Is it true that 95% of JWs still believe the door was closed in 1935?

1914BS

I get that kind of feedback when I talk to dubs that I know . How about your experiences. Do the JWs you talk to really keep up with the tidal wave of WT doctrine changes?

RR

I spoke to a JW recently and he seemed aware of the change.

RR

I would venture to say that the majority (perhaps not 95%, but still...) have no clue what they believe. If asked anything much beyond the "big 3" (no trinity, no hellfire, no immortal soul) you'd just get a blank stare.

What do they believe? They believe the Watchtower. Whatever it says is the truth - the end.

In this manner, it just doesn't matter what is taught. "What does the most recent issue of the Watchtower teach? That's what I believe."

darth frosty

I agree with sir82, JW's have no clue what their belief system encompasses. They have the core down Jesus is not god his son and that armegedon will kill everybody you dont like. Other than that they are clueless to the nuanses of their dogma.

leavingwt

I shared the 'new light' with my Book Study group, back in December or so. Evidently, ALL of them had completely missed the new light in the May 1, 2007 QFR, which effectively 'opened the door' to Heaven.

They looked at me as if I was crazy when I told them the Heavenly hope was now available to them. Even when they read the magazine article, it was as if they couldn't understand it. The conductor was a little irritated, and said to me: "I don't have to worry about that. I know I'm not anointed!" I then told him that he probably never really even entertained the idea, as he was baptized in the 1990's, which means his Bible study conductor would not have presented the Heavenly hope as a choice for him.

On this topic, I also shared with them what the 1952 Watchtower (below) had to say on the subject. Notice that it talks about DECIDING what hope you have and CULTIVATING that hope. This really blew their minds. The one CLEAR thing you can draw from this 1952 Watchtower article is this, in my opinion: It's not as if you're struck by lightning and wake up anointed. This article talks about a hope that is cultivated.

So, had the Heavenly hope been presented to all of us an OPTION when we first became JWs, surely some of us, having read Jesus' and Paul's words, would have claimed to have a Heavenly hope.

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w521/15pp.63-64QuestionsFromReaders***

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Howcanonedeterminewhetherheisoftheanointedclass,andhenceshouldpartakeoftheMemorialemblems?—E.B.,California.

After Pentecost in the first century any who had the spirit of God, as evidenced by his having one or more gifts of the spirit, would have no difficulty deciding whether he was of the anointed class, for that was a time set aside exclusively for begetting heavenly heirs. On this firm foundation he would entertain heavenly hopes. Today the circumstances are altered. One may have dedicated himself to doing God’s will, symbolized that dedication, and demonstrated that he has the spirit of God by doing Jehovah’s will, doing it in the love of God and trying to imitate him and his dear Son; but how would he know that his having the spirit of God was assurance that he was going to heaven? The spirit of God is also on the "other sheep", and not just on the anointed remnant. So how can we determine the matter today?

It seems from the Scriptures that God was specially taking out the spiritual class up until 1931, in a general way, and this does have some bearing on the matter. However, it is not conclusive. Since 1931 there are those who have entered the service and who give evidence of being begotten by the spirit and who have their hopes set upon being of the heavenly heirs. So there is evidence of some coming into the heavenly class since 1931; though not on a general scale, but only individuals here and there who are taken in to fill up the places of some who may turn unfaithful.

You would have to examine yourself on this basis: "Have I dedicated my life to God through Jesus Christ to do his will forevermore? Do I have the spirit of God? Is God dealing with me? Yes, I have the evidence that God is dealing with me; he is using me in his service. He is providing for me. He is giving me a place in connection with his organization, and I am realizing many blessings, and am growing in the understanding of his Word. I have all of these indications that I have his spirit, and I am trying to act as a real Christian and follower of Christ Jesus would in displaying the spirit of the Lord in that way." This examination with the above-outlined results would indicate one had the spirit of the Lord, whether of the anointed class or of the "other sheep".

Then, what is the thing that draws the line of demarcation between the two classes and puts you either on the side of the "great crowd" or on the side of the anointed remnant? As you examine yourself you have to determine what your hope is, because God is dealing with you and is cultivating in you some sort of a hope. In Romans chapter 8 Paul discusses how "the spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children" called to be joint heirs with Christ in the heavenly kingdom, and adds: "For we were saved in this hope; but hope that is seen is not hope, for when a man sees a thing, does he hope for it?"—Rom. 8:16, 24, NW.

So, you see that you have to be saved in a certain hope. Now God deals with you and he must by his dealings with you and his revelations of truth to you cultivate in you some hope. If he cultivates in you the hope of going to heaven, that becomes a firm confidence of yours, and you are just swallowed up in that hope, so that you are talking as one who has the hope of going to heaven, you are counting on that, you are thinking that, you offer prayers to God in expression of that hope. You are setting that as your goal. It permeates your whole being. You cannot get it out of your system. It is the hope that engrosses you. Then it must be that God has aroused that hope and caused it to come to life in you, for it is not a natural hope for earthly man to entertain.

If you are one of the Jonadabs or one of the "great crowd" of good-will persons you will not be consumed by this heavenly hope. Some of the Jonadabs are very prominent in the Lord’s work and have an important part in it, but they do not have that hope when you talk to them. Their desires and hopes gravitate to the earthly things. They talk about the beautiful forests, how they would love to be a forester at the present time and have that as their continual surroundings, and they like to mingle with the animals and have dominion over them, and also the birds of the air and fish of the sea and everything that creeps over the face of the earth. That is what they love, and they are looking forward to enjoying those things. Oh, they understand their Bible. They have a very advanced comprehension of the doctrines and truths of the Bible. But when you talk to them, that is the way they express themselves. They have no desire for the heavenly things at all. They do not want to be like an angel, or even see God face to face, beholding him in his supernal glory. That would be wonderful, they admit, more so than any possible earthly blessings; but they just do not have such desires or hopes in them.

So, it seems that after you have inspected the matter of time, the possession of God’s spirit, his dealings with you, then you have to take into consideration, "What are my real, sincere, heartfelt hopes in this matter?" Then you decide your position; no one else can decide for you. Decide whether you have the consuming spiritual aspirations. If so, then follow through with those. That is in your system and you cannot get it out, so act accordingly. Participate in the Memorial emblems. Whereas, if you do not have that hope, if you are divided and uncertain, then it appears that you are of the earthly class, and hence should not partake of the emblems at Memorial time.

blondie

I find that many jws still don't grasp the change away from the 1914 generation that occurred in a study article in 1995 and was further "clarified" I think in 1997. Imagine if they didn't get it when they sat through a WT study on it and why expect they would understand a doctrinal change that to my knowledge has only occurred in a Questions from Readers article. jws rarely read even the study articles; only a small hardcore do and that doesn't always include elders.

Another doctrine that makes little impact on jws still is that Jesus is only the mediator for the anointed.

Blondie

insearchoftruth

I think they are hoping to just let it sort of 'meld' into the doctrines, no desire to lift it up because that may cause folks to think about it.

I did ask the PO who is married to my wife's study sister about this (the generation change and the calling of the anointed) and he handed me a few WT articles. I asked him to show me these changes in the Bible, he skated around this.....a lot!!!

One lesson I learned however from this conversation was to step back, I have shown I know too much and I am labeled as a 'spiritual opposer', have not been told that directly from my wife, but overhead a phone conversation as to the same.

insearchoftruth

I asked the PO to show me this in the Bible, he has said that is ok, he is busy this week with the visiting CO....and by the way, what does that mean, what special goes on at the KH during this visit?

yknot

visiting CO....and by the way, what does that mean, what special goes on at the KH during this visit?

CO- Circuit Overseer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_structure_of_Jehovah's_Witnesses

Circuit Overseers are managers set up by the WTS to visit, motivate, review, and approve appointments and removals of Elders/MSs. They are agents representing the GB who deliver information and directives to the PO, BOE and MSs. There are two visits each year officially, however between these visits a KH is sometimes asked to 'host' the CO until his next assignment.

The Branch Manual has some of the official duties of the CO.... /file/die2vu

Atlantis

(Credit goes to Leavingwt) Watchtower-1952-January-15-pp.63-64 http://www.imagger.com/view/312342_wat-10001.jpg.html http://www.imagger.com/view/334763_wat-20001.jpg.html N.

Is it true that 95% of JWs still believe the door was closed in 1935?

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