HUMAN OPINION is lower than Divinely revealed absolute truth. By its very nature, human opinion gropes its way from looking at things one way one day and another way another day.
Mere opinion is uninformed and little more than a personally appealing whim passed off as fact. When a whim is backed up by assertions of fact it becomes opinion and not mere opinion. If many people agree it becomes CONSENSUS. But, human policies are subject to change when they are refuted by evidence. The Consensus must change and, so too, the policy follows.
The pattern of human opinion is always the same. Things are stated to be true and later the view changes because a different view more closely in harmony with facts forces the change.
This differs from Divinely revealed Truth for a rather large reason: God cannot lie. (If you accept the Bible as a source of information about God and his ways.)
Where does this leave our discussion?
THE POINT TO BE MADE
Current Watchtower teaching which invalidates previous Watchtower teaching would not involve an outside criticism. It would not be the opinion of Apostates. It would not be criticism from naysayers. Current Watchtower teaching which invalidates previous Watchtower teaching would be ironclad evidence that TRUTH is nowhere to be found; but rather, only human opinion fradulently represented as Jehovah's instruction through his enthroned king, Christ Jesus.
According to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses they themselves alone have been chosen by King Christ Jesus.
For what?
To feed the other chosen (anointed) bride of Christ.
Feed them what?
Food at the proper time (formerly called "meat in due season".) This is a metaphor for spiritual truth.
Who else?
Those who, like dogs, gather around the dinner table of the Lord for scraps (formerly called the Great Crowd, Jonadabs, etc.) get the surplus benefit of reading the Truth from Jehovah's lips and have the option of acting upon it.
Why?
To enjoy the second-class reward (non-heavenly) of earthly paradise.
What is this FOOD AT THE PROPER TIME?
It would have to be pure spiritual truth. If not, it is mere opinion.
There is an even more important question. There is a huge difference between an opinion and a false teaching. What if it could be unambiguously demonstrated that a teaching is not merely opinion but a false religious view passed off as absolute truth in the name of a higher authority?
Would that not be fraud? Would that not make the teacher of such fraud a liar and brand them APOSTATE and even Anti-Christ?
We can conclusively list the false religious teachings of the Governing Body of the Watchtower Society ACCORDING TO themselves! Below a list is culled from various publications by C.T. Russell who was the mouthpiece of the Lord.
1.The Second Adventists and Millerite Movement was the fulfillment of bible prophecy.
2.A Meteor shower on November 13, 1833 was fulfillment of Jesus warning about end times.
3. 1846 marked the fulfillment of prophecy in having Jesus cleanse the Sanctuary (having arrived invisibly).
4. 1872 marked the end of six thousand years of human existence from the creation of Adam.
5.Since 1872 we have been living in the 7th Millennium.
6.Christ's reign began in A.D. 1873
7. 1874 marked the beginning of the Times of Restitution.
8.C.T. Russell is the messenger or "angel" identified in the Laodicean church in Revelation (1874).
9. The Lord did not come in 1844. The Bridegroom tarried and it was predicted this would happen.
10. "Beyond a doubt" the Lord appeared in 1874. The physical facts "are indisputable".
11.1874 marked the beginning of the Battle of Armageddon.
12.The Great Pyramid of Egypt was placed there to be used as a "witness in stone" and marks the important dates in prophetic history.
13. Measurements inside the the interior passageway (3416 "pyramid inches") demonstrate 1874 as the date of Christ's return.
14.(The same!) interior passageway measurements (now changed!) of 3457 pyramid inches demonstrate that the end of 1914 marks the beginning of the "time of trouble".
15.For forty years Pastor Russell set forth clear and unmistakable evidence of the Master (Jesus) presence on the title page of the Watchtower and "it will never come down!).
16.1939: the banner comes down. "Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom" goes up instead.
17. 1878 (spring) the Holy Apostles are resurrected to heavenly life.
18. The close of the heavenly calling ended in 1881. No further anointed will be selected. The number was sealed.
19.The close of the heavenly calling ended in 1918.
20.The close of the heavenly calling ended in 1935.
21. 1883: "Christian is the only name we need to be called."
22.God placed the Great Pyramid in Gizeh (1883).
23.Satan placed the Great Pyramid in Gizeh (1928).
24. BEWARE OF ORGANIZATION...IT IS WHOLLY UNNECESSARY. (Watchtower 9/15/1895)
25. "There is no command in scripture against military service". (Watchtower 8/1/1898)
26. God favors the Aryan race. (1898 Evol 30-31)
27. A black man can pray his skin white. (Zion's Watchtower 10/1/1900)
28. The BOOK OF RUTH is not prophetical.
29. Quibbling about celebrating Christmas is unneccesary it is a grand event and a tribute of respect to him. (1904)
30. You can read the CHARACTER of a person by feeling the bumps on their head. 1907
(Maria Russell requests in court for an increase in her alimony from $40 a month to $100 is denied because all of Pastor Russell's assets have been donated to the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.)
31. Reading Pastor Russell's STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES will bring you into the light faster and better than reading the Bible. (1910)
32. The "time of trouble) will begin somewhere between 1910 and 1912. (1911)
33. Operating on people for appendicitis is unnecessary. It is brought on by worm infestation. A dose of medicine called SANTONINE will cure it and typhoid fever. (Zion's Watch Tower 1/15/1912)
THIS BRINGS US UP TO 1914
REVIEW:
Everything listed so far can be dismissed by latter day Jehovah's Witnesses. And it is! But, it is important not to forget any of it. Why?
This is the sort speculation and guesswork all sorts of religious people were indulging in all over America in many churches. What makes Pastor Russell any different from them?
Two things.
1.He threw his personal fortune into publicizing his claims backed by his followers willingness to donate and participate in spreading these fantasies.
2.He passed all these speculations and outright bogus representations of prophecy off WRONGLY as the very revelation of Jesus to himself as sole conduit of Truth in the time of the end.
By current JW standards we have to pronounce him wrong AND (most importantly) a FALSE PROPHET. There is no way around it.
Russell was willing to go easy on the Millerites and the 2nd Adventists. He was willing to cut them slack and say they fulfilled prophecy even though they taught and believed errors.
Why?
Because these very same people were turning to C.T.RUSSELL to rescue their false beliefs from ridicule. C.T.Russell offered them something that looked like concrete evidence.
1.The meteor showers, times of trouble, world events, prophecy fulfillments, chronology charts and Great Pyramid measurements really packed a wallop.
2.If he kept guessing and moving dates around; sooner or later he might hit the jackpot.
1914 brought World War I.
That was a large enough event to get everybody's attention and pump life back into the hundreds of little errors the Watchtower had been making over and over. It refreshed hope that Russell might have something divine to offer.
On another thread I'll proceed from 1914 to continue this list. I want to keep the pre-1914 false teaching separate from the post 1914 false teachings.
Everyone is invited to copy this list and use it. Also, any additions or corrections are welcomed.
My easy source for these is Randy Watter's own SPIRITUAL FOOD AT THE PROPER TIME available at his Freeminds website.
Terry