A number of you have been writing in of late to discuss what you perceive as a disturbing trend. It appears to some that there is undue attention being focussed on the Governing Body.
We are a free people. We avoid creature worship and disdain men who seek prominence. After Judge Rutherford died, we stopped publishing books with the author’s name attached. We no longer used phonograph records of his sermons to play from sound cars or at the door in field service. We advanced in the freedom of the Christ.
This is as it should be because no man or group of men will stand for us when judgment day comes. We will not be able to use the excuse, “I was only following orders”, when we stand before our maker.
(Rom. 14:10,12) “For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God…each of us will render an account for himself to God.”
So while we appreciate the help and guidance provided by the Governing Body, the local branch office, the district and circuit overseers, and the local elders, we strive to build a personal relationship with God. He is our father and we, his children. His holy spirit works directly through all of us individually. No man stands between us and him, except the one man, Jesus, our redeemer. (Rom. 8:15; John 14:6)
Still, we have to be on guard due to the human tendency to willingly appoint someone to lead us; someone to take responsibility for our actions; someone who will tell us what to do and so free us from the weighty responsibility of making our own decisions.
The Israelites had it so good in the days of the Judges.
(Judges 17:6) “In those days there was no king in Israel. As for everybody, what was right in his own eyes he was accustomed to do.”
What freedom! If there was a dispute to be resolved, they had the Judges whom Jehovah had appointed. Yet what did they do? “No, but a king is what will come to be over us.” (1 Sam. 8:19)
They threw it all away.
May we never be like that; nor may we be like the first-century Corinthians whom Paul rebuked:
(2 Corinthians 11:20) .?.?.In fact, YOU put up with whoever enslaves YOU, whoever devours [what YOU have], whoever grabs [what YOU have], whoever exalts himself over [YOU], whoever strikes YOU in the face.
I am not suggesting we are that way. Quite the contrary. Yet, we have to remain vigilant, because our sinful human state can easily lead us in that direction if we are not careful.
We must be wary of the thin edge of the wedge. We need to recognize in ourselves the ever-present desire to have someone between us and God, someone to make our decisions for us and tell us what we must do to please God. Someone else to take responsibility for our souls. If we start to give undue attention to others, if we begin to exalt others over us or engage in even mild adulation of men, there is another danger to be wary of. When we elevate someone, he becomes more susceptible to the corrupting influence of power. Saul, the first King was handpicked by Jehovah. He was a humble, self-effacing man. However, it took the power of his office only two short years to corrupt him.
Some have expressed concern that we are starting to see a manifestation of these two elements in our worship. One of our readers wrote:
“As to the article “A Royal Priesthood to Benefit All Mankind” which was in the Jan.15, 2012 Watchtower I was shocked to read in this article which was obviously a Memorial article that the emphasis was on the Royal Priesthood and what they will bring to mankind, and not Jesus who is the reason for the Memorial. I especially took exception to paragraph 19. I will quote here:
“When we gather to observe the Memorial of Jesus’ death on Thursday, April 5, 2012, these Bible teachings will be on our minds. The small remnant of anointed Christians still on earth will partake of the emblems of unleavened bread and red wine, signifying their being party to the new covenant. These symbols of Christ’s sacrifice will remind them of their awesome privileges and responsibilities in God’s eternal purpose. May all of us attend with profound appreciation for Jehovah God’s provision of a royal priesthood to benefit all mankind.“
I don’t know about you but I find the emphasis on the anointed in an article which should have been devoted to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us very disturbing. I have highlighted the last paragraph but in fact the whole article was disturbing.”
Another reader sent me the following comment regarding observations from his Special Assembly Day.
“The theme was “Safeguard Your Conscience”. I was also struck by a prayer offered in the elders meeting which repeatedly thanked Jehovah for the GB and the teaching committee. I find this so offensive when I think it was Jehovah who provided this information in the first place. One thing flows from the other. Truth flows from Jehovah, but the way they are self-congratulating…it seems they invented truth themselves.”
Yet another reader sent me an email in which he explained a trend in the prayers offered in his congregation. It seems that Jehovah is continually asked to bless and protect the Governing Body. He counted in one prayer five references to the Governing Body, yet not a single reference to Jesus, the head of the congregation, except to close the prayer in his name.
Now there is nothing wrong with asking for Jehovah’s blessing upon any group of individuals within our brotherhood, and we are not here expressing any disrespect for the role the Governing Body plays in assisting us to carry out our preaching work.. However, there does appear to be an overemphasis on the function this small group of men perform. We have the master and we have the good-for-nothing slaves, yet we seem to be focusing far too much attention on the slaves and far too little on our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ.
Now you may not be experiencing this yourself. The trend seems to be emanating from the top down. Congregations with Bethelites are reporting this. It shows up in assemblies and conventions. However, when the rank and file observe the district or circuit overseer make such utterances, many will choose to emulate them and the trend will spread.
If you, like many of our readers, have been serving Jehovah since the middle of the last century, you will quickly realize that this is a new trend. I can recall no precedent for it in our past. (I wasn’t around in Rutherford’s time, so I can’t speak to what the prayers contained in those days.)
If you think we are all being picayune, have a look at the illustration on page 29 of the April 15 Watchtower. Jehovah is depicted in the heavens with the complete earthly hierarchy below. If you look carefully you can actually identify individual members of the Governing Body at the top of that chain of command. But where is the head of the Christian congregation? Where is Jesus Christ in this illustration? If we are not overemphasizing the role of the Governing Body, why are individual Governing Body members identifiable, while there is no place given to our Lord and King? Remember that we are taught that the illustrations are a teaching tool and everything in them has significance and has been reviewed carefully.
Still, some of you may feel this is much ado about nothing. Perhaps. However, when you couple it with the recent urging from last year’s district convention and our most recent circuit assembly program to treat the teachings of the Governing Body as we do the inspired Word of God, it is difficult to dismiss this simply as the product of a paranoid imagination.
We shall have to wait to see where this all leads. It is certainly proving to be a test for an increasing number of us. Still, if we are alert and continue to examine all things, holding fast to what is fine and rejecting what is not, we can with the help of the holy spirit continue to build a personal, intimate relationship with our Father in the heavens.
Brother Noumair, a Gilead instructor, reminded the most recent class they need to continue to do God’s work in God’s way stating King Saul serves as a warning example in this regard. He began his kingship as an unassuming, humble, modest man. Soon, though, he was “writing his own script,” doing what he thought was right and glorifying himself. God rejected him for his disobedience. He also admonished the students: “Be careful not to equate being used by God with having divine favor.” This statement, although I think it’s ironic Society authorized this, is what I believe after months and… Read more »
I couldn’t agree more and it troubles me that such simple truths seem to escape those taking the lead among us.
Interesting points. It is precisely the principle I was alluding to several comments above when I asked you what you might mean by the GB being used by God. “After all Jehovah used the king of Babylon and other non-worshippers.” I think through your comments I can get a pretty good sense of where you stand on this, and it seems we are likely on the same page. But it should keep all of us on our toes in our endeavors to be Christian – whether or not we happen to be wearing labels such as elder or GB.
“I understand that many will disagree with me and say you either believe it all, or not at all, but hey, it’s a free world” But not a free JW world. In response to a Question from readers in the WT April 1, 1986 – Why have Jehovah’s Witnesses disfellowshipped (excommunicated) for apostasy some who still profess belief in God, the Bible, and Jesus Christ? the following is stated:- “Approved association with Jehovah’s Witnesses requires accepting the entire range of the true teachings of the Bible, including those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses. What do such beliefs… Read more »
Thank you so much for bringing that to our attention, Miken. According to w86 4/1 p.31, these are some of the doctrines we must believe in to avoid being disfellowshipped: “That 1914 marked the end of the Gentile Times and the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the heavens, as well as the time for Christ’s foretold presence. That only 144,000 Christians will receive the heavenly reward. That Armageddon, referring to the battle of the great day of God the Almighty, is near. That it will be followed by Christ’s Millennial Reign, which will restore an earth-wide paradise. That… Read more »
“Nor am I obliged to teach anything that I disagree with from the platform. ” Apollos, What about when it comes to conducting a Bible study. As you have stated you believe the 1914 doctrine to be flawed so if you were using the recommended What Does The Bible Really Teach book, would you ignore the appendix topic 1914—A Significant Year in Bible Prophecy? I asked a friend of mine who has significant differences with certain scriptural interpretations of the Watchtower society, what he would do if during his field service he found someone interested in having a Bible study.… Read more »
No, I wouldn’t necessarily pass the study on to someone else. I would explain that this is a current teaching unique to JWs and that the person should examine the topic to the degree that he feels is necessary. If asked I would say that it is not a doctrine that my faith rests upon. You must keep in mind that I am coming from a viewpoint where I don’t believe that any single religion has absolute truth at this time. I believe that it is necessary for people to know Jehovah God and his Son, and as already stated… Read more »
Thanks for clearing that up. Sorry if I was not clear but my humble opinion was I believe there are other agreeable Christians outside the JW org that Jehovah approves. Am I saying all Christian worship is agreeable, absolutely not! But, there have been many people in my journeys in life where people really do work HARD, unfortunately harder than I and many JW’s do/ did, on trying to please God the right way, live according him his word and even preach to others about God that were not JW’s. Seems like if you have to be a JW then… Read more »
Personally I don’t think that anyone should try to dogmatically answer your question. But some perspective is required on the situation. Even if the claim to be the single true organization is flawed, would you be better off elsewhere? It was many years ago that I came to a personal realization that our teachings on 1914 had many serious flaws. This was only as a result of personal study and research at the time. Since then I have seen that the evidence against 1914 being the start of an invisible presence is overwhelming. Nevertheless, I am glad that I did… Read more »
Thanks for your patience and especially that last post. I also believe deep down the alternative is going to another Christian org that makes just as many mistakes or more or serving God solo which without friends or others to share would REALLY be depressing and boring. I hope to find a WARM congregation since I keep running into ones with no warm feeling or too many cliques where you’re left out even though you reach out. Many have told me the same across the US. You’ve giving me some real perspective on why we should know our bibles and… Read more »
Yes, good question. To be honest it happens so rarely in our neck of the woods that it has not been an issue for me. But I have no problem honestly telling someone that it is simply not a cornerstone of my faith. If it comes to it I would tell that to someone within the org face to face as well. It is the genuine truth, since as I previously mentioned, knowing that the doctrine is flawed has not pushed me away. I am not obliged to discuss any particular topic in detail with anyone. Nor am I obliged… Read more »
Don’t necessarily assume that Meleti and I are of one mind on all things. I have the utmost respect for Meleti’s viewpoint, and his thought-provoking articles, but we are still two individuals. If you assume that we are both always on exactly the same page then you may find some dissonance in the comments made. This has no bearing on our unity as Christians, but to understand that you have to remove yourself from the mindset that uniformity of belief is required to achieve unity as brothers. That having been said I do not necessarily disagree with Meleti, or with… Read more »
#1 in a nutshell… JW’s as a group know Jesus would not even rebuke Satan who is wicked but the same group of people believe God is working with said org so why would they then rebuke or question ones they think is leading earthly Gods org? I think I already got your answer going by your above posts so disregard. Also little confused reading both your responses and my friend had the same feeling. Apollos said “The problem that I, and others, have had, is that the multitude of errors that have been taught do not stack up with… Read more »
Regarding your second paragraph (numbered 1), I’ve reread it several times, particularly, the last sentence, and I don’t understand your point. Perhaps, if you could restate it for me. I don’t want to comment on it until I’m sure of your meaning. As to paragraph #2, why would it matter that the punishment for following men didn’t come upon them immediately? Those who followed men called out for the death of Jesus when Pilate gave them the opportunity to release him. Surely those who repented before Peter still carried that shame and burden the rest of their days. But they… Read more »
apollos0falexandria But there’s my dilemma… I agree that we cannot blindly follow GB or any person for that matter, in or out the org, however the Jews still followed the lead of the Pharisees and Sadducee even though they burdened the people and were not punished for “following men”. People followed David’s lead although his actions led to the death of thousands of maybe innocent people but Jeh still classified him as righteous and those against him as opposite. Did some people follow them without question? Absolutely! But I think the most important thing is “intent. If we preach Jehovah… Read more »
With respect, you are wrong about one thing. The Jews were punished for following men. Note Peter’s words at Pentecost: (Acts 2:23) .?.?.this [man], as one delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, YOU fastened to a stake by the hand of lawless men and did away with. He accused the people, not just their leaders, of delivering up Jesus to be impaled. His listeners asked what they had to do to avoid punishment and he answered: (Acts 2:37-38) .?.?.Now when they heard this they were stabbed to the heart, and they said to Peter and the… Read more »
I wholeheartedly agree with Meleti’s comments. Just to add with regards to your statement that “Jesus even showed respect to Pharisees and Sadducee” … I don’t think the condemnation we find in Matt 23 and other passages could truly be said to be respectful. Ultimately Jesus said to follow the direction of the religious leaders (Matt 23:3) only insofar as they were relaying the Mosaic law. Keeping the law was of course a good thing for the people of the time. But ultimately the scribes and pharisees tried to direct people away from Jesus. They denied who he really was,… Read more »
To both that responded your digging deep into the bible is commendable as well as keeping the dialogue respectful which in a conversation is key. Let me try to clarify my statements: 1. When talking about respect, true the scripture you referenced Jesus had strong words but that’s understandable since he was perfect in the law and also knew the hearts and intent of these men. However Jesus refused to rebuke even Satan and died a perfect man so his words and actions even to those men while direct would have been firm but not say something to sin. That’s… Read more »
If you believe it to be the only true org on earth from God then obviously you will act accordingly. I have no vested interest in persuading you otherwise. Of course this belief is at the core of our organization. Every other doctrine that does not have firm foundation in scripture rests on it, since we must believe simply based upon the authority of those through whom God channels his truth. The problem that I, and others, have had, is that the multitude of errors that have been taught do not stack up with this framework of belief. Since we… Read more »
Apollos makes a good point. The example of Korah has been misapplied to any who question the authority of the GB. Let’s remember that Moses was clearly God’s channel. Moses did not bear witness about himself. Jehovah bore witness about him by granting him the power to perform miracles. Additionally, Korah wasn’t complaining about some shortcoming of Moses, but was trying to replace him. That the GB are being used by Jehovah is not something we are disputing. However, the same can be said for all his faithful servants. Let us not elevate one over another. As Apollos points out,… Read more »
“In the meantime, have a think about why that cannot be absolutely true. The answers can be found both in scripture and in history.” Apollos I look forward to your article for it must examine if the 1919 appointment has undisputable evidence to support it both from scripture and the history of the society up to and during the 1919 period. It is not insignificant that this topic is missing from the Faith in Action part 1 video and this topic is not addressed in any depth as part of the normal home bible study program. Surely to make the… Read more »
Ones who post on this site seem to have more knowledge than I do at this point so take my question as such. If scriptures were inspired by Jehovah but no one on earth can claim to be inspired directly from Jehovah then how can we be sure that any interpretation any of us have is correct? As far as we know even our best understanding could be nothing more than a guess on many things that are not clear to us. I’m only a man who has time and time again been humbled but one thing even I came… Read more »
Please don’t apologize for the length of your comment. You should say what you want to say however many words it takes. You make some very good and balanced points which I appreciated.
I also hope that wrong doctrine will be corrected soon. In the meantime we will still have to keep on the watch for anything that is out of kilter with God’s Word, since we are accountable individually.
Apollos
Thanks. I definitely do not mean ANY disrespect nor was it directed to anyone specifically.
Question, how do you believe the GB should be involved in our Christian org?
I don’t personally know any of the brothers who currently make up the GB. According to scripture they have the opportunity to be faithful slaves of Jesus along with all Christians as his fellow workers. They evidently have additional opportunities that have been made available to them due to the influence that they have inherited over a large organization of people who earnestly desire to be Christian. Anyone who would be a shepherd of the flock of God purchased with the blood of his Son certainly has a great responsibility.
Apollos
So if we as bible students decided to join a religious org were men have decided to take the lead of our specific group of Christians is yours and others concern that those taking the lead are somehow not following principle or were and are not now? I’ve seen some from this blog say God shows he’s behind the organization since how could it thrive globally and expand the preaching. However others have asked me pointedly when some bring up points like you and others about the GB or elders, information, teachings, etc and state we are not as united… Read more »
It is important to keep in mind that this site is intended to generate discussion and research. It is a difficult balance to question what we “know” to be true, and yet not throw out the baby with the bathwater. Some people take extreme positions. One extreme is to decide that certain men are the custodians of absolute truth, and therefore there is no onus on the individual to “carefully examine the scriptures daily as to whether these things are so”. Such an individual has surrendered his will and put his “trust in nobles”. The other extreme is where a… Read more »
An interesting and somewhat disturbing extrapolation. The phase II understanding was palatable to many, including myself at the time, because we understood the remnant of anointed ones were going to rule in heaven. However, moving to phase III and continuing to apply the belief that we need to work in complete support of and allegiance to the FD&S means surrendering our will and discernment to a tiny group of imperfect humans with a proven track record that includes many embarrassing failures of interpretation. It is a subtle but highly significant change of direction. We are now in danger of disobeying… Read more »
I don’t know if this means anything, but if you run a search on “Governing Body” and another on “Faithful Slave/Steward” in the WT Library, you’ll find that following statistic from a word count of occurrences in the Watchtower: “Governing Body”, 1950-1989, average occurrence per year = 17 “Governing Body”, 1990-2012, average occurrence per year = 31 “Faithful Slave/Steward”, 1950-1989, average yearly occurrences = 36 “Faithful Slave/Steward”, 1990-2012, average yearly occurrences = 59 What is of interest is that it was in 1993 that the “Proclaimers” book first came out. It identified the Governing Body showing pictures of each member.… Read more »
The transition we seem to have made over the years (and here I am talking about more than 100 years) is: Phase I: All allegiance should be to God and His Christ. No allegiance to any man made organization. (This was what C.T. Russell held to be true) Phase II: Allegiance to God is shown by allegiance to his earthly organization, but not to any specific men. (This phase probably pivots around 1933 when a formal name was given to the organization, but it was still an evolutionary development over a period of many years. Here I am only describing… Read more »
wow, interesting comments, the anointed are only co rulers with christ, we do not worship christ nor pray through the anointed, they are simply the spiritual jews paul spoke about, who will rule with christ (you can see that in revelation where the 24 elders throw their crowns before Jehovah’s throne, these are respresentant of the anointed or as Jesus called them the little flock whom Jehovah approved of giving the kingdom, the anointed do not lord it over us, they provide the spiritual food like the older ones did in jersualem who worked together to answer questions that came… Read more »
You make an interesting point about Satan having a physical organization. I had not thought about it exactly this way before, but I do agree that Satan is the great imposter, and so we often see a counterfeit of God’s way of doing things on the flip side of the coin. So that being said, we might consider the nature of Satan’s “organization”. What is it called exactly? Of course the answer is that the “organization” does not exist under a name, and yet its elements are apparent to us by scriptural definition. In particular John’s first letter makes clear… Read more »
If you have questions, jw.org? Really? There is no mechanism on the jw.org web site to place questions of this nature. The contact information on that site is solely for the purpose of requesting literature or a bible study.
If one has a question, one must send a letter by regular post and wait for a reply. Many have tried this with the best of intentions, thinking quite sincerely and innocently that their questions would be answered. After two or three tries, they have given up in discouragement.
Thanks for your comment Roberta4949, I am on the same page as you when you say we do not worship Christ, nor pray through the anointed. And I don’t have any problems when the GB makes mistakes. They are human. Indeed they are worthy of our respect. It is a difficult job they have. The topic of discussion here is whether undue attention is being attributed to the GB. As you have rightly pointed out, we worship Jehovah alone and pray to him through Christ Jesus. Yet I can see that at least locally where I live a marked increase… Read more »
Hezekiah
Your illustration is spot on.
And considering the inestimable price that Jesus himself paid, to just treat him in the same category as the waiter, and then gradually to let our thanks slip in preference for the waiter, surely cannot be pleasing to his Father.
Apollos
No these comments are taken out of proportion. These prayers ARE FINE! your just being too critical of our Faithful And Discreet Slave( Governing Body). We are ALL being TESTED IN this”Constant Feature” of (40) to how you behave to those taking the lead by our BEAUTIFUL GOD AND FATHER ***JEHOVAH***,his earthly channel, who Jesus our Anointed head of the CONGREGATION. Be very careful brothers,you are walking on slippery ice looking towards death for grieving the SPIRIT of JEHOVAH GOD!!!!!!!
Careful, Ruiz. You are passing judgment. If you think we are doing wrong, then show us how by using Holy Scripture. Unsubstantiated opinions just have no place in this forum. You allude to some test relating to the “‘Constant Feature’ of (40)”. This is meaningless. Further, you provide no scriptural proof that the Governing Body is the faithful and discreet slave, nor that they are God’s earthly channel. Both these teaching have been challenged in the pages of this forum, and no valid counter argument has been advanced. If you think we are wrong, then go to those posts and… Read more »
Ruiz
Would you mind explaining what is meant by ..
We are ALL being TESTED IN this”Constant Feature” of (40) ?
Apollos
I agree that this is a terribly disturbing trend. I’m not sure about any Bethel connection because I’m not aware of any Bethelites or Bethel connections in my congregation yet, I am hearing more and more references to the GB and FDS in the prayers (still improperly, I might add). Seems the new light hasn’t trickled down to my congregation or else they are fearful of opening a can of worms by talking about it. I believe we are getting the message about the GB at the assemblies and subtly (or not) through our magazines, the cited April 15 WT… Read more »
Shortly after I made the “pointy hats” reference, I got an email from a friend telling me something his sister has long claimed, “They have more power than the Pope”. This statement shocked me until I gave it some thought. There are many Catholics who openly disagree with the Pope and Catholicism, but they do not get excommunicated. Why? At one time, not that long ago, people were burned at the stake for disagreeing with the Pope, but no longer. The fact is, the Pope can and on occasion does, excommunicate dissenters, but what good does it do? No Catholic… Read more »
Steve, I can’t remember were exactly in the New Testament part of Mal.3:1-5 is quoted i think its in Hebrews. But i have read that the GB does not deny that the original context of the scripture is a prophecy of John the Baptised clearing the way as a messenger for Jesus and then Jesus cleans out the temple when he throws out the money changers. The GB then apply another prophecy to this text saying its about them being picked after an inspection process 3 1/2 years after Jesus assumes the throne in 1914. They do this by pointing… Read more »
You are correct, Glenn, in stating that Mal. 3:1-5 was fulfilled in Jesus’ day. (See Mt. 11:10) Jesus cleansed the temple on two occasions; once, 6 months after his baptism and a second time shortly before his death. That Malachi can be applied to our day is conjecture. That its application can be pinned to the 1914-1919 time period is conjecture built upon conjecture. There is neither scriptural nor historical evidence to support this claim.
One quotation I inadvertently missed:- “Among those “gifts in men” are the members of the Governing Body who act in a representative way for the entire Christian congregation. (Acts 15: 2, 6) In fact, our attitude toward Christ’s spiritual bothers is a major factor that will determine how we will be judged during the coming great tribulation. (Matt 25: 34-40) Thus one aspect of the way we gain a blessing is by giving our loyal support to God’s anointed ones”. Watchtower December 15, 2010, page 20, paragraph 19. I think we get the picture especially as noted previously in the… Read more »
Its looking like the Catholic church more and more is it not?
I think we’re a long way from the pointy hats and the red robes. But we are trending in the wrong direction of late. Jehovah will correct things in his own good time. I have full confidence in that eventuality. How and with what effect is impossible to say right now with any certainty. However, I think it can be stated safely that the change will prove an even bigger test than what we are facing now.
Meleti, What if things do not improve? What if they only get worse? At what point do we say enough and apply the language, “Get out of her my people”? I don’t expect you to have an answer to this necessarily, but I’m feeling about at my wits ends with everything. I’m not sure if you heard but somebody out of Bethel leaked the next Watchtower early and it discusses the new FDS teaching. From the excerpts I’ve read and the comments by the person who has it, it appears just awful. It doesn’t appear that they address what in… Read more »
If one researches how the governing body comes up with the inspection process using mal 3:1-5 and then comes up with 1918-1919 as the year Jesus came inspected and approved us over every one else as the only channel or orginization. It like something out of the finish mystery book. The whole thing is unbiblical mal 3: 1-5 is about john the Baptist and Jesus its confirmed in the new testament I can’t remember the Scripture. But its getting hard to stomach the whole thing.
Glenn,
Can you point to any specific references on that? I would enjoy reading that.
Steve
“It is vital that we recognize the faithful slave. Our spiritual health and our relationship with God depend on this channel.” – Matthew 4:4; John 17:3 This is the latest claim in the July 15 WT study edition. Note the implications of the scriptures cited. Over recent years there has been an increasing number of statements published reinforcing the authority and control of the governing body. Here are a few quotations with a few additions from just the Watchtower magazine:- “The other sheep (now domestics) should never forget that their salvation depends on their active support of Christ’s anointed (now… Read more »
Has the holy spirit organized Jehovah’s people as congregations or as a hierarchical, ecclesiastical chain of authority with many layers of men? The scriptures are clear. In Revelation, Jesus uses the last-living Apostle to deliver direct messages: Rev 1: ” 9 I John, YOUR brother and a sharer with YOU in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in company with Jesus, came to be in the isle that is called Pat?mos for speaking about God and bearing witness to Jesus. 10 By inspiration I came to be in the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a strong voice like that of… Read more »
Rumor has it by the end of the year using WT. article’s they will elevate themselves to Pope like status.
Meleti,
I have noted this trend as well in prayers. It grows tiring.
Steve
I wonder if the elders are being directed to metion the F&DS in prayers more???
No, I don’t believe so.
My personal theory is that, as with newly introduced theocratic terms (newspeak), it starts with the bethelites. Quite likely the prayers that are given at Bethel have begun the trend. Whether that is intentional or not is a matter of speculation. The bethelites in turn add thanks for the FDS to their prayers as a matter of course, and slowly that disseminates thorugh the congregations.
I personally found that particular point to be very troubling, especially since it was made in an article talking about betrayal. Are they suggesting that doubting one of their teachings is a form of betrayal?
Thanks Meleti, I think that this is more than just coincidence. I have noticed the same emphasis on the teachings of the GB in print in the WT. Take for example the WT April 15 2012 article “Betrayal, An Ominous sign of the Times” : 11 Peter did not reason that Jesus must have the wrong view of things and that if given time, He would recant what He had said. No, Peter humbly recognized that Jesus had “sayings of everlasting life.” Likewise today, how do we react if we encounter a point in our Christian publications from “the faithful… Read more »