by freedomfighter 6 Replies latest jw friends
I would like to know what the then Bible Students believed at this time in history. Also, what were they allowed to do, that they cannot do now?
Since they were accepted by Jesus in this year - it has meaning for me. Why did Jesus appoint them over all his belongings?
FF
Hi FF,
You asked, "Since (according to the Society) they were accepted by Jesus in (1918-1919), why did Jesus appoint them over all his belongings?"
The Society's current answer to your question is found on page 24 of the January 15, 2008 Watchtower:
When Christ inspected the (Society) in 1918, he found those anointed ones on earth to be faithful in providing (the right) spiritual ‘food at the proper time. ’ Hence, Jesus, the Master, was pleased thereafter to appoint them ‘over all his belongings.’ (Read Matthew 24:45-47.)"
My personal feeling is that the only way to know if Jesus would have been "pleased" with the spiritual food the Society had been providing down till 1918-1919 is to make the same 'inspection' that they say Jesus made at that time.
When Ray Franz finally made the above inspection he didn't think there was any chance that Jesus would have been pleased with the spiritual food the Society had been providing down till that time. He expressed his feelings this way:
"It would be an insult to Christ Jesus to say that he selected this organization on the basis of what it was teaching as of 1919." - In Search of Christian Freedom, p. 145
The book Captives of a Concept tries to show why Jesus would have been so displeased with what the Society had been teaching that there is no possible way he would have given them the appointment mentioned in Matthew 24:47. And therefore there is no possible way the Society could be God's organization today.
Don Cameron
www.CaptivesOfaConcept.com .
They believed that 1925 would be the end, and Ancient worthies such as David, Abraham, and Moses would be resurrected to the earth.They even built a House for them Called Beth Sarim.
They also believed that Christ was going to judge all of mankind starting at that time. Thus Rutherfords statement and that Millions now living will never die.
They still taught that Christ had returned not in 1914 but 1874.
Birthdays and Christmas were still celebrated.
JWFACTS.com is certainly one of the best sources for research. Gone
I've never written before about a statement I heard in 1992 from Harry Peloyan (the Awake! editior and one of the senior writers in NY's Bethel for both the Watchtower and Awake! plus he wrote WT books and booklets), but I see no reason why I shouldn't.
During our many personal discussions, I concluded that Peloyan basically believed in all the main Witness doctrines except the 1919 teaching (Jesus inspecting the "temple" class and upon giving them his approval he appointed them over all his belongings). He blamed this particular speculative bunk on Fred Franz and Harry was definitely not a Freddie fan. As for anything further about the 1919 teaching, we were interrupted and that's the last I heard about it from him.
And for what it's worth, Peloyan did not agree that children of JWs should be baptized so young, nor did he agree with the Society's teaching forbidding masturbation. BTW, Harry always added a qualifier to his many remarks, by saying if I told anybody what he said and he was confronted, he would deny it and he would be believed, not me. Then he'd say, "And don't throw the baby out with the bath water," a statement he was famous for saying to many people during confidential discussions.
Barbara
Hi Barbara,
You explained that although Peloyan believed most of the Society's main teachings, he didn't believe in Fred Franz's "speculative bunk" that Jesus' appointed Rutherford and his associates "over all his belongings" in 1919.
It has seemed to me that the Society's claim to being "Jehovah's faithful and discreet slave organization" is based on their having received the above appointment in 1919. If Peloyan didn't believe they they received it, then why did he still believe the Society is God's organization?
DonCameron
Now see,
Here I was about to do what I usually do with this subject, and advise 'captives' but I see the man himself beat me to it!
Yeah, FF that's the book that lays it out.
I've gotta get a paper copy, I only have the pdf so I gotta set folks down in front of my PC to run down the stream of thought and logic in Don's book.
FF, you need this book. You will NOT regret it.
RD
JW believed in what was published in the book The Finished Mistery, which was at the time (1917) their interpretation of Apocalypsis. If you read the book you will see things like: The white horse rider is the Pope and other crazy stuff.
-ootb
