Thought Control in New Light on FDS Article

by Ding 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ding

  The July, 2013 Watchtower article giving their "new light" on the FDS begins as follows:

  “'BROTHERS, I cannot begin to count the times you have put into my hands articles that contained just what I needed when I needed it most.' That is how one sister expressed her appreciation in a letter to the brothers who work at our world headquarters. Can you identify with her? Many of us can. Should that surprise us? Not really.
  
  2 The timely spiritual food we receive is proof that Jesus, the Head of the congregation, is keeping his promise to feed us. Through whom is he doing so?"

  Guess through whom Jesus is working. Why, the faithful and discreet slave, of course!

  Does anyone here doubt that the quote from the sister was made up by the Writing Department, just like the "Questions from Readers'?

  Why start the article with that?

  In order to control JW's reactions to the "new light."

  "Many of us" can "identify" with that sister's appreciative attitude. Who is "us"? It sounds like "us" means "Jehovah's (grateful) Witnesses." But "us" really means the people responsible for the publication of the article. Who is that? The GB! They are praising themselves again in such a way as to make sure JWs feel guilty if they aren't praising them too.

  What they are really saying is, "Before you read this article, remember that you should swallow wholesale anything we tell you and be grateful for it because it comes straight from Jesus. So if you question this change, you are rebelling against Jehovah's Son, his king, and therefore against Jehovah himself."
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  Ding

  The GB must have thought this new light might be controversial, else why would they have felt the need to start out by telling JWs how appreciative they should be?
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  sd-7

  That is how one sister expressed her appreciation in a letter to the brothers who work at our world headquarters.

  There's a reason this shouldn't surprise us. The articles they write are clearly, at least in part, based upon letters they receive from JWs. The articles they write are not coincidence, as likely they're a response to what seems to be a pressing need on the part of those who write in. There's nothing supernatural about that, since they probably get enough letters about one subject, or one particularly noteworthy letter about one subject, and then write an article based on that.

  Think of how many times they quote from letters that were written. While we don't know if the quotes are legitimate, we do know that people do write to WT headquarters. That said, to suggest that the articles are proof that Jesus is feeding us is to make something ordinary--like writers responding to letters they receive from a number of people--seem extraordinary--as if the Governing Body is reading our minds or Jesus is reading our minds and then telling them what articles to write.

  --sd-7
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  sd-7

  The GB must have thought this new light might be controversial, else why would they have felt the need to start out by telling JWs how appreciative they should be?

  Well, yeah. It was either going to be that or a flat-out appeal to authority. In this case, they kinda went with both--thought control and an appeal to authority all in the first couple of paragraphs.

  --sd-7
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  Yan Bibiyan

  'BROTHERS, I cannot begin to count the times you have put into my hands articles that contained just what I needed when I needed it most.' That is how one sister expressed her appreciation in a letter to the brothers who work at our world headquarters.

  Pffff, I can have a filed day with this garbage filled with logical fallacies.

  Hasty generalization, to begin with. One sister sent a letter and this somehow applies to 8 million people?

  Besides, having exactly what she needed, when she needed it could easily mean she used the rags for toilet paper when in the crapper.

  See, fits the profile
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  wasblind

  CONSUMER ALERT : Recall on spiritual food from Brooklyn

  Discard all spiritual provisions the Governing Body " Thought " fit for consumption EXP DATE : 2013

  .
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  sd-7

  But they could also write articles based on reports from elders and circuit overseers and the like, so again, given that even the most intimate, personal details of a JW's life can be known by elders, who will then put them in reports and send them to the Society, there are entirely human reasons why the articles seem to fit someone's personal circumstances.

  --sd-7
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  DATA-DOG

  " The GB must have thought this new light might be controversial, else why would they have felt the need to start out by telling JWs how appreciative they should be? "

  Hence the revival of " Spiritual Mother " at the DC last year, as well as a talk specifically about dealing with " clarafications." The Elder giving the talk said that, " Jehovah may be testing you."
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  Bella15

  Of course it is a made up letter ...lol