Are the GB Criminals?
In some of my recent posts I have used this expression to describe the 'moral' aspect of the GB. The question is why? And on what basis do I make such a statement?
Defining a Criminal: A criminal is most often thought of as one who breaks the law. Usually, the type of law breaking a person thinks about are serious acts involving felonies or certain misdemeanors. The Bible defines breaking the Law as sin because the Law was given by God through Moses. I John 3:4 says, ”Every one that does sin does also lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.” In a Biblical sense, therefore, any ‘sin’ is defined as ‘lawlessness’ or breaking God’s laws.
So, if I call any GB member a criminal, or the GB as a whole group, criminals, am I hypocritical? Am I not a sinner also? Have I never broken the laws of God or man? Who of us is without sin, such that we could cast the first stone? What I have in mind, however, is not the general sense in which sin is used, nor necessarily the sense of breaking the Laws of man and his governments. What I have in mind is something that Jesus Christ himself addressed separately from acts of sin. What is that?
The ‘Special Class’ Jesus spoke against: For those of you who hold the Bible in disdain, I ask that you set aside your distaste temporarily to consider the ‘’Special Class’ to which Jesus Christ condemned more than all others, a class that I will present as ‘Moral Criminals’ and a class that is rightly called what they really are – hypocrites!
The book of Mark, Chapter 7, verses 1-23 is where Jesus made his strongest remarks regarding the religious leaders of his day. I copied it at the bottom for you to read in full context. I will lift some verses out for specific discussion:
VS 5: “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”
This opening salvo that Jesus tossed to the religious leaders cuts right to the heart of what we see today by the religious leaders of the Watch Tower Society. The literature of the Society says many glowing things, but in practice their heart is no where near to God. They are so wrapped up in their own ‘traditions’ such as not eating birthday cake, or having a Christmas tree, growing a beard, or many other issues of their own making, that they have forgotten the important aspects of what God and Christ are all about.
Jesus Continued,
VS 7 “Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.”
The JW leaders will spend time to figure out what new offense they can create to require Disfellowshipping, or they will issue instructions in the Kingdom Ministry or the Flock book detailing every little nitty-gritty items to be followed to the letter, but they will not even lift a finger to keep the basic commandments of God, that is, to love God and their neighbor as themselves.
To illustrate this a little more, I have paraphrased the words from Matt 23:4-7 as if Jesus had said them to the GB:
“Yes, the Governing Body bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's and women’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. But all the Governing Body works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their great buildings and real estate holdings, and increase the circulation of their magazines and literature; and the Governing Body love the chief place at Conventions, and JW gatherings and feasts, and the chief seats in the Kingdom Halls, and the salutations from JWs while at Assemblies, and to be called the Faithful and Discreet Slave, Anointed, and of course Governing Body member.”
How then, are these men moral criminals?: If we stand back and think about what they believe vs what they teach, we can see the power in Jesus words above, and why these GB men are moral criminals:
They put on a front of solidarity before JWs, even allowing JWs to believe that they only issue policies when they are all in agreement. But, those who know these men personally, and held many private conversations with members of the GB, find that these men do not believe all that they teach. In some cases, I have learned that some GB men do not believe in any of the dogma and doctrine of the Watch Tower teachings.
Yet, these GB men will allow policies and doctrines to go forth and continue, requiring all JWs to abide by them as though ‘from God’ through them. Such issues as forbidding JWs to hold a 'party card' required in Malawi, no blood transfusions, no military alternative service until recently, no saluting the flag, emotinally abusing the mentally ill without getting them proper medical attention, and failing to turn child molesters over to the authorities are among a few of their moral crimes. They know that they teach wrong doctrines and create wrong policies on these issues, yet they let JWs suffer harm, improsonment, or die obeying these doctrines.
Jesus Christ was too polite: No, I do not stand against Christ. But I believe that Christ was too moderate just using the term “Hypocrite” for these religious leaders. Jesus Christ would have served us as well by referring to these type of men as the ‘moral criminals’ they are.
The Disciple James noted at James 2:11-14,
”For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if you commit no adultery, yet if you kill, you have become a transgressor of the law. So as you speak, then so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that has shown no mercy; and mercy rejoices against judgment. What does it profit, my brother, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? can faith save him?”
What?: The Governing Body may not have committed adultery. They may speak glowing things against adultery, murder, theft, religious intolerance, and even speak against the legalism of the ancient Pharisees or modern religious clerics. Yet, their own policies have led to the needless death of JWs who have been beaten, tortured, raped, killed, or depressed to the point of suicide because they were bonded to the commands of these men who themselves do not always believe what they teach, and who themselves do nothing to lift the burden, who themselves are insulated from having to obey the same rules or face the same tests as given to the average JW.
Judgment Day has arrived: The GB have long boasted about the coming Judgment of all the humankind as they and the JWs look on at the destruction of billions of people, from little children to old ladies, from young boys to old men, all because they did not join some religious organization called Jehovah’s Witness under the direction of the GB and its publishing arm, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society publishing corporation.
Yet, these men will moan and groan and gnash their teeth when the light of truth and public scrutiny examine them, and find them wanting. Maybe it is possible that some of their names will be read in court, and they will have to learn how to spell the word ‘Defendant’ ... and they will then realize that it took them 120 years to get to where they are ... that is, they have become just like all those they condemn, and in fact, worse because they claimed to be something they are not by claiming to be better than everyone else; and, too, because they did not totally believe their own teachings that they made others believe, teachings that caused death. This, in my humble opinion, makes the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses more than hypocrites, it makes them moral criminals.
Amazing
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Mark 7:1-23: “Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the scribes, which came from Jerusalem. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands? He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.
“And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.
“And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand: There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.
“And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?
“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. - (KJV)