by Rocketman123 52 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Reflectively if many of the JWS's weak doctrines weren't active and enforced such as 1914, blood transfusions, disfellowshiping and the admonishment of things like education , traditional celebrations like birthdays, Christmas etc.
A less controlling organization, less judgmental to its followers
The JWS religious organization would probably be eminencely larger than what it is now.
By quite a bit I would guess
The nature of the question would preclude JW's themselves. Sorry for not being clear about what I meant by people on the street. I should know better than to use idioms like that.
Since there are bound to be more people who know JWs (family, friends, colleagues) than are JWs themselves, then the chances of people who know JWs being among the 100 people on the street are even higher than the chances of them being JWs themselves. Even if the average JW only knew as few as ten non JWs in their lives well enough to have had conversations about their beliefs that would be about 5 people out of a hundred. Given that many JWs have many non JW relatives, colleagues, friends, and at least some substantial conversations and Bible Studies on the ministry over decades, even allowed for some overlap, ten people per JW seems a conservative estimate. I know that in my, pretty brief, career as an active JW I had conversations with more than 10 non JWs about my beliefs, and I wasn’t particularly zealous or out of the ordinary.
Hi think it would depend who you were asking....another Christian, an agnostic, a Hindu or a Jew etc etc
I can only answer from a Christian or agnostic perspective, I think. The shunning is pretty shocking. It doesn't come off as Christian behaviour. The non charitable stuff was quite a stumbling block, too. Surely that's the main tenet of Christianity? The concept of preaching being such charitable love of neighbour you can only do that is a very weak argument.
It began because the colporteurs were basically book salesmen - it was essentially a job. Can you leave your job to go work in a soup kitchen? Usually not, hence the tradition of no charity in Watchtower. For people attracted by Christianity it's a H-U-G-E red flag.
More and more one reflects upon the activity of people like CT Russell and J Rutherford one could easily come to the conclusion that they were opportunistic egotists who wanted something to present to the public toward creating their own notoriety and praise.
Jesus Christ has returned was just the ticket to preach and propagate.
Today's GB men of the WTS/JWS are still lapping up a form of celebrity identity wherever they go.
Pretty good gig when you think about it .
The WTS pays for their trips around the world and when they arrive they get treated like adorned celebrities.
colporteurs were basically book salesmen
Ds: right ! in the french, col like parcel, porteur, as in carrier. sounds fancier, than delivery person.
There was an old photograph published by wt lately, that showed a lady pushing a bike, converted to carry books in the middle of the frame, with the caption that she was delivering the literature that had been previously ordered.
To think that wt classes this activity as "Doing good to the brothers of Christ", as per final judgement of the goats and other sheep.
The fundamental error is their very existence.
Child baptism. While they will make the case that infant baptism is unscriptural, and that baptism requires consent and a full understanding of its significance, they see no problem (even boast about) baptising children as young as six.
Ultimate , that is a big difference between the Org and Christendom. When a ( sometimes very young child) is baptised into the Org that effectively means that they are " owned " by the Org. If they do anything considered wrong they are disfellowshipped and can lose pretty much everything. That is my perception of the situation, please correct me if I'm wrong .
When a baby is baptised it is welcomed into the church family. That's it , if as an adult that child chooses to come to church or not , becomes a drug addict , thief or anything else , that person is always welcome back . In fact is never thrown out .
Jan
Bottom line: the Watchtower supposedly is God’s spokesman. Listen and obey or it’s like you are not accepting Jehovah’s feelings. Yet the Watchtower has constantly and consistently been WRONG about most of what they say. Their prophetic understanding has been changed so many times it isn’t funny. Either you speak for God or you don’t. God doesn’t flip flop like Watchtower does.
The JWS religion is one that is composed of hypocrisy for it points out other Christian based faiths as being false ruined by Satan as it were then created a slew of its own false doctrines .
Does that not make the JWS religion ruined by Satan as well ? (False Religion)
