JGnat's Comments on December 1 Study

by jgnat 10 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • jgnat
    jgnat

    WT October 15, 2002 Study Article for December 1, "Oppose the Devil"

    "Oppose the Devil and he will flee from you" James 4:7

    It is necessary for Apocalypse watchers to observe a steady decline of the world we live in. Eagerly waiting for the death to this world, they see every disaster, massacre, war, and new weapon of destruction as one more nail in the coffin. Is this what Jesus meant when he asked us to pray for Gods Kingdom to come? (Luke 11:1-4)

    One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God isnt ushered in with visible signs. You wont be able to say, "Here it is!" or "Its over there! For the Kingdom of God is among you." (Luke 17:21 NLT)

    I take this to mean eagerly desiring the Kingdom of God to come is not the same as eagerly awaiting the destruction of this earth. Rather, the Kingdom of God can be found by searching our own hearts and demonstrating by our lives that we are living the Kingdom of God now.

    1 The article starts with a quote from a famous existentialist. God has disappeared, but the Devil remains. Those words of the French author Andre Malraux could well be applied to the world in which we live. Could well is WT code for assumptions made without any backing. I notice the WTS is not too concerned that its faithful sheep will be inspired to further study. Existentialists can be pretty depressing, and not necessarily Christian. Is the world getting better or worse? It all depends on who you talk to:

    Satan is concentrating his efforts on Gods dedicated servants, waging war with anointed Christians, "who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus". How magnanimous to preserve for themselves the martyrs crown. Do they have any evidence that they are persecuted more than any other Christians? I sense a persecution complex setting in....These Witnesses...need to be vigilant.

    2 he can cause Christians to reason falsely. Really? And the scripture to back this up is?? Flip Wilson said, the Devil made me do it! Was he right? A statement like this can leave faithful witnesses doubting their own reasoning ability. Better rely on the pre-approved WT materials to do your thinking for you!

    3-9 What follows is a thinly veiled comparison of modern entertainment to the roman empires. The FDS discreetly inserts itself as protector of vulnerable sheeplike ones. We need all the protection God provides through his Word, his spirit, and his organization so that we "may be able to stand against the machinations of the Devil." Adding to the scriptures Jehovah and his holy spirit is not enough, eh? I thought his spirit was for the exclusive use of the anointed ones...Take a peek at these quotes:

    3 Satan can be compared to a birdcatcher who sets traps to catch unsuspecting victims...Without a doubt, the Devil uses many tricks and crafty acts in his efforts to ensnare Jehovahs servants.

    4 ...the masses got plenty of entertainment so that they would not rebel.

    So what does the WTS use to keep the sheeplike ones from rebelling, hmmmmm?...public holidays were as numerous as working days...keeping their stomachs full and their minds diverted. The writings of Tertullian are referenced. What an interesting guy. I wonder if the WTS would mind if its faithful sheep read more of his works.
    His most important work is the Apologeticum, in defense of the Christians. Running it close must be Adversus Praxean, in which the doctrine of the Trinity comes into clear focus for the first time, in response to a heretic who was twisting the biblical balance between the persons of the Godhead. In this work, he created most of the terminology with which this doctrine was to be referred (and is still), such as Trinitas, etc. Quoted from the "Noddy" Guide to Tertullian.

    5...most of the public festivals and games were held in honor of pagan gods. So is the WTS honoring the same holidays that the first century church did? Jesus worshipped on the Shabbat (Luke 4:16) and celebrated all the Jewish holidays such as Passover and Chanukah (Matthew 26:17; John 10:22.)

    Jehovah set up regular holidays to remind the people to worship Him and to help the people remember what He had done for them. (Exodus 12:1-3, Leviticus 23:1-44, Numbers 29:1-39, Psalm 81:1-5) Jewish holidays:

    • Passover,
    celebrating the rebirth of spring, commemorates the Exodus from Egypt;

  • Shavuot
    • (Pentecost), the festival of first fruits, recalls receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai
  • Sukkot
    •  (Tabernacles), the fall harvest festival, is a reminder of wandering in the wilderness.
  • Rosh Hashanah,
    • the Jewish new year
  • Yom Kippur
    • , the Day of Atonement.
  • Hanukkah,
    • the commemoration of the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple following the successful revolt of the Jews against the Syrian-Greek oppressors, and
  • Purim,
    • the celebration of delivery from destruction as recorded in the book of Esther

    Does the WTS consider all these holidays pagan as well? How many feasts and holidays do the Jehovah's Witnesses celebrate in honor of Jehovah?

    5...debased their feelings and perverted their instincts.

    6 Satans trick was to blunt peoples repugnance to immorality and violence until these things became commonplace and were sought after by the populace.

    7 Clearly, the Roman circus was no place for Christians.

    8 What of the famous roman Baths?....Wise ones abstained.

    9 Gambling was a favorite pastime..

    Satan's Snares Today

    P. 10-13 now repeat the obvious, that the WTS considers modern entertainment to be as pagan and corrupt as those roman celebrations.

    10...Many people have more leisure time than ever. State lotteries give even the poor a glimmer of hope. There is plenty of cheap entertainment to occupy peoples minds. Sports stadiums are full, people are gambling, crowds sometimes get violent and players often do

    . Do the FDS plan on sucking all the testosterone out of Witness males? Degrading music fills peoples ears, and lewd shows occupy theater stages as well as movie and TV screens...mixed bathing saunas...Satan tries to entice Gods servants by means of worldly leisure activities.

    11...vacation facilities and resorts have proved to be a trap...immorality or overdrinking.

    12 ...in the case of Eve how Satan used cunning to corrupt her thinking...if they (other sheep) go as far as possible in trying to show that Jehovahs Witnesses are just like other people (HORRORS!)...they go too far and the reverse occurs....embolden dedicated Christians to live double lives and grieve Gods holy spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Some have fallen into this trap through the abuse of the Internet. They couldn't possibly be talking about jehovahs-witness.com, could they?

    13 Another of Stans snares is disguised occultism....even childrens books and comics that highlight violence or uncanny practices. Anything that smacks of the occult needs to kept at a distance. They wouldnt be talking about Harry Potter, would they? Perhaps the Legal Department makes sure specific references are not made, to prevent a lawsuit. Making broad statements like these puts every faithful sheep in a mental minefield. They can do their best to follow their conscience, but if they open any magazine or book, rent any video, participate in any neighbourhood event, burn any incense, open any website, or watch any sports, they may be in danger of Satan or a local Judicial meeting. Since Satan is the god of this system of things, anything that is very popular could possibly hide one of his traps. OK, faithful and discreet and humble sheep, I dare you to go enjoy something relaxing. The WT magazine, I suppose, is to be the wholesome alternative. See Job and his scabs in the following article. Give your children nightmares.

    Jesus Opposed the Devil

    P. 14-17

    15 ... an interesting thought with regard to this temptation is that the Devil did not seek to have Jesus commit a sexual sin. ...he is using sexual tempations as one of the main crafty acts in his effort to break the integrity of Jehovahs people. Now how DID they manage to do that? Even though the scriptures do not mention sex, the FDS manages to sneak it in AGAIN. I wonder how many sexual acts are LISTED on their sin database?

    16...how closely can we imitate worldly fads in our dress and grooming without being counseled? Are we tempted in the area of questionable entertainment? Did Jesus counsel any of his disciples on their manner of dress? This is sounding more and more pharisitical.

    17..he constantly tempts us with materialistic glitter, even a vision of a little personal kingdom. Do we respond as Jesus did, giving our exclusive devotion to Jehovah?...A Christian wrote to the branch office of Jehovahs Witnesses in France; "Satan is truly cunning. In spite of my best intentions, I find it very difficult to master my feelings and my desires. Nevertheless, with courage, patience, and above all, Jehovahs help, I have managed to pull through and hold fast to the truth."

    Fully Equipped to Oppose the Devil

    P. 18-19

    Finally, some instructions on how to resist evil. (Ephesians 6:11-18) No wonder the boy in France had so much trouble. The best equipment; prayer and the power of the Holy Spirit is denied him (As far as I can tell, the anointed class have claimed exclusive right to the power of the Holy Spirit, and the other sheep only gain access through them). Just from my personal observation, Witnesses pray rarely and poorly. There seems to be a definite lack of confidence in approaching the throne of God.

    Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere (Ephesians 6:18 NLT)

    Let's see....18 paragraphs on the cleverness and power of the Devil, and 2 paragraphs on how to oppose him. Who is giving Satan all this power and all this air time? Perhaps the FDS would claim, The Devil Made Me Do It.

    Note: Italics are quotes from WT materials.

    I use Quotes for bible references.

    I also include links to other useful sites.

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  • jgnat
    jgnat

    Is anyone finding this study useful? I could use some encouragement about now... (that will teach me for posting at midnight).

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  • blondie
    blondie

    Sorry, jgnat, I tried to post and was over my limit (again). I appreciated your comment on Tertullian. The WTS uses him as a credible source of information as if he were a Christian with beliefs they support, yet here he was an outcast, an apostate, because of his Montanist views.

    Put more of your own thoughts into your work and not so much WT. I was doing that in my first reviews and had less response. I certainly appreciate the time this takes. So less WTS and more jgnat.

    Love Blondie

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  • jgnat
    jgnat

    Thank you so much, Blondie! Constructive criticism is just what I need. Thanks for the tip. I will summarize the main themes, and if I quote, I will comment directly. As a side benefit, I am learning a lot more about the foundations of Christianity, and why some topics were fought over so fiercly in those early years.

    Demoting Jesus to angelic status severely downgrades His mission and purpose, which in turn, changes how we view His ability to impact our lives. How very crippled is the Watchtower life. Devotion to Jehovah is reduced to three assignments; daily bible reading, attendance at the KH, and door-to-door preaching work.

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  • refiners fire
    refiners fire

    Well I read your entire post JG and thought it pretty interesting. Any chance of you posting the whole article? It sounbds like something from the good old days of the 70s when they banned all worldly information as Satanic. I wonder what "Uncanny" prectises there are in Comic books ( to quote your post) Maybe the Uncanny X Men, those mighty mutants....oooh. Mutants....Brings back thoughts of the NEPHILIM dont it!!

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  • jgnat
    jgnat

    ...and RF, let's not forget those Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Oops. That is probably the last generation. I am getting old....Sorry, I will not post the whole thing. I do not have a scanner, and you couldn't pay me enough to type it.

    oh, and lest I forget, my favorite X-Man, Canadian no less, Wolverine.

    Edited by - jgnat on 30 November 2002 23:28:5

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  • onacruse
    onacruse

    ((jgnat)) You know how much I enjoy chatting with you and respect your opinions. Your thread here has a lot to offer, but...

    I freely admit to a "weakness" on my part. I find it very difficult to read, or post, much more than a paragraph or two. Not an attention span thing, more of "how much can I intelligently digest from or productively offer in each post?"

    For example, your observation "I sense a persecution complex setting in...." speaks volumes, and from a sociological and historical perspective would merit an entire thread of its own.

    Maybe I'm just getting lame?

    Craig

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  • jgnat
    jgnat

    I know what you mean, Craig. Some of those long posts make me go crosseyed. Like being stuck beside someone at a party who thinks a monologue is the same as a conversation. I started these commentaries with the idea that I would pick apart the entire article, so then I feel compelled to post the entire thing. The time before I posted a "rabbit trail" separately and then linked it. Perhaps I should narrow my focus to one or two points in each article that really catches my eye.

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  • marsal
    marsal

    jgnat,

    You asked if anyone found your comments on the WT study useful. Yes!! I appreciate the comments you and blondie make on the current study articles. I can hardly believe that I used to blindly accept whatever was printed in the WT.

    Marianne

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  • RandomTask
    RandomTask

    I also must say that I enjoyed your post JG. I agree that I would like to see more of your comments and maybe a better distinction between what are your words and what the WT is saying, it would be less confusing. I think though that you hit the nail on the head with your comments. They never seemed THIS fundamental when I was in a few years back. Looking at this stuff now makes me think they are total wack jobs and the fact that most of the people who blindly follow what this is saying are of average intelligence scares me to no end. Please keep it up.

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