So, I usually describe myself as an Agnostic Theist with Fideist tendencies. What this boils down to is that, for me, faith and reason are independent of eachother. I believe in God even though It makes no rational sense to me. I don't claim to know that God exists. I just believe, have faith, that God exists. I also think, reason, that this is the way God, if He truly exists, wanted the whole arrangement. If God wanted us to know who "He" is, and how he was going to carry out his plan, I think He, as an all knowing all powerful force, would have made it all a little clearer and simpler. But what if I had faith that he has indeed, but somehow I'm blinded to it?
So, purely hypothetically, how do you think such a philisophical viewpoint would be accepted by Jehovah's Witnesses if I applied it to their faith. If I was to seperate the knowledge that I have of all of the misgivings of the Organization, and said "While from a reasonable standpoint I don't possibly see how this could be God's active channel, I have faith and believe that the Organization is the FDS giving food in due time."
What if I, a fourth generation born in who was never baptised, has accumulated all this knowledge and still chose to be baptized? I mean let's be completely honest here. There is absoloutely no way any reasoning person can look at what was being taught between 1914 and 1919 and say, "Oh yeah, it makes total sense that Jesus would have looked at every single Christian religion and picked this one.", or, "Yeah, I've looked at secular and biblical history, and 607 makes perfect sense to me."
However, how would the brother's react if I were to say, "Well, I know this statement in the current Watchtower to contradict the knowledge that I have. See so and so Watchtower from so and so time.", or, "Well this quoted source, when read in context, is actually saying the opposite of what the WTS is claiming." etc. etc. etc. "However, even though in my own reasoning, and anyone else's who looks at things objectively, that these statements can't be construed as anything else but dishonest I have faith that Jehovah has a reason for this."
My question is basically this: I can't unlearn all of this stuff. I was never baptised. I have an extensive library starting with Russell's "Studies from the Scriptures" and going forward. There is no possible way I can unlearn what I know. What if I still decided I want to be a Witness? Purely on faith. What if I was straight forward and honest from the very beginning of starting to study agin about what I know to be TTATT. What if I were to show the brother's from their own older publications the knowledge that I have about certain things, but still believe and have faith in the things that the Orginization teaches? What do you think the reaction would be? Would I still be able to be baptised? Could I become a MS or Elder?
Just to be clear this is purely hypothetical. I'm not looking for questions as to why I would do this. Or criticisms as to how stupid or ignorant this path would be. I was just thinking last night about how my personal philosophy could be applied to being a Witness, so I figured I'd throw it out here and get people's opinions as to how this would be handled by the Elders on up.
