by Recovery 207 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
If you cannot produce a different, more plausible, and scripturally accurate meaning of Jesus' words, how can you say for sure that JW's explanation of it is wrong?
Simple: When you look at the watchtower/JWs as a whole it soon becomes evident that they cannot possible be gods true religion, that everything they do and say is a lie, including their interpretation of who the FDS are.
Oz
@ Recovery
You seem a little fired up and aggressive. I am an active JW in good standing, and I can tell you that only those who really study understand that all annointed ones are considered part of the slave class. I don't know what your objective with this post really is. There are no scriptures that say who the faithful and discreet slave is. They are identified by being faithful and discreet, and by looking after their fellow annointed Christians and feeding them with scriptural TRUTH whenever it is needed. The official teaching of the Organization does not matter, what matters is the underlying message in every article, public talk and convention symposium dealing with this subject. Most rank-and-file witnesses immediately equate the FDS with the GB. Other annointed ones are a side-point, only to be listened to if they are a DO, CO, or high ranking witness, and even then the teachings must match those of the GB. Like the Organizations " child protection " policy, the official take and what actually happens are two different things entirely. I think the REAL question is who do nearly all the rank-and-file believe and follow without question? Who do Jehovah's Witnesses belive the FDS are? Out of around 7 million JW's you have only 10-11,000 claiming to be annointed. These are dispersed through all the earth, so you are lucky if you have one in your KH. That being the case, annointed ones are few and far between in the Organization and most JW's have never met someone who claims to be annointed. In their minds annointed = GB, all other claims of a heavenly calling are suspect, especially now. Any new partakers are possibly mentally and emotionally imbalanced.
You already know that the FDS will be identified by their works, and be rewarded for those works when the Master arrives. Who will it be? Those who truly follow Christ and teach ONLY truth. POWERFUL WORKS performed from an operation of error do not count. Real love for your fellow man and giving real assistance with your time, money, and energy do. James 1: 26,27
Real love for your fellow man and giving real assistance with your time, money, and energy do.
In this regard, JWs come in last place compared to other religions-- Even a president recognized one nun's (we know her name, don't we?) unceasing work to help the poor and the sick and the orphans. She has been dead for some time now, but her memory will live on- unlike JWs who are universally ignored for their re-roofing work in exchange for the insurance storm damage check.
Well I'd never consider the words of Jesus Christ himself to be a myth or to have no meaning whatsoever. Regardless of what JW's believe about the FDS, Jesus still used it in a parable and it is a statement found in God's inspired word. So since you so forthcomingly and boldly state it to be nothing more than a JW myth, surely you must have another plausible explanation of what it means/represents since JW's explanation of it is just wrong.
Aside from the fact that there's barely any evidence Jesus existed at all, and absolutely no evidence for anything attributed to him in the Bible, the 'end times' in the Gospels weren't about anything other than wanting to get away from Roman rule (oh the irony).
There's no basis for the claim that the Bible is 'inspired', nor any clear definition of just what such 'inspiration' would constitute. However, even if the Bible is considered to be 'inspired' (whatever that means) and completely accurate, there's still no good reason to assume that the story about the 'wise servant' is anything other than a parable.
Ever read the section "The Faithful and Discreet Slave" in the "In Search of Christian Freedom" book written by former GB Ray Franz? That should put to rest any notions you have of the Jw's being any "slave class". I've learned that simply because a group of people explain a scripture in great detail does not make it right. I never realized just how many holes there were to this doctrine until I read ISoCF. So much of it is based on claims they make about themselves.
Against my better judgment....
Please explain why this particular parablemust be a prophecy that applies to the 20th / 21st century?
Please explain why this particular parablemust be a prophecy that applies to the 20th / 21st century?
Indeed. According to the JWs, the parable of the 'faithful slave' 'must' be a 'prophecy'. But 'the rich man and Lazarus'... oh... um... ah... well... that 'must' be 'symbolic'.
Recovery: Welcome!
Have you read either of Ray Franz's books?
@ Moshe
You are 100% correct. There are individual JW's who help others, but that is because they are good people despite the Organization. The Organization does nothing to help poor or disadvantaged people. They will give them a Watchtower about God's promises to end hunger, but not give them any food. Of course, an individual JW is free to give their own money to anyone as long as you research the charitable organization and find it to be free of Christendom's influence, or as long as you tell no one. How many JW's do you know that have ever volunteered their time to help the homeless, except perhaps to give them some un-read older magazines to use as bedding? Hey, that is a great idea! I could count time, and re-purpose older magazines, and ease my concience at the same time! LOL!!!
Just because the Governing Body of the Watchtower Society tells us it's a prophecy about them doesn't mean it's true.
It was Jesus' way of stressing the importance of ALL Christians being faithful to God rather than being wicked servants who lord it over others.
It's not a prophecy about any particular person, group, or organization.
The New Testament centers on Jesus Christ peronally, not on latter-day organizations that claim to represent him.
It's not a prophecy at all; it's an exhortation to faithfulness and wisdom on the part of all Christians.
In particular, it's not a prophecy that Jesus would return invisibly in 1874 (Russell) or 1914 (Rutherford) and in 1918 invisibly appoint a small group of men in New York, USA, to rule his kingdom on earth. They no longer believe or teach 95% of the things they taught when he supposedly inspected them in 1918 and supposedly pronounced them faithful and wise.
That's pure WT spin and supposition that the GB uses to control the lives of Jehovah's Witnesses. The fact that millions of people buy into their claim doesn't make it true. The fact that the GB themselves believe their own claim doesn't make it true.
It certainly isn't a prophecy that Jesus would watch silently for over a century while "faithful and wise" leaders he invisibly appointed announced multiple incorrect dates for Armageddon, frequently changed major teachings (calling it "new light") -- lists with citations can be obtained at jwfacts -- and micromanaged millions of people's lives in a legalistic manner completely contrary to the teachings in the epistle to the Galatians...
None of that is authorized by Jesus' statement contrasting faithful servants with unfaithful servants.
In fact, it's just the opposite because none of that could in any way properly be considered faithful or discreet (wise).
