[From ws3/17 p. 18 May 15-21]
“O Jehovah, remember, please, how I have walked before you faithfully and with a complete heart.”—2 Kings 20:3.
This particular Watchtower study uses four kingly examples from the days of ancient Israel to instruct Jehovah’s Witnesses about serving God with a complete heart. There is, of course, nothing wrong with using examples of faithful men recorded in the Prechristian Scriptures (PS) as object lessons to guide us today. It must be noted however that in the publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, there is a clear overemphasis on such examples. It has been observed that we are a Judeo-Christian religion with heavy emphasis on the “Judeo” aspect of Christianity. Is that a problem?
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use the terms “Old Testament” and “New Testament” which are commonly used in the churches of Christendom. The reason for this is explained in Appendix 7E (p. 1585) of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures – Reference Bible. Whether you accept this reasoning or believe it doesn't measure up to scholarly review, it should be recognized that one of the reasons for avoiding these two terms is the desire of JW.org to continually distance itself from the rest of Christendom. (In fact, though a Christian denomination, Witnesses do not consider themselves as part of Christendom.) All that being the case, there is still more to it than what we see on the surface. Appendix 7E argues that it would be more accurate to substitute "covenant" for "testament", yet the Organization rejects the terms "Old Covenant” and “New Covenant” as well. Why?
The argument is made that the Bible is a single work and so such divisions have "no valid basis".
Therefore, there is no valid basis for the Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures to be called “The Old Testament” and for the Christian Greek Scriptures to be called “The New Testament.” Jesus Christ himself referred to the collection of sacred writings as “the Scriptures.” (Mt 21:42; Mr 14:49; Joh 5:39) The apostle Paul referred to them as “the holy Scriptures,” “the Scriptures” and “the holy writings.”
(Rbi8 p. 1585 7E The Expressions “The Old Testament” and “The New Testament”)
However, the astute Bible student will notice that in making this proclamation, Appendix 7E still engages in dividing the Bible into two sections: The "Hebrew and Aramaic Scriptures" and the "Christian Greek Scriptures", thus unwittingly undermining their argument. Why divide them up based on the language in which they were written? What is gained by that? Why balk at using “Old Covenant” and “New Covenant”? Surely the latter would provide the desired distancing from mainstream Christianity while adding more meaning than can be found from his simple language-based designation?
Could it be that use of either "testament" or “covenant”, particularly with the adjectives “old” and “new” attached, creates a doctrinal difficulty for JW.org? Witnesses teach that Christians (with the exception of a tiny, tiny minority) are not in any kind of covenant. Emphasizing an old covenant between Jehovah and the Jews that was replaced by a new covenant between Jehovah and both Jews and Gentiles (i.e. Christians) does not suit an organization teaching people that God has made no covenant with them at all.[i] The Organization simply doesn't want Witnesses dwelling on the Bible message of old and new covenants, because Witness teaching has all of that applying to a tiny group of 144,000 individuals, leaving the rank and file of JW.org outside. Dwelling on the new covenant also leads the Christian to dwell on his or her special relationship with God's Son, Jesus Christ. Referring to the two divisions of Scripture by the language in which each was written avoids such questions. The organization encourages its flock to think of Jehovah all the time to the virtual exclusion of Jesus Christ. By trying to blur the division between Prechristian Scriptures (PS) and Christian Scriptures (CS), it becomes easier to push Jesus to one side and focus on obedience and servitude only to Jehovah. It is by their use of Jehovah's name that Witnesses strive to differentiate themselves from the rest of Christendom.
While focusing on the life experiences of four Israelite kings can be a positive means of drawing parallels from which Christians can benefit, we want to ensure that we continually introduce Jesus into the discussion since that is one of the key purposes for God's inspiring of the Christian Scriptures. This article is titled "Serving Jehovah with a complete heart". That is all well and good. However, when you slave for someone, you serve them, do you not? Observe how slave is used in the CS whenever the word is attributed to the one for whom one slaves.
"Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ..." (Ro 1:1)
"Slave for the Lord." (Ro 12:11)
"...he that was called when a freeman is a slave of Christ." (1Co 7:21)
"If I were yet pleasing men, I would not be Christ's slave." (Gal. 1:10)
"...for I am carrying on my body the brand marks [of a slave] of Jesus." (Gal 6:17)
"SLAVE for the Master, Christ." (Col 3:24)
"...Tychicus, [my] beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow slave in [the] Lord." (Col 4:7)
"Epaphras, who is from among you, a slave of Christ Jesus..." (Col 4:12)
"...how you turned to God from [YOUR] idols to slave for a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from the Heavens...namely, Jesus..." (1Th 1:9)
"But a slave of the Lord..." (2Ti 2:24)
"Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ..." (Titus 1:1)
"James, a slave of God and of [the] Lord Jesus Christ..." (James 1:1)
"Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ..." (2Pe 1:1)
"Jude, a slave of Jesus Christ..." (Jude 1:1)
"A revelation by Jesus Christ...to his slave John..." (Re 1:1)
"And they were singing the song of Moses the slave of God and the song of the Lamb..." (Re 15:3)
You will notice on the rare occasions when the Christian is said to slave for God, Jesus is still mentioned. So an article stressing repeatedly how we can serve (slave for) Jehovah God that makes no mention whatsoever of also slaving for or serving Jesus is completely out of harmony with the message for Christians as expressed in the CS.
Could it be that by drawing parallels with the ancient nation of Israel, their is another agenda at work?
The Jews obeyed and served Jehovah through earthly representatives. They obeyed and served Jehovah by listening to and obeying Moses. They obeyed and served listening to their earthly kings. Likewise, Christians obey and serve Jehovah through a man, but that man is the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 17:31; Romans 1:1-7) True Christianity takes human leaders like Moses, Joshua, and the Kings of Israel out of the equation. If men wish to rule over other men, one method is to minimize Jesus' role. The Catholic Church achieved this by making the Pope into the Vicar of Christ. I vicar is the man who fills in for the priest when absent. He is the substitute for the priest. (This is, incidentally, where we get the word "vicarious" from.) So the Pope can make a law, such as the prohibition on the use of contraceptives, and it carries all the weight of authority as if Jesus himself were present making that law.
The method that the current leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses have chosen is to focus on the Israelite model in which Jesus does not appear. The men taking the lead in the organization can then insert themselves in a similar position to men like Moses or the Kings of Israel. This has been every bit as effective as the Catholic model. To illustrate just how effective this has been, I will relate an incident from my own life. (I know that anedotes are not evidence, but I feel that what I’m about to relate is common enough that many out there reading this will concur and can add their own testimony.)
Recently in a discussion with some old friends in which I was able to expose some of the organization’s false teachings as well as their hypocritical membership in the United Nations, the husband of the couple, who had been quiet up to that point, piped in and said dismissively, “Well, I love Jehovah!” This was intended to end the discussion in his mind. What he really meant, and what became very evident as we continued chatting, was that to him Jehovah and the organization were equivalent. One could not love one without loving the other. This was not the first time I've been exposed to this type of reasoning.
The point is that by focusing continually on the Israelite model, with some human representative serving as a channel between Jehovah God and men, the leaders of the Organization have very effectively placed themselves in that same position in the minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This has been done so efficiently that they were able to publish a chart of the management structure of the organization in which Jesus Christ did not figure at all. What is even more astonishing is that this was done without causing so much as a ripple in the minds of millions of Jehovah's Witnesses. They simply failed to notice that Jesus had been excised!
And so we come to today’s study in which we are going to review the example of four Israelite kings. Again, there is nothing wrong with the idea of serving Jehovah with a complete heart. However, it is impossible to do that in the Christian congregation if we replace Jesus Christ with men. The inclusion of Jesus is so vital to our salvation that it should be mentioned repeatedly, yet in this article the name of Jesus only appears twice in passing, but never as the one we should serve and obey.
Beating the Same Drum
“…there may be a situation in which you can imitate Asa’s zeal. For example, what if a member of your family or a close friend sins, is unrepentant, and has to be disfellowshipped? Would you take decisive action by ceasing to associate with that person? What would your heart move you to do?” – par. 7
Indeed, what would your heart tell you to do in the case of a disfellowshipped friend or relative? If your long-lost disfellowshipped daughter called you on the phone—as was depicted in the drama at last year’s Regional Convention—would you decline even to answer? She might be calling to repent, or because of some emergency in which she is in dire need of help. What would your heart move you to do? Would a heart that is complete with Jehovah be cold and uncaring? Would it put loyalty to the dictates of an organization run by men above the law of love? Would you be guided by men's rules, or by the principle expressed in the “golden rule”? (Gal 5:14, 15) If you were the disfellowshipped one, how would you like to be treated?
This raises yet another question: Why is strict adherence to the Watchtower code regarding how to treat disfellowshipped ones so vital that it has to be repeated over and over in the publications? Why does the organization misapply 2 John 8, 9 to cover all sins, when it was clearly intended to deal only with those who actively opposed to the teaching of Christ? Does serving Jehovah with a complete heart clearly require us to be hardhearted toward those who are suffering and who need our mercy? Is the continual harping on this message an indication that the leadership of the Organization is feeling threatened?
The Proper View of Spiritual Activities
Like Asa, you can show that you have a complete heart by fully relying on God when you are faced with opposition, even some that may seem insurmountable….colleagues at work may taunt you for taking days off for spiritual activities or for not often working overtime. – par. 8
Of course, “taking days off [work] for spiritual activities” seems like a laudable course of action in the correct circumstances. It does mean self-sacrifice, but Paul gave up many things, considering them all just a lot of garbage that he might gain Christ. (Phil. 3:8) Is 'gaining the Christ' the type of 'spiritual activity' to which this paragraph is pointing? Alas, having been one of those faithful Witnesses that devoted a huge portion of his adult life to such “spiritual activities”, I can safely say that it is not. Paul wanted to “gain Christ”, but I was taught that I couldn’t do that. I was not anointed. I couldn’t even aspire to being called a brother of Christ and a child of God. The best I could hope for was 'good friend'.
Let’s look at it this way: If a Baptist or Mormon were to use that same argument, would a Jehovah’s Witness consider it valid? We know the answer to be “no” simply because Witnesses consider all other religions to be false, so they cannot have valid “spiritual activities”. After all, true worshippers worship the Father in both spirit and truth, so the one goes hand-in-hand with the other. (John 4:23)
After years of study, I’ve come to the realization that virtually every doctrine unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses has no foundation in Scripture. So I look back on my life of self-sacrifice dedicated to advancing JW “spiritual activities” as largely a waste of time in the service of men. Nevertheless, what I did gain from it was a life devoted to knowing God and Christ better—a life devoted to the study of the Scriptures. (John 17:3) I would not be where I am now had it not been for that, so I do not regret the waste of time insomuch as it gave me the foundation upon which to build a faith in Jesus Christ as a child of God with the hope of ruling with him in the kingdom of the Heavens. That is something worth striving for. So I completely concur with the Apostle Paul. It is all garbage if only I can gain Christ. I’m sure many of us feel the same.
One of the spiritual activities we are expected to engage in is referred to in paragraph 9.
God’s servants go beyond simply thinking about themselves. Asa promoted true worship. We likewise help others “to search for Jehovah.” How pleased Jehovah must be when he sees that we speak to our neighbors and others about him, doing so out of genuine love for him and genuine interest in the everlasting welfare of people! – par. 9
Again, no mention of Jesus at all. All the focus is placed on Jehovah to the exclusion of the one He told us—in his own voice, no less!—to listen to. (Mt 3:17; 17:5; 2Pe 1:17)
Idolizing Men
Using Hezekiah’s removal of idolatrous false worship from the kingdom, the writer tries to find a modern-day parallel in avoiding the idolizing of men.
“Clearly, we do not want to imitate those in the world who, using social media, treat humans as if they were idols….We can ask ourselves, ‘Do I avoid idolizing humans…?” – par. 17
Twenty years ago, most of us would have had no trouble with this sentiment. However, now we may detect a note of hypocrisy in it. Are they 'saying', but not 'doing'? Brothers have come to idolize members of the Governing Body, in no small part because of the prominence such ones are given on the JW broadcasts and on the super large video screens at Regional and International Conventions. There was a time when the average Jehovah’s Witness could not have named more than one or two members of the Governing Body, but now, that has all changed. Try asking a brother or sister to name them all. After they have done this, ask them to name all the apostles. ‘Nuf said?
Deflecting Us from the Message
Reading God’s word every day is a worthwhile practice. Thus, the counsel in paragraph 19 seems sound.
Also, remember that the reading of the Scriptures touched Josiah’s heart and moved him to take action. Your reading of the Word of God may move you to take action that will increase your happiness and strengthen your friendship with God as well as spur you on to help others to search for God. (Read 2 Chronicles 34:18, 19.) – par. 17
However, the counsel is tainted by the underlying message. You study to “strengthen your friendship with God”. To this end, the “read” scripture is taken from the PS not the CS. Better are Paul’s words to Timothy about reading God’s word: 2 Timothy 3:14-17. However, that focuses on “faith in connection with Christ Jesus”, not Jehovah God and of course Timothy isn’t called a friend of God. The hope Timothy had is not the hope that the Organization wants us to have.
So while criticizing this apparently innocent counsel to read regularly God’s word may seem to the casual reader as being a tad picayune, the experienced researcher is aware how, by such subtle innuendo, one can have one's mind start thinking down the wrong path.
Next week, the study theme continues by examining the mistakes these four kings made, so as to learn from their example.
____________________________________________________________________
[i] Regular readers of these articles may have noticed that recently I have come to prefer of the terms "Prechristian Scriptures" and "Christian Scriptures". The reason for this is that the old and new covenants, while of great importance, do not encompass all of Scripture. The old covenant did not come into being until humans had walked the earth for well over 2000 years. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, dividing the two sections of the Bible based on the advent of Christianity seems a better choice. This is, of course, a preference and should not be taken by anyone as a rule. Depending on the audience to whom one is speaking, Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT) may be more appropriate.
Archived Comments
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Comment by Yehorakam on 2017-05-14 21:11:38
Excellent article Meleti. I'm in full agreement that they use the ancient model of human representatives in Israel because it suits them. If they can convince the brothers and sisters that God is still working the same way through human representatives in charge of an organization, then it validates their positions. Once they establish that God continues to use human representatives, using simple substitution with a slight of hand on the keyboard, they can put themselves in the place of Moses (sitting in his "seat" as Jesus said.)
Sadly they, and millions more ignore the clear statement at Hebrews 1:1,2 where it says that 'long ago [and far away :)] and in many ways, God spoke to our forefathers by means of prophets.' Note, the emphasis is put that this was God's way of doing things in the PAST. But NOW, 'at the end of days, God speaks to us by means of a Son.' Very clear: no modern day Moses or Samuel or "organization." If there was a time to clarify and add details of how God speaks to us through a Son and then an organization or governing body, Paul would not have failed to mention it at that point. All he said was a Son, Christ. Perhaps too simple a truth for those in the "truth" to see.
But as we know, it would be impossible to keep the numbers in the organization if the millions actually trusted what the Bible says in Heb 1, and saw that they don't need a 'governing body.' They only need Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But, that requires more faith. It requires more faith to trust what the apostle Paul says and step outside of a large organization and confess and trust in a leader you can't see physically. Once you do, Christ never leaves you without guidance.
Much love,Reply by Deo_ac_veritati on 2017-05-14 23:47:08
Beautiful sentiment Yehorakam!
Reply by THE DRIFTER on 2017-05-17 20:33:16
@yehorakam, ...
"f they can convince the brothers and sisters that God is still working the same way through human representatives in charge of an organization, then it validates their positions."
... Whilst at the same time increasing their accountability.
"And whosoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe on me to stumble, it were better for him if a great millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea." --GoMark 9:42
Comment by Yehorakam on 2017-05-14 21:20:25
...Oh, and about idolizing men, when Witnesses are shown a clear truth in the scriptures and it is different from what they've been taught by the GB, their reaction is suspect. Often heard are the words "I'll wait till I see it in a Watchtower." O my God! They saw it in the Bible, from God's own mouth...but they'd prefer to hear it from the mouth of a group of men. They won't believe God's word, but they'll believe it if they see it in a Watchtower. If that's not idolatry, I don't know what is. Shame on them for giving more weight to men's words than God's words.
While they commit this form of idolatry continuously every single day of the year, they judge and trample down a 'sheep' that may have committed a sin only once. Sadly, until Witnesses remove themselves from this form of idolatry, their sins continue to accumulate clear up to heaven.
Comment by cx_516 on 2017-05-15 02:01:36
Thank you Meleti! I'm conducting our congs WT studies now. I'll enjoy adding Jesus into the mix whenever I can this week.
I think we've all found that JWorg occasionally makes comparisons with itself and other nations and is proud of itself as being a Christian 'mighty nation'.
There is a drive for a type of spiritual 'nationalism' toward this self proclaimed 'might nation'. I find irony in the warnings regarding idolatry when JWorg introduces songs about itself! I feel there are certain songs that can rightly be called 'GB international anthems' in the sense that they want the global brotherhood to foster feelings for themselves rather than for Jesus or Jehovah.
Three JW org 'kingdom' songs (Hyms) that raise concerns for me are:
A special possession 25
You did it for me 26
The revealing of Gods sons 27
There may be some innocent aspects to these songs, but I feel the intent between the lines is GB idolatry.
The W02 9/15 magazine has some interesting statements that can be viewed in a new light with regard to these JWorg hyms:
-------
"National anthems are expressions of patriotic feeling and often include an invocation for divine guidance and protection of the people or their rulers,” says The Encyclopedia Americana.
A national anthem is, in effect, a hymn or a prayer in behalf of a nation. It usually asks that the nation (its people or rulers) experience material prosperity and long duration. Should true Christians join in such prayerful sentiments?
National anthems often express feelings of national pride or superiority. This outlook has no Scriptural basis. In his speech on the Areopagus, the apostle Paul said: “[Jehovah God] made out of one man every nation of men, to dwell upon the entire surface of the earth.” (Acts 17:26) “God is not partial,” stated the apostle Peter, “but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.”—Acts 10:34, 35.
Because of their understanding of the Bible, many make a personal decision to refrain from participating in the flag salute and in the singing of patriotic songs."
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Thank you JWorg for that great suggestion! I respectfully refrain from ever singing songs 25, 26, 27 (among others)Reply by MarthaMartha on 2017-05-15 03:37:53
I agree!
I abstain from singing those songs too.
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2017-05-15 16:38:53
I haven't been attending for a while, so I wasn't fully aware of these songs. I just looked up the wording. Yikes!
Comment by Truth-Seeker on 2017-05-15 03:39:02
I appreciate, Meleti, how you don't 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'. You don't view the time spent on your journey to have been a waste of time. You have found Christ, what better achievement is there?
Comment by MarthaMartha on 2017-05-15 03:43:33
Thanks Meleti I found that article very thought provoking. I too am glad for the grounding in Bible knowledge and being taught how to study. I no longer view myself as a JW though. As you said there are so many unique to JW teachings that I disagree with ( with scriptural reasoning as basis) that I can't identify with this religion any more. I attend one meeting a week now for family reasons. My strategy is to pick out what crumbs of bible truth there are and meditate on them. ?
Reply by eve04 on 2017-05-16 15:56:07
I feel as you do, MarthaMartha.
Comment by tyhik on 2017-05-15 05:04:24
Meleti, thanks for the good article.
I had not really thought about the naming game around scriptures though I have found it strange in the past. Indeed, grouping by language is not just a way to differ from other denominations, it's another subtle way to replace Christ. How wicked.
Comment by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-15 09:22:41
Paragraph 7 , it's a bit of a stretch to compare disfellowshipped ones to maacah , with her crime of making a asherah idol , asherah was a fertility goddess, and the context speaks also about removing the male prostitutes , so we get the idea here about what was going on . Cheers brothers!!! Even so as bad as it was the verse says that asa removed her from being queen Mother , it doesn't say that she was disfellowshipped, banished or shunned. Either . That ones for all us , ostracised grandparents out there, thanks a bunch , matthew 5:11,12
Comment by Joseph Anton on 2017-05-15 10:55:14
Personally, one of the biggest eye-opening realities I had as a Christian was realizing that I'm not Jewish. That my ancestors were probably Philistines or Canaanites, and it wasn't any study of the Watchtower or Bible reading that made me realize this, but a book club discussion of Steinbeck's East Of Eden. Comprehending this made the Christian Greek scriptures that much more special to me. Whoever my people were, whatever horrible things they partook in historically, they were accepted finally as children of God himself. Once that became clear I started noticing how much focus The Watchtower Society puts on the Hebrew scriptures. Your words ring true Meleti.
Comment by Joseph Anton on 2017-05-15 17:50:21
Years ago I was in a debate with a Bible Student online (the Watchtower offshoot religion - they only read the work of Russell) and I remember arguing that they have deified a man, CT Russell, and that we Witnesses do not deify anyone in our religion, let alone our brothers back at the top of Bethel. He didn't believe me, but I used the argument that I did not know the names of these men, that they were for all intents and purposes, anonymous men. That argument is now no longer valid. I remember being proud that we were on the right side of controversial theocratic topics like child sexual abuse, ATM's in churches to fill donation baskets, infant baptism, and the absurdity of televangelism. And here I am now. A farm animal in Orwell's book, on the outside with my nose pressed against the glass, watching the pigs walking on two legs, and wearing clothes, and drinking alcohol....
Reply by Meleti Vivlon on 2017-05-15 19:28:10
Well put, Joseph.
Reply by Yehorakam on 2017-05-15 19:43:40
The Bible students only read the works of Russell and the Witnesses only read the publications of the GB. Anyone see a similarity here?
Reply by THE DRIFTER on 2017-05-17 19:56:35
@Joseph, ..."Religion is a snare and a racket!"
You're not the only one who fell for it!
;)
Comment by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-15 18:03:43
Paragraph 11 "the elders arrange to visit and help disfellowshipped ones who have left their practice of sin , the sin I committed was standing up for bible truth, over what is obvious lies. They have never called on me , but I suppose if you weren't dished for a sin in the first place then what can they do .?
Reply by Yehorakam on 2017-05-15 19:40:41
Actually, in line with that comment, a few months ago a disfellowshipped brother came up to me to ask me what he needs to do to be reinstated. Here's the funny part...I'm disfellowshipped. So why ask me? It turns out that he's been disfellowshipped for 6 years and has been going to meetings all that time. But the elders have NOT ONCE met with him to encourage him or explain to him what he needs to do. 6 years in limbo! And he approached me because I used to be an elder and thought maybe I could explain what he needs to do. Yet another example that shows that these "shepherds" priorities are not the lost sheep.
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-16 02:19:10
He must have a real good reason for wanting to go back , perhaps the elders haven't got time to read 2 corinthians 2:5 to 11, however the real advice is contained at 2 timothy 3:5
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-16 02:44:19
Actually I was just reading 2 timothy v1:9 in the new century version and sadly it's looking more like the congregation each time I read it .
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-16 02:47:15
That was chapter 3 of course
Reply by tyhik on 2017-05-17 11:20:39
I'm wondering how that DFed brother feels when reading paragraphs 20-21 from this week's midweek "Bible study" text. How do elders of his congregation feel. Yeah, how much one needs to really start to wake up.
Reply by kyaecker on 2017-05-21 11:01:20
Unfortunately If you deviate from the GB teachings, you are practicing sin in their eyes.
Comment by wild olive on 2017-05-15 18:47:16
Wonderful article thank you so much Meleti for articulating it so clearly.
I too hit rock bottom when the sad reality hit,that everything I thought was truth was built on sand.
For me the time I have spent as a zealous JW has become a tutor leading to Christ,Paul said that about the law covenant,the GB have created a pseudo law covenant,or Judeo/Christianity as in the article,it seems when you want to make rules,Jesus shows up and points the other way.
Comment by Menrov on 2017-05-16 07:23:30
The name JESUS is mentioned only once in the article and then only as reference to the ransom. Actually, it is now my conviction that the way the WT treats Jesus is damaging to ones Christian belief. I now realize that reading the NWT nor the rNWT never attracted me to Jesus and in hindsight made me confused at times. It is because my family is still involved, otherwise if would not longer want to read about all the manipulations via the publications and the double speak. It is rather demotivating to realize.
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-16 13:28:44
There's plenty of warnings in the NT about the dangers of listening to false teachers , I used to think why did god allow me to suffer like I did all those years , the truth is he didn't , I allowed it myself because I didn't heed the warnings in my bible ,
Reply by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-16 13:41:55
I tried to be reasonable , 2 corinthians 11 v 20
Reply by THE DRIFTER on 2017-05-17 20:13:50
@Menrov, ...
Don't think for a moment that Jesus isn't pissed, ...err umm , upset about that!
He told me so, ...
Comment by eve04 on 2017-05-16 15:48:33
I think for any of us that sacrificed anything for this organization it is not in vain. I look at it this way, anything we have given to God, even though the religion may not be right, cannot ever be a bad thing.
It is a bit of a sting to know I believed something for 30+ years and come to find out, has been built on sand. Honestly though, I feel a renewed vigor in knowing the real “truth”. Everything I have read on this site well not everything, but most things were things I honestly thought before, but was obedient in not searching because that is what I was told not to do because I would not be have been loyal to the Organization.
It makes so much since how the organization sticks to the Old Testament so they can exercise the authority over others and it seem to be correct. Reading the bible on my own I am really seeing how much I really have missed in my relationship with Christ, so very sad that we rarely even here of him in our meetings or preach about him. Even if there is a scripture that pertains to Jesus or something Jesus is saying, those that comment will always round it back to Jehovah.
Real quick, saw on Y - tube that an “apostate” commented at a meeting and said the GB dispenses rotten food because of allowing pedophiles in their mist he said some other things. The mic was taken away.
My prediction is very soon, because they do not know who is waking up and ready to speak out, commenting will soon be phased out or like they do at assemblies, have ones with prepared comments.
Thank you again for your research and time.Reply by THE DRIFTER on 2017-05-17 20:09:25
@eve04, ...
"It makes so much since how the organization sticks to the Old Testament so they can exercise the authority over others and it seem to be correct."
History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done.
--Sydney J. Harris
Badda bing, ...badda boom!Reply by eve04 on 2017-05-17 23:04:45
The Drifter
That is a powerful statement. WOW
Comment by huang on 2017-05-18 00:07:39
“This has been done so efficiently that they were able to publish a chart of the management structure of the organization in which Jesus Christ did not figure at all”.
About a year back I sent this picture to my cong elder to ask him why Christ “our Leader” is conspicuously absent. His answer was to cite Matt 18:19,20 – basically no answer
I keep this picture as wallpaper on my phone and occasionally show it to some friendlier bros to see their jaws dropReply by Meleti Vivlon on 2017-05-18 07:34:43
Actually, that Scripture does answer the question. If those depicted in the Watchtower illustration were gathered together in the name of Jesus, he would be present. Since he is not present in the illustration, the Organization is telling us that they do not gather together in his name. :)
Reply by huang on 2017-05-19 03:19:49
So if Jesus is not in the picture, not even listed - JWs are not meeting in his name! Jesus is not in their midst! Brilliant insight, I never thought of it that way. Thanks, Meleti. I will file it away for future use.
Comment by eve04 on 2017-05-18 12:37:21
In all honesty, all this time I always thought Jesus was the angel in the picture. Maybe because I wanted him to be. However,since they are saying earthly would Jesus be figured into this since he is reigning from heaven? I suppose if the angel were Jesus, he would be hovering over #1 the Governing Body since this is where all information comes from. Thoughts???
Comment by Ifionlyhadabrain on 2017-05-18 12:44:47
Paragraph 8 in the article speaks of remaining firm for what is right and wise , I was speaking to a sister just today and judging by her comments it became obvious that she just doesn't know how the religion works . When I explained she exclaimed "well its just as well I don't know , I've heard this excuse before its typical witness reasoning ,many simply don't seem interested in knowing what the real truth is or what is right or wise . What can you do ? Surely this is not the attitude we should have ,
Comment by kyaecker on 2017-05-21 01:46:15
Thank you for the wonderful breakdown of this article. I love the attack on social media and the GB telling us not to follow people not in the brotherhood and using the examples of Aquilla and Priscilla to do it. Good point you made of most JDubs not knowing the names of the apostles but would know the GB members.