You are only responsible to Jehovah for believing what the Society teaches.

garybuss

You are only responsible to Jehovah for believing what the Society teaches. Only the Society is responsible to Jehovah for error taught, not individual Witnesses. Where is this written by the Society? Anyone? Thanks, Gary

happyout

I would be surprised if they put this thought into writing, because it implies that the society could ever be wrong. That (as far as I know) has never been said, just that the light is getting brighter.

Happyout

garybuss

Hi HO They have written lots of places that they have made error. That's not hard to find. What I am looking for is where do they write that individual Witnesses are exempt from responsibility to God for following the error published by the Society.

Anyone have the text?

Yerusalyim

Interesting question,

As a Catholic, I would not be guilty for accepting a teaching of the church, even one that was later shown to be wrong, UNLESS my informed conscience told me different. In Catholicism an INFORMED CONSCIENCE outweighs all church teaching.

garybuss

I hope I have not dreamed this up. Alan? Anyone?

wednesday

no gary, u have no dreamed this up. Having been a jw all my life(nearly 50) i have heard this said many times. It is used when someone gets into independent thinking and the elders want to keep a lid on thim. They tell them, that even if the WTS is wrong, they are still ok if that is what the wts teaches at the time. I don't have a WT CD on the computer, or i'd check. It's possible it is stated in such a cloaked way that u would really have to be looking for it to see it. One place comes to mind-the questions form readers. Back during the oral sex, reasons for divorce mess. I know they stated once that if anyhone divoreced a mate b/c of current thinking, it was ok with jehovah.(words to that affect)

garybuss

Thanks Wednesday, I have searched and can not find the quote yet. I was sure I had seen it.

Anyone know what I am looking for?

Albatross

Dear Gary:

Yes I well remember the principle you speak of, but try as I might I cannot recall where it is written. I think it was back in the early 70s when the society was saying quite often how Armageddon was coming soon, that unquestioned obedience to congregation elders could mean our very lives. How failure to obey resulting in our loss of life would leave us accountable to Jehovah. There were many articles at that time requiring elders to be certain they could back up any counsel with scriptures, remember? Seems to me it was back around 72 or 73, and most likely a Watchtower article.

Of course they no longer require scriptural backing for counsel nor even disfellowshipping, as I was given the boot from an Our Kingdom Service article. Anyway, as traumatic as it was they did me a favor. I shall search tonight and see if I can locate what you are looking for, but I think it is worded differently than you state.

Albatross (formerly "Painthouser," if you remember Gary)

You are only responsible to Jehovah for believing what the Society teaches.

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