Hi everyone
I've had a quick glance through the July 15th Watchtower, and at first reading there seems nothing too dramatic to report.
The title of the first article "Let Jehovah Guide You To True Freedom" seemed ironic to say the least. Not surprisingly, the way you get more freedom is by relinquishing it entirely to the Watch Tower Society. There is also a bizarre statement in the very first paragraph of the article on page 7 (bold highlighted remarks are mine):
"We are living in a time of increasing greed, lawlessness and violence [yes, unlike in my grandparents' day, when it was decreasing?!]. In response, governments make more laws [that's their job, glad they do it], strengthen police forces [more police on the streets can only be a good thing, especially as the population expands], and install electronic surveillance [ooh, the scoundrels!]. In some countries, private citizens try to increase their safety by installing alarm systems in their homes, as well as extra locks and even electric fences [NO, are you serious? People actually feel the need to take reasonable precautions to safeguard their property? Fools! What an awful affront to their own rights and liberties!]. Many refuse to go out at night, or to let their children play outside unattended-day or night. [What parents would let their children play outside ANYWHERE at night. Don't responsible parents put their children to bed when it's nighttime?] Clearly freedom is on the wane, and the trend will likely continue. [Clearly your grip on reality is on the wane, and this trend is spiralling out of control]."
I apologise for the lengthy retorts in that quote, however (to me) the opening paragraph of that article sets the tone for the whole discussion, and proves to me beyond a doubt that the Governing Body (or their Writing Department) are growing increasingly detached from reality.
Anyway, what REALLY grabbed my attention was the following paragraph, which appeared in the article "Of Whom Shall I Be In Dread?" The article highlights positive attributes of King David before saying...
I can only assume that this paragraph is referring to those whose parents etc have abandoned them on religious grounds because they have chosen to join Jehovah's Witnesses. I do know of at least one person who has endured something similar on becoming a Witness. Arguably, both the Society and the intolerant and unloving family members are equally culpable in such an instance.
However, what's really striking about the above statement is how blatantly the Writing Department completely ignores the untold numbers of broken homes and families that have been decimated by their unscriptural application of the shunning doctrine. They paint themselves as a welcoming sanctuary for those whose families take drastic action, and reject any notion that in most cases their doctrines CAUSE family break-ups rather than being a solution for them. They freely accuse families of "forsaking" their loved ones, without acknowledging that they ENCOURAGE family members to forsake one another when it suits their agenda.
I won't go on about it, because it's an emotional topic for many of us. However, I thought I would flag it as just one more very recent example of Watchtower hypocrisy.
Cedars
