Don't Question. Don't Think. Just Obey!

by Oubliette 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Oubliette

  Some of the rhetoric in recent WT magazines got me thinking, it would be useful to have a somewhat comprehensive list of quotes showing the WTBTS's incessasant control-freakery and their irrational--and apparently growing--paranoia.

  I was thinking it would be good to have a variety of both longer and shorter, older as well as more recent quotes that prove the pattern and history of their manipulative mantra of: Don't Question. Don't Think. Just Obey!

  It would be good to have some older ones to show that this is NOT a new trend by WT leadership, although they do seem to be turning up the vitriol of late.

  I'll get the ball rolling with a few of the recent WT comments that got me thinking along these lines:

  • At that time, the life- saving direction that we receive from Jehovah’s organization may not appear practical from a human standpoint. All of us must be ready to obey any instruc- tions we may receive, whether these ap- pear sound from a strategic or human standpoint or not. - w2013 11/15, p. 20, para. 17

  • If ever someone attending our congregation meetings would try to entice us into discussions of personal speculations or critical conversations, we should definitely be on guard. - w2013 12/15, p. 8, para. 9
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  Gypsy Sam

  This is precisely why I'm trying get some points across on Facebook, before my jw friends and family cut me off.

  http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/q/r1/lp-e/2003363/19

  W 03 5/15

  20 The congregation in Pergamum was in great peril because it allowed in its midst “those holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nicolaus.” Christ told the congregation: “Repent. If you do not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will war with them with the long sword of my mouth.” Sectarians want to do Christians spiritual harm, and those bent on promoting divisions and sects will not inherit God’s Kingdom. ( Romans 16:17, 18; 1 Corinthians 1:10; Galatians 5:19-21 ) If any Christian is beginning to entertain apostate views and wants to spread them, he ought to take a warning from Christ! To save himself from disaster, he should repent and seek the spiritual assistance of the elders in the congregation. ( James 5:13-18 ) Prompt action is vital, for Jesus is coming quickly to execute judgment.
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  westiebilly11

  always remember when Jesus was discussing himself with others and he asked them...."Who do you say I am?"..this is something the WT could never do ...it never asks for its credentials..it just tells others what to believe/think....without question...
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  Over%forme

  June 15 2012 Watchtower "Britian and America make up

  the seventh world power which is "The League Of Nations."

  That is another lie. America was never a member of the League of nations.

  Then 3 months later, September 15 2012 Watchtower says

  Paragraph 13 says " After the League of Nations" no other

  Human world Power will appear on the scene."
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  OUTLAW

  Listen,Obey and.. That`s right,we said "Bend Over"..

  Bend Over.. Heh-Heh-Heh!!..

  

  ...................... ...OUTLAW
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  Oubliette

  Gypsy Sam, so you appreciate the importance of this thread. Thanks for posting!

  westiebilly11, that's a nice counterpoint, showing how Jesus used questions effectively. However, I'm looking for WT directives in print that tell JWs to NOT question their authority/teachings/directions/etc.

  Over%forme, those are interesting contradictions. But you've missed the point of this thread. I am looking for WT QUOTES THAT EXPLICITLY DIRECT JWs to:

  • NOT THINK
  • NOT QUESTION
  • OBEY

  Outlaw, good dog!
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  DATA-DOG

  You could do a long list of older pre-Rutherford quotes that show "organizations" are not needed, and obedience to one is unscriptural, and then contrast them with the modern view of God's Theocratic Organization!
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  Oubliette

  Data-dog, good point:

  This isn't exactly that, but it's along those lines:

  What Does the Bible REALLY Teach: The Meaning of Your Baptism

  What IS the meaning of your baptism? To whom do you belong?

  The book, WHAT DOES THE BIBLE Really TEACH ? explains it this way:

  Remember, too, that you have made a dedication to Jehovah God himself, not to a work, a cause, other humans, or an organization. Your dedication and baptism are the beginning of a very close friendship with God—an intimate relationship with him. —Psalm 25:14. - p. 183, para. 24 - [Emphasis added]

  This is from Chapter 18, "Baptism and Your Relationship with God," under the subheading, "The Meaning of Your Baptism." This book was first published in 2005. I personally checked the 2013 edition online and it still says this.

  Now isn't that interesting? Our dedication is to God. It is explicitly stated that it is NOT to "a work, a cause, other humans or an organization."

  So why then did the WTBTS say this in 2011:

  "We need to obey the faithful and discreet slave to have Jehovah's approval." - w2011 7/15, p. 24, Simplified Edition (English)

  BTW, neither of these terms appear anywhere in the Bible Teach book:

  • Governing Body
  • Faithful and Discreet Slave

  Nowhere. They are not there anywhere.

  Why is that? Why aren't these all important terms there if this is really what the Bible teaches? Seriously, this is a big deal, as in Big Deal!

  One of the hallmarks of a manipulative, mind-control cult is having separate Insider and Outsider Doctrine. This compartmentalizaton of information is just one aspect of their control. They control your information, your behavior, your emotions and even your thoughts.
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  Oubliette

  Bumpin' it for the Sunday set!
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  Band on the Run

  A small part of me remains captive to the obey school. I try so hard to stamp it out. Most of my life is spent challenging authority. Life requires tension. I don't recall express WT statements. Maybe I was so bored that I zoned out. Suffice it to say that when I b ecome s nice, little girl, bad things happen to me.