Is there a list of JW contradictions / double standards anywhere?

BenRichards

As I mentioned in a recent thread, I've relatively new here. Have been lurking for a few weeks and just started posting.

One of the things I'm finding interesting about this site is how often someone posts a set of JW published material that contradicts each other. For example the other day someone posted about lecithin. There was a KM that advised the brothers to call manufacturers if they had concerns about the content of lecithin. And then a few years later there was another KM that stated "some brothers have been compelled to call manufacturers..." in which the WTS clearly tried to absolve themselves of any accountability around the advice they gave. Then of course there's the Awake (I think) where they talk about name calling and how the person calling names is insecure and trying to cast doubt on the person whom they're name calling, yet the WTS turns around and casts all sorts of names at "apostates".

So anyway what I'm curious about is, has anyone ever documented any of this? I realize none of the items I mentioned are major doctrinal beliefs but I think it would be interesting just to see the sheer volume of occurences of the WTS clearly speaking out of both sides of their mouths. I know there's some of this on jwfacts but those are mainly occurences that relate to major doctrines. I'm more referring to all the little stuff, just to provide scale to how much double talking there really is.

OneEyedJoe

The most comprehensive listing of flawed doctrine and doctrinal flip-flops that I've come across is www.jwfacts.com

If you look under the changed teachings section you'll probably find some of what you're looking for.

Welcome to the site, I wish you all the best on your journey to living outside of undue influence.

Captain Obvious

Yes I believe it's called, "what does the bible really teach?"

seriously though, this is a big undertaking. Perhaps it would be a good project for someone to do? We could get the whole forum involved, all contributing Our favourite contradictions. We'll publish it and call it,"what does the Watchtower really teach?"

OnTheWayOut

http://carm.org/contradictions-in-watchtower-literature

CaptainSchmideo

OTWO, this is a question that perhaps you, Dogpatch, Blondie, or one of the other "old timers" (heh heh) can answer-

On the link you provided, number 4 talks about the sower of the mustard grain that becomes a large tree, etc etc. Not interested in debating this parable (or any others, thank you.) But...

I remember back in 73-74 (kinda hazy, I was just about 10 years old back then), that right in the middle of studying this in the Book Study group (it was a thick, yellow book), that the explanation for this had changed. And their was a lot of backing and filling while the reader that night (who was Jack Hildreth, an old Bethel man) had to keep stopping and saying "Well, that's not right anymore", and the conductor, who was Marion Dunlap (brother to the (in)famous Ed) had to do some explaining about the change as well.

What strikes me was what a sudden change it was, and how clumsily handled it was by the Society. And given the time period, it comes very close to the Great Apostacy events that soon were to follow.
Does anyone out there know if this change to the doctrine was a by-product of the struggles going on behind the scenes at Bethel?

DeetsMagill

OMG...LECITHIN! I remember back in the 60's, I was just a kid... My friend (also a JW) and I were eating cheese popcorn and both of us became very distraught after finding out that it had lecithin in it!! We were just kids! But, we were happily eating away, when, for some reason, we looked at the ingredients and discovered the lecithin. Guilt immediately set in, and we threw the remaining popcorn away. We felt so ashamed for enjoying the popcorn. We did NOT tell our parents, but, I prayed for forgiveness. I did that a LOT as a child. I was always doing something horribly wrong...like eating cheese popcorn!

galaxie

Oh deets...that's so funny mine was feeling guilty about eating marshmallows !!!.

I think my jw sister still seperates the pink from the white.lol

Oh those crazy days.

LP97

There's plenty of ones where they blatantly say that 1914/1925/1975 will be the prophesied time and then later on say "Some Christians thought..." As you show with the lecithin example, they do this an awful lot. Shift the blame onto the R&F when it came out of their own mouths.

This isn't so much to do with WTBTS publications as to do with JW's themselves, but I've figured a way you can expose their double standards with just a few questions.

You: Do you believe that the GB is God's "faithful and discreet slave" who carry out HIS commands directly from HIM?

JW: Yes.

You: So how can you explain failed predictions/changes in doctrine? (eg blood fractions, disfellowshipping)

JW: The GB are imperfect men.

You: But you say that the GB carry out direct commands from God as they are his chosen "faithful and discreet slave". How can any of these commands be wrong or be changed? They are from a perfect God! This therefore means that either God is deliberately getting things wrong or changing things OR his "faithful and discreet slave" are getting the messages from God wrong and therefore their commands cannot be trusted as commands of God!

At this point cognitive dissonance kicks in and any reasonable or rational conversation ends. But it's good if you want to plant a seed of doubt in the mind of a JW that will hopefully grow and make them realise TTATT one day.

AlphaMan

Welcome to the new folks here.

A major double standard is all the JW's that went to prison over the neutrality issue because the Watchtower considered alternative service a compromise of their faith. Nowdays, guess what......the Watchtower allows alternative service in those situations.

Band on the Run

There are many threads where members here contribute their "favorite" double standard or reverses of doctrine. It is a regular feature. I would seearch for key words. I don't know the titles. Others might.

Is there a list of JW contradictions / double standards anywhere?

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