From Titus:
"Indeed, students in Gilead learn that the whole Bible (not only Paul's epistles, but they especially) is written exclusively for the "anointed ones". And the other ones are like "the little dogs which do eat of the crumbs falling from the table of their masters" (Matthew 15:27). Maybe some Gilead's graduates here will remember that..."
If anything ever made me dislike the WTBTS, this is it.
I'm not a witness (nor will I ever be like "a little dog eating crumbs"), but I know the difference between "anointed" and "partaker". Partaker is someone who believes he is an anointed. Or wants people to consider him as such. Anointed is someone who thinks he was anointed, because he thinks so.
I'm very much enjoying "The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses", by Heather and Gary Botting. Now, this excerpt comes very much to the point of this thread, I believe:
Page 145: "Still, in 1975 the society clearly feared a continuation of the upward trend in Memorial partakers, and in an article entitled "Annointing to a Heavenly Hope - How Is It Manifest?" (WT February 1975, 105-11) the Governing Body warned readers against mistakenly presuming a heavenly calling. The writers clearly blamed the increase on the ignorance of the membership as to the nature of the calling. 'What might cause some to assume mistakenly that they are of the anointed ones who should partake of the Memorial emblems? Lack of knowledge could be responsible for someone assuming wrongly that he or she was thus anointed. One may fail to realize that, as with other favors of God, receiving such anointing depends, not upon the one wishing nor upon he one running, but upon God'. The article warned against self-aggrandisement and pride. When blacks in Africa began to parñtake of the emblems in the 1970s the Governing Body attributed the influx of partakers in part at least to the tribal roots of 'unruly' ones who allegedly exhibited unbecoming fetishist behaviour after partaking of the 'blood of Christ. Others who made the mistake of partaking of the emblems had reportedly experienced 'spiritual enlightenment' through drug abuse or simple fantasizing. All of these partakers were duly reprimanded, and some were disfellowshipped".
I would love to hear the comments from the people who might have been there.