Governing Body

by Daym123 30 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  hardtobeme

  Ask them who was the "faithful and discreet slave" back then. They might say that the GB acts talk about.

  Tell them that there was no faithful and discreet slave in the first century. That whatever they did back then had no relevance cause Jesus didn't appointed them. Jesus had to wait till 1919 to appoint Rutherford and colleagues as the faithful and discreet slave (which they didn't know anything about, neither they didn't know that Jesus came in 1914 and they died without knowing it). And the GB was established till 1971.

  They had to cherry pick a scripture to back up what they say. But look carefully in their publications, you will find "The Truth About The Truth" there.
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  Crazyguy

  Ask why if they were chosen then why have they gotten so many things wrong. You may also want to read 1corthinans chapters1,3,11 this is where the writer brings out that leaders are not important at all. You could d also mention that it was Paul who had to travel down to Jerusalem to deal with the subject of circumcision because ones were coming up to his area. He went and got the problem handled not some governing body in Jerusalem.
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  JakeM2012

  There is talk that Fred Franz did at the Gilead Graduation in 1975-76? after it was announced about the new power structure with the Governing Body. It was available on Commentary Press site as a download. It is very informative, but Fred Franz didn't go for the idea of a governing body.

  Try to clean your mind of previous beliefs and re-read Acts 15, starting in verse one. Notice that certain ones from Jerusalem came to Antioch teaching that you had to be circumcised. Acts 15:2, "This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them."

  Notice that the congregation in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem to straighten out the teachings from Jerusalem. The congregations in Antioch also authorized all of the missionary trips of Paul and Barnabas. It was not a fictional governing body in Jerusalem.

  After Paul's missionary Journeys he did not report to Jerusalem, he went back to Antioch and told them. In fact there are times that Paul and Barnabas went to or traveled through Jerusalem and never contacted any of the elders in the congregation.

  Jehovah's Witnesses have totally warped the whole account. There is more I just don't have time at the moment. But that is a good thread.

  
  
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  wannaexit

  @JakeM2012 this is a very accurate understanding of the so called governing body men in Jerusalem. Well put !!
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  leaving_quietly

  There are multiple lines of reasoning that there wasn't a centralized "governing body" in the first century.

  First, there are two sides to every story. Acts 15 gives us one side. Read it carefully, especially how the letter they wrote starts out. It reads more like an apology than an edict. Galatians 2 gives Paul's first-hand account of that meeting. See what Paul himself has to say about it, specifically WHY he went to Jerusalem to begin with. After reading Paul's account, go back and read Acts 15 and see how it matches what Paul said. How, exactly, did Paul feel about going to Jerusalem? What new thing did those in Jerusalem tell him? What was the REAL reason he went up there? WHO told him to go up there? (Hint: look closely at Gal 2:2). And, finally, how long AFTER Paul was chosen by Christ did he go up there? You may want to read chapter 1 in its entirety for the back story.

  Third, if there were a governing body back then, then why was the name "Christian" given by divine providence FIRST to those in Antioch (and not Jerusalem?) (Acts 11:26)
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  Ding

  1. How exactly does the GB get its communications from Jehovah? Audible voices? Angels?
  

  2. When Jehovah wants the GB to know that they have been wrong about something, how does he communicate that to them?

  3. How does the GB make decisions? Unanimous vote? 2/3 vote? Majority vote?

  4. When the GB changes a teaching, does that require more than a simple majority vote? If so, doesn't that mean that they can still be teaching as truth something that a majority of them don't believe any more?

  5. Why doesn't the GB tell JWs how these decisions are made? Why are they so secretive?
  

  6. No instructions in the Bible are secret. So why does the GB believe the Shepherding the Flock book has to be kept secret from everyone except elders? Why aren't all JWs entitled to know the procedures the elders follow and the reasoning behind them?
  
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  Daym123

  Thank you all very much for your input, I really really appreciate it.

  Keep it coming if you have more info or thought provoking questions :)
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  Ding

  If you are asking any of my questions of a diehard JW and you're trying to plant thought seeds, the best way to do it is in a matter-of-fact "always wondered how that works" sort of tone.
  
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  runForever

  Daym123: Let's say there was a governing body in bible times in Jerusalem. Does it follow that everybody who says they are the governing body is the actual governing body? That is like saying since Jesus is in the bible anybody who says they're Jesus is Jesus. Is there anything dubious about their claim for appointment? If the bible doesn't point to a date for the appointment of a governing body where does that leave them?

  If you got together with some wise people one time to discuss something important would that make your group all of a sudden in charge of things? If Jesus was using a governing body in the first century why did he send Paul directly? Also why was the congregation of Antioch said to have sent Paul out? Further why did God's spirit directly prevent Paul from entering Macedonia?

  Here is a question for you: If everybody in Adam is dying and everyone in Christ is living how are the Jehovah's Witnesses supposed to gain life?
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  prologos

  Very good comments on this topic. and

  Searcher: then who selected the current G.B.? (their superiors at Brooklyn - not by God!) The current 7 are probably not on a scouting mission to recruit their successors but the powers behind the scenes are, with the right perspective,and will point out the men that fit this particular fronting job. There is a disconnect between the nice faces of the "Christian Congregation", even in the branches, and the cold hearted business/legal entities that really matter in this wt enterprise.