Comments You Will Not Hear at the October 31, 2004 WT Study (September 15, 2004 issue) Abbreviated Review comments will be in black and parentheses ()
WT quotes
will be in red and quotes ""Quotes from other sources
will be in blue"PUT ON THE COMPLETE SUIT OF ARMOR FROM GOD"
"Put on the complete suit of armor from God that you may be able to stand firm against the machinations of the Devil."?Ephesians 6:11
www.biblegateway.com /cgi-bin/bible
Opening Comments
I apologize for the abbreviated version. I have been battling my illness and things have been busy at work.
If you were or are an old-time JW, you probably have "studied" this topic 50 times. Can you name the pieces of armor without looking? No?
Part of the problem is that the WT is studied not the Bible. How many people quote from the scriptures when answering? How many looked up the scriptures before they came? I heard one brother say that the never looked up the scriptures that were "quoted" in the magazine since they were already in the paragraph. What is he reading and studying then, the Bible or the WT? When he recalls that scripture does he remember it in context with the other scriptures or in context with the WT material?
I used to play Bible scripture memory games with other JWs at parties, out in field service, etc., etc. Guess who "won"? No one came close even the other old-timers. And this in a group that sets themselves above other religions as to knowing the Bible.
START OF ARTICLE
Paragraphs 1-3
In paragraph one, the WTS refers to "Christians need in order to battle successfully against the Devil." You can rest assured that whenever the WTS says "Christians" they mean only JWs.
In paragraph 3, the WTS says
"Christians must obey Jesus Christ."This properly translated means, "JWs must obey the WTS/GB/FDS" because the WTS says they are the only channel and that JWs can only get to Jesus through them.
w02 10/1 p. 17 Jehovah Blesses and Protects Those Who Are Obedient
Today, Jehovah does not inspire prophets as in the past; instead, he has commissioned a faithful slave class to provide timely spiritual food to his household. (Matthew 24:45-47) How important, therefore, that we have an obedient attitude toward that "slave"! As the following article will show, such obedience also reflects our attitude toward Jesus, the ?slave?s? master. He is the One to whom ?the obedience of the peoples belongs.??Genesis 49:10.
w02
10/1 pp. 18-19 Cultivate Obedience as the End Draws NearIn the first century, when the issue of circumcision arose in 49 C.E., the governing body of that early slave class prayerfully considered the matter and came to a Scriptural conclusion. When they announced their decision by letter, the congregations obeyed the direction given and enjoyed God?s rich blessing. (Acts 15:6-15, 22-29; 16:4, 5) Likewise in modern times, the faithful slave through its Governing Body has clarified such important issues as Christian neutrality, the sanctity of blood, and the use of drugs and tobacco. (Isaiah 2:4; Acts 21:25; 2 Corinthians 7:1) Jehovah blessed his people for their obedience to his Word and the faithful slave.
w98
7/15 p. 12 Beware of a Lack of FaithToday, we have God?s complete inspired Word, the Holy Bible. We also have "the faithful and discreet slave," appointed by Jesus to provide spiritual "food at the proper time." (Matthew 24:45-47) Thus, God is still speaking. But are we listening? For example, how do we respond to counsel about dress and grooming or choice of entertainment and music? Do we "listen," that is, pay attention to and obey what is being heard? If we have the habit of making excuses or taking exception to the counsel, we are opening ourselves to the subtle danger of hardening our hearts.
Paragraph 3 also says that
"Jesus gives us instructions"?. but only through the FDS.w94
10/1 p. 8 The Bible?A Book Meant to Be UnderstoodIt was the congregation of anointed Christians, born at Pentecost 33 C.E., that was entrusted with the "things revealed." (Deuteronomy 29:29) As a group, anointed Christians serve as the faithful and discreet slave. (Luke 12:42-44) Their appointed assignment from God is to provide spiritual understanding of the "things revealed."
Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God
. All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah?s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave .?John 6:68.Paragraph 3 closes talking about
"the mental disposition of Christ."How often do the WT publications highlight or concentrate on Jesus? Isn?t their them Jehovah and the slave, Jehovah and the slave, and for every one example or scripture from the NT , there are 10 from the OT. Do you know WWJD?
Protecting the Loins, the Breast and the Feet
Paragraphs 4-5 (Loins girded about with truth.)
In paragraph 4, the WTS refers to "some translators suggest that the verse should read ?.."
What translators, who are they, what resource are they quoting from, title, page, etc., etc.?
Too often the WTS quotes today without making a complete reference. What are they hiding? Are they afraid some JW might look it up and see the context or read other material that might sway them?
"tightly wrapped around us, as it were, so that we live in harmony with the truth and can defend it on any occasion."Do you get the idea that too many JWs "cannot defend it [the truth] on any occasion"?
"We need to study the Bible diligently and meditate on its contents."If you have been reading my reviews over the past few weeks, you will know that the WTS has been pounding this concept into the rank and file. Why, because they are well-versed in the scriptures and are being overtaken by the "apostate" reasoning of friends, family and the Internet.
"He [Jesus] could therefore respond by quoting from the Scriptures from memory."But not the average JW?.
Paragraph 5 says "When we allow Bible truth (WTS propaganda) to guides us (as interpreted by the WTS/FDS/GB), it can protect us from faulting reasoning (apostate lies) and enable us to make wise decisions (that are approved of by the elders/WTS)."
"The Bible?s guidelines (food from the FDS) will strengthen our resolve to do what is right (as interpreted by the FDS)."Paragraphs 6 (Breastplate of righteousness)
Paragraph 6 talks about "our figurative heart?the person we are inside."
Did you know that back in the 1970?s the WTS taught that your emotional self was rooted in your literal heart? Based on this reasoning, that said that heart transplants were dangerous.
w71 3/1 pp. 134-136 How Is Your Heart? *** Where and what is your heart? You may say, What heart are you talking about? You know you have a heart in your chest, one that is pumping blood throughout your entire body, serving every single cell with that stream of life. But do you have another "heart" in your head, a "figurative heart"? Is it part of your brain or is it that abstract capacity of the brain that we call the "mind"? No! The brain, in which the mind resides, is one thing and the heart in our thorax, with its power of motivation, is another thing.With but few exceptions, the use of the word "heart" in the Bible is limited to the operations of the heart of man as the powerhouse of one?s desires, emotions and affections, the place that comes to include the capacities for motivation. The Bible does not speak of a symbolic or spiritual heart in contradistinction to the fleshly or literal heart, just as it does not speak of a symbolic mind, and thus we do not want to make the mistake of viewing the literal heart as merely a fleshly pump as does orthodox physiology today. Most psychiatrists and psychologists tend to overcategorize the mind and allow for little if any influence from the fleshly heart, looking upon the word "heart" merely as a figure of speech apart from its use in identifying the organ that pumps our blood.The heart, nevertheless, is intricately connected with the brain by the nervous system and is well supplied with sensory nerve endings. The sensations of the heart are recorded on the brain. It is here that the heart brings to bear on the mind its desires and its affections in arriving at conclusions having to do with motivations. In reverse flow, the mind feeds the heart with interpretations of the impulses from the senses and with conclusions reached that are based on the knowledge it has received, either at the moment or from the memory. There is a close interrelationship between the heart and the mind, but they are two different faculties, centering in different locations. The heart is a marvelously designed muscular pump, but, more significantly, our emotional and motivating capacities are built within it. Love, hate, desire (good and bad), preference for one thing over another, ambition, fear?in effect, all that serves to motivate us in relationship to our affections and desires springs from the heart.Let us consider some significant points about the fleshly organ in your chest, the heart, called in Hebrew lev and le·vav´ and in Greek kar·di´a (from which we get the word "cardiac"). Some medical scientists and psychiatrists believe that the heart does considerably more than pump blood. For instance, Dr. D. E. Schneider, a neurologist and psychiatrist of New York, points out that, when the human embryo is forming, the heart and the brain develop from the same area, that the heart is in part nerve tissue and, additionally, has the capacity for manufacturing and storing certain highly potent chemicals that exercise a regulatory effect on the body, including, according to this research, the brain. His conclusion is that there is "evidence for a two-way relationship between mind and heart," and that, even as the mind has its effect on the heart, "the heart [yes, the fleshly one in your chest] in turn may influence the mind intensely." Certain other researchers have arrived at rather similar conclusions.It is significant that heart-transplant patients, where the nerves connecting the heart and brain are severed, have serious emotional problems after the operation. The new heart is still able to operate as a pump, it having its own power supply and timing mechanism independent of the general nervous system for giving impulse to the heart muscle, but just as it now responds only sluggishly to outside influences, the new heart in turn registers few, if any, clear factors of motivation on the brain. To what extent the nerve endings of the body and the new heart are able to make some connections in time is not clear, but this cannot be ruled out as one of the several factors causing the serious mental aberrations and disorientation that doctors report are observed in heart-transplant patients. These patients have donor-supplied pumps for their blood, but do they now have all the factors needed to say they have a "heart"? One thing is sure, in losing their own hearts, they have had taken away from them the capacities of "heart" built up in them over the years and which contributed to making them who they were as to personality.Medical World News (May 23, 1969), in an article entitled "What Does a New Heart Do to the Mind?" reported the following: "At Stanford University Medical Center last year, a 45-year-old man received a new heart from a 20-year-old donor and soon announced to all his friends that he was celebrating his twentieth birthday. Another recipient resolved to live up to the sterling reputation of the prominent local citizen who was the donor. And a third man expressed great fear of feminization upon receiving a woman?s heart, though he was somewhat mollified when he learned that women live longer than men.Of course, the WTS has reversed itself (in 1986) on this teaching. Any JW who became one after 1971, would be ignorant of this ridiculous teaching.
Paragraph 6 goes on to say:
Our love of righteousness leads us to reject worldly (apostate) thinking that ignores or waters down Jehovah?s clear guidelines (that need clarification by the FDS?see quote above re ?channel.?)This is another attempt to combat the information from ex-JWs and non-JWs regarding the past teachings and actions of the WTS.
w92 10/15 p. 16 Work to Preserve Your Family Into God?s New World For hours on end, though, your children have been virtually held hostage in school and exposed to worldly thinkingw84 10/1 p. 17 Remain "Without Spot From the World" ***
Although a basic education is needed, in schools of higher learning it is nearly impossible to escape being swept along with the prevailing tide of worldly thinking. w83 10/15 p. 25 Reject Worldly Desires! Worldly thinking often fosters independence and pride.w61 7/1 p. 402 Watch Your Associations in the Time of the End ***Why have fellowship with authors whose thinking produces sordid writings that magnify worldly corruptions, unclean practices and crimes? Why feed your mind upon worldly thinking that tears down? (do you think they were talking about Mickey Spillane?) w55 1/15 p. 42 Is Your Best Good Enough? Or is your mind cluttered with worldly thinking? Satan is sending out his propaganda to shape men?s minds to his purposes. It pours forth from newspapers and magazines, blares out of radios, flashes from television screens, and even saturates the comic books.Paragraphs 7-8 (Feet shod with the equipment of the good news of peace)
Roman soldiers?often marched 20 miles each day..carrying some 60 pounds of armor and equipment.Can you imagine the average JW driving 20 miles each day in the preaching work let alone walking?
How will people come to know Jehovah if we are not ready and willing to preach?The key word here is "willing." Most JWs are doing it only to assure their own salvation and to gain "privileges" in the congregation.
The other word is "ready." How many JWs prepare by reading the WT material they are presenting, preparing to use a scripture at the door?
He [Jesus) enjoyed his ministry so much that he gave it priority over his physical needs.Is that true of the JWs you know or is it 45 minutes in the car and at a few doors and it is Break Time which last another 45 minutes, after which they do a return visit and it?s time to go home for lunch.
Jesus preached whenever he found a hearing ear.How many JWs want to do street work, talk to people at bus stops, on the sidewalk? My experience is that they cringed when the one bold sister would do so, hunching down in the car so not to be seen. How many JWs pick times to preach when people are not home?looking for a hearing ear?
Diligent?eager?absorbed ?.the words on page 17?do they describe the JWs you know?The Shield, the Helmet, and the SwordParagraphs 9-11 (The large shield of faith)
Paragraph 9 starts out:
The Greek word translated "large shield" ..But never mentions the word either in Greek or the English alphabet equivalent. Old-timers will remember when that was part for the course. Fred Franz would not leave out this information. Are JWs being dumbed down? Why not given the word and reference?
Further in the paragraph:
One scholar describes these darts?Who, where, what scholar? Why don?t they tell us?
Paragraph 10 says the "burning missiles" are
Persecution or opposition in the family, at work, or at school?.material things?immorality.The WTS has to come up with a reason why people are missing meetings and slowing down other than the lies they have told.
Faith comes from learning about Jehovah?How do we get the "mental disposition of the Christ" then?
We will not let criticism or opposition weaken our faith.From "apostates"?
Child abuse
WTS association with UN as NGO
http://www.randytv.com/secret/unitednations.htm
Blood issues
http://www.ajwrb.org/index.shtml
No material rewards?can compare with the blessings Jehovah has in store.Second mention of materialism.
Paragraph 12-13 (The helmet of salvation)
Our Christian (JW) hope?Although we have made our mind over by means of accurate knowledge of God?s Word (WT publications), we are still weak, imperfect humans (not some elders though).
Our mnd can easily be corrupted.Goals (material things/education) can easily be corrupted.The sort of confidence Jesus had is not automatic.Of course he wasn?t told that 1914, 1925, 1941, 1975, 1984, 1994 was the end and then have the rug pulled out when the generation of 1914 teaching was ended in 1995.
If we fill our mind with the dreams and goals of this system of things instead of keeping in mind the hope ahead, our faith in God?s promises (WTS promises) will get weaker.In time, we could even lose our hope completely.[carrot] On the other hand, if we regularly mediate on the promises of GodParagraph 14 (The sword of the spirit)
Can cut down religious falsehoodHow many here first realized that the WTS was teaching lies when they read the Bible on their own? Hmmm?
This spiritual sword can also defend us when we are assaulted by temptations or apostate attempts to destroy our faith?How many found it hard to defend the teachings of the WTS with the Bible when confronted with scriptures skillfully presented by a real student of the Bible?
Fend off false reasoning and cunning temptations1874?presence of Jesus
1914?presence of Jesus
1914?end of the world
1914?beginning of the end
1881?end of heavenly calling
1935?end of heavenly calling
alternative service (wrong then right)
resurrection of Sodom and Gomorrah/in and out of Gehenna several times
till 1929?superior authorities?secular governments
1929-1962?Jesus and God
1962?present ?secular governments
And many more---false reasonings
Experience in paragraph 15: Think this why is Joseph presented as a good example but his brother Judah who had sex with a temple prostitute is excused for his sexual behavior? It didn?t stop God from having Judah have Shiloh (Jesus) come through his line after skipping over Reuben for a sexual sin, and Simeon and Levi for their angry murder of the men of Shechem.
The WTS reasoning:
w73 6/15 p. 384 Questions from Readers As far as Judah was concerned, he thought he was having relations with a prostitute. In this he was not acting right, for it was God?s original purpose for a man to have relations with his wife and not for the earth to be filled with prostitutes. Still, Judah did not sin in the sense of transgressing a specific command of God?s law, for the Mosaic law was not given until much later.Jesus used others to escape from Satan?s (the WTS) control.To imitate Jesus? skillful teaching, we need training.How many really learned about using the Bible skillfully in the ministry school? I will conceded that the men probably learned more. But the women I knew would write up a script for themselves and for the sister acting as their household and they would act it out. How many of us handing a script to the person at the door so they would be sure to say the right things?
In our spiritual warfare, we need to use the Bible.How many here used the Bible? How many did you see use the Bible at the door? I would be constantly counseled to keep it in my bookbag until the person showed some interest. I figured anything I said would be secondary to the words of the Christ. They actually thought people would respond more to the WT publications than the Bible.
And how much satisfaction we experience when we use the Scriptures to answer an interested person?s sincere question!Do you get the message?only answer "sincere" questions.
The bigger message, most JWs are scriptural illiterates and the WTS have only themselves to blame.
Pray on Every OccasionParagraphs 17-20
Christians (only JWs) should avail themselvesMilagros, who has cared for her chronically ill husband for over 15 yearsFirst question, is he a JW, if so, is he at all the meetings and reaching out, how many hours do she and her husband get every month.
Second question, who helps her, how do they manage their finances if he can?t work, do they have children?
What sustains her?prayer. I?m not downgrading prayer but too many JWs fit this description:
If a brother or a sister is in a naked state and lacking the food sufficient for the day, yet a certain one of YOU says to them: "Go in peace, keep warm and well fed," but YOU do not give them the necessities for [their] body, of what benefit is it?JAMES 2:15-16
The Devil knows his time is shortIt has been short since 1914, 90 years ago. Soon, very soon, very soon now.
We also need the help of God?s holy spirit.What does the WTS say about the organization and God?s holy spirit?
w62 1/15 p. 40 Benefiting Now from Christ?s Ransom By means of this holy spirit you will be able to follow a course of righteousness, but not without the additional help of God?s Word and his visible organization.Paragraph 20 ends with these concepts
Clearly?essential?requires?demands?must?Concluding CommentsThose of you who have this week?s magazine, did you find Jesus mentioned very much?
Although in paragraph 3 it said: "Christians must obey Jesus Christ?Jesus gives us instructions?Christlike personality?mental disposition of Christ" what did you learn about Christ?
The WTS was so nonspecific about "worldly thinking" and "faulty reasoning" that I can see the average JW demonizing anything they don?t understand and that will be a great deal since they are not very good students of the Bible.
I was talking with a JW some time back about why they were able to go to Lord of the Rings but not Harry Potter. Their reasoning: in LOTR the bad guys used magic only, but in HP the good guys used magic which made it seem good.
Duh!
Well, folks, thanks for bearing with me.
Blondie