Society stating they have no special Holy Spirit

by cognac 24 Replies latest watchtower scandals

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  cognac

  I remember them stating something to that affect. Does anybody know where this was said?
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  blondie

  *** w07 5/1 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

  However, genuine anointed Christians do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special “insights,” beyond what even some experienced members of the great crowd may have. They do not believe that they necessarily have more holy spirit than their companions of the other sheep have; nor do they expect special treatment or claim that their partaking of the emblems places them above the appointed elders in the congregation. They humbly remember that some anointed men in the first century did not qualify to serve as elders or ministerial servants. (1 Timothy 3:1-10, 12, 13; Titus 1:5-9; James 3:1) Some anointed Christians were even spiritually weak. (1 Thessalonians 5:14) And sisters, although anointed, did not teach in the congregation.—1 Timothy 2:11, 12.

  *** w96 6/15 p. 31 Questions From Readers ***

  Can we say that God’s servants today who have the earthly hope have as much of God’s spirit as do spirit-anointed Christians?

  This question is not a new one. This same matter was addressed in “Questions From Readers” in The Watchtower of April 15, 1952. Many have become Witnesses since then, so we can consider the question and in the process review what that earlier material said.

  Fundamentally, the answer is, yes, faithful brothers and sisters of the other sheep class can share equally with anointed ones in receiving God’s holy spirit.—John 10:16.

  This, of course, does not mean that the spirit operates in the same way on all individuals. Think back to faithful servants in pre-Christian times, who certainly received God’s spirit. With power from the spirit, some of them slew ferocious beasts, cured the sick, even raised the dead. And they needed the spirit to write inspired books of the Bible. (Judges 13:24, 25; 14:5, 6; 1 Kings 17:17-24; 2 Kings 4:17-37; 5:1-14) The Watchtower said: “Though not of the anointed class, they were filled with holy spirit.”

  From another angle, consider men and women in the first century who were anointed with holy spirit, becoming spiritual sons of God with the heavenly hope. All had been anointed, but that does not mean that the spirit thereafter operated in the same way on all of them. That is clear from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. There the apostle Paul discussed gifts of the spirit. We read in verses 8, 9, and 11: “To one there is given through the spirit speech of wisdom, to another speech of knowledge according to the same spirit, to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healings by that one spirit. . . . But all these operations the one and the same spirit performs, making a distribution to each one respectively just as it wills.”

  Significantly, not all anointed ones back then had miraculous gifts of the spirit. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, Paul mentioned a congregation meeting in which one had the gift of tongues, but no one present had the gift of translation. Nonetheless, at some earlier point, each one of them had experienced anointing with spirit. Would it be reasonable to say that the brother having the gift of tongues had more of the spirit than others present? No. Those other anointed ones were not disadvantaged, as if unable to understand the Bible as well as that one or unable to face trials as well. The spirit operated in a special way on the brother who could speak in tongues. Still, he and they needed to stay close to Jehovah and to “keep getting filled with spirit,” as Paul wrote.—Ephesians 5:18.

  Regarding those of the remnant today, they certainly have received God’s spirit. At one point it operated on them in a special way—at the time when they were anointed and adopted as spiritual sons. Thereafter they “keep getting filled with spirit,” having its help when they seek to understand the Bible more clearly, take the lead in the preaching work, or face tests—personal or organizational.

  Members of the “other sheep,” though not having had the experience of being anointed, in other respects do receive holy spirit. The Watchtower of April 15, 1952, observed:

  “The ‘other sheep’ today perform the same preaching work as the remnant, under the same trying conditions, and manifest the same faithfulness and integrity. They feed at the same spiritual table, eating the same food, absorbing the same truths. Being of the earthly class, with earthly hopes and a keen interest in earthly things, they might interest themselves more in scriptures relating to earthly conditions in the new world; whereas the anointed remnant, with heavenly hopes and strong personal interest in the things of the spirit, might study more diligently those things in God’s Word. . . . Yet the fact remains that the same truths and the same understanding are available to both classes, and it is just how the individuals apply themselves in study that determines the comprehension of heavenly and earthly things they acquire. The Lord’s spirit is available in equal portions to both classes, and knowledge and understanding are offered equally to both, with equal opportunities for absorbing it.”
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  paladin

  I would like to know also. I think the all powerful GB in NYC claim they are not inspired but are spirit directed.
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  Watchtower-Free

  "Those who make up the one true Christian organization today do not have angelic revelations or divine inspiration. But they do have the inspired Holy Scriptures, which contain revelations of God's thinking and will." Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993) p.708
  
  So anyone who has a bible can say they are directed by "Holy spirit"
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  Narcissistic Supply

  No they just cashed out a billion dollars of real estate last year.
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  blondie

  AN EXAMPLE OF WTS DOUBLESPEAK:

  *** g93 3/22 p. 4 Why So Many False Alarms? ***

  Jehovah’s Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus’ second coming, have suggested dates that turned out to be incorrect. Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Never in these instances, however, did they presume to originate predictions ‘in the name of Jehovah.’ Never did they say, ‘These are the words of Jehovah.’ The Watchtower, the official journal of Jehovah’s Witnesses, has said: “We have not the gift of prophecy.” (January 1883, page 425) “Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible.” (December 15, 1896, page 306) The Watchtower has also said that the fact that some have Jehovah’s spirit “does not mean those now serving as Jehovah’s witnesses are inspired. It does not mean that the writings in this magazine The Watchtower are inspired and infallible and without mistakes.” (May 15, 1947, page 157) “The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances, nor is it dogmatic.” (August 15, 1950, page 263) “The brothers preparing these publications are not infallible. Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers. (2 Tim. 3:16) And so, at times, it has been necessary, as understanding became clearer, to correct views. (Prov. 4:18)”—February 15, 1981, page 19.

  --------------------Yet the WTS says they have been consistent in predicting dates.

  1914 : Failed Watchtower Prophecy

  One of the most misleading statements in Watchtower publications is that they accurately foretold 1914 to be the "start" of the conclusion of this system of things. In reality, 1914 was predicted to be the "end" of the system of things, the conclusion of Armageddon and the start of the earthly paradise.

  What the Watchtower said prior to 1914	What the Watchtower claims it said prior to 1914
  "The year A.D. 1878 … clearly marks the time for the actual assuming of power as King of kings, by our present, spiritual, invisible Lord - …" The Time is At Hand (1911 ed) p.239	"The Watchtower has consistently presented evidence to honesthearted students of Bible prophecy that Jesus’ presence in heavenly Kingdom power began in 1914." Watchtower 1993 Jan 15 p.5
  "But bear in mind that the end of 1914 is not the date for the beginning, but for the end of the time of trouble. Zion's Watch Tower 1894 Jul 15 p.226	"Jehovah's witnesses pointed to the year 1914, decades in advance, as marking the start of "the conclusion of the system of things." Awake! 1973 Jan 22 p.8

  The contradictory statements above raise two critical questions:

  • What did the Watchtower predict for 1914?
  • Does the Watchtower honestly present its history?

  http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/failed-1914-predictions.php
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  tenyearsafter

  "We aren't infallible or inspired", but if you don't follow what we say, even if we are wrong, you will be disfellowshipped! Huh?!?
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  AlphaMan

  "We aren't infallible or inspired", but if you don't follow what we say, even if we are wrong, you will be disfellowshipped! Huh?!?

  and shunned by your family & so-called friends, and talked about, and vilified, and possibly driven to suicide.
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  blondie

  *** w96 4/15 p. 19 Why True Worship Receives God’s Blessing ***

  Bible translations themselves are not inspired by God. Translations, by their very nature, may reflect variations of the understanding of the original tongues in which the Bible was recorded.

  *** w81 2/15 p. 19 Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible? ***

  OUR VIEW OF THE “SLAVE”

  We can benefit from this consideration. If we have once established what instrument God is using as his “slave” to dispense spiritual food to his people, surely Jehovah is not pleased if we receive that food as though it might contain something harmful. We should have confidence in the channel God is using. At the Brooklyn headquarters from which the Bible publications of Jehovah’s Witnesses emanate there are more mature Christian elders, both of the “remnant” and of the “other sheep,” than anywhere else upon earth.

  True, the brothers preparing these publications are not infallible. Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers. (INSPIRED IN SOME OTHER WAY?) (2 Tim. 3:16) And so, at times, it has been necessary, as understanding became clearer, to correct views. (Prov. 4:18) However, this has resulted in a continual refining of the body of Bible-based truth to which Jehovah’s Witnesses subscribe. Over the years, as adjustments have been made to that body of truth, it has become ever more wonderful and applicable to our lives in these “last days.” Bible commentators of Christendom are not inspired either. (YET THE WTS QUOTES FROM THEM TO SUPPORT WT IDEAS) Despite their claims to great knowledge, they have failed to highlight even basic Bible truths—such as the coming Paradise earth, the importance of God’s name, and the condition of the dead.
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  leaving_quietly

  marked (Thx Blondie!)