Wow, Gayle, you should share more about your experience at Bethel!
Randy
Gene Smalley and the Watchtower's Blood Transfusion Doctrine
by Dogpatch 41 Replies latest jw friends
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M.J.
Thanks for the info, Randy.
I was just reading your article and noticed this bit:
Without discussing whether or not harm could come to the meats sold in the markets, by reason of pagan ceremonies in connection with their killing, the advice was that these be abstained from, because Jews certainly would consider the eating of such meats as participations in the heathen idolatry -- even though from the broad standpoint of fact the idol, being nothing but wood or metal or stone, could neither profit nor injure the food. Nevertheless, it was advisable that the Gentile Christians abstain from the use of their liberty in this direction, out of deference to the weaker brethren, Jews and Gentiles, who could not so deeply philosophize and whose consciences might be injured.
Something here hit me. The declaration was given, according to the Acts timeline, several years before Paul's journeys to Corinth and his authoring of 1 & 2 Corinthians. As modern readers we can sit back and note that on one hand a decision was given to Christians with respect to the conflict of the time regarding Jewish and Gentile Christians. On the other hand a few years later in Corinth, Paul gives a totally opposite direction regarding the eating of meat sacrificed to idols, and further gave the go-ahead to buy meat sold in a gentile market (both of which could have been unbled). Two situations, differing instruction. Yet JWs today are expected to treat one of these instructions binding enough (aside from its misapplication) to justify the deaths of thousands.
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Gill
M.J - Good point! However, they were allowed to have 'fractions' of the unbled meat, weren't they?
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metatron
Isn't Gene Smalley the author of the "Nethinim/Given Ones" concept?
By the way, Randy, I think somebody needs to do a thorough history of how the Watchtower was influenced by the occult in its origin
in Russell's day. I think a strong circumstantial case can be made that Russell was uncritical and uncautious in adopting various
occult ideas and symbols. It can be quite a shock to see Golden Dawn documents extolling "Theocratic Unity" !
metatron
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Gill
Metatron - It is even more amazing that over one hundred years later and they are still using that same phrase 'Theocratic Unity!'
That certainly doesn't sit well with the WT concept of criticising the roots of any and everything and discarding it if it has roots in anything 'Pagan' ie birthdays, christmas, 'Theocratic Unity' etc
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metatron
Another thought herein: I have long argued that the Society has people in it who hold power
because they could blackmail the organization in a heartbeat. Just imagine what
knowledge of internal manipulations could lead to! or how devastating such could be in a
courtroom setting! There may be brothers who are 'above the law' because of the damage
they could do, if provoked.
metatron
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minimus
What I don't understand is why we're not going to the origin of this whole blood thing----Clayton Woodsworth? He was the resident expert and the one that produced this ridiculous doctrine. Why did Smalley continue in his path when everyone knows that the Golden Age publisher was cuckoo??
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Tuesday
Does anyone else here find it very odd that Orthadox Jews who still follow the entire old testiment allow blood transfusions? Has anyone ever used that effectively in an argument about the subject, I mean JW's don't follow any part of the old testiment because of Jesus resetting that however they follow the old testiment on this point, when the people who follow the whole testiment don't view it the same way. That's really wierd to me.
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Gill
Thousands die at the behest of an idiot!