by cantleave 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Thanks Blondie...I knew you would find it!
r. (So It must of been 74 when I was df'd!.... if the fellow was given 6 months from the date of this article and allowing for the study date.) ....so that made me 15!!!!arggggg!
Fifteen?????were they friggen nuts? (one of my offenses was smoking..... once.)
Edited : Apparently my beloved dog is of no use to god either. We'll be going down together.
Actually, I found this reference which stated that 1895 was one of the first times Russell spoke against tobacco use.
*** w95 5/15 p. 23 par. 11 Part 2—Flashes of Light—Great and Small ***
As a result of increased light, habits at first merely frowned upon were later handled with appropriate gravity. An example of this was in connection with the use of tobacco. In Zion’s Watch Tower of August 1, 1895, Brother Russell directed attention to 1 Corinthians 10:31 and 2 Corinthians 7:1 and wrote: “I cannot see how it would be to God’s glory, or to his own profit, for any Christian to use tobacco in any form.” Since 1973 it has been clearly understood that no tobacco user can be one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
They frowned on smoking back then, but it was finally banned in 1973. Before 1973, you could not be given any "privileges" if you smoked, similar to college today. But, after 1973, they could disfellowship you.
It was in 1973 that the light flashed on that tobacco use was a sin. If you needed that life saving spiritual food before then you would have had to go to the Mormons and other organizations who got the light as far back as the 1830s. Eventually the WT was a latecomer to this light. I pointed this out during my study, and asked how I could reconcile this WT rule with Genesis 1:29-30. I also asked about why obesity is not also punished, since gluttony has specific mention while smoking does not. This pretty much shut the topic down with these clowns.
Smoking was frowned on and then later banned not so much because it was harmful to the body but because of it's connection to spiritism - at least as far as the Society thought it was. The first article that Blondie posted lays the groundwork for the spiritism angle:
The EncyclopædiaBritannica (Vol. 26) says: ‘As the continent of America was opened up and explored, it became evident that the consumption of tobacco, especially by smoking, was a universal and immemorial usage, in many cases BOUND UP WITH THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND SOLEMN TRIBAL CEREMONIES.’ That means the use of that herb was associated with demonism, to bring its dupes under the power of the demons. Is the use of tobacco, then, clean or filthy within the meaning of the Scriptures?
I just realized the same thing about connecting tobacco use to spiritism in the 73 article as well...
32 Note that the first ones whom Jehovah mentions as the targets of his speedy witness regarding their wrongdoing are the “sorcerers.” The Greek Septuagint Version, as translated by Alexandrian Jews before Christ, rendered “sorcerers” by the Greek word phar?ma?kous′. This is the same word used in Revelation 21:8, where some translators render it as “sorcerers,” but the New World Translation renders it as “those practicing spiritism.” The ancient sorcerers indeed practiced spiritism. The Greek word applied to them literally means “druggers,” not “druggists” such as “pharmacists.” The ancient sorcerers were the drug pushers of their day.
33 The pre-Christian Greek Septuagint Version uses the related Greek word phar′ma?kon (meaning literally “drug,” but translated as “sorcery”) at least five times. Idolatrous Queen Jezebel of ancient Israel practiced such phar′ma?kon (in the plural number) or “sorcery.” (2 Ki. 9:22, LXX) She was executed by King Jehu acting as Jehovah’s executioner. Those who patronized the professional “sorcerers” or practicers of spiritism also participated in spiritistic practices and were condemned.
34 It is little wonder, then, that, in these days of widespread addiction to drugs and the growing use of tobacco, those indulging in such things should come under judicial observation. Jehovah God, the Supreme Judge, is at his spiritual temple and is specially scrutinizing those who profess to worship him in that holy place. He has promised to be a speedy witness against the sorcerers or the practicers of spiritism, which from ancient times onward had a connection with habit-forming, enslaving drugs.
35 Do we want to have Jehovah God be a speedy witness against us as addicts to drugs or other habit-forming injurious weeds, things that expose us to the influence of the spirit demons? Jehovah’s judgment against such addicts during the oncoming “great tribulation” will mean their destruction. (Rev. 21:8) Most assuredly, Jehovah God does not want such addicts among the congregation of his Christian witnesses now in this “conclusion of the system of things.” Of the promised “New Jerusalem,” Revelation 22:15 says: “Outside are the dogs and those who practice spiritism [the druggers, Kingdom Interlinear translation] and the fornicators and the murderers and the idolaters and everyone liking and carrying on a lie.”
What a load of hoohah. I'm not advocating smoking in any way but the whole issue seems to have stemmed from someone's pet peeve and in order to make a rule about it, they had to do some serious reaching to connect spiritism (the big bad word). As far as I'm concerned, if you're going to make something a df'ing offence, with everything that goes along with that, it had bloody well better be in black in white in the bible. Other than that, personal choice has to remain personal choice - the same way that nobody swats a big mac out of their hands when they're at McDonald's for a coffee break.
