April 2019 Watchtower article 'Uphold the TRUTH about death'

by Listener 13 Replies latest watchtower bible

• 

  Listener

  It appears this study article has been written because the organization is still having trouble teaching African JWs that they are not to follow their traditional customs when someone dies and not to believe in spirits.
  
  It has been speculated for some time that it is African JWs that have attributed to the increase in 'anointed' partakers.
  
  Interestingly, no-where in this article does it even mention their two class system and the anointed having a heavenly hope. It is amazing that they title the article as upholding the truth about death and fail to mention their two hope doctrine.
  
  The following are some quotes -
  
  

  SATAN, “the father of the lie,” has deceived people since the start of human history. (John 8:44) Some of his lies include false teachings about death and about life after death.....
  
  THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD
  But Satan did not stop lying about death. At some point in time, he began to introduce other lies. One of those lies is the teaching that the physical body dies but that some part of the person lives on, perhaps in the spirit realm. Variations of that lie have deceived countless humans right down to our day.​—1 Tim. 4:1.
  ...we do not fear the dead; nor do we fear for them. We know that they are not alive and cannot harm anyone. It is as if they were in a deep sleep
  ...Do you not agree that the truth about the condition of the dead is clear, simple, and logical? What a contrast to Satan’s confusing lies!

  
  Since they only tell half the story about their beliefs of those that die, their message is simple. Unfortunately, it's one thing to use simplified english but completely another to exclude half their teachings on a matter just to make it look simple, especially when you claim you are speaking the truth about a matter.
  
  Further into the article, the Watchtower instructs JWs how they must behave, then a paragraph later they say that the Elders will not tell them how to behave -
  
  

  As Jehovah’s servants, we certainly do not believe any myths or take part in any practices that promote Satan’s lies!​—1 Cor. 10:21, 22.....
  
  If you are unsure about a certain custom or practice....If necessary, consult the elders in your congregation. They will not tell you what to do, but they can point you to relevant Bible principles, such as those discussed here.

  
  
  
  
  
• 

  smiddy3

  Its probably true that the African Elders are not sure of the condition of the dead themselves .And are conditioned by age old traditions that the spirit lives on after one dies .

  Old habits ,traditions ,long held beliefs are very hard to disengage from.
• 

  Listener

  That makes sense Smiddy.
• 

  waton

  keeping in mind, that the most desirable wt core belief is, (since 1918), that at point of death, you will continue to live, almost seamlessly, as an immortal spirit being--if

  you partake at the memorial !! a little short on the wine for my taste. Jesus perhaps served upwards of 4 glasses, in total, to people with an earthly hope.
• 

  asp59

  I seen african JWs posting on Facebook. Got to say there is something strange abouth them. Not saying they are fake. Something Odd abouth them and how they view things. Very very robotic. Just feel they have much much higher pressure to join organisation if someone in there family is JW. Or they see as opportunity to marrie maybe someone from the West.
• 

  stan livedeath

  I agree with asp59

  A few years back...I was on a spoof Facebook group...which attracted a lot of African is males. All thought they had a good chance of finding an American or European wife. Anything to get a visa.
• 

  smiddy3

  When you stop and think about how many active Jehovah`s Witnesses do you know of that can really explain the so called deeper doctrines / beliefs that are currently held by the religion .?

  The fact that they fob you off to JW.Org to get answers to your questions is a give away .

  And if you compare Christendoms training of clergy in its various classes as teachers of their faith with that of the so called training of Jehovah`s Witnesses , their is just no comparison .

  Christendom wins hands down , with the in depth years of study that is required .

  Jehovah`s Witnesses ? Get your 10-20 hours of field service in a month for a year or so ,agree with everything the G.B. tells you to agree with and hey presto your in .

  And for the far greater majority ,just get 10 hours of field service in each month and your a minister of religion .

  You don`t have to do any in depth study of Theology ,History ,Religious Texts ,Hebrew or Greek ,all you have to do is get your hours in a month and accept everything as gospel what the G.B.say .

  Even our 10 year old children are ministers of religion and they don`t have to know any of that crap that Christendom demands of their ministers.
• 

  fulano

  And you finally can wear a second hand tie. And not to forget have your annual glass of red wine.
• 

  The Fall Guy

  Par 3, p. 2 - If our circumstances limit the amount of time we can spend in Jehovah’s service, we should not feel discouraged. Jesus knew that not every one of us would be able to produce the same amount of Kingdom fruitage.

  So Kingdom fruitage is defined as time - time spent recruiting for a money-making cult? Ahhh, trolley-time!
  

  And here was I thinking it was something totally different: Galatians 5:22, 23 - "the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control."
• 

  jonahstourguide

  Yes indeed. In answer to smiddy3.

  There are no deeper doctrines. There is no intrinsic substance to the 'current understanding' bullshit.

  Types and anti-types got flushed down the dunny,, about 43 of them at last count.
  

  I can now say that even though I'm not fit to tie a scholars boot or sandal lace, I have "perused" the bible as we have it and am convinced that no logical, reasoning, sane human (please accept this as a bit of a rant) could put faith in a book written in a lost language with so many options for translating any particular word or phrase. The so-called exegesis of scripture is up for criticism for that in itself. Then we get to the eisegesis of particular translators to support their view. Twisting words.

  And then there's the nwt study bible bullshit study notes and added footnotes which are more often than not quotes of Barnes, Gill et al Worldly scholars ruled by Satan...ha ha hilarious in my view. Guys that support the trinity teaching,,,,well, many of those scholars quoted by wt did. Classic cherry-picking at it's best.
  

  Yes, take the bible for what it is and has and keep your wallet tight in your back pocket. Remember the words of the predecessors ,,,, "Religion is a snare and a racket" In any guise I add.

  The so called moral lessons therein are no more than reminders of the moral conscience that resides in all humans and even some animals ( I dunno, but sometimes the animal world exhibits behaviours that we might do well to emulate) and It's up to us if we choose to use that faculty or not.

  jtg
  

  P.S. yes The Fall Guy, it is all about 'runs on the board',not real fruitages as you point out.

  P.P.S. I didn't intend to deviate from the OP ,,,, It's frustrating at times. Yes they have a problem with the cultures mentioned in the OP. We see it here in Oz where quite a few of them are turning up with 'suspect' recommendations from their homeland.

  jtg