Quick introduction

by OzGirl 34 Replies latest jw friends

  • Xanthippe
    Xanthippe

    The Watchtower Society bases its "new light" concept on the scripture at Proverbs 4:18 ("The path of the righteous one gets brighter....") Where is the scriptural precedent to show that Jehovah gave false information as a temporary, stop-gap solution until the true and accurate information was made available?
    The context of Proverbs chapter 4 is a comparison between the path of the righteous one and the path of the wicked one. It isn't about prophecy. - OzGirl


    Absolutely right, I've pointed this out before. Proverbs 4:18 is about the life of a righteous person becoming lighter because they are doing the right thing and the life of a wicked person becoming darker because they do wicked things. Not rocket science is it? It's not about prophecy starting off dark and becoming easier to understand. As ever they take a verse completely out of context.

  • stuckinarut2
    stuckinarut2

    Hey Ozgirl! 

    I really enjoyed your posts! Your deep thoughts on these topics is very refreshing, and has helped me to crystallise issues I too have struggled to put into words as succinctly as you have.

    I genuinely look forward to more posts from you! 

    (Yay...yet another fellow Aussie on our forum too!)



  • OzGirl
    OzGirl
    How come the GB are allowed to run ahead of Jehovah but the untitled brothers/sisters(congregation members) are not allowed to?

    1975 - the GB accused the untitled brothers/sisters of having false expectations about what 1975 would bring. Who was responsible for encouraging the untitled brothers/sisters to think that the end would come in 1975? If the expectations of the untitled brothers/sisters were false, where did they get those thoughts and ideas from? (None of the untitled brothers/sisters are allowed to think or speak in a manner that conflicts with whatever the GB teach. And how did such an expectation become so widespread?) I personally didn't live through the 1975 time period, so I had to read up on issues of the magazines that were from the 1970's, to get a sense of the type of mentality that was being promoted during that time.

    This next point is not a doctrinal one but more of a procedural one. In case of emergency at a convention/assembly, the only person permitted to call 000 (or the equivalent of the emergency number, depending on where you live) is the brother who is in charge of first aid. That's not what CPR/First Aid training says - if the person is unconscious and not breathing, the very next step is to call for emergency help. Then you start CPR. (Suppose the brother in charge of first aid can't be located for whatever reason.) I think that this is a lawsuit waiting to happen. It is not a case of "if" but "when."

    The "apostates are mentally diseased" Watchtower study article. I've never seen the Watchtower Society publish a written apology and retraction for the printing of this article.

    The direction to "obey us even if what we say sounds crazy" - Nah. I don't think so. Not here........ If the faithful and discreet slave is struggling to figure out who it is and its status before Jehovah and can't figure out the basics, I certainly will not be following any "crazy directions."

    The other point which crosses my mind here is why would the GB feel that they need to say this, at this point in time. Is there something that they know that they are not sharing with the untitled brothers/sisters? (They claim to have the role of "watchman" - aren't they supposed to speak up if they know of something that will affect the congregation?)

    "Whatever things you may bind on earth will be things bound in heaven, and whatever things you may loose on earth will be things loosed in heaven." - Matthew 18:18. So in the case where there is a miscarriage of justice in a judicial committee case, how does this scripture work?

    Why aren't judicial committees held in public, in following with the Biblical precedent of "having your case heard at the gates of the city?"

    Why doesn't the reinstatement procedure follow the time frame in which the prodigal son was welcomed home? (Luke chapter 15)

    Why is only one witness needed to establish "proof" of adultery but two witnesses are needed in the case of child abuse?

    If the internet was to be an instrumental tool in the preaching work, why wasn't it used years ago when it first came out?

    Why is Matthew 24:45-47 phrased in the form of a question? ("Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?")

    Criticism of higher education.

    UN NGO affiliation. If the Watchtower Society felt that this wasn't an issue, then why were they so secretive about it?

    Child abuse court cases. The Watchtower Society shows more fear of apostates than it does of pedophiles.

    How come people are allowed to raise questions before they get baptized, but are not allowed to raise questions after they are baptized?

    In what way does the building of the headquarters at Warwick advance Kingdom interests? I think it is just a retirement retreat for the GB.

    The merging (read: another word for closure) has been described as a means of "removing national barriers from Jehovah's people." Does that mean that the act of building the branch buildings, was a means of placing national barriers within Jehovah's people?

    If the GB were planning to "go digital" why didn't they use the funds that were spent on printing the revised version of the New World Translation, to fund the provision of electronic tablets for congregation members? (This is a question that I have heard several elderly ones ask.)

    Those are the highlights for me personally - if I think of any more I'll post them as they come to mind.
    I also have to credit Kate Wild for coining the phrase "the everlasting loan" - I saw that phrase on the forum a little while ago but couldn't remember who used it.
  • KateWild
    KateWild

    Welcome Ozgirl....yes I did say the new tithing arrangement was like an everlasting loan lol...I was being facetious.

    Your points are really good and your doubts are legitimate. Now is the time to decide what is next. Do you fade, exit dramatically, or stay put?

    Keep us informed.

    Kate xx

  • OzGirl
    OzGirl
    yes I did say the new tithing arrangement was like an everlasting loan lol...I was being facetious. - KateWild

    Hi KateWild

    I remember when I first read the phrase "everlasting loan" - it made me laugh.

    So many people at my hall were saying how our congregation was now "debt free." I remember thinking at the time, that they had it wrong. The congregation is now locked into the "everlasting loan" and the Watchtower Society owns the hall.


    I have the feeling that many brothers/sisters do not understand the financial dynamics behind this arrangement.

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