Lurkers - can the "increasing light" excuse cover TERRIBLE non-scripturally based advice?

by cedars 10 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  cedars

  Hello everyone

  This thread is directed at those of you who are "lurking". Perhaps you visit this website frequently because you know something is wrong with the Watch Tower Society, but you don't feel you know enough yet to form a solid opinion.

  As you are aware, the Society regularly uses the "increasing light" concept to excuse any scriptural advice or prophetic understanding that is subsequently reversed or changed. Put simply, the Governing Body would have us believe that God's holy spirit, which is guiding the organization, is deliberately feeding false scriptural information to the Society as a "makeweight" until true understanding is revealed at a later stage (at this point, I would add that none of the scriptures quoted by the Society in support of "increasing light" suggest that God's holy spirit would act in such a manner, but this is for you to discover for yourselves).

  With all of the above in mind, please may I draw your attention to this advice, which was printed in the August 5th, 1979 Awake!:

  “Also, what is home violence doing to the quality of police and hospital emergency-room service that we get? Did you know that in some places more police die in the course of handling domestic violence than in any other avenue of their duty? Responding to family-fight calls eats up a major share of the policeman’s time, time that otherwise could be used protecting the rest of us from public crime and violence.”

  I have quoted the above in my thread on the following link: http://www.jwstruggle.com/2011/11/won-without-a-word-at-what-cost/

  There are three obvious things about this quote that are immediately noticeable:

  1. It is shockingly bad advice, and to suggest that family violence is not serious enough to bother the emergency services is both offensive (to those whose lives have been saved by calling the police in such a scenario) and negligent (to those whose lives could be saved by calling the police in such a scenario).
  2. This advice isn't scripturally based. It is simply the opinion of whoever wrote it.
  3. This advice has never been retracted in any Watchtower publication in over 32 years.

  So, considering all of the above, do you think that it is humble and discreet on the part of the Governing Body to have NEVER retracted this advice in the 32 years since it was published, considering that it is not technically 'scriptural advice', and therefore does not fall under the umbrella of the "increasing light" scenario?

  Please think about it, and let me know your thoughts.

  Cedars
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  wobble

  BTTT
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  flipper

  CEDARS- One thing that people should be aware of - lurkers or whoever is reading this - is that the alleged " increasing light " excuse cannot cover non-scriptural counsel- especially if it breaks the laws of the land. The WT society has been culpable , guilty, and liable for this offense for decades by hiding and concealing child abusers in the midst of Jehovah's Witnesses congregations even in the United States here where it's a law in many states to report child abuse to authorities.

  By telling women and children to not go to police authorities regarding either child abuse OR spousal abuse - WT society is circumventing and going around Caesar's laws that they claim to follow so closely unless it breaks God's law - allegedly. But I don't think it breaks God's laws to report felony child molesters or wife beaters to police. It may embarrass the WT society's rules and principles - but if there IS a God, I'd bet a dime to a dollar he or she would prefer to protect innocent children or women over protecting egomaniacs running a magazine printing company
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  ekruks

  The lack of interest in family matters by elders is worrying, though ironically, we will probably find ourselves also moaning that they show too much interest. Though I do know of a number of Jehovah's Witness elders that treat their wives like servants (hitting them, treating them more as a toy than a friend) and also wives who treat their husbands in an unhealthy way, but no one cares.
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  exwhyzee

  I agree with the ridiculousness of using the "New Light" explaination whenever they change their thinking on things. It's pretty interesting how God always gives them new light just when their old light has been proven or is about to be proven laughable. It's funny too how he always agrees with whatever new light they come up.

  I must say though that I didn't get the idea from the statement you provided from the 79 Awake that they were advising anyone not to call the police in to assist during instances of domestic violence. To me they were simply stating that because of the frequency of domestic violence calls, police are called away from their other duties or caring for other individuals. I didn't for one second get the sense that they were telling people that Domestic Violence isn't important or that Police assistance isn't necessry. Which part of the statement you provided made you think they were giving advice....maybe I'm missing something?
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  ekruks

  It's pretty interesting how God always gives them new light just when their old light has been proven or is about to be proven laughable. It's funny too how he always agrees with whatever new light they come up.

  Just like how the Mormons suddenly received a vision to stop polygamy when it became illegal - wow! - or the need to stop discrinimating by skin colour when the law changed on that too! Does that mean that the US government is the source of light? Obama is Jehovah !!
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  Black Sheep

  I don't see any advice in that article, let alone that quote.

  Read the last paragraph where is it clear the advice (good or bad) is to be served up in the following articles.

  What are the causes of so much violence in the home? Is divorce, with the resulting broken home, the basic answer? If the “cancer” of violence has erupted in your home—or you detect any tendencies in that direction—what can you do about it? Since the Bible’s counsel has been effective in dealing with many others of life’s problems, what help does it give us with this one? The following articles will discuss these matters. Let us consider home violence with the encouraging conviction that something can be done about it.
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  exwhyzee

  . Let us consider home violence with the encouraging conviction that something can be done about it.

  From that statement I would expect them to tell the reader about God's big picture solution to the problem....

  Still, I agree...."unlettered and ordinary men" should refrain from delving into matters where only highly trained professionals dare to tread...ie Blood Transfusions.
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  ekruks

  Typical Watchtower article - get to the end of it and feel none the wiser
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  cedars

  exwhyzee & Black sheep - you're right, maybe I used the wrong term in describing this as 'advice'. However, I'm of the opinion that the Society doesn't need to say "What you should bear in mind when making your decisions is this..." as a precursor in order for something to be taken as advice by the reader. They are more clever than that, and they know that whatever they print in their hallowed journals, whether is is printed in the form of an experience or a simple observation, will influence the actions of those reading it. That's why I called it 'advice'. But you're right - technically it's an observation, and a deeply flawed, misleading and damaging one at that.

  flipper - thank you for your remarks. My point in the OP is that the "increasing light" concept/excuse cannot possibly cover everything that the Society puts in print. How could it? The whole idea of increasing light implies that the holy spirit guides the Governing Body in what to write. Do they expect me to believe that the holy spirit directed them to say that contacting the police or emergency services when an act of domestic violence is underway is a waste of time and resources? No chance. As you say... "if there IS a God, I'd bet a dime to a dollar he or she would prefer to protect innocent children or women over protecting egomaniacs running a magazine printing company."

  Cedars