Any Others of the "Anointed"?

by Hernandez 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  smiddy

  Do the GB members believe it when an individual claims they are of the anointed ? No of course not they never have. Whether they be male or female , and especially not females.

  I have been in a couple of KH `s where one or two have claimed to be of the anointed class , the sister was not treated any differently than any other sister,and of course she had no priveledges as such , not even cleaning out the toilets ,or handling the mikes.She was to be in subordination like the rest of the sisters.

  The brother, was not an Elder or even a Minisrerial Servant , and apparently he didnt even have any priveledges either.

  So my point is , the anointed are going to rule with Christ Jesus for a thousand years from heaven , yet here on earth in the Christian Congregation of Jehovah`s Witnesses , they are not even given the lowliest of assignments to serve their brothers and sisters.

  If the Congregations are truly led by Holy Spirit , surely the anointed on earth would be given due recognition. My understanding is, no anointed ones in any of the Congregations worldwide have any responsibility in any congregation , and certainly no sisters do.

  Illustrations in WT publications of the anointed in heaven show all of them having beards , not one of them is depicted as a sister.

  They may argue their is no gender in heaven ? So why are they all shown up as males ? with beards ?
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  notsurewheretogo

  Whilst I am now an athiest I found the OP's comments very interesting, thank you for sharing.
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  Xanthippe

  Welcome to the forum Hernandez. I'm glad you found a way of life that works for you and having a happy family and great career is evidence of that.
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  jeanniebeanzz

  Pretty common to be maligned when claiming to be a member of the annointed if you don't fit their preconceived notion of who 'should' be. Arrogant if you ask me for a man made orgainzation to say one way or the other as it (according to the bible) is not their responsibility to 'award'. :/ I've seen two 'late claimers' in my life, both treated like a pariah by the elders.
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  truth_b_known

  My father claims to be of the anointed. Growing up it was not until my teens and after my father moved the family to another state that I saw him being treated differently. It was not until just before I called it quits that he revealed some horrible things about how not only he was treated, but how my whole family was treated.

  At first, my dad was beloved by the congregation I basically grew up in. He was an elder and the presiding overseer of the congregation. He always had a part on the assemblies and conventions.

  After we moved into the new congregation things changed. Eventually he stepped down as an elder because he was being threatened. He was disagreeing with the presiding overseer too much.

  My dad moved the family to another congregation that was in the same Kingdom Hall. It wasn't too far after that he found himself being targeted for being disfellowshipped and was. Until this day, he still doesn't know the official reason why, but I do know that elders in that congregation bragged about disfellowshipping an apostate. I do know that he was asked "Do you believe that because you are part of the anointed on earth that makes you part of the faithful and discreet slave class?" to which he answered "Yes."

  What I found out some 15 years later was that my father was being targeted for disfellowshipping even prior to our moving to a new state. My father told me that a new circuit overseer that came in was gunning for him. This circuit overseer had a reputation of making sport of DFing those who professed to be of the anointed.

  What was even more interesting is that after my father was re-instated (even that is an interesting story) we had a new District Overseer who just happened to be our old District Overseer from the state we moved from. He told the elders that my father was never to have any of his privileges given back to him.

  The worst part, that part that effected me the most, the part that put me into a rage, was just before I called it quits my father revealed to me that he was recently told by three brothers this - When we moved into the new congregation, the presiding overseer went around quietly telling the brothers in the congregation now to associate with my family. I was 13 when I moved in.

  I remember when my younger sister married my best friend. His parents threw a fit. The yelled at him "Why are you marrying the daughter of that man!"

  It all made sense. I didn't get married until I was 26 and not for lack of trying. No sister my age in the circuit wanted anything to do with me. I was appointed a ministerial servant right out of high school. I pioneered and put in 100 hours a month. I had every privilege that a MS could have, including giving public talks and assembly parts. I started to think I just wasn't a charming or attractive person.

  The prejudice and bigotry towards those who profess to be of the anointed is real.
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  Hernandez

  Thanks for all the comments and notes of welcome.

  I came to learn to my own dismay that the Watchtower was filled with hypocrites of the worst kind. Promising to provide one type of environment, one that sought truth and was respectable, I encountered one that was unfriendly and intolerant.

  A group that claims to be one thing but is filled with unfriendly, intolerant people who mock you for following your conscience...they are a den of cowards, moved not be intelligence or honor, but driven still by base desires. They are the weak ones, the ones who have lost in the end. I look forward to my time here away from such hypocrisy. Thanks again.
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  OutsiderLookingIn

  It's an interesting phenomenon and I think the consequence of a belief system that there are two eternal hopes even though the Bible only speaks of one. With JWs, you get the division of an earthly reward and a heavenly reward. As a Christian (never a JW), I can say that I don't feel I'm better than anyone else or have an anointed feeling that I'm somehow elite or more special than others. In fact, it's quite the opposite; the Christian life includes times of discouragement, uncertainty and disbelief that God somehow wants me (but He does!). So, if presented with the idea that there is an earthly and heavenly hope as JWs are, I wouldn't think that too many people are going to say, "I'm somehow different therefore I have a heavenly hope that is reserved for 144,000 people in the world for all time."

  Add to that, the social pressure of Jehovah's Witnesses and a heavenly hope pretty much being looked down on (such a strange reaction by the way), you're going to have the situation where only people who read the Bible for themselves (Hernando); the mentally unstable; and those with delusions of grandeur that they are somehow different than other people are going to come forward and say that they are heavenly bound. Yes, all Christians believe in some sense that they are chosen by God but not in the sense that only 144,000 of them will be with Jesus in heaven because there are plenty of verses that open it to whoever believes in Him: as many as believe in Him are children of God (John 1:12). So it's not a matter of being special or different from others. It's a matter of being the called out ones, the ecclesia (church).

  As an aside, I am still not sure how this doctrine is even propped up the way it is. Revelation 5:9-10, which is used to support that the 144,000 are the only ones ruling with Jesus, actually refutes that assertion for one of two reasons. First, those words are not attributed to the 144,000--Revelation 5:8 refers to four living creatures and the twenty-four elders. Second, verse 9 says [the Lamb/Jesus] has redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation." But the 144,000 are from the tribes of Israel (Revelation 7:4-8). It is the great multitude (crowd) which no one could number that is of all nations, tribes, peoples and tongues (7:9). So it is the great crowd that have been made kings and priests (or a kingdom of priests) to our God.

  Revelation 5:8-10 (NKJV)

  8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

  “You are worthy to take the scroll,
  And to open its seals;
  For You were slain,
  And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
  Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
  10 And have made us/them kings and priests to our God;
  And we/they shall reign on the earth.

  Revelation 7:9

  After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands