When confronted by the Watchtower's many errors, Jehovah's Witnesses excuse them by saying "The Watchtower is made up of imperfect men who seem to love God, but they make mistakes. Why get so disturbed about it? At least they admit most of their mistakes." But do they?
Let me give you an alternate scenario.
Let's suppose that I claim that "God reveals the TRUTH to me directly, and I am God's sole channel of communication to the Christians today. To be in the TRUTH, you must accept and believe whatever you find written in my literature which I am constantly publishing. I am not inspired, so you must realize I am going to make mistakes at times! So don't get upset with me and call me a false prophet if my teachings and my prophecies don't come true! If I change doctrines and some of you die before the change was made, well that's the breaks. Don't push ahead of God's chosen channel of truth, which is me. Look what happened to Korah when he rebelled against Moses!" I love the example of Korah and Moses. I can use it all the time as an example of rebellion.
In the above scenario, there would, of course, be those close to me who believed in me as a friend, and who would think my critics were being unfair. They would see me as a "nice person" with good motives. However, my friends would have lost their objectivity over time, so they might not be able to see the real picture of what is happening.
On the other hand, normal people would be appalled at my claims. They would laugh at my claims. I would be denounced as some kind of a cult leader and a false prophet by society!
Yet, there is an organization in Brooklyn that has predicted the end of the world several times, has set dates for events to happen over and over that were not fulfilled, has changed their teachings quite often, and yet claims that they are God's chosen channel, his spirit directed organization. Furthermore, you must accept whatever they say, even though they are not inspired, for "ministering spirits" communicate the truth to the organization directly for their publications!
Are these mean really well meaning men who are just misguided? The Watchtower leaders have consistently been anxious to cover real their past, and to engender fear among those who would question their authority. Any who would dare leave the organization are referred to in the most vile way possible so that its members have a real fear of anything they believe is apostate. Many whom the Watchtower lables as apostates and who leave the organization do so because they have found out the real truth about the organization and the fact that it is in no way inspired by God. It is not because they no longer love Jehovah and Jesus Christ, it is because they have come to realize that the real Truth does not lie with the Watchtower organization.
Note some of the words and phrases used for persons questioning their authority:
Weak in the Truth
A Dog Who Has Returned To His Vomit
Poisonous Words
Puffed Up With Pride
Disfellowshipped
Disassociated
Spiritually Weak
Disassociated
Spiritually not Qualified
Publicly Reproved
Spiritual Fornication
Privately Reproved
They went to the World
Left Jehovah
Turned to Satan
Committee Meetings
Apostate
Immoral Conduct
Not putting Spiritual Interests First
Materialistic
They miss Meetings
Turned Worldly
Drifting Away
Bad Association
Stumble
Returned to their own Vomit
Independent Thinking
Spiritually Sick
Inactive
Uncooperative
Not heeding the counsel of the Elders
Marked
Unrepentant
Under the Influence of Satan
Unsubmissive to the Organisation
Have you ever noticed that when the Watchtower talks about apostates and their claims against the organization, they never tell you what those claims are. Why don't they come out and say which claims by apostates are not true and why they are not true? Wouldn't that clear everything up? What are they afraid of?
17 comments:
while you are wasting your time yak, yak, yak, yak yakee yak
in how many languages is your blog?
Read this:
Membership and Publishing Statistics Membership
The following chart represents worldwide membership statistics as of August 2007. A report broken down by country is also available.
Annual Worldwide Statistics
Attendance at the annual Memorial of Christ’s death
17,672,443
Total volunteer hours spent in public Bible educational work
1.4 billion
Average weekly home Bible courses taught
6,561,426
Practicing members*
6,957,852
New members baptized
298,304
Increase over 2006
3.1 percent
Branch offices
113
Congregations
101,376
* While other religious groups count their membership by occasional or annual attendance, this figure reflects only those who are actively involved in the public Bible educational work.
Worldwide Publishing and Translating
Jehovah’s Witnesses have developed an unparalleled worldwide organization capable of providing free Bible education to all who wish to understand the Bible better. Since the 1870’s, the publishing agencies of Jehovah’s Witnesses have produced a truly immense quantity of Bible literature, as can be seen from the details below.
Languages
The Watch Tower Society has produced literature in 448 languages and calls on the services of more than 2,300 volunteers to assist with translation worldwide.
In the early 1980’s, a team of volunteers developed the world’s first multilanguage electronic phototypesetting system, which currently has the capacity to process material in 610 languages, using 29 alphabets and character sets.
English Braille literature has been produced since 1912. Publications are regularly produced in nine other Braille languages.
For the deaf, various video publications have been produced in American Sign Language and 32 other sign languages.
Bibles
Since 1926, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has published more than 153 million copies of the Bible in 67 languages.
Internet
Since 1997, Jehovah’s Witnesses have maintained and updated the Web site www.watchtower.org, which provides accurate information about their beliefs and activities. It contains a selection of tracts, brochures, and articles from the journals The Watchtower and Awake! As of January 2008, the Web site includes published educational information in 314 languages, from English, Chinese, French, and Spanish to Assyrian, Bengali, and Twi, as well as videos in American, Brazilian, Colombian, Japanese, and Russian sign languages. Among other helpful details, the Web site makes available the postal addresses of branch offices around the globe, where people can obtain more information or receive personal assistance from Witnesses locally. There is also a link to this Web site, jw-media.org, especially designed as an online resource for the media.
Magazines, Books, and Research Aids
The Watchtower, the primary Bible study aid for members of the faith, has an average printing of 37 million, giving it the largest circulation of any religious magazine in the world. It is published in 167 languages, of which 164 are translated and printed for simultaneous release.
Awake!, published in 78 languages, is a general-interest newsmagazine with a religious slant and has an average printing of 36 million.
What Does the Bible Really Teach? is the introductory textbook used extensively in the home Bible Study program of Jehovah’s Witnesses. More than 79 million copies have been produced in 176 languages since the book was released in 2005.
The Watch Tower Society has produced Bible encyclopedias, concordances, and study guides for in-depth research on specific Bible topics.
Audio and Video Publications
The Watch Tower Society has produced 21 documentary videos on a variety of historical and Biblical topics, in 71 languages.
The complete Bible is available in the MP3 format in English and a number of other languages. Introductory textbooks, brochures, and current issues of The Watchtower and Awake! are available in the compact disc or MP3 formats.
WoW Keep up the good work, Apostates cannot stop the work, Can you see, no you cannot see.
too BAd for you
Good analogy, GBL.
Early on in your free home bible study you will learn that anything said or written against the JW's or watchtower is directly from Satan, who is trying to keep you from your studies of the bible! They instill fear.
If they were to acknowledge the controversial things said about them then they would loose control of their people. As it stands, the JW's really believe anything from any other source than the watchtower is from Satan. It is controll by fear. The whole world is in the power of Satan you know and the watchtower is no part of that!!!!HA.
Isn't Satan the one who would fear and hate truth?? Why does the watchtower/JW's fear anything against them if they REALLY have the truth as they claim? If you have "truth" you have nothing to fear.
What was the term they used for the lady that exposed the corruption in Enron? "WHISTLEBLOWER"
Because the watchtower is a religious organization, the things said against them can't be investigated as such. The term they use is "APOSTATE".
Not unlike Enron, the watchtowers teaching ROB and DECIEVE many people.
frank are you related to the YAK?????
Thanks for those numbers Frank. It heLps to show us that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is indeed just a publishing company. It is a vEry wealthy, world wide publishing company, but just a publishing company nonetheless.
Just think, most other publishers must pay salaries for their workers. Not the Watchtower.
It is disguised as a religion to get the tax breaks and free workers, but it is just a publisher.
Christians in the first century had only the Bible and that did not stop the growth of Christianity. There is no need for thousands of books and magazines, most of which consist of OLD LIGHT!
Hey governing body letters. I would really prefer if you would respond in threads, where there were answers to your comments, which show that your argumentation is wrong, instead of just publishing (or copy and paste-ing) other articles. But maybe you are just a “publishing company”?
Regarding your answer to Frank: Are you serious? Is this really your opinion, or just laziness? In fact it represents a completely unthoughtful point of view.
Did you ever think what those figures mean that Frank quoted to us? You claim to be so well informed about JWs and what they do. Well then you will know that a lot of their printing and preaching works costs a lot more money than it brings in.
For example consider Niue. You don’t know Niue? No problem, most other people, including most JWs, I guess, don’t know it too. It is an Island located 2400km northeast from New Zealand. About 1625 people live on this island. They speak their own language. Niuean. JWs are publishing literature in this language for 1625 people! Do you really think they will make any money with that? Translation as well as transportation cost a lot more then those 29 JWs on the island could ever donate. The same is true for many other countries and languages. Another fine example would be the Republic of Nauru, which is the smallest territorial state on earth. 10600 people live there. I don’t think that the 10 publishers there are worth translating literature into Nauruan, as far as economical reasons are concerned.
Maybe they just do it to impress their members? Well I don’t believe that would be a good idea. Why? Just because most people don’t even know about those countries. You can’t impress anybody with something he doesn’t know about.
Another interesting thought. If it was such an economical success what JWs do in so many small countries, publishing in so many different languages, why don’t media do that in general? Why leave the whole money for a religion?
Or consider this one. If it was such an economical success what JWs do in so many small countries, publishing in so many different languages, why don’t other religions do the same? Take for example Scientology. They don’t even try to hide that they have great economical success. But if what JWs do is such a big business, why don’t they do the same?
“Christians in the first century had only the Bible”? Are you kidding me? Christians in the first century were still writing the Bible. So there was new literature all the time! Think of all the letters from Paul! If they had thought “well we don’t need anything new but our good old Bible”, there wouldn’t be a New Testament.
It is not so easy not to lose objectivity when you are hunting windmills out of personal disappointment and anger, isn’t it GBL?
Frank and Nathan, you both are way off subject. REread the original post.
Why not address the last paragraph of the post?
Frank, shut up with the "yak, yak" stuff, you sound dumb.
To Kimmy jo:
I am sure the reason the Witnesses do not respond to the hundreds of accusations and complaints is because they are too busy preaching the Good News of the Kingdom and the king, Jesus Christ.
Why waste their time in circular reasonings and complaints that you won't like anyway. People like you, and the GBL accuse the Witnesses of not responding....but you don't want to hear the Truth anyway.
Witnesses will always opt to talk about Jehovah, Jesus and the Kingdom over your stupid reasonings any day.
To GBL:
Yes, we are a publishing company. The magazines are beautiful and always give honor and praise to Jehovah. They honor the King Jesus and hold out the Paradise earth as a future prospect.
Yes we are a "publishing company" honored to be used by Jehovah.
hey kimmy jo. well please try to be accurate. I can't be wy off the subject, since my answer was direct on a comment GBL wrote in this thread. rather than telling me on what to answer it would make more sense if you have something to contribute to the discussion.
Thank you for your contributions Kimmy Jo. Amazing that these apologists don't get it, nor do they realize that we've been there. And, now that we have educated ourselves on the matter, it makes the apologists so mad and unreasonable. They can't stand the "real" truth - boy, the irony in that statement!
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is a money grubbing publishing company?
I have seen them send tons bibles, and bible literature to Bethel in Peru for free .... I helped build the facility for free. It cost me $1400 of my own money to get to Peru to help build the facility...26 years ago.
This 'money grubbing' society is a society that prints stuff to tell people the Great Truths about Jehovah, Christ Jesus, and God's Kingdom. They have never in their history taken up a collection, as I saw when I attended other churches.
But to preach around the globe a billion hours of the Good News takes more than just a grin and clean underwear.
That is why executives have private jets, etc...so they can work while they fly. If I had a limosine and a driver, it would be to get work done while I burn time going somewhere.
I have my issues with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, but realize that the clowns and buffoons, bullies and tyrants are in the minority (It is hard work), but I often think "If I was a United States Marine, would the officers be better?...) My educated guess would be ....NO.
Yes, they exude arrogance, and I cringe at the drivel that substitutes for logic, but the fact of the matter is .... if it were not for these "Earthlings: big ugly bags of mostly water" being directed by God ... I would still think God was part of a trinity, which makes no sense at all... people would be tortured by an insane petulant, sadistic God in a hell instead of being ignored when they die, and the list goes on and on...and on and on.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is supposed to be the servants of Jehovah God, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
Try doing that with only a grin and clean underwear.
Grow up....get a tough skin ... as Chief Dan George once said in a Clint Eastwood movie, I think it was Outlaw Josey Wales..."remember to endeavor to persevere".
I can ignore my enemies....I endure my friends.
Tom.Rook@Technik-SA.US
Tom, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is a book publishing company. That is what they do. Of course they would send thousands of books to Peru or any other country. These give-a-ways are nominal if you can anticipate a big return for your efforts. For every one of those books sent free, they can expect to receive regular contributions from those who become Jehovah's Witnesses. Just remember those books costs them pennies as it is all done by volunteers.
The Watchtower does not need to pass a collection plate. Instead they have a plan whereby people donate to them land, bank accounts, stock and bonds. A collection plate would pale in the face of the money they actually take in and yet they get to say "we do not pass a collection plate."
They are worth billions of dollars and yes they are money grubbing. They can well afford to print books and literature in as many languages as they want to. They do not pay salaries. Their work is done by free labor.
The leaders of the Watchtower are pumped up with power. Great amounts of money do that to people.In fact they brag that no matter how much they spend, there bank accounts are always full as the money keeps pouring in.
Frank, if you believe that there printing cost exceed their income, then you are sorely misinformed. Have you actually ever seen one of their financial sheets? The real ones prepared by their lawyers and accountants? Think again, brother, think again.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is supposed to be the servants of Jehovah God, and Jehovah's Witnesses.
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Tom, supposed to be are the operative words!
“Christians in the first century had only the Bible”? Are you kidding me? Christians in the first century were still writing the Bible. So there was new literature all the time! Think of all the letters from Paul! If they had thought “well we don’t need anything new but our good old Bible”, there wouldn’t be a New Testament.
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Yes, Frank, I agree. They were still writing the Bible. They did not even have the entire Bible and yet this did not stop the spread of christianity. It spread to all parts of the world.
My point was that they did not need a publishing company constantly printing books to explain to them what the scriptures meant. The inspired word of God was enough.
1 John 2:26-29 — These things I write YOU about those who are trying to mislead YOU. 27 And as for YOU, the anointing that YOU received from him remains in YOU, and YOU do not need anyone to be teaching YOU; but, as the anointing from him is teaching YOU about all things, and is true and is no lie, and just as it has taught YOU, remain in union with him. 28 So now, little children, remain in union with him, that when he is made manifest we may have freeness of speech and not be shamed away from him at his presence. 29 If YOU know that he is righteous, YOU gain the knowledge that everyone who practices righteousness has been born from him.
After receiving the anointing, they no longer needed to be taught. First C.T. Russell, then J.F. Rutherford, then "the Society", then "the Governing Body", and all claimed to be God's means of teaching the anointed.
Well first of all my name is Nathan, not Frank GBL.
Interestingly you did not touch any of my points! I did never say that the total costs exceed the total income. Read again! This would of course be difficult, because within a few years there wouldn't be literature any more!
What I said, was that they do publishing in areas and languages where the costs exceed the income by far. And I asked you to give a plausible reason for that, if they are nothing but a printing company.
Please go back and read my posting again. And then, if you are serious, answer to the specific points!
My point regarding the first century Chritians was, that they were in fact publishing literature! How many times do you think were the letters of Paul copied and sent to the congragations? Of course the scale is much bigger today, but it is simply not true that there was no publishing work in the first century!
Btw. would you please answer on my post in the "This Good News of The Kingdom" thread? Thank you!
nothing to say GBL? Well maybe you should remove your article then!
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