No one in JW religion has a title that elevates them above others! I did not know this fact!

by Faithful Witness 36 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Faithful Witness

  From jw.org (while waiting for new bible to download, I clicked on the link for "Christian," which asks the following question...)

  "Are We Christians?"

  "Yes. We are Christians, for the following reasons." (then it goes on to mention Jesus a few times... BUT...)

  ... "However, we are different because..."

  "... We do not believe that the soul is immortal, that there is any basis in Scripture for saying that God tortures people in an everlasting hell, or that those who take the lead in religious activities should have titles that elevate them above others.—Ecclesiastes 9:5; Ezekiel 18:4; Matthew 23:8-10."

  Matthew 23:10-11 (NWT): “10 Neither be called ‘leaders,’ for YOUR Leader is one, the Christ. 11 But the greatest one among YOU must be YOUR minister. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

  I am still unable to access the NewNWT version 2013. But this older version of their bible seems pretty clear. Where does the GB fit into this system of things? Do elders, COs, pioneers, Bethelites, etc., consider themselves to have a "title?"

  Does verse 10 clearly state who the Leader is, or am I just completely daft? So confused!
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  EndofMysteries

  what is confusing? ministeral servant, elder, circuit overseer, district overseer, governing body, those are not titles. How is it obvious they are not titles? Because the governing body said so!
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  Stand for Pure Worship

  I consider elder, CO, pioneer, etc. more or less labels, not necessarily titles. Furthermore, nobody in the congregation is more elevated than anyone else in the congregation. We all just have different roles and different responsibilities or privileges. A CO can't tell you what to do and neither can an elder, neither can the GB or the Writing Department through the literature. The only thing they can do is provide Bible based counsel or suggestions that we'll take into consideration out of humility and recognition that they're where they are because Jehovah's spirit caused it to be.
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  adamah

  SFPW said-

  more or less labels, not necessarily titles

  And how do you differentiate between those two terms? I think of labels as something that can be used with inanimate objects (eg shipping labels): is that what you had in mind?

  Adam
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  Faithful Witness

  Oh, silly me! I found the answer to my own question, on another page which asks,

  "Religious Titles - Right or Wrong?"

  Early Christians with responsible duties were referred to as “elders” and “overseers.” Were those terms used as titles? No. Such men were never called “Bishop Peter” or “Elder James.” That is why mature Christian men among Jehovah’s Witnesses who serve the congregation as elders never use the term “elder” as a title. The terms “elder” and “overseer” (bishop) apply to those holding a position of authority and responsibility. The terms also describe the qualifications of the men appointed and the work that they do.

  Ohhhh I get it... "elder" and "overseer" are just terms, not titles. Terms that describe men who hold positions of authority and responsibility. I feel so silly now. How could I ask such a foolish question!

  Ok. I stand corrected. So... What does authority mean?

  According to the dictionary, authority means:

  "Legal or rightful power; a right to command or to act; power exercised buy a person in virtue of his office or trust; dominion; jurisdiction; authorization; as, the authority of a prince over subjects, and of parents over children; the authority of a court."
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  AudeSapere

  Semantics. It's a game the JWs play very, very well.

  The 'titles' are all either brother or sister. Positions and levels of oversite/responsibility vary widely and are near always mentioned when introducing someone. Their 'position' is their their title. And their title is actually an organizational 'rank'.

  It's just marketing semantics. Oh!, those silly JWs.

  -Aude.
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  EndofMysteries

  faithfulwitness - Who are you going to trust, Satan's influence over the dictionary or the defintion and explanation by the faithful and discreet slave as spoken through Matthew?
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  adamah

  I've been reading "Gnostic Gospels" by Elaine Pagels, and in it she describes the heretical practices of the Early Christian Gnostics who engaged in a lottery system to prevent some from taking control. The power was shared between men and women, where one week you might lead the services, and the next week you'd say, offer the prayer. That kind of thing completely prevents the whole power authoritarian structure, and is reflected still in a few scriptures which refer to the church existing in a state of sexless equality amongst all members.

  Adam
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  Faithful Witness

  EOM: You have a good point! The dictionary is based on the twisted definitions written by imperfect men. I guess only one choice remains.

  There is clearly only one source of information on this planet you can trust today... and it is so simply put in this clear, fact-based statement:

  ... take into consideration out of humility and recognition that they're where they are because Jehovah's spirit caused it to be.
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  Faithful Witness

  I have to admit, I was so relieved to hear that no one in the JWs is elevated over any other. They just have power over them. That's all.

  What was I so worried about in the first place?