Article in the Aid book made my head hurt

by JeffT 1 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  JeffT

  I should know better, but I'm researching some stuff on the GB so I pulled out my old Aid book. Interestingly, there is no entry for "governing body" so I read the one on the Faithful and Discreet Slave. They say that commentators frequently say this is a generic sort of exhortation to any who hold a position of responsibility. They say that this can't be right because "one person" can't be placed over "all" of the master's belongings.

  They then go on to talk about the fulfillment in the 144,000 and say "thus the entire Christian congregation was to serve in a united stewardship, dispensing such truths."

  I don't know how I used to think this stuff made sense. Does the new book say much the same thing? I left before it came out.
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  wobble

  The two-volume "Insight on the Scriptures" (there's a misnomer) came out in 1988, so you left before that Jeff ? Well done you !

  The article starting on page 805 of volume 1 under the heading "Faithful and Discreet Slave" is basically a re-write of the article you have found in the "Aid" book it seems, although I do not have a copy of the latter to compare.

  It makes the same extremely muddled exegesis of the scripture. It starts out well enough by admitting that Jesus words were a parable. All well and good. They then proceed to treat his words as though they are a prophecy, on the basis that the parable is contained in the section where he is answering what was asked earlier, about his "Presence and the conclusion of the system of things".

  They then assume that they are right about a "greater fulfillment" , not just 1st Century, and Jesus must mean more than what he said, he must mean that there is this weird "class" of people, still living in the 21st century, who are both the Slave and tthe Domestics, giving out food and receiving it ?????

  This was a method beloved by Russell and even more by Rutherford, everything in scripture has a "greater fulfillment" that involves them.

  The illogicality, downright arrogance and the "let's pick some verses, and ignore others" of this method does not occur to them, and to be fair as you were in your post, it did not strike us between the eyes as it should have done when we were JW's.