Watchtower Really Does Totally Take The Position of Jesus

by OnTheWayOut 35 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  OnTheWayOut

  Watchtower has said that Jesus is not the mediator of anyone but for the anointed.
  Then they tell you that THEY are Jehovah's organization and that the flock should obey them.

  Basically, the Watchtower corp. and it's Governing Body is taking the place of Jesus as the mediator for people. Christianity, even by it's name, focuses on making Jesus known. The New Testament focuses on Jesus. Watchtower acknowledges that, but then spends all it's efforts making "Jehovah" known, even replacing "Jesus" in places in the NT where they feel it should be so. The Watchtower says that Jesus returned to earth "invisibly" and they say that Watchtower is the earthly part of "God's visible organization."

  They insist that members of Watchtower do not celebrate Christmas even in a purely spiritual/religious way without all the secularism. No honoring the birth of the saviour of the world. The average member knows just as much about the history of Watchtower corporation as he does about the birth of Christ. But that's pretty minor compared to how far Watchtower goes in taking the place of Jesus.

  Jehovah's Witnesses are expected to attend the Memorial of Christ's death yearly. But the same organization that expects that insists that the vast majority of members refrain from "partaking" at that event. That same organization that orders them to refrain orders them to be involved in monthly participation in corporate activity, moving the literature of the corporation. They even call the members "publishers." The average Christian says he has a personal relationship with Christ. (Don't ask me what that really means as I do not claim to be a Christian) The average JW says he is working to make God's name known and gives his attention to the vindication of His sovereignty. Christians say that eternal life is through grace, but the average JW shows that, despite their claims otherwise, they seek salvation through works and a complicated law system all established by the Watchtower corporation.

  And now this has been brought to my attention: Jehovah's Witnesses have an insistence on calling their teachings and their way of life and their very organization by the name, "The Truth." Jesus said that he was The Truth. John 14:6 says "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." By calling itself "The Truth" (a title Jesus claimed for himself) the organization was able to usurp Jesus and place itself in Jesus' place officially as mediator. Yes, your average Christian hears "the truth" and thinks of Jesus but your average JW automatically thinks of a printing corporation when he hears "the truth."
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  Faithful Witness

  This last point, about "The Truth," is excellent! I will bring this up with my elderette, if I decide to let her back into my house.
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  UBM101
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  sparrowdown

  I agree, WT does put Jesus "in the corner" at best, and completely disregard him at worst.

  I figure that Jesus "truth" is too inconvenient for them, they prefer the mosaic law, with all it's rules and reg's.

  Nothing JWs love more than "straining out the gnat, but gulping down the camel".

  Jesus spoke truth, they claim to have "The Truth" (like a brandname) big difference.

  Funny, they idolise Paul though.
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  zebagain

  Idolise Paul ? of course he had a low (typical of his day) opinion of women.
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  Zoos

  This is one of the many light bulb that went off AFTER I found my way out of the org. While still in, I never knew there was a teaching that Jesus only died for the annointed, and I considered myself a reasonably good student of all things Watchtower. Guess I wasn't as tuned in as I thought. Then I was gobsmacked when statements like this were brought to my attention:

  "... come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation" - w81, 11/15, p.21 par.18

  Great topic, OTWO
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  TheWonderofYou

  Hello, a great point, often such thoughts arise, but mostly I forget such items to fast before writing down.

  Is the truth understood as a sum of all dogmas or is it understood as a "way of the truth"?

  I cite from a booklet of catolic church: "The first christians called the new way of living: the new way, the way of god,

  the way of the lord, the way of the faith, the way of salvation, the new and vivid /lively way! For Jesus said of himself: I am the way."

  The term way of truth thus maybe a term invented or stressed by JW, but it depends always with what ideas the term is filled out.

  Two matters i want to study further:

  what is a mediator? (direct contact to god / or via mediators)

  Because the church says if Jesus was a mediator in the sense of a merely perfect man he could not save us at all,
  he could not be the real truth,
  he could not forgive our sins, cause God alone is able to save us, to forgive sins.

  Thus derives the dogma that Jesus was God and only thereby he was able to be a mediator,
  otherwise we would have never direct contact to god if we pray to Jesus,
  we always needed a human mediator, a priest or an organisation to contact God.
  
  This mediator subject is associated with the subject trinity and others.
  Short: truth is only God, and as jesus is the real mediator, we go on the secure way together with Jesus.
  But his gift is his presence and he helps us to find the right way of truth.
  He is present in our life, he is not merely "unvisible presence" but "real together walking".

  Greetings
  TWOY
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  designs

  The closet equivalent is Catholicism and its belief in Provisional Salvation- you have to do something. Outside of modern American Evangelicalism, circa 1800s to the present, you do not read of Jesus spoken or written of in the particular phrasology that is popular these days in american Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism. The older Protestant journals and particularly in the Eastern Orthodox circles, who emphasize the Father, you just do not hear this- oh Praaaise be Geeezus stuff.
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  punkofnice

  Agreed. The GB have replaced God and Jesus with themselves.

  Look at all the quotes that they have misrepresented to force their skewed cult view onto the world. They had the audacity to publish out of context quotes from sources KNOWING FULL WELL they were lying by omitting the whole quote or context.

  .....and I thought this was a very ''mind cleansing(tm)'' piece of writing..

  -- w10 9/15 p. 13 par. 8: "Similarly today, a Governing Body composed of spirit-anointed Christians contributes to the unity of the worldwide congregation. The Governing Body publishes spiritually encouraging literature in many languages. This spiritual food is based on God’s Word. Thus, what is taught is not from men but from Jehovah.—Isa. 54:13."

  So, the Governing body = Jehovah(tm)......how else can one interpret this other than the GB's 'bible based(tm)' doctrine makes them Jehovah(tm)?

  -- w10 9/15 p. 13 par. 8: "Similarly today, a Governing Bodycomposed of spirit-anointed Christians contributes to the unity of the worldwide congregation. The Governing Body publishesspiritually encouraging literature in many languages. This spiritual food is based on God’s Word. Thus, what is taught is not from men but from Jehovah.—Isa. 54:13."
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  designs

  The Governing Body is acting for the congregations as the Roman Curia does to the Catholic Church.