The FDS and its GB

by Doug Mason 11 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Doug Mason

  I have just released Version 1 of my Study, The “Faithful and Discreet Slave” and its “Governing Body” at

  http://au.geocities.com/doug_mason1940/FDS_and_its_GB.pdf

  It provides an objective analysis of the Governing Body (GB).

  STUDY OUTLINE

  • It claims to be the sole voice on Earth of God’s government.
  • The operational structure demonstrates the GB’s direct legal and ethical accountability.
  • The Parable resorted to by the GB.
  • Interpreting the Parable.
  • Demystifying the GB’s claims by demonstrating that it operates identically to ancient and contemporary eschatological movements.

  I would like to thank all of you at JWD for providing me with support and information as I prepared this Study. You will see your fingerprints throughout.

  I will appreciate any comments, corrections, omissions, errors, and so on. I am solely responsible for these.

  Doug
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  carla

  I think it looks good but I'm not the best to judge never being a jw. Let's see what our local scholars on jwd has to say.

  bttt
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  Bonnie_Clyde

  Excellent work, definitely a keeper. I only got through 10 pages or so and eyeballed the rest. I'll leave to others to find anything that needs correction or clarification, but it looks good to me.

  I'll read the rest when I'm not so tired. Thanks so much!

  Bonnie
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  fresia

  In all due respects... I don't agree with the title, FDS and its GB...

  shouldn't it be the GB and its FDS.

  The annointed are scattered all around the world they are not just the GB, this is the arrogant mistake, the GB existing and making all the rules and excluding all other annionted of Christs brothers which should make up the FDS is wrong. That is the whole problem.

  The GB has elevated itself above Christ and excluded all other annointed on the earth, in actual fact they have fullfilling 1Cor4:8..they have begun to take authority over Christs possessions which are the sheep.

  Christ is yet to approve of this self appointed FDS, and although they have begun to feed his sheep it remains to be seen if they have been approved. That is in the future, but they think they have approval. Worst still they have begun to rule as kings, and they laud it over their subjects, and exclude even their brothers the the rest of the annointed.
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  Bonnie_Clyde

  I don't agree with the title, FDS and its GB...

  I don't agree with it either, but I would venture a guess that Doug Mason picked that title right off the pages of the WT. I've seen that exact expression quite a few times lately.
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  deaconbluez

  This is an excellent compilation! Very scholarly!
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  FreeWilly

  Nice format, good graphics and an excellent treatment of the subject. I like the parallels to ancient Jewish communities. I think a better summary of all the information would tie it all together nicely and leave the reader with something.

  Some additional points I would add would be:

  In the section dealing with the Society as God's Sole channel of communicion: They claim an exclusive audience with Jehovah where divine direction is dispensed to the FDS which is in stark contrast to their record of erroneous, retracted teachings, predictions and doctrinal flip-flops. A few that come to mind are:

  1) The identity of the "King of the North" is The Papacy, then the Nazi Regime, then the Soviet Bloc, and now who knows?

  2) The 1260 Days mentioned in Daniel ch 12 means interpretation A, then interpretation B, then back to Interpretation A, and now interpretation C.

  3) And of course the litany of false doomsdays predicted over the years.

  All of this belies the claim of divine direction.

  If I may suggest another point, the Society's claims of the historicity of the FDS compared with the actual historical record are extremely doubtful. For example:

  1) The claim that the FDS existed unbroken from the time of Jesus until today.

  Who was the FDS before Russel? Did Russell consult this FDS or did he just create his own new religious following?

  Who was the FDS 500, 1000 or 1500 years ago? Where's the proof of this claim?

  Why wasn't the FDS chosen by Jehovah to establish the Bible canon we have today instead of the Catholic Church in the 4th and 5th centuries C.E.?. What was the FDS doing then? Isn't it inconsistant to claim the FDS is responsible for spiritual truths yet in this instance an apostate organization was employed for this most sacred of duties?

  Great Job,

  -FW
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  freyd

  ALL GOVERNING BODIES OF CHRISTENDOM ARE FORMS OF APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION!
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  Atlantis

  Doug Mason:

  Excellent work Doug! Very nice and smooth delivery and very colorful! Kept my interest to the very last page!

  Keeper!

  Cheers! Atlantis-
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  Doug Mason

  Thank you all for your comments.
  
  I will have a stew about the title, and I thank you for the stimulation. I believe you are telling me how it works in practice, which I think goes against the idea illustrated in their sketch. Let me think about this, which I might have to address in any update.
  
  Their totalitarian approach should make each member of the GB personally liable for each unnecessary death that results from their teachings, and each member should be personally responsible for each child molester they do not report to the legal authorities. I hope that my drawing of their Organization shows this.
  
  Doug