Posted by Friend [Friend] on November 11, 1999 at 20:46:17 {mJnjjpluA6hxaL3hj3H2OgnjR4Br/g}:
In Reply to: *I knew it... posted by AF on November 11, 1999 at 20:06:05:
AF
To some extent the problems you described exist for practically every community of humans. The real question is what we value as individuals and what redeeming features we see in any given community. Those becoming and remaining Jehovah’s Witnesses for life have found a community with acceptable values and features that offset faults.
In the case of Jehovah’s Witnesses we are speaking of a religious community whereby spiritual values come into play. Since spiritual values vary from person and cannot always be explained intellectually or logically then we must expect that some will find values in being one of Jehovah’s Witnesses that others cannot see. In that case the main thing is that those persons have as much information as possible about their choice rather than be ridiculed for that choice.
While I do not think you ridicule those making an informed choice you have spoken somewhat condescendingly toward that choice by asking how thinking people can accept the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses as their own. The inference is that thinking people cannot find values and redeeming features in the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses. You are rightly concerned about what "thinking people" will or can accept or tolerate. While I agree that people should be thinkers I also maintain that each person has innate spirituality than cannot be explained purely by intellect. On a spiritual plane I hold that thinkers will and do accept and tolerate certain evaluations that would not be tolerated if only examined intellectually.
Friend