They KNOW It's Not The TRUTH

by zack 15 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  UnConfused

  Have you ever read the transcript of the trial in Scotland - here is a quote:
  
  Note the admission of H. C. Covington, General Council of the Watchtower Society, who represented the Society in the Scotland Trial. This trial took place in Scotland in November, 1954 and was a test case brought by the Society to stop Scotland's draft of Jehovah's Witnesses into military service. Covington admitted the failure of early prophecies by Society leaders:
  A. That was the publication of a false prophecy, it was a false statement or an erroneous statement in fulfillment of a prophesy that was false or erroneous.
  Q. Back to the point now. A false prophecy was promulgated?
  A. I agree to that.
  Q. It had to be accepted by Jehovah's Witnesses?
  A. That is correct.
  Q. If a member of Jehovah's Witnesses took the view himself that prophecy was wrong and said so he would be disfellowshipped?
  A. Yes, if he said so and kept persisting in creating trouble . . . Our purpose is to have unity.
  Q. Unity at all costs?
  A. Unity at all costs . . .
  Q. A unity based upon an enforced acceptance of false prophecy?
  A. That is conceded to be true. (H. C. Covington, Pursuer's Proof of Trial in Scottish Court of Sessions, Douglas Walsh vs. The Right Honourable James Latham Clyde, MP., P. C., pp. 341-342.)
• 

  Siddhashunyata

  A book "The Codependent Church " by Virginia Curran Hoffman, ( published1991) puts it this way ;

  "We lie to ourselves that we are being nourished when we are not. We pretend we are happy with the menu, because to do otherwise would risk rupture of the relationship. We lie to ourselves to keep the inconsistencies and abuses of the system in that warm haze, to keep inadequate leadership in a blur. We do not want to see those things, so we do not"see" them and lie to ourselves to quiet the doubt. We lie to ourselves to cover our own codependence. We do not really want to face that we are working overtime to do the work and then praising the assigned leader for a job well done. We do not want to face that much of our "niceness" is our attempt to control the decisions and behavior of the "more powerful" in the church, nor that most of our efforts at control are in vain. We do not really want to face that we are waiting for "them" to change when it is we who need to change....We members lie to others. We lie to children in repeating doctrines we no longer hold, because to do otherwise would threaten our security. We lie to adult candidates coming into the church, or at least give them a false impression, by keeping secret our own doubts. Because we lie about the way things are and cover our true challenges and options, we teach and reinforce codependence as part of the"gospel" of Christianity" (p.121,paperback edition publisher; The Crossroad Publishing Co., N.Y. 1991)
• 

  parakeet

  "The Truth" is a corporate product that's updated periodically in order to appeal to potential customers. No different from spiffing up toothpaste ("new whiteners!") or insurance ("new rates!"). The Truth ("new light!").
  
  As garybuss noted, once you start thinking in corporation/profit-loss terms, then the reasoning of the WTS and their loyal JW customers becomes clear.
• 

  LovesDubs

  In a court of law, if you change your story from one sworn testimony to another you are committing purjury. The JWs have no concept of what truth is. In their minds it's this undulating form that envelopes them all and as long as they dont think outside that envelope they are warm and safe from harm. No matter how badly they lie...the world LIES more than they do and is therefore a worse place to be. No matter how many of them murder, abuse, fornicate, defraud or worse...the world holds WORSE examples and the Fog is a better place to be. Their circular reasoning and biased application of scriptures keeps the flock confused and the world even more confused.

  Explaining to a JW that what they have been hooked into thinking is anything NEAR "truth" is like trying to explain neurosurgery to a retarded child. They nod, they smile, they go back to their blocks.
• 

  OnTheWayOut

  Back in August (seems a lifetime ago), I had my discussion with 2 elders to
  tell them I had doubts and needed to resign as an elder.

  I said that I expected TRUTH from God's representative to be progressive.
  If they came out of Babylon the Great in 1918-1919, then fine, they would still
  have some truths yet to reveal, but everything they would say should build
  upon what they already said. In other words, they wouldn't be wrong on
  major issues once they addressed them.

  If they were celebrating Christmas, discovered it was wrong, stopped celebrating-
  okay, I accept that. Same with other progressive understandings- keep getting
  closer to harmony with God's revealed ways for us.

  BUT- If they said they are a prophet, later said NO- what credibility do they have?
  If they said "God's promise is that the generation alive in 1914 would see the end,
  then later said NO, and avoided using the word "wrong" then I am stumbled.
  If they said the end would come by 1975, then denied saying it, made it appear that
  rank and file misunderstood, later admitted that writers of WT contributed to a
  misunderstanding of what they said- then I am stumbled again.

  This discussion didn't even address vaccination, transplants, pyramids, 607BCE, the Cross,
  previous teaching of Christ's presence in 1874, etc. etc. etc.

  They KNOW It's Not The TRUTH

  I don't think the bulk of them do know. I think they are captives of the concept that
  the Governing Body does reveal present truth as the light gets brighter.
  I decided on my own, as many here did, that light getting brighter should reveal
  MORE truth, not DIFFERENT truth from previously taught. Most of those faithful
  have not made that connection, yet.
• 

  cyrus

  Yes they know its not the truth which is why many abuse the position of leadership they have among congs. They and many of r and f are still in is because they r sheep to scared to live thier lives without a sheperd telling them how to dress how to have sex with their partners how to bring up thier kids which movies or music to listen to whether can go to a bar or not how to park thier car were to hotel anything but think for themselves and live for themselves all dressed up from a three thousand yo book written by a bunch of misogynistic control freaks with delusions of grandeur .just about says it all really...?