by slimboyfat 19 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
As I mentioned here, it was my first time in a KH and I was not too impressed by the singing/songs.
However, I have to give credit to the JW at HQ who picked Song 128 " The Scene of This World Is Changing " for Part 2 of the service introducing all the changes and new light. I thought it was hilarious, and the irony of it must have been largely lost on the JWs there...
The Song
Franz was the influence behind Knorr reinstating singing. After all, Freddy was a singer (played a little harmonica too).
Then the December 1944 Informant (now called Our Kingdom Ministry) announced that other meetings would also include opening and closing songs. Singing once again became a part of Jehovah’s worship.
As if it had ever left being a part of real worship. They act as if God Himself stopped it, then started it again.
Crazy stuff.
w
God didn't like music from 1938-1944.
When he changed his mind and decided he liked music again, he let WT know.
That's because he got a headache in 1938. Being a godly headache, it was infinitely strong, thus he needed a few years to develop infinitely strong aspirin to counteract it.
I always thought it might be because of the "persecution" that Rutherford drew to the Society pre-WW2 and during WW2. Perhaps he didn't want jws singing and drawing attention to their meeting places.
Each meeting should start with Send In The Clowns.
Blondie: I think it was more of Rutherford's secularization of the religion. If religion is a snare and a racket, Rutherford's group had to look and be perceived less as a religion and more as an organization. Hence, Kingdom Hall instead of church, company instead of congregation, use of the term "publisher," etc. Singing was too religious for JFR.
LOL @ sir82: Have you heard the new songs? Evidently he still doesn't!
JW songs are as soothing as the sound of a cat being dragged through a knothole.
Good point, DNCall, it wasn't until the early 50's that the WTS dropped the concept that ALL religion was false and they were not a religion.
They thought that until the early 50's and then just changed it to the confusion of jws of that time. The WTS stance for the years before that that they weren't a religion confused non-jws. The WTS taught that all religion was false, thus the WTS was not a religion.
***w51 3/15 p.191 Questions From Readers***
In the past we regarded “religion” as anything that was against God’s will. Now many brothers are using the expressions “true religion” and “false religion” to make a distinction. Is this advisable?—D.D., California.
The brothers are correct in using the qualifying adjectives “true” and “false” respecting religion, so as not to be misunderstood, especially by those outside the organization. In the past we have had to do so much needless explanation and extricating of ourselves from embarrassing positions by not being specific on this. The footnotes of the NewWorldTranslation show the early use by Latin-speaking Christians of the term religio as the equivalent of the Greek term thres·kei′a. It simply means “form of worship”, of which there can be a true and a false kind. Study over the footnotes in the NewWorldTranslation on the texts at Acts 26:5, Colossians 2:18 and James 1:26, 27, and see how the footnote renderings allow for the use of the term “religion” or “religious”, though the texts themselves use the expressions “form of worship” or “formal worshiper”. Hence it is well to make clear our use of the term “religion” by qualifying it as “true” or “false”, if the context or setting does not do this sufficiently.
I can remember brothers and sisters from the 30's and 40's saying they always said they weren't part of a religion.
"Religion" is doing anything contrary to the will of Almighty God.
JF Rutherford
http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/booklets/theocracy.html
Jehovah's witnesses could not be a cult or sect of religionists, because Jehovah God expressly denounces religion as a snare of the Devil, employed to deceive and to entrap men and to turn them away from God. -Deuteronomy 7: 16.
Religion originated with the Devil and has been used by the Devil at all times since to deceive the people and to turn them away from the worship of Almighty God.
Religion destroys belief in God and in his THEOCRATIC GOVERNMENT. The proclamation of God's Word necessarily exposes religion as a snare of Satan in which many persons are caught. The Scriptures, together with the facts, show that religion is used as a racket.
It's the first positive thing I've seen that Rutherford did. The Kingdom Melodies would embarrass a cat in labour. IMHO.
