"After all, we modern-day JWs are continuing the work from the 1st Century C.E."

by miseryloveselders 30 Replies latest jw friends

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  miseryloveselders

  For those of you not in the know(lucky SOBs you!!), the Congregation Bible Study wrapped up the Come Be My Follower book last week. We're now into the Bearing Thorough Witness publication. I shouldn't be shocked, but you know it only took the first couple pages of this book to irritate me? In particular paragraph 9, on page 7. I paraphrased some of it in the thread title. Here's the actual paragraph.

  9. An intriguing question to consider is, Why has no obstacle, not even satanic opposition, been able to stop the forward movement of the Kingdom-preaching work? To answer that question, we need to look back to the first century C.E.. After all, we modern-day Witnesses of Jehovah are continuing the work that started back then.

  This paragraph seemed curious to me for a couple reasons. For one thing, "After all", came off so arrogant to me. Maybe I'm looking too hard into their use of "after all", someone adjust my impression if appropriate. The other thing that bothered me was how they insinuate that they're picking up where the 1st Century Christians left off at. They make it seem as if Christianity didn't exist from between the 2nd Century up until the first couple decades of the 1900s. However, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but the WT and JWs wouldn't exist, had it not been for the Bible Student movement, right?The Bible Students wouldn't have existed had it not been for the Seventh Day Adventists. The Seventh Day Adventists wouldn't have existed if not for the Millerite movement. The Millerite movement wouldn't have existed if not for the Baptists. The Baptists wouldn't have existed if not for the English Dissenters. We can go on and on with the origin of these unique denominations, but you get the point.

  What so backwards about their claim is, the WT's very existance is the result of the work done by other denominations for multiple centuries. How do they so conveniently ignore all of that history? It reminds me of something Terry posted some time ago when he asked, "If there's always been a faithful and discreet slave on the earth, why didn't Russell just join them?" I cram to understand how they just brush off so many centuries of history that ultimately gave birth to them?
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  LostGeneration

  I cram to understand how they just brush off so many centuries of history that ultimately gave birth to them?

  You are thinking too much, something the WT has conditioned their flock NOT to do.

  As far as use of "After all" it falls right in line with "evidently" "clearly" "Obviously" and I even saw a "probably" in the new WT. They are setup words that lead to reader to the conclusion the WT wants to drive into their skulls. You won't find this kind of wording in real textbooks where they are simply providing facts and allowing the reader to reach their own conclusion.
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  Alfred

  You forgot Freddy's favorite: "No question about it..."
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  jgnat

  Here's how the society tried to reconcile this gap, from the fascinating autobiography of Barbara Anderson:

  "An important teaching of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that, after the apostles died around the end of the first century after Christ, a great apostasy developed producing imitation Christians from whom the Roman Catholic Church was eventually established. Nonetheless, the Witnesses say, there were always “true” Christians on earth from the death of the last Christian apostle up until the days of Charles Taze Russell and his associates all of whom adhered closely to the original teachings of Jesus and his apostles. One memorable and lengthy assignment from Karl was to identify these true Christians.

  My examination was based upon four points or standards which the “sons of the kingdom” needed to have in common to link up with each other; three of those standards were rejection of the Trinity, hellfire, and immortality of the human soul. However, the fourth standard was the most difficult—there had to be acceptance of the ransom sacrifice of Christ, that is, as defined by Jehovah’s Witnesses. For months the Writing Department brought in relevant library books from Europe and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States. I read English translations of important foreign-language books discussing break-a-way nonconformist religious groups before and after the Orthodox Reformation, including groups during what is commonly called the Radical Reformation period. To say the least, it was extremely fascinating to study early Arian movements, along with the Lollards, Waldenses, Socinians, and Anabaptists with a critical eye.

  Subsequently, my careful analysis of the facts convinced Karl there was not one generation of true Christians linking to a succeeding generation based on the four points as outlined above. Karl closed this research project by promising this assertion would never again be made, although, to this day, the teaching has not been abandoned."

  From: http://www.watchtowerdocuments.com/barbara-anderson.html

  One of my first arguments with a JW apologist was on this very point. I brought up Christians like Susannah Wesley, providing quotes and stories of their lives, and asking if they weren't Christians? I was given a passive answer (these people would have been part of the thin trail of "true believers" from the first century to now). I quickly learned that JW's are deeply ignorant of Christian history for the past 2,000 years.
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  james_woods

  Even if there had been (here and there) some so-called "true christian groups" over the 1900 years, the WT has no explanation of why there is no linkage between them, or why each one just died out, or why they all had differences in doctrine. Or why they were so obscure.

  This is a weak-sister argument which tries to link them back to the first century - and is bogus upon its face.
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  jehovahsheep

  did jesus preach the significance of the great pyramid as russell did?
• 

  sabastious

  I cram to understand how they just brush off so many centuries of history that ultimately gave birth to them?

  They ignore those centuries of history because they are the burden of proof for exactly the reason you stated. It's quite apparent that the Witnesses actual roots are a bunch of religions or religious organizations that taught doctrine they consider to be satanic. The Witnesses don't celebrate holidays, and a number of other prohibitions, because of their "pagan roots." The pure irony of that is that the Witnesses have nothing but roots from Christendom whom which the Witnesses preach are ultimately pagan and satanic.

  The Witnesses make a point of hiding the fact that they are cut from the same mold as their nemesi.

  -Sab
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  OUTLAW

  Why has no obstacle, not even satanic opposition, been able to stop the forward movement of the Kingdom-preaching work?..

  JW`s have been involved in a WBT$ Kingdom Preaching Work Literature Storage Work for decades..

  Go to any JW home and you will find multiple copies of WBT$ literature,spanning decades,Stored away..

  There are no laws or police to prevent JW`s from storing 95% of all purchased WBT$ Literature,in a spare bedrooms or Garages where no one will ever read it..

  Thats why JW`s have been so succesful at Buying and Storing WBT$ Literature with no opposition..

  To answer that question, we need to look back to the first century C.E.. After all, we modern-day Witnesses of Jehovah are continuing the work that started back then.

  I was unaware..

  That at a time when very few people could read,or afford paper..

  1st century Christians stored WBT$ Literature.

  

  ........................ ...OUTLAW
• 

  PublishingCult

  9. An intriguing question to consider is, Why has no obstacle, not even satanic opposition, been able to stop the forward movement of the Kingdom-preaching work? To answer that question, we need to look back to the first century C.E.. After all, we modern-day Witnesses of Jehovah are continuing the work that started back then.

  

  
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  sabastious

  Outlaw remember the picture the WT has in the Faith in Action DVD? It shows people going house-to-house with scrolls in their satchels? See! They DID go door to door with literature!

  -Sab