Cordelia, your dilemna is not hard at all, it is sad that a whole org/religion has set itself up with this large safety net that wheneve they want to change their policies that it is new light, what it is "they were wrong and don't want to say that" it is a lack of humility. To come right out and say that we were wrong would jepordize all their beliefs because remember they can't be wrong, not one bit, they have the truth. So what they have done is pull one scripture Prov 4:18 out of the Bible and use this as the basis as changing policies.
First and foremost Jehovah God and His Son have never never never changed one time on their prophecies, Malichi says of Jah " I have not changed" Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Never once will you find the apostles changing their minds, never once did the prophets keep changing their minds. How unloving a God that would be to keep playing with His servants and those who love Him. Use your sense of reason, use your mind, use your heart.
Deut 18:20-22 says
20 “‘However, the prophet who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die. 21 And in case you should say in your heart: “How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?” 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
Jehovahs Witnesses have proclaimed in writing that they are God's Modern Day Prophet, they have been wrong more times than one should have to count. But lets get back to Proverbs 4:18 18 But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.
Read the text, read the chapters before and after this chapter and especially the verse that the witnesses use as the GOD GIVEN RIGHT to keep changing. The CONTEXT has nothing to do with Jah changing his mind with an org with regard to prophecies, living standards or anything else. The context is Solomon and in a much bigger sense with Jehovah pleading with His human family, of a father pleading with his son to make the right descisions in life by choosing one of two paths, one is dark and gloomy for the wicked and the other is a bright light for the righteous that will keep getting brighter as their life goes on. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH A ORG CHANGING THEIR MINDS BECAUSE THEY WERE WRONG TIME AFTER TIME. The witnesses like to point the finger at religions who pull scripture out of context, they are doing the same thing here. Wouldn't it be nice to go through life with a safety net under us at all times and just say we are a work in progress but we are never wrong. They are using this scripture completely out of context, it reminds me of what Peter said in 2 Pet 3:16 it has to do with the apostle Pauls writings but the principle applies to whenever a person twist the scriptures to their own good,
speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.
There is no new light, the Bible has been finished for almost 2000 years, the Bible and the teachings of Christ is the Light, it is not our job to go around and MRI ever scripture and think we are right, It is better to keep our eyes on the return of Jesus as King and live by the principles that he established as we build faith in the sacrifice of God's Son. Let us watch the prophecies fulfill themselves and focus on humility with godly qualities. This scripture is way out of context. Never meant what they use if for. I hope this clears some things up for you. Also whether you want to be a witness or not, you cannot be a fence sitter with them or God.
