A question about Theocratic Warfare

AjaxMan

I read that term a few times when I was reading xJW sites.
My question is What is Theocratic Warfare?

I like to read any example of it as well as other descriptions or any of your experiences.

Ajax

DIM

basically it means that they lie to advance the WTS's agenda

i'm sick and tired of hearing things from uptight-short-sighted-narrow minded hypocritics. all i want is the truth just gimme some truth - John Lennon

AjaxMan

DIM,

In other words, it is lying like when JWs lie, it is Theocratic Warfare.

Am I right?

Ajax

I can't give you the exact quote from the Society's literature
but Rutherford felt that deception and lying were OK in defense
of the organization. He quoted the example of Rahab lying to
the guys looking for Israelite spies in Jericho as justification.
This creates the odd situation that, in effect, the Watchtower
is deliberately imitating a whore(???!!).

While some might feel that this doctrine belongs to the distant
past, I assert that the Watchtower clearly practises it - and they
have never repudiated Rutherford's 'Theocratic War Strategy'.

If they want credibility - and to stop reporters from looking at
the Watchtower Society as a pack of liars, the ball is in their court.
They must disavow any doctrine that encourages lying and deception
of authorities.

metatron

AjaxMan

Thanks MetaTron,

I wonder if their spin about their UN involvement is a prime example of Theocratic Warfare because they are denying (actually lying) about their involvement in order to protect what they've been teaching (The UN being the Scarlet Colored Beast).

Ajax

Lionel_P_Hartley

Ajax,

Best to read the entire articles - can't post them in their entirety.

LPH

*** w57 5/1 285 Use Theocratic War Strategy ***
Use Theocratic War Strategy

Perhaps some will wonder as to where the line is to be drawn between use of theocratic war strategy in hiding the truth and the telling of lies. First of all, let it be noted that whenever one takes an oath to tell the truth he is obligated to do so.

Lies are untruths told for selfish reasons and which work injury to others. ..... But hiding the truth, which he is not entitled to know, from an enemy does not harm him, especially when he would use such information to harm others who are innocent.

A great work is being done by the witnesses even in lands where their activity is banned. ...... So in time of spiritual warfare it is proper to misdirect the enemy by hiding the truth. It is done unselfishly; it does not harm anyone; on the contrary, it does much good.

Today God’s servants are engaged in a warfare, a spiritual, theocratic warfare, a warfare ordered by God against wicked spirit forces and against false teachings. God’s servants are sent forth as sheep among wolves and therefore need to exercise the extreme caution of serpents so as to protect properly the interests of God’s kingdom committed to them. At all times they must be very careful not to divulge any information to the enemy that he could use to hamper the preaching work.
[Footnotes]
For details see The Watchtower, February 1, 1956.

*** w56 2/1 86 Cautious as Serpents Among Wolves ***
38 It is proper to cover over our arrangements for the work that God commands us to do. If the wolfish foes draw wrong conclusions from our maneuvers to outwit them, no harm has been done to them by the harmless sheep, innocent in their motives as doves. The action is not out of a liar’s hatred. “He that hideth hatred is of lying lips; and he that uttereth a slander is a fool. A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath wounded.”—Prov. 10:18; 26:28, AS.

*** w56 2/1 87 Cautious as Serpents Among Wolves ***
41 Serpentlike caution is to be exercised only while the sheep are among wolves or in contact with them. Jesus did not advise this among the congregation of Jehovah’s people, for all of these are sheep. So it is as much a rule for spiritual Israel of today as it was for natural Israel of old: “You people must not steal and you must not deceive and you must not lie any one to his associate. And you must not swear in my name to a lie, so that you do profane the name of your God. I am Jehovah.” (Lev. 19:11, 12, NW) In these days since A.D. 1919 when Jehovah has restored the remnant of spiritual Israel and their dedicated companions to his pure worship, his prophetic instructions are: “These are the things that ye shall do: Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbor; execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates; and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor; and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate, saith Jehovah.” (Zech. 8:3, 16, 17, AS) The apostle Paul himself applies these words to sanctified Christians, the “Israel of God.”—Eph. 4:25; Gal. 6:16.

NameWithheld

Doesn't the Insight book have something along these lines as well under the topic of "Lie"?

Pubsinger

AJAXMAN

Contrast JWs "Theocratic Warfare" with what the Bible says.

Satan is the Father of the lie. There is no justification. If the WT didnt want to divulge imformation they should say nothing NOT lie.

Scully

NameWithheld writes:

Doesn't the Insight book have something along these lines as well under the topic of "Lie"?

Yes it does.

*** it-2 244-5 Lie *** LIE
The opposite of truth. Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is entitled to know the truth and doing so with the intent to deceive or to injure him or another person. A lie need not always be verbal. It can also be expressed in action, that is, a person may be living a lie... While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it.

The point of Theocratic War Strategy is to 'confound' God's enemies. The WTS very conveniently feels that ANYONE who is a threat to its achieving its goals, is one of "God's enemies".

So, then, the WTS (and JWs) do not necessarily feel obliged to tell the truth in matters where reproach may come to God because of their activities. They also do not feel obliged to tell potential converts truthful information "up front" when they first meet - for example - they don't talk about the destruction of 99.9% of the world's population being marked for destruction at Armageddon, rather they focus on the 'promise of a paradise earth.'

They don't necessarily feel obliged to tell the truth to Courts of law in child custody cases where the non-JW parent is seeking custody or even visitation rights for children from a JW parent. They will lie, under oath, in court about JWs beliefs regarding the 'world being controlled by the Devil'. They will lie about the restrictions on social activities, extracurricular activities, and education beyond the minimum that the law requires. They lied to the European Court of Human Rights in 1995 in order to regain their status as a recognized religion in Bulgaria by telling that tribunal and the government of Bulgaria that blood transfusions were a personal matter and members would be under no sanction for accepting transfusions for themselves or their minor children.

They claim that the deceptions serve a 'higher purpose' of furthering the preaching work. To me, all they do is fill me with disgust for that organization.

It is not persecution for an informed person
to expose a certain religion as being false. - WT 11/15/63

A religion that teaches lies cannot be true. -WT 12/1/91

Moxy

the Unification Church (Moonies) have a similar term 'heavenly deception' with the same meaning and same proof-texts as 'theocratic war strategy.' Their version is applied a little more strongly though it seems. for example a newcomer is not told about Moon or the full agenda of the movement for perhaps several weeks while they are studying with the group and this is considered 'heavenly deception.' i realize a rather similar practice exists with JWs but the UC version *is* stronger.

mox

A question about Theocratic Warfare

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