Watchtower magazine from 3/1/1953??

by wolfman85 7 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  wolfman85

  Any of you have access to the Watchtower magazine from March 1, 1953?. It is true that the WT acknowledges in that magazine page 143 that you don't need to belong to any church or organization? I will appreciate if you can post that declaration. Thanks

  “Pregúntese ahora, ¿Cristo Jesús, quien puso el ejemplo y nos dijo que siguieran su ejemplo para ganar la vida, se unió a cualquier organización eclesiástica en su día? No, Dios no nos exige a hacer eso, sino que nos exige adorarle … Tenemos la Biblia para mostrarnos el camino correcto. Desde luego, no es necesario que una persona llegue a ser miembro de una iglesia para alcanzar la vida eterna. ” Atalaya 1 de marzo 1953 p.143
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  cedars

  It's on Watchtower Library...

  So the task is not easy. But we can do it if we first learn what God’s Word says, learn what is in that book and learn which way to take and then seek to do it. We must seek to be genuine Christians in every sense of the word. Does that mean we have to join a church organization in Christendom? Ask yourself now, Did Christ Jesus, who set our example and told us to follow his example to gain life, join any church organization in his day? No, God does not require us to do that; but he requires us to worship him, to preach the good news of the Kingdom, to be Christians, to follow the example Jesus set, living in unalterable devotion to Jehovah God; to praise God and respect his supremacy, to resist all efforts to turn us from decency and to endure in faith. We have the Bible to show us the right way. Certainly it is not necessary for a person to become a member of a church to gain everlasting life.

  They would probably argue that the use of the word "church" changes everything. It's an intriguing quote though.

  Cedars
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  MrFreeze

  If that is the case cedars, then let us rephrase the question. Was Jesus ever required to go to the Kingdom Hall?

  And if they point out that Jesus went to temple, be sure to remind them that if the Kingdom Hall is a temple, then it would qualify as a church too.
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  wolfman85

  Thanks a lot Cedars!!!
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  problemaddict

  So is it possible to get more context just to make sure we aren't "pulling a watchtower"?
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  Apognophos

  I read the article over. Boy, it almost seems like the writer was putting one over on the Society by slipping that in. Either that or he was lost in doublethink. Anyway, the section after that paragraph is "Clergy Failure" and talks about how Christendom is teaching false doctrines and the churches are in decline. Basically, you have to keep in mind that that the attitude was "Church = Christendom = Organized Religion = A Snare and a Racket". That being said, in the section after that, the article refers to "the true Christian organization"....

  But in short, if you're asking if the article ever goes on to explain why, if someone doesn't need an organization, it's still necessary to be a Witness, the answer is "no, it doesn't". Near the end of the article it simply says, " So take your stand beside Jehovah’s witnesses. Study God’s Word and, obeying it, shun the apostasy of Christendom. Join in praising God. Be entirely, completely, wholly, unreservedly dedicated to Jehovah[...]". This kind of sentiment seems incompatible with the rhetoric I'm used to hearing these days, about how badly we need the slave class to tell us what the Bible says.
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  blondie

  Jesus went to a synagogue...not a temple. I think they developed during the time the temple was first destroyed and was a Pharisee arrangement. 1st century Christians met in private homes. For years the WTS did the same though some groups rented space...the Oddfellows hall in one area.
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  Calebs Airplane

  fyi... there was a 6 to 8 month lag between the English & Spanish version... so the English version should have been around Aug or Sept 1952