Sorry, long post :) I'm considering evidence that at least at some point, the GB/Watchtower had bad intentions. I would like to share the following:
*** w74 11/15 p. 703 Questions From Readers ***
Do lewd practices on the part of a married person toward that one’s own mate constitute a Scriptural basis for the offended mate to get a divorce?
There are times when lewd practices within the marriage arrangement would provide a basis for a Scriptural divorce.
Based on this, some JW chose to divorce. But then:
*** w83 3/15 p. 30 Honor Godly Marriage! ***
“fornication” in the broad sense, and as used at Matthew 5:32 and 19:9, evidently refers to a broad range of unlawful or illicit sex relations outside marriage. Porneia involves the grossly immoral use of the genital organ(s) of at least one human (whether in a natural or a perverted way); also, there must have been another party to the immorality—a human of either sex, or a beast.
If the new definition is correct, then the divorces of Witnesses whose mate was guilty of "loose practices within the marriage arrangement" is actually not valid in Jehovah's eyes. It follows that their subsequent remarriage would be fornication in Jehovah's eyes. Now (and I know many don't agree with me) I'm willing to give the Organization the benefit of the doubt, i.e. to consider that this whole thing was an honest mistake. Well, actually, I don't think anyone would claim they did it on purpose to break up Witness families. But they did make a mistake that led Witnesses to make a huge sin in Jehovah's eyes. The question is: How did they handle this huge mistake?A concept that I learned from the Bible/Organization is that "the degree of regret ought to be commensurate with the degree of deviation", to quote Insight. To illustrate: If I bump into someone in public transportation, a small "woops, sorry" is enough. But the bump causes his glasses to break and fall, or worse, makes him fall and die under the bus's wheels, "woops, sorry" won't do it. Much more is required. The first bump may not have been intentional; but the "size" of my repentance shows how sincere I really am. So, again - How did the Watchtower handle this huge mistake?Well, the above mentioned article has this as a footnote:
*** w83 3/15 p. 31 Honor Godly Marriage! ***
This is an amplification and adjustment in understanding of what appears in The Watchtower of November 15, 1974, pages 703-704, and of February 15, 1978, pages 30-32. Those who acted on the basis of the knowledge they had at the time are not to be criticized. Nor would this affect the standing of a person who in the past believed that a mate’s perverted sexual conduct within marriage amounted to porneia and, hence, obtained a divorce and is now remarried.
I find this really troubling. They played a direct role in families breaking up and honest-hearted individuals committing fornication. They can't just dismiss it in a footnote. They can't not mention that it was a huge mistake and apologize for it. If I were guilty of fornication and just mentioned it "footnote-like" without any admission of guilt before a judicial committee, I would be judged "unrepentant" and disfellowshipped. A proper way of dealing with this would have been a whole article on their mistake, where they 1) explain what happened, 2) fully admit responsibility, 3) apologize profusely to Jehovah "before the onlookers" i.e. all the Witnesses and other readers of the Watchtower, to the individuals they led to sin, and to the families they played a direct role in breaking up. That would have been "relying on Jehovah" and allowing him to bless their repentance and "righting of their wrong".To me, this is clear evidence of one instance where the Watchtower was obviously "unrepentant". Even if the mistake(s) in defining porneia and grounds for divorce were honest, the way they dealt with it definitely wasn't. At some point, they thought "let's sweep it under the rug and save face", and this is not just a mistake, it is evil.Does anyone have anything to add to my reasoning above, whether something pro-WT or something anti-WT that I've missed?
* Disclaimer: I don't believe in Jehovah or the Bible. The above is written from a biblical perspective for the sake of analyzing the Watchtower's intentions.* Note: Some might disagree with my opinions and think I'm being too nice with the Watchtower. If you do, please feel free to mention it - I want to hear it. But as mentioned in the rules, please "Keep It Civil", i.e. "No Harassment/Drama, No Personal Attacks or Bullying, Keep Activist Debate/Discussion Civil, Civil Debate with Apologists is Allowed". This helps keep the discussion upbuilding and, actually, enjoyable for all :)
