JWs Message: ``How Great Are We?"

Room 215

Hi all,
With their chronology in tatters, Jehovah's Witnesses have taken to preaching about their favorite subject: themselves. I was taken to task when I made this suggestion in a thread not too long ago, but the October KM furnishes abundant evidence in its list of available videocasette.
(As an aside, it seems that the Society no longer objects to using the television as a medium to spread its message, now that technology's given it a way to make the viewer pay for tapes, rather than having to spend money on paid programming).
Notice the titles:
``United by Divine Teaching''
``Faithful Under Trial--Jehovah's Witnesses in the Soviet Union''
``Jehovah's Witnesses -- The Organization Behind the Name''
Then, of course there's the one on JWs and the Nazis.

And, oh yes-- for a refreshing change of pace, there's ``The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.''

Score: Brooklyn 4, Jesus 1.

princecharmant

So they should go make tapes about the Mormons and Islamic Jihad?

Room 215

Princecharmant:
And why not? Most people find it insufferable to be trapped in the company of someone whose favorite subject of conversation is himself. I guess you're the exception, and if so, you've found the right religion. Ask yourself, how much self-praise do you find in the Acts and the Epistles? Is it unreasonable to expect any Christian religion's message to be centered on God an Christ?
If it's not the incessant ``how great are we?'' that's become the biggest turn-off, then it's the JWs refusal to see the good in anyone but themselves, that's their most repulsive trait.
If you have the stomach for an incesant diet of self-serving, idealised, sanitized infomercials flogging a nutty, apocalyptic 125-year-old American religion, then the WTS is your nirvana.

NeonMadman

Notice the titles:
``United by Divine Teaching''
``Faithful Under Trial--Jehovah's Witnesses in the Soviet Union''
``Jehovah's Witnesses -- The Organization Behind the Name''
Then, of course there's the one on JWs and the Nazis.
And, oh yes-- for a refreshing change of pace, there's ``The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived.''

I thought it rather odd while I was still a JW that all of the videos seemed to center around the organization, rather than biblical teaching (Now I say to myself about that - "DUH!!"). In addition to the above, there are "To The Ends of the Earth," about missionaries, "The New World Society in Action," a reissue of a movie shown back in the 50's with a modern introduction by Uncle Miltie...I suspect they only came out with this one because Duane Magnani was selling videos of the movie, and they wanted to reinforce the copyright..."No Blood," no doubt designed to keep the flow of martyrs coming, "The Worldwide Association of Brothers,"...can't tell you, haven't watched it yet, but from the title, I don't think it's an exposition of Ezekiel...

Then there's the three-video set on "The Bible." It starts out ok, almost like a real documentary on biblical archaeology and such, but by the third tape, it's gone completely over to how the Bible allegedly affects people's lives, you know, by turning them into mind-numbed zombies, and again, all the emphasis is shifted to the organization. The most Biblical video they have is "Noah," and that's for kids. Even it isn't propaganda-free, though. Don't forget, the ark = the organization. And besides that, the animation is really cheesy.

Tom
"The truth was obscure, too profound and too pure; to live it you had to explode." ---Bob Dylan

ozziepost

I'm with you on this one, Roomie.

There can be no denying that the "organisation" is the centre-piece of the Witness theology. That being so, they laud it far and wide, at every opportunity, and at each house-to-house call.

As you quite rightly mention, Jesus' followers should be making his name known, not that of an earthly organisation.

I'm reminded of the truism that those who speak of themselves the loudest are the victims of an inferiority complex. They need to bolster their confidence that they are the "true Christians" by re-assuring themselves that they are the future world rulers.

Cheers,
Ozzie

"It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
Anonymous

princecharmant

There's nothing wrong in blowing your own trumpet; every religion does it all the time. There's nothing wrong in WTS depicting themselves as the best there could ever be. It may repulse your taste buds and sense of modesty. If that's the case, don't watch any of the videos. I long stopped attending meetings where the videos are shown or TMS discussions when every silly detail of the video is discussed. I just don't think it's any of the WTS' fault that they want to show to the world that they have everything and the world nothing. Most self-promotionals go that way and one would be stupid to buy it all.

The comparison with Acts of the Apostles: there is a lot of self-promotion of "the Way"; you only need to read between the lines as you get along. You may say the adherents of what was yet to be defined as Christianity were promoting Jesus, and I would agree with you. But they were also promoting their conception of who they were and what they believed, and showing it up to be the best. If we go even further back in time (the Old Testament), Isreal was a "chosen nation" that stood head and shoulder above all the others (or so they proclaimed, Bible book after Bible book).

Religious fanaticism, nationalism, inordinate personal pride, all these things are driven by the same ingredients. They make the world a worse place for all of us, but that won't make religious bigots stop blowing their own little trumpet. It's more like brand trumpeting - mine's the best, yours is the least. The WTS is caught in the same process. The WTS is part of the world and cannot run its empire without borrowing that very vain and human style of chest-thumping pride.

Dan B

"you only need to read between the lines as you get along."

It's amazing what you can find between those "lines", isn't it? Maybe thinking like that is why the JWs have had all these problems over the years. Where exactly between the lines was aluminum condemned by God? How about those dinosaurs wandering hppily on the surface of Venus? Where exactly between the lines can I find that? Shall I continue?...

Dan

princecharmant

Dan,

Sounds like you didn't read my post. I spoke about reading between the lines of Acts. Don't serve me the drivel about aluminium and dinosaurs on Venus. If you can read (and there are lots of post where I have made my views clear), I don't hold any brief for the WTS. Go back to my post above. The argument is self-evident.

Farkel

I have a blind friend who, out of curiosity, checked out audio tapes of the WT magazine. I asked what he thought about them. He said, "I've never seen a religion so full of self-praise in my whole life. All they do is tell everyone how great they are. I could never join a religion so full of itself."

"Where else can you go?" "Stay close to Jehovah's true organization." "Trust Jehovah's organization." "Surely we can be thankful brothers that Jehovah's organization will protect us and feed us with rich spiritual feasts."

Bleeeeeeeecccchhhhhhh!

Farkel

"When in doubt, duck!"

nytelecom1

If it's not the incessant ``how great are we?'' that's become the biggest turn-off, then it's the JWs refusal to see the good in anyone but themselves, that's their most repulsive trait

you obviously havent read the letters of "saint" Paul.

yes...the witnesses speak to much of their org...wait.wait..they are
a secret society....umm....which is it this week

JWs Message: ``How Great Are We?"

Share this