When I feel like I want to blog to help JW's and don't feel any inspiration to do so for whatever reason,all I have to do is break out one of Ray Franz's 2 books and open to any page and start reading.There's so much damning and intelligently presented,very carefully thought out information throughout both books that I can't even read a page without wanting to share something I've just read with JW's.Ray had a gift for writing and in all sincerity wanted to reach all that he could with all that he learned(which is a LOT) in his lifespan as a JW governing body member and as a Christian.Not only JW's but anyone trapped in any manmade system that oppresses the freedom they could have in Christ and the freedom they could have to seek truth outside councils,creeds,traditions,religions,and systems. No more fear of men!Fear of God only please.All the book quotes are from "In Search of Christian Freedom."
To quote a Watchtower publication:
"Better it is to know now,rather than too late,that there is an authentic prophetic class of Christians among us,and to accept and act upon the bible message,"not as the word of men,but,just as it truthfully is,as the word of God."(1 Thes. 2:13)Concerning the message faithfully declared by the Ezekial class Jehovah positively states that it "must come true."He asseverates that those who wait undecided until it does "come true" will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them."(Ez. 33:33)..What is to be gained by hesitating and doubting to the end that Jehovah can raise up and has raised up a genuine '"prophet" within our generation?"p.292 "The Nations Shall know that I am Jehovah"..from 1971
and another:
"Jehovah provides his loyal servants with advance knowledge about this system's end."7/1/84 WT
To quote Ray Franz:
"It asks its adherents to disregard its past trail,which is strewn with unfulfilled predictions and now rejected erroneous interpretations,and to continue to put near reverential trust in what it publishes,granting it the dignity,honor,and credence due a prophet of God.Instead of feeling humbled by the clear evidence of its erratic zigzagging course,it becomes more strident in its claims,more dogmatic as to its pronouncements.Is this the course of a "genuine prophet" of God?"Ray Franz "In search of Christian Freedom"p.425
Ray then goes on to point out that the faithful and discreet slave have claimed to get their food like Paul did,straight from God.So even though they reject the Catholic teaching of "apostolic succession",I would venture to say they intellectually intimidate their followers to implicitly trust them by their repetitive and seemingly confident insistence that they occupy a position like Paul's!Because who would want to question someone inspired by God's spirit?The WT has called itself the "Jeremiah,Ezekial,Elijah,Elisha,and John" "class" so let's not pretend they don't make boastful claims of their authority and right to guide Christ's sheep as inspired men.Unless of course they'd like to claim Jeremiah,Ezekial,Elijah,Elisha,and John weren't inspired!And the "anointed" are supposed to be of those men's "class",right?Another case of WT double speech where they're uninspired but yet inspired.Interesting.Unfortunately,they've misguided,lied to,false prophecied to,and handled sheep quite sloppily,treacherously even at times.God's truly anointed either don't do such things or when they do humbly repent if God even allows them to continue living(false prophets weren't shown such mercy in the OT!),which I haven't witnessed with the WT.
from another WT:
"How can we today watch Christ since he is invisible?We watch him in the sense that we discern his signals as given through his visible "slave" appointee over all the earthly interests of his kingdom.Through this spirit appointed channel his direction and strategy are communicated to all who are his "soldiers."These latter cannot afford to move ahead on their own.."p 22-23 6/1/82 WT
How could the WT possibly exclude itself from claiming the kind of authority the Pope has if no one can move ahead as a Christian without their imposition?It's as if Yah and Christ aren't sufficient at all..No one can move or exercise a Christian muscle without the governing body.Yes,folks,this is what Christ warned against ..the imposing authority of Pharisaic men who replace him as your mediators to God,claiming you can't be saved or know anything without them.Blasphemous.
To quote Ray:
"It seems nearly unbelievable that any could conceive of Jesus,as a commanding officer,sending directions in the form of the erratic,contradictory,shifting presentation of matters that has proceeded from the organization down through its history.But we are told that the view we get from that organization is the view of Christ himself,"strategically timed" by him.If the organization becomes mired down by holding to a wrong position for decades ,we are to stagnate with it;if it heads off in a wrong direction,we are to go off on a tangent with it.The words of Rev. 14:4,"These are the ones that keep following the Lamb no matter where he goes,"in actual fact converts into "These are the ones that keep following the organization no matter where it goes."p.427
It's one thing to preach what the bible says succintly and make certain claims for yourself as speaking Jesus's words..It's quite another to go crazy with date-setting,extrabiblical ideas and regulations,twisting of scriptures,blatant denial of much of what Christ says for the majority of mankind,refusing to exegete the blood passages in their OT context resulting in the deaths of countless thousands,spiritually abusing people left and right,..the list just goes on and on..and then to say you're inspired and to listen to you is to listen to Christ.The scriptures don't need the WT's added elements.As Ray points out in his awesome book,the WT has repeatedly compared a rebellion against them to that of Israelite rebellion against the OT priesthood.All the while the WT ignores that Christ eradicated the division between a priestly and non priestly class because with the New Covenant there's only ONE mediator and high Priest,Yah's Son!Basically,the WT propagates what Christ abolished and steals his belongings for themselves.Which essentially makes JW's unintentional thieves and plunderers trying to enter life "some other way"..through an organization instead of Christ because they don't accept Christ's mediatorship,which I can't stress enough as being the blasphemy it really is!(John 10,1 Tim. 2:5)
If God made his appointment of Moses,prophets,and such to represent him apparent by what he accomplished through them and what they spoke coming true by Yah's will and power,then what would this say for the WT as all their predictions collapse and fail,their unbiblical or extrabiblical doctrines repelling people who know they need to be born again and that Christ is the only mediator etc?Those people who know things like that all these permissable fractions of blood the WT gives their okay on in totality is ,well,blood.How in the world could any of their failures and scripture-twistings be conducive to the types of claims they make and positions they herald for themselves that belong SOLELY to Christ?This organization is dangerous.JW's need to learn to distinguish between an actual appointing by God of men that is always established by divine acts of power and conformity to whatever Christ said and however Christ behaved,free from bloodguilt,hypocrisy,and spiritual abuse from a SELF-ASSIGNED authority that misleads and spiritually injures by robbing you of what Christ offers freely.
Let's examine some hypocrisy and irony as pointed out by Ray Franz:
"When one considers that the organization attributes to itself the role of prophet,apostle,spokesman for God,priestly representative,chief communications officer for the King of kings and Overseer of our souls,administrator of all Christ's interests on earth,director of all his household or congregation,it seems almost amusing,were it not so tragic,to read this paragraph in the 6/1/82 WT,p. 19:
"A mental attitude that must be guarded against is thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought to think.That could lead a Christian into thinking that he has a special mission from God apart from the channel through which Jehovah dispenses his truths and directs his household.It would in effect place him in a supposed special relationship with Jehovah not enjoyed by any other brother or sister in the household."
Are they serious?!
To quote Ray
"When analyzed,the paragraph just quoted is seen as in effect telling all the "rank and file" members,"How could you ever think that you have a relationship with God equal to what WE have?"p.429
Ray goes on to say:
"Not until the arrival of the papacy can claims of such exclusive ecclesiastical authority be found to match those published in the WT magazine.The claims of the papacy relate to authority vested in a single man;the claims of the WT organization relate to authority vested in a small group of men.The papacy presents itself as the "viceregent of Christ on earth."In effect,the appointed manager or administrative deputy of Christ.The leadership of the WT organization does not use the term "viceregent" but describes itself as the one and only "steward" whom Christ has,since 1919,assigned the "direction and administration of all his interests on earth."It is a distinction without difference,for only the terminology differs.The claim is the same.
Coupled with the program of constant indoctrination,the ultimate effect of all this organizational posturing is intellectual intimidation.Witnesses are subtly made to feel that they should distrust their own thinking and judgment when they read the bible,that they should distrust their own heart and its motivation,and that no matter how conscientiously they may seek to apply God's word they should distrust their conscience as being a sound guide.Their trust should be in "the organization."They must march in lockstep with it.To follow the leading of Christ and of holy spirit in any other direction would be to run ahead of God."p. 431
This is a very kind way of describing what I would personally call mind control.And outright deception trying to get people to believe,and oft times succeeding,that we just simply cannot disobey or fail to follow an organization that has misled millions numerous times,for decades at a time in various ways without disobeying or running ahead of God!Their bold hubris becomes astoundingly off putting and asinine when one steps outside the WT box long enough to critically think and unbiasly examine the WT's history,claims,and teachings,the propaganda they've produced and publications they've penned against all the facts easily found all over the place now and Jesus's own words..JW's need to read the bible with fresh eyes that aren't corrupted by a WT lens.A different bible preferably than the NWT simply because it becomes almost robotic to read WT theology INTO the biblical texts when the ever familiar NWT is used.With all the meetings,all the studies,all the pressure to read read read WT literature with the NWT daily..it definitely becomes standard to read NWT passages only through a WT lens for a loyal and studious JW.
Luke 20:1 One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2 and said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority.”
The WT expects you to believe whatever and do whatever they say as if they got their authority from the same place Jesus did,no matter how many times they prove this could not be the case.This isn't ok.We are not to follow men who haven't listened to Jesus in key areas,who've misled and hurt too many people to count consistently throughout its brief history.Just a brief examination of its history btw will prove it's a sect that broke off from other sects..that Charles Taze Russell was a man inspired by other false prophets and peculiar things like pyramidology and even Enochian magic possibly..the list goes on.Of course I would encourage any JW to research all this and not just the WT's side of things.
Matthew 20:25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
If,let's say,you were to confront an elder or any one in the WT organization about something they teach that you don't think is in line with what the scriptures say,what would happen and why?The men in the upper echalons of the organization don't conform to anything anymore but their own traditions.They've demonstrated zero willingness to reform or change even when Jesus's words would DEMAND such.And if fallible men can't be questioned,no matter how frequently wrong they are and need to be,how is that any different from the Pope's supposed monopoly on truth and demands of conformity?As Ray said in his book..it's the SAME THING for the WT as it is for the Catholics..the only difference is the NUMBER of men one must implicitly trust and follow in order to be able to be saved and reach Yahweh or Christ.One for the Catholics..a few more for the WT.I cannot stress to JW's enough how the organization itself has become an idol and taken on a life of it's own.It's almost like a god to it's followers that just simply cannot be spoken against,questioned,or left if one wants to live forever and be Christian.
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