by thedepressedsoul 23 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
rules, rules and more rules thankyou all for your input but it is again once more made clear that the wts is fanatical about its rules and thereby the power the pretend to give to the wts.
"Fanatic: one who never changes their mind and who never changes the conversation."
http://www.taxfundedabuse.ca/shunning.php
Key scriptures overlooked by WT:
James 5:15 "will be forgiven" (not conditional on a committee's whim - WILL BE forgiven )
James 4:11, 12 "He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are, not a doer of law, but a judge. 12 One there is that is lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But you, who are you to be judging [your] neighbor?"
Also see Draw Close to Jehovah, ch. 16, par 14
Why must we “stop judging” others? For one thing, our authority is limited. The disciple James reminds us: “One there is that is lawgiver and judge”—Jehovah. So James pointedly asks: “Who are you to be judging your neighbor?” (James 4:12; Romans 14:1-4) In addition, our sinful nature can so easily render our judgments unfair. Many attitudes and motives—including prejudice, injured pride, jealousy, and self-righteousness—can distort the way we see fellow humans. We have further limitations, and reflecting on these should restrain us from being quick to find fault with others. We cannot read hearts; nor can we know all the personal circumstances of others. Who, then, are we to impute wrong motives to fellow believers or to criticize their efforts in God’s service? How much better it is to imitate Jehovah by looking for the good in our brothers and sisters rather than focusing on their failings!
It's possible they used to DA or DF people purely based on biblical interpretation and belief but I suspect that at some point they saw the value in disfellowshipping as a form of control and organizational protection.
This seems to be the case with Franz. Before then it wasn't that big an issue but they suddenly had the issue of "apostacy" and wanted to silence someone and of course had to make it seem like it was a rule for the "benefit" of everyone so we all suffered due to GB boardroom politics.
It coincided with the organization growing and the lifecycle of becoming more of a business with big money involved and less of a grass-roots religious movement.
