Watchtower publications Quotes you'd like to share

dannyboy

Please give examples of noteworthy quotations from publications of the Watchtower Society. Examples could include where they have contradicted themselves, have been inconsistent with logic, have been patronizing, or how what was written rocked you back. Think about quotes that would be helpful to a sincere Witness or "newly interested" person in seeing the Watchtower Society for what it really is.

If you have a specific quote to illustrate the point, please share it so we'll know what you're referring to, and perhaps can go and check the publication ourselves to be sure you're quoting it accurately. But you could also just paraphrase the point as you recall it from reading it.

----Dannyboy

dannyboy

Here's an example of somethings that surprised me when I heard about them: For years Watchtower publications promoted various kinds of "weird" medical/health type products, such as the so-called "Miracle Wheat". To be sure, this was many years ago, but Witnesses today, with a straight face, will condemn the "snake-oil" salesman of religion today, perhaps not realizing that their own group did much the same in years past.

They also went on and on, negatively about vaccines. I wonder how many Witnesses suffered for following such mis-quided "counsel" from the Organization?

Then, too for years they spoke out against allowing an autopsy, comparing it to, as I recall, cannibalism. How many families suffered, following this mis-guided/wrong "counsel"?? Not knowing WHY a loved one suddenly died, for example?

---Dan

darth frosty

one that given my current status I would like to find. There was a study article back in the late 80s early 90s that talked about apostates and it stated that apostates were not content to merely leave the borg and say this life is not for me. But instead apostates feel a need to beat and persecute their former brothers in arms. loose quote but essentially on point. This led one to belive that there is an out, but we know this to be untrue.

TopHat

*** Watchtower 1981 December 1 p.27 The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter ***

Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of spirit-anointed ones ... Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:5

The WTS makes claims it cannot prove and which are totally false.

Benjamin Belial

There was an article in a Watchtower, must have been in the late 80s or early 90s. They sort of say as an aside, really quietly, "Christ might have actually died on a cross after all but we'll keep saying torture stake regardless." I wish I knew the exact issue.

Lilycurly

Benjamin B.- Are you serious? I'd really like to get my hands on that quote, I know that my dad's jaw would drop straight to the ground.

Benjamin Belial

Yeah, someone had made a reference to it on another forum(one I used to admin) when I asked what they thought of whether Jesus died on a cross or on a stake as the JWs claim. Maybe I'll have to stop being lazy and do a thorough search online for that article.

rebel8

I don't know if this is what you're looking for, but here is some info I've collected. I do not own these publications; these are just quotes given to me.

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Watchtower prohibits belittling other religions:

w1998 12/1 p. 15 "However, the counsel to remain without spot from the world does not give us any basis for categorically belittling those who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Proverbs 8:13) Recall the example of the Jewish religious leaders, discussed in the preceding article. The form of religion they developed did not win favor with Jehovah; nor did it contribute to good relations with non-Jews. (Matthew 21:43, 45) From their self-righteous perch, these fanatic men looked down on the Gentiles. We do not take such a narrow view, treating non-Witnesses with disdain. Like the apostle Paul, our wish is that all who hear the Bible’s message of truth gain God’s favor…A balanced, Scriptural view should affect the way we speak about non-Witnesses. Paul instructed Titus to remind the Christians on the island of Crete "to speak injuriously of no one, not to be belligerent, to be reasonable, exhibiting all mildness toward all men." (Titus 3:2) Notice that Christians were to speak injuriously of "no one"—not even of the non-Christians on Crete, some of whom were known for their lying, gluttony, and laziness. (Titus 1:12) So it would be unscriptural for us to use disparaging terms when referring to ones who do not share our beliefs. A superior attitude will not attract others to Jehovah’s worship. Rather, when we view and treat others in line with the reasonable principles of Jehovah’s Word, we "adorn the teaching" of God.—Titus 2:10."

w1984 12/1 pg. 15 It would be unscriptural for us to use disparaging terms when referring to ones who do not share our belief."

Watchtower belittles other religions:
"In some boarding schools, Witness students manage to study the Bible together, but even this is often difficult. A youth named Blessing, who is 16, says this about the boarding school she attends: ‘Every day the SO-CALLED CHRISTIANS come out to pray…’" w97 3/15 p. 27

"However, many of the 3,500,000,000 non-Christians of the world (twice the number of SO-CALLED CHRISTIANS) find the idea of a ransom very difficult to grasp." w92 6/15 p. 4

"Who are the "Moonies"? Press reports about the Unification Church have tended to highlight charges of weekend BRAINWASHING SESSIONS AND SLAVE LABOR. The political and financial problems of the Church have also made headlines, especially since Sun Myung Moon, the Church's founder, was CONVICTED OF TAX FRAUD." Awake! 1982 September 8 p.10

"…RELIGIOUS PROPAGANDAS of this system of things UNDER SATAN." Watchtower 1956 June 15 p.360

"…SATAN'S organization consisting of his political 'wild beast' and his BABYLONIAN WORLD EMPIRE OF FALSE RELIGION." Watchtower, March 1st 1979 p.24

"…Christendom's being beaten as with the hardened water of a pounding hail. Her BLOODGUILT, DUE TO HER SHARE IN THE WARS of this 20th century, has been laid bare, and she has been shown to be DESERVING OF THE FIERY EXPRESSION OF JEHOVAH'S WRATH. The John class, with later support from the great crowd, has continued to echo the first trumpet blast, drawing attention to Jehovah's view of Christendom, AS BEING FIT FOR DESTRUCTION…"A resolution that followed drew attention to the hypocrisy of "apostate clergymen and 'the principal of their flocks,' who are worldly men of strong financial and political influence." It called on the "multitude of the peace and order loving ones in the denominational churches . . . to withdraw themselves from the unrighteous ecclesiastical systems designated by the Lord as 'Babylon'" and to ready themselves ‘to receive the blessings of God's kingdom.’…great numbers of people have come to realize that many doctrines taught by the clergy are spiritual poison--"wormwood." Furthermore, the clergy's power in northern Europe is almost spent, while in most Eastern European lands, as well as in China, the government strictly curtails their influence. In Catholic parts of Europe and in the Americas, the clergy's scandalous behavior in financial, political, and moral affairs has sullied their reputation. From now on, their position can only get worse, since soon they will suffer the same fate as all other false religionists."-- Revelation -- It's Grand Climax At Hand, pgs.132-138

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Watchtower predicts Armageddon to occur in ‘70s:

"If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years. Of the generation that observed the beginning of the 'last days' in 1914, Jesus foretold: 'This generation will by no means pass away until all these things occur.' Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and thinking about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight more years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way towards its finish, if not actually gone! This is why parents who base their lives on God's prophetic Word find it much more practical to direct their young ones into trades that do not require such long periods of additional schooling… True, those who do not understand where we are in the stream of time from God's viewpoint will call this impractical. But which is really practical: preparing yourself for a position in this world that soon will pass away? or working toward surviving this system's end and enjoying eternal life in God's righteous new order?"-- Awake! 1969 May 22 p.15

"Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the Gentile Times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed!"-- Watchtower 1969 October 15 p.623 The Approaching Peace of a Thousand Years

"So whatever the date for the end of this system, it is clear that the time left is reduced, with only approximately six years left until the end of 6,000 years of human history… This corroborates the understanding of Jesus' words that the generation alive in 1914 with the outbreak of World War I would not pass away until the end comes. Only a short time, then, remains for persons who love righteousness to show God that they want to be in his "ark" of protection and live to see the blessings of the new system of things."-- Watchtower 1970 May 1 pp.271-7 A Critical Time

"And now, as the critical year of 1975 enters, it may well be asked: Has the Most High God of prophecy made a name for himself? The answer is self-evident, Yes! By whom? Not by Christendom or by Jewry, but by Jehovah's Christian witnesses… And now, as the year 1975 opens up, some thousands of the anointed remnant, still alive on this earth, look ahead to realizing that joyful prospect."-- Watchtower 1974 December 15 pp.759-66

"millions of people now living will see the "day" of Christ's coming to mete out justice upon this system of things"-- Watchtower 1975 January 1 p.11

"And, uh, does September the fifth, at sundown, mean that we have already been six thousand years into God's Sabbath day? And that now, the time has come for God to make it a *REAL* sabbath day for mankind, by giving them the Millenial kingdom of his son, the "Lord of the Sabbath"."-- Public Address by Bro. Fred W. Franz in early 1975 in Australia (audio available at http://quotes.watchtower.ca)

"F. W. Franz, the Society's vice-president, forcefully impressed on the audience the urgency of the Christian preaching work. He stressed that, according to dependable Bible chronology, 6,000 years of human history will end this coming September according to the lunar calendar. This coincides with a time when "the human species [is] about to starve itself to death," as well as its being faced with poisoning by pollution and destruction by nuclear weapons. Franz added: "There's no basis for believing that mankind, faced with what it now faces, can exist for the seventh thousand-year period" under the present system of things."-- Watchtower 1975 May 1 p.85

"Does this mean that Babylon the Great will go down by 1975? Will Armageddon be over, with Satan bound, by then? 'It could' acknowledged F. W. Franz, the Watch Tower Society's vice-president… Time is short. Time is running out, no question about that." Yearbook 1975 p.256

WT admits 1914 doctrine was slanted:

"Furthermore, the remnant of spiritual Israel had for decades ... been looking forward to the ending of the Times of the Gentiles in the autumn of 1914. They were expecting God's Messianic Kingdom to be fully established in the heavens by then and also for the remnant of spiritual Israel to be glorified with Jesus Christ in the heavenly kingdom at that time. All understanding of the Holy Scriptures was slanted in that direction or adjusted to that idea." Man's Salvation Out Of World Distress At Hand, 1975, P.136.

Watchtower blames individual JWs for believing 1975 would bring Armageddon:

"It may be that some who have been serving God have planned their lives according to a mistaken view of just what was to happen on a certain date or in a certain year… If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises."-- Watchtower 1976 July 15 p.441

Watchtower criticizes other religions for predicting Armageddon:

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So it has become with those who proclaim the end of the world. Down through the centuries since Jesus' day, so many unfulfilled predictions have been made that many no longer take them seriously." [Article goes on to criticize other religious leaders who claimed the end of the world would come soon: Pope Gregory I, Martin Luther, Anabaptists of the early Sixteenth Century Edwin Sandys (Archbishop of York), William Miller(founder of the Adventist Church).]-- Awake! 1993 March 22 pp.3-4

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WT says JWs are not prophets:

Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets - Reasoning From the Scriptures (1985, 1989) p.136

WT says JWs are prophets:

You will be interested to learn that God has on earth a people, all of whom are prophets ... Jehovah's Witnesses - Awake! 1986 June 8 p.7-9

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Watchtower Society encourages members to evaluate teachings for themselves:

"We need to scrutinize whatever is presented to us, deciding what to accept and what to reject. However, we do not want to be so narrow that we refuse to consider facts that can improve our thinking… Test whatever you are reading or watching, to see if it is truthful…"—official WT web site, http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2000/6/22/article_03.htm

Watchtower Society prohibits members from evaluating teachings for themselves:

"What else does the Devil use in trying to turn us away? Has he not always tried to stir up rebellion, to cause Jehovah's servants to become critical of those taking the lead?... A person may go further and claim that the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses or other responsible brothers interfere with freedom of conscience and the individual's "right" to interpret the Scriptures. But remember Joseph's humble words: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" … And did not Jesus foretell that in these final days an organization of anointed ones, "the faithful and discreet slave,"*would be entrusted with providing spiritual food at the proper time?... Beware of those who try to put forward their own contrary opinions… The evidence is clear that Jehovah has used and is continuing to use his one organization, with "the faithful and discreet slave" taking the lead.. God's own Word unquestionably points to Jehovah's Witnesses as the one organized people that have his blessing!." -- Watchtower 1986 March 15 pp.15-20 *Note: The Watchtower Society claims IT is the "faithful and discreet slave". Therefore, the above quote is claiming that people should rely on WT to interpret scripture.

"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… That there is a "faithful and discreet slave" upon earth today 'entrusted with all of Jesus' earthly interests,' which slave is associated with the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses."-- Watchtower 1986 April 1 pp.30-31

"a mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and "the faithful and discreet slave."-- Watchtower August 1, 2001 p. 14

"Fight Against Independent Thinking As we study the Bible we learn that Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way. And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. … Yet there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue: "This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe." This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous? Such thinking is an evidence of pride."-- Watchtower 1983 January 15 p.27

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Watchtower requires military/political neutrality for JWs: Reasoning from the Scriptures, pp. 269–76; The Watchtower, April 1 (1990), p. 20; Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock", p. 92.

Watchtower Society owns stock in military manufacturing company: http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/922330/000106299302000371/form10k.txt

Watchtower Society enrolls itself in the United Nations for 10 years:http://www.un.org/dpi/ngosection/watchtower.pdf
http://home.comcast.net/~sonofcomfort/wsb/html/view.cgi-photo.html--SiteID-1379249.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,565005,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,574134,00.html

Benjamin Belial

I think I'll be saving that info if you don't mind...

AuldSoul

Discussion of the article: Is the Work of Jehovah's Witnesses Propagandistic?

Watchtower publications Quotes you'd like to share

*** Watchtower 1981 December 1 p.27 The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter ***

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* Watchtower 1981 December 1 p.27 The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter *