Could you explain in a simple and concise way the differences between the 'Faithful and Discreet Slave', the 'Remnant', the 'Anointed' and the 'Governing Body' as they exist at present?
There's a reason for asking but we'll get to that later.
Nic'
Honest question for active JW's.
by nicolaou 5 Replies latest jw friends
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nicolaou
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nicolaou
Could you explain in a simple and concise way the differences between the 'Faithful and Discreet Slave', the 'Remnant', the 'Anointed' and the 'Governing Body' as they exist at present?
Obviously not!
But why not?
Isn't this part of the 'nuts and bolts' of JW faith?
Why are so few JW's interested in defending their beliefs?There was a time when I would have jumped at opportunities like this but it seems that as time has passed more and more JW's are remaining uncharacteristically silent.
Could it be that they do not want to appear dogmatic in the light of changing doctrine or is acceptance of Watchtower creed simply becoming less important?
hmmmmmm
Nic' -
TheOldHippie
Gullible as I am and obvioiusly stepping into some deep mire or pit you want me to get stuck into, I would say that the Anointed are the 144,000; there Remnant those of the Anointed who are alive today; the Faithful and Descrete Slave the individuals among these in their capacity of teaching or instructing, so that various individuals of the Anointed/Remnant serve as the Slave at different times (with another tongue than English, blurred wording is not due to blurred thinking, but to language problems .....) - one could substitute Anointed/Remnant with Slave, but I would use Slave when thinking of the teaching activity; and finally the Governing Body as more or less an administrative unit representing this group.
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blondie
As always, OldHippie has a good reply.
This is what I understand is taught by Jehovah’s witnesses. What JWs understand this to be can be varied…and that some will amend or edit what I posted. No problem…I appreciate any adjustments.
Faithful and Discreet Slave—All dedicated baptized Christians who have been anointed by God with the holy spirit that are commissioned to feed the sheep until the Master returns. These ones were said to be found, as a group, to be faithfully feeding the sheep when God with Jesus as his representative “came to inspect the temple in 1918” and so were to have been validated by them as the FDS. (see Charles Taze Russell below)
(as individuals who are being fed called “domestics”)Anointed—All dedicated baptized Christians who have been anointed by God with the holy spirit who will rule in heaven with Jesus as kings and priests for 1,000 years. Number limited to 144,000
Remnant—the sum total of all of the anointed on earth at any given time. Most often referring to those living on earth during the “time of the end”
Governing Body—Dedicated baptized Christian men who have been anointed by the holy spirit. Selected by other dedicated baptized Christian men anointed by the holy spirit, who pray to God for direction from the holy spirit, using the holy spirit-inspired qualifications for elders found in the Bible. Can be any number (but not more than 144,000 (just a little joke, a really little joke)).
*** w95 5/15 16 Flashes of Light-Great and Small (Part 1) ***
The facts indicate that this faithful and discreet slave class comprises all anointed Christians as a group on earth at any given time.If all the anointed as a group, no matter where on earth they live, are members of the slave class, who are the “domestics”? They are the same anointed ones but considered from a different viewpoint—as individuals. Yes, as individuals they would be of the “slave” or they would be “domestics,” depending on whether they were dispensing spiritual food or partaking of it.
*** Proclaimers Book page 143 Over a decade later, however, Brother Russell’s wife publicly expressed the idea that Russell himself was the faithful and wise servant. The view that she voiced concerning the identity of the ‘faithful servant’ came to be generally held by the Bible Students for some 30 years. Brother Russell did not reject their view…
*** Proclaimers Book page 626
Many who were sifted out at that time clung to the view that a single individual, Charles Taze Russell, was the “faithful and wise servant” foretold by Jesus at Matthew 24:45-47 (KJ), which servant would distribute spiritual food to the household of faith. Particularly following his death (1916), The Watch Tower itself set forth this view for a number of years. In view of the prominent role that Brother Russell had played, it appeared to the Bible Students of that time that this was the case. He did not personally promote the idea, but he did acknowledge the apparent reasonableness of the arguments of those who favored it. He also emphasized, however, that whoever the Lord might use in such a role must be humble as well as zealous to bring glory to the Master, and that if the one chosen by the Lord failed, he would be replaced by another. -
nicolaou
Thanks for taking the time to reply.
In line with the answers you've just given, could you now answer the following:
[1] If, as you both seem to agree, the 'remnant' of 'anointed ones' are all part of the 'Faithful and Discreet Slave class', how then do they fulfill Jesus commission to 'feed his household meat in due season' unless they are a part of the 'Governing Body'?
[2] If, as you state,
the Governing Body [are] more or less an administrative unit representing this group [the remnant]
how do they recive input from these anointed ones scattered throughout the Earth so as to represent them?[3] If in the few congregations where there exist cogent members of the anointed remnant of the Faithful and Discrete slave class, would it not be reasonable to expect that those ones would be taking the lead in the teaching and spritual feeding in those localities?
OldHippie, you aren't necessarily gullible and I'm certainly not trying to get you mired in some theological pit. It's just that these sorts of questions were the ones that first started to make me think for myself.
I sure don't have all the answers, but when it appeared to me that doctrines I once supported had become unsupportable I knew I had to make some serious choices.I didn't want be df'd for the sake of my family and friends. I couldn't disassociate for the same reason and yet I needed to keep my personal integrity.
Like many thousands of others I became a 'Nominal JW'.
Perhaps this is a form of hypocrisy - I'm still struggling to exist this way - but the alternative is too awful to contemplate, the loss of my Mother, sisters, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins and many, many dear friends.The questions I posed in this thread are not the sorts of things that most JW's spend any time worrying over but that doesn't mean that they are unimportant.
If these questions cannot be answered convincingly what does that say for the validity of the Watchtowers claims for itself?"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk or discourse, but to weigh and consider." --Francis Bacon
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blondie
I just want to make clear that the words above are from the WT publications and do not necessarily mean that I understand any of it.
Of course, there would be no input from female anointed here on earth because women cannot teach.
Supposedly, no individual member of the anointed receives input from Jehovah according to the Bible. They must function as a group and supposedly the GB "represents" the anointed/remnant/FDS/chosen ones....
Those are good questions. The GB decisions do not have to be unanimous...only a 2/3 majority although...
Acts 15:23-29
“The apostles and the older men, brothers, to those brothers in Antioch and Syria and Ci·li'cia who are from the nations: Greetings! 24 Since we have heard that some from among us have caused YOU trouble with speeches, trying to subvert YOUR souls, although we did not give them any instructions, 25 we have come to a unanimous accord and have favored choosing men to send to YOU together with our loved ones, Bar'na·bas and Paul, 26 men that have delivered up their souls for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We are therefore dispatching Judas and Silas, that they also may report the same things by word. 28 For the holy spirit and we ourselves have favored adding no further burden to YOU, except these necessary things, 29 to keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. If YOU carefully keep yourselves from these things, YOU will prosper. Good health to YOU!”This is said regarding the body of elders in the congregation
*** w77 3/1 156-7 Congregation Elders-"Preside in a Fine Way"! ***
If “unanimous accord” is not possible in a body of elders, one with a different view should not take exception to what has been decided by showing a spirit of animosity. He will want to continue to “work hard” with the whole body. The congregation will thus retain confidence in them, knowing that all are working in unity.In the end each Christian must study the Bible and make sure whatever they live by is in the Bible.