These letters will blow your mind!

by Dogpatch 77 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  waiting

  Thank you, Randy,

  I appreciate these letters coming our way - and your essays. Fine thoughts in them. I would assume, if you still believe in God, that you and MommieDark (who's a contributor to your journal) have come to a friendly agree-to-disagree along the way? Fine writing talents among you two - and others.

  My heart goes out to Brother Jensen, one of the True Believers - who just can't make sense out of the JW blood doctrine. In his letter, he did the right things: researched it himself, talked to other elders, even Scogsburg, CO. No answers. They all suggested that he write the Society (that's the bottom line response) which he did.

  He wrote his letter with the right tone - especially the first. He was asking, because others (one potential bible study, btw) had asked him. Lord, the man words it correctly.

  The WTBTS response doesn't hit right - at least not the way I was taught, and by the elder's response - not the way he was taught either.

  Someone earlier up mentioned writing a letter (perhaps keep it short?) to Brother Jensen. His head & heart must be reeling at the moment. His letters on the Internet! Apostate Internet! Randy Watters site! Poor guy.

  And he worded some of the major scriptural problems with the blood doctrine better than I've ever read. The "beating around the bush" responses of the WTBTS's Writing Department are priceless - mainly because they miss, then dismiss, this articulate, heart searching, elder.

  The WTBTS shoots themselves so often in the foot, surely one would think they'd learn by now. But I guess one can't defend an undefendable position - which is what the blood doctrine is - undefendable. It just doesn't make sense, scripturally, ethically, scientifically, medically - but only if persons think about it - which the WTBTS teaches us not to do, as the following quote from them proves.

  This is a matter that yo have obviously given much thought to and we appreciate your concern in this regard. However, it seems that it would be appropriate at this time to let the matter rest. - WTBTS writing depart. (bold added

  Thanks to Brother Jensen for continuing the matter - as a strong intellect and conscience would dictate - even after he's been brushed off by his spiritual leaders.

  waiting
• 

  ozziepost

  Welcome Dark Knight to this happy (mostly?) place. We're glad to have another Aussie aboard! Like you I must echo your comment to aChristian "You hit the nail on the head!" He sure did, didn't he? Mrs Ozzie and I have finished reading the entire series of letters and the comment by aChristian about this saga struck a chord. How hard it is to break free of the Watchtower mind-set. Heaven knows, we've all experienced that!

  As I wrote earlier, and repeated by waiting, our heart goes out to Brother Jensen, an obviously sincere man, who has become disillusioned by the treatment he has seen and received from the very organisation he has so loyally served. Many of us have been there, but it doesn't make it any easier.

  This brings me to something else that I feel is striking in this series of letters, and that is the sheer arrogance of those writing correspondence on behalf of "the worldwide brotherhood". It's not until the reply to the SEVENTH letter that the Correspondence Dept actually get down to addressing the issues (well, some of them anyway!), and then only after three years and much pleading had elapsed. Coming across 'loud and clear' is the 'we know what's best' attitude that so many others have expressed on this board. If something cannot be explained (from Scripture) then "wait on Jehovah" i.e. "We don't know the answer but we're hoping it will be forgotten in time". Whenever I have had discussions with Bethel representatives about this line of approach, I'm referred to Bible examples who waited on Jehovah, recognising that Jehovah was dealing through an organisation i.e. the nation of Israel. So, with the present day, Jehovah is purportedly dealing through the WTS in much the same way as he did with Israel. How do we know? Because they say so! Who can argue with that!!!

  One of the inaccuracies I noted in the Society letters was their continual reference to a governing body at Acts 15. Of course, no such thing is mentioned in that chapter. Instead it refers to "the apostles and the older men". By using the expression "governing body" the writers of the Society letters aim to gain some reflected glory by the reader associating the Jerusalem Council with the present-day leadership of the WTS. No governing body existed in the first century in the form described in Watchtower publications. It's an assumption at best, a fabrication at worst. The older men were of the Jerusalem congregation as the context makes plain. The apostles were those who were in Jerusalem and, by virtue of their position and commission, took the lead. A governing body for the whole world territory? No way.

  What for Brother Jensen now? We wish him God's blessing as he seeks to come to know his Lord on a more personal basis, and not through a man-made organisation.

  In the meantime he has provided all those readers who are presently active JWs an inestimable service by showing them how one should not blindly accept everything that comes from the WTS.

  Cheers,
  Ozzie

  "It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness."
  Anonymous
• 

  sleepy

  Mind offically blown.
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  Hmmm

  While I thoroughly enjoyed reading the letters, I question making the elder's name public.

  Given the hullabaloo lately over "outing" ex-JWs, and considering that this elder is still in, wouldn't the material have been just as effective if his first and last name been blanked out?

  He shouldn't really be in any danger, since he is not the one sharing these letters, but we're not talking about a wholly rational and fair organization, are we? I can imagine that this guy is going to be the subject of a witch-hunt, and accused of all sorts of vile things, treating with apostates chief among them.

  Let me reiterate, I'm glad this exchange did come to light, both for his solid reasoning and exposure of arbitrary rules, as well as to show the Watchtower's attitude toward honest-but-tough questions. Still, it seems to be a breach of the man's privacy to spread his name all across the Internet without his knowledge or permission.

  Hmmm
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  aChristian

  It seems that the Watchtower Society and Brother Jensen have failed to realize why God once gave men laws concerning the use of blood. The Bible clearly tells us that he did so to instill in them a deep respect for life. (Gen. 9:4-6) Thus, it makes no sense to allow someone to die rather than violate a law of God pertaining to the use of blood, when that law was given for the purpose of instilling in men a great respect for life.

  God's laws treated blood as sacred because blood well represents life itself. But a symbol should never be treated with more respect than its corresponding reality. For instance, my wedding ring represents my marriage. But I do not value my wedding ring more highly than my marriage. And I would gladly sacrifice my wedding ring in order to save my marriage.

  I wish Brother Jensen had asked the Watchtower, "In light of Jesus' comments about life being more important than Israel's Sabbath laws (Luke 14:5), shouldn't Christians feel the same way about life and the Bible's blood laws?"
• 

  Will Power

  Good comments aC

  Exactly the same thing the Jews say about the law given to THEM!
  www.jewfaq.org

  Everyone knows that the Ten Commandments command us not to murder. The full scope of Jewish law goes much farther in requiring us to protect our fellow man. We are commanded not to leave a condition that may cause harm, to construct our homes in ways that will prevent people from being harmed, and to help a person whose life is in danger. These commandments regarding the preservation of life are so important in Judaism that they override all of the ritual observances that people think are the most important part of Judaism.
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  AlanF

  I agree with you on this, aChristian. Jensen did not consider a number of relevant issues. However, anyone who has dealt with the Society for any length of time knows that they need to focus on a single topic, or they likely won't get any response at all. The fact is that anyone who thoroughly researches a matter and brings to bear multiple arguments as to why the Society is wrong about something is a fearful thing to Watchtower correspondents. Anyone who presents a set of clearly reasoned arguments backed by actual facts obviously cannot be putting faith in JW leaders as speakers for God, and since everyone already knows, deep down, that these men are most assuredly not what they claim, WTS correspondents have every incentive not to reply at all. It appears that Jensen understands this, and so focuses on a single aspect of the blood policy.

  AlanF
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  Kent

  Hi Randy;

  Great stuff! Thanks for the JPG-files. On the Wwatchtower Observer I have posted all the letters as photocopies in JPG format.

  You will find them on the first page - with the same heading as here.

  Yachyd Da

  Kent

  I need the new KM's as they come! Please send me scans!

  Daily News On The Watchtower and the Jehovah's Witnesses:
  http://watchtower.observer.org
• 

  hillary_step

  AC,

  Alan is correct. Any one of us who have over the years corresponded with the WTS on difficult issues has found that their agenda is to say as little as possible that could be quoted, and to obscure the issue with very simplistic illustrations. Questions felt to be too close to the mark will just be ignored.

  The only correspondence with a sucessful outcome, that I had with the WTS was where I stuck to one point and drilled at it again and again until they eventually answered that point. A policy change resulted from this exchange.

  The WTS adjusts direction only with a gun at its head. I am always amused by their interpretation of Ezekiel's chariot and the 'eyes' around the rims of its wheel, picturing the ability that God's 'Organization' has to rapidly move in any direction it chooses. lol.

  In the 70's I together with another JW who happened to be a zoologist wrote a 60 page scientific paper on the hunter-predator instinct in animals against a Noachian backdrop. We raised many substantial issues and questions and basically proved that the 'lion and lamb' illustrations in Isaiah were exactly that, illustrations.

  A few weeks later we recieved back a short and curt letter, which answered not one question that we raised, but instructed us to carry on Pioneering and wait on Jehovah, the WTS equivalent of Marie Antoinette's - 'Let them eat cake'.

  Well, here we sit 24 years later with not one of our questions answered. Some chariot, some speed!

  HS
• 

  waiting

  Howdy Hilliary,

  "The WTS adjusts direction only with a gun at its head." - hs

  Eloquently written....and ain't it the truth!

  waitin