Honest mistakes? The Governing Body's excuses for their actions

by Terry 49 Replies latest jw friends

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  Terry

  The Governing Body tells us they are not false prophets because they admit their mistakes.

  They only err because they are zealous to see the New Order commence.

  They are on the watch and warning everybody just like they are supposed to.

  Their doctrines change (new light) because they see and admit their errors.

  What more can we expect of them?

  Is the Governing Body honestly doing the best they can? They are only human; how can we expect them to be perfect?

  In view of the above; what might lead you to suspect the Watchtower leaders are dishonest, conniving and intellectually corrupt?

  What is the essential point to be made?
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  XQsThaiPoes

  Actually thats the catch 22 why does anyone believe them since they shout all their faults? There is no reason to actuall trust the FDS. So why do JWs care? Because the FDS tells them to trust them. Then the FDS tells the JWs they are untrust worthy. So the FDS may or may not be telling the truth at any given time. What a heck of a concept to base a religion on of all things.
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  No Apologies

  For me, it was when I discovered they had signed up with the UN as an affiliated NGO. To me, that was not an honest mistake but a totally cynical manuever, especially since they did it without announcing it to the r&f.

  Its one thing to be wrong about a date, or to apply some principle incorrectly, and totally different to knowingly do something as deceptive as that.

  No Apologies
• 

  seattleniceguy

  Hello Terry,

  I think if you read Crisis of Conscience, you'll get a totally new understanding of who and what the GB really is.

  The quintessential example of their dishonesty (aside from the recent UN thing) is the Mexico-Malawi contradiction. Two opposite choices foisted on different nations - one excused bribery of goverment officials so as to avoid military duty, the other caused tens of thousands to be plundered and raped for the sake of not buying an identification card. When you think about the hardships caused to the thousands of families in Malawi, over something so meaningless, it just makes one's heart ache.

  But apparently not for the GB, since they held to their hard line for 30 years. The persecution in Malawi continued into the 1990s, overlapping the time when the Society became an NGO member of the UN.

  SNG
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  seattleniceguy

  they admit their mistakes.

  They absolutely do not. Try getting a straight answer regarding 1975 and the ruined lives resulting therefrom. Their culpability is quite clear by any outside account, but they have consistently covered it up and heaped the blame and guilt on the Witnesses who followed their lead. This is totally dishonest.

  SNG
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  seattleniceguy

  what might lead you to suspect the Watchtower leaders are dishonest, conniving and intellectually corrupt?

  The fact that they consistently sanitize and retell their history. When I was a Witness, I never much cared for people drudging up old arguments about 1914, 1918, 1925, etc. However, when I left and I realized what actually happened during those times, and how utterly differently the WT portrays them now, I became angry. Recasting history as it is convenient for you is totally dishonest.

  SNG
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  seattleniceguy

  what might lead you to suspect the Watchtower leaders are dishonest, conniving and intellectually corrupt?

  They intentionally misrepresent the views of scientists in books such as Life-How Did It Get Here? For example, (this one is courtesy of drwtsn32) in one source, a scientist asked, "How could something as complex as the eye develop through evolutionary means?" He then went on to explain at length how such a thing was possible. The question was just a lead-in to the explanation. But the WT quotes the scientist with the line, "Even respected scientists have doubts about evolution's ability to create complex organs." This is a total misrepresentation.

  Here's an example from my own direct experience. In several publications, the Society quotes Chet Raymo. I happened to purchase a book by Raymo, The Path, about a year ago, and it contained a line quoted by the WT in Does God Really Care About Us? The quote was part of a montage designed to make it appear that various respected scientists felt that life was too wonderful to have originated by chance. Chet Raymo is a wonderful writer with a boyish fascination with the natural world. But it would be a total misrepresentation to say that he meant anything like what the Society tried to make him say. In fact, in the very book the Society is quoting, Raymo talks about evolutionary processes at length and is quite a supporter of evolution.

  Misrepresentations such as these are as low as I can possibly imagine any organization stooping, let alone one that calls itself "the Truth." To allow such things to be written and published should have been unconscionable. Instead, it has been standard operating procedure. This is shamefully corrupt!

  SNG
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  jwsons

  They never accept they made mistakes. They always said:"In the past, some witnesses made mistakes ..." so and so. With mistakes like associated with U.N. , our Rank&File (RF) witnesses were disfellowshipped straight away. We haven't heard any member of GB be disfellowshipped because of the decision to associate to U.N. for TEN years. Don't try to LIE to our fellows. What ashamed behaviour ! Disfellowship yourselves Guys.
  

  "In the past, some Witnesses have suffered for refusing to share in activity that their conscience now might permit. For example, this might have been their choice years ago as to certain types of civilian service. A brother might now feel that he could conscientinously perform such without overstepping his Christian neutrality regarding the present system of things" (Watchtower August 15, 1998 page 17, par.6-8), article about civilian services instead of military services. And on opposite page has a picture funeral scene , they(GB) has the caption"Even in the face of personal loss, we can be confident that Jehovah is righteous" to say about Witnesses who lost their lives for a stupid consciene set-up by Society [IF you did refuse that conscience, you surely were disfellowshipped when the changing-wind hasn't approved by GB yet]. See the caption of the picture? Even when they (GB) made mistake, it is the fault of Jehovah, not theirs. Many lost their lives in Communist & fanatic Muslim countries for refusing military service, by their own fault conscience, not because of GB. They never say sorry for those losses.

  jwsons
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  Pole

  seattleniceguy,

  I wonder if any of the authors they misquoted has ever sued them or at least crtiticised them.

  Probably not, because WTS literature would generally be regarded as religious pamphlets, and so non of the authors would take it seriously...
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  Country_Woman

  The Governing Body are humans - but they claim they are God's voice, all doctrine changes are proclaimed as "God's will" and since it is the will of Jehovah, you have to confirm. you can't eat from all tables : either you are human and fallible (and in that case you can't expect absolute obedience from your followers) or you are "from God" and then you don't make mistakes when it concerned heavenly (or new earth) decisions.