Posts by mizpah

...brother franz had told me to keep strong and continue to do what was good to my children and dear friends as he survive his turmoil so i too i will survive.

mizpah

Anyone who has met Ray and Cynthia Franz can appreciate just how wonderful these people are. Their kindness and hospitality are well known by all their friends and acquaintances.

Ray has probably helped more people leaving the organization than any other individual. He's given all of us a glimpse into the secret workings of the Watchtower organization. He's raised questions about practices that were unknown to the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses. And he has done this with kindness and compassion.

I'm not sure about the newer ones leaving the Watchtower Society. But a whole generation of older XJWs will always be always grateful to Ray Franz for his courage and his faith.

16

The 1900years old F&D slave ??

by MacHislopp in

this topic is based on a statement published by the wtbs inc. on

"jehovah's witnesss in the divine purpose " page 140 :

"jehovah's witnesss in the divine purpose " page 95

mizpah

Catholics and Orthodox believers have their "apostolic succession." Protestants claim a "revival of the first century church." And the Watchtower has its "faithful and discreet slave." It seems all Christian groups are anxious for legitimacy by claiming to have a connection with the lst century church. But there is much about the early church that we still do not know. And Christ said that the "wheat and chaff" would grow up together until the harvest. The story of the "faithful and discreet slave" seems to be merely an admonition for Christians to remain faithful until the master arrives. But the Watchtower has given it a prophetic meaning fulfilled, of course, by itself. It is actually the most illigitimate claim of all of them.

11

The never ending saga of? electing elders

by MacHislopp in

elders are appointed by the 'governing body '

elders are appointed by 'holy spirit '

yes, the elders are appointed by holy spirit,

mizpah

Interesting material.

The changing views on elders reflect the history of the Watchtower itself. Russell did not believe in a tight organizational structure. In fact, in the beginning, he was against any organization of the brothers. But, in time, he conceded that structure was necessary. The easist way was to have elders elected by those who knew them best, the members of the congregations.

Rutherford wanted total control over the organization. The "one man rule" that he acheived was implemented in the congregations when he abolished the "elected elders" and appointed "company servants" who would only answer to the Watchtower Society.

In Knorr's time, the idea of sharing responsibilities became popular. So, the appointment of a "body of elders" became the new arrangements. (Knorr and Franz didn't like it, though, when the arrangement reached the Governing Body at Brooklyn.) Holy Spirit had little to do with the appointments. Leading men in the congregations made "recommendations" to the Watchtower Society as to who these elders should be. Usually the "congregation servant" had control over these recommendtions. Often, he recommended men who would support his own position. The Society then made the appointments accordingly. There were a lot of politics involved at the time. In one case, I remember the Society removing the entire "body of elders" because of questionable practices involved in the recommendations.

So, this evolution of elders is a mirror to the Watchtower Society itself.

6

wtbts in top 50

by zev in

jw
friends

a post i lifted off of the usenet/newsgroups.

http://www.newsday.com/business/printedition/ny-nya223464068sep22,0,1905261.story?coll=ny-business-print.

company profiles nyc 50 september 22, 2003 # 34 (of 50).

mizpah

I'm glad to know that the Watchtower "vatican" will remain in Brooklyn...haha

5

The Two Witness Rule of Jehovah's Witnesses

by Perry in

jw
friends

i posted this one year ago today.

in light of recent events, some may find it useful.

the two witness rule and a withered hand

mizpah

Perry:

Thanks for sharing these interesting points. The Watchtower Society seems more interested in covering up these matters than to correct them. It uses the scriptures for its own convenience. But I'm sure God is not fooled.

The hypocrisy of the Watchtower is never more evident than in the secret meetings of the judicial committees. Often, the accussed does not have a chance to confront his accussers. The charges are often vague and unsubstantiated. And, in some cases, the accussers sit in judgment on the committee. All these are in direct violation of scriptural principles. But this does not seem to bother the leadership!

21

JW marriages: happy/unhappy

by starfish422 in

i've been wondering how many jws have gotten married too quickly, without knowing their prospective "mate" well enough, and have ended up really unhappy.

it always seemed to me that a couple would be dating for, like, 6 or 9 months and get engaged, have a 9 month engagement and be married; often because they bought the "no sex before marriage" garbage.

i'm sure that there *are* happy jw marriages out there; and certainly being unhappily married isn't the sole property of jws.

mizpah

Over the years, my wife and I observed that there were some very good marriages in the congregations that we attended....but these were always in the minority. Most couples seemed more resigned to the fate that they had. Some were miserable failures. This is probably no different than in other religious organizations. But Jehovah's Witnesses boast that they live in a "spiritual paradise" and the cite the happiness and contentment that they experience in "God's organization." But the truth is that the organization makes it difficult for Witness couples to have a "normal" and happy married life. The pressures of meetings, service and study bring tremendous strains on a marriage. It's a wonder that marriages survive at all.

13

Isaiah's Prophecy and it's fulfillment in 1919 (yeah right).

by integ in

i have been reading the isaiah book part 2, the book the witnesses are studying right now at the book study.

in this book they everything has a modern day fulfillment...with them.

just as in the revelation book, where the 7 trumpet blasts are referred to as being bible student conventions in the 1920's.

mizpah

Even as a Jehovah's Witness, I found many of the explanations of the Watchtower Society "hard to swallow." This was especially true in its application of "type" and "anti-type." It was an old devise used by the Watchtower Society to formulate a fulfillment involving itself and its members. In that way, it gave some credence to its claim as being "God's organization." In retrospect, it is laughable.

I remember how I cringed everytime a speaker would try to explain how the "trumpets" in Revelation 8 and 9 represented the messages delivered at various conventions in the 1920s. After leaving the organization, many other XJWs said they felt the same as I did at the time. It was so obvious that the earth shaking events described in Revelation could not possibly apply to the conventions of the Watchtower Society.

9

Museum

by ClassAvenger in

is it true that they have a section for jehovah witnesses in the holocaust museum in washington?

a jw friend told me about it, and i was like "really?".

if it's true, why is there a section for them?

mizpah

The individual German Jehovah's Witnesses who suffered and died in the Nazi concentration camps should get recognition. But the irony of the situation is that the Watchtower Society and its president, Rutherford, did all they could to pacify Hitler and the Nazis to save their property in Magdeburg. And this was done by condemning the Jews as well as the "Anglo-American" empire. Yet, the Watchtower seems to be capitalizing on this favorable publicity of the museum. Many Jehovah's Witnesses have now made a visit to the Holocaust Museum as a "pilgrimage."

One only wishes that the Watchtower Society was more forthright in its history of the organization. Instead, it has whitewashed what actually occurred and has hidden the facts.