Ripping Apart The Faithful & Discreet Slave Doctrine Slashes A Foundation

by minimus 37 Replies latest jw friends

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  minimus

  In order to get to the core of the WTS belief system, one must get to the foundation of all of its teachings. That basis is the belief that the FDS gives, FROM JEHOVAH GOD, all the "spiritual food at the proper time". If the "slave" gets all it's light" from Jehovah God and Jesus Christ, the head of the congregation, why are their continued "refinements"? Actually, they blame Jehovah and tell us He could not give his imperfect creatures ALL the correct information at the same time because we would be overwhelmed by it all.......That's just one silly argument that they use to allow for their understanding of "truth" to be incorrect. Does the "truth" ever change?? Can we be taught that the "faithful slave" was really (wink wink) Charles Taze Russell, the Laodecian Messenger and then be told that nearly all that he believed was actually incorrect and that he really never was that "slave"? Ask any Witness to explain in detail the specifics of the "Faithful Slave" and you will get various conflicting responses!

  I say, expose the Faithful & Discreet Slave doctrine for what it is---A FRAUD, and you will shake the faith of a real Jehovah's Witness.
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  Confession

  This is an excellent point, of course. I'd like to chronicle my evolution regarding this FDS authority topic.

  -I'd always accepted those in authority with the WTS were God's FDS, though I don't really remember when I came to that conclusion.

  -They always warned that apostates would try to question and challenge that authority.

  -When I was confronted with questions or challenges to their authority, my mind then easily classified such information as "apostate" and therefore "evil."

  -When serious doubts arose for me, I'd be willing to look at more "apostate" info, but the 607/1914 challenges I'd read were not easily absorbed by my mind (as other issues were,) and they therefore seemed like nit-picking.

  -When, after many months, I'd read CoC and examined the information a bit better, it finally struck me: This is not anal, academic nit-picking. Proving that Jerusalem did not fall in 607 BCE--but instead about 587 BCE (20 years later)--further proves the WTS' claim that Jesus assumed kingdom power in 1914 and chose them as his FDS in 1918 is impossible. This entirely undermines the actual basis of the authority they assert as having.

  Ultimately, Minimus, you're right. While pointing out the pedophile, blood or UN issues weakens their reputation, it is the proof that the 1914 date is wrong that may allow room for the closed JW mind to open and see that Jesus' words about the FDS are not teaching what the WTS claims they teach--and that the WTS itself is not what it purports to be.
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  JeffT

  Agree. The fundamental belief of Jehovah's Witnesses is that the WTBS is God's mouthpiece. The Watchtower is very good at circular reasoning: (paraphrased) "We know it is God's organization becuase nobody else teaches what we teach about the trinity, hell etc." "We know what we teach (about the trinity, hell etc) is true because we learned it from God's organization."

  We wrote the following in our DA letter in 1988:

  An organization that makes claims as outlined above {a string of WT quotes about how they are "god's organization} must be judged by a higher standard than would a merely human organization. The fact that the Watchtower claims to be God’s channel of communication with men, a necessary requirement for salvation, the mediator between God and men, and demands the same standard of allegiance that one would give to God precludes the use of “we are only human” as an excuse for mistakes and wrong teaching. Yet the Watchtower has never stated that it is teaching the opinions of men.
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  minimus

  If we were able to help Witnesses see what so clearly is obvious, I think most Witnesses faith would recede----at least until "something" personal hits them. Then E V E R T H I N G that they tried to ignore comes back.
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  truthseeker

  Minimus, the thing is that a Bible study is never introduced to the concept of the FDS until the last few chapters of the study book.

  The book SLOWLY introduces the concept of "anointed Christians" without reference to the "organization."

  Once the student is familiar with the "remnant of anointed Christians on earth" only then is it later that the algebraic FDS is brought into the equation.

  Thus, the student has no problem accepting this, as it only substantiates his limited knowledge.

  FDS Algebra

  -------------------

  early part of Knowledge Book

  x = (144,000 - anointed remant)

  Question: X = ?

  To solve the equation, student considers last few chapters of Knowledge Book

  x = Faithful and Discreet Slace
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  Finally-Free

  The bible refers to Jesus as the "Logos" or "the Word". The WTS has also stated in the past that this is likely the one who communicated to humans prior to Jesus being on the earth. In other words, Jesus was God's channel of communication to mankind. Yet now this supposed "faithful and discreet slave" attempts to usurp Jesus and take over this role. They have also replaced the Holy Spirit with "spirit directed organization".

  Jehovah's Witnesses worship their corporation and don't even realize it.

  W
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  Nathan Natas

  The bible introduces us to many of God's faithful and discreet servants of times gone by: Enoch, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Hosea, Habakkuk; the list goes on and on. When a person reads the writings of those prophets of old, or even the writings of the leaders of the early Christian congregation, NOT ONCE do you find any prophet saying of an earlier prophet that the earlier prophet was WRONG.

  Yet that is ALL YOU FIND with the Watchtower "prophets." Charles Taze Russell was WRONG according to Joseph Franklin Rutherford and everyone since, Joseph Franklin Rutherford was WRONG according to the two-headed Knorr-Franz, Knorr-Franz was WRONG according to the anonymous cowards who today won't even associate their names with their "New Light."

  For millenia Jehovah was pretty much consistent with himself, but this past century of two he's been acting a little schizo. Maybe its age; maybe he's gone off hhis meds. Something is wrong in the invisible neighborhood of Alcyone, that's for sure.

  It's almost as though a bunch of pretentious frauds were trying to pass themselves off as Jehovah's Frumptuous and Deceit slave class.
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  DannyHaszard

  I say, expose the Faithful & Discreet Slave doctrine for what it is---A FRAUD, and you will shake the faith of a real Jehovah's Witness.

  Affirmative no disputing & powerful thread.As equally debunk value is the finding that Watchtower movement is also a spin-off of the Millerite movement (mutated millerites)

  Im not trying oneupmanship but this millerite/adventist connection documented at my site and everywhere on the web is the finding that shock me loose,born devout 3rd geneartion dub.
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  Shakita

  Hey Minimus. The GB of the JW's claims that only those that are part of the group known as Jehovah's Witnesses and are baptized have a chance to be saved. Being part of that group also means believing that the GB are part of the Faithful and Discreet Slave as mentioned at Matthew 24:45-47. If their interpretation was to hold true, then their reasonings would have to agree with the reasonings of Jesus Christ. They claim him as their mediator to the exclusion of the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses, but they are unable to see that being part of the group is not necessary for salvation.

  At Mark 9:38-41 an incident occurred that highlights this point. A person that was not a part of the group was performing demonic expulsions. Jesus's followers objected to this and this is what he said:

  38 John said to him: "Teacher, we saw a man who was driving out demons in your name, and we told him to stop, because he doesn't belong to our group."

  39 "Do not try to stop him," Jesus told them. "because no one who performs a miracle in my name will be able soon afterward to say evil things about me.

  40 For whoever is not against us is for us.

  41 I assure you that anyone who gives you a drink of water because you belong to me will certainly receive his reward.

  So, we see a man expelling demons and even though his followers object because he is not part of the group, Jesus does not object to this man's actions, but he says that those not against us are for us. The WT's claim to exclusivity is null and void when you look at the response that Jesus gave to his followers. Here was someone not part of the group but finding Christ's approval. There is no evidence that he was even baptized. The text is silent on that issue. Yet, the Governing Body of the JW's claim that we must belong to the group known as Jehovah's Witnesses and be baptized in order to be saved. That is not what their alleged leader says.

  Jesus goes even further to say that if this person gives you a drink of water because they know you belong to Christ, they will not lose their reward. There is no talk from Jesus about belonging to a particular group or religion to be saved. There is no mention about listening to a God appointed Faithful and Discreet Slave. There is no mention about believing 100 percent in what this FDS says lest you be expelled and viewed as heretical and apostate.

  The GB's interpretation of Matthew 24:45-47 is used to perpetuate the myth that God has selected an elite group of men to dispense spiritual food to the domestics. I feel that this parable by Jesus was just his way of telling ALL CHRISTIANS what their responsibililties are towards their fellow Christians. This was not to be used so that certain individuals could receive exclusive praise from their adherents so that these men could continue to receive power and authority that they were not authorized to receive.

  Rather than spiritualizing the text and making it fit the WT theology, Christ's words should be viewed as applying to all Christians. Once those doubting see this for what it is, they can begin to realizes that the FDS's claim to be chosen by God to dispense spiritual food to the domestics is a lie perpetuated by power hungry men that want the attention to go to themselves and not that of Christ.

  Mr. Shakita
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  onesong

  It was examining and doubting the FDS that caused the rest of it to fall apart for me.

  Without "Divine" authority nothing else matters.