Hi Jst2laws,
I once told the most famous JW "apostate" that for about 4 weeks I thought he was the most important person in the world until I realized his importance was only in connection with the WTS which is nothing but a fraud. His response was that he has had bigger disappointments in his life than my disillusion.
Your observation is correct, and so was the observation of the "most famous JW apostate", if JWs have no special relationship with God.
When we say someone is evil, we are making a "declaration" of a fact. We have "declared" him evil in the sight of God and man. This implies direct "accountability" to God for his actions. However, by making the person "accountable" to God, we have given him or attributed to him, an implied "relationship" with God. We are saying he have been given a "Law" from God (that he has transgressed), which then implies a "Covenant-Relationship" with God. A fact most on this discussion board cannot find acceptable.
Has the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses been given a "Law" from God? Are they a part of a Christian "Law" Covenant with God?
Its only when we can answer all such questions, and firmly resolve all such issues in our minds, that we can say with any real conviction that they are truly "evil" or not before God.
If we are speaking Biblically, evil has to be defined within the confines of what God's Word defines as evil. And God only defines that which is truly evil as being in opposition to Him directly, thus in opposition to his "Law" or "Covenant". Instead of referring to the act or person as evil, God's Word classifies it as being "sin" or a "transgression" against God's established Law. It becomes a personal encroachment against His established boundaries. And if the "transgression" or act is deliberate or practiced, with no signs of "repentance" for carrying out the deliberate act or practice of sin, then the person and/or persons are classified as "evil" by God.
The Bible shows "Sin" cannot be charged to someone that has never been given a direct "Law", commandment, or established boundary by God. God must first draw the line, inform one of the line's existence and what it means to "cross" that particular line, and must express to the person in the most emphatic terms the lasting effects of "transgressing" that boundary, before genuine "guilt" is charged to the offender.
Paul described the situation we speak of this way by saying,
"In reality the Law produces wrath, but where THERE IS NO LAW, neither is there any transgression." (Romans 4:15 NWT)
A people without a God-given "Law", though technically sinning, have not been "charged" with sin, or of having "transgressed" God in any way. God does not consider this conduct "any transgression" against Him.
Again Paul said,
"For until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not charged against anyone when THERE IS NO LAW." (Romans 5:13 NWT)
Even though the "sin" is present, the "sin" is not charged against the person or persons involved, if there is no "Law" present.
So Paul could say,
"...Really I would not have come to know sin if it had not been for the Law..." (Romans 7:7 NWT)
And this,
"...by Law is the accurate knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20 NWT)
So the vital connection is with the "Law" of God itself. With the giving of a "Law", comes accountability with God.
So when the "Law" is given, and is transgressed, then the "wrath" of God naturally comes. As Paul said,
"In reality the Law PRODUCES [God's] wrath..." (Romans 4:15 NWT)
So, in the strictest sense, the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses CANNOT be found guilty before God, without establishing FIRST whether the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses have actually been given a "Law" from God or not.
Have they been given a Christian "Law" from God? Has a Covenant-Relationship with God, been truly established?
If we can answer in the affirmative to those vital questions, then, and only then can we "charge" the Governing Body of JWs with "sin" and "transgression" before God, and thus label them as "evil". Thereby making God liable to take any required "action" of recompense against them He deems necessary in compliance with His Law.
Simply point, as the "most famous JW apostate" taught, if Jehovah's Witnesses are just another group of people with no particular relationship with God, then they have no special "accountability" with Him either. And oh how right he was! Because "blame" and "guilt" implies "accountability". And "accountability" implies "relationship". This is an unavoidable conclusion that the "most famous JW apostate" saw in his study of the Scriptures.
And we do well to heed his astute advice in this matter, if we are persuaded in our own minds and hearts that they simply do NOT have a covenant-relationship with God.
So the question of whether the Governing Body is evil or not, is proven less than moot, having no particular significance at all, if we do not first address the question of whether a "Law Covenant" from God has been granted to JWs.
If we say no, then the Governing Body of JWs simply have no special standing with God at all. And no particular "guilt" before Him either. Then, we must confess their past "works" are meaningless, and perhaps even their pitiful existence.
And if that is the case, then we are all just wasting our valuable time, thinking about JWs and their leadership, talking about the G.B. and discussing their every disturbing move. Even their hypocritical 10-year secret liason with the UN does not mean so much. We are not even surprised by their actions, and so on. We simply don't concern ourselves with them any more, just as countless thousands of ex-JWs do everyday when they leave the organization. (For example, my father put in 50 years with the JW organization, found out they were wrong, left and never even looked back. He got on with his life, right up until his death. Had a happy retirement and was a happy man all the way. He said he didn't regret his 50 years in, his service was given to God and not man. He figured God would take into account his "sincerity" with any mistakes made being a part of the organization.)
If "accountability" is not there, then there is no real need for us to keep up with the "latest" on JWs or constantly occupying ourselves with what "they" are doing and what "they" wrote in their "rag" magazines of late. That's if the G.B. of JWs are under no "Law" of God or have no Covenant-relationship with God to start with. We are wasting our time calling them meaningless names, like "evil slave" and "man of lawlessness" and so on when God Almighty has "no beef" with them in particular. No more so, than the other "Osama bin ladens" of the world, anyway. We have to admit the truth, that those Bible descriptions we gleefully gave to the "clergy of christendom", simply don't fit them, but fits someone else undetermined at present (or maybe nobody at all).
The Governing Body's religion becomes just like any other religion and the corruption each church organization faces, daily. Admittedly we see no ex-Baptist discussion boards, ex-Catholic discussion boards, ex-Methodist discussion boards, at least that I'm aware of. That's because wrongdoing is so rampant there, and has been for so many years, its just taken as "commonplace happenings" among the people who frequent and support these organizations.
We are faced with this thought, is this the reality?
This is what the "most famous JW apostate" thinks.
Given that premise, we are forced to adopt the attitude that the G.B. (and all JWs) are simply a small bunch of "nobodys" in whom nobody hardly on the face of the earth cares about at all nor wants to know anything about. There are roughly 6 billion people in the world. But only 6 million JWs worldwide. That breaks down to 1 JW for every 999 people on the planet. Which means in reality, 99.9% of the world's population is not the least bit concerned. They have bigger problems to deal with, and "bigger fish to fry".
However, on the other hand, if we say that Jehovah's Witnesses have been given a "Law" from God, (and there are those that believe this, I being one of them), then we must insist that they are especially "accountable" to that Law, from God's point of view. We must say, God is now obligated to do something about their "transgressions" against His "Law". We confidently say, we know they have incurred "God's wrath", and will be "punished" by God accordingly. But surely not because they have attained to "righteousness" in any way. No, no more than ancient "Israel" did, who must live with the dubious distinction of having "disowned" and murdered, the "Chief Agent of life", Jesus. (Acts 3:14, 15 NWT) So JWs have attained no "righteousness" at all. But God gets involved primarily because of whats mentioned in Ezekiel 36:20-22 [see NIV], of which I think addresses the most important overlooked factor in this whole drama. The verse in the Bible where God's showed what was of the utmost importance to Him when "transgression" against His "Law" was involved,
"I had CONCERN FOR MY HOLY NAME...". (Ezekiel 36:21 NIV)
bjc
