by cofty 92 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Cofty . . . excellent!
High-control group identified . . . all the major issues highlighted . . . seasoned with a couple of pertinent quotations.
A nice matter-of-fact tone which will stir emotion rather than exude it.
Top marks here . . . I see no way to improve it.
I hadn't realized that. Did they ever put anything like that in writing? (I suspect Rutherford may well have).
I don't recall anything--maybe in that kooky Revelation book from the 80s?
Lots of prayers at our meetings said we are looking forward to Jehoopla exterminating the evil worldly people, etc. Quite commonplace here in NY.
*** w93 10/1 p. 19 par. 13 "Search Through Me, O God" ***Jehovah has clearly stated his purpose to root the wicked ones out of the earth and to usher in a new earth in which righteousness is to dwell. (Psalm 37:10, 11; 2 Peter 3:13) Lovers of righteousness long for that time to come. They are in full agreement with the psalmist David, who prayed: "O that you, O God, would slay the wicked one! Then even the bloodguilty men will certainly depart from me, who say things about you according to their idea; they have taken up your name in a worthless way—your adversaries." (Psalm 139:19, 20) David did not personally long to slay such wicked ones. He prayed that retribution would come at Jehovah’s hand. (Deuteronomy 32:35; Hebrews 10:30) These were not people who had in some way merely offended David personally. They had misrepresented God, taking up his name in a worthless way. (Exodus 20:7) Dishonestly, they professed to serve him, but they were using his name to promote their own schemes. David had no love for those who chose to be God’s adversaries.
*** w90 1/15 p. 24 Jehovah Knows Us Well! ***
(Psalm 139:19, 20) David did not try to kill the wicked but prayed that they might experience retribution at Jehovah’s hand. We should have the same attitude.
*** w70 8/15 p. 485 How Important Is Prayer to You? ***Things pertaining to Jehovah’s purposes such as the vindication of his name, the destruction of the wicked, the unopposed rule of the earth by his kingdom and the public proclamation of the good news of his kingdom are all suitable subjects for prayer. So there is much that a person can incorporate in his prayers.
*** w54 10/15 p. 624 Why Prayers Go Unanswered ***Some of these matters that God’s Word authorizes are for food, for forgiveness, against temptation, to know Jehovah’s will, for knowledge, for family and for the destruction of the wicked. So pray to the right One, pray in the right manner and pray on the right matters, and you will find that God does indeed answer prayers
*** ip-2 chap. 28 pp. 414-415 par. 21 A Light for the Nations ***With such a reference to corpses, fire, and worms, is it not true that Isaiah’s thrilling prophecy concludes on a gruesome note? God’s avowed enemies would undoubtedly think so. But to God’s friends, Isaiah’s description of the everlasting destruction of the wicked is most heartening.
the psalmist David, who prayed: "O that you, O God, would slay the wicked one! Then even the bloodguilty men will certainly depart
Interesting sentiment coming from a man who stole another mans wife and then arranged to have him killed
Sorry . . . off-topic
Thanks Steve, have I gone up from 4 out of 10 ;)
Oops, my oversight. I'd say your rating has at least doubled, with your refreshing openess to feedback gaining you an extra mark. All up you're looking at 9 out of 10. Now that's an exponential improvement! Keep us posted on the letter.
Definately a nine.
I like the angle about Jehovah's Witnesses not caring or getting involved in the community because they expect it to be destroyed anyway. This is one of the more damning aspects of their worldview that is particularly difficult to defend and that they are not accustomed to engaging with. I don't recall any section of the Reasoning book for example that prepares Witnesses to respond to the point that their lack of engagement with political process or community organisations makes them essentially parasitical in relation to society that they condemn to destruction.
My only issue with the new letter is that you state Witnesses are prohibited from "all future contact" with disfellowshipped relatives. Have you got any references for that? As far as I recall instructions have been that within households normal family life should continue with the exception that they should not discuss "spiritual matters", and that for other relatives not in the same household it is permitted to conduct "necessary family business" with them: harsh conditions indeed, but not exactly the same as prohibiting "all future contact".
And rebel makes a similar point about the letter possibly being too long to get printed.
Love it Cofty - good luck! Pointing out the d'fing and subsequent shunning certainly supports Rev Knox's statement of 'not Christian' and hopefully, when your letter is published, readers will be able to see this.
Hi cofty, I like it.
Since I was sitting here bored and thought maybe a few phrases could be re-worded, I did a remix. Just to give you a different view of it. I tried to even out the lenght of the paragraphs and move a few things around. Take what you like.
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Reverend Knox set the planning committee an interesting challenge with his objection to the building of a new Kingdom Hall at Scremerston - I’m going to hazard a guess that local planning policy has very little to say about the Arian Controversy. When the vicar went on to hint at an unpleasant reality behind the public face of the Watchtower, he made an important point that deserves further comment.
I was raised in the sect and was an elder in the Berwick congregation before being ousted in 1996 for the crime of independent thinking - a punishable offence in the bizarre world of religious cults. I still have close family members in the organisation and I have no hesitation in saying that there are many good people among its ranks. Shortly we will all be invited to marvel at the speed and efficiency of their building project, it is likely that the hall will appear at a rate that will astonish their new neighbours. Uniformity can achieve impressive things but it comes at a crippling cost to the individual.
As a registered charity the Watchtower organisation has a legal duty to meet the ‘public benefit requirement’ and to show that benefits are “balanced against any detriment or harm”. Unless proselytising counts as public benefit it is difficult to see how they can satisfy this obligation. It’s unsurprising that a group who are preoccupied with the imminence of Armageddon show no interest in charitable acts towards non-members and take no part in the life of their local community.
The control that is exercised by a small group of elderly men in New York reaches out to influence every detail of the lives and thoughts of all Jehovah's Witnesses. Unquestioning obedience is enforced through a culture of fear and is the constant theme of their literature, songs, prayers and meetings. Those who voice concerns about the organisation’s teachings or practices are disfellowshipped (expelled maybe), prohibiting loyal Jehovah's Witnesses, including close family members and friends, from having any contact with the individual.
Perhaps the most serious detriment caused by this high control group is seen in the willingness of otherwise sensible people to sacrifice their lives, and the lives of their children to the cause of this cult. The cover of the May 22nd ‘94 edition of their magazine “The Awake” showed photographs of twenty six children under the heading “Youths Who Put God First”. Appalingly, it celebrated the sacrifice of these young children's lives in support of the Watchtower Organisation’s prohibition against blood transfusions.
Jehovah’s Witnesses will make good neighbours to the people of Scremerston. They will probably park considerately, come and go quietly and keep their premises tidy, but don’t confuse cordiality with friendship. “Only Jehovah's Witnesses…as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil." Watchtower 1/9/89 p.19
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Good luck
Thanks again for all your input. I have sent it in with a couple of changes to paragraphs as badseed suggested and toned down the statement on shunning - thanks Slimboyfat. I also reworded the reference to child protection to toughen it up a bit.
I'm not worrried about the length, there is a local man who regularly has letters far longer than this published. I will keep you posted on whether they publish our letter. Well done everybody, good team effort.
Reverend Knox set the planning committee an interesting challenge with his objection to the building of a new Kingdom Hall at Scremerston - I’m going to hazard a guess that local planning policy has very little to say about the Arian Controversy. When the vicar went on to hint at an unpleasant reality behind the public face of the Watchtower he made an important point that deserves further comment.
I was raised in the sect and was an elder in the Berwick congregation before being ousted in 1996 for the crime of independent thinking - a punishable offence in the bizarre world of religious cults. I still have close family members in the organisation and I have no hesitation in saying that there are many good people among its ranks. Shortly we will all be invited to marvel at the speed and efficiency of their building project, it is likely that the hall will appear at a rate that will astonish their new neighbours. Uniformity can achieve impressive things but it comes at a crippling cost to the individual.
As a registered charity the Watchtower organisation has a legal duty to meet the ‘public benefit requirement’ and to show that benefits are “balanced against any detriment or harm”. Unless proselytising counts as public benefit it is difficult to see how they satisfy this obligation. It’s unsurprising that a group who are preoccupied with the imminence of Armageddon show a lack of interest in charitable acts towards non-members and take no part in the life of the local community.
The control that is exercised by a small group of elderly men in New York reaches out to influence every detail of the lives and thoughts of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Unquestioning obedience - the constant theme of the literature, songs, prayers and meetings - is enforced through a culture of fear.
Those who voice concerns about the organisation’s teachings or practices are expelled, prohibiting loyal JWs, including close family members, from future contact with the individual. In recent years at least one prominent member of the organisation has been ‘disfellowshipped’ for speaking out about a child protection policy that put the reputation of predators above the safety of their victims.
Perhaps the most serious detriment caused by this high control group is seen in the willingness of otherwise sensible people to sacrifice their lives, and the lives of their children. The cover of the May 22 nd ‘94 edition of their magazine “The Awake” showed photographs of twenty six children under the heading “Youths Who Put God First”. Sickeningly it celebrated the obedience of these young victims who paid the ultimate price for the organisation’s prohibition against blood transfusions.
Jehovah’s Witnesses will make good neighbours to the people of Scremerston. They will probably park considerately, come and go quietly and keep their premises tidy, but don’t confuse cordiality with friendship. “Only Jehovah's Witnesses…as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil." Watchtower 1/9/89 p.19
In this context any lack of specific landscape screening on the southern boundary of the site seems less of an issue.
