New light question

yxl1

I was discussing with my motherinlaw last weekend the change in the 1995 "Generation" doctrine,and got the usual response that it was a new light. What started out as a little bit of fun during a long car journey actually turning into something quite sad and disturbing. I argued that old light was obviously wrong (by their own definition), and therefore, by her reasoning she has been preaching lies. Then came the shocker. I was expecting the Light getting brighter bollox, but she went on and on repeating the word "New light" and "getting brighter" over and over again. My wife who was sat in the back of the car found it amusing initially, but then I noticed a concerned look in her eyes. After about 5 minutes of my M-I-L repeating the same sentence, I quickly changed the subject to something non-jw related and everything went back to normal.

So, is there any information on the scripture(s) that contains the phrase "New light" with an explaination of what it really is about. A URL or a book title will do. I know that the Dubs use this phrase as a kind of "get out of jail free" card, and would love to know what the scripture really means.

Thanks in advance

yxl1

czarofmischief

I'm not a psychologist, but it sounds to me like you hit a nerve! WTF? That is one of the scariest things I've ever heard... maybe the mind control is more real than I thought!

Or was she having a mini-stroke? I've heard of those, although the odd way the conversation went back to normal after a while is weird...

CZAR

Dansk

my M-I-L repeating the same sentence

Is your M-i-L working on repetition for emphasis? Oh, sorry, new light - there's a new Ministry School book now, isn't there!

Most JWs haven't got a clue what the "generation" teaching means today. As someone has already pointed out elsewhere, the old generation thought was still on the official JW website recently (don't know if it's still there) - so I guess the GB don't understand it, either.

You'll have to face facts. The Borg will state a scripture means something it can't possibly mean and if you're a JW you either accept it or disagree at your peril!

I don't know of any Watchtower literature that actually lists "New Light" or defines it.

Dansk

BeelzeDub

"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." Pr 4:18 nwt

This is the scripture the WT uses to justify their "New Light" excuse. However it could be applied to any religion who is wrong about anything, and this they never acknowledge.

NeonMadman

"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established." Pr 4:18 nwt
This is the scripture the WT uses to justify their "New Light" excuse. However it could be applied to any religion who is wrong about anything, and this they never acknowledge.

True enough, and for the kicker, try reading the text in its context. Here's a clue: it has nothing to do with a religious group receiving information from God.

AlanF

BeelzeDub and NeonMadMan are absolutely correct about Watchtower's misuse of Proberbs 4:18. Clearly the passage says nothing about "new light", but only mentions that the "path of the righteous one" gets "brighter". The passage simply means that, in a metaphorical sense, the lives of "the righteous" will get better and better until "the restoration of all things" by God -- whatever that means. This is proved by the contrast in the context with "the unrighteous", whose path gets darker and darker. Obviously, God does not take knowledge away from "unrighteous" people and organizations as time passes; neither do "righteous" people gain knowledge from God. That's because God does not inspire anyone, and all such knowledge comes from ever-changing Bible interpretations.

This passage was used as an excuse for failed predictions at least as far back as 1843, when some of the Millerites used it to excuse their failed "end of the world" prophecy. Various Adventist groups have liberally used it ever since. Charles Taze Russell, having sprung from Adventist roots, also used it to good effect throughout his career. So it's a tried and true excuse, good for excusing any and all failures.

AlanF

jws

That new light garbage doesn't sit well with me. The implication would be that God, for whatever reason, decided you weren't ready for the whole picture yet. So it was OK to let people believe untruths until God felt his followers were ready for him to reveal something new to them??? Hardly a god of truth.

And does that apply to everyone? When a person becomes a JW, can they handle the current truth all at once? Apparently Jehovah feels it has to be revealed in small doses. So, maybe new ones should start with Russell's teachings and work forward so as not to have too much revealed at once.

And what about people who reached certain beliefs before the WTS? Why are they apostates for believing what the WTS eventually came to believe anyway? If that "new light" is actually the truth, then is it possible Jehovah revealed these truths to them before the WTS? And should they still be condemned? If they were in-line with God all along, why were they shunned? The only ones they were not in-line with were the WTS.

And if the WTS has had "new light" in the past, then there's no reason to believe there couldn't be more "new light" in the future. So it would hardly pay to be too dogmatic about calling it "the truth". And can you really shun somebody who believes something different? What they believe could be tomorrow's "truth".

Ravyn

when God supposedly said 'let there be light' and he saw it was 'good'----did he lie? there is no basis whatsoever for the 'new light' bull$h!t they spout, but then again there is no basis for any of their core teachings.

Ravyn

run dont walk

When I put this question to my family, they stated that nothing had changed, just they got more information, how pathetic is that.

I said I guess you really don't read the publications or listen very well do you ?

yxl1

thanks BeelzeDub and neon, I'll give the Proverbs chapter a good read when I leave work. It would be nice to sit down with my M-i-L and show her scriptual reasoning that the "new light" has nothing to do with recieving amendments on current teaching. I know she wont listen, and I know she'll spout some other verse to "prove" that I'm wrong. What I really want is for her husband, a long standing elder, to sit down and have a discussion with me. Not much chance of that, seeing as he has been refusing to speak to me since my wedding!! (even though I'm not df'ed)

New light question

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