Over the next few days I shall be reviewing the flip-floppiness of God's (self-proclaimed) "only mouthpiece" and "sole visible organization", the Watchtower.
One sees lists of these things; such are often woefully incomplete, thereby making the Jehovah's Witnesses look less unfavorable than they should... Many previously thought that the record number of flip-flops were over the matter of whether the men of Sodom (Gen. 13-19) would or would not be resurrected - the WTBTS changed its mind at least seven times on that one!
But I am pleased to tell you that that one (which I shall List in due course) was not a record! Here is one that beats it easily, for example. The format is YYYYNAME MM DD PP for periodicals and YYYYNAME PPP for books - PROC stands for Jehovah's Witnesses, Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993), for example.
Who Appoints Elders and Congregational Servants?
1879 - Congregations by vote (1993PROC 054)
1919 - Jesus (1971WTWR 12 15 748-50)
1920s– After registering as a 'service organization', subject to WTBTS appointed Director (1993PROC 212)
1932 – Elective elder position abolished entirely (1993PROC 212)
1938 – President of WTBTS (1965WTWR 07 15 428)
1955 - Governing Body (for all congregation servants: confirmation of existing practice) (1955WTWR 06 01 333)
1959 – Holy Spirit (1959WTWR 06 01 339)
1965 - Anointed Remnant (1965WTWR 07 15 428)
1967 – Governing Body (1967WTWR 09 15 563, 1972WTWR 08 01 458)
1974 - Holy Spirit (1974WTWR 07 01 413)
1976 – Jehovah (1976WTWR 02 15 118)
1985 - Holy Spirit with the Governing Body (1985WTWR 08 01 31)
1993 – Governing Body (1993PROC 054)
1994 – Holy Spirit (1994WTWR 01 15 16-7)
1996 – Governing Body (1996WTWR 01 15 15)
1997 – Jehovah (1997WTWR 03 01 28)
.. and counting **.
Would anyone like to guess whether there is any subject upon which the Watchtower has flip-flopped even more?
(** Note that all information is subject to New Light at any time!)
--
Focus
(Lists Class)
TO FIND MY VIEWS ON WATCHTOWER "WISDOM", PLEASE EXPLORE:
>>> http://www.intrex.net/tallyman/the_list.html
>>> http://www.freeminds.org/history/part1.htm
>>> http://www1.tip.nl/~t661020/wtcitaten/part1.htm
>>> http://localsonly.wilmington.net/jmalik/TheList.zip
>>> http://www.concordance.com/watchtower.htm
>>> http://www.3dom.freeserve.co.uk/main.htm
Edited by - Focus on 26 February 2001 14:28:22