G'day JWD,
It didn't take too many years for the Joe Ratherflawed view of the world to take root in Japan, did it?
His vitriol in the 1920s and 1930s has established a culture within the organisation he founded. (I believe he was the founder of Jehovah's Witnesses, as opposed to C T Russell the founder of the Bible Students. But that's another story.)
The truth us, that the R&F are taught to hate. They are led to believe that 'righteous' hatred shows loyalty to Jehovah. This may be expressed in many ways, as you have experienced. But it really is emphasised in the disfellowshipping/disassociation procedure.
Just look at this sample selection of instructions from past issues of the Watchtower magazine.
Godly hate is a powerful protection against wrongdoing, even as godly love makes the doing of what is right a pleasure. (1 John 5:3) Repeatedly the Scriptures urge us to cultivate both love and hate. “O you lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad.” (Psalm 97:10) “Abhor what is wicked, cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9) Are we doing that?Jehovah has clearly stated his purpose to root the wicked ones out of the earth and to usher in a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell. (Psalm 37:10, 11; 2 Peter 3:13) Lovers of righteousness long for that time to come. They are in full agreement with the psalmist David, who prayed: “O that you, O God, would slay the wicked one! Then even the bloodguilty men will certainly depart from me, who say things about you according to their idea; they have taken up your name in a worthless way—your adversaries.” (Psalm 139:19, 20).....They had misrepresented God, taking up his name in a worthless way. (Exodus 20:7) Dishonestly, they professed to serve him, but they were using his name to promote their own schemes. David had no love for those who chose to be God’s adversaries.
There are billions of people who do not know Jehovah. Many of them in ignorance practice things that God’s Word shows to be wicked. If they persist in this course, they will be among those who perish during the great tribulation. Yet, Jehovah takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked, nor should we. (Ezekiel 33:11) As long as time permits, we endeavor to help such people to learn and apply Jehovah’s ways. But what if some people show intense hatred for Jehovah?
Regarding them, the psalmist said: “Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies.” (Psalm 139:21, 22) It was because they intensely hated Jehovah that David looked on them with abhorrence. Apostates are included among those who show their hatred of Jehovah by revolting against him. Apostasy is, in reality, a rebellion against Jehovah. Some apostates profess to know and serve God, but they reject teachings or requirements set out in his Word. Others claim to believe the Bible, but they reject Jehovah’s organization and actively try to hinder its work. When they deliberately choose such badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of their makeup, then a Christian must hate (in the Biblical sense of the word) those who have inseparably attached themselves to the badness. True Christians share Jehovah’s feelings toward such apostates; they are not curious about apostate ideas. On the contrary, they “feel a loathing” toward those who have made themselves God’s enemies, but they leave it to Jehovah to execute vengeance.—Job 13:16; Romans 12:19; 2 John 9, 10.(w93 10/1 19 "Search Through Me, O God")
Because the wicked were guilty of bloodshed and of bringing reproach on God’s name, David declared: “Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies.” (Psalm 139:21, 22) David felt a loathing for these men because they intensely hated Jehovah and were revolting against Him. They were the psalmist’s foes because he abhorred their wickedness, godlessness, and rebellion against the Most High.(w90 1/15 24 Jehovah Knows Us Well!)
THE GODLY QUALITY OF HATE
You have seen the benefit of godly love, but do you know how to hate? The Bible psalmist did, and said: “O you lovers of Jehovah, hate what is bad.” Also, he said: “Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you? With a complete hatred I do hate them. They have become to me real enemies.” (Ps. 97:10; 139:21, 22) These very strong words are an expression of godly hate, and you too must have this quality to be pleasing to God.Hate causes a feeling of disgust to well up inside you. You loathe, abhor, despise the object of your hatred. The very thought of it makes you recoil. When the wife of his master tempted, begged and even grabbed hold of Joseph for immoral purposes, he did not have to stop and try to reason out what he should do. A moment of hesitation could have meant ruining his relationship with Jehovah. He simply ran. His hatred of what was bad triggered an automatic reaction and protected his good conscience with God. (Gen. 39:7-12) Likewise today, as hatred separates people, godly hate will separate you from wrongdoing.
Why not ask yourself how you personally feel about the things that are detestable to Jehovah? “There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable to his soul: lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood, a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, a false witness that launches forth lies, and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers.” (Prov. 6:16-19) Your reaction to these things is a measure of your godly hate.
Godly hatred never has as its object our Christian brothers, no matter how imperfect. The apostle John said: “Everyone who hates his brother is a manslayer, and you know that no manslayer has everlasting life remaining in him.” (1 John 3:15) Even though they have been involved in serious wrongdoing, we show compassion and mercy to our Christian brothers. If repentant wrongdoers are allowed to remain in the congregation by God, then we should also accept them.—Matt. 18:18.
Godly hatred is intolerant of what is evil. This does not mean that Christians use physical force to strike out against false religion or corrupt governments, for they realize that this is something God has reserved for himself. A Christian’s hatred of such things is demonstrated by his zeal to tell others what God’s Word says about the time when God’s kingdom will be the only government ruling this earth. Godly hatred is further characterized by a feeling of contempt toward such things as lying, stealing, immorality. A Christian’s conversation, way of life and choice of entertainment leave no question as to his stand on these matters.—Eph. 5:3-5.(w74 7/15 442-3 The Godly Qualities of Love and Hate)
HATE WHAT GOD HATES
Another way in which we imperfect and weak mortals can imitate God is by hating what he hates. Does God also hate? Yes, he hates wickedness and willfully wicked ones, including religious hypocrites. Did not Jesus imitate his Father in this respect and did he not hate religious hypocrites? He most certainly did, repeatedly saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”—Matt. 23:13-33; John 5:19.
That Jehovah God himself does indeed hate wickedness and practicers of what is wicked is seen from Proverbs 6:16-19: “There are six things that Jehovah does hate; yes, seven are things detestable to his soul: lofty eyes, a false tongue, and hands that are shedding innocent blood, a heart fabricating hurtful schemes, feet that are in a hurry to run to badness, a false witness . . . and anyone sending forth contentions among brothers.”If we hate these things, what will we be doing? We will, on the one hand, be careful not to practice any such things ourselves, and, on the other hand, we will avoid having as companions those who practice such wicked things. “For what fellowship do righteousness and lawlessness have?” Truly, we can imitate God by being loyal to his righteous principles and so ‘be holy as he is holy.’—2 Cor. 6:14; 1 Pet. 1:16.(w73 2/15 100 "Become Imitators of God")
I have shown some key phrases in bold type. Notice how the writers of the above quoted articles influence the readers, the R&F, to accept that displaying hatred is a godly quality.
Joe Ratherflawed's legacy is safe in the hands of the present-day leadership.
Cheers,
Ozzie
Freedom is not having to wear a tie.
