The purpose of this recurring post is to provide a brief summary of each issue of The Watchtower studied throughout 2014. It is our hope to thus provide some insight into the true nature of the "food at the proper time" provided to Jehovah's Witnesses by the Governing Body
w13 11/15 (December 30 - February 2)
THEME: Be obedient to our leadership because Armageddon is close.
Article 1: Advice on Prayer. The end is near.
Article 2: Don't doubt. Be patient. The end is near.
Article 3: Obedience. Salvation depends on staying in the Organization.
Article 4: Obedience. Salvation depends on obeying the elders.
Article 5: Counsel to elders.
w13 12/15 (February 3 - March 2)
THEMES: Don't doubt us. Avoid apostates. Make sacrifices. You are not to partake.
Article 1: Beware apostates.
Article 2: Donate to and serve the Organization.
Article 3: We have the right date. You shouldn't partake.
Article 4: As in article 3, right date, don't partake.
w14 1/14 (March 3 - April 6)
THEMES: We're in the last days. The end is near. Make sacrifices.
Article 1: 1914 is true, Jehovah is king since then. (Christ too.)
Article 2: Authority of Governing Body reaffirmed. Don't doubt.
Article 3: Make sacrifices.
Article 4: Make sacrifices because the end is near.
Article 5: New proof that the end is near ("this generation' - Take 7).
w14 2/14 (April 7 - May 4)
THEMES: We are special. It's good to be one of the other sheep. Stick to the Organization.
Article 1: Partial prophetic misapplication of Ps. 45 to reinforce role of anointed.
Article 2: Partial prophetic misapplication of Ps. 45 to reinforce role of other sheep.
Article 3: Stick with the Organization to get God's protection.
Article 4: Reinforce teaching that other sheep are not God's children.
w14 3/14 (May 5 - June 1)
THEMES: Make sacrifices. Don't get discouraged. Provide for the Elderly and full-timers.
Article 1: Be self-sacrificing.
Article 2: Don't be discouraged by failed expectations.
Article 3: Provide for elderly, but help full-timers avoid this duty.
Article 4: More instruction on helping the elderly.
w14 4/14 (June 2 - July 6)
THEMES: Make sacrifices. Rely on the Organization. Be obedient.
Article 1: Trust Jehovah to help you fulfill theocratic (organizational) assignments.
Article 2: The time is short and we must preach from door-to-door.
Article 3: Don't emigrate to provide a better standard of living for your family.
Article 4: Be willing to sacrifice creature comforts for the sake of the good news.
Article 5: Jehovah cares for and corrects us through his Organization.
w14 5/14 (July 7 - August 3)
THEMES: Preaching techniques and good manners. Believe in, obey and support the Organization as being from God.
Article 1: How to respond to questions in the field ministry.
Article 2: Common sense good manners and conduct in the field ministry.
Article 3: Attempts to prove that only through an Organization does Jehovah guide his people.
Article 4: Our survival depends on obeying, being loyal, and not doubting the Organization.
w14 6/14 (August 4 - August 31)
THEMES: Love God, obey the Organization. Love our neighbor and preach. Be kind and non-judgmental to our brothers. Encourage others to do more in the Organization.
Article 1: Love Jehovah and obey the Organization.
Article 2: Love our neighbors and show that love by preaching to them.
Article 3: Imitate Jehovah's mercy in dealing with weaknesses of others.
Article 4: Encourage others, young ones particularly, to reach out for greater privileges in the Organization.
Archived Comments
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Comment by SilverTop on 2014-08-30 16:57:28
More and more it all just screams CULT to me. Don't think, don't ask questions, do as you're told. The BIBLE says, "DO NOT put your trust in earthly man..." to "Trust in the Lord with ALL YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING..."
Comment by Alex Rover on 2014-08-30 17:27:06
When astronauts go to space, they are amazed when they see earth from above. They can hardly understand why we would fight wars or why people have to starve to death. It just doesn't make sense!
Meleti does the same thing and takes us in orbit, where we can see what the watchtower is really all about by seeing the pattern over a single year, and the pattern for nearly each watchtower is 2 straight on obedience, 1 side-topic obedience or sacrifice and 1 completely neutral, christian quality article.
This pattern is repeated all year round and so by the end of the year we have studied over a year worth of studies on the importance of obedience to the organization.
We are so grateful that the faithful and discrete slave is providing food at the proper time to be obedient to the faithful and discrete slave, the #1 Christian topic for our weekly meetings.
Comment by ibroatsc50 on 2014-08-31 02:03:23
Ecclesiastes 8:9 All of this I have seen, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his harm.
Comment by search4truth on 2014-08-31 09:37:05
Yep, that's all this is about . Listen , obey and be indoctrinated. My own wife, babtized only four years ago, without hesitation calls me an apostate every-time I mention anything critical against wt or their doctrines and it seem like nothing is able to break the wt spell. We were normal happy family until I found that wt is not what is claiming to be, since then everything goes downhill. Their stupid policies creates struggle for many brothers and sisters and families are being divided over loyalty issue towards the org. They print this listen , obey org garbage food on purpose to weed out the disloyal independent thinkers , I'm afraid. I am sorry but I have nothing positive to say about this because all they do is take a bit of the truth and add their twist on it to prove their point . Like, they say , we must obey Jehovah ( true ) and his Org ( false ), they do that all the time , distorting truth and adding poison into fine scriptural counsel. Wt use fear, intimidation and indoctrination to rule over fellow brothers and sister contrary to the Christ teachings.
Reply by lightflashup on 2014-08-31 19:38:30
seach4truth, your comments are so true, i am wondering how is it so many intelligent people can just sit around and accept all we are told by the GB, i am happy to have found this site that have help me to be more balance in my search for truth.
Reply by JimmyG on 2014-08-31 19:49:12
search4truth. I'm in the same boat as you, although my wife has never called me an apostate, she surely thinks it. Take it or leave it, my advice to you is cease conversing with her on spiritual subjects. It makes for a happier home life, at least it has for me.
Comment by Christian on 2014-09-01 16:19:45
I found it surprising how many brothers & sisters are generous with their advice to my wife on how to deal with my "apostate" views.
It's also funny how my scriptural appointment as head of the house can be trumped by a self appointed group of men thousands of miles away.
Mind you they trump Jesus' authority all the time so what do you expect.
Comment by menrov on 2014-09-01 17:21:26
Thanks for this overview. 2 O B or not 2 O B that is the question ehhh commandment
Comment by ¿Wheresenoch? on 2014-09-02 05:51:52
Lightflashup mentioned "how is it so many intelligent people can just sit around & accept all we are told by the GB" The answer lies in part with cognitive dissonance. Example: I have been taking a personal poll among active jw's. When asked whats an appropriate age 4 marriage, i get an average answer around 25-26. When asked whats an appropriate age 4 baptism, i get 13 or 14. When asked which is the more important decision, its unanimously baptism. Although EVERYONE agrees that one should be mature enough 2 handle the responsibility of undertaking a marriage vow, in the same breath, they cut the age/maturity level in half when speaking of the much weightier vow of baptism. Its like they hear how contradictory they sound, but are powerless 2 stop themselves from thinking this way. Indoctrination is not only powerful its poisonous. It erodes power of reason & inhibits thinking ability. It forces one 2 trust in their heart in place of using their mind. And no matter how intelligent, they become stupid-Prov 28:26.
Comment by kev c on 2014-09-02 06:24:43
They seem to be splitting alot of families up rather than bringing them closer together .obedience to the religion seems to have become more important than even the marraige vows to one another .I was talking to a brother a few weeks ago who has split from his wife he said he has been trying to get back with her .but she told him that the elders have advised her not to get back with him because his views would be damaging to her spirituality . Thats what he told me hes going mad. Of Course there may be more to it but why give counsel like that . what of 1 corinthians 7 v 10 and 11 What of matthew 19 v 6 what god has yoked together let no man put apart . Its an outrage . And meletis right here again . By implication we can see the programme its mostly obey us drummed in week after week . Kev
Comment by search4truth on 2014-09-02 17:07:55
I was talking to a brother a few weeks ago who has split from his wife he said he has been trying to get back with her .but she told him that the elders have advised her not to get back with him because his views would be damaging to her spirituality .
My wife was advised that she is allowed to leave me in case she would feel spiritually endangered by two elders from my cong. My only crime was that I was speaking privately with her about certain problems with the wt. She of course did what most of the loyal Jw are trained to do and ran straight to the elders. I learned my lesson and I'm much more careful with my words , but still the power they've got to turn someone's live upside down is scary.
Comment by on 2014-09-03 18:52:37
There is truth to all these comments….and pain. These sad, heart wrenching experiences keep rolling out, here and on other forums I visit. Even though we are lifted from the burdens men place upon us when we push away, the authentic meaning of Matt 10:34 becomes valid. At that point, we either slide into complacency out of pressure from those we love, or do as Christ says and follow him. (Matt 16:24) We set ourselves on that road to perfecting our faith – a tough one! We accept the shame that the org heaps upon us, knowing it is a joy upholding Christ’s name. (Heb 12:2)
But the pain of going through it all is immense and the end never seems in sight. How could our spouse turn so violently against us, we ask, or our own children? Christ teaches us patience and love as we know the Father desires none to be destroyed. It is their mind and hearts that must see that love.
We know Matt 13:47-50 speaks of the kingdom of heaven like a net, catching all kinds of fish. A net is a trap – Satanic in this case– but the fishermen are none other than Christ’s servants. (Psalm 10:9, Matt 4:19) These are the ones helping those still caught in the net, fishing them out with the patience of any adept fisherman. The bait is the truth of Christ. The bold reality of it all is, it’s a serious time we live in. One of decision, and we pray that all whom we love will emerge from Satan’s net of deceits and lies, and then desire to worship God alone. As verse 49 says in Matt 13, “this is how it will be at the end of the age”.
agape,
peely
Comment by on 2014-09-04 13:25:39
Sorry, Meleti, for double posting. I must have clicked "post comment" at least three times as I never saw it come up. Talk about needing patience!
peelyReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2014-09-04 14:33:19
No problem. I figured it was something like that.