*** WATCHTOWER EMPHASIS then and now ***

by Deleted 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Deleted

  Morning, all.

  Randy graciously gave me some room at Freeminds to link my project work on the theory that the WTS only uses around 250 Scriptures in the Watchtower magazines to propagate and inculcate Current Truth and the Scriptures used have moved from emphasizing the heavenly hope to that of strict legalism. I am hoping, through the use of the WT magazines ony, to prove this statistically.

  Here's the link:

  http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/wtemphasis.htm

  Your help in identifying Key Words and Scriptures to statistically proof this theory is appreciated.

  Peace
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  Gig

  What a great idea, although a TON of work. But how better to demonstrate how the WTS has morphed than to call attention to what is emphasized. Russell wasn't as bad as some might think, at least in comparison to some of their other prez's. This project of yours can conclude to plainly show their evolving "personality" and direction, scare/guilt tactics. It will be interesting to see if your research picks up the distinct changes from Russ to Joe to Knoor to Franz, maybe not so much after Joe knowing that Franz was pretty much the writer even while Joe was domineering. Also the current GB's emphasis. Exiting stuff!

  MORE POWER TO YOU!
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  Room 215

  Good going, Deleted! Your project shapes up as an exremely valuable piece of research. It brings to mind a thread here recently which purported to show that a check on the Watchtower CD-Rom shows Matt: 24:45 as the most often-cited scripture in their body of literature for the nineties. The project will also demonstrate what a minuscule proportion of the entire Bible that JW dogma rests upon, and that vast stretches of scripture are almost totally overlooked.
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  Francois

  Very, very good work and lots of it. My hat's off.

  You may want to think adding about some of the key scriptures, especially in the NT that do no appear, or appear so rarely, in WT publications as to be laughable. My favorite is that from Romans: "For all who are led by the spirit of God are the children of God." This scripture almost never finds its way into WT publications. Additionally, virtually the whole of Galatians is ignored by the WT because it is an indictment of WT behaviors. For instance, the WTs reintroduction of the concept of "bloodguilt" if someone is killed in your car and you knew it had bad breaks. You have, so saith the WT, performed actions worthy of real bloodguiltiness and can be jerked before a committee for it, as if the book of Galatians did not exist.

  And there are plenty of other scriptures that the WT avoids like the plague that tend to disprove other scriptures that the society holds so dear. That would be a very interesting and to my mind vital addition to your study.

  This is Ph.D. thesis material.

  Once again, my respects.

  francois
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  Deleted

  Hey, folks!

  Thanks for the supporting comments!

  I did use Romans 8:14 (Francois' favorite, and one of mine too!) and that came in 6th in the Russell search - bet it doesn't in the 1999 CD search.

  Matt 24:45 came in 8th - I'd guess that'd go up the charts in the 1999 CD search, but applying the the "class" not Russell himself.

  Peace

  Glen James, who once was Deleted

  All along, the Watchtower
  Told a pack of lies
  Broken hearts and promises
  So much wasted time
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  RubaDub

  Like I have said before, I wish the Society would focus more on the scripture where King Solomon describes the Shulamite maiden's breasts. Maybe do a 2 or even a 3 part Watchtower study article about them.

  The scripture should be one of the 250 or so that are continually quoted in the publications.

  *****Rub a Dub
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  justhuman

  nice one...generally the favoured scripture o the WT is Mathew 24:45-47
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  Noumenon

  I think it's pretty anal to try and find fault with the Organisation using such an approach, ie, the number of scriptures they use. Anyone knows the bible is like a mine full of diamonds. Much of it is mainly historical accounts, or non-doctrinal truths like in Psalms for example, the 'earth' in the mine. The scriptures that relate and apply to hardcore bible doctrine and truth are really not that aplenty..there is not many words of Jesus recorded in the bible for example. These verses stand out like the diamonds.

  Anyway, most trinitarians can only point to about half a dozen or so dubiously interpreted scriptures to support their dodgy dogma.