I've just noticed how the WTS put two phoney "interpretations" of "STRANGERS"TM derived from John 10:5 - next to each other in the same article in Watchtower September 1, 2004, probably hoping that the average JW will merge them together and treat apostasy as something as disgusting as paedophilia.
Image 1:
Paragraph 12
"Similarly today strangers try to persuade you youths that your Christian parents unduly restrict your freedom. How may such strangers affect you? One Christian girl admits: 'For a while my faith was weakened to a certain extent by my classmates They said that my religion was restrictive and unreasonable.'(...)"
Par 13.
"Regarding harmful associations, the psalmist David states: "I have not sat with men of untruth; and with those who hide who they are I do not come in." (Ps 26:4) Again do you note the trait typical of strangers? They hide who they are - just as Satan hid his identity by using a serpent. Today, some immoral people hide their identity and true intentions by using the Internet. In chat rooms, perverse adults may even pose as youths to lure you into a trap. Young ones please be extremely cautious lest you be harmed spiritually".
Ok,so they've now extended the meaning of STRANGERS_TM to paedophiles opertaing on the Internet, because they share "the trait typical of strangers, they hide who they are". Interesting that they've only warned young JWs against "spiritual harm", and not bodily harm? anyway the very next paragraph introduces another face of stragers:
Image 2
Par 14, 15:
"False accusations. Although some news reports about Jehovah?s Witnesses are fair, at times the media let themselves be used to broadcast the biased voice of strangers. For instance, in one country a news report falsely stated that the Witnesses supported Hitler?s regime during World War II. In another one, a report accused Witnesses of vandalizing churches. In several countries the media accused Witnesses of refusing to give medical treatment to their children and also of deliberately condoning serious sins committed by fellow believers. (Matthew 10:22) Even so, sincere people who know us personally recognize that such accusations are false.
What should we do if we are confronted with accusations spread by the voice of such strangers? We do well to take to heart the counsel of Proverbs 14:15: ?Anyone inexperienced put faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.? It is unwise to believe everything presented as truth in the media. While we certainly do not distrust all secular information, we do recognize that ?the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.? ? 1 John 5:19".
So now we know that "the media let themselves be used to broadcast the biased voice of strangers". THat means we have to do with the same characteristic trait of "strangers": "they hide who they are" - they even control or influence some media reports.
So what is the lesson for the average JW? Maybe I'm reading to much into it, but child molesters or apostates --- they all fall under the same "biblical" category of "strangers" (John 10:5).
1) Both groups hide who they are
2) Both groups use the internet (many JWs will remember that apostates use the internet too from other WT articles)
3) Both groups harm you "spiritually"
Watchtower logic. Maybe they didn't say apostates are child molesters, but they put them in the same bag pretending there is a scriptural reson for it.