*** Watchtower 1956 Feb 1 pp.88-89 Cautious as Serpents Among Wolves ***
45 We dare not lie against God's Word, adding to it or taking away from it, reading into it what it does not say and denying, passing over or explaining away what it does truthfully say. "Every word of God is tried: . . . Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." (Prov. 30:5, 6, AS) We may not tell untruths in his name, for that puts God in the light of a liar. "Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar." (Rom. 3:4, NW) In Jeremiah's day the false prophets prophesied lies in Jehovah's name and lied against his purpose, foretelling in his name what he had not foretold. Therefore Jehovah was against them. He executed judgment against them at Jerusalem's destruction in 607 B.C. (Jer. 23:25; 27:15) Religious liars like them today cannot escape a like judgment but will meet a like end at Armageddon.
In the past as well as the present the writers of the Watchtower Magazine have resorted to peddling their human opinion off as the very word of Jehovah. Every wrong calculation about every failed date was constantly hammered as being from Jehovah. There was no wiggle room left. It simply HAD TO BE from Jehovah. Even when it was demonstrably wrong there was never an inch of doubt allowed.
*** Zion's Watch Tower, Feb, 1881, p.3 ***
If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now; But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. "New light" never extinguishes older "light," but adds to it...
*** Watchtower 1976 May 15 p.298 Preaching Christ—Through Envy or Goodwill? ***
It is a serious matter to represent God and Christ in one way, then find that our understanding of the major teachings and fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures was in error, and then after that, to go back to the very doctrines that, by years of study, we had thoroughly determined to be in error. Christians cannot be vacillating—'wishy-washy'—about such fundamental teachings. What confidence can one put in the sincerity or judgment of such persons?
Notice the two exerpts above. Both have iron-clad certainty to them. They reinforce the idea of the UNCHANGING nature of what the Watchtower prints. The voice of the Governing Body speaking is confident, reassuring and well-aware of the gravity of speaking wrongly in the name of God.
With this in mind, how is the following Governing Body pronouncement possible? It comes AFTER the debacle of the failed prophecy about 1975 when the poop hit the fan.
*** Watchtower 1981 December 1 p.27 The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter ***
The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter
2 However, it may have seemed to some as though that path has not always gone straight forward. At times explanations given by Jehovah's visible organization have shown adjustments, seemingly to previous points of view. But this has not actually been the case. This might be compared to what is known in navigational circles as "tacking." By maneuvering the sails the sailors can cause a ship to go from right to left, back and forth, but all the time making progress toward their destination in spite of contrary winds.
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Notice the weasel words: IT MAY HAVE SEEMED TO SOME. Wiggle room! Also, examine the phrase: SHOWN ADJUSTMENTS, SEEMINGLY.. Also, a failure to admit error; substituting the guiltless word "adjustments" and tacking on "seemingly" to erase any doubt.
However, let us go back to 1976 when they were insisting at the top of their collective voice that they were not in error (even though 1975 had already passed) and bucking up the flock by pumping confidence into their flailing prophecy; what words did they use back then?
*** Watchtower 1976 May 15 p.298 Preaching Christ—Through Envy or Goodwill? ***
It is a serious matter to represent God and Christ in one way, then find that our understanding of the major teachings and fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures was in error, and then after that, to go back to the very doctrines that, by years of study, we had thoroughly determined to be in error. Christians cannot be vacillating—'wishy-washy'—about such fundamental teachings. What confidence can one put in the sincerity or judgment of such persons?
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Do you see any contradiction in tone?
Concentrate on the explanation about the sailor tacking the sailboat side to side:
"This might be compared to what is known in navigational circles as "tacking." By maneuvering the sails the sailors can cause a ship to go from right to left, back and forth, but all the time making progress toward their destination in spite of contrary winds"
compare this to the following:
*** Reference Bible Ephesians 4:14 ***14 in order that we should no longer be babes, tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in contriving error.
Is this not embarassing?
Their very own explanation sets them up as buffoons in light of the scripture warning about such buffoons.
Now, the nail in the coffin:
*** The Living Bible Ephesians 4:14 ***...forever changing our minds about what we believe because someone has told us something different, or has cleverly lied to us and made the lie sound like the truth.All we have to do is read that last phrase and capitalise the word Truth!
So, what is the lame plea made by the Watchtower to those completely disgusted by these changes and failure to accept blame?
*** Watchtower 1981 February 15 p.19 Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible? *** Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible? OUR VIEW OF THE "SLAVE"We can benefit from this consideration. If we have once established what instrument God is using as his "slave" to dispense spiritual food to his people, surely Jehovah is not pleased if we receive that food as though it might contain something harmful. We should have confidence in the channel God is using. At the Brooklyn headquarters from which the Bible publications of Jehovah's Witnesses emanate there are more mature Christian elders, both of the "remnant" and of the "other sheep," than anywhere else upon earth.
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The entire argument and reassurance is based on the foundational belief about WHAT INSTRUMENT GOD IS USING. If you swallow that camel, then, the swarm of gnats is nothing to worry about.
Is God using an organization that misrepresents Him to the world at large?
The only tool left in the Watchtower arsenal to repair the ever-widening cracks in their foundation is to resort to fear and intimidation. Here is an example:
*** Watchtower 1983 January 15 p.22 Exposing the Devil's Subtle Designs *** Avoid Independent Thinking20 From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God's way of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. 'You can decide for yourself what is good and bad,' Satan told Eve. 'You don't have to listen to God. He is not really telling you the truth.' (Genesis 3:1-5) To this day, it has been Satan's subtle design to infect God's people with this type of thinking.-2 Timothy 3:1, 13.
21 How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization. For example, God's organization has from time to time given warnings about listening to certain types of immoral and suggestive music, and about frequenting discos and other types of worldly dance halls where such music is played and people are known to engage in immoral conduct. (1 Corinthians 15:33) Yet certain ones have professed to know better. They have rebelled against such counsel and have done what is right in their own eyes. With what result? Very often they have become involved in sexual immorality and have suffered severe spiritual harm. But even if they have not been so affected, are they not reprehensible if others follow their example and suffer bad consequences?-Matthew 18:6.
22 This fact cannot be overemphasized: We are in a war with superhuman foes, and we constantly need to be aware of this.
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First there is the fear of Satan.
This is followed by the fear of lying propaganda by the news media:
*** Beware the Voice of Strangers :: "Give God Glory" District Convention, Selkirk, Manitoba, Canada, July 12 2003 ***[Recording Available (MP3 file, 7.5MB)]
[For your convenience, we have included the approximate time index in the transcript below]
Beware the Voice of Strangers[06:58] Sad to say, these very, extremely wicked opposers of Jehovah, and of truth, have succeeded in affecting the spiritual balance of quite a few of our brothers and sisters, who have listened to their poisonous propaganda. In fact, in one congregation in a local circuit, eight publishers were very shaken just a few months ago, because of watching an apostate-promoted TV documentary. And this was in spite of the fact that, that very week, the elders had set aside ten minutes of the service meeting, a couple of days before the documentary was aired, to warn the brothers that it was going to be on, and they used material from the Faithful and Discreet Slave to help them to see why it would be dangerous to watch it. And in spite of that, eight publishers were very shaken because they did watch it. So those affected in such ways have not heeded the warnings to beware of the voice of apostate strangers.
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This is followed by warnings about ANY source of information contrary to Watchtower lies you may encounter:
[06:58] Sad to say, these very, extremely wicked opposers of Jehovah, and of truth, have succeeded in affecting the spiritual balance of quite a few of our brothers and sisters, who have listened to their poisonous propaganda. In fact, in one congregation in a local circuit, eight publishers were very shaken just a few months ago, because of watching an apostate-promoted TV documentary. And this was in spite of the fact that, that very week, the elders had set aside ten minutes of the service meeting, a couple of days before the documentary was aired, to warn the brothers that it was going to be on, and they used material from the Faithful and Discreet Slave to help them to see why it would be dangerous to watch it. And in spite of that, eight publishers were very shaken because they did watch it. So those affected in such ways have not heeded the warnings to beware of the voice of apostate strangers.
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Finally, warnings piled on warnings. Paranoia upon paranoia:
[11:22] Avoid like the plague, association with them and their ways of thinking, their ways of doing things, even indirectly, by listening to debasing music, by watching corrupting entertainment. Whether it be at the theater, or on a video that you can just slip into your VCR at home. Or on the internet, or in magazines or books, or wherever it might be. Why expose yourself to their ways?
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The Watchtower hold on power comes down to three strongholds on the mind of the flock.
1.Fear of the world at large; fear of everthing and everybody. Instilled paranoia.
2. Doctrine of the channel of god, mouthpiece of god, faithful and discreet slave; meaning Watchtower.
3.Threat of discipline and shunning. Holding family hostage in disfellowshipping. Dumping you into the world where you'll die at Armageddon.
The warnings are shrill from the Watchtower as they are running scared because they are sowing what they have reaped for decades now that publicity from the Internet, news documentaries and ex-members is made available.
So rather than allowing ourselves to be turned aside by false stories, published through the media, or by apostates, or by anybody else, we want to keep our senses in all things. We want to keep busy in spiritual activities, including the ministry, teaching people the Truth of Jehovah's word and purposes.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Lies cause harm and the Watchtower is the worst vehicle for spreading harm.
The Internet may be the best tool for revealing the harm done for over a century by highly-opinionated men seeking power over others by claiming for themselves a power and a channel of truth unavailable to them.
But, easily their OWN WORDS come back to haunt them. This is justice at it finest. They are their own undoing. Inconsistancy, duplicity, intellectual dishonesty, hubris and outright lying do not reveal the mind of God; but, rather the mind of megalomanics parading as righteous. It isn't your salvation they crave; it is your slavery in collecting dollars for feckless pamphlets, books with constipated run-on sentences and tracts that spew propaganda in the name of absolute Truth.
We end where we began, ironically with the words of the Watchtower condemning itself publicly:
*** Watchtower 1956 Feb 1 pp.88-89 Cautious as Serpents Among Wolves ***45 We dare not lie against God's Word, adding to it or taking away from it, reading into it what it does not say and denying, passing over or explaining away what it does truthfully say. "Every word of God is tried: . . . Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." (Prov. 30:5, 6, AS) We may not tell untruths in his name, for that puts God in the light of a liar. "Let God be found true, though every man be found a liar." (Rom. 3:4, NW) In Jeremiah's day the false prophets prophesied lies in Jehovah's name and lied against his purpose, foretelling in his name what he had not foretold. Therefore Jehovah was against them. He executed judgment against them at Jerusalem's destruction in 607 B.C. (Jer. 23:25; 27:15) Religious liars like them today cannot escape a like judgment but will meet a like end at Armageddon.
End.Terry Walstrom