First mention of "new light" may appear in July 15, 2013 Watchtower

by cedars 97 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  yknot

  Finally!!!!

  Seriously this has been grating on my nerves since January.......Get it over already!!!

  Like Sir82 mentioned the biggie here is the no FDS until 1919......

  I think my congo will do a tag-team presentation like they did with 'Jesus meant generation' but I doubt anyone in the audience besides me will do much besides the usual bobble-head nodding.

  I wonder if they will just shelve the anointed eventually to only GB too.......

  It all makes me just want to ask ....'Why is the end nigh?'......1874/1878 nah-pish poshed in 1925/1943, 1914/1919--pending pish poshment with 2034 already kaboshed (Dec QRF 2010).....will they move the enthronement to the dates Ray mentioned?

  Anyone know what the Mormon equivelent doctrinal jump was.....(still think we should go back to that Mormonization committee suggestion--not like they haven't figured out how to thrive past their doomsday roots)

  just so frustrating.....so watered down....taco bell has more 'meat in due season'!
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  AnnOMaly

  It all makes me just want to ask ....'Why is the end nigh?'......1874/1878 nah-pish poshed in 1925/1943, 1914/1919--pending pish poshment with 2034 already kaboshed (Dec QRF 2010).....will they move the enthronement to the dates Ray mentioned?

  'Pending pish poshment'' LOL! I love your way with words
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  Rattigan350

  I will be interested to see how they explain who was the FDS between 1917 and 1942.

  Easy, it was the board of directors with Rutherford as president, and the ones that went the prison with him in 1918. They just love that story to death.

  If they can explain 2 classes of domestics from the scriptures, one with Christ as mediator and one without

  Didn't that article back around 1980 explain that enough?

  that slave has been closely associated with the Governing body

  But not stating it is the GB... It makes it sound like it is separate from the GB, like a CYA statement.
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  Splash

  @Rattigan350,

  Except now the two classes of domestics are not the GB and remnant as per that 1980's article, but the modern two classes of domestics are the remnant and other sheep.

  Splash
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  cedars

  sir 82

  To me, the most significant part of the "new light" is not that the GB is FDS - as noted, pretty much everybody already knew that was it, at least in practice.

  The more significant part is that the "faithful and discreet slave" did not even exist until 1919. That is a biggie - as noted, it throws Russell (and old-time WT faves like Polycarp, Tyndale, Newton, etc.) under the bus.

  As AnnOMaly noted, the FDS doctrine is like a swiss cheese. I guess certain holes will seem bigger to some than to others. The fact that there was no pre-1919 FDS won't seem that astonishing to hardened JWs. They assume that Christ came to inspect his temple in 1918 and appointed the "Slave" in 1919 for the first time. The fact that not a single scripture supports 1919 hasn't fazed them before, so I don't see why it should now. The fact that Christ frequently referred to his apostles as "stewards" will simply strengthen the ties between the Governing Body and the Apostles in the minds of most JWs.

  In my opinion, and as I explained in my article, the most fascinating thing about this new doctrine is that it relies heavily on the catholic principle of "apostolic succession," which the Society has roundly condemned in their literature - including the Reasoning Book. It is one thing to suggest that Christ came and selected Rutherford and his associates in 1919 (despite the connotations of this, once you look at Rutherford's character and what they were printing at the time). It is another thing entirely to assume that this status of "the faithful and discreet slave" was somehow passed like a baton to successive generations down through the decades since 1919 based purely on the necessity caused by people dying. No explanation is given as to how this was achieved, other than the suggestion that it "just did" - which is essentially Watchtower's version of apostolic succession.

  That's the main curious thing about the "new light" in my mind, but I can fully understand why others would focus on other similarly bizarre features of the doctrine.

  Can your "source" provide the wording of how they determined the 1919 date for the "new light"?

  I hope so, but I don't want to push him/her!! My guess is that the Society will offer no explanation as to why 1919 is special whatsoever, other than to regurgitate what has already been printed in the literature regarding that year.

  Cedars
• 

  haboob48

  Maybe July was picked for new light because that gives the average witness roughly 4 months to forget the fact that Russell is pictured on the 2013 Memorial Invitation! I guess my question would be if they are trying to discredit Russell, then why did they put his picture in the literature now?

  hb48
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  DATA-DOG

  @ Rattigan,

  The view used to be ( correct me I am wrong, because it is confusing ) that the FDS and Domestics are the same group viewed from different perspectives. I am still going through this in the CD-Lie-brary. Here is an quote from a super-long article containing mostly gibberish.

  Watchtower 2/1/1952 Jehovah's Theocratic Organization Today

  "THE FAITHFUL AND DISCREET SLAVE"

  5 "Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics to give them their food at the proper time?" The slave and the domestics are the same persons, only from different viewpoints. Under the term "slave" Christ's anointed followers of today are viewed as a class, a composite slave or composite servant. God himself so interprets matters: "Ye are my witnesses, saith Jehovah, and my servant whom I have chosen." (Isa. 43:10, AS) Note that many witnesses are called one servant. Under the term "domestics" those making up the slave class are viewed as individuals. They are spoken of as "body of attendants" at Luke 12:42 (NW). Murdock's translation from the Syriac agrees in using "domestics" at Matthew 24:45, and another translation from the Syriac, by A. S. Lewis, renders it "companions", that is, companion slaves. They are domestic slaves in the household of God and, as a united class or society, are termed "the faithful and discreet slave". Similarly, when a number of domestics turn wicked and start to beat their fellow slaves these evildoers become the foretold "evil slave" class.-Matt. 24:48-51, NW.

  So the " old light " was that only the anointed are the FDS and Domestics. You could not be a domestic and not be anointed. If you are annointed then Christ is definately your mediator. Whether or not all Christians are included in the covenant for a kingdom remains to be seen IMO. Still, Christ is the mediator for the NEW Covenant! As is stands now, the FDS/GB/domestics are the boss of the regular anointed/Non-GB/FDS domestics and the non-anointed/non-FDS/GB domestics. So Christ is the mediator for 2 groups of domestics, but not the third. BTW, the entire article from the 1952 WT is straight up Cray-Cray! I will post it anyone wants to accept the painful task of reading it..

  @ Cedars,

  I get what you are saying about FDS succession. That is especially strange since the heavenly calling ended in 1931. As time proved the errors of the WTBTS prognosticators, new GB members were needed to run the corporation feed the domestics. These domestics were anointed who were represented by the GB. These were the same group, just viewed from different perspectives, with Christ as their mediator. This changed at the last annual meeting with no explanation.
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  PYRAMIDSCHEME

  So if this explaination of the new light concludes that the FDS has no pre 1919 history than have the Apostles and so called first century GB been kicked to the curb with Russell?
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  DATA-DOG

  Oh, wait!! Rutherford was just as nutty as CTR!! How are they going to dump him in the trash with Sparlock? How about this.. The GB should do a pre-emptive strike. They should purposely reveal all of Rutherford's mistakes and false prophecies. Then they can label him as the " evil slave!" They can act all heart-broken about it. Still, we must persevere!

  Next step is to drop 1914. They can do it. How, I don't know..yet. Maybe they can say that much invisible activity was going on in heaven pre-1914, and that Christ was enthroned earlier? Maybe all pre-1919 " domestics " were other sheep/domestics? This would include Rutherford who was in association with the Bible Students... So you must have received your heavenly calling after 1919 to be an FDS, that sounds good. Then everyone from 1919 to last years meeting ( except for the current members of the GB) were the evil slave!

  That's it! Release that new light in 2014 along with a 120 year " Noah " period and you are good to go for a couple more overlapping generations! We will all be dead by then so it won't matter. Gotta go, I have to train my kid to lead the resistance.
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  DATA-DOG

  " So if this explaination of the new light concludes that the FDS has no pre 1919 history than have the Apostles and so called first century GB been kicked to the curb with Russell? "

  "EVIDENTLY" the 1st century Christians were of the same group as non-FDS/GB Christians today. Christ was their mediator, but they were not part of the FDS. If so then the following would apply to them as well as their modern counterparts.

  Watchtower 5/1 2007 " Questions from readers "

  How should a person be viewed who has determined in his heart that he is now anointed and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He should not be judged. The matter is between him and Jehovah. (Romans 14:12) However, genuine anointed Christians do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special "insights," beyond what even some experienced members of the great crowd may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the other sheep have; nor do they expect special treatment or claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation. ( That's the FDS/GB's job) They humbly remember that some anointed men in the first century did not qualify to serve as elders or ministerial servants. (1 Timothy 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; James 3:1) Some anointed Christians were even spiritually weak. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) And sisters, although anointed, did not teach in the congregation.

  So the DO, CO, Elders, and even little Timmy the 20yr old MS have more insight than the 1st century Christians, because they have been appointed by Holy Spirit through the FDS/GB/Theocracy, not just the Holy Spirit. So some of the teachings in the scriptures may be incorrect and in need of further refinement.