We are the one true faith of the one true god!
Is that not what they teach as standard?
If god isn't implied as inspiring such claims , who is?
Did Jehovah's Witnesses ever claim they were inspired?
by slimboyfat 33 Replies latest watchtower bible
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slimboyfat
Well you got a point there Leolaia, but it kind of devalues the meaning when he implies it's something the rank and file have access to as well. What do you think is the intended referent of "faithful servant" in the quote I gave?
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bennyk
Publications of the Watch Tower Society establish the view that they claim to speak for God. Rutherford stated:
“These are the anointed class on earth, and these are they who are watchmen and who joyfully do the will of the Lord on earth. Since he commands what shall be done on earth we should have no difficulty in finding that he is directing his work. The Watch Tower is the medium of communication with the various ones who are watchmen and who love the Lord. The Lord has long used it for that purpose. During the year just past THE WATCH TOWER, we believe, has set forth some meat in due season sent from the Lord. (WT 01. Dec. 1925, p.355)
“Without a doubt the Lord uses his angels to cause the truth to be published in The Watchtower, and the faithful followers of Christ Jesus who hear and give heed to the message of truth from the Lord and render obedience thereto are thus a spectacle or theater to others, both men and angels...” (WT 01. Feb. 1935, p.41)
“In 1927 God began to reveal to his people the meaning of the dream had by Nebuchadnezzar. Thereafter, in August 1930, by and through the columns of The Watchtower God caused to be published the proper understanding of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. As stepping stones gradually leading up to the understanding of the great image was the publication of the articles in The Watchtower, to wit, “The Winepress,” September 1, 1926 ; “The Stone in Zion,” October 15, 1926. No man can properly interpret prophecy, and the Lord sends his angels to transmit correct information to his people, and when these truths come to his people and the facts fit the prophecy, then they should take it as from the Lord and receive it with rejoicing.” (WT 15. Feb. 1935, p.52) .
(The Society’s new understanding of Nebuchadnezzar‘s dream, although declared to be “proper”, “correct”, and “from the Lord”, has since been abandoned as false.) Thus the Lord gets the blame for Rutherford’s erroneous teachings and false prophecies.
Rutherford even went so far as to equate his false prophecy regarding 1925 with the Gospel:
“Therefore it seems that now is the time for the church to proclaim far and wide in Christendom this good news. Hence it is the purpose of the Society to ask every public speaker, all the Pilgrim brethren, all the elders of classes, all who can give a public discourse in every part of Christendom, to prepare a discourse upon the subject: “The World Has Ended~Millions Now Living Will Never Die,” and to herald this message as a witness to Christendom; and it would seem if the church fails to do this, the very stones will cry out.” (WT 01. July 1920, p.200)
“Surely the words of the Master are now in course of fulfillment: "This gospel ["The World Has Ended: Millions Now Living Will Never Die"] shall be preached in all the world for a witness, and then shall the end come". The Master’s inspiring words thrill the heart of the Christian and spur him on with greater zeal to give the witness now. We urge the dear brethren everywhere, everyone who is qualified, according to the Lord’s arrangement, for speaking to the public, to use for all public addresses the subject: "Millions Now Living Will Never Die". It is the message that we want to get to the people. It is the message of the hour. It is the message that must go to all Christendom as a witness before the final end of the present order.” (WT 15. Oct. 1920, p.310 bracketed material in original)
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NewYork44M
They throw out terms like spirit annointed, spirit directed, annointed, and so on. However, when ever they are caught in a mistake, they always back away from these terms.
I remember conducting a study and the student asked if we consider the Wt magazine inspired. I stammered a little and said no. In the back of my mind I was thinking that that was a great question, never thought about that before. So, if the Wt is not inspired, then what is it?
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still_in74
The faithful servant of the Lord God, speaking by inspiration and authority from the Most High, points out that there is a great warfare waged by those who are on the side of the Devil against those who are devoted to Jehovah God, and employs these words, to wit: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." — Ephesians 6:12. (pages 72 and 73)
no dice on this one, the WBTS will just say the faithful inspired one was Paul, the writer of Ephesians.
I like this one:
***w8210/1p.27pars.8-9BeasMenWhoAreFacingHar–MagedonUnafraid***In behalf of such individuals who at heart seek God’s rule instead of man’s rule, the "prophet" whom Jehovah has raised up has been, not an individual man as in the case of Jeremiah, but a class. The members of this class are, like the prophet-priest Jeremiah, wholly dedicated to Jehovah God through Christ and, by the begettal of Jehovah’s holy spirit, they have been made part of "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession." (1 Peter 2:9) At this late date there is a mere remnant of this "prophet" class yet on earth. The "war of the great day of God the Almighty" at Har–Magedon could not start before this composite "prophet" ends his work.
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One thing is now certain: if the "prophet" class, the Jeremiah class, is facing Har–Magedon, it is also facing the fall of Babylon the Great -
Vinny
Some good ole fashioned QUOTES from WT itself!
"It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communicating to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose." {YEAR 1939 85}
"Jehovah has established a very definite channel of communication through which he deals with his people .. It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the 'slave' as we would to (((the voice of God)))." {WT Jun 15 1957 370}
: )
Just take this one snippet for example:
"Christian Witnesses of Jehovah .. consider all transplants between humans as cannibalism." {AWAK Jun 8 1968 page 21}
Blood is even WORSE than Organ Transplants. Over 65 years now. How many people have died following that bad blood policy where JW'S were BURIED trying to defend?
The fact is JW'S try to defend the indefensible. The WT Society IS NOT God's only channel on earth.
JW's have no answers to all these problems.
Neither does anybody else.
That is just the way it is.
Vinny -
still_in74
Another thing is that all those older books have been done away with along with some of the teachings/ doctrines / declarations they expressed - What the judge wrote would be viewed as old light. And since then have we not seen the light get brighter and brighter brothers & sisters **huge applause*
while you are absolutely correct as to how JW's view statements by Rutherford, but the fact remains that the WTS claimed to be inspired !! You cant say that they thought they were inspired back then but now they know they arent ........ the fact remains that Deut. 18:20-21 still applies........
(Deuteronomy 18:20-22) . . .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.’
How can anyone claim that Christians that fleed from the Org. back when Rutherford made these statements was rejecting God/Jehovah/JC ?? As Rutherford would say - "the facts clearly show" that anyone who rejected the Org. after Rutherford made these statements was obeying this scriptural command!
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OBVES
I have read on the internet that the Watchtower published a decree or statement in the year 1930 AD , or it could be the year 1935 AD ,in which they state something to this effect. That there are no more inspired revelations from God Jehovah and there no more miracles.
This would put the Jehovah's Witnesses very clearly ahead of most christian faiths !
The correction to their teachings can come : from within or it must be from the independent servant as per Luke 9.49-50. -
Mary
Still it would be nice to have a quote where they directly claimed inspiration since they make a big deal about that particular word.
As per usual, the WTS likes to speak out both sides of their mouth. On one hand they claim to be guided by the Holy Spirit in their writings, but insist that they're not "inspired", presumably so they can cover their asses when their predictions fail to materialize. To me, this is like someone saying "I'm not obese, I just happened to weigh 400 pounds."
Here is the Society's own definition of what the word "inspired" means:
Insight, pages 1202-4:
The quality or state of being moved by or produced under the direction of a spirit from a superhuman source. When that source is Jehovah, the result is a pronouncement or writings that are truly the word of God.... The men used to write the Scriptures therefore cooperated with the operation of Jehovah's holy spirit. They were willing and submissive to God's guidance...., eager to know God's will and leading.... God directed them so that what they wrote coincided with and fulfilled his purpose. As spiritual men, their hearts and minds were attuned to God's will, they 'had the mind of Christ' and so were not setting down mere human wisdom nor a "vision of their own heart," as false prophets did.
November 1, 1956 Watchtower declared on page 666, for all practical purposes, that the Society is inspired:
Who controls the organization, who directs it? Who is at the head? A man? A group of men? A clergy class? A pope? A hierarchy? A council? No, none of these. How is that possible? In any organization is it not necessary that there be a directing head or policy-making part that controls or guides the organization? Yes. Is the living God, Jehovah, the Director of the theocratic Christian organization? Yes!
The Watchtower of April 1, 1972 page 200, said:
.... Jehovah's witnesses today make their declaration of the good news of the Kingdom under angelic direction and support.
The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of any of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in the Watchtower. (Watchtower, Nov. 1 1931 p. 327)
This last statement is especially laughable since the Writing Dept. told me a few months ago when I phoned them, that "a certain amount" of their own opinion does go into writing their articles.
The book Holy Spirit -- The Force Behind the Coming New Order!, 1976, said on page 148:
The holy spirit, which Jehovah prophesied that he would pour out in the last days, has not ceased to operate, for the remnant are still baptizing disciples of Christ in the name of that spirit.... The announced purpose behind God's pouring out of his spirit upon all sorts of flesh was that the recipients thereof might prophesy. The facts substantiate that the remnant of Christ's anointed disciples have been doing that prophesying to all the nations for a witness in favor of God's kingdom. Logically, then, they must be the ones upon whom God's spirit has actually been poured out. That spirit is behind their worldwide preaching.
Here's a question: How can a group of men have God's Spirit "poured out on them", guiding them, but not be "inspired"??
On page 113 Light I said:
.... it seems clear thatthe spirit of the Lord, operating by his invisible angels, directed his people on earth to take this action [of distributing a resolution adopted at a convention in Los Angeles in 1923].
the book Holy Spirit -- The Force Behind the Coming New Order! further said, on pages 175-6:
No obstacle put in His way by the enemies will prove to be insurmountable for Jehovah. Just as at Mount Sinai He put his word in the mouth of his chosen people through the mediator Moses and thereafter he led them under the protective shadow of his hand into the Promised Land, so he has done for the remnant of spiritual Israel. He has put his word, his message of the hour, into the mouth of the spiritual remnant for them to confess openly before all the world, for their own salvation and for that of responsive hearers.
The Lord by Christ Jesus interprets his prophecies to his witnesses. ----Watchtower, Nov. 1, 1943 p. 293
But even after all these grandoise claims, the WTS has an embarassing track record which clearly shows them guilty of false prophecying. However, rather than admit what a bunch of screw ups they are, they simply claim that they are not inspired. Reasoning from the Scriptures says on page 136:
Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to be inspired prophets. They have made mistakes. Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, they have at times had some wrong expectations.... It is true that the Witnesses have made mistakes in their understanding of what would occur at the end of certain time periods, but they have not made the mistake of losing faith or ceasing to be watchful as to fulfillment of Jehovah's purposes.... Matters on which corrections of viewpoint have been needed have been relatively minor when compared with the vital Bible truths that they have discerned and publicized.
First of all, they trivialize their horrific blunders of predicting the End of the World into "minor corrections of viewpoint." I wonder if those Witnesses who didn't pay into company pension plans, go to university, get married, have children or even put off surgeries because "The End" was so close, think that these matters were "minor".
In addition, they come up with the bizarre excuse that just because their predictions didn't come true, they "haven't made the mistake of losing faith". Um, correct me if I'm wrong, but the scripture in Deuteronomy 18:20-22 that identifes what a false prophet is, does not say "well, as long as they don't lose faith in the person(s) who made the false prophecy, then that's okay". In fact it says the opposite:
"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."
Failed predictions by one who claims to speak for God is the only thing necessary in proving what a "false prophet" is and in this regard the WTS passes with flying colours. Claiming to have God's direction, guidance and Holy Spirit directed soley at them, and their claim to be the only "channel of communication between God and men" on the one hand, and to not be "inspired" on the other, is nothing but doubletalk.
There is one article where they actually got something right. In the October 8, 1968 Awake on page 23, it says:
.... there have been those in times past who predicted an "end to the world," even announcing a specific date.... Yet, nothing happened. The "end" did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying.
Maybe the Governing Body members should remember the one thing that Rutherfraud actually got right about his false prophecying and have it placed on a sign outside of Crooklyn:
"...I know I made an ass of myself..."
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glenster
The Wathtower leaders have wavered in and out of a direct claim to be pro-
phets.But even if you don't make predictions and deny you're playing prophet, if you
claim to guarantee things are meant by the Bible beyond what can honestly be
claimed--"Noah wore red socks--only those who agree with me are saved"--you're
playing prophet--that you're getting special revelation. Popoff did it with his
earpiece pretending to get special messages from God.
From Russell in 1876 and on, the Watchtower leaders have pretended to be the
spokesman for a literal 144,000, which isn't going to be shown be a forthright
presentation of the research material. The Watchtower leaders play their ver-
sion of the scam with a dozen or so rules at any one time and use forced points,
quotes out of context, and omission of pertinent evidence to cook up the case
for it.When it gets rocky, sometimes they tip their hand on the insincerity of it and
just lie (Russell claming the Jewish people hadn't thought they would be moving
to Palestine before he predicted it when Disreali and others were hoping big
things for it beforehand:"Even our enemies must concede, and many of them do concede, that the facts as
they have developed year by year since we began these presentations in 1876 have
most wonderfully, most remarkably, corroborated our expectations and continue to
do so. For instance, the Jews had not thought of returning to their own land
when, in 1878, we pointed out that the time for favor to that people had chrono-
logically begun, in fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy...." ("Views from the
Watch Tower," Jan.1, 1908, p.5, Reprints 4110)
http://ctr.reslight.net/1914.html"Benjamin Disraeli wrote in his article entitled 'The Jewish Question is the
Oriental Quest' (1877) that within fifty years a nation of one million Jews
would reside in Palestine under the guidance of the British."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism"During World War I God's people expected it to lead directly into Arma-
geddon, but Jehovah prevented such a climax at that time. We didn't succumb to
such an expectation during World War II." ("Kingdom Ministry," Jan.,1968, p.5)They predicted it every year of WWII, Rutherford even saying you shouldn't
have kids because the time is so short and you should use it peddling his stuff,
etc.):
"Armageddon is surely near, and during that time the Lord will clean off
the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable." "We can well defer our
marriage until lasting peace comes to the earth. Now we must add nothing to our
burdens, but be free and equipped to serve the Lord." "Eunice, my decision is
made. I shall shun politics, religion, and commerce, and I shall avoid the
cities." "Our present duty is plain. We must now be witnesses to the name of
Jehovah." ("Children" by Rutherford, Nov., 1941, p.366)
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/children.html
