Hi Marvin,
: Nicodemus is more than capable for speaking for himself, but I wonder what you mean with this question?
Several things, actually. Curiosity, a desire to get Nicodemus to think hard about his relationship with the Watchtower, a desire to see what someone says publicly -- someone who has stuck with it for a long time despite knowing its great problems -- about sticking with it to a board filled with critics he knows are basically on his side.
: Some who choose to remain associated with Jehovah's Witnesses have entirely lost respect for the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, like me. Likely Nicodemus sees his values in other JWs he associates with, perhaps more than he sees, for instance, among local Presbyterians, Lutherans, Catholics, or Muslims or that matter. For this reason he may decide to remain in association with JWs yet not condoning specific WTS teachings he opposes. What of it? As long as his local congregation lets him do this, assuming it is true, then what is your question about, just clarification? People have all sorts of reasons for remaining where they are, at least for the time being.
About the most fundamental of JW teachings is that Watchtower leaders speak for God. This is so fundamental that in the emotions of many JWs it overrides the supposedly more basic doctrine of love for and obedience to God. We know this because it is demonstrable that many JWs always equate the words of the Society with the Word of God, and obey the Society even when they read in the Bible with their own eyes something that contradicts what the Society says.
A basic teaching of the JWs is that God condemns "false religion". Another is that a "false religion" is any religion that teaches false things, whether deliberately or out of ignorance. JWs thoroughly condemn all other religions because, they claim, all of them teach false things about God. Now, you and I know that JWs are just as guilty of this as are many other religions, so by their own words they've condemned themselves. It doesn't matter that they refuse to admit it, and make any number of excuses ("our leaders are just imperfect men") to get around their own condemnatory doctrine when it's turned around upon themselves. This kind of behavior is grossly hypocritical, and so JWs who knowingly stick with a religion that they know teaches false things are in principle condemned by their own religion. JWs are truly stuck on the horns of a dilemma, therefore, since they're not allowed to repudiate basic teachings (like what constitutes false religion) of their religion, yet some of those basic teachings are condemned in their own literature and even by the Bible -- and certainly by common sense.
Of course, the above ignores the fact that you and I know perfectly well that the basic JW teaching about what constitutes a false religion is false, and this lets people like Nicodemus off the hook when they want to continue to associate. It certainly doesn't matter to me whether he sticks with his religion or not. My point is that by the very teaching of his brothers his religion is hypocritical, and he, by agreeing that there are serious problems with it, is apostate. I simply don't understand how anyone could know these things and yet continue associating with a group that would kick him out on his ass toute suite if they knew his real feelings.
AlanF
