hey guys,.
so, something amazing happened recently.
i recently met with an old and very good friend of mine.
Personally I needed to formally cut spiritual ties with the toxic and apostate ruling religious clergy class (Pharisees).
The resulting freedom has led to a breathtaking journey and great heights I may not otherwise have been able to reach.
I also enjoy not having to look over my shoulder, and having them run away from me instead.
i would have to say that ray franz was the biggest influence for me.. when i first got on this board, a poster by the name of james, a former bethelite and organization heavy, helped me understand a lot of the inner workings in the upper echelons of the society.. .
and of course, farkel's common sense approach was (usually) helpful..
The great divergence between what is written and what is taught on the gospel (of grace) did it for me. (2 Cor 4:4)
It seems law (or legalism) vs grace was the big "scandal" that broke out in Bethel in the early 1980's.
It seems Ray may actually have left discreetly a few good articles on this behind in the Watchtower's publications.
if all religion is a snare and a racket as per judge rutherford, then has religion maybe lied to us on this score too?.
could jesus have meant: "if you belonged to the (religious) world, it would love you as its own.
as it is, you do not belong to the (religious) world, but i have chosen you out of the (religious) world.
The Watchtower religion is smarter than most.
Other religions have paid clergy.
The Watchtower has paying clergy.
PS1 - From a YouTube clip.
PS2 - Yup, I know only a handful of clergymen make a killing financially speaking.
watchtower body of elder letters:.. this pdf file is the largest boe file ever compiled.
it has been downloaded at least 30 times with no virus issues.
the file is from 1905 to 2015 updated, and includes all the elder manuals from 1961 to 2010 at the bottom of the bookmarks.
What a compilation!
Thank you Petra for all the long hours that must have gone into this project.
On page 5569 (Laodicean Messenger 1923) it is made clear that CTR was the only FDS for all time:
"Would it not, then, be well for us all to adjust our minds to the thought that God never intended that there should be but one servant, who at any time would be made “ruler over all His goods”; furthermore, that Charles Taze Russell filled this office from first to last; having no predecessor, and it is quite certain that no successor was intended."
if all religion is a snare and a racket as per judge rutherford, then has religion maybe lied to us on this score too?.
could jesus have meant: "if you belonged to the (religious) world, it would love you as its own.
as it is, you do not belong to the (religious) world, but i have chosen you out of the (religious) world.
If ALL religion is a snare and a racket as per Judge Rutherford, then has religion maybe lied to us on this score too?
Could Jesus have meant: "If you belonged to the (religious) world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the (religious) world, but I have chosen you out of the (religious) world. That is why the (religious) world hates you." (cross ref John 9:22)
Could it be that religious leaders may be completely wrong about what “the world” or “worldly” means – in that it might refer mainly to them?
There seems to be some support for such a view in this Bible commentary that says "this world" in 1 Cor 2:8 meant “the Jewish church state” (a religious organisation): http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_corinthians/2-8.htm
What are your thoughts?
hey gang, i'm a fader and i've made a few posts in the past, but i mostly lurk.
i had a visit with a family member the other night and they know how i feel about my life as a witness growing up.
my life as a witness was not fun, i had no friends "in the truth," was picked on relentlessly in school, and basically my life as a witness left me with not one real good memory.
What a beautiful piece you've written silent.
It seems to me that your instincts are spot on, and that all your problems are directly related to ignoring your instincts.
Clericalism, hierarchy, magisterium, self-righteousness, hypocrisy, legalism and inconsistency are powerful proofs that these religious folks and their thinking are not of God. Quite the opposite.
Best wishes on the journey.
Fernando
hey guys,.
so, since my leaving i have been doing so much research on so many topics that it's been extremely enlightening.
not only have i learned a lot about the organization and what motivates it, but i have also learned a lot about the bible, god and most importantly, myself.. currently, i'm not quite sure where i stand, but i'm having some real issues with the bible and god.
Liberated and liberal.
Whilst I was in the Watchtower I was introduced to the gospel, by means of a simple question, by someone who cared enough to ask.
I began to pursue the gospel in the Watchtower library.
It led me increasingly away from the Watchtower and religion.
It led me increasingly toward becoming a simple follower of and believer in Jesus.
This is exactly what the gospel was designed to do.
I now identify as SBNR (Spiritual But Not Religious).
I also identify as an ordinary person who has received the "free gift" of faith (a higher level of consciousness and intelligence).
I also identify as an ordinary person who has had a clean and right standing with God imputed to him by grace (unmerited favour).
As to evil, I am studying and learning the answers to the question: "Why do we humans permit evil by ignoring God's ultimate solution?"
from time to time i read or search through two books written by the "judge" on religion.. one is titled "religion" (1940), and the other "enemies" (1937).. in these books it is clear that the terms "true religion" and "false religion" were foreign to the "judge" and later inventions by watchtower vice president and general counsel hayden c. covington in the early 1950s.. in the book "religion" on page 18, paragraph 2: "the scriptures show that organized religion originated with the devil, who created and brought into action religion for the very purpose of turning mankind away from god.".
for me the watchtower is a prime example of the "christless christianity" phenomenon..
"...all Christians must avoid religion." (page 20)
"Nimrod set up religion, with himself as the visible representative of god..." (page 21)
"When Jesus came to the Jews he found the leaders teaching and practicing religion, showing that they had fallen under the influence of the demons." (page 39)
"Christianity and religion are two separate and distinct things, and the two are in complete opposition to each other." (page 46)
from time to time i read or search through two books written by the "judge" on religion.. one is titled "religion" (1940), and the other "enemies" (1937).. in these books it is clear that the terms "true religion" and "false religion" were foreign to the "judge" and later inventions by watchtower vice president and general counsel hayden c. covington in the early 1950s.. in the book "religion" on page 18, paragraph 2: "the scriptures show that organized religion originated with the devil, who created and brought into action religion for the very purpose of turning mankind away from god.".
for me the watchtower is a prime example of the "christless christianity" phenomenon..
From time to time I read or search through two books written by the "Judge" on religion.
One is titled "Religion" (1940), and the other "Enemies" (1937).
In these books it is clear that the terms "true religion" and "false religion" were foreign to the "Judge" and later inventions by Watchtower Vice President and general counsel Hayden C. Covington in the early 1950s.
In the book "Religion" on page 18, paragraph 2: "The Scriptures show that organized religion originated with the Devil, who created and brought into action religion for the very purpose of turning mankind away from God."
For me the Watchtower is a prime example of the "Christless Christianity" phenomenon.
in more than 40 years of doorknocking not a single person was ever able to sit down with me and kindly and patiently explain exactly "what's wrong with watchtower" in simple terms and baby-steps that i could grasp at the time.. of course i have to admit it is not as easy as one might hope.. this morning one possible (not simple enough) summary came to mind:.
the bible promotes belief in jesus and the liberating and transforming gospel message about him (in both the nt and ot).. the watchtower instead promotes belief in a visible golden calf and pseudo-mediator between god and man in the form of:.
blind authoritarian clerics who have co-opted the word "elder" and turned it into a title (aka apostate "clericalism").
In more than 40 years of doorknocking not a single person was ever able to sit down with me and kindly and patiently explain exactly "What's Wrong with Watchtower" in simple terms and baby-steps that I could grasp at the time.
Of course I have to admit it is not as easy as one might hope.
This morning one possible (not simple enough) summary came to mind:
The Bible promotes belief in Jesus and the liberating and transforming gospel message about him (in both the NT and OT).
The Watchtower instead promotes belief in a VISIBLE golden calf and pseudo-mediator between God and man in the form of:
When you were doorknocking what do you think a householder could have said or done that may have planted a seed and eventually saved you and your loved ones from the supremacist, authoritarian and Pharisaic cult?
