Governing Body/FDS Question

by Inkie 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  Inkie

  JW's say that ALL the anointed are members of, or make up, the faith and discreet slave ("FDS"). And they say that from among them a little group form the Governing Body. Can you help out here in a bit of understanding? The FDS were supposedly "appointed" by Christ some time around 1918/1919 time frame. So then, before that time, could the FDS have been the FDS? How could the anointed be the FDS when they hadn't been appointed yet prior to 1918/1919? They were just anointed. The Society teaches that there was a Governing Body since the time of the apostles. I can see a "governing body" at the time of the apostles (although I don't agree with that teaching); however, who made up the "governing body" since the time of the apostles and all through the years from 98 C.E to the year 1918/1919? Can the "governing body" be identified? At any time has the Society ever identified who that "governing body" was/is throughout those years?

  Thanks.
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  Blue Grass

  This is a question that people including myself have been asking for decades but the society has yet to come up with an answer.
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  sabastious

  The WT states that there has always been a FDS class since the death of Jesus. They have absolutely no facts to support this claim. They can't even figure out who had the title before Charles T Russell.

  -Sab
• 

  mindmelda

  Actually I think it's all a plot to sell us more feminine deodorant spray.

  But seriously, the only Faithful and Discreet Slave the Bible talks about is Christ.

  It's just him, if you're a Christian, you don't need anyone else. He didn't abandon Christianity and he doesn't need the help of a bunch of pretentious and deluded humans.
• 

  DaCheech

  the fds was infiltrated by apostates for centuries.

  so during that time the true "fds" was hiding
• 

  sir82

  The FDS were supposedly "appointed" by Christ some time around 1918/1919 time frame.

  Answering from the WTS viewpoint here....

  There is a difference between "appointed" and "anointed".

  As other posters have pointed out, the WTS teaches that there has been an unbroken string of "anointed" Christians from 33 AD to the present.

  But in fulfillment of Matt. 24:45-47, they say the "anointed" who were around in 1919 were then "appointed" over Christ's "belongings".

  I.e., while they were already "anointed", they got a big boost in authority then.

  At any time has the Society ever identified who that "governing body" was/is throughout those years?

  Every once in a while there is a WT article on some very small & very obscure group of Christians from 1200 AD or 1500 AD or whatever, or perhaps some individual who lived in the 3rd or 4th century, who rejected the trinity or hellfire or some such.

  The unstated implication is that these small groups or individuals likely comprised the "anointed" during that time period.

  Of course, even after taking all those WT articles into account, there are multi-century-long gaps where there were apparently no one who would be qualified to be "anointed". But JWs aren't trained to think of things like that, so they don't.
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  Truthexplorer

  Hi Inkie,

  This is an extract of an article from the following link

  http://perimeno.ca/God's_Organization.htm

  [Many within God's organization are convinced that we need a governing body to organize the preaching work and to provide us with all the many publications, our spiritual food "at the proper time." It is Jehovah's arrangement they feel. But as has already been mentioned, there was no governing body in the first century, neither was there any need for one. The holy spirit, which Jesus had promised as a helper, was very active at that time. (John 14:26) It served as a teacher and helper, enabling the disciples to remember and understand the things they were learning, even the deeper things of God. (1 Cor. 2:10-13) It directed the preaching work, even assigning certain ones their territory. (Acts 13:2-4; 16:6;0) It appointed elders, and also gave the members in the congregations different gifts, so that no one was expected to do the same, or as much, as anyone else; nor was anyone's work compared to someone else's work, thus avoiding any rivalry or reason for boasting. Everyone did just as the spirit enabled them to do. And since a fruitage of the spirit is joy, the brothers experienced much joy in worshiping Jehovah. In fact, the Scriptures have much to say about the joy of all the disciples. Together the congregations functioned as one body, under the same head, Christ Jesus. — 1 Cor. 12:12-18.]

  It is well worth a read as it will help you put the whole concept of the GB/FDS into perspective.

  TE
• 

  Truthexplorer

  Also worth a read is this essay about the 'three parables with one meaning'.

  http://perimeno.ca/Three_Parables.htm
• 

  Terry

  Jesus was the head of the Christian congregation from day one. He promised "I will be with you always".

  Why would this entail a Governing central authority?

  Paul was a free lance.

  Paul's divine "insights" made him out to be a channel of communication to who? Why--none other than Peter himself who was (according to both Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses) an elder in the Jerusalem congregation ( Governing Body).

  Shouldn't it have been the other way around?

  Wouldn't the Governing Body in Jerusalem have been informing Paul about the change in requirements concerning Gentiles instead of it being Paul telling them?

  It would appear the premise of Governing Body is a false one.

  Perhaps Jesus was DIRECTLY communicating through holy spirit with anybody he damned well saw fit!

  Isn't the idea of a Catholic Pope OR a Governing Body the same con game?

  What game is that? This: Jesus ISN'T the mediator.....WE(Pope or Governing Body) are!

  Maria Russell invented the idea of "faithful and discreet slave" as a doctrine of majesterium like that of the Catholic church. She applied it to both herself and her husband Pastor Russell.

  Russell (privately) allowed that it was himself alone.

  Rutherford publicly claimed that Pastor Russell was the FDS and that Russell was EDITING THE WATCHTOWER FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE!

  A few years later, Rutherford applied the FDS doctrine to himself (and pretended that it applied to the Directors of the corporation).

  In fact, Rutherford was THE go to guy and made all the decisions about faith and morals.

  Knorr and Fred Franz made all the FDS pronouncements until the 1975 fiasco.

  Power was seized by the group at that time and the REAL GOVERNING BODY myth began in earnest.
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  Inkie

  Everyone, thank you very much for all of this information. It will be quite helpful. Thanks so much.