WT comments, 4/29/15:
"Does this mean that as long as there is no clearly stated law from God, we can just follow the ways and standards that we are brought up with and that are common in our area?...[quoted Prov. 16:20]...The Bible shows that trends and standards of the world are manipulated and controlled by none other than Satan, 'the god of this system of things'".
By this logic, practically anything could be labeled as satanic. Computers, cell phones, cars--those are all pretty trendy. Does that mean it's God's will for us to avoid them? Treating women as something other than an inferior is trendy, but I guess we all know it's God's will for us to avoid that particular 'trend'! It's all an evil plan from Satan for us to treat women with dignity! Which trends are we supposed to avoid, exactly? Who can say? Oh, right. Only the Watchtower literature can say and be regarded seriously. Anyone else is just expressing a "personal preference" at best and "influenced by Satan" at worst.
And of course we know that if there is no 'clearly stated law from God', the Watchtower Society is more than eager to pick up God's slack and make a law if none previously existed. This text is a prime example of that, and adds the not-so-veiled threat: "Therefore, if we want Jehovah's blessing and approval, we need to heed the admonition found in today's text." Translation: "If you want to be part of the team, you better obey the WT even if the Bible doesn't say anything about the rules we make up." The text itself? "Prove to yourselves the good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:2) So, in the absence of proof from the Bible, when in doubt, just heed the Watchtower. "Therefore, if we want [the Governing Body's] blessing and approval, we need to heed the admonition found in [Watchtower literature]." That actually works just as well, and in fact they could say that outright and it would be accepted by most in attendance at the meetings.
So, reminder: you can't figure out right and wrong on your own. Worse, you can't even figure it out by reading the Bible itself. Therefore, you need WT literature to 'prove' what God's will is for you. It's a great exercise in intimidation and denigrating humans as a whole, and even a slap in the Bible's face as well, all rolled up in one paragraph. (Of course, to say this is also, ironically, to highlight their own collective failure as the ones responsible for teaching people to be mature Christians. If you need any reminders of that, just go through the "Questions From Readers" section of the Watchtower magazine for a few years.)
Identifying traits of a cult in use:
--Black-or-white, all or nothing worldview
--Reducing members to a childlike, dependent state
--Fear, guilt, shame
"Their stance toward outsiders is of benign superiority."--p.77, The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power, by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad, quoted on freedomofmind.com.
So...that was just one day's text. Since I'm hearing 'em every morning now, might as well have at 'em.
--sd-7