Why quotes from old publications are meaningful

seattleniceguy

Most Witnesses know that if you dig too hard in their older publications, you're bound to find strange, even ridiculous, quotes.

But they are trained not to put too much thought into these older publications. After all, does not the light get brighter? So what

if the WTS said some wacky things back then? That was then, this is now. Right?

I realized today why quotations from older publications are meaningful. What got me thinking about it was that zany article from a

1932 Golden Age (http://quotes.watchtower.ca/gravitation_and_electric_energy.htm) about gravitation and electric energy. The

article was breathtaking in its total disregard for science, or even logic. And I don't say this based on what we know today, as

opposed to what we knew in the 1930s. Even someone remotely well educated in science would have had a hard time containing

laughter at some of the insanity in the article. And therein lies the crucial point.

If you were Joe or Jane Respectable living in 1932 and were given this magazine to read, what would you have thought? Any

reasonably educated and intelligent person would have dismissed the Witnesses (or Bible Students, at the time) as complete and

total crackpots. Witnesses alive today should imagine what their reaction would be reading such an article. I don't think many people

would give the Golden Age a second read. If that's the case, then that means that reasonable people would have had legitimate

grounds for dismissing the Witnesses then.

If reasonable people could legitimately disagree with the WTS at that time, then what does that say about "God's Channel"? Why did

"God's Channel" distribute such fabrications under the guise of "spiritual food" in the first place? It was either deliberate deception or

utter disregard for truth. Has this practice changed? When did it change? Beginning in what year can we assert that reasonable people

could not legitimately disagree with the WTS? If reasonable people still can legitimately disagree with the WTS, then why would God

destroy such people for conscientiously doing so?

I hadn't realized until today how utterly the house of cards falls down in the light of what the WTS has written in their older publications.

This cements in my mind the importantance of the Quotes site. I hope it continues to help many sincere Witnesses.

SNG

I believe that you are right. Certainly in my dub days I would have answered much as you say in the opening sentences. I also reasoned that the F & D S were not scientists, so it is reasonable for them to be guided by the beliefs of the day, in non biblical matters.

One would expec, howver,t that they kept to the established trusted beliefs . Instead we find them adopting some very weird ideas , based on "new theories" Some just fitted their beliefs and also I guess they just liked to be different and found unorthodox beliefs highly believable.

eg, "Miracle Wheat", The dangers of aluminium cookware etc. BTW I recall now that a Brother with whom I was out on the ministry (Much older and senior to me as a boy) calmly told a householder that coal was not the remans of long gone vegetation bur was rather a direct creation by God. He explained to me later that he had read it in an old publication and of course The Society were always right

Beans

The thing that surprises me is how zany those articles are!

Im surprised they never predicted the end of this system of things!

Sunspot

Up until recently, I was posting on a board at Beliefnet/JW Debate. Quite often I'd use quotes from the WT pubs that were "before" new light. Some of their nonsense is not terribly old, and just in the last few decades.

I would *always* get the replies (from JWs) that this was not taught any more and that the WTS is a "progressive" organization, keeping up with Jah's chariot, blah, blah, blah.

When the WTS claims to be God's mouthpiece, and/or say that they ONLY have spirit-directed insights, then one would EXPECT them to be consistent in their teachings, especially since their beliefs MUST be accepted 100% by their followers.

When they boldly declare that their beliefs are THE truth, and it keeps changing at the whim or sometimes a 2/3 majority VOTE of MEN, it becomes suspect as to whether it can BE believed or not.

The older publications prove that they are NOT "the truth" and the JWs get irritated when these are cited and do mental cartwheels in trying to convince themselves and others why they have the "latest" truth.

WE hear the excuses that "other religions" have made changes so what's wrong with that?", but then they will knock themselves out to show that they are NOT like "other religions". (when in fact-they are)

"Well, we're not perfect and make mistakes" is another beloved excuse. If the WTS beliefs are printed and distributed for JWs to read, study and follow to the letter as food from GOD, and if the WTS will dismiss those who don't agree with "new light" and question the validity of a "new truth", they shouldn't have the authority to decide who is worthy and who isn't when THEY have made the mistakes.

JWs are expected, too, to unquestioningly obey whatever the WTS chooses to teach (at present) and adjust their lives accordingly, all the while the WTS doesn't accept any of the responsibility for dispensing "mistakes" as "truth", but arrogantly goes forth beating the sheep and pretending that they still are the only ones that have God's approval and blessing.

The old publications have a way of putting this all out on the table, proving they wouldn't know the "truth" if it bit them.

Annie

AK - Jeff

Couldn't help it Seattle - here were a couple of side-splitters....

"Tonsillectomy is called a minor operation. If so, getting well is a double major. If any overzealous doctor condemns your tonsils go and commit suicide with a case-knife. It's cheaper and less painful." {GA Apr 7 1926 438}

"Radio [may soon] transmit .. heat, light, vision, sound and power." {GA Jul 14 1926 644}

"The sun [will never run out] of electricity [as it] is not exhausted with use.. [electricity] goes the rounds of the universe from solar system to solar system and returns.. [when the Solar System becomes] saturated {they] give off .. surplus electricity to other solar systems .. and so it goes, from one to the other, until it completes the immeasurable circuit.. a corollary of this theory is that all the planets have atmosphere and are probably inhabited." {GA Aug 11 1926 723}

"God [may soon cause] a comet [to be] captured by the Earth.. [to] bring about a radical change in earth's climatic conditions and transform the surface of our planet into a paradise, wherein disease and death will be no more." {GA Jun 16 1926 583}

"Air baths are good for preventing colds.. What you do is strip naked mornings and evenings and then bob up and down for a while." {GA Feb 10 1926 310}

"Disease [is] caused by fermentation and heat .. not germs. [It cannot be] proven [that] any disease was caused by germs [including] so-called infectious diseases .. chicken pox and small pox." {GA Aug 25 1926 751/4}

Wow - I forgot how wild some of those were....

Jeff

Carmel

As I recall, one of the claims of the WBTS was that "religion and science agree". I may be wrong. But it seems to me that they chose to define science only in a way that agreed with their take on the bible. No mention of the scientific method or anything like that.. What is the present "light" on the subject???

carmel

OldSoul

sng, a light bulb went off as a read your post.

What if that is the freakin' intent? Don't you need unreasoning animals for your cult? Wouldn't reasonable people get wise to the control and quickly haul ... asspirin? Wouldn't you be left with lots of well meaning looneys who you already know are predisposed to belief in preposterous notions? Isn't it a short jump to shunning or whatever else a quasi-reason could be developed for.

Swan

The Watchtower Reprints, July 15, 1902, p. 3043 ***

Suppose a missionary and his wife removed to China; not only would the influence of the climate and soil be manifested upon themselves, but the same would be still more manifested in their children. Whoever will give careful attention to this matter will notice that each succeeding child born in that foreign country will have increasingly resemblance to the Chinese ? the hair, the skin, the shape of the eyes, and in general all features will bear closer resemblance with each succeeding child. We can readily suppose that if so much change occurs in a few years, ten or twenty centuries under similar conditions would turn any white people into regular Chinese, even supposing there were no intermarrying.

Tammy

ko38

Their position on afro americans in the older publications realy shows their lack of understanding.They took on the thinking of the day which was completely against what the bible says about not being partial.

Been there

Suppose a missionary and his wife removed to China; not only would the influence of the climate and soil be manifested upon themselves, but the same would be still more manifested in their children. Whoever will give careful attention to this matter will notice that each succeeding child born in that foreign country will have increasingly resemblance to the Chinese ? the hair, the skin, the shape of the eyes, and in general all features will bear closer resemblance with each succeeding child. We can readily suppose that if so much change occurs in a few years, ten or twenty centuries under similar conditions would turn any white people into regular Chinese, even supposing there were no intermarrying.

Wouldn't that be called evolution?