Meet "Christoph"

[Jack Ryan]

This week's WT-study:

The Watchtower - April 2018 - "Young People, Are You Focused on Spiritual Goals?"

Paragraph 16:

Humility moved Christoph to accept good advice. Shortly after he got baptized, he began training regularly at a fitness center. Other young people at the center urged him to join their sports club. He spoke about the matter to an elder, who asked Christoph to think about certain dangers before making a decision, such as the risk of getting infected by the spirit of competition. Christoph joined the club anyway. In time, however, he discovered that the sport was violent, even dangerous.

One does simply not join a sports club without any knowledge of what kind of sport it is!

"Hey newfound friend. Would you like to join our sports club?"

"Yeah.. Of course.. What is it all about?"

"It's no big deal."

"Is it soccer?"

"Nah.."

"Curling? Dart? Diving?"

"Join the club, and you'll find out.."

"Is it golf? Oh man.. I love golf.."

"Just sign here.."

[Few weeks later..]

"Oh.. It was MMA. I'm happy no one brought golf clubs, then.."

With that disability to critical thinking, before signing up to anything, I wouldn't consider "Christoph's" baptism as a true sign of "strong faith"..

[Jack Ryan]

He is a moron. And since when is elders advice to override a parent? Where where mom or dad or guardian at this time. Not once mentioned.

[Jack Ryan]

They are hoping to imply that, while it is possible for violence to erupt during a particular event in some particular sport, and it is not characteristic of the sport to contain violence as a matter of course, and it may not be obvious for a long time that the sport contains a remote potential of violence, it would be wise and best to conservatively assume that IF violence EVER does erupt in ANY specific given sport, it should be *characterized as violent. Same goes for dangerous. Under this rubric, Watchtower can gesture toward hockey, basketball, baseball, etc. The rule set of the sport ideally channels all the competitive spirit into and through the game. But, sometimes competition gets out of hand, or a bad call is made, etc. Watchtower designs that every single thing that can be constructive and upbuilding in a physical health way also have a drawback that dominates and overshadows the benefit.

The following is the maliciously intelligent construction which, among many other instances of such, guides my own thinking that Watchtower is lead by maliciously intelligent leaders, and not by the GB, who are merely the public face that is as close an approximation to a kindly beneficent god-face as we're going to get.

"elder, who asked Christoph to think about certain dangers before making a decision, such as the risk of getting infected"

By associating "danger" with "elder", "risk" and "infection" in the same sentence, Watchtower tinges or taints or biases or colors the word "danger" for the foreseeable textual future. Then when Watchtower next uses the word "danger" the unconscious recollection of the tinge, taint, bias, color of the prior use helps to add a designed layer beneath the obvious. The final ostensible reading, for non-JWs and JWs reading at the superficial level, is that Christoph discovered that the sport was "dangerous" to the body. The final intended realization, for JWs that know how to interpret celestial chariot semaphore, holy spirit Morse code, theocratic dog whistle, and Walkill smoke signal, is that Christoph discovered that the sport was dangerous to his spiritual health.

Therefore any sport that contains the potential of violence, which is to say, any sport that contains the spirit of competition and therefore the 'risk of infection' of the spirit of competition, is dangerous. Therefore all sport that is competitive is dangerous. Allow me to quickly google "sport":

"sportspôrt/nounnoun: sport; plural noun: sports

1.  

   1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment."team sports such as baseball and soccer"synonyms:(competitive) game(s), physical recreation, physical activity, physical exercise, athletics; pastime "we did a lot of sports""

Sport is defined as containing competition. Therefore sport is dangerous to spiritual health. Therefore all sport should be avoided. (Go out in service and dispose of your youthful physical vigor pounding pavement.) QED.

 - Barsoomva

[Jack Ryan]

The guy joins a club and only later realize that it’s a violent, even dangerous sport that he’s supposed to be practicing ? Did he join fight club or something ? How could he not be aware of the kind of sport he was going to practice joining this club ?

Then he had to speak to SEVERAL elders about this to realize that he « should » quit. And they call that humility. The guy would have been reproved after talking to the first elder about his « dangerous » sport and keeping on practicing it.

I don’t even understand how they can relate this story as realistic, encouraging or being something proving their point...

[Evacuated]

1 hour ago, Jack Ryan said:

Watchtower is lead by maliciously intelligent leaders,

OOOOOOH! (cue Jaws music......)

1 hour ago, Jack Ryan said:

Sport is defined as containing competition. Therefore sport is dangerous to spiritual health.

Oh dear! "Knickers in a twist" (google that) syndrome!

Don't worry. "sport" has a range of interpretations, including this one: "a person who behaves in a good or specified way in response to teasing, defeat, or a similarly trying situation." So that would probably be something critics could try with benefit?

Anyway, just to calm things down a bit.

"physical training" : the systematic use of exercises to promote bodily fitness and strength.

Now , this seems to be the lure that gets many into joining a "sports" club. And as our scantily detailed (not "clad" before the rumour mill kicks in...) experience regarding "Christophe" indicates, this seems to be the path he took. The Bible principles around "bad associates" (1Cor.15:33) seem to be integral to the outcome he experienced. Who knows what type of "sport" was at the core of their club? It could have been cage-fighting training. Who knows how much of the detail he revealed to his chosen advisor? Anyway, he got some further advice on the principles based on his experience, and, presumably, withdrew. So, what does a sane mind conclude? The club was a bit of an issue. The environment in the fitness centre needed a bit of safe navigation technique. Is it wrong to engage in physical training to ehance health and fitness? Not even mentioned.

So, sane message? Don't join clubs* (*club: an association dedicated to a particular interest or activity.) run by worldly people without fullly investigating it's interest or activity. Or, don't violate 1Cor.15:33 and save the hassle. Other sane message? Discuss secular plans with spiritually older friends for any advice they may think is relevant, any time. (Humility evidence).

Insane message: No comment. Enough said in first four postings.

[James Thomas Rook Jr.]

That's why as I walk down the street, I constantly stop and look behind me, or dodge into a doorway, or hide behind a lamp post, looking back ....or dodging and weaving get off a few shots ... just in case.

.... better to be safe ... than sorry.

 

 

[Space Merchant]

On 7/8/2018 at 5:11 PM, Jack Ryan said:

He is a moron. And since when is elders advice to override a parent? Where where mom or dad or guardian at this time. Not once mentioned.

You do realize even outside of religious institutions, Secular Law and those of it can override the position and or say of a parent an or Guardian?

If a man wants to use his child as a scam, those of the Law can jail this man and take his child away to Child Protective Services, and even the CPS are not as good either because a lot of kids die in their care, it is the worse in the US.

If I was of the law and you had your child do something crazy, I have the power to override your position as a parent and or what you say for anything and everything you can do will be obsolete an the child will be coming with him and moving the child elsewhere, to another guardian and or protective services that do not let the children die. The whole FamilyOFive situation also further proves me point.

[Space Merchant]

@James Thomas Rook Jr. But then you have to worry about these

 

Cameras catch and see everything and everyone, just like how cameras were able to catch this guy (also this is why the Bible tells us to avoid/abstain drunkenness, otherwise you'll end up on YouTube).

 

 

At the end of the day, the only one who sees everyone and everything is God.