by Gman2001 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
That set the preaching work.
Jesus chose them because of that. He didn't judge based on correct doctrine on everything or whether they celebrated Christmas at that time. He knew they would fix what was wrong.
What evidence is there that Jesus chose them then or any time since?
When are they going to fix what they have wrong?
I don't think this has ever been clear.. The two explanations I've heard are..
a) After taking the throne in heaven in 1914 Jesus inspected the religions claiming to follow him, because (only)the Bible Students were preaching his word, no part of the world (peaceful and neutral), loving, encouraging, and feeding one another spiritually, he placed his appoval on them as his "faithful and discreet slave"
b) The other, more complicated, explanation (which I heard a lot as a young Witness in the 1980s) was that again Jesus" came to the spiritual temple" and "judgement was to start with the house of God" and he was to "serve as a refiner to cleanse the sons of Levi". He found the Bible students sincere but in need of cleansing as they still were practicing pagan customs and had compromised their neutrality during the World War - cited was the fact that some of them had gone into the armed forces and a Watchtower had recommended participation in a National Day of Prayer suggested by the (US) President. As a result he let them be disciplined by going into " captivity to Babylon the Great"
Allegedly, at the instigation of their religious opposers, Watchtower representatives were charged and jailed on grounds of sedition based on inflammatory anti-government remarks in the publication 'The Finished Mystery'. Later they were exonerated, cleared of all charges and released.
This was seen as a sign that they had been sufficiently disciplined .and they 'cleaned up their act' cutting all ties to, false religion, the political system, and paganism. Now re-vitalized by Jehovah's approval they set out to Advertise the Kingdom , and recieved Jesus' appointment as his FDS
At least this is what I recall...It's all been overturned however since "The Governing Body has decided' that they, and they alone are the faithful discreet slave.
If Jesus chose them because they would ‘advertise, advertise’ when they ran into trouble several times violating laws, they stopped doing that and started ‘door to door to sell, sell’ which changed to ‘door to door, donate, donate’ and then during COVID, ‘stay home, stay home’ and then ‘cart, cart, but only if you feel like it’ wouldn’t that be the same argument as the change of doctrine.
If Jesus chose them at a time when there was a strict requirement for pioneers (they used to be called “full time” for a reason) to be doing 180h/month and even more for missionaries and others, how does he feel now that it’s 30h/month or less if you are elderly.
@Herelam: the argument against that is that since that time, they have pretty much rejected all the doctrine and practices of that time. The JW ‘today’ is an entirely different thing than what it was just 20 years ago, and it was different from 20 years before that, let alone more than a 100 years later, it is completely unrecognizable. If the reason for Jesus’ blessing was their practices and beliefs of that time, then they’ve got some explaining to do for what changed since.
Antony Mous
I was just relating, not agreeing, with the various ways the "choosing" had been explained. Yes, it is different now. Now they just say "The Faithful and Discreet Slave was appointed in 1919,' with no background or explanation at all, and it's just supposed to be accepted as fact
Yes the lord looked ALL OVER THE EARTH had settled on a few guys in Brooklyn and Philly with marital issues, drinking issues, cute young female traveling companions, who where students of Masonic Rites, Egyptology, and Spiritism. Who believed god would help minorities by making them "white" in the future. And especially one who looked like WC Fields!. lol
" with no background or explanation at all, and it's just supposed to be accepted as fact "
They did that for a number of years with the thoroughly debunked 1914 nonsense, just presented it as fact. with no explanation.
Then they published a some convoluted and logically nonsensical articles to "explain" the insane "overlapping generations" crap, and gave an "explanation" of 1914 that was no such thing. Looking back, that method, presenting as fact with zero evidence, goes all the way back to C.T. Russell, he did that lot !
Most of today's J.W's have only experienced this milieu, and so cannot explain 1914 or 1919. or anything else much, they simply refer you to the J.W Web Site, which contains only bullshit "explanations ".
I still find it humorous to think that God scoured the Earth to find worthy representatives and somehow settled on Joseph Rutherford as the ideal person to do that job.
How exactly did Jehovah come down to earth in 1919....look around at all the religions....and choose the bible students?
By means of Willy Wonka's Flying Glass Elevator, accompanied by the singing Oompa Loompas.
Duh.
By means of Willy Wonka's Flying Glass Elevator, accompanied by the singing Oompa Loompas.
that'll do
make it so
Oompa Loompa Doompadee Doo
I've got another puzzle for you
Oompa Loompa Doompadah Dee
If you are wise you'll listen to me
How did Jehovah choose the Watchtower
Ensuring Rutherford so much power?
It wasn't truth coming down on high
But rather that they had learned to lie!
Oompa Loompa Doompadee Dah
If you don't learn from them, you will go far
You will live in happiness, too
Like the Oompa Loompa Doompadee Doo!
