Besty, it sounds like a Cult to me.
This is the way the Witness's should be:
How far away from their original beliefs are JW's?
by besty 27 Replies latest watchtower bible
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wobble
The few beliefs that they retain from their start in the late 1800's are not unique to JW's (no fiery Hell, no immortal soul ,no trinity) and were borowed from elsewhere in the fist place.
I asked an active Dub a while ago why would I be DF'd today for teaching the stuff they taught when Jesus supposedly chose them in 1919? and then went on to ask about the evolution of Dub beliefs,but he hasn't come back to me.
They are not very far away from their early stuff,because it has been an evolutionary process, but they are MILES from the truth
Love
Wobble
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besty
@ wha happened + Ninja
I hear what you are saying WRT the quote being directed at the NT. What would a JW consider 'the truth'? The Bible on its own?
"Approved association with Jehovah's Witnesses requires accepting the entire range of the true teachings of the Bible, including those Scriptural beliefs that are unique to Jehovah's Witnesses."Watchtower 1986 April 1 Pg 31
Think of the many thousands of pages of material the WTS has produced....they are definitley elevating this material to be on par with the Bible in my opinion. But yes, it is at least ambiguous.
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RR
How far away from their original beliefs are JW's?
That depends on how far back you want to go. If you are comparing Russell and Rutherford they are apples and oranges, if you are comparing Rutherford and the Watchtower today, they are somewhat similiar. The Witnesses have contained much of what Judge Rutherford taught, that they are God's chosen people, God's organization, that all religions are of the devil, etc. Having said that, the Society has often painted themselves in a corner by claiming that God chose them in 1919 and restored pure christianity, but even what was taught in 1919 is no longer believed today.
RR
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FireNBandits
Google the Dawn Bibe Students Association which still publishes the six volumes of Studies In The Scriptures as well as other material by Russell. They publish materials you can read online that establish their basic beleifs, the same as they were in Russells day, right down to the chronology based on the Great Pyramid. Then you can guage for yourself just how far the WTBTS has journeyed.
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justhuman
I will continue from were Martin stoped...JW's are actiually seperated themselves from the Bible Students Association. Booze Jo took with a coup the power over the LEGAL Board of Directors of the WT.
That is why booze Jo changed the name to JW's in the 30's, in order to "avoid confusion"with the Bible Students that kept and still keep Russel's teachings. So technically speaking JW's are apostates from the Bible Students Association.
I can use my personal expierience. I was 7 in 1975 and I still remember the agony of JW's that the end will come. In 1984 I quit school to become pioneer and "save" the world. In 1995 it was a turning point to me. In 4 years after that I became innactive. But from 1995 untill today the changes that took place are so many that even my self I hardly recognize the WT.
JW's are so far way from their original beliefs that if Russell could come back and see who kept the teachings he left, for sure he wouldn't go to JW's. And the funny thing is that Jesus supposed He has chosen them because of their "unique teachings"that they teached back in 1919. So if Jesus will make an inspection on Plannet Earth like he did in 1919, then He would have chose again the Dawn Bible Students...
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jonathan dough
Many resources on the changed original doctrines can be found here at this new subject-matter directory. Additional link suggestions welcome. Mail to [email protected]
http://www.144000.110mb.com/directory/jehovahs_witnesses_directory_beliefs.html
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Vidiot
betsy - ...they have also recently told their followers to expect unusual instructions that may appear to put them in danger..."
Jeremy C - "...Witnesses are being systamatically indoctrinated to believe that "instructions" (commands) will come down the pike for which there is no Scriptural precendent or basis. They are also being indoctrinated to believe that their safety will hinge on their unquestioning compliance with such "instructions", even if they do not understand them. Just think about the implications of this.
When an organization reaches this point, the centralized leadership can institute any kind of draconian policies without any Scriptural reason for doing so. What will the deluded subconscious minds of these leaders tell them to do? And how far will the majority of the members go in their misguided allegiance to this kind of system? It makes you think. Yet, this is where the Watchtower organization is headed.
When we look at history, we see that when an organization reaches this tipping point; it's gets very interesting; perhaps a bit frightening. This is the point at which all cultic groups have made their biggest blunders, and where their members have suffered the worst consequences."
I'd mentioned in my very first post here (about a month ago) that a recent study done by Canadian law enforcement agencies indicated that physical withdrawal by the leadership to a rural location - "goin' up to the country" - is almost always Step 1 in a high control group's path towards becoming a demonstrable threat to civil society. When I'd read that they were selling off the Brooklyn properties and moving upstate, this was the first thing that popped into my head.
Now, admittedly, it's hard to imagine JWs becoming dangerous or GB2.0 advocating violence, but the brain drain resulting from 30-odd years of purging out the intellectuals, creative types, and out-of-the-box thinkers from the R&F can't help but leave the WTS with a pretty substandard base to work with. Couple that with the increasing levels of mental illness among members and fresh converts, all the skeletons in their closet being laid bare due to the inherent transparency of the Information Age, and the increasingly shrill nature of recent "follow-the-GB" rhetoric, and who the hell knows what could happen?
Can't imagine it being pretty, whatever the case.
Jeremy C - "...the Governing Body is a sort of a reincarnated Pharisee class..."
Funny, this reminded me of something that happened a few years back; a nice fella in my old BS group was commenting on Islamic extremism, and he had concluded that the Muslim World's problems really started when they decided to let small froups of ultraconservative clerics dictate Islamic theology, and also attributed it to Judaism's alleged problems in the 1st Century (which , of course, brought about Jesus' attempts at reform).
Thing is, he specifically referred to the problem of small leadership groups as being "Pharisaic". I remember thinking right then, "wait a minute, isn't that what we've done with the GB?"