The 'No Idols' rule would work very well if the Witnesses had followed it themselves...The Watchtower Symbol (the tower one ya know...) was made into an idol itself, seperate from God and everything else, infact in our Congregation at Saddleworth for sometime we had a Gold one above the platform.
No Idols...hypocrites
by KW13 10 Replies latest jw friends
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jaguarbass
No one can follow their own rules, and all preachers are hypocrites.
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greendawn
More significantly it was the FDS that became the idol of the JWs and a very useless one at that.
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sspo
More significantly it was the FDS that became the idol of the JWs and a very useless one at that.
100% in agreement. You can judge the Almighty Jehovah and jugde him and talk negative about him. You can talk badly about Jesus or even the FDS and nothing will happen to you, but if you dare judge the GB, that's like sinning agaist the holy spirit and will get your ass out of the organization. Definetely the GB and the watchtower have become idols to JW's.
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RAF
greendawn : More significantly it was the FDS that became the idol of the JWs and a very useless one at that. just to emphasis twice (ditto sspo's comment)
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KW13
I agree with that, their idol became some unknown blokes in a room and what they were supposed to represent, more so than God himself which no doubt was the plan.
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WTWizard
Here are some of the idols I have seen within the Watchtower Society:
(1) The Watchtower symbol. It is as ubiquitous in the Witness religion as the crosses are in other Christian denominations.
(2) The Governing Body, and notably Ted Jaracz seems to be the lead idol now. Whatever they say, goes. They just tightened the stand against college and independent Bible research, and the members are going to fall for it. Whatever they ban next, the members are going to instantly demonize.
(3) The ministry itself. People live for the ministry. I have heard so many admonitions, and seen one family, cut way back on material things and secular work just to make more time to pioneer. Cutting back on such life-enhancing items as Internet, cable, TV, music, and other entertainment, and even moving to a smaller house (that doesn't adequately meet their needs) or one in a bad neighborhood to make room for the ministry to me is a form of idolatry.
(4) That Time Slip. Every month, the Witnesses salute the time slip by filling one out and depositing it in the box. Anyone who doesn't is in for a call from Brother Hounder.
(5) The meetings. There is nothing wrong with having the meetings, but expecting people to attend every single one of them all the time amounts to idolatry. People have rearranged their work schedule to make all the meetings, and if not they get hounded. People supposedly have crossed crocodile waters to make meetings, after having walked 15 or 20 miles each way. I have even heard of people renting a helicopter to make the meetings, at a cost of $600 per meeting (whether or not they actually happened or the Watchtower Society made up those examples is another call, but they put them in the yearbooks as examples for the flock to follow). People have been burgled and made the meetings anyway. People come in sick. People miss college to make the meetings. People come in despite major car trouble that they need to spend the evening fixing the car so they can use it to work the next day.
I personally believe it's impossible for anyone to absolutely have no idols. It might be possible if people found work that they truly enjoyed and worked on it for that alone, but even that would possibly be called worshiping that work. What I do find objectionable is the hypocrisy and self-righteousness of the Watchtower Society putting itself above idol worship.
I wonder what Ted Jaracz worships.
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SirNose586
What's popular is to wear a WT logo tie clip. Not for me, thanks....
You can judge the Almighty Jehovah and jugde him and talk negative about him. You can talk badly about Jesus or even the FDS and nothing will happen to you, but if you dare judge the GB, that's like sinning agaist the holy spirit and will get your ass out of the organization.
One correction, sspo...you can't talk bad about the FDS or the GB...both are gods, even though both are the same in reality...
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MidwichCuckoo
I've noticed - and wondered - as a Churches have a 'cross' displayed outside their buildings, Kingdom Halls display a 'watchtower' integrated into the brickwork...at least the 'cross' represents Jesus, but a watchtower?? Represents a printing company!!
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R.F.
I've noticed - and wondered - as a Churches have a 'cross' displayed outside their buildings, Kingdom Halls display a 'watchtower' integrated into the brickwork...at least the 'cross' represents Jesus, but a watchtower?? Represents a printing company!!
I also didn't realize it until the last assembly I went to but the assembly hall I attend has the watchtower symbol in the background. It's cleverly made from the walls that are on the sides and back of the stage. Very clever.