Greetings Stephen C or NotMyRealName, whatever you prefer, and welcome to the board!
You raise a very interesting point. I will not condemn your faith in God, nor that of your fellow witnesses. I will instead try my best to answer your questions and respond to your statements.
First, you say you are not a JW but have studied to a small degree. May I ask if you have been baptized as a JW? If not, were you baptized elsewhere? If so, how do your JW friends view your baptism? Have they asked you to get baptized as a JW? Where did you find the information about the WTS and the UN NGO involvement? Have you told your friends about it? If so, how did they react?
Second, you say that you would rather the organization handle the issues that are too big for you. I truly admire your humility, but exactly what issues are too big for you? Do you believe that you have to obey the rules of men and do the works of the Watchtower to earn your salvation? If so, at what point have you done enough works? The bible teaches that everyone's salvation was determined at the time of Jesus death and that no one else can give it to you or take it away.
In biblical times, God operated through individuals, not organizations. Sometimes the individuals he operated through belonged to organizations he disapproved of. To say that God has only one channel of communication or that he works through a specific organization is a gross misrepresentation of the bible.
The meaning of "faith without works is dead" is referring to helping your fellow man and working to improve yourself and your environment. Tell me where are the Jehovah Witness soup kitchens or Jehovah Witness homeless shelters? Do they only help each other or a potential convert, or do they act as Jesus commanded?
You ask yourself "Where else would I go?" Have you ever considered going directly to Jesus? Is it possible you don't need and organization of uninspired men to complete your spirituality? You also mention the truths and practices of faith and the words of life in the organization. Here is where I want you to take a moment and consider your beliefs from a logical, practical point of view. Put aside the deep love you have for them and analyze their practices.
Right now, they might be showering you with love and attention, both material and immaterial. This is called love bombing. They will give you free clothes, buy you dinner, and perhaps pay to fix your car. This all looks very kind and generous, but then they lay down the rules. Do you find that you're not allowed to wear anything other than the clothes they "provide" for you? Do they buy you dinner only after you agree to a bible study with them? Do they fix your car only after it breaks down and you stop coming to the meetings? In short, is their love an unconditional love, or does it come with a price tag?
Consider also the words of life from the organization. Examine carefully the writing style of their literature, for it is very specific and uses very subtle psychological techniques to mold your opinion to theirs, and rule out anyone else's. Does it ever feel like they're talking down to you or telling you what to think? Do you notice how they never cite their sources in the magazines? Every story starts with "according to one woman," or "recent studies show." In the academic world, you have to back up your opinions with solid facts, and the Watchtower never has any. If you are or were at one point a student in High School or College, pick up a magazine and ask yourself, or even a teacher if you can, if you had written this, what grade would you get? Chances are, no more than a zero if you're lucky. Their failure to prevent solid reliable evidence to support their claims results in plagiarism and blatant fraud.
Finally, you mention Paul, who posed as a Roman citizen to defend his faith in comparison to the Watchtower UN alliance. When they joined the UN, it was not to defend their faith, but rather to take advantage of the UN's resources to travel all around the world and convert more followers, among many other hypocritical things. Paul also knew what he did was wrong, and insisted on being crucified upside down, believing he was unworthy to die the same way Jesus did. The Watchtower never admitted their gross apostasy and still maintain their absolute authority over their blissfully ignorant followers.
For nearly eight decades, the WTS has denounced the UN as the beast of revelation that causes destruction and is hated by God. They also condemned every religion associated with it as the "harlot that rides the beast." They lied about ever joining in the first place, then tried to downplay it with the "library card" excuse. By the way, if one of the rank and file for example joins the YMCA to use their public pool, they're disfellowshipped. By thier own rules they incriminate themselves. Does that sound like Jehovah's true organization? Ask yourself if it was no big deal, than why did they cancel their membership the moment it became public? If it violated their religious and moral convictions as they claimed, than why do they remain an NGO to this day? See the following link:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/8/125201/1.ashx
In conclusion, I have the highest respect for you and your beliefs, I just want you to make up your own mind about placing your trust in the Watchtower organization. Don't you owe it to yourself to determine who's really telling the truth?
Peace,
Anitar
