"Do J W's HAve Women Ministers? Sept 1st Watchtower 2012

by BluesBrother 13 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  BluesBrother

  The Sept 1st 2012 Watchtower carries the article "Our Readers Ask - Do Jehovah's Witnesses Have Women Ministers?"

  The first words of the article provide a straight answer "Yes, worldwide Jehovah's Witnesses have several million women ministers"However, the aricle goes on to explain their limitations in that they are not permitted to teach the congregation, "The audience of their ministry is different" . They also do not preside or have oversight.

  That opening sentence is a masterpiece of fallacious reasoning, using the well established method of equivocation ie. using words in a different sense to that which the listener intended or may understand.

  They use the word "minister" in it's basic literal sense of servant , "one who ministers to your needs" as Jesus used it in Mathew 23 "But the greatest one among you must be your minister [or, servant]. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

  A person asking the question, however would not mean that . He would be asking "Do J W's have women ministers (pre·sby′te·roi) of the Christian congregation. ie, one presiding, taking the lead and teaching

  This is either a disingenuous ploy to the casual reader who will, perhaps.not appreciate the import of the terms of their ministry , or a sop to the "large army of women", who do the bulk of Field Service, to make them feel better about themselves. Perhaps it is both?

  Either way, the fact remains that a woman's "ministry" consists of preaching and teaching outsiders, and that is it ! One might as well state that J W's have child ministers, because they can do that too....
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  blondie

  Women whose husbands are not jws teach their children the WTS dogma, but with a headcovering.

  If you looked at the bible study slips, you would find that if it weren't for women, there would be few jws. The women find the men and turn that call over to a brother and hopefully he follows through not killing it. According to the bible, Christ commissioned his followers to be preaching and teaching non-jws with the view to making them disciples of Jesus. It was Paul that raised the position of "teaching" in the congregation over that commission making the clergy class that the WTS says exists wrongly in other Christian religions.

  That's why you can find many elders and GB members that haven't been d2d for years, that count time for their public talks and for studying with their children (but rarely do). I can remember elders that conducted the meeting for field service then disappeared to pick up their drycleaning, get the car serviced, drop off their DVDs, etc., but count that time as d2d as they leave a tract with the drycleaner. Or say they were working with their family but it was while they shopped at the mall and had breakfast out.
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  aposta-Z

  That gives a new spin on said minister -congregant confidentiality. So now can all witnesses refuse to testify in court, since they are all ministers?!
  It's so easy to see once on the outside. *sigh*
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  slimboyfat

  Maybe they are considering "new light" to allow women to become ministerial servants or have some other new role. We know elder numbers are dropping and they are squeezed. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
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  DT

  This is a blunder that was "evidently" written before the Candace Conti case. Since they have millions of ministers, they have tremendous liability in child abuse cases involving their ministers. Jonathan Kendrick was a minister also and that was a factor in the Watchtower Society's liability.
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  blondie

  I know of 2 congregations where sisters do the accounts and their husbands merely sign it..............very desperate I think. It's all hidden.
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  dog is god

  slippery slimy speech. Women are fifth class citizens under gov bod, elders, ministerial servants, their husbands.
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  Diest

  Were women mentioned as going 2 by 2 in the ministry?
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  kurtbethel

  How can you trust people who use language so deceptively?
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  InquiryMan

  Interestingly, in english one might equal minister with pastor, priest etc.

  However, when translated, e.g. in Norwegian, its rendered with a specific Watchtower word not being used by anyone else:

  Ordets tjener (servant of the Word)...