by Billy the Ex-Bethelite 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I leak the "new light" to my JW hubby all the time. I don't comment too much what I think about it, just that I know. It adds to my cred.
It's got to the point last year when hubby was having trouble finding the local witnesses he depended on you guys to supply him with his needed "fix" of literature.
It makes this whole community less scary, and frankly, a good source for the latest information.
If the witlesses were able to swallow the "a generation" fiasco and stay in the cancer, they will go along with this new rubbish as well. Most will simply go "So what" and go on, pretending to have a new understanding of nothing. And I am sure it will make for a couple of really dry washtowel study articles in upcoming months.
Just forwarded some of this to my Dubb relatives...
Don't rock the boat with your family. I assume they are still helping you out, so respect their right to believe what they want about WT teachings. Some people do figure it out and leave the KH all on their own.
The Faithful and Discreet Slave was NOT appointed at Pentecost 33CE, meaning that there has not been a continuous line of members of the Slave Class on the earth down through the ages. The Slave Class was only appointed for the first time by Christ in 1919.
Billy, Please use Watchtower Study aritical 1/15/2012, page 4-8, "True Christians Respect God's Word" as reference. This study article claimed the complete opposite of the above claim. It was less than a year ago.
Notice what paragraph 14 says, "In a parable, Jesus indicated that from the first century onward, there would always be some genuine anointed Christians on the earth.....Let uis consider a few examples." (check para 15-17, they gives examples of indivisuals of genuine anointed. It started out with Archbishop Agobard of Lyons, France(779-840) and ended with George Storrs (1796-1879), who succed by Russel)
I agree with many posters here that nothing will change die hard Witnesses. I was hoping that the absurd overlapping generations would cause a chism in this religion and cause many to fall away...that did not happen; and in my humble opinion I think the overlapping gereration is more of a reach than the recent new light on the FDS. For many they will keep plugging along until they die and have their JW funeral where we can hear all about their life accomplishments in two minutes or less then focus on what's really important-The Watchtower Corporation. (sorry for the sarcasm)
Billy,
I tried to tell my parents about the Conti case when it broke and you could get the official court documents off of the internet. I might as well have handed them a live grenade. It's all "apostate-trash" to them. And that case had NOTHING to do with doctrine. So I'm guessing that to try to speak to them about this nonsense would be a Sisyphean exercise in futility.
"Never discuss doctrine." - leavingwt
"If I knew she was a cop, I would've offered her less." - Mr. Falcon
In a parable, Jesus indicated that from the first century onward, there would always be some genuine anointed Christians on the earth.....Let uis consider a few examples."
Nothing in this new teaching contradicts that.
Those 2nd century - 19th century guys were anointed, but they were not part of the "faithful and discreet slave".
They have in effect created a 2-tier system of anointed Christians - those of the FDS, and those who are not.
According to Armstrong, God would raise up and appoint an endtime prophet/teacher who would restore all the long lost truths of the scriptures.
God keeps appointing bat-shit crazy people to do this. What the hell is wrong with this God anyways?!
but is it less unconscianable to break their faith?
When faith starts making people ill and mean-spirited, it's time to call it quits on the faith business.
Billy, love your addition of the Scrat pic. Cracking hard nuts takes time. You may never be able to free them 100%. But asking questions and showing the fallacies behind the Wacktower logic (?) will help to plant seeds. These may take root one day. I wish you luck.
I believe that my folks knew something wasn't quite right with the religion but... where else would they go? They wanted it to be the truth... so it was ... for them. But not for me.
Thanks for all your comments. I'm just checking in quick before I head out to visit the family. All your thoughts and observations are very helpful.
I can talk with my dad pretty easily about all of this. Mom will be more a matter of what mood she's in. Falcon mentioned the Conti case, which was something that really steamed mom with WT. She knows that the way WT is handling things like this is all wrong. JWs should call the police, period. And she doesn't agree with WT discouraging "higher education." So, although she's a "believer", she's not the 100% Kool-Aid drinker she used to be.
And normally, I'm in a pretty good position to steer clear of JW subjects with my parents, but I do bring things up for the sake of a fading sibling. Just enough of these JW subjects along with unconditional love toward our parents seems to be keeping for folks less culty. They're slowly becoming more concerned about doing things the "right way" rather than the "WT way".
I make it a point to make it clear to the parents that although I'm "inactive", I'm not terribly bitter or angry with them. They see that they can't pressure me to return since they see my transformation from a depressed, stressed, life-going-nowhere-fast JW, to a happy, interesting, life-is-great son.
Thanks again for your comments here, as well as all the other threads. {{everybody}}
