Hi, all,
I don't post here very often, as there has been no time. However, I do drop in occasionally to see what is going on.
Another of the posters and I have frequent correspondance and this subject came up. I know that there have been numerous threads on those vows and the various wordings the WTBTS has given them, but have never really added my "2 cents". However, his questions spurred me on and I figured that I'd post my answer here to see where it bounced. (Grin)
This is the part of his email that intrigued me:
" I mentioned e that I was of a special classification: I bailed in ?74, before the change of the Vows in ?82-?85."
Later, he expresses it this way:
" . . . that is why I cannot go back to meetings, FS, commenting etc. By doing so, I would ratify the Baptism" (new vows) "and come under Brooklyn."
He then ends it this way:
" Think about it? Comments???"
In my mind, this whole question is immaterial and is of no concern --- and a bit surprising. It has never bothered me, but perhaps I should put forth the effort to figure out why. My answer to him covers that and I thought it would be interesting to post it here for your comments too. Here it is:
Hmmmm. Dunno.
I remember back in '55 when I was baptized that they had a phrase in there that revolted me at the time and --- legitimate or not --- I made a reservation in my heart concerning that point. I felt that the phrase was illegimate from Jehovah's standpoint and had no validity nor business being in there in the first place. I just simply rejected that phrase and adopted the rest, which I felt was okay, as this vow was between Jehovah and myself and for anyone else to shoulder their way in was trespassing. I simply didn't care whether that attitude would outrage the stuffed shirts. (Not bad for a kid of 15, eh, what? LOL!!)
This was long before I started questioning the Society's teachings, so I think it's a telling point if we are to consider the question about why the GB's apostacy hasn't affected my faith. These men were merely tools that reflected what Jehovah wanted them to reflect --- poorly and sometimes --- and any time they departed from that they could be disregarded or even discarded like a used Kleenex. I understood that from the beginning and had no difficulty with it at all.
Oh, yes, that phrase: It was something to this affect: "That you dedicate yourself to the service of Jehovah God and his teachings AS PUT FORTH BY THE WATCHTOWER, BIBLE, AND TRACT SOCIETY."
When I heard that, the passage came to mind where it says of the disciples, "I tell you, If these remained silent, the stones would cry out." So, it wasn't particularly difficult to see through the Society's BS on this matter. If they didn't toe the mark, they were disposable and Jehovah would use something else. All the endless malarky about how important and holy they were simply went in one ear and out the other. That was man's ego talking, not the Holy Spirit. I welcomed such talks, as I could get some sleep then.
Even at that young age, I was jealous of the relationship I had with my creator and would vigorously guard it against human interlopers. For instance, for decades I have stated openly that Pioneering is not the sort of "privilage" that one man can bestow upon another. It is a privilage, yes, but it is also a state of mind and heart that you either have or don't have. Any elder or group of elders who would attempt to force their way into that arrangement can kiss my ass. It is between Jehovah and myself