Recently, I have had some PM discussions with a couple of JWN members regarding the extent to which the GB injects itself and the WT organization into the Bible message. One of them encouraged me to post my comments as a topic, so I am doing so here.
In the WT religion, everything is about "God's organization." The November 15, 1981 Watchtower even invited people to "come to Jehovah's organization for salvation."
We are instructed to be grateful for "the faithful and discreet slave," obey "the faithful and discreet slave," read all the writings of "the faithful and discreet slave," comment on the writings of "the faithful and discreet slave," go door to door placing literature of "the faithful and discreet slave," etc.
It seems to me that in all of this, the GB supplants Jesus.
In John 5:39-40, Jesus said: "You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." So according to Jesus we are supposed to come to Jesus himself, not to some organization.
Likewise, in John 14:6, Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me." He didn't say that some organization was the way, "the truth", or the life.
The WTS teaches that it's wrong to call on the name of (i.e. pray to) Jesus, yet in 1 Corinthians 1:2, Paul writes "to the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours."
1 Timothy 2:5 says that Jesus is the mediator between God and man. How can someone serve as your mediator if you can't talk with him? In order to avoid this, the GB says that strictly speaking Jesus is the mediator only for the 144,000. This leaves the rest of JWs with only the organization as their mediator.
In the Bible, Jesus -- not some organization -- is God's arrangement for salvation and forgiveness of sins.
In Matthew 9:6 Jesus says that he has been given the authority to forgive sins, but the GB teaches that only the Father forgives sins and that he does this in large part based on JWs' proving themselves worthy by faithful dedication to the work of the organization.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says that eternal life is a free gift purchased by Jesus' blood, but in the WT religion, it's necessary constantly to earn Jehovah's approval by keeping up with an endless treadmill of works in service to the Watchtower organization.
I think this demotion of Jesus and the simultaneous exaltation of the Watchtower organization are key errors in WT teaching from which all their other errors spread.
In Practice, the GB Substitutes "The Organization" for Jesus
by Ding 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Ding
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tornapart
Totally agree with you Ding! They have completely demoted Jesus and they just can't see it! They see it as disloyalty to God to say anything against 'his Organisation', yet they don't see the disloyalty they show towards his Christ! They are shutting off the Kingdom of heaven to millions and preventing them from accepting Jesus as their mediator, salvation and way to God!
The Organisation is now 'the way the truth and the life'... not Christ! What blasphemy!!
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JeffT
Not surprising. The GB is busy replacing Jehovah with themselves.
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BluesBrother
K/Min 11/90 page 1
1 Bible students need to get acquainted with the organization of the “one flock” Jesus spoke about at John 10:16. They must appreciate that identifying themselves with Jehovah’s organization is essential to their salvation. (Rev. 7:9, 10, 15) Therefore, we should start directing our Bible students to the organization as soon as a Bible study is established.
K/Min 4/93 page 3
7 The weekly Bible study should include instruction that will help students appreciate the organization and take advantage of provisions for their salvation.
WT 1981 11/15 page 21. And while now the witness yet includes the invitation to come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation, the time no doubt will come when the message takes on a harder tone, like a “great war cry.” Revelation 16:21
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DATA-DOG
The GB also maintain that we should trust them because they taught us everything we know. Where we would go? Who else has taught us Bible truths? This is just " spiritual mommy " laying a guilt trip. The Org wants slaves for life. Since they are really powerless over us, they resort to guilt-trips, false information and the suppression of information and revisionist history.
A normal Parent/child relationship goes like this. You love your child, your raise your child. You prepare them for life, and then they leave the nest. The GB want us to serve them for what they have done for us. I say, " Good for nothing slave, what you have done is what you ought to have done."
Even if they taught nothing but truth, there is still no organization that gives salvation. Christ is the way and the truth, and the life. What did Christ say about the teacher/student relationship? Luke 6:40 " A pupil is not above his teacher, but everyone that is perfectly instructed will be like his teacher."
So big deal, the WTBT$ taught some truth, so what?! My Father taught me many things. He loves me and does not expect me to be his slave. Students move on, that's the way it is. Children move on. That's natural. So even if the WTBT$ was right about many things, we do not owe them undying loyalty. We certainly do not owe them the honor that is only Christ Jesus deserves.
Nice post Ding! I agree 100%
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BU2B
I agree 100% and have often contemplated this. The picture in an upcoming WT lesson cenents this idea as it eliminates Jesus, the head of the congregation completely. It goes straight from Jehovah-8 men serving at headquarters. Who needs Jesus anyways apparently. Hopefully the picture will help some thinking people to see your point Ding, I plan on showing my wife this and asking her, see anything missing in this picture? We will see what she says
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Ding
BU2B,
Could you post the picture you're referring to or post a link?
Thanks.
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DATA-DOG
Still no Jesus....
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*lost*
Nice 1 Ding
Excellent post. Very well written.
lost
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mP
So what if they substitute the GB for Jesus. Christians substituted Jesus for Moses and the NT God for the OT God. The jews replaced the festival of first fruits with passover which was then replaced by Jesus by xians. REligion has always been an evolution that enjoys tradition because of its prestige but changes things for the convenience of those at the top.
