77 years ago today, Watchtower admits 'they were truly supporting the war effort' in Australia

by was a new boy 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  was a new boy

  p 172

  
  

  'But, instead,

  other commercial enterprises were opened up under the

  direction of those at the Branch office, and the brethren

  were asked to operate sawmills, bakeries, numerous farms

  and piggeries, printing plants, machine shops, army can-

  teens, etc., all of which brought the brethren right into

  worldly pursuits, and in many of these occupations they

  were truly supporting the war effort.'

  
  

  Let's not name names! (remember Olin R. Moyle)

  
  

  By not naming names was it a truly heartfelt honest confession?

  
  

  p 173

  
  

  'We do

  not wish to shift the blame for this course of conduct upon any

  particular one or ones, but wish humbly to confess to a common

  responsibility for this matter here in Australia.

  
  

  THEREFORE, we, Jehovah's witnesses on this great continent,

  do hereby confess our sins and faults and shortcomings openly

  and jointly before Him, and we do ask his forgiveness and mercy

  through Jesus Christ, that he may blot out our transgressions.

  Trusting in his gracious restoration of us to his favor, we declare

  our purpose to walk more circumspectly through this postwar

  period, turning away from worldliness and seeking to maintain our

  integrity henceforth unspotted from the world.'

  
  

  Where's the apology to the worldwide brotherhood who did not participate in the war effort?

  
  

  How many on the disfellowshipping chopping block, have basically quoted the above paragraph and were spared?

  
  

  
  

  
  

  https://files.accessjw.org/s/Sbk2ae7nDpCCJab

  
  

  Nowadays an apology is not needed.

  
  

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ik2EUeZM0

  
  
  

  
  
• 

  was a new boy

  Why the Watchtower only goes back to 1950.

  
  
• 

  Journeyman

  You raise some interesting questions there, but the very fact there was an apology and a Resolution making a "confession" is amazing in itself - a stark contrast to the GB of today (and recent years)!

  Can anyone seriously imagine any member of the current GB standing up and reading a Resolution seeking Jehovah's forgiveness for any errors within the organisation? Or printing such in a Watchtower article (or today's equivalent - making a statement from behind that fancy desk at JW HQ on a monthly broadcast?)

  That JW vs JW clip shows that it's not just that someone may "err", but what compounds the error is when they stubbornly refuse to change their way, and then even if forced to change later, they will deflect away from the need for any apology or admission of guilt to phrases like "it's a refinement", and worse, tacitly blame God for it by saying things like "Jehovah was guiding one way previously, but now he has directed us differently".
  

  It reminds me of the very same way in which the leaders of the Biblical nation of Israel often behaved, and God called them "stiff-necked" and "hard-hearted", and indicated that they themselves were often to blame for the suffering of their own people and for the attacks on them carried out by other nations, as He withdrew His protection due to their disobedience and attitude.
  
  Likewise today, much of the ridicule JWs endure, and the "persecution" at the hands of governments, is because of policies the GB choose to enforce, many of which are not scripturally required.
  
  For example, while not taking up arms is a Christian stance, there is no need to refuse alternatives to military service, yet in many cases the GB has insisted brothers and sisters not even do civilian duties. This has brought Witnesses in many countries into unnecessary conflict with governments and law courts over decades.

  And now, much of the suspicion and negativity aimed at Witnesses is due to the secrecy of the GB regarding sexual offences, financial irregularities and other crimes and misdemeanours which they have allowed to build up over the years, when they could and should have lanced these boils of corruption and sin ages ago, made public confession and cleaned up the organisation.

  Yet still they double down on being God's only representative on earth, and His only "faithful and discreet" servant, who must be listened to and obeyed without question.
  
• 

  NotFormer

  Personally, I don't believe for a minute that the local JWs did Sweet Fanny Adams to contribute to the broader community during the war. They are the only religion to be banned by the Australian Government for the obnoxious way they were carrying on while the country was at war. This looks like a story they made up to try and look good to the broader community, and the apology (for something I don't believe happened*) was both to thumb their nose at said broader community ("We're sorry we helped you ungrateful sods; we won't do it again!") and to cement the anti-war anti-government stuff in the eyes of the faithful.

  *I'm willing to accept true evidence, not this publicity stunt.

  Edited to add: I'm doubting that first paragraph, p. 172. What came before that paragraph, so that there is some context?
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  ozziepost

  Can anyone seriously imagine any member of the current GB standing up and reading a Resolution seeking Jehovah's forgiveness for any errors within the organisation? Or printing such in a Watchtower article (or today's equivalent - making a statement from behind that fancy desk at JW HQ on a monthly broadcast?)

  From my own understanding in the land Downunder, my take is that it was not a mea culpa by the GB (WTleadership) of the time but rather derived from a reprimand of the local i.e. Australia branch, leadership during a visit to the branch.
• 

  Vidiot

  Journeyman - “…still they double down on being God's only representative on earth…”

  From their POV, they have no choice.

  If, after a hundred years of rhetoric and policy, they’re not actually what they say, then by their own standards, they are a “false” religion, and therefore have no right to even exist…

  …which is, needless to say, unthinkable on their part.

  Journeyman - “…and must be listened to and obeyed without question.”

  This demand is a survival tactic.

  
  For the reasons listed above, the Org simply cannot allow its ability to function to be threatened, simply because if that ability were at serious risk, it couldn’t very well be what it claims to be… its status as “God’s only representative on Earth” should make it, for all intents and purposes, invincible.

  
  Requiring the rank-and-file’s unquestioning obedience is therefore a survival tactic, because there’s only one thing any religious authoritarian high-control group fears worse than loss of tax-exemption and insolvency…

  
  …and that’s a mass exodus (active or passive).

  
  

  At this stage in the game, with constant lawsuits, member apathy and discouragement, This Old System’s stubborn refusal to collapse into chaos (and supposedly bail the Org out)…

  …requiring unquestioning obedience is the only way to forestall that eventuality.
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  Journeyman

  From my own understanding in the land Downunder, my take is that it was not a mea culpa by the GB

  Ah, that makes more sense - that it was more like a bollocking given to the leadership of a branch office. Still, it's unusual to give publicity to such a high-level roasting. Unless of course, they knew they couldn't cover it up or explain it away, so they decided the best option was to blame the "errors" of local branch officials.