by Elsewhere 26 Replies latest jw friends
The WTS is always saying that it is "spirit directed".
What exactly does that mean? Does any of the literature ever actually define "spirit directed"?
In the past the literature said that angels came down and told Russel and Ruthorford what "truth" was... then when their "truth" started to fail, the WTS started using the phrase "spirit directed".
Is this just a way of saying "God controls us, but we are not accountable for any errors made"?
From dictionary.com:
in·spire (
v. in·spired, in·spir·ing, in·spires
v. tr.
Number one sounds the same as spirit-directed to me.
I wonder if any JW could explain the mechanism by which information is transferred from Jehover to the printed page.
How can one trust a mechanism if one cannot audit or analyze the process?
Else,
I guess the theory is that because the WT organization is sooooo very very good,, better than the rest of all Christendom,, Jehovah chose them to represent him. Now for this very important never to be repeated work of preaching the Good News,,Jehovah has seen it fit not to inspire them,,but weakly put his spirit on them just enough so that when they say certain things are going to happen in the future and then they don't Jehovah can not be held responcible. And they too as well are off the hook.
The spirit directed organization means therefore God is giving them a "little" boost,, but like everything else Jehovah does it all turns to shit eventually.
A clear definition is buried in an early 1980s Watchtower article. The idea is that, since the Bible was written under the active direction of holy spirit, and Watchtower leaders follow the Bible, it can be said that, in effect, these leaders act under the direction of holy spirit.
This idea obviously has many problems.
In the mid-1970s there arose a really stupid situation in the congregation I was attending, and the elders acted like the Keystone Kops in getting the problem resolved. It was clear to me that they were not acting under the direction of holy spirit, so I questioned several elders about why the Society made a claim that elders are appointed by and act under the direction of holy spirit, when it was obviously not true. Eventually the CO sat down with me and explained what the Society really meant. At the end of our conversation I said, "Let me get this straight: elders are not directly appointed by holy spirit?" He literally hung his head and looked at the floor, and said "Yes." Well, I was pretty pissed at that point, because I realized that the Society was deceiving the JW community by never clearly explaining this doctrine, but was always repeating "you must obey elders because they're appointed by holy spirit!"
In the mid-1980s I argued with my stepdad, who was an elder, about this. He understood the Society to be saying that elders are indeed directly appointed by holy spirit and that bodies of elders make decisions via direct intervention of holy spirit. He refused to believe what the CO told me, and refused to understand what the Watchtower article said. So it's obvious that the Society's lies are believed by most JWs.
The claim that JW leaders and elders are in effect directed by holy spirit is pure doubletalk. It assumes that these men perfectly follow the Bible's direction -- which is demonstrably false. Anyone at all can make the same claim. But JWs reject that claim by all but themselves. Two standards are at work here.
AlanF
They are trying to have it both ways. They want to be treated as if they are inspired without claiming to be inspired, its as simple as that. "Spirit directed" is Ambiguious, you will never find a clear definition in the Watchtowers.
Is this just a way of saying "God controls us, but we are not accountable for any errors made"?
Yes, that is about right. It means that we want you to obey and respect our writings because they are the under direction of Holy Spirit. But when it goues wrong or we chose to change it, then it was not directly inspired, so what we now are saying is right. Of course you must not reason for yourself because the spirit only knows one channel
It is control over the masses , pure and simple. George Orwell could not have dreamed up anything better
It means you are having the wool pulled way over your head.
shane
"Spirit Directed" in the WTBTS language means:
"BECAUSE WE SAY SO. NOW DO IT, OR ELSE."
DY
I always thought, until recently, that all the anointed read the bible and the spirit activated all of them, so that they would start sending in letters about a certain scripture and how they felt about the meaning of it.
Then the GB would then have a meeting and say " Hey, weve had some letters from the F and D slave, about this specific scripture and they have all come up with the same conclusion. We must look into it and if needs be change our policy or doctrine on this matter"
How niave was I. I didnt know they would be investigated and maybe Dfs.
I didnt even think the anointed could be Dfs except for fornication or the like. Silly me
