The founder and first editor of the WT magazine, C.T. Russel, was not unaware of the history of deviation of the early christian congregation from an original simple brotherhood into an institutionalized religion with a centralized structure. Already at his beginning the president stressed the need of modern day christians not to follow the existing religious organizations, which had ist distinctive set of teachings, that all must adopt to be recognized members.
These points were in part quoted in the WT magazine of March 1, 1979:" (quoting from the WT magazine of 1884) New readers in all parts of the country are constantly inquiring: By what names do you call yourselves?".. and quoting from the WT of February 1884:"We belong to no earthly organization;...All the saints now living or have lived during this age belonged to our church organization: such are all ONR CHURCH, and there is no other recognized by the Lord. Hence any earthly organization which in the least interferes with this union of saints is contrary to the teachings of Scripture and opposed to the Lord’s will - ‘that they may be one’. (John 17:11)"
What the writer of the WT magazine of March 1, 1979, forgot (?) to quote, were the other points of the 1884 article:" By what name may this Church be called? We answer, By the name of ist founder and instituter - Christ -.....And so, by whatsoever names men may call us, it matters not to us;..we call ourselves simply Christians and we raise no fence to separate from us any who believe in the foundation Stone of our building [Christ]..".
This attitude continued for decades later, as showed in the WT September 15, 1895:
„Beware of organization: It is wholly unnecessary..Do not seek to bind others consciences and do not permit others to bind yours." Russel and his early associates were actually anti-earthly organization! Most of modern day JW don’t know at all these things and they aren’t encouraged to read his writings
Unfortunately years later was the same man led to believe that he was the sole channel of God to
give them ‘food for the proper time’.But after his death, starting from the second president of the WT, Rutherford, the efforts and goals were no more the simply provide and publishing of the ‘message’. The Society received the authority of international supervision over the ‘congregations’. These ‘Bible Students’ had to be unified in a group so as to become one people; Yes [UNITY AT ALL COSTS]. (This expression was made by the former legal counsel of the Society, Hayden C. Covington in a court trial held in Scotland, back in 1954, known as ‘the Walsh case’)
One of the beliefs that shocked me was the ‘new understanding’ in 1995 of Jesus’ parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31-46. I still remember as for years, since 1958, we studied with people the book „From Paradise lost to Paradise regained" We imagined ourselves engaged in a worldwide „separating work" based on the understanding of the WT. We were told that „after Jesus became King in heaven 1914, HE would put apart sheep from goats. And the King rests his decision on how the people treat his spiritual ‘brothers’ and how they accept the good news of the Kingdom that his spiritual brothers preach". (Page 200) Now, since 1995, we are told that this separating work has not begun as yet! The WT October 1995, page 22, says:" In other words the parable points to the FUTURE, when the Son of Man will come in his glory. He will sit down to judge people then living. His judgement will be based on what they have manifested themselves to be. At that time ‘the distinction between a righteous one and a wicked one will have been clearly established"...
We have been preaching all the years along to the people, that they had NOW to make a decision, because we are living in the last days of the ‘Time of the End’, accepting God’s only organization on earth and get baptized, otherwise they would belong to the goats and be destructed at Harmaggedon! And now we hear the WT has ‘adjusted’ his understanding of this parable, as well as the generation of 1914. I ask 'what will be the next 'adjustement'???
I really see in this kind of mindset that has dominated and is still dominating the WT as :’ we haven’t been right, but we’ve never been wrong’ the evidence of not qualifying to be the ‘Israel of God’ or ‘the chosen people’. In my last response I said that God can have everywhere in the world people who believe in His Son Jesus Christ and are living according to the Truth of His Word.
In the book „Paul’s idea of Community", page 48, is written about the first christians:"These scattered Christians group did nor express their unity by fashioning a corporate organization, but rather through a network of personal contacts between people who regarded themselves as members of the same christian family."
As in the first century, when the Jewish people did not accept the Son of God, so it will surely be in modern day. They had found a sense of security in their religious guides and buildings, a sense of righteousness these had brought them. But they experienced an abrupt and painful awakening! I believe that we can avoid this experience in our lives, we should do like the apostles answering to the religious governing body of that time, and said:"OBEDIENCE TO GOD COMES BEFORE OBEDIENCE TO MEN." Acts 5:27-29
James
