Watchtower Says Their Writings Are Part of the Bible and Are Essential For Salvation

by Sea Breeze 17 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Sea Breeze

  Hard to believe, but it's true:
  
  Watchtower December 15, 2008, pg. 28 – “Our coming to know "the truth‟ - the entire body of Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible - and adhering to it are essential for our salvation”.
  
  This is the same position of the Roman Catholic Church.
  
  One of the Pope’s titles is the Vicar of Christ. The word vicar comes from the Latin word vicarius meaning substitution. The on-line version of the Pocket Catholic Dictionary defines the Vicar of Christ as: “The Pope, visible head of the Church on earth, acting for and in the place of Christ”.
  
  

  1994 Catholic Catechism Paragraph # 82 - As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the Holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.

  
  The Roman Catholic Church demands their own traditions be revered as if they are the word of God. Of course these traditions include naming Mary as Co-Mediator with Christ.
  
  The Watchtower treats the Governing Body as a co-mediator just as the RCC names Mary as one.
  
  Both organizations blasphemously teach that there is no salvation outside of their church.
  
  Interesting correlation isn't it?
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  Sea Breeze

  The problem with viewing Watchtower's writings being part of the bible is that eventually you have to rip out old pages from the "bible".

  In 1981, anyone that felt the Slave did not include ALL the 144,000 were described as indulging in "self-deception".

  "The objectors may argue that not all of Christ's anointed disciples have a share in preparing the spiritual food, so that perhaps the "slave" pictures only the leading ones, and the "domestics" those they serve in the congregation.
  
  There is no point in trying to force an interpretation of the parable. Self-deception is of no benefit and is spiritually damaging. ... Thus we see a clear Scriptural basis for saying that all anointed followers of Christ Jesus make up God's "servant," with Jesus as its Master." Watchtower 1981 Mar 1 pp.24-26

  But just a few years later, what was once self-deception and "part of the bible" had to be ripped out when they said just the opposite and claimed the GB were the F&DS.

  ""Who Really Is the Faithful and Discreet Slave?"
  
  ... From 1919 on, there has always been a small group of anointed Christians at the world headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have supervised our worldwide preaching work and have been directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food. In recent years, that group has been closely identified with the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses." 2012 Annual meeting jw.org 10th Nov 2012.
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  Disillusioned JW

  The quote from the WT is not at all saying what the title of your topic thread says. By the word "Bible" it simply means the books of the Protestant Bible; the WT is not including their writings (other than of course their translations of the Bible) as part of the Bible. By "the entire body of Christian teachings" the WT means those teachings which are in the NT. I strongly think you are reading into the WT quote that which you want to see in the Wt literature, out of a desire to find evidence against the WT.
  
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  Sea Breeze

  Every JW knows that the term "The Truth" is a code phrase for the organization and their publications. Outsiders wouldn't catch it. But, I believe it is clear that the WT is placing their own writings at the same level as the bible here.
  
  If I was an active JW, that is how I would have interpreted that statement.
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  enoughisenough

  They haven't changed since the Walsh Trial of 1954. The Watchtower is to take precedence over the Bible. If that weren't so, many of us wouldn't be here. We came to realize we were to revere the WT and not believe our lying eyes when we saw something in the Bible that contradicted the WT. It was brought out at the trial, those who didn't believe the WT were deserving of death. Everyone who studies with the JW should read some of those trial exerts.
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  Sea Breeze

  Wow.,,, thanks enoughisenough.
  
  Found this on Redditt after a quick search:

  If anyone has a link to the full transcript please post.

  The following testimony excerpts are from the Pursuer's Proof of Douglas Walsh vs The Right Honourable James Latham Clyde,MP, PC, as representing the Minister of Labour and National Service. The numbers following the quotations show the transcript page on which the testimony is found.

  HAYDEN C COVINGTON - Former Lawyer for the Watchtower Society

  Q. Is it not vital to speak the truth on religious matters? A. It certainly is.

  Q. You have promulgated - forgive the word - false prophecy? A. We have. I do not think we have promulgated false prophecy, there have been statements that were erroneous, that is the way I put it, and mistaken.

  Q. It was promulgated as a matter which must be believed by all members of Jehovah's witnesses that the Lord's Second Coming took place in 1874?

  (A short discussion of evidence given by Fred W Franz about 1874 takes place here.)

  Q. That was the publication of false prophecy? A. That was the publication of a false prophecy, it was a false statement or an erroneous statement in fulfillment of a prophecy that was false or erroneous.

  Q. And that had to be believed by the whole of Jehovah's Witnesses? A. Yes, because you must understand, we must have unity, we cannot have disunity with a lot of people going every way, an army is supposed to march in step.

  Q. Back to the point now, a false prophecy was promulgated? A. I agree to that.

  Q. It had to be accepted by Jehovah's witnesses? A. That is correct.

  Q. If a member of Jehovah's witnesses took the view himself that that prophecy was wrong, and said so, would he be disfellowshipped? A. Yes, if he said so, and kept on persisting in creating trouble, because if the whole organisation believes one thing, even though it be erroneous, and somebody else starts on his own trying to put his ideas across, then there is a disunity and trouble, there cannot be harmony, there cannot be marching ...... Our purpose is to have unity.

  Q. Unity at all costs? A. Unity at all costs, because we believe and are sure that Jehovah God is using our organisation,the governing body of our organisation, to direct it, even though mistakes are made from time to time.

  Q. A unity based on an enforced acceptance of false prophecy? A. That is conceded to be true.

  Q. And the person who expresses his view, as you say, that it was wrong, and was disfellowshipped, would be in breach of the covenant, if he was baptised? A. That is correct.

  Q. And as you said yesterday expressly, would be worthy of death? A. I think....

  Q. Would you say yes or no? A. I will answer yes, unhesitatingly.

  Q. Do you call that religion? A. It certainly is.

  Q. Do you call that Christianity? A. I certainly do.

  PP. 345-348

  So, there you go. If you disagree with the WT, even a WT false prophecy, you are worthy of death.

  
  
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  Sea Breeze

  I just tested this link to dowload the entire

  The 1954 Walsh Trial Transcript

  By Court of Scotland

  It works and it's free.
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  Listener

  Watchtower Dec 2008 - Our coming to know "the truth‟ - the entire body of Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible - and adhering to it are essential for our salvation”.

  Disillusioned JW- the WT means those teachings which are in the NT

  You know exactly what the Watchtower was saying Disillusioned JW because you changed the wording that they used.

  The Watchtower said 'Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible'. You simply tried to change that to say they meant 'teachings that are in the Bible'.

  If what you say is what the Watchtower meant, they would have said so.

  
  
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  Disillusioned JW

  The WT's use of the phrase "The Truth" is also used with the meaning of the following: 'the correct understanding of the Bible' teachings of truth' (which they equate with their religion) and the Bible's teachings of truth (which they equate with their religion). I think the WT was very clearly using it in those senses when they said "Our coming to know "the truth‟ - the entire body of Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible ...".

  Listener I sincerely meant exact what I said in my earlier post. I believed in the JW religion for most of my life (and I was a ministerial servant for many years and I even gave some Sunday public talks). What I wrote is the way I would have interpreted as a JW the WT's words and it is also how I now as an ex-JW interpret those words as. I never ever believed that the WT taught that their literature (other than their translations of the Bible) is a part of the Bible, but rather that they claim their literature correctly explains the Bible.
  

  What do you mean by saying that I changed the wording? Do you mean by me saying "those teachings which are in the NT" instead of "Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible"? I think of the NT as being the exclusively Christian part of the Bible and I think of the OT as being the non-Christian Jewish part of the Bible (and that Christians also accept the OT as part of the Christian Bible). The WT's NWT calls the OT the "Hebrew Scriptures" and it calls the NT the "Christian Greek Scriptures". Before the 1st century CE (and thus before the Christian era began) the entire Bible was the OT - the NT hadn't been written yet! The Apostle Paul when saying in one of his letters "the holy scriptures" he meant the OT Bible, since most of the NT (including the four gospel accounts) had not even been written yet! As a result, by the wording of "Christian teachings that has become part of the Bible", that which is clearly meant by the WT (at least according to my understanding) are the books and letters written by Christians which comprise the NT!
  
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  Sea Breeze

  @DJW - Your reasoning doesn't make sense. Everyone knows that NOTHING has "become" part of the bible after the last apostle died. So, they cannot be referring to biblical teaching in general. But, we all know that JW's are constantly being mentally oppressed to accept WT literature as the word of God, from "God's Mouthpiece"
  

  In context, the WT here is in affect claiming to be God, since they can write more of the "bible" and can decide whether or not you live or die.
  
  It's the same manure that the RCC claims when they say the Pope is infallible when he is acting as the Pope.