by Dagney 31 Replies latest jw friends
Every religion since religion started has had "heretics" or "apostates" which merely means someone who disagrees with the guys in charge who wear the funny hats or the suits who let the rest of us poor slobs know what God is thinking this week, year or century.
One of the things I have concluded recently is when a church leader, religious leader, etc. says "lean not on your own understanding," the often unspoken statement that they mean is, "you must lean on MY understanding instead."
This is what I said in my comments about this concept. The weeds are not considered jws who fell away, or the evil slave class, anointed who fell away, but "fake" "imitation" Christians in Christendom. As I say below the average jw doesn't understand this just like so many don't understand how the WTS teaches Jesus is not their mediator.
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OPENING COMMENTS
If the average jw were asked who the weeds are today, many would answer "apostates" or "the evil slave." What did you believe when you were a jw? Is the following the most current WTS position?
QUOTES
*** w81 8/1 p. 24 par. 11 Harvesting in the “Time of the End” ***
The symbolic “weeds” include all counterfeit Christians, not excluding any modern-day apostateswho teach “things that cause stumbling,” as well as “persons who are doing lawlessness.” This would include the “evil slave,” the ‘foolish virgins’ and the “wicked and sluggish slave.” (Matt. 24:48-51; 25:1-12, 14-30)
BUT LESS THAN 3 YEARS LATER the WTS contradicts itself.
*** w84 3/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***
In Jesus’ parable of the wheat among the weeds, do the “weeds” include those who recently have become apostates?
No, for strictly speaking they are not “weeds.”
Some might view the small number of persons who recently turned apostate as “weeds” being collected out. But Jesus did not say that the “weeds” had once been “wheat” and then turned bad. They were sown as “weeds” and remained such, consistent with the genetic rule that vegetation reproduces “according to its kind.” (Genesis 1:11, 12) We need to bear in mind, though, that in speaking of the “weeds” Jesus was foretelling a particular sort of false, or imitation, Christians who would appear. He was not discussing individuals of the “wheat” class who might go bad, becoming like rotten wheat stalks.
And in paragraph 7
Q 7. Did some of the wheat turn into weeds? Explain.
7. Jesus did not say that the wheat would become weeds but that weeds were sown among the wheat. So this illustration does not portray genuine Christians who fall away from the truth. Rather, it points to a deliberate effort on the part of Satan to corrupt the Christian congregation by introducing wicked people into it. By the time that the last apostle, John, was old, this apostasy was clearly evident.--2 Pet. 2:1-3; 1 John 2:18.
COMMENTS
This may seem like a new idea, that the weeds are not jws who fall away, see opening comments. But who are these "wicked people" then who Satan introduces into the jw congregation?
"clearly evident"--the WTS is saying that the Catholic and Orthodox churches were contaminated.
One of the things I have concluded recently is when a church leader, religious leader, etc. says "lean not on your own understanding," the often unspoken statement that they mean is, "you must lean on MY understanding instead."
That's exactly it. People are expected to lean on a religion's understanding, no matter how often or radically that "understanding" may change.
W
wife ... thinks that the 'apostates' who post here and still attend meetings as an active witness are amongst the weeds within the field of wheat.
Funny I thought and I alluded to the fact that many people would indeed leave were it not for the shunning and loss of family members.
Good point, Gary. These "weeds" are only there because the WTS has made it difficult for many of them to just walk away. If people were free to leave without being ostracized by the group, then there would be no "weeds" to worry about.
Or, is the WTS really Satan as they're the ones who have created the "weeds" with this DFing/shunning policy?
Interestingly, Reference in the 90's and 2000's mainly applied the wheat to Jehovah's Witnesses and True Christians. Article's in the 80's and earlier referred to the wheat as anointed ones. Now it seems we are going back to the increased emphasis on the anointed since the recent generation change has brought back the focus to them.
w843/1p.31QuestionsFromReaders "In the “field,” which is the world, the “Son of man” sowed “fine seed,” representing “the sons of the kingdom,” genuine anointed Christians. "
w954/15p.6IsReligiousTruthAttainable? Jesus himself explained that “the wheat” represents true Christians
Reference in the 90's and 2000's mainly applied the wheat to Jehovah's Witnesses and True Christians. Article's in the 80's and earlier referred to the wheat as anointed ones.
Technically speaking, only the annointed are "True Christians". WT doctrine classifies the 144,000 as the "true Christian congregation" as lead by Christ. So whenever you see the term "true Christian" it's really speaking of the anointed.
So the two quotes you provided are still pointing to the anointed.
This is one of those sneaky things that most dubs don't realize about their own theology...that they, if not anointed, are not Christians or part of the Christian congregation. They're followers of Christ and servants of Jehovah and benefit by being associated with the Christian congregation, not members of it.
(oh...I'm going to have fun with this! )
These "weeds" are only there because the WTS has made it difficult for many of them to just walk away.
The sad thing is my wife just does not believe that people in the society really do this or that people really want to leave for concientious reasons. There must be something wrong with the witness who all of a sudden chooses to no longer believe in the doctrine.
As for the shunning, she does not believe for example that a mother will tell her own son, "I know you no longer believe in the doctrine, but as long as you don't get disfellowshipped I will be able to speak to you." In other words, just fade, become inactive, or pretend to like the doctrine so I can still talk to you.
Again, she does not believe that people in the congregations are actually saying this.
There must be something wrong with the witness who all of a sudden chooses to no longer believe in the doctrine.
Yeah...dubs are all led to believe that we all must have an ulterior motive, like :
We are too lazy to perform the Ministry, or
We have a guilty secret and have not confessed to it, or
We don't like the restricted lifestyle, or
We are just too proud and arrogant to follow "The way of the truth"
My wife is still trying to figure out which one it is with me !
I actually think she will forget that she brought it up and will chat about today's goings on when she calls.
If a JW owes you an explanation for a shonky statement, never let them off the hook by not reminding them
Cheers
Chris
