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You have to start with an agreement. If you can get the first agreement, you can safely move on to the next one.
Stay with just ONE point and ONE agreement at a time. Don't go off on a tangent.
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FIRST AGREEMENT:
A person cannot be honest unless they are willing to be wrong when the facts go against them.
Q: Are you willing to be wrong if the facts go against you?
Q: Are you willing to admit the GB and the WTS is wrong if the facts go against them?
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Q: Does the Watch Tower say presumptuous things about what they print and teach?
Using the Society's own words to refer to its work and the words in its publications:
PROOF TEXT
"The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. God feeds his own people, and surely God uses those who love and serve him according to his own will. Those who oppose The Watchtower are not capable of discerning the truth that God is giving to the children of his organization, and this is the very strongest proof that such opposers are not of God's organization." Watchtower 1931 Nov 1 p.327
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What has the Watch Tower/GB said to define what "false prophecy" is?
PROOF TEXT:
"True, there have been those in times past who predicted an "end to the world," even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The "end" did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing? Missing from such people were God's truths and the evidence that he was guiding and using them."Awake! 1968 Oct 8 p.23
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SECOND AGREEMENT: Yes or No?
Q: If the Watch Tower predicted an end to the world, announcing a specific date--and yet--nothing happened and the end did not come--would the Watch Tower and its Governing Body be guilty of FALSE PROPHECY?
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Does the Watch Tower identify itself as a "Prophet"?
PROOF TEXT:
"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to declare things to come?
IDENTIFYING THE "PROPHET"
These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who is this prophet? ... This "prophet" was not one man, but was a body of men and women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's Christian witnesses. ... Of course, it is easy to say that this group acts as a "prophet" of God. It is another thing to prove it. The only way that this can be done is to review the record. Thus this group of anointed followers of Jesus Christ, doing a work in Christendom paralleling Ezekiel's work among the Jews, were manifestly the modern-day Ezekiel, the "prophet" commissioned by Jehovah to declare the good news of God's Messianic kingdom and to give warning to Christendom." Watchtower 1972 Apr 1 pp.197-199 'They Shall Know that a Prophet Was Among Them'
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There is a test for a False Prophet in scripture. (NWT Deut 18:20-22_)
20 “‘If any prophet presumptuously speaks a word in my name that I did not command him to speak or speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.+ 21 However, you may say in your heart: “How will we know that Jehovah has not spoken the word?” 22 When the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word is not fulfilled or does not come true, then Jehovah did not speak that word. The prophet spoke it presumptuously. You should not fear him.’
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THIRD AGREEMENT:
Evidence in print by the GB shows they speak in the Name of Jehovah and have committed false prophesying (by their own words).
Would you agree?
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When the GB is wrong, do they apologize and explain how it happened and what they will do to prevent it from happening again?
Or do they make feeble excuses?
PROOF TEXT:
"Jehovah's Witnesses, in their eagerness for Jesus' second coming, have suggested dates that turned out to be incorrect. Because of this, some have called them false prophets. Never in these instances, however, did they presume to originate predictions 'in the name of Jehovah.' Never did they say, 'These are the words of Jehovah.'" Awake! 1993 Mar 22 p.4
1. How can a person calling themselves "JEHOVAH'S" Witness escape the accusation of speaking in Jehovah's name???
If the Domino's Pizza guy delivers a pizza with food poisoning--can the company escape liability?
2. What do they mean "have suggested dates"? Are JW's free to disbelieve? Would they escape DF-ing?
PROOF TEXT: (Douglas Walsh Trial in Scotland 1954. Former V.P. of Watch Tower, Hayden C. Covington and Fred Franz testified.) (Download PDF of trial and print it out)
Q. If a member of Jehovah's witnesses took the view himself that that prophecy was wrong, and said so, would he be disfellowshipped?
A. Yes, if he said so, and kept on persisting in creating trouble, because if the whole organisation believes one thing, even though it be erroneous, and somebody else starts on his own trying to put his ideas across, then there is a disunity and trouble, there cannot be harmony, there cannot be marching ...... Our purpose is to haveunity. Q. Unity at all costs?
A. Unity at all costs, because we believe and are sure that Jehovah God is using our organisation,the governing body of our organisation, to direct it, even though mistakes are made from time to time. Q. A unity based on an enforced acceptance of false prophecy? A. That is conceded to be true.
Q. And the person who expresses his view, as you say, that it was wrong, and was disfellowshipped, would be in breach of the covenant, if he was baptised?
A. That is correct.Q. And as you said yesterday expressly, would be worthy of death?
A. I think....
Q. Would you say yes or no?
A. I will answer yes, unhesitatingly.Q. Do you call that religion?
A. It certainly is.Q. Do you call that Christianity?
A. I certainly do.
PP. 345-348 of Court Transcript (Above testimony by Hayden C. Covington)
Download: http://www.a2z.org/wtarchive/docs/Walsh_Trial.pdf
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SUMMARY
Do the above statements demonstrate EVIDENCE?
1. Claims are made for the literature and the teachings and directions by the WTS: what they say is Jehovah's word and NOT their own. The penalty for disagreement is DF-ing.
Proof texts:
"It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the "slave" as we would to the voice of God, because it is His provision."Watchtower 1957 Jun 15 p.370
"Each article in both The Watchtower and Awake! and every page, including the artwork, is scrutinized by selected members of the Governing Body before it is printed. Therefore, you can read The Watchtower and Awake! with confidence." Watchtower 1987 Mar 1 p.15
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FALSE PREDICTED DATES
Q: What was the date identified by Jehovah's Organization for Jesus second coming?
A: A careful study of times and seasons taught in Scripture convinced us that the Lord was due to be present in 1874, and other time teachings of the Word showed that in the spring of 1875 the restitution of all things was due to commence."Zion's Watch Tower 1883 Aug p.1
Q: When did the Society stop teaching this as the date of the presence of Christ?
A: 1943 (see God's Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached p.209)
Q: What was predicted as to the meaning of 1914?
A: "The date of the close of that "battle" is definitely marked in Scripture as October 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874." Zion's Watch Tower 1892 Jan 15 p.23
Brief summary of above two dates:
1. 1874 was said to be the beginning of Christ's invisible rule AND Armageddon.
2. 1914 was said to be the END of Armageddon
BOTH WERE FALSE PREDICTIONS identifying C.T.Russell and Watch Tower as False Prophets.
Q: How certain was the FDS that those false dates were absolutely true?
A: Surely there is not the slightest room for doubt in the mind of a truly consecrated child of God that the Lord Jesus is present and has been since 1874.--The Watch Tower, 1 January 1924, page 5
Q: What false prediction was claimed for the year 1925?
A: 1920 "Based upon the argument heretofore set forth, then, that the old order of things, the old world, is ending and is therefore passing away, and that the new order is coming in, and that 1925 shall mark the resurrection of the faithful worthies of old and the beginning of reconstruction, it is reasonable to conclude that millions of people now on the earth will be still on the earth in 1925. Then, based upon the promises set forth in the divine Word, we must reach the positive and indisputable conclusion that millions now living will never die." (Millions Now Living Will Never Die. 1920 p. 97)
Q: Were all the above dates mere "suggestions" or were they absolutely certain?
A: "We have no doubt whatever in regard to the chronology relating to the dates of 1874, 1914, 1918, and 1925. It was on this line of reckoning that the dates 1874, 1914, and 1918 were located; and the Lord has placed the stamp of his seal upon 1914 and 1918 beyond any possibility of erasure. What further evidence do we need? Using this same measuring line.... it is an easy matter to locate 1925, probably in the fall, for the beginning of the antitypical jubilee. There can be no more question about 1925 than there was about 1914." (Watchtower, p. 150, May 15, 1922)
Q: Did the Society accept full responsibility for these failures, admit error, explain how it happened and ask forgiveness?
A: "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything." (Watchtower 1926 p. 232.)
"There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1914, 1918 and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time. Later the faithful learned that these dates were definitely fixed in the Scriptures; and they also learned to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date, but to rely (and they do rely) upon the Word of God as to the events that must come to pass. (J. F. Rutherford, Vindication, 1931, p. 338-339)
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FOURTH AGREEMENT:
The FDS (GB) published and instructed to be taught and believed as absolutely true, FALSE DATES using the authority of Jehovah and the Bible to convince people.
This is evidence they are FALSE PROPHETS
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Did Jehovah's Witnesses, after the FOUR FALSE PROPHECIES, "learn to quit fixing dates for the future and predicting what would come to pass on a certain date"?
See below:
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"According to this trustworthy Bible chronology six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E Six thousand years of man's existence on earth will soon be up, yea within this generation. The rein of Christ...to run parallel with the 7th millennium ..." (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, 1966, p. 29-30)
Notice: A definite Date and definite statement as to importance is iterated.
"The immediate future is certain to be filled with climatic events, for this old system is nearing its complete end. Within a few years at most the final parts of Bible prophecy relative to these last days will undergo fulfillment resulting in the liberation of surviving mankind into Christ's glorious 1000 year reign!" (Watchtower, 1/5/1968)
Notice: How can the Thousand Year Reign begin if they aren't predicting Armageddon?
"Just think, brothers, there are only about ninety months left before 6,000 years of mans existence on earth is completed... The majority of people living today will probably be alive when Armageddon breaks out, and there are no resurrection hopes for those who are destroyed then. So, now more than ever, it is vital not to ignore that spirit of wanting to do more." (Kingdom Ministry, March 1968, p. 4 [note: 1968 + 90 months = 1975])
Notice: How much clearer can they possibly state Armageddon?
"But what about today? Today we have the evidence required, all of it. And it is overwhelming! All the many, many parts of the great sign of the last days are here, together with verifying Bible chronology." (Awake!, Oct. 8, 1968, p. 23)
Notice: The words "evidence" and "overwhelming" do not sound like "suggestions" do they?
"in view of the short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things is not only unwise but extremely dangerous....Many young brothers and sisters were offered scholarship or employment that promised fine pay. However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first." (Kingdom Ministry, June 1969, p. 3)
Notice: 45 years has passed from the above ridiculous warning that a career was "extremely dangerous."
More recently earnest researchers of the Holy Bible have made a recheck of its chronology. According to their calculations the six millenniums of mankind's life on earth would end in the mid-seventies. Thus the seventh millennium from mans creation by Jehovah god would begin within less than ten years. Apart from the global change that present-day world condition indicate is fast getting near, the arrival of the seventh millennium of mans existence on earth suggests a gladsome change for war-stricken humankind. ...In order for the Lord Jesus Christ to be Lord even of the Sabbath day, his thousand-year reign would have to be the seventh in a series of thousand-year periods or millenniums. (Matt 12:8, AV) Thus it would be a sabbatic reign. Since early in the existence of mankind Satan the Devil has been on the loose, making the human family to toil in hard bondage, causing the earth to be filled with violence before the global flood of Noahs day and inducing the same old earth to be filled with even greater violence today. Soon now six millenniums of his wicked exploiting of mankind as his slaves will end, within the lifetime of the generation that has witnessed world events since the close of the gentile times in 1914 till now, according to the prophetic words of Jesus in Matthew 24:34. Would not, then, the end of six millenniums of mankind's laborious enslavement under Satan the Devil be the fitting time for Jehovah God to usher in a Sabbath millennium for all his human creatures? Yes, indeed! And his King Jesus Christ will be Lord of that Sabbath." (Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1969, p. 622, 623)
Notice: The Watch Tower claims its "earnest researchers" performed a "recheck" and still corroborated 1975.
"Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that not reason to increase our activity?...Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end." (Kingdom Ministry, May 1974, p. 3)
Notice: These are damning admissions from the GB which will come back to haunt them!
"Does this mean, then, that mankind has now reached 6,000 years into the 7,000 year period that God blessed and made sacred as his rest day? ... No, It does not mean that." (Watchtower 1/10/1975 p. 579)
Notice: Whoops! Time to back peddle, blame-shift and mince words.
"It may be that some who have been serving God have planned their lives according to a mistaken view of just what was to happen on a certain date or in a certain year. They may have, for this reason, put off or neglected things that they otherwise would have cared for. But they have missed the point of the Bibles warnings concerning the end of this system of things, thinking that Bible chronology reveals the specific date." (Watchtower, July 15, 1976, p. 440)
Notice: Very dishonest and vague language. Re-read the above quotes.
Things published were not perfect in the days of Charles Taze Russell, first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; nor were they perfect in the days of J.F. Rutherford, the succeeding president. The increasing light on God's Word as well as the facts of history have repeatedly required that adjustments of one kind or another be made down to the very present time. But let us never forget that the motives of this "slave" were always pure, unselfish; at all times it has been well-meaning. (The Watchtower; March 1, 1979; p. 24)
Notice: Instead of saying "False" they substitute the words "Not perfect." What does motive have to do with False Prophecy? The test of the False Prophet was not motive--was it?
"With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of mans existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, There were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated....In saying anyone, the Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah's Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date. (Watchtower, March 15, 1980, p. 17-18)
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Is the above as close as the GB can get to an apology without taking responsibility? Would a person sitting before a Judicial Committee get away with this kind of vague, non-specific admission of wrongdoing WITHOUT A DEEP APOLOGY for causing 7 million door to door messengers TEACHING A FALSE DATE in the name of JEHOVAH?
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CONCLUSION:
What is it JW's are required to DO with their time out in service?
The above demonstrates the so-called "FOOD at the proper time" wasn't really food at all--it was BULLSHIT.
So-let's revise what we are saying when we praise JW's for "preaching door to door"---is it really "preaching"?
No--it has always been disseminating FALSE PROPHECY in Jehovah's Name.
Where did they come up with this crap?
The Watch Tower Society told them it was TRUTH.