"We have in no way made the claim that here we are above others in any way, or that we have some special pipeline to God or special information." -- J.R. Brown (June 30th, 2006) Here are more Quotes from a reporter's Interview with J.R. Brown on June 30th, 2006 (taken from SilentLambs.org):(Reporter's Question): So neither the volunteer workers nor the leadership itself of the Jehovah's Witness church professes to be spirit-inspired or directed or what not?
(J.R. Brown's Reply): No, no, we don't have anybody that expects that.
(Reporter's Question): It seems like that's a shift in theology. At one time in the late '70s and '80s there was a move to set the church aside as being the one single organization of God here on earth, but what I'm hearing now is perhaps the organization is a little more mainstream, which would be more of a positive thing?
(J.R. Brown's Reply): I don't know if you would call us mainstream, that would be for others to decide, but we have in no way made the claim that here we are above others in any way, or that we have some special pipeline to God or special information. Obivously we feel we have the truth, or we would proclaim something else. So those matters were somewhat mixed up in the past, but we've made an effort to clarify them. What we feel we have as the truth, we proclaim that to others.
Now, let's look at the actual Watchtower Publications, and see if what "Honest John" Brown said is true or not -- you be the judge:
DO JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNING BODY RECEIVES "SPECIAL KNOWLEDGE" FROM JEHOVAH AND THAT THE ORGANIZATION IS "SPIRIT-DIRECTED"?
"The Watchtower" Magazine, November 1, 1956, Page 666:
"Who controls the organization, who directs it? Who is at the head? A man? A group of men? A clergy class? A pope? A hierarchy? A council? No, none of these. How is that possible? In any organization is it not necessary that there be a directing head or policy-making part that controls or guides the organization? Yes. Is the living God, Jehovah, the Director of the theocratic Christian organization? Yes!" _________________________________________________________
"The Watchtower" Magazine, January 15, 2001, Page 21:
"Today, Jesus directs the arrangement for elders, whether such men have a heavenly or an earthly hope ... they are appointed by holy spirit in harmony with Scriptural requirements. (1 Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:5-9)"
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, September 1, 1952, Page 536:
. "Let us by love grow up in all things," in unselfish devotion and unbreakable attachment to the organization, because it is the Lord’s. It is not a human organization . It is spiritual, ‘one body and one spirit,’ and you should view the whole arrangement and those in it accordingly. Do not view your brothers "according to the flesh". It only leads to trouble. [...] how vitally important it is to appreciate the Lord’s organization [...] That means, in practice, not only making increase in the amount of time spent in the witness work, putting in more hours, but putting more into those hours in the way of better quality of service. [...] "Let no man deprive you" by sidetracking your attention and devotion and service from the one organization.
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Quote from the Statement that was Faxed from J.R. Brown to Betsan Powys [BBC Panorama Reporter] on May 9th 2002, and was Posted on the Official Watchtower Society Media Website at http://www.jw-media.org right around the same time the BBC Panorama Program aired:
"please do not conclude that we believe that our system is perfect. No human organization is perfect." _____________________________________________________________
"The Watchtower" Magazine, October 1, 1994, Page 8:
"All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.—John 6:68."_____________________________________________________________
"The Watchtower" Magazine, September 1, 1989, Page 7:
"[...] the League of Nations [...] The League failed. It was merely a human organization made up of imperfect men. So is its successor, the United Nations. Yet, on the day the UN Charter was signed, an editorial in The New York Times labeled it "the tree of peace" and said, "A great hope is born . . . Great things may come." Similarly, church leaders have labeled the UN "the sole hope" for peace and "the last hope." Ascribing to human organizations things that God’s Kingdom alone will accomplish is blasphemous. Thus, the Bible foretells that after a short existence, the United Nations will go "off into destruction."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 1, 1992, Page 6:
"God announced that He has His own way to bring security to the earth. It will be, not through any human organization but through [...] Jesus Christ."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 15, 1991, Page 22:
Professing to have a heavenly calling does not bring a person special revelations. God has a channel of communication through which he provides spiritual food for his earthly organization. (Matthew 24:45-47) So nobody should think that being an anointed Christian gives him wisdom superior to that of the "great crowd" with the earthly hope. (Revelation 7:9)
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, April 1, 1991, Page 24:
"They [Jehovah's Witnesses] are not pinning their hopes on any man or any human organization. Instead, "they keep on crying with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb.’"—Revelation 7:9, 10."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, April 1, 2001, Page 13:
"Holy spirit directed the apostles and older men in Jerusalem"
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"Our Kingdom Ministry", April 1997 Issue, Page 3:
"Shoulder the Responsibility: Every disciple maker must realize that it is his responsibility to direct the Bible student to God’s organization. (1 Tim. 4:16) Each study session should be viewed as a stepping-stone toward the happy day when the new one will symbolize his dedication to Jehovah by water baptism. One of the questions that he will be asked during the baptism ceremony is: "Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?" Hence, it is important that he realize he cannot serve God without actively associating with the true Christian congregation.—Matt. 24:45-47; John 6:68; 2 Cor. 5:20."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, January 15, 1997, Page 22:
"Jehovah has a people on this earth, and he expects us to serve him along with them. This brings us to the fourth requirement. We must serve Jehovah with his spirit-directed organization. How, though, can God’s organized people be identified? According to the standards set out in the Scriptures, they have real love among themselves, they have deep respect for the Bible, they honor God’s name, they preach about his Kingdom, and they are no part of this wicked world. (Matthew 6:9; 24:14; John 13:34, 35; 17:16, 17) There is only one religious organization on this earth that has all these marks of true Christianity—Jehovah’s Witnesses! [...] We have been pulled from the dangerous "waters" of this wicked world into the "lifeboat" of Jehovah’s earthly organization. Within it, we serve side by side as we head for the "shores" of a righteous new world. [...] What about others—honesthearted people who are still in the "water"? We have an obligation to help them into Jehovah’s organization, do we not?"
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, September 1, 1996, Page 28:
"During all these years, I have seen Jehovah’s spirit operating upon his people. His spirit-directed organization has helped me to see that we cannot put our trust in the efforts of humans. Their promises for a better future are worthless, amounting to nothing more than a big lie.—Psalm 146:3, 4."
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"Knowledge That Leads To Everlasting Life" Book (Published in 1995), Page 176:
"Baptism ‘in the name of the holy spirit’ signifies that the baptismal candidate recognizes Jehovah’s holy spirit, or active force, as God’s instrument for carrying out His purposes and for empowering His servants to do His righteous will in association with His spirit-directed organization.—Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30; John 14:26; 2 Peter 1:21."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, August 1, 1994, Page 26:
"It is clear to me that Jehovah’s spirit-directed organization on earth receives guidance on what is to be done and how. His whole universal organization, visible and invisible, works together."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, July 1, 1973, Page 402:
"How very much true Christians appreciate associating with the only organization on earth that understands the "deep things of God"! Direction by God’s spirit enables Jehovah’s servants to have divine light in a world of spiritual darkness."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, October 1, 1994, Page 6:
[...] "the Bible reports that Jehovah’s spirit directed the evangelist Philip to assist an Ethiopian man who was considering the Bible book of Isaiah as he traveled from Jerusalem. [...] Like Philip, Jehovah’s Witnesses are happy to assist you in understanding the things about God that are written in his Word, the Bible."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, April 1, 1993, Page 23:
"Martie and I are grateful to be part of Jehovah’s spirit-directed organization and are determined to continue serving Jehovah in his house, in Bethel, and to keep up with his forward-moving organization."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, June 1, 1993, Page 21:
"Today, God does not speak to his servants directly as he did to Job. Instead, he reproves them by means of his Word and his spirit-directed organization."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, February 1, 1992, Pages 17-18:
"Holy spirit directed Peter to Cornelius, and holy spirit directed that Paul and Barnabas be sent out as apostles from Antioch. Later, when Paul wanted to preach in Asia and Bythinia, holy spirit in some way prevented him. [...] Today, holy spirit is again deeply involved in the preaching work. In a further fulfillment of Isaiah 61:1, 2, Jehovah’s spirit has anointed Jesus’ brothers to preach. [...] In the final fulfillment of Mark 13:10, these anointed ones, aided by the great crowd, have preached the good news literally in "all nations." (Revelation 7:9) And the spirit supports all of them in this. [...] And that same spirit has opened the hearts and minds of the bride class to understand the inspired Word and explain it to others. [...] Baptism in the name of the holy spirit is a public declaration that we recognize the holy spirit and acknowledge the role it plays in Jehovah’s purposes. It implies that we will cooperate with the spirit, doing nothing to hinder its operation among Jehovah’s people. Thus, we recognize and cooperate with the faithful and discreet slave. We cooperate with the elder arrangement in the congregation."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, January 15, 1989, Page 13:
The Scriptures repeatedly mention the baptism of believers. (Acts 4:4; 5:14; 8:13; 16:27-34; 18:8; 19:1-7) To become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, then, a person must be a believer—one who exercises faith and gets baptized. [...] Only if the individual answers in the affirmative and also understands that his dedication and baptism identify him as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization can he acceptably undergo water immersion."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 1, 1988, Pages 10, 17:
"My Life in Jehovah’s Spirit-Directed Organization As told by Albert D. Schroeder [...] I am grateful to Jehovah every day for the privileges I have in serving him in his spirit-directed organization."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 15, 1986, Page 18:
"Abstaining from blood to nourish the body is just as necessary as abstaining from fornication and idolatry, all condemned in the same spirit-directed decree of the apostles and older men at Jerusalem."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, June 1, 1986, Page 30:
"At the close of the convention baptism talk, the baptism candidates will be in position to answer with depth of understanding and heartfelt appreciation two simple questions that serve to confirm that they recognize the implications of following Christ’s example. The first question is:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization ?
Having answered yes to these questions, candidates are in a right heart condition to undergo Christian baptism."
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"The Watchtower, July 15, 1984, Pages 14-15:
"There must be agreement among all true Christians, a unified message, if people are to hear what is correct, put genuine faith in the true God and call upon Jehovah’s name with the prospect of being saved. Moreover, one spirit-directed organization must be used in connection with the sending forth of those truthful preachers of the "good news."—Romans 10:11-15. [...] Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses alone are declaring the good news that the Kingdom has been functioning in the heavens since 1914 with Jesus Christ as King. There are more than 2,650,000 of these well-organized Kingdom proclaimers, and their ranks are swelling rapidly because of God’s blessing.—Isaiah 43:10-12; 60:22."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, November 1, 1981, Page 27:
"Matthew undoubtedly had a keen and appreciative mind, quickened by God’s holy spirit. Because God’s spirit directed him and brought to his mind the things Jehovah God wanted to be recorded, he was able to pen a comprehensive and powerful record of Jesus’ life. How thankful we can be to Jehovah God that He inspired such a humble, honest and unselfish servant of his and follower of his Son to record such a faith-strengthening account of Jesus’ earthly ministry!"
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"Our Kingdom Ministry", January 1, 1979 Issue, Page 3:
"Are we to think that the holy spirit is any less active today in directing the preaching and disciple-making work than in the first century? Jesus said he would be with his people until the conclusion of the system of things. He is with us by means of holy spirit. [...] Are we giving God’s spirit an opportunity to direct us to them by putting forth the effort?"
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, July 1, 1979, Page 28:
"But Peter had just expressed horror at eating unclean foods, and now he was being asked to go into the home of a Gentile, whom he also considered unclean! What should he do? Holy spirit directed the answer: "Rise, go downstairs and be on your way with them, not doubting at all, because I have dispatched them."—Acts 10:9-20."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, July 1, 1973, Pages 395-396:
"As Jehovah’s holy spirit or active force continued giving direction and enlightenment, abundant spiritual food was provided through a composite "faithful steward" and its governing body. (Luke 12:42-44; compare Acts 15:4-29.) Excellent spiritual fare reached truth seekers through Zion’s Watch Tower and kindred publications. C. T. Russell himself penned six volumes of Millennial Dawn (later called "Studies in the Scriptures") from 1886 to 1904. In the meantime, house-to-house preaching by "colporteurs" (now called "pioneers") carried God’s truth direct to the people’s homes.—Acts 5:42; 20:20. But how did people respond to such spiritual food? There can be no doubt that Jehovah’s spirit directed matters."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 1, 1972, Page 139:
"[...] it is important to recognize the chief of enemies, Satan the Devil, as well as the demonic horde under his jurisdiction. In order to assist us to acknowledge the provision of strength to stand against an archenemy, we might look to the fine spirit-directed counsel that Paul wrote to the Christian congregation living in the wicked city of Ephesus."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, June 1, 1955, Page 333:
"[...] today the power of appointment of all servants in congregations rightfully rests with the governing body of the "faithful and discreet slave" class, which is under the direct supervision of Christ Jesus at the temple."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, April 1, 1950, Pages 103-104:
"Today Jehovah God has a modern, efficient, working organization of ministers who are completely devoted to him and governed by his spirit. God’s spirit directed them in organizing their legal corporation, known as the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society, as an instrument to facilitate the sounding of a world-wide warning before the accomplished end. The Watch Tower Society classes Jehovah’s active ministers or witnesses in two groups: the group preaching only part-time and the other class on more of a full-time basis, preaching at least one hundred hours a month. This latter class the Society refers to as "pioneer ministers". From time to time special letters showing the urgent need for more to enter pioneer service are sent to all companies of Jehovah’s witnesses. The reason for continual pioneer calls by the Society can be better appreciated when one analyzes the contents of the inspired written records left for this generation."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 1, 1961, Pages 139-141:
"All the congregations in Judea, Samaria and later in Asia Minor, Greece, Rome, Babylon and other places actually made up one congregation of God. (Acts 9:31) This was an organized arrangement built up by God’s spirit. Far from being a human organization, Peter calls it the "flock of God" and urges the older men to "shepherd" this flock diligently. The apostle Paul emphasized that this was God’s arrangement when he said to the overseers from Ephesus: "Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God." The congregation was God’s, and the overseers were responsible to teach and train and exercise oversight of those entrusted to them.—1 Pet. 5:1-4; Acts 20:28; Titus 1:9; 2:15. [...] Some persons in those early days may have reasoned: "The congregation is not as important as the Word and the Spirit. I will follow these two, but I do not feel it necessary to associate with a congregation or submit myself to an organization." Others may have argued that the true congregation of God was an invisible, spiritual association and did not need expression through a visible congregation. But when the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy on appointing overseers in the congregation, and was talking definitely about the visible congregation arrangement on earth and not some heavenly spiritual arrangement, he added: "I am writing you these things . . . that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in God’s household, which is the congregation of the living God, a pillar and support of the truth." Yes, this earthly, visible congregation was called "God’s household," the "congregation of the living God," and, far from being of minor importance, it was a "pillar and support of the truth."—1 Tim. 3:1-15; Heb. 3:4, 6. [...] A clear picture of the congregation organization established by God’s spirit and its purpose is outlined in the fourth chapter of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, March 15, 1961, Page 170:
"Graduation day came on August 1, 1948, the first graduation to take place on the campus in front of the then newly constructed library building, Shiloah. As we left Gilead, Brother Knorr’s graduation speech was still ringing in my ears: ‘The Society is a human organization, but it has the Lord’s spirit and blessing and I can say for the Society that it will not let you down either. We are with every one of you.’ And how true that has been! Since then many of us have seen each other at least twice, in 1953 at Yankee Stadium and again in 1958, at the special reunion in the New Rockland Palace, during the Divine Will International Assembly."
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"The Watchtower" Magazine, April 15, 1952, Page 230:
"The big orthodox religious organizations of Christendom may be able to point to numerical strength, but can they show the fruitage of the spirit? The world generally is now in the throes of a moral breakdown, laboring overtime in works of the flesh. Do the big religious organizations stand out as different from this materialistic world? Instead, are they not a part of it, submerged in its fleshly works? They are never cited as being outstandingly different from mankind in general—and certainly they would be if they were producing the fruitage of the spirit that is so rare in this delinquent world.
However, Jehovah’s witnesses do stand out as different. Not only are they different because they preach from door to door, call back, conduct studies, train new ministers and show increases at a time when many religions lament waning interest and fading congregations; but they are also different because they produce the fruitage of the spirit. For example, worldlings come to our big assemblies and see there what they cannot do, what the United Nations cannot do, what no other human organization can do."
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"You Can Live Forever In Paradise On Earth" Book (Published in 1982 and 1989), Page 214:
"But the Bible warns against giving worshipful honors to humans, or trusting in human organizations to accomplish what only God can do. (Acts 10:25, 26; 12:21-23; Revelation 19:10; Jeremiah 17:5-7) So holidays that tend to exalt a man or a human organization are not in harmony with God’s will, and true Christians will not share in them.—Romans 12:2."
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To be Spirit-Directed, or not to be Spirit-Directed. That is THE question, isn't it? I guess it all depends on which way the wind is blowing at Bethel.