I am concerned about the spiritual welfare of the Jehovah's witnesses. Surely we all have noticed an unhealthy development in their leaders attitude, the "Governing Body". They have more and more begun to emphasize their importance and their power, in the literature and talks and thereby drawing unnecessary much attention to themselves. It is displeasing our Heavenly Father Jehovah God and the real Head of the congregations Jesus Christ our Lord. This reminds me of Moses and Aaron, who forgot to sanctify Jehovah God while giving miraculously water to the people.
In the latest study edition of the Watchtower magazine they mention governing body many times and use capital letters G and B when they write governing body. But when they use the expression "faithful and discreet slave" they don't use capital letters. So this really reveals what they consider themselves to be. It is not good. Apostle Peter wrote: "Shepherd the flock of God in YOUR care (...)neither as lording it over those who are God’s inheritance".
I don't think the impressing expression "Governing Body" is at all appropriate. In fact it goes against the humble spirit Jesus taught to express. Jesus clearly condemned the use of impressive titles. And he expressively gave following instructions: But YOU, do not YOU be called Rabbi, for one is YOUR teacher, whereas all YOU are brothers. Moreover, do not call anyone YOUR father on earth, for one is YOUR Father, the heavenly One. Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for YOUR Leader is one, the Christ. But the greatest one among YOU must be YOUR minister. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
The leaders of WT-society use excessive power over the flock and think it will ensure the salvation of the flock. But this method won't work. Because this will result in the same as with other churches. For example Catholic popes have used excessive power to protect the flock from bad influence and they mistakenly believe that in this way the flock will gain salvation. But we well know that this attitude of the clergy has worked against the true knowledge of the Bible.
But why has such churches been allowed to exist? Well if you see to the results, you see that where christendom's churches have been, there the WT-organization has been able to gain many members. But where Muslims or Hindus are, there people are much lesser receptive toward anything of the Bible truth. So in that way these churches have been indispensable for the success of the Watchtower-society. So in a lack of better alternatives, Jesus as the head of Christians has allowed it to be as it has been. The same applies to the Watchtower-society. Thanks to them a part of the mankind have drawn closer to Jehovah God. But now is the time to make changes concerning organizational arrangements of the congregations of God. Otherwise this will hinder further development of the spiritual growth.
How WT-society manages within God's household is not exactly according to the pattern from the first century. They should reread the letters from those who took the lead in the first century, the apostles and elders. They say that the spiritual direction came from a governing body in Jerusalem in the first century. But nowhere is there explicitely any mention of a governing body in the Greek scriptures. But instead what you find is that apostles and some older men wrote letters to congregations by own initiative from different places where they happened to be. And the apostles and other older men where free to visit congregations by own initiative.
But of course this freedom was misused by many brothers who later rebelled against the "teaching of Christ", just as apostle John wrote: "Everyone that pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God".
Have you ever thought what were the reasons why congregations in the first century where granted with more freedom than what WT-society grants to "its" congregations even though it lead to real apostasy in the first century in many places?
But the invented organizational policies of the WT-society can not be better than the arrangements in the first century established by Jesus and brought further by the apostles.
They should understand that it is of poor value when, branch overseers, district overseers, circuit overseers and local elders submit to the leaders of the WT-society, primarily out of fear of being otherwise punished by the organization. They even put the words in their mouths which they are allowed to say. So if you would ask them what they really think, I do not believe they will tell you the truth, because they have become "yes men". Is it what the WT-leaders want it to be? Their members cheat their leaders, by not revealing what they really think, and their leaders deceive themselves by believing that the elders and the flock are in full accord. But it is just a game of surviving in the organization. It is just the same as in any dictatorial administration. The dictators falsely believe they are loved by the people. And suddenly there occurs a revolution, and the dictator is disillusioned, because he could not read the real sentiments of the people.
There are several scriptures expressing the freedom which existed among the congregations in the beginning. For example: 2Cor3:17; 1Pet2:16;Gal 5:1:
Now Jehovah is the Spirit; and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom. Be as free people, and yet holding YOUR freedom, not as a blind for badness, but as slaves of God. For such freedom Christ set us free. Therefore stand fast, and do not let yourselves be confined again in a yoke of slavery.
So they should return to the pattern set by the apostles and by Jesus Christ about allowing more freedom and own initiative to Shepard in the congregations. Remember this episode in the Bible: John said to him: “Teacher, we saw a certain man expelling demons by the use of your name and we tried to prevent him, because he was not accompanying us.” But Jesus said: “Do not try to prevent him, for there is no one that will do a powerful work on the basis of my name that will quickly be able to revile me; for he that is not against us is for us. For whoever gives YOU a cup of water to drink on the ground that YOU belong to Christ, I truly tell YOU, he will by no means lose his reward. But whoever stumbles one of these little ones that believe, it would be finer for him if a millstone such as is turned by an ass were put around his neck and he were actually pitched into the sea. Mark 9:38-42
So John while still immature and still learning, thought it would be right to suppress this certain man. But instead Jesus kindly corrected him and warns what it would have resulted to him if he, John had went and stumbled this man who believed in Jesus, but was not accompanying them. So they should take this lesson to their heart!
Because of this freedom there were problems in the first century congregations, but notice Paul’s attitude toward it, he says: For there must also be sects among YOU, that the persons approved may also become manifest among YOU.(1Cor11:19) Jesus also said: "Of course, the stumbling blocks must of necessity come, but woe to the man through whom the stumbling block comes!". And Peter wrote: However, there also came to be false prophets among the people, as there will also be false teachers among YOU.
So why did Jesus say that the stumbling block must of necessity come? What gain is there from it? In the words of Deuteronomy (13:1-3) we can get the answer: “In case a prophet or a dreamer of a dream arises in your midst and does give you a sign or a portent, 2 and the sign or the portent does come true of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us walk after other gods, whom you have not known, and let us serve them,’ 3 you must not listen to the words of that prophet or to the dreamer of that dream, because Jehovah YOUR God is testing YOU to know whether YOU are loving Jehovah YOUR God with all YOUR heart and all YOUR soul.
So, Jehovah God wants to see if we really love him, therefor there should be more freedom. Now when they force the members of the congregations to obey them, because nobody wants to lose all their friends through disfellowshipping. That's why many fear to study or read the Bible and draw own conclusions, because they could understand things "wrong", and become labeled as apostates. So the main concern for them is to avoid disfellowshipment. So where is the exclusive devotion for Jehovah God?
But if they dropped off their control grip of the congregations, then the true face of the congregations would become manifest. Who really are exclusively devoted to Jehovah God and who are not. This could mean that a big part of the congregations would become very corrupted, but in the same time the test of faith would refine others.
So, they should allow brothers to teach what ever they believe is true in the local congregations. The Watchtower-society's part should be just to visit them or write them letters or offer them their spiritual food by their publications, to give them guidance. And they should declare, that if local elders can find scriptural basis for different explanations of biblical subjects, they are free to believe in the way they find it right. Surely this would motivate different brothers to do more diligent research of the scriptures, and sadly some would misuse this freedom. But anyway the truth would become brighter, according to the angel's word in Daniel 12:9,10: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.
So, such changes would result in spiritual gains and losses. Some congregations would gain spiritually, while others would become more corrupted. Moses was faced with a similar situation, but he was not ready to accept Jehovah God's offer. Once after the 10 spies came with a bad report and the people lost its faith, Jehovah offered Moses: Let me strike them with pestilence and drive them away, and let me make you a nation greater and mightier than they are.”(Numbers 14:12) But Moses could not take that offer, so Jehovah decided that all that people (with some exceptions) would instead have to die slowly during their 40 years in the desert.
I have written a letter with a similar content today and I am planing to send it to the brothers taking the lead among the Jehovah's witnesses.
I hope you enjoyed it, and if possible do as me, send them letters and require for better procedures within the Jehovah's witnesses congregations. It is worthwhile, because many of us have there many friends and relatives. And many of their fundamental teachings are closer to the truth than in other churches.
Jan Kosonen