Christ did not institute any of those things and would not place such heavy and unloving burdens upon his flock.
Men are cruel. Even those who come across as being of God and Christ.
Field Service reports do not measure what a person is on the inside and they are certainly no measure of spirituality. The WTBTS cannot see inside heart of a person.
I am a parent and I know that my children are very good at giving lip service and eye service. As a ex-JW of more than 30 years (disassociated), I know that I and other engaged in Field Service, meeting attendance and other requirements not because it was what we wanted to do on the inside, but because we knew that if didn't, we would get a "hospitality visit" from the Elders to ascertain what our problem was.
Example One: A demanding husband leaves his wife a list of shores he expects her to accomplish around the house each day else he would beat her. She does them out of fear for him.
Example Two: A loving husband cherishes his wife and does not place demands on her. She gladly accomplishes her wifely tasks out of deep love and respect for her husband.
Example One accurately categorizes the WT leadership and JWs in the congregations relationship. The JW does things for the "outward" show and fear of what the organization can do to them.
The "beatings" received by those who do not comply and measure up will be visits from the Elders, removal of privileges, cold to luke-warm treatment within the congregation, feelings of guilt, labeled as a spiritually weak one, and/or disfellowshipment.
This can all be mentally draining and has led to unwanted depression and mental illness within the organization. Christ would never place such unloving burdens upon his people. Men would, however. And this is the problem: Men have usurped Christs authority and property (mankind).
I am so happy that I have been awakened and set free from the enslaving clutches of "religious organization."
Who survives Armageddon, enters into Christs paradise, who enters into God's Kingdom is not up to any human or human agency. This will be determined by Christ.
Neither is it up to an human or human agency to tell the world that Christ returned in 1914 and took kingdom power. Such knowledge is only in the possession of the Father in heaven, not Christ nor angels know such things.
Jesus said at Matthew 24:42, "Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming."
Yet, the Watch Tower Organization says "it knows!" Thus, it claims it knows what Christ says that even he does not know! (See Matthew 24:36 and Acts 1:7)
And, if one really thinks about it, who in the parable at Matthew 24:45-51 is the WTBTS imitating: The Faithful or the Evil Slave?
It was the evil slave that was concerned about "time" because he felt that his master was "delaying." Therefore, the evil slave was expecting the Master to arrive at a certain time or time period. Is this not exactly what the WTBTS did? It published well in advance of 1914 that 1914 would be the year of the Masters return.
The faithful slave would not have advertised a date. Why? Because a faithful slave would have remembered and obeyed his master when he said to them "Keep on the watch, therefore, because YOU do not know on what day YOUR Lord is coming."
Any today - like myself - who decry 1914 as a false teaching - are beatened by the WTBTS. How? In the sense that it keeps its membership away from me. It has proverbially beaten me from the presence of its membership so that they will not see this error for themselves. It will punish its membership if they venture outside of the rigid walls it has them confined in.
R.Jerome Harris
e-Prophetic.com