Okay, so I want to talk this one over with my wife, but I need to kick the idea around here a little bit first. I apologize if this has already been covered.
At the District Convention this year, they did a bit about how Jeroboam didn't want the 10-tribe kingdom going down to Jerusalem, so he tried to set up calf worship and his own set of festivals, etc.
Anyways Act I was these two Israelite guys, brothers, talking to one of Jehovah's prophets about how hard it is to make it to the festivals, how one of them missed the first day of the festival, how there are TOO MANY festivals, and it's a burden, etc. It was clearly likening the heavy load of the Mosaic Law, all the festivals they had to do, with the load the Witnesses bear with all their meetings and service. Nobody in the audience missed this: people were chuckling about it.
Is it just me, or does it really tip the Watchtower's hand in a most profound way to be equating the obedience demanded by YHWH from the Israelites to a crushingly heavy load of laws, festivals, sacrifices, and rituals, to the duties that the Watchtower Society demands of its followers today?
They are essentially ignoring an entire Testament's worth of expressions of freedom from the Law, and saying that true Christianity demands just as heavy a (or a heavier) load than the Jews themselves were under!
Am I the only one who spotted this? Am I imagining it? Am I totally off base?
DC Drama: Mosaic Law == Being a Witness
by under_believer 9 Replies latest jw friends
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under_believer
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truthseeker
Underbeliever, below are my notes from this year's Drama.
The Society are really a modern day version of the Old Testament religion.
Instead of Jesus as our mediator, it's the Levitical class of anointed ones.
Instead of the Golden Rule, it's the Governing Body Mosaic law code.
Instead of burnt offerings, it's time and money that we sacrifice to the Society.It's quite obvious which was the nicer religion, the Jewish system of worship or the Christian set of virtues,
The old Testament religion works wonders for them, because it's all about laws and control. The Mosaic law served the Israelites well in their time, in terms of cleanliness, disease and morality, but the Society doesn't necessarily see it that way.
They use it in the way that the sons of Korah experienced, that God will kill anyone who disrespects his anointed spokesman. In the Israelites day, the Jews murmured against Moses; in our time, the Society has seen fit to walk in Moses' shoes and proclaim that they are a prophet.
The pyschology of using Old Testament worship, with its various rules and regulations, keeps the organization in order and conformity, but not the unity that they once boasted about, for many like you and myself see through it all and report back here.11:30 DRAMA: To Whose Authority Do You Submit?
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the convention program.
I can't be bothered to spell the strange names of the characters in this drama, but the situation was where Jeroboam was King of the southern Kingdom of Israel and Rehoboam was King of the Northern tribes. Jeroboam had kicked out all the Levitical priests because they didn't agree with calf worship. Scene begins with two brothers arguing over why they should go to Jerusalem to worship Jehovah when King Jeroboam had made a golden calf in their hometown - for convenience. One brother said, "Why do we need to go to Jerusalem when we can worship Jehovah here?" He then tells his brother who reprimanded him for using an image to worship Jehovah, that "we should obey the King, you don't know the law."
The drama had thinly veiled refrences to situations in our time - the brother with the independent spirit in the drama said there were "too many festivals" (too many meetings) and "I can't worship Jehovah today in Jerusalem, I have my business to attend to." (Do not miss Friday of the convention)
Lots of arguing back and forth
Jeroboam is accepting anyone as a priest if they pay for the position. One prominent person pays to become a priest and expects to be waited on - two of his footsoliders put a robe on him.
A man of the true God comes in and tells off the King for worshipping a golden calf and for taking up the duties of a Levite priest. Man of the true God makes it known he cannot go back the way he came, nor can he eat or drink in this place.
Jeroboam begins a sacrifice and the altar splits in half (cheap special effects) and his hand withers up.
The King pleads for the "man of the true God" to make his hand whole again, and the hand promptly returns to normal.
The two brothers who were observing the sacrifice go and tell their father what happened. Their father is also happens a prophet.
Prophet asks his sons to invite the man of the tue God round to his house for dinner, DESPITE knowing the man of the true God cannot eat or drink.
As it happens, the prophet accepts the dinner invite, visits the old dude's house and has a sumptuous feast - the host has an apparent fit and then tells his guest he will die.
for disobeying Jehovah's instructions.
Man of the true God promptly stuffs his face before leaving, gets crushed by a lion and the host gets upset hearing this news! Tells his brothers that he wants to be buried by the
prophets bones upon his death.
A very strange account, I never liked this. The Drama was basically telling us that we had to listen to what the Society says and obey them. -
freedomlover
isn't it strange how you can see this soooo clearly NOW, and yet for years we didn't??
I for one used to just feel so inadequate, and think how ungrateful I was for complaining about ALL the meetings, assemblies, service, etc. BARF!!!!
Then you see through the fog and go hey! wait a damn minute! what in the world was that Jesus dude here for then????!!!! TO GET RID OF THE MOSAIC LAW!! -
Severus
Great point! I've never considered that angle.
Also consider the danger of likening the WTS to Isreal/Judah. The rulership and priesthood were consistantly apostate and only a few prophets who heard from God directly supposedly had the truth.
If ancient Jews = JWs, then it equals...
Kings =
Priests =
Prophets =
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freedomlover
Ya' know UB - this may be a good point to discuss with your wife.
For one - I would get another translation to read from besides the NWT. (even if it's just for you to read from) Then start reading the gospels. I couldn't believe how much I saw the hypocrisy of the society when I started reading the gospels with a more open mind. Jesus was the ULTIMATE apostate against the religious order of his day. You may be able to make some parallels with this.
One thing that really got to me in the beginning was my husband let me chew on the concept of *GRACE* and why the NWT doesn't have that word in it.
BIG EYE OPENER for me. -
blondie
I always thought this was a joke, saying that the rank and file had to attend all the meetings based on the OT requirements.
They always forget that only the males, the men, were required to attend. That's what happens when you use the OT to make application to Christians.
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it-1 p. 1054 Headship ***Only the males were required by command to assemble for the three festivals of Jehovah at the place that God chose, although women also attended. (De 16:16)
(Deuteronomy 16:16) 16
"Three times in the year every male of yours should appear before Jehovah your God in the place that he will choose: in the festival of the unfermented cakes and in the festival of weeks and in the festival of booths, and none should appear before Jehovah empty-handed.( Exodus 34:23) 23
"Three times in the year every male of yours is to appear before the [true] Lord, Jehovah, the God of Israel.Were you a JW in 1999? Perhaps this incorrection application/correlation slipped by you.
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w99 11/15 p. 20 par. 7 Are You Fulfilling Your Whole Obligation to God? ***Ancient Israel was a nation dedicated to God, and under the Law covenant, its people had obligations before Jehovah. For instance, all males were to assemble for three annual festivals, and a man who deliberately did not keep the Passover was "cut off" in death. (Numbers 9:13; Leviticus 23:1-43; Deuteronomy 16:16) To fulfill their obligation to God as his dedicated people, the Israelites had to gather for worship. (Deuteronomy 31:10-13) Nothing in the Law said, ‘Do this if you can fit it into your life.’ For those now dedicated to Jehovah, surely this adds weight to Paul’s words: "Let us consider one another to incite to love and fine works, not forsaking the gathering of ourselves together, as some have the custom, but encouraging one another, and all the more so as you behold the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24, 25) Yes, regularly assembling with fellow believers is part of a dedicated Christian’s obligation to God.
I was already on my way out and pointed out when I answered that only the men were required to attend the "conventions."
Blondie
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SirNose586
Under_believer, I don't think you're being off base. I didn't like the drama because it wasn't very entertaining, but I can really see what they were getting at now. Especially the dig about missing the first day, that was pretty corny. Wasn't Jesus' yoke supposed to be light? I guess that doesn't matter anymore. I'm getting really aggravated with the diminishing value of Jesus and the emphasis on laws and rules.
I'm starting to notice that they've always couched their most ridiculous demands in a humorous light. The missing first day bit in the drama was one example. Case in point, there was a skit where a brother was browsing for news reports about witnesses, when suddenly he stumbles upon an apostate site! "Oh NO!" he hollers. Big laugh from the crowd. "I'd better turn off my computer right away!!"
And that is how they will keep people from finding the truth about the WTS. -
24k
Case in point, there was a skit where a brother was browsing for news reports about witnesses, when suddenly he stumbles upon an apostate site! "Oh NO!" he hollers. Big laugh from the crowd. "I'd better turn off my computer right away!!"
It is truly astonishing, how childish the reasoning of the watchtower is. "I'd better turn off my computer right away!", how ridiculous. Most adults would simply click on another web page, upon coming to a website they found objectionable. The same is true of the drama, and the application of the information contained in it. Jeraboam establishes calf worship in the ten tribe kingdom of Isreal, God's nation has been cut in two by a rebellious and violent insurrection, and the societies application is, don't miss the Friday program. Throw in, "always listen to God's appointed servants", and you have the application to every drama the society has ever produced.
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Borgia
Under_Believer,
>p>No, you´re not the only one noticing that comparisson. But ehhhh, the comparisson is more ironic than that.... Jerobeam was a king. He appointed priests. The priests promoted calf worship saying that the calf represented, did I say represented?, Jehovah. Booze JFR, nervous bizzy bee Nathan and oracle Freddie were kings and appointed their priests. These chaps in turn kept on pointing to the GB /Org as representing the FDS & Jehovah, being Gods sole channel of communication.............You don´t want me to go on, do ye? Cheers Borgia
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LDH
They are essentially ignoring an entire Testament's worth of expressions of freedom from the Law, and saying that true Christianity demands just as heavy a (or a heavier) load than the Jews themselves were under!
While this isn't a new thought for me per se, it's great to see how you were able to succintly sum this up! Thanks!
I better turn off the computer right away!!!
LOL, that is *SO* something a 6 or 7 year old would think, not a grown, rational-thought adult.