I think it is not very likely that the world situation will develop to a state where the wt would give the command for jw's to kill apostates. My goal is not to fan fear among xjw's, but to highlight the hate on which the wt's message is based. The world is becoming a better place every day.
If god is love, yet hates, one could pose the question, is god pure? Is god divided? Standard christian churches in these times generally preach only god's love. Most mystics down through the ages, accross the board: christian, buddhist, sufi, also state that 'god' is love. Often they state that we can affect no reaction whatsoever from god. God is immovable. Answers to prayer are not from god, they come from somewhere else, perhaps the community sub-conscioussness.
As do other cults, the wt has departed from the spirituality/love of god. Following are some wt quotes, first some succinct ones, then longer ones. They show how the wt teaches hate, breads fear and mental sickness. Their org is so permiated w it, they could have an assembly w hate as a theme. Feel free to comment. The bolding is mine.
SS
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*** w96 3/15 22 Jehovah-A Lover of Righteousness and Justice ***
we will love what God loves and hate what he hates.
*** w97 11/1 13-14 In the World but No Part of It ***
"God loved the world" (John 3:16)
*** it-2 96 John, The Letters of ***
(8) Christians are not to love the world and the things in it (2:15).
*** w54 3/1 142 Repairers and Restorers of True Religion ***
False religion breeds ignorance, fear, superstition, hatred, fanaticism and insanity.
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*** w52 10/1 598-601 A Strong Refuge Today ***
HATING JEHOVAH'S ENEMIES
10 The Lord Jesus said, "Continue to love your enemies." (Matt. 5:44, NW) And he also said, "Every kind of sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the spirit will not be forgiven. For example, whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the holy spirit, it will not be forgiven him, no, not in the present system of things nor in that to come." (Matt. 12:31, 32, NW) Men may condemn us and still may be forgiven. We do not love them for their hurtful works to us, but there must not be hatred toward them on this account. Rather the commandment is to pray for such persons. But the situation is entirely different when opposers get to a state of antagonism against God and the spirit, so that even regardless of the facts in evidence of Jehovah's workmanship and power, they distort them and accuse God of wickedness. Such extreme debasement is only identifying them with Satan the great opposer whose end is destruction. Satan is our enemy and he is also God's enemy. The Lord Jesus was not calling upon us to love those who hated God. His own course of conduct is our guide. When tempted by the Devil he said: 'Go away Satan, for it is written, It is Jehovah your God you must worship.' Again he said, "That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. . . . he is a liar and the father of the lie." God has put enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent, and enmity means hostility or hatred. We cannot therefore love this world, Satan, or his seed.-Luke 4:8; John 8:44, NW; Gen. 3:15; Jas. 4:4; 1 John 2:15-17.
11 Haters of God and his people are to be hated, but this does not mean that we will take any opportunity of bringing physical hurt to them in a spirit of malice or spite, for both malice and spite belong to the Devil, whereas pure hatred does not. We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme and active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest. Surely any haters of God are not fit to live on his beautiful earth. The earth will be rid of the wicked and we shall not need to lift a finger to cause physical harm to come to them, for God will attend to that, but we must have a proper perspective of these enemies. His name signifies recompense to the enemies.
12 What do you do with anything loathsome or repugnant that you detest and abhor? The answer is simple. You get away from it or remove it from your presence. You do not want to have anything at all to do with it. This must be exactly our attitude toward the haters of Jehovah. Prophetically it is written: "Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloodthirsty men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred." (Ps. 139:19-22, AS) Bloodthirsty men are shedders of blood, and therefore guilty men. We hold their conduct in complete abhorrence. Think about the awful treatment meted out to our brothers in Germany, Greece and Poland during World War II and since, by reason of the ferocity and beastliness of the totalitarian organization, whereby thousands were killed by those bloodthirsty creatures! Their motives, opposition to Jehovah and his people, their perfidy and wicked idolatrous purposes we perfectly abhor. With them we have neither part, interest nor affection.
13 Jehovah's enemies are recognized by their intense dislike for his people and the work these are doing. For they would break it down and have all of Jehovah's witnesses sentenced to jail or concentration camps if they could. Not because they have anything against the witnesses personally, but on account of their work. They publish blasphemous lies and reproach the holy name Jehovah. Do we not hate those who hate God? We cannot love those hateful enemies, for they are fit only for destruction. We utter the prayer of the psalmist: "How long, O God, shall the adversary reproach? Shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever? Why drawest thou back thy hand, even thy right hand? Pluck it out of thy bosom and consume them." (Ps. 74:10, 11, AS) We pray with intensity and cry out this prayer for Jehovah to delay no longer, and plead that his anger be made manifest. Bring forth your arm and let the enemies see it, and use it for their hurt and destruction. Surely the time is now ripe, the iniquity of Jehovah's enemies has come to the full. Surely we all say, "O Jehovah, do not hold back your punishment of the wicked. Pluck your hand out and use it to let the enemies know your name! Exert your power again, for with one blow from your arm the enemies would disappear!"
14 Jehovah's people express as their own other prophetic words: "Awake thou to help me, and behold. Even thou, O Jehovah God of hosts, the God of Israel, arise to visit all the nations: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. They return at evening, they howl like a dog." Here the enemies of Jehovah are viewed just like flea-bitten, mangy, scavenger dogs. "Scatter them by thy power, and bring them down, . . . let them even be taken in their pride, and for cursing and lying which they speak. Consume them in wrath, consume them, so that they shall be no more: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth." (Ps. 59:4-6, 11-13, AS) These are the true sentiments, desires and prayers of the righteous ones today. Are they yours? You may be sure they will be to the extent you know and love the name Jehovah. If you do not know him, then obviously you will be unconcerned about what happens. But if you love Jehovah then you will be greatly concerned about what happens to his holy name, and about those who would cast it into the mud, slime and filthiness of this degenerated, disgusting old system of things.
15 The true lovers of Jehovah lift the glorious name on high, and seek to remove all the dirty marks men have smeared upon it, and Jehovah loves them for this precious service. He can exalt his own name and very shortly he will do so, but during the present time he takes pleasure in those demonstrating their love for him in this manner. Loving his name means to treasure, guard, defend, fight for it. Such are honored by Jehovah. How keenly we feel the hurt to his holy name! How we despise the workers of iniquity, and those who would tear down God's organization! So we pray: "Do thou unto them as unto Midian, as to Sisera, as to Jabin, at the river Kishon; who perished at Endor, who became as dung for the earth. . . . make them like the whirling dust; as stubble before the wind. As the fire that burneth the forest, and as the flame that setteth the mountains on fire, so pursue them with thy tempest, and terrify them with thy storm. Fill their faces with confusion, that they may seek thy name, O Jehovah. Let them be put to shame and dismayed for ever; yea, let them be confounded and perish; that they may know that thou alone, whose name is Jehovah, art the Most High over all the earth."-Ps. 83:9-18, AS.
16 There is no doubt that those wicked creatures who reproach and dishonor Jehovah, who blaspheme pure and true religion, who endeavor to destroy the faithful worshipers, who break into God's holy city, Zion, and try to terrify and brutally ill-treat and kill the Lord's children, who are in every way the real enemies of Jehovah, are fit only to be taken and destroyed. But that execution work is Jehovah's, for he will determine who are the incorrigible. Such ones are surely now fixing their own destiny, and then comes the time when the sin and the sinner cannot and never will be separated.
*** w68 8/1 477 Why Christians Seek to Avoid Loose Conduct ***
STRENGTHENING OURSELVES AGAINST LOOSE CONDUCT
How can we strengthen ourselves against loose conduct? First of all, by getting God's mind on the subject. We must keep telling ourselves that, regardless of how pleasurable or exciting or thrilling loose conduct is to the senses, it is wrong, it is bad, it is wicked. And what does God's Word tell us should be our attitude toward what is bad? "O you lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad."-Ps. 97:10.
We must not only love what is right, pure and good, but we must actually hate what is bad if we would protect ourselves from it. How do we show that we hate what is bad? First of all, by dismissing it from our minds; by not dwelling upon it as something desirable. That means we must guard our minds and hearts, even as we are told: "More than all else that is to be guarded, safeguard your heart, for out of it are the sources of life." Yes, as Jesus so forcefully showed, loose conduct begins in the heart: "That which issues forth out of a man is what defiles a man; for . . . out of the heart of men, injurious reasonings issue forth: fornications, . . . adulteries, . . . loose conduct."-Prov. 4:23; Mark 7:20-23.
*** w56 8/15 503 Maintaining Integrity ***
19 The integrity-keeper has clean hands and a pure heart because as a faithful watchman he continues to give the warning. (Ezek. 3:17-19, AS) With faithful David of old he can say: "I have not sat with men of falsehood; neither will I go in with dissemblers. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
*** w50 12/1 484 Parable of the Sower ***
8 That kind of hearers are those who listen without understanding or who do not seek an understanding. They can thus be easily robbed of the life-giving information that was sown on their hearts. Only a wicked person would want to rob them of this seed of God's Word instead of cultivating it in their hearts. That wicked one Luke's account says is the Devil. Mark's account says he is Satan, which name is another designation of that same wicked one. (Mark 4:15) We can be sure he is ever alert and watches wherever the seed is sown and follows it up with his assaults to commit a robbery. He sends out his "birds", whether they are invisible demons who work at the mind or are men and women. His birds hate the pure Word of God, whether by that is meant a faithful translation of the Bible or the explanation of the "faith that was once for all time delivered to the holy ones". (Jude 3, NW) Like hungry birds which are not interested in the producing of food for mankind, Satan's agents are on the hunt for such seed sown. How many reports we receive of clergymen, nuns and priests that follow up the distribution of the printed Word by Jehovah's witnesses and demand that its obtainers either hand over such printed material or else burn it up if they do not surrender it to such religious "birds"! They will attack and oppose such printed Word, in harmony with the wicked one's name "Satan". Or else they will misrepresent it and slander and malign the ones sowing such spiritual seed, in harmony with the wicked one's name "Devil". In this way they show they are his children.-John 8:44.
*** it-1 623 Devoted Thing ***
These scriptures all serve to emphasize the divine statement at Deuteronomy 7:9, 10: "And you well know that Jehovah your God is the true God, the faithful God, keeping covenant and loving-kindness in the case of those who love him and those who keep his commandments to a thousand generations, but repaying to his face the one who hates him by destroying him. He will not hesitate toward the one who hates him; he will repay him to his face." God's Son, who gave his life as a ransom, declared: "He that exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life; he that disobeys the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains upon him." (Joh 3:36) The cursed "goats" of the prophetic parable at Matthew 25:31-46 are clearly such persons upon whom the wrath of God remains and who are therefore devoted to everlasting destruction.
*** it-1 1043 Hate ***
Proper Hatred. Nevertheless, under certain conditions and at certain times it is proper to hate. "There is . . . a time to love and a time to hate
." (Ec 3:1, 8) Even of Jehovah it is said that he hated Esau. (Mal 1:2, 3) But this cannot be attributed to any arbitrariness on God's part. Esau proved himself unworthy of Jehovah's love by despising his birthright and selling it and hence also the divine promises and blessings attached thereto. Moreover, he purposed to kill his brother Jacob. (Ge 25:32-34; 27:41-43; Heb 12:14-16) God also hates lofty eyes, a false tongue, hands that are shedding innocent blood, a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, a false witness, anyone sending forth contentions among brothers, in fact, everyone and everything standing in complete opposition to Jehovah and his righteous laws.-Pr 6:16-19; De 16:22; Isa 61:8; Zec 8:17; Mal 2:16.What kind of hatred must servants of God cultivate?
In true loyalty to Jehovah, his servants hate what and whom he hates. (2Ch 19:2) "Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies."
(Ps 139:21, 22) But this hate does not seek to inflict injury on others and is not synonymous with spite or malice. Rather, it finds expression in its utter abhorrence of what is wicked, avoiding what is bad and those intensely hating Jehovah. (Ro 12:9, 17, 19) Christians rightly hate those who are confirmed enemies of God, such as the Devil and his demons, as well as men who have deliberately and knowingly taken their stand against Jehovah.While Christians have no love for those who turn the undeserved kindness of God into an excuse for loose conduct, they do not hate persons who become involved in wrongdoing but who are worthy of being shown mercy. Instead of hating the repentant wrongdoer, they hate the wicked act, yes, "even the inner garment that has been stained by the flesh."-Jude 4, 23.
*** it-2 278-9 Love ***
"A Time to Love." Love is held back only from those whom Jehovah shows are unworthy of it, or from those set in a course of badness. Love is extended to all persons until they show they are haters of God. Then the time comes for love's expression toward them to end. Both Jehovah God and Jesus Christ love righteousness and hate lawlessness. (Ps 45:7; Heb 1:9) Those who intensely hate the true God are not persons toward whom love is to be expressed. Indeed, it would accomplish no good to continue exercising love toward such ones, for those who hate God will not respond to God's love. (Ps 139:21, 22; Isa 26:10) Therefore God properly hates them and has a time to act against them.-Ps 21:8, 9; Ec 3:1, 8.
*** w97 1/15 17 A New Tool to Help People Learn God's Requirements ***
When the couple looked at the table of contents, the lesson "Practices That God Hates" caught their attention. "I was always taught that God could never hate-he's all love," said the young woman. "This is the one I'm going to read first." When the two pioneers returned the following week, the young woman said: "I was reading the new brochure. It's so hard to do all the things we should. Jehovah isn't pleased with us-we aren't married.
*** w97 11/1 13-14 In the World but No Part of It ***
"God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life"? (John 3:16) The disciples were clearly a part of that world because they were the first to exercise faith in Jesus for everlasting life. Why, then, did Jesus now say that his disciples were separate from the world? And why did he also say: "Because you are no part of the world, . . . on this account the world hates you"?-John 15:19.
2 The answer is that the Bible uses the word "world" (Greek, ko'smos) in different ways. As explained in the preceding article, sometimes in the Bible "the world" refers to mankind in general. This is the world that God loved and for which Jesus died. However, The Oxford History of Christianity states: "The 'world' is also a term in Christian usage for something alienated from God and hostile to him." How is this true? Catholic author Roland Minnerath, in his book Les chrtiens et le monde (Christians and the World), explains: "Taken in a derogatory sense, the world is thus seen as . . . the domain where powers hostile to God carry out their activity and that constitutes by its opposition to Christ's victorious rule an enemy empire under Satan's control." This "world" is the mass of humanity that is alienated from God. True Christians are no part of this world, and it hates them.
*** w96 3/15 22 Jehovah-A Lover of Righteousness and Justice ***
So how can we prove to be lovers of righteousness and justice? By putting on "the new personality, which was created according to God's will in true righteousness and loyalty." (Ephesians 4:24) Then we will love what God loves and hate what he hates.
*** w89 6/15 31 Jehovah Stirs Up the Spirit of His People ***
Jehovah hates counterfeits. In God's congregation, any who persist in 'speaking falsehood' are 'pierced through,' being rejected as apostates. "Two parts" in the land will be cut off, while the third part will be refined through fire. Parallel to this, the great majority of those claiming to be Christian-those of Christendom-have been cut off by Jehovah.
*** w83 7/15 8 No Unlucky Spell Can Harm You ***
God hates all spiritistic practices
. The Bible says: "There should not be found in you anyone . . . who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead."-Deuteronomy 18:10, 11.*** w76 1/15 59 Abuse Endured Results in Glory ***
: "He that is fond of his soul destroys it, but he that hates his soul in this world will safeguard it for everlasting life."-John 12:25.
