I just finished reading "Captives of a Concept" I thought it was a terrific book. Has any one had any success studying the history with a jw?
has anyone had any luck with a jw studying their history?
by cawshun 21 Replies latest jw friends
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minimus
You can't study with a JW, silly. THEY study with you.
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OUTLAW
The old stuff JW`s used to believe,does`nt matter anymore..That was then,this is now..So whats the point of studying anything?.........Thats the mentality of most JW`s..
...OUTLAW -
cawshun
I want him to conduct the study for me. Outlaw, I think your right, they will just dismiss the past teaching's of Russel and Rutherford and nothing will let them think otherwise.
It seems so simple to me, but then I'm not under a mind controlling cult.
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OUTLAW
Cawshun..When JW`s can dismiss:.."1975.....The UN Scandal.....The Pedophile Scandal.....The Rand Cam Scandal.....The 1914 Generation Change".....You don`t have much hope with Russel or Rutherford teachings......................................Nothing matters to a Jehovah`s Witness except..: "The WBT$ is God`s only Organization!".....
...OUTLAW -
cawshun
Outlaw, It makes me sad but you still make me laugh! Thanks!
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jws
I used to dismiss all the past stuff. I had this vague notion that they used to believe different things way back then. If people told me JWs once believed "this", I would respond that we don't anymore. Now we're right.
But then I read Crisis of Conscience. I'm not sure what changed or why I couldn't dismiss it. I tend to think it was less of the history and more my curiosity for how the Governing Body worked behind the scenes that drew me in. Seeing how decisions really got made. Not by some divine guidance, but by voting. What got me was how any vote wouldn't be unanimous if they were part of some special class that has special knowledge.
But that, combined with the history did get to me. I remember being a bit shocked about 1874 and how 1874 came and went and then it was the "invisible coming" of Jesus. Just like 1914. At least I think that's how it went.
It also helped to put that stuff into perspective. You look at things like organ transplants that were once banned. You think of how many people died because they could not accept this treatment. Then they change it. If God really was communicating with the Governing Body, couldn't he have told them organ transplants were OK first? Before clarifying some obscure bit of symbolism in Revelation or whatever other "new light" came out between the time organ transplants were invented until the Society OKed them?
So it was more than just the history itself. It was that history combined with the effects and ramifications it had. Would God have really done it that way if this were his people?
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cawshun
jws
The teaching is that Jesus returned in 1914 to begin his Second Coming or " invisible presende" in fulfilment of Matthew 24:3. Then in 1918 he began to make an examination of all the religions claiming to represent him to see if any of them had been faithfully and discreetly providing true teachings of the Bible (spiritual food) at the proper time during his absence. They say the only religion he found doing so was the Wathctower Society nd therefore Jesus appointed them over all his earthly interest in the sping of 1919.
Well back then the witnesses were celebrating Christmas and Birthday's. Smoking wasn't a disfellowshiping offense till the 1970's. The Cross, today the cross is said to be of pagan origin but, it was predominantly displayed on the front cover of every issue of the Watch Tower magazine up till October 15th, 1931.
Today these teachings are considered so offensive to God that any witness who believes or practices even one of the would be disfellowshipped.
If they are so wrong today when the Society doesn't teach them, they must have been just as wrong during all the years they did teach them.
If these teachings would fail an examination by Jesus today, they would have failed his examination in 1918-1919.
The watchtower religion stands or falls on Jesus decision back then.
This comes from the book Captives of a Concept
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jws
But before 1914, they believed he had invisibly come in 1874 and was going to come visibly in 1914. Then 1914 came and went and it was changed to 1914 as the start of the invisible coming.
What I don't remember is whether they expected Jesus to come in 1874 and when he didn't, they said he came invisibly. Was 1874 supposed to be the end just like 1914 was going to be? I don't remember.
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hubert
Cawshun, That's an excellent book. I read it, too.
Between that one and "Crisis of Conscience", they prove that the Watchtower Society isn't the "Faithful and Discreet slave", and isn't "God's channel of communication".
Hubert
...OUTLAW