There is a fundamental
lie which I couldn’t help noticing today in the Our Christian Life and Ministry—Meeting Workbook for August 1-7,
2016. It is in the little supplemental page considered this week under the
title “Improving Our Skills in the Ministry—Helping Bible Students to Progress
to Dedication and Baptism,” in the first paragraph (labelled “WHY IMPORTANT”),
third sentence. Here is that sentence:
“A Christian’s dedication is to Jehovah—not to a human, a work, or an organization.”
(The highlighting of the pertinent words is mine.)
Here is a direct link to that particular page: http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202016284
Did you catch it? As I’m sure everyone is aware, the two questions addressed to baptismal candidates were changed in 1985 (as per the Watchtower of June 1, 1985, p. 30).
BEFORE 1985, those two questions had been:
(1) Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him the Father through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and through the Bible under the enlightenment of the holy spirit?
HOWEVER, SINCE 1985 the questions were changed to:
(1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
(2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?
(Again, all the highlighting of the pertinent words is mine.)
It’s rather sly and crafty in the way this somewhat subtle change was brought about. It may not seem like a lot, at least on the first glance, but in actuality it is rather glaring and quite telling about the workings of the Watch Tower Society and how it views itself. This week’s Meeting Workbook states that a Christian’s dedication is not to a human, a work, or an organization. Yet, indeed, as we can readily see from the current second baptismal question, the candidates are asked to confirm that their dedication and baptism are in identification with Jehovah’s Witnesses (a fundamentalist sect) and their supposedly “spirit-directed” (very human) organization!
Just how honest is that statement being read at the evening meeting this week in all the congregations? Well, I believe that I don’t need to answer that. I will simply let everyone answer for themselves. It’s all, as they say, in black and white.
