Okay sorry, just a few more things that grabbed me in this issue:
The magazine starts with an article dedicated to the 100th anniversary of that all important year on which the GB's authority hangs, 1919. The article ends with several rapid fire assertions:
By the end of 1919, Jehovah’s people
were reorganized and energized. Addition-
ally, several important prophecies involving
the last days had been fulfilled. The testing
and refinement of God’s people, foretold at
Malachi 3:1-4, was complete. Jehovah’s
people had been released from their sym-
bolic captivity to “Babylon the Great,” and
Jesus had appointed “the faithful and dis-
creet slave.”
Yet naturally there is no proof offered, it's just now assumed to be a given. These things happened because they happened.
Then there's this sad opinion of a JW:
A sister
named Marilyn said: “JW Broadcasting
has helped me to be more positive, and I
don’t have to filter the content.
Ever since waking up, all I ever do when partaking of JW content is to 'filter' it and read between the lines. It's this uncritical acceptance that leads to so much harm.
Moving on . . . As we know, besides have their own vocabulary, JWs seem to make their own convenient definitions of certain words. (Like "generation".) This time, the word of the day is Christendom:
EXPRESSION EXPLAINED: Christendom is made up of
religions that claim to be Christian but that do not teach
people to worship Jehovah according to his standards.
Every authority will tell you that it's basically all Christian religions, but JWs like to say it's everybody but them.
Last but not least, here's some straightforward council on not supporting Christendom in any way:
a
Christian who is employed by some other
business would not want to do exten-
sive work at a facility that promotes false
worship. And if he owns a business, he
would certainly not bid on a job or do
contract work for any part of Babylon
the Great. Why do we take such a firm
stand? Because we do not want to share
in the works and sins of religious organi-
-
We also need to avoid such organizations as youth
camps or recreational facilities that have ties to false re-
ligion. For example, regarding membership in the
YMCA (Young Men’s Christian Association), see “Ques-
tions From Readers” in the January 1, 1979, issue of
The Watchtower. The same stand must be taken toward
the YWCA (Young Women’s Christian Association). Even
though some local affiliates try to downplay the religious
aspects of their activities, these are, in fact, organiza-
tions with religious roots and objectives.
But all the many, MANY Kingdom Halls that have been sold to churches . . . That's okay though right?