Watchtower Rules?

by grissom6471 25 Replies latest jw friends

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  grissom6471

  It really amazes me when people say that the Watchtower rules or controls people.
  
  I heard on the news that the Vatican issued a statement calling for a
  boycott of Davinci Code movie and book. They have done that with other
  things. And protestant groups issue boycotts and protests.
  
  The Watchtower does not do that. Jehovah's Witnesses know Bible
  principles that lead us to not want to do those things so any
  such boycotts are voluntary.
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  Honesty

  Is it not true that even the hint of any question to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses regarding the flip-flopping doctrines that are documented in the Society's own publications by any individual or group of individuals will result in a Judicial Committee being formed to investigate the motives of said individual(s) with the end result that a formal charge of apostasy would ensue?
  
  If this is not control, what is?
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  lovelylil

  The Catholic Church is not anywhere near as controlling as the WT. And the thing with the WT is they make you think you are using your free choice and bible trained conscience but if you go against what they interpret should be your bible conscience you will be promptly disfellowhipped.

  For instance, unlike the Catholic Church the WT has rules regulating every day life including: how to dress, your hairstyle, who your friends could be, whether you can vote or salute the flag, rules about not observing holidays and birthdays, how to raise your kids, must attend five meetings a week, field servie mandatory, must report time to elders, and many, many, many, more rules. They use peer pressure to make you conform because you will be labeled as spiritually weak for making the wrong choice or worse.

  So you think you have a choice in the matter: please think about these two points.

  #1 you would NEVER have been allowed to get baptized if you went against any of the above named rules of the society and that is only a small list

  #2 once you are baptized, any going against the above rules will result in a JC meeting, reproof or if you continue disfellowshipping.

  The WT gives the allusion that you are making up your own mind but you really are not. For instance if I asked you do you want beef or chicken? Do you really have a free choice here? Free choice would be that you could say, I want fish instead. No fish here only beef or chicken. This is exactly what the WT does, it is either their views only or you are out!

  Unlike the Catholic Church and mind you I am not a Catholic, the parishoners have a lot of freedom of choice. In my own nieghborhood the archbishop wanted to closs a church and the members protested and even had overnight vigils so they could not close the doors. Well, after a month, the members of the church won and the archbishop backed down. The church was saved from closing! Can you imagine the Witnesses getting together in a similar situation and having a choice of whether or not he KH closes? It would never be up for discussion because if you raised the issue you would be reproved or worse on the grounds of being insuborinate to the society and the elders. The members in the hall have NO say at all about what happens to the building as the WT publishing company owns it.

  Many churches are against the DaVinci code - personally it does not bother me as a Christians as after all it is a work of FICTION. It does not affect my faith at all. And I guarentee you the WT will also say something against it just like all the other churches in Christendom. They may not picket but then most of the churches will not picket either. but the message will be the same - don't go see it! I guess it is one more thing they will have in common with Christendom - just wait and see.
• 

  rebel8

  the Vatican issued a statement calling for a boycott of Davinci Code movie and book. They have done that with other things. And protestant groups issue boycotts and protests.
  
  The Watchtower does not do that. Jehovah's Witnesses know Bible principles that lead us to not want to do those things so any such boycotts are voluntary.

  There is nothing different between the Vatican asking for their members to boycott a movie and the Watchtower hinting their members should boycott. It is all voluntary, except if JWs don't follow rules, they are disciplined and shunned, unlike Catholics. The Vatican happens to be more open and honest about their rules, even being willing to say them in front of a tv camera--unlike the WTS that just hints about stuff in magazines and then writes letters to the elders, assigning them to disseminate new rules.

  One example, when the video Thriller came out, we were instructed from the platform not to watch it. Those who did were publicly reproofed or disfellowshipped on the charge of witchcraft.

  Awake! May 22, 1984 p. 19-20 "What About Music Videos? ***Would Never Do It Again!"

  In another popular video, Thriller, the performer is seen to transform first into a "cat person," then a dancing "monster." Evidently not wanting viewers to conclude that it promoted spiritism, the film begins with the disclaimer: "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film in no way endorses a belief in the occult.-Michael Jackson." Nevertheless, it was so realistic that some who saw it admitted that they were horrified at first. What was this short film intended to convey? And how does the performer, Michael Jackson, feel about it in looking back?

  "I would never do it again!" says Jackson. "I just intended to do a good, fun short film, not to purposely bring to the screen something to scare people or to do anything bad. I want to do what's right. I would never do anything like that again." Why not? "Because a lot of people were offended by it," explains Jackson. "That makes me feel bad. I don't want them to feel that way. I realize now that it wasn't a good idea. I'll never do a video like that again!" He continues: "In fact, I have blocked further distribution of the film over which I have control, including its release in some other countries. There's all kinds of promotional stuff being proposed on Thriller. But I tell them, 'No, no, no. I don't want to do anything on Thriller. No more Thriller.'"

  Read the highlighted portions and then try to tell me there is no message there that JWs shouldn't watch Thriller.

  The same thing happened with Smurfs and Milky Way candy bars. Sure, it's voluntary, but you will be in heaps of trouble if you do it.
• 

  blondie

  *** w83 4/1 p. 16 Insight on the News ***

  Science

  or Fiction?

  Interest in extraterrestrial life has gained a tremendous popular following in recent years owing, in no small measure, to space travel, science fiction and the movie industry. Indeed, the two most popular motion pictures in history—Star Wars and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial—are both on this subject. At the same time, costly scientific projects are going on in real earnest to find life and/or intelligence in outer space. The result is that for many people, especially the young, it is becoming increasingly harder to tell where science ends and where fiction begins. The existence of extraterrestrials and the possibility of communicating with and being influenced by them have crept into people’s consciousness subtly through the back door, as it were.

  Commenting on this phenomenon, Jack Catran, a scientist in the space industry, writes in a Newsweek magazine article entitled "E.A. = Enough Already": "Writers and moviemakers have the right to speculate on any scientific subject, but let’s call it what it is: science fiction, not science. And let’s label their objectives what they are: exploitation and sales, not education." Surely, the Bible’s advice to distinguish between facts and what is "falsely called ‘knowledge’" is the course of wisdom.—1 Timothy 6:20.
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  sir82

  Consider this:

  OK, so the Vatican issues a call for a boycott of the movie. How many tens of millions of Catholics will ignore that, and go see the movie anyway?

  And of those who see the movie anyway, how many will be excommunicated from the church for failing to obey this directive?

  And contrast that with this scenario:

  In the early 1970's, a Watchtower article came out that said that smoking cigarettes is now considered a disfellowshipping sin. Prior to that, all thru the 40's, 50's, 60's, JWs could smoke as much as they liked and faced no judicial consequences.

  Suddenly, with the appearance of that one printed message, smoking was a sin that would definitely lead to disfellowshipping.

  How many JWs obeyed that 180-degree turn of opinion?

  And of the JWs who did not obey, those who continued to smoke, how many were disfellowshipped?

  I think you know the answer.
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  juni

  Generally speaking I wouldn't know how many "obeyed" this rule about smoking as I can't see through closed doors. I do remember though that people had 1 year to kick the habit and I personally knew of 1 sister (who had been a JW for decades) being turned in by her adult daughter because she refused to stop smoking saying it was none of the org.'s business. She was DF.

  You know that there had to be many others throughout the world who were DF over this.
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  Star Moore

  What do they call themselves? GOVERNING BODY

  GOVERN in my dict.. 1. The control the actions or behavior of; guide; direct

  2. To make and administer public plicy for a political unit; exercise sovereign authority in

  3. To control the speed or magnitude of; regulate

  4. To keep under control; restrain.

  5. To decide; determine

  Is the word GOVERNING BODY, a word found in the bible. NO! Rather, it says, our only mediator is Jesus and the only foundation of our faith is Christ.
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  atypical

  Hello, McFly, hello - do you remember the nationwide announcement at the meeting telling us not to watch Dateline(Pedophile episode)? Were you a witness at the time? If not, ask anyone who was and they can verify what I said. For me, it was bookstudy night, and they took the time out to read a long letter from the society announcing that Dateline would be running an anti-witness episode full of lies and hate, and that we should not watch it.
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  atypical

  Voluntary has lost its true meaning within the witness world. Would you say it's voluntary to breathe? Would you say it's voluntary to eat? Well, yes, but you can't handle the consequences if you don't. Which is the same with most of the "voluntary" "guidelines" witnesses are "grateful" for.