Where Does It Say JWs Can't Read Pubs By Other Churches?

by Cold Steel 39 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Cold Steel

  The JWs I've spoken to say they can be neither disciplined or disfellowshiped for reading the religious views of others. Years ago, my grandparents kept a publication of daily sermonettes or devotionals put out by, I think, the Methodists. It wasn't heavy on doctrine at all -- it was just "feel good" stories with morals. Each day my grandfather would read one at breakfast. When his JW family members were there they didn't make a huge secret of not approving of it and would not hesitate to criticize areas in which they disagreed. But what irked them most of all was any reference at all of going to Heaven, a hope of which my grandfather held very strenuously. So even a small reference could turn into a protracted discussion.

  My grandmother, a sweet old soul with a great deal of faith, but not even a smidgen of doctrinal knowledge, wasn't comfortable with the idea of just dying and becoming nothing. It became such an issue with these devotionals that my grandparents had to suspend them during these family visits.
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  Heaven

  Anything not produced by the Borg is suspect. My Father looked very suspiciously at my Hobby Farms Home magazine as if the demunz were about to ooze right out of it:

  

  My Father also called the Dictionary 'worldly' with a tone of disdain.
  
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  Village Idiot

  The elder who studied with me and took out on my first day of field service said that we were not under any circumstances to accept anyone else's literature.
  
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  BluesBrother

  As quoted by Blondie:

  Witnesses do not make a practice of exchanging valuable Bible study aids containing Scriptural truth for religious literature that disseminates error

  The funny thing is that the lit we were using in those days is now known to be full of errors, according to current Borg teaching....

  I recall at the time the QFR came out , I was in ministry with an elder who was a "strict by the book man". I was more independently minded. This young lady offered a pamphlet from her church if I gave her mine . I said "Yes, thankyou" and stiff uptight elder with me butted in and said "Oh No we cannot accept other teachings !" I was annoyed at him... he thought I was very wrong. (this leaflet only seemed to be a daily reading list of scriptures , anyway ....)
  
  
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  Cold Steel

  The elder who studied with me and took [me] out on my first day of field service said that we were not under any circumstances to accept anyone else's literature.

  How is anyone going to work with someone if they first don't understand how the person thinks and what he thinks? To this day I read anything that's handed to me. (I even watched the bunker videos! Yeeech!) And I still keep the red JW Revelation Climax book with my collection of mythologies and yes, I still read it from time to time. I put most of the stuff in my "so bad it's good" folder.

  I fully understand why they wouldn't want their people reading competing literature, though.

  
  
  
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  iwasblind

  Well you can get DF'd for listening to Christian Music. It's in the elders book. So they can write songs about a cart, but we can't sing praise music. Totally screwed!
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  Vidiot

  Cold Steel - "...But what fascinates me about the Jehovah's Witnesses is that their faith is so great and their evidence is so sparse..."

  ...he said, without a trace of irony. :smirk:
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  Vidiot

  Seriously though, JWs' "great faith" has nothing to do with evidence (said faith in view of lack of evidence is, in fact, considered a high virtue), and everything to do with enforced unity.
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  Cold Steel

  Vidiot » ...he said, without a trace of irony.

  Yes, and with good reason. The evidence of the first century church is in its witnesses. People saw Jesus' miracles such as his healing of the sick and raising the dead. Peter, James and John witnessed the events on the mount of transfiguration, setting Moses and Elijah; and the scriptures themselves say that in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

  The same is true of the latter-day saints. Many people witnessed the modern day miracles such as the healing of the sick and the raising of the dead, just as in ancient times. We also have witnesses of the Book of Mormon and the ministry of angels and many of our early apostles had visions. Many witnessed the landing of the quail and the appearance of honeydew, which fed the early latter-day saints, as well as the miracle of the seagulls in Utah. And these accounts are in their journals.

  But the JWs have no such claims. No angelic visitations, no revelations, no prophecies, nor miracles and, of course, no witnesses. How could they then claim the keys of authority given to Peter?

  Had Charles T. Russell seen visions, entertained angels, been given given authority by those with authority and in the presence of witnesses, they would have a far greater case. But none of these exist. So how could they know of the invisible return of Jesus or his inspection of the churches of Christendom in 1918-19?

  That's my point.

  
  
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  Cold Steel

  Heaven » My Father looked very suspiciously at my Hobby Farms Home magazine....

  As he should have, you demonic apostate!

  You need inspirational works like Watchtower, Awake and Guns & Ammo.