Hello All.
I'd appreciate any feedback on this one. Please email me (at [email protected]) any scriptures that come to mind that could illustrate the change in WT emphasis from the more benign Russelism through to the strict legalism of today.
Thanks!
Glen James
WATCH TOWER EMPHASIS - then and now
Glen James
February 1, 2003
Although the Watch Tower Society (WTS) has always claimed to be a Bible-based religion, the reality is that only a very small % of scriptures have been emphasized in WT study articles - currently supporting the unique beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses, its Law and very little else.
Although we all would like to think we were conducting "Bible Studies," the reality is these were WTS publication studies. The Watch Tower magazine itself has become the regular study publication of six million Jehovah's Witnesses. No other study is given this much attention; the runner up would be the mid-week Book Study, another WTS publication. About 1/3rd pre-study the WT another 1/3rd read along with it at the Sunday meeting, including the public question and answer session. Four million JW's read re-read these articles each and every week. It is from these pages that WTS Doctrine is propagated and inculcated.
Taking the 80/20 rule the math goes like this:
Total Bible verses (approx.) 31,500 100%
Used in Watch Tower magazines 20% less = 6,300 (20% of total)
Used regularly 20% less = 1,260 (4% of total)
Emphasized 20% less = 252 (