"Actually Alice, the scripture you quoted above has absolutely nothing to do with interpreting the bible. If you take a look at the verses before and after this very selective one, you'll get an idea as to what this light is talking about:
"...Into the path of the wicked ones do not enter, and do not walk straight on into the way of the bad ones. Shun it, do not pass along by it; turn aside from it, and pass along. For they do not sleep unless they do badness, and their sleep has been snatched away unless they cause someone to stumble. For they have fed themselves with the bread of wickedness, and the wine of acts of violence is what they drink. But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established. The way of the wicked ones is like the gloom; they have not known at what they keep stumbling..."
It is fairly plain to see that this scripture is simply referring to the two paths in life that a person can take: either the path of a righteous man, or that of a wicked man. If someone persists in "doing badness" with the "bread of wickedness" and "acts of violence", then the path they follow in life will indeed be "like the gloom", full of darkness and with no joy. But the person who is "righteous" and leads a good life, who's generous with their dealing with others, who is honest, trustworthy and has a good relationship with God, will (obviously) fair much better. Their path in life will be completely different from the wicked person and it will indeed be "like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established."
There is absolutely nothing in these verses that even hints that it is referring to Jehovah ‘shedding light' on their (erroneous) interpretations of the scriptures. Yet the Society uses this scripture on a regular basis whenever one of their doctrines or prophecies fails to materialize in the way they had predicted. Without these scriptures (which have been twisted to mean something they were never intended to mean), they would have absolutely no viable explanation for why God's "sole channel of communication" have repeatedly gotten bible prophecy wrong."
The Bible has application to each and every person as an individual. You didn't say anything in response to post 406 as the scriptures I cited have direct application to anyone who loyally subjects themselves to Jehovah, not just the “faithful and discreet slave.”
The only difference between the administrative position in Jehovah's Organization and the overall membership, is the Watchtower writing committee conducts analysis into the most important aspects of society, science, history, religion and how it relates to the Bible on a full time basis and have been doing so for quite some time. Throughout Bible history, God has dealt with humans in some organized manner, not in disarray. Why wouldn't Proverbs 4:18 not relate directly to God's organization if it relates to people as individuals? Jehovah's Witnesses follow the leadings of the faithful and discreet slave because everyone in the organization receives God's spirit, not because there's never an inaccuracy in Bible literature.
w06 2/15 p. 26 Walking in the Path of Increasing Light
Walking in the Path of Increasing Light
“The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.”—PROVERBS 4:18.
Who can better describe the effect that the rising sun has on the darkness of the night than the very Source of light, Jehovah God? (Psalm 36:9) ‘When the morning light takes hold on the ends of the earth,’ God says, ‘the earth transforms itself like clay under a seal, and things take their station as in clothing.’ (Job 38:12-14) With increasing light from the sun, earth’s features take shape and become clearer, just as soft clay undergoes a transformation upon receiving an imprint from an emblem on a seal.
Jehovah is also the Source of spiritual light. (Psalm 43:3) While the world remains in dense darkness, the true God continues to shed light upon his people. With what result? The Bible answers: “The path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.” (Proverbs 4:18) Increasing light from Jehovah continues to illuminate the path of his people. It refines them organizationally, doctrinally, and morally.
Enlightenment Leads to Organizational Refinements
Through the prophet Isaiah, Jehovah foretold: “Instead of the copper I shall bring in gold, and instead of the iron I shall bring in silver, and instead of the wood, copper, and instead of the stones, iron.” (Isaiah 60:17) Just as replacing an inferior material with a superior one denotes improvement, Jehovah’s Witnesses have experienced improvements in their organizational arrangements all through “the conclusion of the system of things,” or “the last days.”—Matthew 24:3; 2 Timothy 3:1.
I don't know what your experiences in Jehovah's Organization were, but not everyone who leaves the organization goes on a vindictive rampage. You should probably get to know the thinking of “worldly people,” investigate scientists and the thinking of others who are not Jehovah's Witnesses to rid yourself of extreme viewpoints.
As noted below, Sam Harris' statement that “science must destroy religion, sounds close to fundamentalism.” But it still says science must destroy religion, not science must destroy Jehovah's Witnesses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/25/AR2007052501953.html
Is Atheism Just a Rant Against Religion?
Humanists Say Atheists Need to Offer More Vision Than Rhetoric
"At times they've made statements that sound really problematic, and when Sam Harris says science must destroy religion, to me that sounds dangerously close to fundamentalism," Epstein said in an interview after the meeting. "What we need now is a voice that says, 'That is not all there is to atheism.' "
Despite its minority status, atheism has enjoyed the spotlight of late, with several books that feature vehement arguments against religion topping the bestseller lists.
But some now say secularists should embrace more than the strident rhetoric poured out in such books as "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins and "The End of Faith" and "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris. By devoting so much space to explaining why religion is bad, these critics argue, atheists leave little room for explaining how a godless worldview can be good.
At a recent conference marking the 30th anniversary of Harvard's humanist chaplaincy, organizers sought to distance the "new humanism" from the "new atheism."
Although the two can overlap, atheism represents a statement about the absence of belief and is thus defined by what it is not. Humanism seeks to provide a positive, secular framework for leading ethical lives and contributing to the greater good. The term "humanist" emerged with the "Humanist Manifesto" of 1933, a nonbinding document summarizing the movement's principles.
"Atheists are somewhat focused on the one issue of atheism, not looking at how to move forward," said Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the Washington-based American Humanist Association. While he appreciates the way the new atheists have raised the profile of nonbelievers, he said humanists differ by their willingness to collaborate with religious leaders on various issues. "Working with religion," he said, "is not what [atheists] are about."