Judicial Committees

by Honesty 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Honesty

  In light of the following Scriptures regarding Jesus, how do Judicial Committees and their members composed of three elders even remotely follow Jesus' teaching and example?

  At dawn He went to the temple complex again, and all the people were coming to Him. He sat down and began to teach them.

  Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman caught in adultery, making her stand in the center.

  “Teacher,” they said to Him, “this woman was caught in the act of committing adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do You say?” They asked this to trap Him, in order that they might have evidence to accuse Him.

  Jesus stooped down and started writing on the ground with His finger.

  When they persisted in questioning Him, He stood up and said to them, “The one without sin among you should be the first to throw a stone at her.”

  Then He stooped down again and continued writing on the ground.

  When they heard this, they left one by one, starting with the older men. Only He was left, with the woman in the center. When Jesus stood up, He said to her, “ Woman , where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

  “No one, Lord,” she answered.

  “Neither do I condemn you,” said Jesus. “Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”

  Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”

  John 8:2-12
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  darth frosty

  At a guess, they will view that scripture as part of the appocraphal text, that was added in later translations and therefore not pertinant to the situation at hand. just a guess.
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  jgnat

  Neither do they remotely follow Paul's instruction (first try and work out the dispute between yourselves), or the Jewish tradition of publicly resolving disputes at the city gates.

  To be fair, any dispute and judgement needs to be PUBLIC. This is so that everyone in attendance or with an interest in the dispute can be assured that it was fair.

  The WTBTS's obsession with PRIVACY and SECRECY guarantees that judgements will be unfair and uneven. It creates little dictators and cliques.
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  snarf

  Wow, that is pretty deep. It's amazing how when you seperate yourself and open your mind how you see things differently, although I am sure that the elders would have some sort of rebuttal for this.
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  jgnat

  Yeah, snarf, but they wouldn't be able to find a biblical excuse for the closed-door JC's.
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  XBEHERE

  The WTBTS's obsession with PRIVACY and SECRECY guarantees that judgements will be unfair and uneven. It creates little dictators and cliques.

  I think this also helps to ensure that any "apostates" wont be questioned or spoken to either. I believe this is the main reason behind 3 elder, confidential committee's and the whole shunning arrangement. Information is power and the internet has certainly proven this the past few years. I wonder when the next internet bashing article will come out.
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  DannyHaszard

  Danny's Blog
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  jgnat

  Also, we humans have figured out for some time that justice cannot be had in secret trials.

  Secret Trials – Let the light shine in

  "The public’s right to know, and the media’s right to report should never be compromised without a fair hearing, says law professor KENT ROACH"

  Jeremy Bentham, the 19 th century philosopher and jurist, was right when he declared that “publicity is the very soul of justice. It is the keenest spur to exertion and the surest of all guards against improbity. It keeps the judge himself while trying under trial.” In 1982, Judge Brian Dickson of the Supreme Court (later Chief Justice) wrote that “at every stage the rule should be one of public accessibility and concomitant judicial accountability.” The open-court principle should only be restricted, he said, “to protect social values of superordinate importance.”
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  willy_think

  The justification is the same as it has always been for an inquisition. submit or suffer.
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  hamsterbait

  Darth is right.

  The WT insists that these are not words ever spoken by the Lord, which is why they are sometimes in copies of Matthew's gospel rather than John. The passage is completely ignored in the Greatest Man book, not even being mentioned. Like the verses left blank in the NWT these verses are considered to be spurious.

  If Christ didn't say it they don't have to do it. You only have to do what the WT says after all!!

  HB