by freydi 12 Replies latest watchtower bible
The JW/Catholic Hierarchy is essentially the same. Jim Penton pointed this out in Apocalypse Delayed.
Pope = GB (both speak for God)
Cardinals = Branch Overseers
Archibishops - District Overseers
Bishops - Circuit Overseers
Priests - Elders
Deacons - Ministerial Servants
Laity - Publishers (worker bees)
Although they denied it for years, the WTS leaders had to admit under oath that their religion was hierarchical. I believe that was in the Douglas Walsh trial.
Farkel
I personally would trust neither with any "confessions" I had to make, neither of them are professional therapists. I would honestly rather write a letter to "Dear Deidre" in The Sun
Catholic priests actually receive college training in counseling. Also, anything that is told to a Catholic priest is confidential, i.e., they won't rat you out to your parents or use something you confessed against you. Confession can be done behind a screen so the priest doesn't even know who you are. And it's not a committee of priests, just one priest on the other side of the screen.
The biggest difference is this: JW elders are looking for things you've done so they can punish you. With a Catholic priest, his belief is that all sin is against God and that, when a person sins, he is distancing himself from God. The priest's goal is to help you heal the rift with God and build you up spiritually. That's why, almost always, your "penance" for sins is to say various prayers, to help you draw closer to God. For the Cathoic priest, it's not about punishing the sinner; it's about healing the sinner and helping them to stop sinning. For the JW elder, it's not about the person's relationship with God; it's about controlling the members and keeping them in line with the WTS.
