@ The Fall Guy
@ Nitty Gritty - Par. 2 says this - "It is vital that we recognize the faithful slave. Our spiritual health and our relationship with God depend on this channel."
- And the scripture quoted to support that idea was Matt 4:4 "....‘Man must live, not on bread alone, but on every word that comes from Jehovah’s mouth.’ meaning the Bible. And the other is John 17:3- Get to know God....again through the Bible.
As far as I know, rarely did God instruct anyone personally, it was always through either an angel, a prophet, or some other person. The Bible is how God speaks to humans now. The FDS is supposed to "feed" by means of the Bible, not invent anything new separate from the Bible. As long as the Bible is at the core of that food then this is sufficient. If someone doesn't agree with how the FDS interpret the Bible, and they prefer the interpretation of some other religion, then that is their choice to make of course.
"Christians were instructed to test the teachings they were being given, (1 John 4:1)
but as we both know, as an active JW, cannot question or disagree with
anything the literature says - due to fear of the consequences".
Yes. This is the prerogative of everyone and anyone who studies the Bible with anyone, including with JWs. Their subsequent baptism (into any religion) confirms that the person is in agreement with those teachings. If they have agreed without testing the teachings then they have not listened to those instructions have they? Logically, the time for questioning is before, not after commitment. For whatever religion. So if down the road they suddenly find for whatever reason they no longer agree with those teachings why bother questioning at that point? With JWs, the logical option is to quit associating with the congregation. I don't know why folks like you find it so hard. If I don't like a club I leave the club. There are plenty of "faders" who still hang out with family and close friends but no longer go to meetings.