The borg likes to go on about how everything they do is in imitation of first century apostles.
But is it really so?
That's what I usually asked myself. I just couldn't imagine the apostles having to lug a heavy bag of literature door to door like we did.
I never vocalised my thoughts to anyone. Until today.
I've been doing a bit of reading, and even if it is unrelated to the borg, somehow they keep floating into the picture.
You see, in the 18th and 19th centuries, in England, there was an influx of religious groups springing up and they were producing and distributing masses of literature to the people. Most of it was free or very cheap, but it was in great quantities and some was also distributed by pedlars or colporters as thy travelled far and wide, house to house, selling their wares.
One example was the Religious Tract Society (does it sound like anything you know?) which in the decade of the 1840s, produced and distributed over 23 million pieces of literature. Another organization, the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK) was active throughout the 18th century. In 1850 they were distributing around 4 million items annually.
These two examples are for England and it took just thirty years before C.T.Russell started his own religious literature distribution outlet.
In America, it appears that the American Tract Society had been active in the since work since 1825 and that they sprang from the New York Tract Society (1812) and the New England Tract Society (1814). Their history doesn't date as far back as England's (the Religious Tract Society started in 1799 and SPCK in 1698), John Wycliffe's teachings having been distributed in tract form from as early as the 14th century. In any case, there does seem to be a lot of Tract Societies running about.
My question to you is, was WTBTS following the apostle's example, or were they just jumping on the bandwagon?
Is WTBTS really imitating the first century apostles? Or could they just be copying something far closer to home?
by likeabird 10 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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likeabird
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label licker
Can't help think of the good samiritan who had no strings attatched when helping that person. He didn't have any tracts and he didn't say you have to come to my synogogue. He just did a good deed and was counted worthy in one of the parables that Jesus gave. It was the priest and the levite who wouldn't do anything for that person. On top he even paid the guys debt at the inn. Not expecting anything in return. Describeing what a good neighbor should be. THAT IS WHAT IS IN THE BIBLE I READ
When a JW goes to the door they either want a study and you to start coming to the meetings and then can you do more like RBC, Bethel, foreign territory, pioneer, special pioneer, missionary, learn another language and go to another country, hall builds, hall renoes, pay for yours and the other peoples literature, donate your time, gas, ect,,,, and the list never ends AND YOU ARE NEVER DOING ENOUGH IN THE ORG! THAT IS WHAT IS IN THEIR BIBLE
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Satanus
Its all bandwagon stuff. First century apostle are portrayed as miracle working, powerful revolutionary INDIVIDUALS. Rutherford was a power hungery, antiestablishment guy. He followed in the proud american revolution tradition. His only miracle was converting ethyl alchohal into water, opposite from what jesus did.
Russell followed the british american fringe types.
Russell and rutherford were individuals, but their followers were not allowed that luxury.
S
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Old Goat
Russell was all cut and past. Even the ads for his books and speaches are 'borrowed' from his contemporaries. A few of the Russellite ads are here: http://truthhistory.blogspot.com/
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likeabird
Russell was a business man through and through. He was just copying a business plan already in vogue, one that was sure to bring home the bacon, and more.
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Terry
There is a myth in christianity that JW's buy into full force; the pure religion of Jesus' apostles and converts in the 1st Century.
No such animal existed.
The Apostles were clueless and petty, curious and dumbfounded; making converts was not an education work.
Eusebius, the first church historian, gives a vivid accounting of the internecine struggles of disparate congregations. Squabbles over doctrines and who got to be Bishops seemed to dominate the arguments.
The first self-styled "authority" on what christianity would be was Saul of Tarsus whose writings sparked a major schism and the advent of Gnosticism which threatened to swallow up christianity whole. It was knocked back by the rise of Catholic power.
There was a 1st century model--but--it is nothing to imitate for good or the common weal.
So, in that sense, "yes" the GB is imitating them:)
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EdenOne
Terry,
Let me ask you this. Was gnosticism sparked by the writings of Paul, or were the writings of Paul largely a reaction against the gnosticism that was infiltrating the congregations (Corinth and Ephesus come to mind...) ?
Eden
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jgnat
likeabird, I have come to the same conclusion. The Bible Students were birthed in a foment of new revivalist style sects, all trying to recapture the original spirit of Christianity. What the Catholics have buried in their vaults, and they do not pretend to hide it, is that the vision of an original, pure Christianity in the first century is made-up. The historical Jesus cannot be known, and what we have made up is a sweeter, kinder Christianity based on what we think it should be.
Mass production and industrialization. That is what the Witness unity is based on. Everyone walking lock-step to the same tune, in order to build a great monument....to what.
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likeabird
Your last comment jgnat is really interesting. It reminds me of Taylorism when everything became streamlined and efficiency was key. Worker satisfaction and sense of accomplishment didn't come high in company targets, but then again, it doesn't either in WT land.
Here's the perfect example of that (also a continuation of your idea) and reminds me of visiting bethel factories when I was a kid!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=DfGs2Y5WJ14
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Terry
Terry,
Let me ask you this. Was gnosticism sparked by the writings of Paul, or were the writings of Paul largely a reaction against the gnosticism that was infiltrating the congregations (Corinth and Ephesus come to mind...) ?
Paul's writings came first (even before the so-called Gospels) and Marcion took it upon himself to create the 1st canon which excluded the O.T. Jehovah in favor of the Pauline Jesus.
Keep uppermost in mind there were two groups being appealed to with christianity.
1.Messianic Jews looking for the messiah (Christ) as a religio-military-political leader not unlike the Ayatollah Komeni.
2.Pagan neo-Platonists looking for the demi-urge and logos.
After the destruction of Jerusalem the 2nd group ran off with christianity.
The political power of the sun-worshipper, Constantine, made solidarity among competitive christian communities his goal.
What we NOW VIEW as so-called true christianity is just the neo-platonist version of messianic jewish apocalyptisim.
