Please find below scanned in excerpts of the cover article of the 1/8/01 WT. Its another one of those articles which makes you say to yourself ‘How can they print this!?’.
Under the heading ‘Your Right to Believe’ it has the following paragraph.
You probably Cherish your right to believe whatever you wish to believe. So does almost everyone else. By exercising this right, earths six billion inhabitants have produced an amazing diversity of beliefs. Like the variations in color, shape, texture, taste, smell, and sound that we find in creation, differing beliefs often add interest, excitement, and enjoyment to life. Such variety can, indeed, be the spice of life.—Psalm 104:24.
Well I would say when you leave the mind control of the WTS, your thoughts and ideas ‘often add interest, excitement, and enjoyment to life’ with the exact opposite being in true in WT World.
The article continues…….I think the first line can be spoken with real authority by the WTS!
………Of course, it does not take deliberate lies to develop mistaken beliefs. At times, we just misread. How many people have met untimely deaths doing something they believed was right? Then again, often we believe a thing simply because we want to believe it. One professor says that even scientists “often fall in love with their own constructions.” Their beliefs becloud their critical judgment. Then they may spend a lifetime in vain trying to shore up mistaken beliefs—jeremiah 17:9 Similar things have happened with religious beliefs—where immense contradictions exist. One man has deep faith in God. Another says that the man is only ‘weaving faith out of moonshine.”
The WTS, of course knows all about developing ‘mistaken beliefs’. This has caused ‘untimely deaths’. The WTS should have an idea how many have died because of refusing transplants and transfusions etc. It has also falsely proclaimed the ‘end’ as in 1975 and then has the handy knack of saying that its followers ‘misread’ or believed something because ‘we want to believe it’. Some great quotes here BTW folks! For example…. ‘Their beliefs becloud their critical judgment. Then they may spend a lifetime in vain trying to shore up mistaken beliefs’…….
The article later quotes the UN declaration. Which is cool but something the WTS does not allow its membership. See later in the same article re harboring private thoughts. You have a right to change your belief as well!
To believe has been defined as “to accept as true, genuine, or true The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights enshrines person’s “right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.” This right includes the freedom ‘to change his religion or belief’ if he wants to do so.
The article then gives us some handy pointers as to why we believe what we do. These are of course particularly appropriate when we look at the JWs, where in the western world the growth is basically from those born into the religion. ‘Unthinking adherence to what previous generations believed and did can in fact, be dangerous’
How can you minimize the possibility of believing a lie? Why, in fact, do you believe the way you do?
~—‘ Brought Up to Believe It?
Perhaps you have been brought up in the in beliefs of your family. That may well be a
good thing. God wants parents to teach their children. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:18-
21) The young man Timothy, for example, benefited greatly from listening to his moth-
and grandmother. (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:14,
The Scriptures encourage respect for what parents believe. (Proverbs 1:8; Ephesians 6:1) But did your Creator mean for you to believe things simply because your parcnts believe them? Unthinking adherence to what previous generations believed and did can in fact, be dangerous—Psalm 78:8;
AmoS 2:4.
Yup, and don’t just believe because the GB says so……….
to Believe It?
Many teachers and authorities in specialized fields of knowledge deserve great respect. Yet, history is littered with examples of renowned teachers who were absolutely wrong. For example, regarding two books on scientific matters written by Greek philosopher Aristotle, historian Bertrand Russell stated that “hardly a sentence in either can be accepted in the light of modern science. Even modern-day authorities often get things drastically wrong. “Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible,” was the confident assertion of British scientist Lord Kelvin in 71895. L’A wise person, ‘therefore, does not blindly believe thatsomething is true simply because some authoritative teacher says it is.—Psalrn 146:3.
The same caution is needed when it comes to religious education.
Or because you read it in the WT magazine or other WTS ‘media’. Slowly but surely, the WTS has changed its views on so many subjects, its original founders would not recognize it!
Influenced by the Media?
Maybe the media havc greatIy influenced your beliefs. Most people are glad that there -is freedom of speech in the media ,giving them access to information that can be useful. However, there are powerful forces that can and frequently do manipulate the media. What is often presented is biased information that can insidiously affect your thinking. . Slowly but surely, established standards of behavior are attacked and whittled away. People’s thinking is gradually becoming distorted. They begin to believe that “good is bad and bad is good. “—Isaiah 5:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
What you need to do is read Gods word yourself and come to your own conclusion, hey God gave us ‘he intellectual capacity to investigate the world around you and to ask questions concerning spiritual matters’ didn’t he? Pity you are not allowed to do that, despite what the article may purport.
then, can you confidently base your beliefs? Since God has given you intellectual capacity to investigate the world around you and to ask questions concerning spiritual matters, does it not make sense that he would also provide the means to get accurate answers to your questions?Of course it is your decision as to what you want to believe. However, it is the course of wisdom to make sure that your beliefs are shaped, not by human wisdom and desires, but, rather by God’s revealed Word of truth.
ISP