Watchtower Dishonesty aka Theocratic Warfare

by Vanderhoven7 14 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    I would like to collect as many instances of Watchtower dishonesty and pretense as possible. Here is one from a Bulgarian as an example of what I'm looking for.

    Are Jehovah's Witnesses disfellowshipped for receiving blood in a hospital?

    Helge Fauskanger writes: "If Witnesses can’t convince the elders that they are utterly “repentant” for this vampiric lapse of theirs, they will be held to have disassociated themselves from the religion — even if they never said a word about wanting to leave it! Years ago, the Watchtower was seeking official recognition in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian authorities were however troubled by the fact that Witnesses would disfellowship (excommunicate and shun) people for accepting blood transfusions.

    No problem! One day the Bulgarian authorities received word that Watchtower had changed its policy. No longer would anyone be disfellowshipped for accepting blood. Hurray! And so the religion gained official recognition in Bulgaria.

    It was just an unworthy play on words! The Watchtower Governing Body simply decided that if someone unrepentantly accepts blood, that one would henceforth be considered as having disassociated him- or herself from the faith.

    Exactly the same words are read to the congregation: “So-and-so is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses”, which, of course, results in exactly the same treatment: shunning.

    It is one of the tactics Watchtower has used that can only severely undermine one’s respect for the basic integrity of this religion. The Bulgarian authorities were essentially duped into giving them official recognition, by a “change of policy” that was, as noted, mere wordplay.”

  • Earnest
    Earnest

    Vanderhoven7 : Here is one from a Bulgarian ...

    Helge Fauskanger is Norwegian and best known as a Tolkien linguist. He has translated the first two chapters of Genesis into Quenya, an elvish language created by Tolkien.

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    Thanks for the correction Earnest....andvthe additional info. Sounds like an interesting guy.

  • waton
    waton

    any involvement of draft dodging, voting are never disfellowshipping procedures either, always the member is dis- membered after personal decision his/hers yes/or no, stance resigned. re-assigned to the other, satan's side.

    not buying the citizenship card in Malawi was personal decision too.

  • truth_b_known
    truth_b_known

    Vanderhoven7:

    Get with Terry on the conscientious objector protocols used by the Watchtower during the Vietnam Conflict. Young men were coached by elders not to mention or to deny the fact that they were refusing military service because their religion told them to. They were to claim it was their personally held belief and for no other reason.

    I was once told about 30 years ago that if a baptized Witness enlisted into the military the Watchtower handled it by making an announcement that the individual had "disassociated themselves" rather than being disfellowshipped. The reason is fear that the U.S. government would take action against the Watchtower for subversive propaganda during wartime if they were disfellowshipping Witnesses who decided to join the war effort. This practice is deceitful unless the Witness enlisting actually did submit a letter of disassociation.

    When I was in high school there was a Witness in my congregation who was in his early 20s that joined the U.S. Navy. I promise you that he never submitted a letter of disassociation. It was announced anyways.

  • Smiles
    Smiles

    Presently in northern european nations (e.g. Norwary, Iceland, Belgium) Watch Tower is actively deploying crafty "theocratic warfare" strategies to maintain its eligibility for state funding status.

    State agencies discovered Watch Tower shunning practices violate human rights principles.

    Watch Tower legal teams, and letter writing campaigns by active JW membership now claim Watch Tower does not shun former members.

    Meanwhile, thousands of JW congregations and families continue to actively shun former members in obedience to internal Watch Tower policies which enforce hardline shunning practices.

  • BluesBrother
    BluesBrother

    The Watchtower has a shocking record of misrepresenting and misquoting scientists

    there are plenty of examples here . I have always found this site reliable.

    https://jwfacts.com/watchtower/misquotes.php#Creation

  • Vidiot
    Vidiot

    Once again, for the newbies, lurkers, and trolls...

    ...if you have to cheat to defend your beliefs, your beliefs don't deserve to be defended.

  • blondie
    blondie

    Great answers

  • Vanderhoven7
    Vanderhoven7

    I am having an ongoing discussion with a JW who claimed that believing their eschatology was not important. I responded by asking:

    Hi Rey,

    1. If Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t make a big deal about their 1914 eschatology, will they baptize someone who rejects the idea that Daniel 4 has anything to do with Christ's parousia?

    2. Will Jehovah’s Witnesses baptize someone who does not believe Christ appointed anyone in 1919?

    3. If they continue in their rejection of these understandings, might they still be God approved and saved because of their faith in Christ and His salvation?


    His Theocratic warfare response was:

    1- This is a false dichotomy.

    2- Yes.

    3- Yes.

    The opinions you are expressing are based on fundamental misunderstandings of our perspective. And you're aware of that. I'd refer you to 1 Peter 3.

    -------

    Hi Rey,

    I read I Peter 3. Not sure of any point you intended to make. Also I am not aware of any specific misunderstandings I have of your beliefs, so do clarify those for me. I want to be accurate in all that I write or say.

    -------

    The video above demonstrates how I see the function of the governing body and watchtower. Your suggestion that we idolize men is incorrect.

    We have had many conversations, and I try to ask what you believe. I sometimes misunderstand where your stance actually is, but I hope you'll have noticed by now that when you say “no, that doesn't actually represent what I believe,” I accept you at your word and attempt to ask for clarification, rather than pushing an accusation that I know your beliefs better than you do and “preterists really believe (this or that).”

    -------

    Hey Rey

    No matter how you look at it, your faith is in men, not the Bible.

    Will Jehovah’s Witnesses offer Christian baptism to someone who believes in Christ but holds that the 8 men taking the lead in New York are not appointed by God?

    -----------

    I do not believe that, nor would I ever encourage anyone else to. What you are presenting is quite the opposite of what I believe, and I'm still curious why you seem so insistent to define my beliefs for me. What do you believe you might accomplish? Who are you arguing against?

    ---------

    Hi Rey,

    What don't you believe Rey?

    Why not just answer my questions?

    1.Will Jehovah’s Witnesses baptize someone who they know rejects the idea that Daniel 4 has anything to do with Christ's parousia?

    2.Will Jehovah’s Witnesses baptize someone who they know believes the parousia has not happened yet?

    3.Will Jehovah’s Witnesses baptize someone who they know believes that Jesus Christ has not yet appointed men to be ruler over his household as per Matthew 24:45–47?

    4.Will Jehovah's Witnesses baptize people who they know reject that the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the Faithful Slave of Matthew 24?


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