Jehovah what is wayward, to cause the soul of the hungry one to go empty, and he causes even the thirsty one to go without drink itself. 7 As for the unprincipled man, his instruments are bad; he himself has given counsel for acts of loose conduct, to wreck the afflicted ones with false sayings, even when someone poor speaks what is right.
The King Will Rule for Righteousness sake ,.........Not His own .
His Rulership will be for Clarity of Knowledge , not senseless action
He will recognize when the Poor one is speaking what is Upright ...... and will reward accordingly .
The Source of Authority , must be True , and be Honorable , and among mankind there isnt ONE among all the Sea of mankind who can do that .
I am one of Jehovah's WITNESSES , and I represent him in the issues and speak with Authority , because I am NOT speaking MY words , but his .
My Opinion , will be placed right where it belongs , .......Who has the best Spaggehti recipes , and who makes a better Chili .
None of Jehovah's people have Authority over Mankind , only the Right to Speak his word , That isnt to say all are equal at that . or at living it .
It is a Growth process
13 Oct '10 16:36
The right to direct mankind's direction in life
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