JW Children Lie in Custody Cases

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  When God brought Christians out from under the Law Covenant into his New Covenant (which change He accomplished through Christ as both Mediator and High Priest), He did not cause them to pass from one law code (or "legal arrangement" of a "body of rules"). His Word states that thenceforth His law would be written on HEARTS, not on stone or parchment or vellum or any other writing material. [Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:8-10] The "law of the Christ" is found in his TEACHINGS, his EXAMPLE and WAY OF LIFE, none of which point to any "new legal arrangement of control." His law is instead shown to be "the royal law of love" and the "law of faith," and neither love nor faith can possibly be reduced to, or fully expressed by, a "body of rules," and regulations. (Compare Galatians 6:2 with Romans 3:27, 28; 13:8; James 2:8.) You cannot legislate love and faith into people's hearts. That is doubtless why the apostle Paul says that "the law is not based on faith," because law (in the sense of a body of rules) is essentially predicated, not on faith, but simply upon compliance---either you do it or you do not. Law-keeping becomes the criterion of righteousness. Those keeping the rules are counted righteous; those who do not are punished. [Galatians 3:10-12, NIV.] The superior importance of faith is to that extent obscured. [ibid., pp. 240, 241; emphasis: RF]
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  For such serious reasons the apostle presented the issue of Christian freedom---including freedom from being under some humanly "enforceable" religious law system---in the strongest terms, saying:

  I do not shove aside the undeserved kindness of God;
  for if righteousness is through law, Christ actually died
  for nothing. [Galatians 2:21.]

  You are parted from Christ, whoever you are that try
  to be declared righteous by means of law; you have fallen
  away from his undeserved kindness.[Galatians 5:4.]

  To teach that Christians in the New Covenant are again under a new "legal arrangement of control" denies the Scriptural teaching that God's law is now written on human hearts, the control being accomplished, not by a "body of laws," but by holy Spirit. It negates the Christian freedom that results from being, not under law, but under undeserved kindness or grace. This teaching would condemn Christians to death, for "by works of law no flesh will be declared righteous," since law inevitably condemns those under it due to their inability to observe it perfectly. [Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:10, 11.] It leads to the same self-deception that many under the Law Covenant fell prey to---that of seeking to establish one's own righteousness by law observance, carrying out the duties imposed by law. [Romans 10:3, 4.] It allows for the same boasting and feeling of superiority over others that were typical of those in Jesus' day who stressed a strict holding to rule---as defined by their religious leaders---those who took pride in their compliance with regulations. [Matthew 12:1-10; Luke 18:9-12; John 7:49.] Worst of all, it minimizes and detracts from the magnificence of God's love, in that He gives life, not as a reward for observing laws, Mosaic or any other, but as a "free gift," accepted by faith, appreciated through love and responded to by loving acts, but never earned. [Romans 3:21-25; 5:15-17; ibid., p. 242.]
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  In 1976, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses decided to make a revision of its manual called AID TO ANSWERING BRANCH OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE. The manual serves to direct all Branch Committees of the organization in their handling of problems. The purpose of the revision was so that the manual would contain the more recent decisions of the Governing Body. Staff members Gene Smalley and Robert Wallen were assigned to draft an updated manual and they submitted their proposed revision in September 1977, the work having been done primarily by Smalley. The Writing Committee assigned me to do the final editing of the material. I found the assignment a depressing one. Though familiar with the original manual from past experience, I now felt the full force of the extent to which a legalistic outlook had come to dominate the organization's approach to Christianity. Two years later I had still not completed the editing and in fact had made very little progress. I offered to turn the assignment over to someone else but Lyman Swingle, then the Coordinator of the Writing Committee, said he personally was in no hurry to see the material finished, that as far as he was concerned "the longer it was left 'on the back burner' the better." Consider the index of the 114 pages of the proposed material:

  [An abridgement to follow.]
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  The index for AID TO ANSWERING BRANCH OFFICE CORRESPONDENCE is quite lengthy and difficult to properly format. I will list examples of topics discussed, though not all.

  Abortion, Alcoholic Beverages, Alien, Apostasy
  Baptism, Birthday, Blood, Blood, Bride Price
  Children (Retarded, Wrongdoing), Citizenship, Clothing That Is Proper
  Dating, Death-Prolonging, Divorce-Where Difficult
  Employment, Engagement
  Family Affairs, Fines, Forgiveness, of porneia, Funeral-War Veteran
  Gambling, Gun- Armed Employment
  Head Covering, Hermaphrodite, Hypnotism
  Impotence, Insanity
  Karate, Kingdom Hall
  Legal Matters, Living Accomodations
  Marriage-Alien, Annulment, Common Law, etc., Medicine-Illegal, Membership in Various Organizations,Mentally Retarded-Baptism, Murder
  Naturalization, News Service
  Organ Transplants
  Pants-Women, Picketing, Prizes
  Rape, Rebaptism, Restitution
  Self-Defense, Serums, Showers, Sterilization
  Taxes, Transplanting Organs, Transvestism
  Uniform, Union Membership and Activities
  Venereal Disease
  Weddings, Widow-Pension

  Virtually every area of life---family and marital affairs, employment, social and community relationship---is covered by one or another of the policies contained in this publication. But the 174 headings listed in the index gives only a SURFACE view of the reality found in the pages, a small idea of just how extensive and complex the organizational policies had become. And even the manual's pages tell only a portion of the story, for they contain abundant references to WATCHTOWER articles which spell out in even greater detail the technicalities of the policies developed. The proliferation of rulings and sub-rulings found in its pages (some directly "enforceable" and others only subtly so) can only be described as Talmudic. And every year that passes sees new rulings formulated as a result of Gorerning Body sessions. [ibid., pp. 244, 245; emphasis: RF]
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  IN SEARCH OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM
  Legalism-Opponent of Christian Freedom
  Ray Franz, pp. 244, 245.

  
  Though the revised manual was to be called CORRESPONDENCE GUIDELINES, any person who occupies the position of congregational elder, traveling overseer or Branch Committee member knows that the manual's contents form no mere guide but have the force of LAW. [emphasis: RF] He knows that if he does not adhere closely to these policies and decisions in his handling of matters he will be subjected to discipline. These policies are, in fact, treated with the same respect as if they were direct statements from Scripture, divine law. Witnesses are taught to view them in this way. As far back as the WATCHTOWER of May 15, 1944, page 152, we find this statement:

  It must always be kept in mind that God's organization of
  his people is Theocratic, not democratic. The laws of his or-
  ganization come from himself, the great Theocrat, Jehovah,
  the Supreme One. ...Quaintly put, a Theocratic organization
  is ruled from the top down (which means from the Most High
  God downward) and not from the bottom up (that is, from the
  people of the congregation upward).

  It is quite evident that what is called the "great body of theocratic law" found today within the Witness organization did not originate with the people of the congregation, those at the so-called "bottom." The "top" from which this "body of law" emanated, however, was in reality no higher than the leadership of the Witness community, its actual "controlling authority."
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  Legalism's Subtle Invasion

  The organization's own history shows that, basically, the so-called "great body of theocratic law" began its growth during the presidency of the second president of the Watch Tower Society, Joseph F. Rutherford (from 1916 to 1942), for during the presidency of the founder of the Society, Charles Taze Russell (from 1881 to 1916), the organization was notably free of legalism. Following Russell's death and Rutherford's election to the presidency, a totally different tone and spirit manifested itself in the organization's administration. Rutherford was not a person inclined to tolerate disagreement. We have already seen that A.H. MacMillan, a close associate of Rutherford, said that, "He would never tolerate anything that would be contrary to what HE [emphasis: RF.] clearly understood the Bible to teach." This statement reveals not only the propensity for control the Society's president had and the enormous authority with which he had vested himself, but also that it was HIS [emphasis: RF.] understanding of what the Scriptures taught which determined what all members must be guided by. Those of us among the Witnesses who lived during that presidency know that "being theocratic" came to mean that we would accept virtually without question whatever instructions were received from the headquarters organization. [p. 246.]
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  We have seen the manner in which "field service" became essentially a "work of law" for all members. This initial step was followed by others as additions to the "great body of Theocratic law." During Rutherford's presidency it came to include such matters as the refusal to salute a flag or stand for a national anthem, refusal to accept alternative service provided for those who had conscientious objections to military service---all issues not specifically dealt with in Scripture.
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  If individuals on the basis of personal conviction could not conscientiously engage in any, or all, of these things, then they rightly should abstain. (Compare Romans 14:5-12, 22, 23.) But none of these matters were left to individual conscience; they now became organizational law, and adherence to that law in all respects was required for one to be counted a faithful Christian. Nonetheless, during Rutherford's lifetime the volume of laws developed was tiny compared to what was to follow. While those failing to follow them were looked down upon as "compromisers," no punitive measures, such as disfellowshiping, were taken toward them on a congregational level. In other areas, only conduct that showed severe violations of morality brought disfellowshipment and during my early years of association these expulsions seemed quite rare. There was certainly not the inclination to scrutinize people's lives that later became so common. [ibid., p. 247.]