defd,
I've seen several posts from you and thought I'd share my newfound discoveries with you. I'm sure you're open to at least reading them, since you're frequenting and even contributing here. I notice you've actually contributed more than three times the number of posts than I have.
I am a third generation Jehovah's Witness, with my daughter and her cousins being of the fourth generation. There are more than thirty members of my family who are Witnesses, my grandmother having started it all back in the early forties. Two of my family members (including my Father) profess to be of the anointed. I served the congregation as an elder for some time, giving public talks far and wide throughout my region. As an organization minded Witness, I was the one who would help other friends (including my fellow elders) when they began having doubts or speculated on things. I didn't appreciate opportunistic faultfinders--those who'd always be jumping at the chance to point fingers and accuse the organization of "not doing things right." Despite this, after finding a few very troubling things within the organization, I finally did something I never imagined doing: I gave the organization I'd been so dedicated to a fair-minded, objective investigation.
Although we may claim that we do this all the time as JWs, unless we are truly willing to be "objective," we may find ourselves adopting a policy that is neither helpful to us nor scriptural. Just as the Bible writer wrote, "Let God be true," we may come to believe we should, "Let the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society be true," always looking for some justification to find them correct--without truly having been "objective." I'm now convinced that I used to do this, and that this is a wholly wrong thing to do.
Would Jehovah have excused individuals of the nation of Israel who went right along with the evil kings of their time? What did Jesus have to say about so many of the people within the various congregations in the first century--the ones he spoke sharply to in Revelation? Just as the Watchtower Society itself teaches you that 'being a Witness does not mean you're automatically going to be swept right along into the new system,' it's also true that if the Watchtower Society is leading its followers in ways Jehovah would greatly disapprove of, those individuals have the responsibility not to let that happen to them or their families. Think of all of the faithful servants of Jehovah--not of an organization--who were used by Him to call attention to the false worship of their time. I invite you to read a few excerpts from "Does God Work Through an Organization," by Tom Cabeen.
After W.W.II the Nazi organization never went on trial for war crimes. Individuals did. An organization cannot commit nor be punished for crimes. It bears no accountability. People do. Jesus said that when he would return he would separate the goats from the sheep. He would base his judgment on personal conduct rather than loyalty to an organization or belief structure.
For example, Elijah thought that he was the only person left that did not bow down to Baal. God said that He had 7,000 in Israel that had not bowed down to him. Those faithful persons would doubtless have been considered disloyal to the anointed king that was in power. Yet they were obviously not organized into any type of group.
Throughout the entire pre-Christian period, the Bible mentions faithful individuals who were loyal to God, regardless of whether the nation's leaders were faithful. This was true right up until Jesus appeared. A righteous prophet named Simeon saw the young child Jesus, in fulfillment of a prophecy given him by the Holy Spirit. A faithful prophetess named Anna is also mentioned.
defd, after looking at all the evidence objectively--and praying earnestly, I came to a conclusion that is so obvious I can't believe I never saw it before. Whether you now realize it or not, the Watchtower Society has created a situation in which it is requiring its adherents to give the organization a more prominent position than Jehovah or Jesus Christ.
As you yourself showed from your post...
According to Hebrews 4:13 There is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight, but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting.
This being the case, what do we have to fear in looking at all the information available about this organization of Jehovah's Witnesses? If we are truly "in the Truth," should we have to fear the light? Note what they've written in the The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, 1968, p. 13...
"We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in full harmony with God's Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination."
Yet you and I both know that the Society takes an entirely different stance on doing exactly the same thing when it has to do with its own teachings. Note the Watchtower 1986 March 15 pp.10-15 “Do Not Be Quickly Shaken From Your Reason”...
7 Now, what will you do if you are confronted with apostate teaching—subtle reasonings—claiming that what you believe as one of Jehovah's Witnesses is not the truth? For example, what will you do if you receive a letter or some literature, open it, and see right away that it is from an apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say? You may even reason: 'It won't affect me; I'm too strong in the truth. And, besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.' In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt.
So, although the WTS encourages a thorough and open-minded examination of the things taught by a religion, this only applies to religions other than their own. Any suggestion that “what you believe as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the truth” MUST be considered—not an open minded examination—but instead the devious propaganda of apostates. The reasoning encouraged by the Watchtower Society requires the dogmatic rejection of any possibility that “what you believe as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses is not the truth.” I consider this out of harmony with the scriptures.
(2 Corinthians 13:5) Keep testing whether YOU are in the faith, keep proving what YOU yourselves are. Or do YOU not recognize that Jesus Christ is in union with YOU?
Sorry about the length of this post. (I tend to go long even when I don't want to!) But, defd, you owe it to yourself and to Almighty God to deeply consider all of the information, not just what the Watchtower Society tells you is okay. Placing your trust in an organization is a course entirely out of harmony with God's Word.
Best Wishes
