XPost: alt.religion.jehovahs-witn, talk.religion.misc   
   From: Mark.Sornson@hp.com   
      
   Frank wrote:   
   >   
   > "Nori Otaku"  wrote in message   
   > news:pan.2003.09.09.02.33.16.542479@noriotaku.usenet...   
   >   
   > > On this I will agree.  Still, there are many good secular organizations   
   > > out there -- like Doctors Without Borders, for example.   
   > >   
   > > --   
   > > NoriOtaku :: Change 'spam' to 'com' to send mail   
   >   
   > Question to Mark..   
   > Why would it be so wrong for a JW to get involved with "Doctors without   
   > borders" ?? Why would the GB discourage such activities?   
   > Why would it be so wrong to help some child walk??   
      
   I assume this is for me.   
      
   I never said it would be "wrong" for anyone to get   
   involved with "Doctors Without Borders".  Without knowing   
   more about them, I have no opinion of whether it would   
   be "right" or "wrong" to do so.  Believe it or not,   
   there are JWs who are doctors and nurses.  You'd have   
   to ask them directly if you want a more expert opinion.   
      
   If there are no political overtones or spiritual overtones   
   that might connect them directly with what JWs might   
   view as the promotion of false worship or nationalism, the   
   JW GB would probably have no direct opinion on whether   
   individuals so qualified should get involved with those   
   organizations.   
      
   The focus of the JW GB is to help people follow Jesus'   
   admonition to 'seek first the kingdom' (Matt 6:33).   
   To JWs, those are spiritual pursuits.  Putting 'the kingdom   
   first' isn't an argument against the absolute value of other   
   pursuits (such as any material charity work), but it ('the   
   kingdom') is the only pursuit that the JW GB has authority   
   to promote.   
      
   To go back to a point another poster took note of,   
   Jesus pointed out that the poor would always be present.   
   Christianity wasn't a solution to material poverty,   
   it was primarily a solution to 'spiritual poverty'   
   (cf. Matt 5:3).  In the first century, certain Christians   
   (according to the NT) had the ability to perform   
   miraculous healings.  Given the outcome of history,   
   it certainly doesn't appear that first century Christianity   
   made a big splash in the world helping crippled children   
   walk, and helping everyone get healed from their various   
   physical maladies.  Evidently it too focused primarily   
   on spreading its message about the Kingdom of God ruled   
   by Christ, not its ability to do charitable works.   
      
   The major point JWs are making is that even though   
   things like Doctors Without Borders and other works   
   of material charity may have value, most, if not all   
   of those works pay no attention to Jesus' counsel to   
   "seek the kingdom first".  Given how easy it is to   
   get sucked into such things 110%, "the kingdom" gets   
   put in last place -- or gets transformed into human   
   ideology, and is used as a 'hook' to mislead people   
   down a path of mere human invention.   
      
   Jesus said if people put the kingdom first, all other   
   things of a material concern would be added to them.   
   That is what JWs have faith in and promote.  If you   
   want to promote material concerns first, that is your   
   business and your right.  You are trying to make JWs   
   accountable to man for NOT seeking material charities   
   first.  JWs feel that each of us are accountable for   
   ourselves alone for our response to Jesus' direction   
   to seek the kingdom first.   
      
   -mark.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)