Anointed VS. G.B.: Who is Faithful Slave Class?

by Liberty 7 Replies latest jw friends

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  Liberty

  plmkrzy's post about the WT article on who should partake of the "emblems" really brings to light a serious contradiction in the Watch Tower Society's own convoluted theology. Many here have already pointed out these contradictions but I think it needs repeating in a clear post of its own. If, as this new WT article claims, an anointed one does not have any "greater understanding" of scripture than the non-anointed then what happens to the old teaching that the anointed are regularly in communication with Jah's holy spirit and transmit these communications to the WT Society's leadership? This, of course, was never true any where but on paper since the WT Society was always run from the top down by dictatorial individual presidents until near the end of Knorr's term when the G.B. took over as a dictatorial closed commitee. This event is detailed in Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz.

  No attempt was ever made to get the "spirit motivated" communications from the anointed scattered in various congregations by the early individual presidents or by the newly empowered G.B. so, despite what the rank & file JWs were told, it is clear that no such arrangement really ever existed and was a lie designed to provide spiritual legitimacy to the leadership. This lie is expanded by claiming that all those in important leadership roles were also of the anointed class thus giving them more "spiritual" authority since they too were tuned in directly to Jah's holy spirit, hence a "spirit directed" organization.. This "special" status is now called into question by the Watch Tower itself since an anointed one "has no greater understanding of scripture" than the non-anointed. This "clarification" was needed to keep the anointed who are not in leadership positions in subjection to local Elders who are now mostly of the "Great Crowd" class but it also makes one wonder how these anointed can be "spirit directed" but yet have no clearer understanding of scripture? How can the Faithful Slave class be all the anointed if they have no greater understanding of scripture?
• 

  JeffT

  Good point. If the annointed have no better understanding of scripture than anybody else, then this corollary statement is also true: everybody else's understanding of scripture is just as good. The whole fiction of the 144,000 members of the "faithful and discreet slave class" provided sprititual food etc, simply disappears. Of course I'm sure the average witness will totally miss the implications of this.
• 

  hooberus

  The solution is simple: The anionted are spirit-directed. They receive their spiritual direction through the timley arcticles in the Watchtower and Awake magazines.

  Ouch ..wait . . They are the ones who are supposed to provide the information for the Watchtower and Awake arcticles !
• 

  gumby

  then what happens to the old teaching that the anointed are regularly in communication with Jah's holy spirit and transmit these communications to the WT Society's leadership? This, of course, was never true any where but on paper .

  Hi Liberty,

  Actually I have never known this to be a teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses. I was wondering where you got that idea from.

  The way they pick the GB over the annointed is 40 years of special service is required of an annointed brother. They use this as another way to say......".these guys know more than others.....look how much experience they have." As you say......on one hand they say the knowledge of both groups are equal, yet they would never consider a man 5years a dub, of being worthy to be of the annointed and NEVER of the GB.

  They are experts at teaching two or more ideas, talking out of both sides of their mouth, yet claiming to have truth.

  Gumby
• 

  garybuss

  
  "The Temple" and "the Chieftain" Today
  15 What, though, is the relationship today between the anointed priestly class and such older men who, as part of the great crowd, are serving in positions of oversight? Ezekiel’s vision suggests that the elders who are members of the great crowd have a supportive and subordinate role, while the anointed take the spiritual lead. How so? Remember, the priests in the vision were given the responsibility to instruct the people in spiritual matters. They were also told to act as judges in legal cases. Additionally, the Levites were assigned to “posts of oversight” in the temple gates. (Ezekiel 44:11, 23, 24) Clearly, the chieftain was to submit to the spiritual services and leadership of the priests. It is fitting, then, that in modern times the anointed have taken the lead in pure worship. For example, the members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses have been chosen from among them. Such faithful anointed elders have been training the developing chieftain class for decades, preparing prospective members of this class for the day when they will be delegated their full measure of authority in God’s new world to come. (The Watchtower, March 1, 1999 p.16) ***
  
  
  There is new understand here and the "non-spirit-directed anointed" Watchtower quote was the hammer that drives the new light nail. The Society now has "Priests". The Governing body sees themselves as the collective High Priest of the Priestly class of the Jewish system or religious ritual. And the book publishing corporation workers under them are "chieftains".
  
  The "anointed class" is out of power. Now the "Priests" are in power and next are the "Chiefs", then the elders, and if an anointed sins he confesses to a "great crowd" elder.
  
  I submit the following for consideration:

  The Watchtower, March 1, 1999 p. 9-10

  "Set Your Heart Upon" God's Temple!
  8 The vision also refers to one called the chieftain . Ever since the days of Moses, the nation had had chieftains. The Hebrew word for chieftain, na·si´', could refer to a head of a paternal house, a tribe, or even a nation. In Ezekiel’s vision, Israel’s rulers as a class are rebuked for oppressing the people and are exhorted to be fair and just. Although not of the priestly class , the chieftain is active in a prominent way in pure worship. He enters and exits the outer courtyard with the nonpriestly tribes, sits in the porch of the East Gate, and provides some of the sacrifices for the people to offer. (Ezekiel 44:2, 3; 45:8-12, 17) The vision thus assured Ezekiel’s people that the restored nation would be blessed with exemplary leaders, men who would support the priesthood in organizing God’s people and be fine examples in spiritual matters.

  ibid: p.

  12-13 "Set Your Heart Upon" God's Temple! The Vision Focuses on Our Own Day

  19

  Ezekiel saw a temple that needed to be cleansed of idolatry and spiritual fornication. (Ezekiel 43:7-9) This surely could not apply to the worship of Jehovah in Paradise. Furthermore, the priests of the vision picture the anointed priestly class while still on earth, not after their heavenly resurrection or during the Millennium. Why? Note that the priests are pictured as serving in the inner courtyard. Articles in previous issues of The Watchtower have shown that this courtyard pictures the unique spiritual standing of Christ’s underpriests while they are still on the earth. Observe also that the vision stresses the imperfection of the priests. They are told to offer sacrifices for their own sins. They are warned of the danger of becoming unclean—spiritually and morally. So they do not picture the resurrected anointed ones, of whom the apostle Paul wrote: "The trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised up incorruptible." (1 Corinthians 15:52; Ezekiel 44:21, 22, 25, 27) The priests in the vision mingle with and serve the people directly. This will not be so in Paradise, when the priestly class will be in heaven. The vision provides, therefore, a fine picture of the way the anointed work closely with the "great crowd" on earth today.—Revelation 7:9; Ezekiel 42:14.

  ***

  This was all set up in the mid 1990's. Here is the result:

  Governing Body

  Date of birth

  John Barr (b. 1913)
  Carey Barber (b. 1905)
  Milton Henschel (b. 1920)
  Samuel Herd (b. 1935)
  Theodore Jaracz (b. 1925)
  Karl Klein (b. 1905)
  Steve Lett (b. 1949)
  Gerrit Losch (b. 1941)
  Guy Pierce (b. 1934)
  Albert Schroeder (b. 1911)
  David Splane (b. 1944)
  Lyman Swingle (b. 1910)
  Daniel Sydlik (b. 1919)

  Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (Incorporated 1884)

  President Don A. Adams
  Vice Presidents Robert W. Wallen, William F. Malenfant
  Secretary/Treasurer Richard E. Abrahamson
  Directors Danny L. Bland, Philip D. Wilcox, John N. Wischuk

  Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. (Incorporated 1909)

  President Max H. Larson
  Vice Presidents George M. Couch, Lonnie R. Schilling
  Secretary/Treasurer Gerald F. Simonis
  Directors Gerald D. Grizzle, David G. Sinclair, Robert M. Pevy

  Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses (Incorporated 2000)

  President William L. Van De Wall
  Vice Presidents Charles I. Woody, Leon Weaver, Jr.
  Secretary/Treasurer William H. Nonkes
  Directors Harold K. Jackson, Merton V. Campbell, Stanley F. Weigel

  Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses (Incorporated 2000)

  President Patrick J. LaFranca
  Vice Presidents Peter D. Molchan, Ralph E. Walls
  Secretary/Treasurer Joseph D. Mercante
  Directors Marvin G. Smalley, Kenneth J. Pulcifer, Eugene D. Rosam, Jr.

  Kingdom Support Services, Inc. (Incorporated 2000)

  President Harold L. Corkern
  Vice Presidents Alan D. Janzen, Robert L. Butler
  Secretary/Treasurer Alexander W. Reinmueller
  Directors James F. Mantz, Jr., Thomas Kalimeris, Alan G. Browning

  Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New Jersey, Inc. (Incorporated 1955)

  President Charles V. Molohan
  Vice Presidents James L. Bauer, J. Richard Brown
  Secretary/Treasurer Alan K. Flowers
  Directors Allen E. Shuster, David L. Walker, Vernon C. Wisegarver

  Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Florida, Inc. (Incorporated 1986)

  President Leonard R. Pearson
  Vice Presidents Alejandro G. Rodriguez, Maurice C. Turcot
  Secretary/Treasurer Mark L. Questell
  Directors Jim Moody, Sr., Anselm J. Packnett, Donald R. Krebs

  Valley Farms Corporation (Incorporated 1987)

  President Charles J. Rice
  Vice Presidents Kent E. Fischer, Robert L. Rains
  Secretary/Treasurer Albert L. Harrell
  Directors John R. Strandberg, Samuel D. Buck, Louis A. Travis

  ***
• 

  Liberty

  Hi Gumby,

  I am an old timer so it is possible that the Society changed/swept under the rug this doctrine since I left years ago. I'm guessing you were still in more recently than me so it's very possible they have stopped emphasizing this in recent years. In any case, I can't remenber a specific publication which describes this mysterious "spirit directed" arrangement but it was common knowledge among JWs when I was in and lent spiritual legitimacy to the leadership structure. The rank & file accepted that all of the anointed were somehow part of the leadership because of their spiritual bond with Christ and the communication of the holy spirit.

  Back in my day most JWs out in the sticks were unaware of the specific leadership personalities who really called the shots in New York. The person oriented leadership was always kept very deliberately anonomous (even the books and mags had no authors credited) and we proudly declared that we were not a cult because we did not follow a human personality. We had some vague idea of a legal/business structure to keep the printing factories running but had no idea that this was in fact also the seat of real power and doctrine formulation as well. In fact this is what Fred Franz gave a talk about which led to the (unintended by Fred) leadership shake up described in Crisis of Conscience by Ray Franz where the Governing Body took control away from the office of President. This shakeup event was totally unknown to be of any importance among rank & file JWs because we never knew the Watch Tower Society had been, up to that point, a totally one or two man show (Russel and Rutherford were one man dictatorships whereas Knorr and Franz worked as team dictators).

  I'm not saying these important figures were totally unknown among the JWs, I'm just saying we had no concept of their true power within the organization. I'm sure that some JWs who worked at Bethel or who were nearer to the seat of power were also more aware of the power arrangements than those of us who were futher removed in other parts of the country. In any case we were expected to believe that the surviving anointed were all together driving the operation under the spirit direction of Christ and Jehovah and therefore anything the Society said was directly from God and was not to be questioned. In short, most of us had no idea that one man, specifically Fred Franz, was responsible for most of what we believed. Some of us sacrificed greatly for and some even died for these one man proclaimations/interpretations, thinking all the while they were from the anointed collective who would one day continue to rule us from heaven after Armageddon.
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  uriah

  I agree with what liberty said. When I was younger and well in the org, we used to sit around the table trying to imagine how the holy spirit gave it utterences. The local elders held the view, and one which we accepted, was that they would all sit around reading the bible and would all simultaniously have the same thought and write it down and this became the WT and Awake articles. I also held the anointed brothers and sisters in awe and gave them reverential respect because I was lead to believe that they were in direct contact with Jehovah and how we treated them would be held against us. I also used to imagine that angels were somehow protecting us all assembled in the stadiums and that if one of the many planes that went overhead crahed we would all be OK. I never dreamed, and nobody I knew did either, that the books and mags were one, maybe two mens writings and not from holy spirit. It all comes as an unwelcome surprise and I can get bitter at the missed opportunities and the course my life took because I put faith in the word of men.
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  Liberty

  Welcome to the board Uriah,

  It's good to have folks who remember the same things I do because after having been in this cult it can really start to make you question your own memory sometimes, like poor Winston in Orwell's book, 1984. Ray Franz's Crisis of Conscience is a remarkable revelation about the Watch Tower Society because of the "small" falsehoods it reveals rather than any sensational scandles. The WTS's leadership has told hundreds of little lies over the years that add up to a more powerful repudiation than any one big sex or money cover up could have by itself. Jim Bakker was just greedy, horny, and thoroughly human in his scandles as opposed to the WTS bunch who come off colder, systematic, and much more calculating all proving their greater contempt for the JWs they have exploited.