The WTS is fond of associating itself with great men of the bible claiming to be of this or that class (John class, Isaiah class and so on)
Here is another 'class' the WTS should ponder seriously. The Pharisee class.
The Watchtower derides the Pharasees every chance they get. So they should as a harsh wicked bunch the Pharisees were. One of the traps the Pharisees fell into was 'fence' they put around the Law to protect it. For example the command to do no work on the Sabbath wasnt good enough. They claimed god given authority to define exaclty what work was. Notice this quote from the WT.
*** w96 9/1 12 The Law Before Christ ***
13 The rabbis reasoned that since the Torah, or Mosaic Law, was perfect, it must contain an answer to every question that might arise. This notion was not truly reverent. In reality, it gave the rabbis license to use clever human reasoning, making it appear that God's Word was the basis for rules on all manner of issues-some personal, others simply trivial.
14 Again and again the religious leaders took Scriptural precepts and stretched them to extremes.
The WT aslo gives the effect the oral traditions of the Pharisees had on the Jews.
*** w96 9/1 12 The Law Before Christ ***
17 Thus buried under hundreds of man-made rules, the Sabbath law lost its spiritual meaning as far as most Jews were concerned. When Jesus Christ, the "Lord of the sabbath," performed spectacular, heartwarming miracles on the Sabbath, the scribes and the Pharisees were unmoved. They cared only that he seemed to ignore their regulations.-Matthew 12:8, 10-14.
Sad that the WTS is just like the Pharisees. They claim God given authority to keep his people clean and to make rules to cover situations not found in the bible.
Pharisee rule not found in the Law.*** w96 9/1 12 The Law Before Christ ***
They taught that a Jew must not leave his cattle at a Gentile inn, for Gentiles "are suspected of bestiality."
Pharisee class rule not found in the Law of Christ
Smoking=spiritism
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Pharisee rule not found in the Law.
*** w96 9/1 12 The Law Before Christ ***
the oral law went on to define some 39 different types of forbidden work, including tying or loosening a knot, sewing two stitches, writing down two Hebrew letters, and so on. Then each of these types required endless further rules. Which knots were forbidden and which allowed? The oral law answered with arbitrary regulations.
Pharisee class rule not found in the Law of ChristTo be counted as a Christian you must turn in slips of paper detailing your time in the ministry
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Pharisee rule not found in the law
*** w96 9/1 12 The Law Before Christ ***
it was forbidden to set a broken limb on the Sabbath. A man with a toothache could use vinegar to season his food, but he must not suck the vinegar through his teeth. That might heal his tooth!
Pharisee class rule not found in the Law of Christ
Bearded brothers cant be 'used'
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Pharisee rule not found in the Law*** w96 9/1 17 The Law of the Christ ***
For example, a visitor to an orthodox Jewish hospital on the Sabbath may find that the elevator automatically stops on every floor so that the passengers can avoid doing the sinful "work" of pushing an elevator button. Some orthodox doctors write out prescriptions in ink that will vanish in a few days. Why? The Mishnah classifies writing as "work," but it defines "writing" as leaving a lasting mark.
Pharisee class rule not found in the Law of Christ
No whole blood transfusion or transfusion of major fractions. Minor fractions will not result in any action by the congregation.
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I leave you fair reader with one more quote from the WT. Please forgive the spelling. I aint got MSWord installed on this computer (I know, lame excuse ;P)
Have a nice day
*** w96 9/1 11 The Law Before Christ ***
"Make a fence around the Law." These teachers reasoned that the Law was like a precious garden. In order that no one should trespass in this garden by transgressing its laws, they created further laws, the "Oral Law," to prevent the people from coming close to such error.
12 Some might argue that Jewish leaders were justified in feeling this way. After Ezra's day the Jews were dominated by foreign powers, especially Greece. To combat the influence of Greek philosophy and culture, groups of religious leaders arose among the Jews. (See box, page 10.) In time some of these groups came to rival and even surpass the Levitical priesthood as teachers of the Law. (Compare Malachi 2:7.) By 200 B.C.E., the oral law was making its way into Jewish life. At first these laws were not to be written, lest they be taken as equal to the written Law. But gradually, human thinking was put ahead of the divine, so that eventually this "fence" actually damaged the very "garden" it was supposed to protect.