Need a quote about society answering questions

by zound 14 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Larsinger58
    Larsinger58

    You can write the WTS directly if you want to and they will answer you, sometimes; it depends.

    I found a technical error in a Watchtower study article once and pointed that out to the WTS. I received a letter back telling me to "correct my personal copy" of the Watchtower. There was no public retraction of the error.

    Once I wrote the WTS criticizing them for not addressing an issue, but I was incorrect. They quickly wrote me back and showed me what I had missed; so I owed them an apology. The letter ws rather "formal." In most cases, a copy of their letter to you goes to the local congregation, so that the local congregation knows what is going on and basically so they can keep an eye on you. Most people who dare to write the Society are always considered potential "apostates."

    But, on issues of their errors when I've written, I get no response. So they are glad to shut you down when they can, but otherwise, they ignore you. The basic rule is that they will be glad to answer your questions if you're considered a "person of interest", but once you become a potential "apostate" they feel they don't have to respond to you.

    At one point, I know the WTS did engage in debates, but I'm pretty sure that policy is reversed now. They don't like publicity.

    In general, though, witnesses are delighted anyone gives them enough attention to ask a Bible question and they are delighted to try and answer that question for you, but none of that involves them knowing anything personally. Often they will look up the topic on the WT CD and simply give you a copy of what the WTS says on the topic -- it doesn't have to make sense or agree with the Bible.

  • Jeffro
    Jeffro
    But, on issues of their errors when I've written, I get no response.

    Based on the drivel with which you flood this forum (and other Internet fora), there's little surprise that the Watch Tower Society doesn't reply to your 'corrections'.

    But most of what you've said in this post is accurate in regard to how both the JW leadership and JWs in general respond to questions.

    Their answers don't have to (and usually just don't) make sense, because they apparently (and quite wrongly) feel that an answer is necessarily better than no answer, and if they decide something entirely different later on, well that's 'true' too.

  • AndDontCallMeShirley
    AndDontCallMeShirley
    on issues of their errors when I've written

    = the WTS will not recognize Lars was appointed as the Messiah in 1996.

    I wonder why don't they write back?

  • Larsinger58
    Larsinger58

    Just in passing, when I want the WTS to read something, to make sure they do, I always send a "copy" to the local congregation. That's to assure it will get the attention it is supposed to. Otherwise, I think someone screens everything and just dumps "aposstate" materials in the trash or send it back "unread." They also will suggest that you contact the local elders and try to work out answers through them first before writing the Society. Of course, that way, they can control you better.

    Of course, the WTS will know if you're legitimately asking a question or lecturing to them about some false teaching you think they have.

    Now what I used to do to get a message out to the witnesses was to write the WTS a letter bringing up some topic, pretending to be concerned about correcting some false teaching. Then I'd send a copy of that letter to every congregation in the United States! It takes about $300 in stamps I think to send a copy to every Kingdom Hall. You can use the library and get a list of all the Kingdom Halls in every state and a program will arrange the name and address in a label form. So all you have to do is cut out the addresses and glue them on to an envelope. Just as a bit of trivia, about 1/3 of the letters will come back because I guess a lot of Kingdom Halls are in rural areas and they use a P.O. Box for the mail and not the address of the actual building.

    Anyway, I was a bit devious. If you send something to the PO then he'll likely just chuck it as "apostate material" after he gets into it a bit. So what I'd so is send a copy to "Attn: Literature servant." The person opening the mail for the literature department likely thinks it relates to some book order or something. Plus usually there is a ministerial servant in that position a lot of times. So he will open the letter addressed to the WTS. He'll be distracted since the letter is directed to the Governing Body and the Writing Commitee, thus this is not something that appears to be trying to be hid from the headquarters. Your target group, of course, are the local elders. They are responsible for screening things and making decisions about apostate materials, etc. But if you send it to the literature department, then he won't know what to do with it and so will show it to some other elders. By the time they figure out it's apostate information, even though a letter addressed to the WTS of which they are just getting a copy, it will be to late; they will have been infected with the concepts of the letter. The other advantage is that even though they realize this is likely apostate material, they have to report it to the headquarters just so that headquarters know that there is apostate male being sent to the local congregations.

    But, of course, I really wasn't asking a question to get information, but to point out an error. For instance, in the parable of the vinewyard workers, ALL the workers get the penny so all go to heaven. The WTS identifies themselves as the 11th-hour workers who are murmured against by the earlier 1st-hour workers, who they say is Christendom. So I'd write a letter not contradicting this but asking, "If the WTS is the 11th-hour workers, and the 1st-hour workers are Christendom who murmur against them. Then who are the third through the 9th-hour workers who also get the penny?" Of course, I know full well they don't have an answer. Plus even though the 1st-hour workers murmur against the 11th-hour workers, Christ still gives them their penny that they have earned--they just don't get anything extra as they expected.

    Anyway, as noted, usually they have a good answer for most questions. If it is something they get stuck on, they figure you're borderline apostate and they may not respond at all or sick the local elders on you.

  • irondork
    irondork

    I'm pretty sure they would appreciate it if everybody stopped asking a bunch of stupid questions and just read the literature. Everything you need to survive Armageddon is in the literature.

    http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/bible/213216/1/Oct-15-2011-WT-on-jw-org-now

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