As far as the Watchtower goes, how should an adulteress be punished?

by I_love_Jeff 23 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  EndofMysteries

  SFPW - I read that article as well, that if it wasn't due to the laws, if they could, they would execute apostates, if law and still under the old testament.

  What is interesting is another thing the old testament says, Deut 18:20-22

  ‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him."

  So in addition to what the WT wants to say on who should be put to death, if we were under the old testament law and the laws allowed it, after Rutherford took over he began saying he (by saying the WT org, but he was the one doing all the writing) was being told by Jesus through angels and brother russell from beyond the veil, the lords commandments. This included the 1925 false prophecy of the dead princes be raised up, and also that the lord had commanded each person should do 60 hours of field service per month, etc.

  If it was the old testament time, he would have been executed in 1926 according to Duet 18:20-22. Instead, after 1925 passed, he denied (even though it was in clear print anybody could open) that he said 1925 was a certain thing and blamed everybody for being stupid enough to believe it. He also keep insisting that Jesus was using them, that holy spirit was done away with, and the only way for salvation by w/ the organization Jesus was in communication with because holyd spirit is not longer teaching.

  After he died, the successors brought back holy spirit as the teacher, but somehow that only they are the ones who get it, to again keep people from questioning anything they do.

  If we were in the old testament times, the successors who even though they say they aren't inspired, they have put words in God's mouth. For example the awake magazines used to say, 'the creators promise that those alive during the events of 1914 will not pass away until the end" or something like that. They put words in God's mouth.

  So if we were in the old testament times, those who they claim to be apostates who go against them would not be executed because according to the bible, they are false prophets and God would demand their death and nobody needing to listen to them.
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  BluesBrother

  A couple of thoughts :

  NB . The Bible Gateway site says

  This story, beloved for its revelation of God's mercy toward sinners, is found only in John. It was almost certainly not part of John's original Gospel.

  Anyway if true, it would show Jesus' flexibility and individuality of judgement on someone he discerned to be repentant, not a rejection of The Law.

  I have sat on committees when adulteresses have been forgiven because of professed repentance . The WTS, bad though its system is, practises individual judgements
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  Gentledawn

  A couple of thoughts :
  
  NB . The Bible Gateway site says

  This story, beloved for its revelation of God's mercy toward sinners, is found only in John. It was almost certainly not part of John's original Gospel.

  Anyway if true, it would show Jesus' flexibility and individuality of judgement on someone he discerned to be repentant, not a rejection of The Law.
  
  I have sat on committees when adulteresses have been forgiven because of professed repentance . The WTS, bad though its system is, practises individual judgements

  from biblegateway:

  [John] 7:53–8:11 These verses are not present in some Greek manuscripts, and in others they appear at different locations, such as after 7:36, or even in Luke.

  If the GB & WT leadership wanna get all anal retentive about what did or did not appear in any ancient Greek manuscripts, then they should ALSO remove Jehovah's name (tetragrammaton) in place of "Lord" (kurios) in the places they put it all those decades ago. By context, some of the insertions seem to have been done whenever/wherever they felt like it, regardless of context.

  1 Thessalonians 5:2 (NWT)

  For YOU yourselves know quite well that Jehovah’s day is coming exactly as a thief in the night.

  ^ In context, it's pretty obvious that scripture was refering to Jesus, not Jehovah.

  ---------

  Jesus fulfilled the law. He wasn't judging anyone back then, not even the demons. As someone who sat on committees, why would you not know this?

  I've never had to meet with a judicial committee. The people I know who have seem to come out worse for the wear. That whole "known by the congregation" crap is just that: crap. The elders are not the whole of the congregation. They've taken it upon themselves, because they've been told/it's been implied by WT leadership that they (elders) have that sort of authority. And yet if the elders know of outright wrongdoing (such as confessed pedophiles, etc), how is it they do not view that as "being known by the congregation"?

  Matthew 18:15-17

  15 “Moreover, if your brother commits a sin, go lay bare his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take along with you one or two more, in order that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 17 If he does not listen to them, speak to the congregation. If he does not listen even to the congregation, let him be to you just as a man of the nations and as a tax collector.

  ^ the elders act the part of the "congregation", using this scripture to justify their "judicial committees". Correct? Therefore, any confessions (including pedophiles) are known by the "congregation"! And yet consensual sex between 2 adults (adultry/fornication) is oftentimes treated worse than confessed pedophiles (Gordon Leighton case in the U.K. being the one that "woke" me up this past summer).

  Jesus' whole point (and the scriptures for that matter) was that if you want to play judge, then expect the same judgment. You can't bite the elephant on the tail and think you can walk away without having to swallow the whole thing. If you take it on, then you have to accept the whole package.

  Jesus statement is made as a deterrent from being quick to judge. He knows the heart of man and what it leans toward. His disciples bickered time and time again, because they all wanted to be the greatest.

  Physical prostitution and adultry doesn't hold a candle to false prophets, failed prophecy, and outright lying ("theocratic warfare").
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  apostatethunder

  I remember pondering what "BS Translation" stood for. Of course I didn't dare to joke about it at the time.