by AlanF 20 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Dang it SF okay we are just as in the dark as the other non christian religions.
BTW if you don't believe Jesus died for you personally, or if Jesus actually excluded you from being covered his death what do you do?
As sick as it sounds the JWs have a better theoretical christianity. Jesus probally didn't die for you or anyone you know, you are not saved in any meaningful fashion by believing in him, and just stay out of his way when he comes to ask for his stuff back.
SNG,
After having looked very briefly at the brochure, I believe the paragraph numbering towards the end of the publication (broken in to two articles) is for the purpose of training potential converts into the methods of the watchtower study articles. It could also be used at some 'special' meeting or study with current bible studies.
cheeses. Always deep and meaningful.
How about the back page of the Feb 1st Watchtower, 2005:
'Likewise, for over 125 years now, this journal, the Watchtower, has passed on Jesus' encouragement 'to keep on the watch'. How? As stated on page 2 of this magazine, 'It keeps watch on world events as these fulfull Bible prophecy. It commforts all peoples with the good news that God's Kingdom will SOON destroy those who oppress their fellowmen and that it will turn the earth into a paradise.' With a worldwide circulation of more than 26,000,000 copies in 150 languages, The Watchtower is the most widely distributed religious magazine in the world. By means of it, Jehovah's Witnesses, like the ancient gate keepers are urging people everywhere to 'keep awake' spiritually because the Master, Jesusu Christ, is about to return and execute judgement on the system of things.
(Capital 'SOON' mine)
Same old message!
Having at least one study chapter means 6 million people have to go out and buy the brochure and then scribble all over it, and go and buy another one for their library, plus one more for their book bag.
'Likewise, for over 125 years now, this journal, the Watchtower, has passed on Jesus' encouragement 'to keep on the watch'. How? As stated on page 2 of this magazine, 'It keeps watch on world events as these fulfull Bible prophecy. It commforts all peoples with the good news that God's Kingdom will SOON destroy those who oppress their fellowmen and that it will turn the earth into a paradise.' With a worldwide circulation of more than 26,000,000 copies in 150 languages, The Watchtower is the most widely distributed religious magazine in the world. By means of it, Jehovah's Witnesses, like the ancient gate keepers are urging people everywhere to 'keep awake' spiritually because the Master, Jesus Christ, is about to return and execute judgement on the system of things.
Gill no offense but thats not the same old message, and the SOON is an inheirent flaw rooted in christianity not wts doctrine.
Is any one on this site seeing the obvious bait and switch? I mean I know the wts is not stupid and so do many people. Sincerity has been more of a concern than intellegence. These pubs and mags are god forbid changing. SF posted a site that is basically a preminition of the wts in like 10-15 years if current trends continue. They did not even use the trademark "Jehovah's Kingdom". This message can be confused as trinitarian too. If the person did not know JWs are unitarian this is plano millenialist christian fodder.
The watchtower like I predicted years ago is giving up "prophet" or ""shepard" or whatever and becoming a thological version of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. It is plain dollars I think. You could sell more wares if you have a large demographic. Since in general more people donate with pocket change than larg multi billion dollar grants you by simple math need a thing that everybody can donate for. The tsunami is a great example. Any time jws take up collections you know the human interest is universal. Like wise acurately aproximating a theological event (think of how the jews aproximated a savior and forced the chronology to work wts style) to atleast 5 major religions is significant.
Notice the change from fortelling or expecting to tracking and ploting?
XQsThaiPoes:
I did notice the lack of 1914 and Armageddon references. Not quite sure what this means, though. Is it because they're really heading away from using the date? Or because they still wanted to retain the appeal to a generalized audience? Also, there could be a desire to avoid putting in too much material that could easily be checked on the internet. Type "jehovah's witness 1914 OR armageddon" into a search engine and watch how much critical material shows up.
: They never tell you what to look for!
Precisely the point of my post! That's another proof that the brochure is mainly intended for JWs, since they already know, again in a vague sort of way, what to "watch" for. By "vague" I mean that JWs sort of know that there are supposed to be some sort of "signs" that they personally must look for, but have no real idea of what they are, but know that anything concrete is to be looked for within Watchtower literature. In other words, JWs "keep on the watch" by watching The Watchtower.
In your 2nd post you said:
: As sick as it sounds the JWs have a better theoretical christianity.
Perhaps in some respects. Certainly not in many respects. That's why JWs are rightly considered a cult by most people, and ought to be considered a destructive cult by everyone because they do cause a great deal of destruction in families and personal lives -- far more than most other Christian sects do.
Also, the Feb. 1, 2005 article does indeed contain essentially the same old message. A few details may have been changed so as to keep up with "new light", but not much. The fact that early Christians also preached a message of "soon" doesn't change that fact. It does mean that the Christian message is wrong, since from the 1st century, the prophecies have failed. The Watchtower Society has been preaching the same message of "real soon now" and "Armageddon is right around the corner" since the very first issues of Zion's Watch Tower.
SF:
It's true that lots of braindead Fundies besides the JWs are expecting the Big A anytime soon. That's why, as Jim Penton likes to say, they're all pups from the same big old mother dog.
SeattleNiceGuy:
I figured that the only way to discuss anything concrete about the brochure was to write something concrete about it. Thanks for the suggestion.
Good point about "limitedness".
Holy_Cheeses said:
: After having looked very briefly at the brochure, I believe the paragraph numbering towards the end of the publication (broken in to two articles) is for the purpose of training potential converts into the methods of the watchtower study articles. It could also be used at some 'special' meeting or study with current bible studies.
I'm sure that the numbering will be used that way as well. But introducing such uniquely Watchtower teaching methods in an introductory brochure seems dicey to me. But it feels like home to JWs.
AlanF
I don't have the brochure, but I took a quick look at it another apostate's house. The sidebars on the flood and Sodom and Gomorrah completely cracked me up; the Watchtower didn't even try to provide any references or serious argumentation to prove that they happened.
As to the eliding of Armageddon from the brochure... it sounds like the WTS is realizing that the whole "everyone who's not a JW will be killed" message is off-putting, and so they try to euphemize it. But of course, JWs will know exactly what they mean... and will teach that to new converts as well. But when the WTS literature is reviewed by Russian courts and French cult committees, they can claim that they don't actually teach that.
Let us never allow this cold, loveless world to prevent us from demonstrating our love for others.
Do they mean the "cold, loveless world" that has donated billions of dollars to Tsunami relief over the past two weeks? Or the cold, loveless world that poured out its heart and soul to aid in rescue and recovery attempts in NYC after 9-11?
I know many dubs were disquieted by the display of humanity back in 2001 after the twin towers went down. It just wasn't supposed to be that way, according to what they'd been taught by the WTS.
Eu:
I think you are right. I am not denying your oppinion. I have an issue like you said with sincereness. The watchtower is not writing the same pulp. It is different pulp. My thing is this. Screw the old JWs and what they think. I mean my dad still does not understand the wts changed the generation doctrine (and I don't care to set him straight) and still looks at the yearly stats to see if the anointed (1935) have declined (it has been increasing btw).
My question is what will the JWs in 5 to 10 years believe. Ten years ago the concept of the generation was hot, and 9 months later it was dead. Most of the new JWs have no idea the generation ever existed. If the watchtower continues (and my sources seem to not indicate a retrograde) then in about 10 to 15 years most of the new JWs are not going to know about how "chosen" JWs used to be, or how murderous armageddon was before they "changed" it. The wts already conceded that a person "studying" is considered to be a jw but not "in the lord". Meaning they are not marriage canidates. Then their other material says they can get married in the hall if they have scheduled a baptism (i would love to have someone study, marry in the hall, and then not show up on dipping day, oddly they may df you because they claim you are baptized by giving a speacial prayer).
They by words are eroding the benifits of getting baptized. By their message today if interpeted literally or sincerely spares a large portion of the worlds population because they are classed now by the wts as victims of "Satan's system", and not perpetrators. This is not a traditional JW message.
Great thread, Alan!! The WT is becoming evermore Orwellian...
I did notice the lack of 1914 and Armageddon references. Not quite sure what this means, though. Is it because they're really heading away from using the date?
Please check my post about this subject at the On the fading of 1914 thread.
Neo
