DESTROYING the Governing Body’s claim of authority

by TerryWalstrom 42 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  TerryWalstrom

  So before 1922 the kingdom message, how was it understood, did it play a role at all, and was the earthly hope proclaimed before or after 1922?

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  The Earthly hope (rather than heavenly) was a message from the 1930's developed to explain why there were more members than could be accounted for in the "heaven only" 144,000
  

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    In 1920 Rutherford had written that it was "unreasonable" to think God was developing any class other than the little flock (the 144,000 to attain heavenly kingship) and the "great company" (second spiritual class also with a heavenly hope).
    
    
    
    1932: Identification of "Jonadabs", a "sheep" class of people who take a stand for righteousness and who are to be preserved by God through Armageddon to gain everlasting life on earth. The term was drawn from the account at 2 Kings 10.
    
    1932: Watch Tower Society adherents with an earthly hope should join the worldwide preaching work. In 1927 The Watchtower had directed that only anointed Christians were "entitled" to take part in the ministry.
    
    In 1934, theWatchtower explained that the "Jonadabs" survive Armageddon by living in the figurative "City of refuge", represented by remaining affiliated with the Watch Tower Society.
    
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  https://www.scribd.com/doc/301735422/Watchtower-Babylon-the-Great-Has-Fallen-God-s-Kingdom-Rules-1963

  
  
  
  In Babylon the Great Has Fallen--God's Kingdom Rules! Freddy Franz actually tries to convince the reader that the series of conventions from 1922 were fulfillments of the Book of Revelation.

  This came as a huge shock to me when I studied it in prison in 1967-69 with a group of other JW's.
  It sounded looney. It really struck me as bizarre anybody would make such claims.

  But, the other brothers were merely. . . impressed. . . by the claims of divine fulfillment in their choice of religion.
  

  I didn't put up a fight. I wrongly reckoned the others were at least as wise as I was.

  I swallowed the silly premise and went about my self-sacrifice like a sheep.
  
  
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  TTWSYF

  TerryWalstrom16 hours ago

  About 40 thousand divisions in Christianity.
  If we pretend only Christianity has "the truth" then the odds of picking

  the right denomination is 1 in 40,000.
  
  How very lucky all of us are!
  We managed to rule out at least one of them!
  Our odds have improved.

  One church started by Jesus himself, 39,000 started by men.

  hmm, which one should I join?
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  TerryWalstrom

  One church started by Jesus himself, 39,000 started by men.

  hmm, which one should I join?
  
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  1. We must assume, believe, and maintain a premise and never stray from that premise: the Bible is actually a divine communication and has not been substantially corrupted by human error.
  2. We must think we will have some means of knowing truth when we find it (if we find it.)

  3. Using human reasoning (regardless of our culture, training or I.Q.) and our Bible plus the supernatural intervention of God's miraculous Holy Spirit--the puzzle will be solved, the mystery penetrated and Truth will fall out in front of us to act upon.

  Jehovah's Witnesses have assumed all of the above.

  So has the rest of Christianity. Each branch, sect, division, denomination is a testimony to the fact NOBODY AGREES--yet, the source of the disagreement is profound enough to cause them to consider their fellow Christians "WRONG."
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  BlackSwan of Memphis

  Great research. Lots there to read.
  Never knew that about Maria Russell.
  
  I think it's rather amazing the way that the Organization rips on the Catholic Church but so remarkably resembles them.
  
  
  
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  TerryWalstrom

  If you lay out all the teachings in chronological order, the only pattern detectable is that of chaotic restlessness--sort of like a mental patient changing drugs and doses.

  Add to that, the firmness of conviction and of always being absolutely certain--also a trait of mental patients with delusions of grandeur.

  Logic is invoked and abandoned as needed.

  Discontinuity / instability led to protests which led to undue influence, threats, and authoritarian demands for loyalty to the Organization (i.e. whoever was in charge at the moment) above the Bible itself.
  
  When J.F. Rutherford entered Bethel, he demanded everybody there sign an Oath of Loyalty to himself OR ELSE he would throw them out on the street!
  

  The wrongness of viewing this religion as the Truth is quite clear--but only if you study the hitory of its operations.
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  TheWonderofYou

  Interesting: Already Mrs. Russel misinterpreted that the Faithful slave was a kind of "leader" or messenger, her husband, a real man, she misunderstood it as a prophecy, and not as parable what it is. Later it was broadened to mean all members of the class of heavenly hopers,
  only in the last year they decided to minimize the prophetic adaption unto the GB-Leadership itself alone again.

  Didnt Rutherford say already himself that the proclamations at the conventions since 1922 were fulfillment of prophescies. I should check this.

  The origin of the belief that everything has a fulfillment from 187.. onwards until ....the end... but beginning in the 19th century is a "belief" that is shared - was shared - by many other groups at that time. I lately looked at the prophetic timetable that is published by messianc jews. They believe similar things only that everything has fulfilled since the time when Jews are returning to Israel, a belief that was hold by Russel too btw.
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  Phizzy

  Just to be succinct about the problem of the Governing Body's claim to authority :

  No 1914 = no 1919 appointment = the G.B are self-appointed Charlatans.

  Would any JW Apologist care to contradict this ?
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  TerryWalstrom

  Just to be succinct about the problem of the Governing Body's claim to authority :

  No 1914 = no 1919 appointment = the G.B are self-appointed Charlatans.

  Would any JW Apologist care to contradict this ?
  
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  The Org has come out and declared the 1919 teaching to be cancelled because it is a not yet situation.

  This amounts to admitting the source authority claimed was completely imaginary and premature.

  As far as 1914 being cancelled, they've invested everything in this dry well and cannot bring themselves to admit how repeatedly wrong and illegitimate every single declaration has been.
  
  Prediction: The Jehovah's Witness hierarchy will eventually give up 1914 and present it as an act of heroism and humility in doing so.
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  TheWonderofYou

  Resurrection was and remains a major topic of interest among Bible Students. In this photo Russell, Joseph Rutherford and others of Watchtower's main heads along with family members are on the Mount Of Olives in Jerusalem. Why? Because they believed Christ was going to return and start resurrecting people there. They wanted to be present for the resurrection and hoped to go on up toheaven. Source: http://masonemerson.freeyellow.com/christianwitnessescom/id134.html

  They even travelled to Jerusalem wow, but when exactly did they be in Jerusalem and awaited the rapture on Oct. 1, 1914?

  Because on Oct 1.1914 Ch.T. Russel was supposedly in Bethel NewYork and "supposedly" said to the bethel family that the Gentile times had ended while the brothers held the morning worship citing the text of a song .."the gentile times have ended", while he came downstairs into the dining room of the bethel, or were they in Israel on this day and invented later a story about this day to look better in the public and not to embarras themselves for that error? When was this photo made? If they did failed in the date of the rapture where they appointed? And was the date correct at all? Aaaah it was only the begin of the Kingdom rule of Jesus in heaven, sorry.

  

  [Source: http://masonemerson.freeyellow.com/christianwitnessescom/id134.html]

  Why Russels ideas about the "rapture" were not truth, according to president Franz you can hear in his life story below.

  After all the errors of the Russel bibelstudents for the first time the major subject was "loyalty" to the organisation, to an organisation that has failed.
  The "kingdom message" and name "JW" was pulled out the box by Rutherford to hold the group together in 1922 like the "millions shall/will never die" propaganda.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKdwk5SVXM
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  TheWonderofYou

  Watchtower president talks about his life story, a story of errors and adjustments, constantly repeating... "we thought".

  https://archive.org/details/DecisionMyLifeStoryByFredFranz