Thanks everyone for the comments...I agree with everyone.
WTWizard...great post. I absolutely agree. They spend so much time stopping folks from thinking, doubting, questioning, that their message gets lost in the process.
What makes an apostate...
by IronHill 13 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Terry
The Governing Body demands loyalty, respect and obedience which translates into: control.
Apostasy is a Thought Crime. The GB tells you what to think and you have the audacity to think otherwise!
Jesus himself was guilty of Apostasy vis a vis Judaism for the best of reasons. Jesus dared question the Authority of Judaism
in forcing people into meaningless performace rituals. Rather than having the welfare of humanity uppermost in mind, Judaism had
become obsessed with the fetish of public compliance with laws, rules, traditions and observances.
Jesus immediately became "the enemy" by confronting the Authority.
He was turned over to the Romans only because the Jews were forbidden to execute him themselves!
Instead of confronting members who question their Authority with a fair hearing of complaints (without judicial overtones and judgement) the Watchtower destroys any Loyal Opposition without hesitation.
They marginalize dissent, label it and expunge it.
Worse still, they create great Fear among the congregation that they will become polluted by mere association with any who have expressed Thought Crimes aloud.
Freedom of Expression is not a recognized right inside a Kingdom Hall.
Suppression of indivduality is top priority.
In a Watchtower or Book Study you are not even allowed to ask YOUR OWN questions because they are PROVIDED for you at the bottom of the page thus SHORT-CIRCUITING the necessity of curiousity in learning!!
Being a Jehovah's Witness Apostate means an ex-member has assumed the right to think for themselves and has decided the only way the censorship, oppression and suppression can flourish among their family and friends is for them to remain silent once free.
It is a high-calling and an ethical obligation to speak out and fight back. You cannot be a moral entity if don't have your say on behalf of those still treated as "slaves".
Embrace Apostasy as the effort of a rational mind in exposing the irrational hold of superstition and propaganda in the name of God.
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wobble
The Borg is so Orwellian in its methods, I wonder how long it will be before they start to use Big Brothers clarion call of:
"It is not enough just to obey, you must love Big Brother " ????
Wobble
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sabastious
The insight book has a section on apostacy and defines it pretty specifically. I'm not on a comp with my WT Library, but I remember reading something along the lines of this:
Anyone who heeds false teachings is considered an Apostate.
Heeding something merely means giving strong consideration to it. So if you give strong consideration to any teaching that opposes to the WT then you are a bonified JW Apostate.
Funny thing is, how does one know what a false teaching is if they don't give consideration to it and check it for validity?
Catch 22 anyone?
-Sab