Jewel asks:
How can the elders claim things both ways? How can they be appointed by Jehovah and therefore must be followed without question, yet also be human and therefore prone to mistakes?
First, elders are not to be followed without question. Oftentimes elders are counseled by other elders or the circuit overseer, and sometimes they are even removed for various things. At times entire bodies of elders are removed for not serving the congregation well. So, it's not like the elders are not accountable to the Watchtower Society, and, of course, ultimately to Jehovah God. But, there are going to be problems. There's just no getting around it. Imagine how Jesus felt on the last night of his life, after having spent 3 years trying to teach his apostles a little bit about what it means to be a shepherd, and there they were at the Passover table having yet another dispute about which one of them was the top dog. Yet, the account says that Jesus loved them to the end.
Did the Holy Spirit allow men who were not qualified to be anointed as elders?
The holy spirit usually doesn't intervene to rectify our mistakes. We each have to live with the consequences of our actions or inactions as the case may be. And Jehovah will definitely hold an accounting with elders. The letter of James says that not many Christians should be teachers because they will receive a heavier judgment. Or, as Christ said, the one whom people put in charge will have more demanded of them. Interestingly, Paul counseled elders not to hastily recommend a man for fear we might become sharers in his sins. So, the point is that it is possible for unqualified men to be chosen by those who do not carefully consider the qualifications of each candidate. And obviously elders making the wrong decisions can't expect Jehovah's holy spirit to bail them out. At times the elder body may be divided on a particular appointment. In fact, I had an experience where I was adamantly opposed to recommending a particular man, but my fellow elders at the time strongly persuaded me to go along with their judgment. So, I did, to my regret, and we had to remove him just a few months later when he ran amuck.
If Satan was testing the congregation, was he allowed to influence the anointing of unqualified men as elders?
It is possible I suppose, but most of our problems are more than likely poor judgment. And too, at times a man may start off well and over time become tyrannical. Paul warned the elders of that scenario when he counseled elders not to recommend a newly converted man for fear he would later become puffed up with pride and fall into the judgment passed upon the Devil. But, make no mistake about it, Jehovah does allow Satan considerable latitude to influence the leadership within the organization. For example, the Bible speaks very highly of king David, and yet the scripture says that Satan stood up and successfully tempted David to perform a census of his army, which brought Jehovah's judgment upon the nation. In the Corinthian congregation Paul sarcastically referred to the super-fine apostles, who were elders in Corinth, but whom Paul said were deceitful workers and false apostles under Satan's control. Lastly, bringing it up to our day, Daniel 11:35 says that
And some of those having insight will be made to stumble, in order to do a refining work BECAUSE OF THEM… So, unquestionably, Jehovah’s purpose allows us to be tested by being subject to the errors of our leaders. The ultimate example of what God allows is the fact that Jesus handpicked his apostles, one of which was to become the most ignominious man that ever lived---Judas.
What about those who were disfellowshipped for questioning mistakes being made through the human imperfections of these elders? Weren't they right, after all?
I have never personally known of such a case, but I am sure it’s happened before. The Bible makes mention in 3rd John that some tyrannical elder named Diotrophes hindered the brothers and tossed faithful ones out of the congregation.
Who caused these disfellowshippings, Satan or Jehovah's Spirit?
Jehovah would never act in such away, but as the Scripture show with numerous examples and prophecies God allows the Devil a bit more operating room then most of Jehovah’s Witnesses would like to admit.
If Satan is allowed to use Jehovah's organization to "test" His people, how do we know that any article, appointment, prophecy, or arrangement is by Holy Spirit and not actually influenced by Satan?
The Scriptures say that we should test every inspired expression to see if it originates with God. That means that each Christian is responsible for their own spirituality. The point is that we can’t allow other men to dictate every matter of our faith, otherwise we are simply following men as Satan accuses us of doing in the first place. Jesus gave the apostles some interesting advice, he told them to do whatever the Pharisees told them. So, for the remaining time that the Jews were under the yolk of the tyrannical pharisaic system Jesus told them just to submit to it. Similarly, what we have now is a very imperfect system, but it is what Jehovah has allowed for us and it does have some benefit. So, our challenge is simply to deal with it and allow Jehovah’s purpose of testing and refining to come to its completion, after which God Almighty is scheduled to turn the whole world, and our little organization included, upside down and shake it real good until the cream floats to the top.
If Satan can use Jehovah's organization, is it truly Jehovah's organization? Or Satan's (at least sometimes?)
Yes, but, again, there is a point in time when Christ claims complete ownership of his congregation at which point the angels collect out all the bad boys and girls.
Hope that helps. You may enjoy reading this post that I wrote a few weeks back.
> http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.asp?id=28050&site=3
/ You Know