January 15, 2012 WT now on jw.org
by Gayle 13 Replies latest watchtower bible
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St George of England
Have they altered anything during the time it was off? Perhaps someone can compare the German version that was posted.
George
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Caminante
No, George, they didn't alter anything. However, the two German files are not bitwise identical (the PDF that's now on JW.org is 221 bytes larger), but the content is one and the same. All the differences I noticed are some portions of text are rendered one-two pixels up or down, but those are counted on one hand for the entire magazine.
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sd-7
January 15, 2012 Watchtower
page 3: "During these 133 years, there have been several changes to the cover of the magazine."
--You betcha! And everything inside the cover, too!
page 5: "Compromise and lobbying are common at church councils today. However, at that meeting in Jerusalem, there was no compromise; nor did any lobbying for votes take place."
--JWs would have no way of knowing what goes on at the ultimate of church councils, the Governing Body. Sadly, most would conclude that there's never any disagreement, compromise, or lobbying there. Ray Franz certainly records that much of that very thing went on.
page 6: "To this day, many of the clergy elevate the uninspired sayings of so-called Church Fathers to a plane higher than the Word of God! If you have ever discussed the Trinity doctrine with a seminarian, you have likely noticed that."
--Hmm. Let's fix this: "To this day, many of [Jehovah's Witnesses] elevate the uninspired [but "spirit-directed", no doubt] sayings of so-called [faithful and discreet slave] to a plane higher than the Word of God! If you have ever discussed the [1914] doctrine with a [Jehovah's Witness], you have likely noticed that."
page 7: "In a parable, Jesus indicated that from the first century onward, there would always be some genuine anointed Christians on earth...Of course, we cannot say for certain which individuals or groups belonged to the anointed class, but we can confirm that there have always been some who have courageously defended God's Word and exposed the church's unscriptural teachings...Archbisop Agobard of Lyons, France (779-840 C.E.)..."
--So no one could be confirmed from about 100 C.E. to around 800 C.E. No one? Not one person to reference? Oddly enough, pages 7 and 8 make NO mention of Charles Taze Russell, only to "a group of Bible Students" who studied together. This is a particularly glaring omission, given the context. I wonder if this is a subtle way of distancing from Russell, just a little bit.
page 8: "Does it not reassure you to know that like the apostles and older men of the first century, those faithful men, our 'spiritual ancestors' of the late 1800's, were determined to align their beliefs solidly with God's Word?"
--Actually, it's very depressing to know just how little of what those 'spiritual ancestors' believed is still being taught today. Either they weren't too aligned with God's Word, or JWs today aren't, or oh! Maybe neither were even loosely aligned with it!
page 13: "After reading the book
"Bearing Thorough Witness" About God’s Kingdom,
a traveling overseer expressed his feelings as follows: 'The book of Acts will never be the same for me. I have ‘walked’ through the account of Acts on many occasions but only as if holding a candle and wearing dirty glasses. Now I feel as if I have been blessed to see its glory in the brightness of the sun.'"
--As clear an admission as one can imagine that the Bible is indecipherable without Watchtower literature. That says a lot about the Word of God having power, doesn't it? Apparently it has little-to-no power without Watchtower publications. Let's restate what was on page 6:
"To this day, many of the clergy elevate the uninspired sayings of so-called Church Fathers to a plane higher than the Word of God!" [Brain explodes from cognitive dissonance]
page 30: "When we gather to observe the Memorial of Jesus’ death on Thursday, April 5, 2012, these Bible teachings will be on our minds. The small remnant of anointed Christians still on earth will partake of the emblems of unleavened bread and red wine, signifying their being party to the new covenant. These symbols of Christ’s sacrifice will remind them of their awesome privileges and responsibilities in God’s eternal purpose. May all of us attend with profound appreciation for Jehovah God’s provision of a royal priesthood to benefit all mankind."
--Shouldn't the focus be on JESUS' DEATH, not on the AWESOME PRIVILEGES OF THE ANOINTED?? Sacrilege!
pages 31-32: "The Governing Body is keenly interested in our theocratic history. In commenting on the need to preserve, document, and pass on our spiritual heritage, one member of the Governing Body said, "To know where we are going, we have to know where we have come from."
--Really? So why not study 'The Finished Mystery' at the meetings, then? Or how about 'The Harp of God'? 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die'? Based on where they came from, I can't say I'm too optimistic about where they're going. Here's a clue: it's round, and you'll notice that tree you passed a few years back looks awfully familiar.
That's my take on it.
--sd-7
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yourmomma
"May all of us attend with profound appreciation for Jehovah God’s provision of a royal priesthood to benefit all mankind."
wow, is this the usual tripe about the memorial, or is this a new level of GB worship?
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sd-7
Yeah, it really does shove Jesus aside, doesn't it? I don't know how they sleep at night...
--sd-7
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Married to the Mob
Quoted from SD-7's post
one member of the Governing Body said, "To know where we are going, we have to know where we have come from."
hmmmm did a governing memeber really say this or did he quote someone else? Its very familar.
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Listener
Yourmomma I did a little research after reading the article. It is not new that they consider the anointed here on earth to currently be part of the royal priesthood but by their article they are identifying exactly what this means.
Firstly, they explain exactly what the role of a priest is
..."8. A king, of course, rules. But what
does a priest do? Hebrews 5:1 explains:
“Every high priest taken from among
men is appointed in behalf of men over
the things pertaining to God, that he
may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins.”
So a priest appointed by Jehovah represents
sinful people before God by
means of prescribed offerings, pleading
with Him on their behalf. Conversely,
a priest also represents Jehovah before
people, instructing them in divine law.
(Lev. 10:8-11; Mal. 2:7) In these ways, a
divinely appointed priest works to reconcile
people to God...."
So the suggestion would be that without these anointed here on earth we cannot be reconciled to God and they offer sacrifices and plead for us before God. Later on in the article they confirm that the anointed on earth are serving as priests and state their duties as follows
..."Where would those in the new covenant
serve? On earth, where, as a
group, they would serve as a priesthood,
representing Jehovah to people
by ‘declaring abroad his excellencies’
and providing spiritual food. (Matt. 24:
45; 1 Pet. 2:4, 5)..."
So they represent Jehovah and also provide spiritual food. If that is their duties then the other sheep are excluded from this.
The point here is that they make it clear that they (which includes the remnant on earth) are now reconciling people to God and I don't think they have been so specific on this point in the past.
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agonus
Page 3 is priceless: "Yes, This Is the Study Edition!" Not a bit of condescension there, eh? Are the poor Dubs really THAT confused and/or stupid, or does the WT just ASSUME they are? Either way it doesn't speak well of the leadership...