Thanks for sharing this article, Skully.
This post reminds me of an article that we recently studied (my hub and I are householders) during our weekly "bible" study. It was in the Dec 15,2001 issue of the WatchTower, The Real Jesus: Who was he?. The article was Learn From Me (pgs 15-20). I couldn't even begin to point out the applications that could be made to the WTS in this article...
The entire time we studied this article, I'm sitting there thinking the description of the Pharisees sound just like the JWs. Here's a paragraph from that article. For those who have this issue it is well worth the read...
para 11:
From a study of Biblical and secular evidence, we can conclude that the Pharisees thought highly of themselves as guardians of the public good and welfare. They were not satisfied that God's Law was fundamentally clear and easily understood. Wherever the Law seemed to them to be unspecific, they sought to plug apparent gaps with defined applications to eliminate any need fro conscience. These religious leaders attempted to devise a precept to govern conduct in all issues, even trivialities.
Who's that sound like? Isn't amazing how they are almost incapable of making the connection?
Sadie