Elders Correspondence Guidelines PDF

by pale.emperor 17 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  AnonVet

  Stuckinarut2 says:
  

  Yes, they "have made the word of god invalid by their traditions"

  That got me thinking about the word "tradition".

  I searched for that.

  tra·di·tion
  trəˈdiSH(ə)n/
  noun
  noun: tradition
  1.
  the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation, or the fact of being passed on in this way.
  "every shade of color is fixed by tradition and governed by religious laws"

  synonyms:

  historical convention, unwritten law, mores; More

  a long-established custom or belief that has been passed on in this way.
  plural noun: traditions
  "Japan's unique cultural traditions"

  synonyms:

  custom, practice, convention, ritual, observance, way, usage, habit, institution; formalpraxis "an age-old tradition"

  an artistic or literary method or style established by an artist, writer, or movement, and subsequently followed by others.
  "visionary works in the tradition of William Blake"
  2.
  THEOLOGY
  a doctrine believed to have divine authority though not in the scriptures, in particular.
  (in Christianity) doctrine not explicit in the Bible but held to derive from the oral teaching of Jesus and the Apostles.
  (in Judaism) an ordinance of the oral law not in the Torah but held to have been given by God to Moses.
  (in Islam) a saying or act ascribed to the Prophet but not recorded in the Koran.
  

  See definition 2 above. Wow. Easy to make that scripture apply with that definition handy.
• 

  Awakenednow

  Is marrying an unbeliever defined as brazen now too? Therefore can be df'd ?
• 

  DesirousOfChange

  Brazen conduct is their new "catch-all" sin that they can use to DF anyone they can't boot out for a legitimate reason (WT legit, that is). In the past dating an unbeliever was reason for reproof, but if the couple ran out and got married, then everything kinda changed as "marriage is sacred" -- even with the unbeliever.

  But as has been said here, anything that 3 men decided is reason to DF you, is all it take to do so. They don't have to be right. . . . . Doc
  
• 

  blondie

  dating an unbeliever = reproof?

  probably a difference in terms but I think an anonymous "marking" talk was given

  reproof is the step in df'ing where the individual was guilty of a df'ing offense but was found repentant by the JC and can be announced privately to the small group who are aware of the offense or publicly if more widely known.
  
• 

  millie210

  Interesting that taking a blood transfusion and "being sorry about it" is grounds for counsel. NOT being sorry is grounds for DF.

  If most witnesses knew that, I bet they would take the blood when needed, save their lives and then be appropriately sorry about it when they needed to once the health crisis was over.
• 

  Awakenednow

  Thanks Doc. when I saw that new word "brazen" it made my head explode. At least it helps me shake the dissonance when it tries to creep in. I had friends growing up that were asked to describe in detail to the elders the extent of their conduct to determine how loose or brazen...1 finger or 2 and how far in etc.... yuck ! The questions that were asked by the elders should be considered brazen! Seems to me the shepherd book should be renamed the book of Pharisee and the only instructions in a true shepherd book should be one word - LOVE
• 

  pale.emperor

  Page 97, you can get disfellowshipped for Boxing but if you do Karate or Judo you just wont qualify as a pioneer or MS/Elder.

  Who makes this up? How have they come to this conclusion from the bible?

  Matthew 15:3-9
  

  3 Jesus replied, “And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’[a] and ‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.’[b] 5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’ 6 they are not to ‘honor their father or mother’ with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

  8 “‘These people honor me with their lips,
  but their hearts are far from me.
  9 They worship me in vain;
  their teachings are merely human rules.
  

  Great similarity to Pharisee's here: https://bible.org/illustration/pharisaic-laws

  Pharisaic Laws

  
  

  In contrast to the two commands of Christ, the Pharisees had developed a system of 613 laws, 365 negative commands and 248 positive laws... By the time Christ came it had produced a heartless, cold, and arrogant brand of righteousness. As such, it contained at least ten tragic flaws.

  (1) New laws continually need to be invented for new situations.

  (2) Accountability to God is replaced by accountability to men.

  (3) It reduces a person’s ability to personally discern.

  (4) It creates a judgmental spirit.

  (5) The Pharisees confused personal preferences with divine law.

  (6) It produces inconsistencies.

  (7) It created a false standard of righteousness.

  (8) It became a burden to the Jews.

  (9) It was strictly external.

  (10) It was rejected by Christ.

  Outlined from Fan the Flame, J. Stowell, Moody, 1986, p. 52.
• 

  Chook

  I can't believe they still rule people's lives to the most intimate details. Done a great job PE . I had a quick look and am gobsmacked page 98 puts oral sex in the same category as bestiality . Well isn't the GBs bedroom life quite boring. But to impose such unbacked interpretation of scripture regarding oral sex is ludicrous. Just another case af creating more laws for the sheep.