by Blueblades 13 Replies latest jw friends
Hi Starfish,Go to Dogpatch's post,Feb 24 at 14:44pm,page 1651 on this forum.Look at PLMKRZY response post where she has scanned the Feb 15,issue of the WT. par..16.
Related article is found on Dec.24,02 on Eyeslices's post The 1914 Dilemma.Also,Nov 16,02 @1914 and 1935,Time running out.Dec 24,02 The next teaching to fall.All these post's bring the subject matter together.
Blueblades.
Elsewhere,
The WTS has acted like the FDS was created in 1919 even though technically they say it's been feeding the 144K since 33 CE. It included Paul, Wycliffe, Tyndale, Waldo, Luther, and Russell. Luther's reputation has been tarnished to the JWs after a lot more research showed him to be a rather embarrassing "messenger to the Church". And where's Waldo? The Watchtower hasn't mentioned him for over 100 years, has it?
Since about 1982 (After Ray Franz) they've begun to emphasize that the FDS is represented by the GB, even though it's always been technically defined as all the remaining members of the 144k (the Church/the Bride) at any given point in history. Also, for about 20 years (1896-1916) the Watchtower pointed to only Russell himself as the FDS.
Gamaliel
Gamaliel,
Not to correct you or anything but you said:
And where's Waldo? The Watchtower hasn't mentioned him for over 100 years, has it?
Well the last mention of Waldo I am aware of was in The Finished Mystery (1917)
Since about 1982 (After Ray Franz) they've begun to emphasize that the FDS is represented by the GB, even though it's always been technically defined as all the remaining members of the 144k (the Church/the Bride) at any given point in history.
You have spotted this contradiction correctly.
Also, for about 20 years (1896-1916) the Watchtower pointed to only Russell himself as the FDS.
No, even longer then that, after his dead they started to proclaim that he was still directing the society from beyond the veil. The stopped referring to him as the FDS in 1927.
Elsewhere, you are correct, the FDS is according to the bible ANY christian that is faithful and discreet. Interesting: thw WTS has taught this in a book called Commentary on James. I don't know the exact reference but can look it up for you if you want. A very interesting book that is, kinda like The Greatest Man, it exposes the WTS for what they truly are. I believe the writer of that book became "apostate" later.
Greven
greven,
I appreciate the corrections. I forgot that the first time I ever saw Waldo was in a picture in the 1917 Finished Mystery back when I was "librarian" for our Kingdom Hall when I was 10 years old. We actually got a good laugh over it back then (even though I should have been seriously troubled by seeing Russell put on par with the Apostle Paul).
I said: Also, for about 20 years (1896-1916) the Watchtower pointed to only Russell himself as the FDS.
You said: No, even longer then that, after his dead they started to proclaim that he was still directing the society from beyond the veil. The stopped referring to him as the FDS in 1927.
Very true. Many statements were even more blatant from 1917 to 1927. The irony is, however, that during that period, they were willing to allow the brethren to consider that although he was the only FDS and still had directing influence, it now might be the Society (which they admitted was effectively only Russell anyway until 1916) -- or to those who might be offended at the explicit statement, they began allowing for the belief that it was, again, a class, just like Russell had taught until the Wt in 1896 and then more widely in the Studies in the Scriptures Series (Day of Vengeance/Battle of Armageddon) in 1897. But from 1897 to 1916 the Watch Tower never allowed that it could be a class, only an individual (while at the same time publishing letters that praised Russell as that individual). That's what I meant when I said they "pointed to only Russell." They still pointed to him for another 10 years, but started easing up on the "only" part.
Gamaliel
