Watchtowerism, fascism, philosophy and blind obedience
No one is better in describing themselves than the Watchtower Society. Usually this is done by accident when describing others. At least from “Booze” Rutherford’s days whatever that was printed in the Watchtower or decreed from Brooklyn has been the law and should be obeyed without question. Disagreeing with Brooklyn is equal to being against God:
*** w56 4/15 243 Activity and Life versus Inactivity and Death ***
So be obedient. Do Jehovah’s work in Jehovah’s way. It is the way Jehovah has marked out through his organization. That alone counts!*** sm 47 Mankind's Beginning ***
3 However, there was a condition attached to that good relationship: obedience. God expected man to obey him and thus show his submission to the will of his Creator. As God said at a later time, “To obey is better than a sacrifice.” (1 Samuel 15:22) This is reasonable, is it not? In any organization, rules are necessary as is obedience by the members to those rules. Hence, God wanted man to be obedient to the rules he set down.*** w91 9/15 17 "Help Me Out Where I Need Faith!" ***
12 To ensure their salvation, Noah and his family needed to exercise faith. This meant following instructions and the leadings of God’s holy spirit. During the great tribulation, it will be just as imperative that we follow the leadings of the holy spirit and obey Jehovah’s instructions through his organization.*** w89 9/15 23 Be Obedient to Those Taking the Lead ***
13 In the world, there is a tendency to reject leadership. As one lecturer said: “The rising education level has improved the talent pool such that followers have become so critical that they are almost impossible to lead.” But a spirit of independent thinking does not prevail in God’s organization, and we have sound reasons for confidence in the men taking the lead among us.*** w89 9/15 20 Be Obedient to Those Taking the Lead ***
“Be obedient to those who are taking the lead among you and be submissive, for they are keeping watch over your souls as those who will render an account.”—HEBREWS 13:17.
As usual demanding such blind obedience is only wrong when others do it, like the godless fascists and communists:
*** g90 10/22 24-5 Part 6: Blackshirts and Swastikas ***
Fascism elevates the State above all other authority, both religious and civil. French jurist Jean Bodin of the 16th century, English philosopher Thomas Hobbes of the 17th, as well as 18th- and 19th-century German philosophers Johann Gottlieb Fichte, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, and Heinrich von Treitschke, all glorified the State. Hegel taught that the State occupies a position of supremacy and that the individual’s supreme duty is to be its loyal supporter.
By their very nature, all governments must exercise authority. But Fascist states are designed to exercise it to the utmost, demanding blind obedience.
The fascist state and the Watchtower Society both demand blind obedience:
*** w59 5/1 269 Attain Completeness in the New World Society ***
7 To hold to the headship of Christ, it is therefore necessary to obey the organization that he is personally directing. Doing what the organization says is to do what he says. Resisting the organization is to resist him.
Glorifying the State is of course very wrong but glorifying the Watchtower organization is not only right, it is of the outmost importance because the organization will SAVE you!
*w81 11/15 21 - ** And while now the witness yet includes the invitation to come to Jehovah's organization for salvation, the time no doubt will come when the message takes on a harder tone, like a "great war cry.*w74 7/1 407 -**28 Are you willing to 'gird yourself with lowliness of mind,' to "put on the apron of humility"? Are you willing to accept Jehovah's way for salvation? In this twentieth century we have an example of humility, of lowliness of mind, that is found world wide. It is in the organization of Jehovah's witnesses. Why not read on and see how they have humbly conformed to Jehovah's way for salvation?
*w67 4/1 223 - *Instead of looking upon Babylon the Great as a sanctuary, flee to the true sanctuary, God's Christian organization, by studying God's Word the Bible and taking the action therein commanded. Only in this way will one have a realization of God's promise: "The salvation of the righteous ones is from Jehovah; he is their fortress in the time of distress. And Jehovah will help them and provide them with escape. He will provide them with escape from wicked people and save them, because they have taken refuge in him."-Ps. 37:39, 40.
Did you notice that it was a bunch of those pesky demonic philosophers that inspired the fascistic ideology? Yes, even the great Hegel was among them. The despicable Hegel had also influenced the commies:
*** w59 8/15 511 Communism a False Religion ***
An outrider and prophet . . . appeared in the form of a generation of preachers finally embodied in the person of the German philosopher Hegel. Following him, there arrived the bearer of the Word, the messiah, Karl Marx. His deification requires no documenting.
We should all avoid such empty man made “wisdom” as the philosophers present like the plague:
*** w95 12/1 6-7 When Tradition Conflicts With Truth ***
By using God’s inspired Word, you get to the pure waters of truth rather than the polluted waters of human and demonic philosophy.—John 8:31, 32; 2 Timothy 3:16.
Yes, all that worldly wisdom and higher learning that some like to flaunt while participating in endless debates:
*** w93 8/1 16 Let No One Spoil Your Useful Habits ***
9 Many people will debate for hours, week after week, but not because they are seeking truth. They just want to undermine another’s faith while flaunting their own supposed education in Hebrew, Greek, or evolutionary science. When encountering them, some Witnesses have felt challenged and have wound up having extended association centered on false religious belief, philosophy, or scientific error.
So you who love to flaunt your “education” by using complicated words and spraying about names and quotes of famous philosophers are only undermining people’s (gasp) faith! As the Watchtower magazine have “demonstrated” above the philosophers have inspired the most hideous movements like communism and fascism. Ideologies who have almost killed as many people as Christianity has done and has caused almost as much pain and suffering.
Norm.