Hello all,
About 2 months ago my JW sister informed me that she had decided to disfellowship my wife and I. She used 1John 2:19 as a scriptural reference, and the Sept.15,1981 Watchtower article on disfellowshipping to support her charge. My reply to her was quite lengthly, but I thought some at this site might be able to benefit from this part of my response.
In your letter to( wife) and I, you applyed 1John 2:19 to us and gave as a reference the following Watchtower article to show us why you had decided that "I will treat you as a disfellowshipped persons", because "by deliberately rejecting the faith and beliefs of Jehovah's Witness" we are evidently guilty as paragraph 14 below of "renouncing his standing as a Christian".
*** w81 9/15 p. 23 Disfellowshiping?How to View It ***
14 One who has been a true Christian might renounce the way of the truth, stating that he no longer considers himself to be one of Jehovah?s Witnesses or wants to be known as one. When this rare event occurs,the person is renouncing his standing as a Christian, deliberately disassociating himself from the congregation. The apostle John wrote: "They went out from us, but they were not of our sort; for if they had been of our sort, they would have remained with us."?1 John 2:19.
***
w819/15p.23Disfellowshiping?HowtoViewIt***16 Persons who make themselves "not of our sort" by deliberately rejecting the faith and beliefs of Jehovah?s Witnesses should appropriately be viewed and treated as are those who have been disfellowshiped for wrongdoing.
Your use and application of this verse in 1John 2:19 from this Watchtower has left out a very important detail, and that would be found in the Context surrounding this verse. Verse 18 clearly identifies Who had "went out from us". It was theAntichrist.
By our rejecting the beliefs and doctrines of the Watchtower Society you evidently are identifying and calling us all Antichrist and not of your sort (Jehovah's Witnesses) and you therefore feel that we have "renounced our standing as a Christian".
Therefore, to be a good Jehovah's Witness and therefore a real Christian, you must follow the directive in the 1981 Watchtower and condem us all because we all have,as you say in you letter "taken a stand against the very thing that means more to me than anything else in life".
I find a curious "double standard" from the statements of the Watchtower 1981 that you refered to (sisters name), and the comments found in later Watchtowers.
One example that stands out in my mind illustrates this well. In the December 1, 1981 issue of the Watchtower magazine appeared an article "Religious Liberty Under Attack in Greece." In it was a well-documented account of outrageous religious intolerance in the "birthplace of democracy," Greece. The article effectively refutes the accusations made against Jehovah's Witnesses by the Greek Orthodox Church which resulted in the loss of religious freedom for all Jehovah's Witnesses in Greece. The Church's argument to the court (based on Jehovah's Witnesses denial of the trinity doctrine) claimed: "Jehovah's Witnesses not only cannot be rightfully called Christians, that is to say, disciples of Christ, but on the contrary, they are . . . the antichrists." The Watchtower article takes issue with these accusations. Under the subheading "Who Are the Christians" it says:"Nowhere did Jesus instruct Christiansto persecute, imprison, assault, or take mob action against those who disagreed with them. Thus, in the first century the real Christians were the persecuted, not the persecutors. The persecutors were the clergy and those incited by them. It is the same in Greece today."
Comment:
The Watchtower disagreedwith the Greek Orthodox Church on their belief about the "Trinity" and as a result the Watchtower Society was labeled Antichrist, and they in turn accused the Church of being their persecutors. I find a "double standard" here in view of the fact that any who disagree with the beliefs of the Watchtower today are immediately accused of being the Antichrist and therefore none Christian and 1John 2:19 is applied to them, just as the Greek Orthodox Church did to the Watchtower and just as you have done in you letters to us.The next subheading asks "Are They Antichrists?" It is clear that the Society is highly offended by this charge. They give the following refutation:
"What does the Bible say of "antichrist?" At 1 John 2:22 it states: `Who is the liar if it is not the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one that denies the Father and the Son.' Thus, the plain fact of God's inspired Word is that an antichrist does not accept Jesus. But Jehovah's Witnesses do! They most fervently believe in Jesus and follow his teachings! In fact, no one can become one of Jehovah's Witnesses without accepting Jesus as the divine Son of God, who came down from heaven, was impaled and resurrected, and who returned to heaven. So anyone who says that Jehovah's Witnesses are "antichrist" either is badly misinformed, is blinded by prejudice, or has an evil motive."
Comment:
The Watchtower Society made the defence , that" anyone who says that Jehovah's Witnesses are "antichrist" either is badly misinformed, is blinded by prejudice, or has an evil motive." We make this same statement to you (sisters name) about all of us. The label of being the Antichrist, is the same. The refusal of doctrinal belief, is the same. The charge that they were not even Christian, the same. The rebuttal to their persecutors is the same. So why do you hold the Watchtower Society in such high regard, and yet you said that our "course was one of apostacy?" I believe that your decision is due to your being badly misinformed (to use the above Watchtower discription), and I believe it is obvious where your misinformation came from!Since one of the reasons the Greek Orthodox Church considered Jehovah's Witnesses to be antichrists was their denial of the Trinity doctrine, the article gives a refutation of the doctrine of the trinity. Then they go on to say:
"However, if the Orthodox Church wants to believe the Trinity, that is their right. But it has no right in democratic land to persecute, incite mobs and arrests, anddeny Jehovah's Witnesses their liberties because they do not believe the Trinity."
"...Jehovah's Witnesses, well known and granted legal recognition internationally, uphold those democratic principles. They want Greece to uphold them too, and not tolet any church impose its Inquisition mentality on others by persecuting those (who do not agree with its views."
)Comment:
Think about their argument (sisters name)!! They are outraged that in a democratic land that they would be persecuted and denied their liberties because they could not accept what they consider to be a false belief, and that the government should not to let any church impose its Inquisition mentality on others by persecuting those who do not agree with its views." Those trying to do this to the Jehovah's Witnesses in Greece, were considered by the Watchtower as persecutors. How curious! We feel you are doing the same thing to all of us, and for the very same charge!!!because WE do not agree with the Watchtower's views and beliefs.
I fully agree with the sentiments expressed by this article as do Jehovah's Witnesses and other lovers of religious freedom throughout the world. In past incidents of governmental oppression, the Society has encouraged all who agree to express their outrage in letters to the government officials responsible and the press of the nations involved so that both sides may be heard. I believe this is a right and reasonable action to take.
How is it, though, that when the shoe is on the other foot, the Watchtower Society acts more like Greek Orthodox Clergy than the fair minded-lovers of religious freedom which they characterize themselves to be? Jehovah's Witnesses consider the charge of "antichrist" (or "apostate") to be false because they believe in Christ Jesus. But why is it that they mete out harsh treatment to any who may disagree with any teaching of the Watchtower Society and brand them as evil "apostates" with wicked motives even thoughsuch ones believe deeply in Christ Jesus as their mediator and ransomer? And why is it right for Jehovah's Witnesses to petition government officials and the press in order to have their side of the story told, but wrong for one banished by the organization for doctrinal disagreements to attempt to explain what he feels to be an unfair accusation either by word or letter? Anyone who disagrees with any teaching of the Society is treated in a manner reminiscent of the Inquisition. Even though his good name is besmirched, his motives impugned, he is to remain silent. How does such conduct reflect the teaching of our Lord, "All things, therefore, that you want men to do to you, you also must likewise do to them?" The conduct of the Watchtower Society in this matter seems to me to be a double standard, which to me is repugnant and more than a little hypocritical.
Note: A portion of the above was taken from another (unnamed) article.
ROCKHOUND