Incredible Irony...

Confession

It is perhaps one of the greatest ironies I will ever witness in my life. More than all other religions I know, Jehovah’s Witnesses ardently emphasize the need to flee from idolatry. No crosses, no holidays, no national emblems… Don’t hang posters of pop culture icons, don’t emulate “worldly” athletes or celebrities… Jehovah’s Witnesses are intensely concerned about committing idolatry, but they cannot see that their devotion to the Watchtower Society is as idolatrous as a thing could be.

“Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.” [Acts 4:24, NWT]

“Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” [John 14:6, NWT]

“…survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah's universal organization.” [Watchtower, May 15, 2006]

This is an extraordinary deviation from the scriptures, and a shocking apostasy from the faith Christ established.

mavie

Good catch Confession.

The way the sentence is phrased could allow a JW to reason there is no deviation from scripture in the statement. The earthly org is Jehovah's org, the creator of Jesus. In addition, Jesus is the head of this earthly org, so worshipping JW's are actually submitting to Jesus headship by following the direction of Jehovah's earthly org.

candidlynuts

but if it was so important to our salvation to follow an organization headed up by christ, wouldnt that have been in the scriptures as well?

greendawn

They have made idols out of the FDS the way they revere them even though they are obvious fakes who can never get many of their basic doctrines right and do not even know whether they are inspired of God or not.

Confession

I think the only way a person could get this idea is--not from the scriptures--but from the extrapolations provided by the WTS itself. It's as if anytime the Bible says, "I am the way*," or "there is not another name by which we may be saved**," they have inserted a mental asterisk.

----

*Through God's Theocratic organization.

**Except of course by loyal adherence to the organization we assert Christ is in control of.

happy1975

Amazing point - And so obvious to me now that I'm out. No matter how many times I heard those scriptures as a JW, I never made the connection. I guess what's even more amazing is that while you're a witness you're convinced that you're following those scriptures, not doing the exact opposite. -Happy

Leolaia

*** w60 6/15 pp. 376-377 "The Light of Life" ***

Jesus Christ did not receive his light from this world; that could never have made him "the light of the world." Instead of being "more and more like the communities with which it is surrounded," the light of the world must be, as Jesus said, like a city situated upon a mountain. No individual could shine like this today. ...Today the New World society of Jehovah’s witnesses is this light-bearing organization; it is a citylike organization that is prominent around the globe because all its members let their light shine before mankind. In a city there are women as well as men, and all contribute various functions. So in this citylike organization of light bearers all contribute to the light so that the organization can blaze as the greatest light today, as "the light of the world."

*** w67 6/1 p. 336 par. 5 Move Ahead with Jehovah’s Organization ***

How much more zealous, then, should we be to move with an organization that is greater than the greatest corporation or even the greatest nation, an organization formed and blessed by the Creator of the universe, and to be used by him throughout eternity!

*** w79 3/1 p. 18 par. 20 Faith in Jehovah’s Victorious Organization ***

The desire to share with Jesus Christ in the vindication of Jehovah’s universal sovereignty became a most powerful motivating force in the lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It strengthened them to endure the worst persecution that ever befell Jehovah’s Witnesses—during World War II. So Jehovah’s visible organization came off victorious once again to his vindication. For dedicated, baptized persons to share in that victory, what did it take? Faith in Jehovah’s theocratic organization.

Forscher

Jehovah’s Witnesses are intensely concerned about committing idolatry, but they cannot see that their devotion to the Watchtower Society is as idolatrous as a thing could be.

That was my big issue towards the end. More and more through the years I saw what I considered idolatry openly advocated from the platform and I couldn't abide it. The other stuff which I've also written about was not insignificant, but that was the one which predisposed me to walking out the door in the end. The other stuff was the straw which gave me the excuse.
respectfully
Forscher

sandy

I never made this connection either while I was an active witness.

I remember my sister used to have the habit of correcting us (family members) when she thought we said or did something out of line.

She'd always start her sentence with: The Society says . . .

If my Dad heard this he would always get upset and correct her by asking:

"Do you worship the Society or Jehovah?"

He never did make the complete connection that even though he used the correct terminology he was still worshipping the society.

Incredible Irony...

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