Gods Organization. Ever refining....

by refiners fire 8 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  refiners fire

  Various Watchtowers between June 1 1967 and October 1 1967 contained a series of study articles on the subject of Gods Organization.
  They are worth reading in sequence.
  Some quotes:

  WT June 1, 1967 "God kindly leads his Organization"
  

  Association necessarily leads to organization, and Jehovah's witnesses, the New World society, are organized... Jesus said this would take place in the time of the end...To many people organization has the connotation of regimentation, undue encroachment on freedom, a coldhearted machine that moves ahead for its own aggrandizement without taking into consideration the welfare of its members. It is not so with Jehovah's organization

  I guess the fact that they say those things happen in Satanic organizations must equal that it doesnt apply to their own org.
  It continues:
  

  Jehovah's organization of his people is a moving one, a progressive one. Progress naturally means changes, adjustments, instruction...He does not expect them at this time to measure up to perfection, though it is his ultimate goal for them. He does not overwhelm them with his superior knowledge or set his requirements higher than they can bear; he knows that they have to be taught, trained.

  I bet you can guess what "understandings" the organization needed loving Guidance to learn to comprehend.
  Heres an example:
  

  In 1932 came a major adjustment. Prior to this time, they understood that the Bible term "elder" designated a position to which a person could be elected by the religious congregation. But in 1932 they learned that being an "elder" designates a condition of spiritual maturity to which one has to grow and not to which a person can be elected, any more than a baby can be said to be a man. One has to be first an elder or a mature Christian before he can be appointed by the governing body to an office of oversight. This greatly strengthened and unified the organization.

  I just bet it did!
  Heres another of Gods "gradually revealed" refinements of his Organization:
  

  By the year 1938 a fine advancement was made, putting the organization on a fully theocratic foundation. Till then, there were still service committee members in the congregations who were elected by vote of the members. A study of the apostolic government of the early Christian congregation revealed that there was at that time a governing body that made appointments of men to office according to the qualifications outlined at 1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Titus 1:5-9. With this adjustment, the organization would be theocratic, not democratic, never ruled by factions in congregations in a political manner, but ruled by Jehovah God and Christ Jesus, down through a visible governing body,

  From the top down!!
  Arent all you brothers so pleased that Jehovah sorted these matters out?
  

  All this illustrates the fact that, though Jehovah purposes perfection for his organization, he does not try to correct all things at once. As they could endure it and as they needed it, as their hearts softened in response to his love, Jehovah brought them closer to him in his gentle, loving way

  Brothers, I never understood before how merciful and compassionate our God truly is. He tolerates False prophecy, and tolerated hateful
  'democratic" congregational elections for nigh on 60 years in his organization until we were ready to comprehend that slavery is freedom.
• 

  refiners fire

  Of course it isnt just a one way street, moving towards perfection.
  God and His "organization" have done so much for us plebs, but We have our part to perform in the unified march toward utopia.

  In the June 1 1967 WT,The question is asked what does it involve this "moving ahead"?
  Well,the WT is most emphatic about what it doesnt involve:

  In Jehovah's organization, moving ahead is not a matter of going ahead of others. It is not as in worldly organizations, where moving ahead often means replacing someone else and putting him out of a job

  Especially applicable to the Governing Body, I imagine.
  Well then:
  

  Is there a "secret" formula for moving ahead with the organization?.. there is a basic thing we must have... What, can we say, is the basic principle underlying the movement of Jehovah's living organization? It can be expressed in one word: OBEDIENCE. Loving obedience from the heart is all. This is the basic formula upon which the organization rests and operates

  In the August 1, 1967 Issue the subject of what might constitute non obedience is raised:
  

  Pride may be one cause for complaining. A person may think too highly of himself and, in order to build up his own ego and his stature with his brothers....

  Etc.
  Im sure we all remember those "self important"ones who tried to HIJACK Gods organization in 1917.Well, we certainly would nt want to emulate such ones would we?
  

  It is caused in all cases by putting too much emphasis on self, by attaching too much importance to one's own feelings or position. It is thus an expression of selfishness, which is the opposite of love.

  Even worse! We certainly wouldnt want to be guilty of practising the "opposite of love"!
  Next, the big bad boogie monster is produced from the bag of tricks:
  

  In this regard it is good to reflect on how the one who became Satan the Devil came to be dissatisfied with his very privileged position of oversight

  If youre still not completely convinced that "moving ahead of the organization" and 'murmurring" are very dangerous practises to engage in, well:
  

  If spoken against the organization of God or its appointed representatives, it has an even more harmful effect, that of undermining confidence in the organizational arrangements, hence weakening faith in Jehovah himself.

  And I certain that none of us would want to suffer the consequences of that, would we brothers.
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  plmkrzy

  Well, those articles were certainly orchestrated well enough.
  Who will be the next president of the WT to tell the GB what to tell the writers to write I wonder. Or will they vote democratically on the next light?

  ..................It's the silence between the notes, that make the music......

  http://ourworld.cs.com/Pwmkwzy/PlumCrazysHouseOfNuts.html . http://www.hamcdc.com/sponsor.html
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  refiners fire

  Palm.
  Of course im guilty of some pretty serious "selective quotation" here.
  Still, the two edged message of the WT has always fascinated me. The juxtaposition of the love/ utopia message with the fear/ guilt message.
  Phobic Indoctrination, isnt that what the cult experts call it??
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  plmkrzy

  Actually it still gives me the creeps to read articals like that and to have them lined up in a row doesn't help.
  It's like trying to beat your heart up with your head. That is if you have family and friends who are on the inside and you care about them.
  I'll probably be more indifferent to it later on.

  I think it's going to be real interesting to read a WT (if there are any) in about 10 years from now and compare those to the one's you posted.

  ..................It's the silence between the notes, that make the music......

  http://ourworld.cs.com/Pwmkwzy/PlumCrazysHouseOfNuts.html . http://www.hamcdc.com/sponsor.html
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  refiners fire

  Pappusan gave me a WT publications CD.
  It covers the publications from 1950 thru 1993.
  Ive scanned the whole thing (quickly of course)but I noticed something i found MOST interesting, to whit:
  The Wts from the 50s are pretty DULL, I didnt see a single article that I found quote worthy in terms of picking the orgs doctrine and methods apart.Those Watchtowers say virtually nothing new or interesting. All that changes with the year 1966, suddenly the language of the mags changes, it becomes more insistent, and the manipulation of the reader thru phobia and guilt manipulation becomes more apparent.Greater compliance is insisted upon.
  And greater emphasis upon "worldly" pursuits and associations being nasty.
  Interesting indeed, considering that 1966 was the year the 75 prediction was made.
  Just an observation....
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  avengers

  The Wts from the 50s are pretty DULL

  no kiddin'

  We all know this!
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  refiners fire

  October 1,1967:

  "Finding freedom with Jehovahs Organization".

  QUOTE: "But this prophecy of Isaiah reveals something further, namely, that this administration of God's righteousness will begin even before God removes the governments of this system of things. For the prophecy continues: "And each one must prove to be like a hiding place from the wind and a place of concealment from the rainstorm, like streams of water in a waterless country, like the shadow of a heavy crag in an exhausted land." (Isa. 32:2) All this emphasizes a well-ordered arrangement of persons, a concerted, united effort to accomplish a purpose. That means organization."

  Well Im glad they can see that interpretation in that passage of scripture, because I cant.

  Again:

  QUOTE: "Paul, himself an Israelite and an apostle of Jesus Christ, wrote concerning these books that make up three-quarters of our Bible: "For all the things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope." (Rom. 15:4) By this, Paul meant that the Bible, as an instruction book for the theocratic organization of Israel, had now become a book of instructions"...

  For theocratic organization. I wonder if Paul would agree thats what HE meant when he said that?

  QUOTE: Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind.

  Brothers,you cant even understand the Bible without the guidance of Jehovahs loving org .

  Edited by - refiners fire on 9 June 2002 20:8:33

  Edited by - refiners fire on 9 June 2002 20:12:23

  Edited by - refiners fire on 9 June 2002 20:19:26
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  Bleep

  Very nicely done. I need some leasons. Is it right for me to give info from the Watchtower Library if it deals with my view? Any other suggestions to show my view in accordance with the Watchtower publication?