This blog is utterly inspired by "Crisis of Conscience" and my desire for justice and an awakening for JW's.Ultimately for them to find freedom in Christ,who has no bloodguilt or hypocrisy or lies in him.Organizational loyalty sure can cause a lot of damage.Jesus didn't separate his sheep into two classes,with a great disparity in the number in those classes with the right of the one in the ivory tower to dictate the consciences of the rest.Lording it over them with legalistic policies that are either fully met or sheep are tossed,no matter how arbitrary those policies might be.
"Through Isaiah,Jehovah spoke of the need to untie and snap every yoke,setting free those burdened and weighed down.Christ described regulations and prohibitions arbitrarily imposed by religious authorities as heavy burdens,and his disciples recognized that even the the Law had been a yoke difficult to bear.Legalism and insistent pressures to perform specified activities and to observe imposed prohibitions,with failure to conform creating the heaviness of guilt,continue to this day."p 578 "In Search of Christian Freedom" by Ray Franz
Matthew 23:2 “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the seat of Moses. 3 Therefore all the things they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds, for they say but do not perform. 4 They bind up heavy loads and put them upon the shoulders of men, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger.
Beginning in 1964,JW's in Malawi experienced unprecendented persecution,brutality,violence,savage mobs etc..also in 1967,1972,and 1975.Families had homes burned or demolished,crops destroyed.In 1967,there were rapings of over 1,000 women,one mother being violated by 6 different men,her 13 year old daughter by three men.At least 40 had miscarriages due to this.There were beatings,torture,even murder!Young children died because of lack of medicine or medical treatment.
Why did all of these nightmares occur?Because the JW's were forbidden by their organization to purchase a party card of the ruling political party.(that is they couldn't if they wanted to remain loyal to the WT and not lose their eternal salvation,because we all know the organization threatens that if we don't believe exactly what and do exactly what they say that we can't live forever because you have to be an accepted member of the WT society to be saved.)The society said that it would compromise their neutrality and make them unfaithful to God.
As Ray points out in his book,to be a citizen of any country IS to be a MEMBER of a political state.The extent to which one succumbs to its demands may vary ,but the membership is still a fact.Paul told us to be submissive to governments even though they can be corrupt.That doesn't mean everything political is inherently evil.Otherwise,God wouldn't have told us to submit at all,right?Is citizenship inherently bad?If not,then why should a corporation be able to tell those in Malawi they couldn't possess a card even at all costs like death,rape,plundering,violence etc.?
To quote Ray:
"If a person could be a citizen,and hence a member of the national political community,without violating integrity to God,where was the evidence that being submissive to the government's insistence that everyone purchase a card of the ruling party would constitute such a violation of integrity to God?How major is the difference?How would Christians in the first century have viewed it in light of the apostle's exhortation, "Render to all their dues,to him who calls for the tax the tax;for him who calls for the tribute,the tribute;to him who calls for fear,such fear;to him who calls for honor such honor?"(Romans 13:7)"p.147 "Crisis of Conscience"
It's one thing for something to disturb your personal Christian conscience and to then refuse it.It's another to have some corporation DICTATE your conscience in order to remain "saved" and unshunned and loved by those you love most.That kind of imposition of conscience is awful,especially given some scriptural support for actually submitting to the political state's request..they didn't ask them to kill anyone or something that God would CLEARLY find abominable.(like worshipping a man or a statue)
Now let's examine more Watchtower society hypocrisy at work.At the same time all these Malawi nightmares were occurring,Jehovah's Witness men in Mexico were given permission to BRIBE military officials to complete a certificate falsely stating that they had fulfilled their military service obligations.After obtaining this certificate from bribing,these witnesses were then placed IN THE FIRST RESERVE OF THE MILITARY.This is clearly inconsistent with organizational standards as well as,bribing and such, a clear violation of God's principles.I'm not judging the men here,just exposing how Jehovah's Witnesses' organizational loyalty can make them succumb to whatever they're told by an elite few men in NY.
To quote Ray:
"The Witnesses in Malawi risked life and limb,homes and lands,to adhere to the stance adopted by the organization for their country.In Mexico,there was no such risk involved,yet a policy of the utmost leniency was applied.There,Witness men could be members of the first reserves of the army and yet be Circuit or District Overseers,members of the Bethel family!"p.159
Keep in mind this is a society/publishing corporation,the WT organization,that actually forbid substitutionary service as opposed to military service!Yet somehow they found bribing and having certificates of military service fulfillment and enrollment in the first reserve perfectly ok.Talk about double standards and handling the sheep carelessly and arbitrarily and sadly.
To quote Ray:
"When I brought up the matter,I heard no expression of dismay at the disparity in the standard applied in Malawi and the one applied in Mexico.Most of the members apparently found they could accept the Mexico policy while simultaneously insisting upon a totally different standard for people elsewhere.I do not think the matter simply resolves down to personalities,the individual members involved.I have come to the conclusion that this outlook is in reality a typical product of any authority structure to see double standards exist without feeling strong qualms of conscience."p.162
Then Ray goes on to say that brothers in Mexico were disturbed by these double standards in their consciences because of the suffering in Malawi but that
"Those in Brooklyn,at the "top,"in the so called "ivory tower,"however,seemed strangely detached from such feelings,insensitive to the consequences to people from such double standards.This,too,I believe is an effect of the system,which is one reason I find such a system personally repelling." p.162
He goes on to point out this insensitizing effect organizational loyalty can produce is well documented throughout the centuries,from the Inquisition to the Nazi regime.It is sickening and disconcerting.We're talking about bloodguilt here,lives destroyed,people affected.(rape,torture,death etc.)
Should organizational interests be more important than the interests of ordinary people?Are men in charge and their consciences somehow superior to the common man's?
Jeremiah 23:1 "Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!" declares the LORD. 2 Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: "Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done," declares the LORD.
Contrast the careless shepherds who say only their organization can save you with Jesus:
John 10:4 his(Jesus's) sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." 7Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Contrast those whose policies can sometimes be burdensome,duplicitous and unwarranted with Jesus:
Matthew 11:28Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Personification of the holy Spirit(a trinity issue)
Examine:
John 20:21 Jesus said to them: “May you have peace. Just as the Father has sent me forth, I also am sending you.” 22 And after he said this he blew upon them and said to them: “Receive holy spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any persons, they stand forgiven to them; if you retain those of any persons, they stand retained.”
Did Jesus here blow out of his mouth the 3rd person of the same God that he is on his disciples OR did he breathe HOLY breath(which conveniently is the definition of spirit!) and power and influence that God dispenses THROUGH the agency of the Messiah so that the disciples could have the power of God to forgive sins like Jesus did?God forgives sin through Yeshua.He can likewise forgive sin through the disciples in the very same fashion.Not by their being possessed by a person in a fictional "godhead,"but rather by means of God working through them by means of his spirit.Even OUR spirits are magnificent,indescribable,and unfathomable.How much more GOD'S!Ours animates us and cause us to breathe,move and exist.God's is HOLY and inimitable,it being His after all.If ours is so overwhelming,how much more our Creator's who the very heavens cannot even contain!!
How can Jesus have the spirit so fully and magnificently if he isn't the same God his father is?
John 3:34:For the one whom God sent forth speaks the sayings of God, for he does not give the spirit by measure.
What these texts tell me is that Yaheweh,Yeshua's father,is the SOURCE of the holy spirit..He GIVES it to Yeshua without measure and Yeshua,as mediator and due to authority afforded him from his superior,dispenses measures of it to his followers so that they TOO can accomplish what he or his father would,EVEN FORGIVE SIN!Significantly,the spirit was given by Jesus BREATHING upon them,.Think about it.Did he breathe a PERSON?The text,verse 2 of John 20, could have just as easily and appropriately been translated "And after he said this he blew upon them and said to them: “Receive sacred breath."I'm not suggesting the spirit doesn't imply much more than God's breath. Even our spirits imply more than that because they animate us and keep us alive.
We would not be able to breathe or live if God didn't afford us the opportunity with a dispension of his holy spirit.Remember he blew spirit,or breath, into Adam's nostrils.(Gen 2:7)He didn't breathe a person into Adam's nostrils,nor did a person live in Adam's nostrils.Keeping in mind the REAL definition of our spirits and also God's spirit,and Adam having spirit in his nostrils the holy spirit being given it's real definition makes much more sense!
Personification:
The holy spirit,being of the Almighty God,owned and operated by him,would be appropriately personifiable.Don't assume it is a person because it is personified sporadically..otherwise you are assuming something the whole of the bible fails to support and also recognizing wisdom and trees etc. must be people by these easily disprovable standards.It's clearly a bias to say that it's personified and therefore a person.I'm not presupposing it's a person like trinitarians are because of an entrenched tradition but rather simply recognizing the definition of spirit,that we all have a personifiable one,and that translations with arbitrary use of "he" and "who" as opposed to "it" and "which" and also arbitrary capitalization are bias.It always amazes me when trinitarians say the NWT is clearly a horrific translation when it has no more error than other translations that are also bias.Time to extract the rafter.
"The occasional personifications which he(Paul) employs do not go beyond the personifications found in the OT and in Judaism."-John L. Mckenzie Bible dictionary p. 883
"When the spirit is the mode of God's presence in the hearts and minds of His people ,then there is a good case for personal language."-C.F.D Moule "The Holy Spirit" p.50
To quote Christian author Ray Franz from the essay "What is the Holy Spirit:"
"It is true that the Holy Spirit is spoken of as speaking,teaching,guiding,being grieved etc.However..anyone who has read the bible as whole would realize that it is EXTREMELY common to personify objects and forces..."
Then Ray goes on to list many examples where things like the desert,earth,mountain,rivers,the gates of Jerusalem etc. do things like rejoicing,singing,clapping hands,lamenting,mourning etc..He also points out that Wisdom is spoken of as if it were a woman and FAR more is said about personified wisdom than is said about personified Holy Spirit.She(Wisdom) raises her voice,exhorts,reproves,rejects,ignores,despises,mocks,guards..can be loved and embraced.She has a mouth and lips,attains knowledge,loves and hates,slaughters animals,offers bread and wine.The list goes on!As Ray says,trinitarians won't fail to offer such a list as supposed proof that the Holy Spirit OF God is actually a person.I would point out that if I described MY spirit as speaking,crying,grieving etc NO ONE would assume "her spirit is an extra person in her being apparently!"The list of Wisdom's personifications far exceeds that of the spirit of God.Personification was just as tenable a reality in the NT than the OT.(Matt 11:19,Luke 7:35 etc.)One text trinitarians like to use to say it's a person is 1 John 5:6 & 7,inexplicably,where the spirit testifies,completely ignoring or being blinded to the fact that in the SAME texts water and blood testify.Are they two other people too?At Romans 10:6 righteousness speaks!To quote Ray:
"How different is it to speak of the Holy Spirit as guiding and to speak of wisdom as reproving,guarding,and keeping?How different is it to speak of the holy spirit as being grieved and to speak of love as being patient,enduring,not quick to take offense or irritable?"-from essay "What is the Holy Spirit" by Ray Franz
It is a weak argument to say that something that speaks and grieves etc. has to be a person given the definition of spirit,that we all have one that isn't a person within us and that God has one too..He is composed of it,is omniscient by means of it,indwells us by sharing it with an appointed mediator who he loves.
"Because it carries the personal presence of Christ into the life of every believer ,the use of PERSONIFICATION is highly appropriate."-Graeser,Lynn,Schoenheit "One God One Lord p.596
Even our spirits,because of how dynamic they are,considering they animate us with breath along with life,are appropriately and highly personifiable!How much more God's Holy one!
It IS "of God"(HIS and therefore sometimes rightfully personified in relation TO him)..Here are a few more examples of non-people being personified(it's not uncommon):
Luke 7:35,Romans 7:8,Romans 5:14,21,1 John 5:6-8,1 Corinthians 12:15,16,Ps. 96:11,12,Is. 55:12
**Luke 7:35-Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
**Romans 7:8-11:sin dies,revives,deceives and slews.
**Rom 5:14,21-death reigned from Adam to Moses21just as sin ruled by bringing death, so also grace might rule by bringing justification that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.
**1 John 5:6-8- water and blood bear witness too
**I Cor. 12:15,16-If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body.... And if the ear shall say, because I am not of the body .
**Psa. 96:11,12-Let the heaven rejoice, and let the earth be glad. …let the field be joyful . . then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
**Isa. 55:12-the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees shall clap their hands
There are many more examples than that,just making a point.
When angels would speak Yah's messages as his messengers,they didn't enter or possess people.They appeared before them.They can be SEEN AS ANGELS..When has the holy spirit ever been seen as a person or given a personal name?By trinitarian standards,wisdom,knowledge,trees,etc. could all be people because they are sometimes ,even though inanimate non-persons given personification in a poetic way.Trinitarian standards are easily refuted at many turns.For instance,we as Christians can have the "fullness of God" by means of the holy spirit as well,just as Christ did.The difference is we aren't said to have it "without measure"..If fullness of God,which I maintain is accomplished by a generous and lovely dispension of the holy spirit unto believers,means one IS the True God,then we really have a problem.Yet trinitarians won't hesitate to say it makes Jesus the same Only True God that he said only his father was!
Now to cover a text those who believe God's spirit is God's third person love to use to prove that it is:
Acts 13:2:While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Put quite simply God IS speaking through others by means of His spirit,representing his divine presence wherever he measures it and pours it out,in essence,his agency of accomplishment.Similar to how I could use my arm to lift something..my arm did it,but ultimately it was ME using my arm.OBVIOUSLY the teachers and prophets are speaking in this text who HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.It is personified in relation to who is talking with it.God pours it out on his servants.Does God split up and pour out his third person all over the map and portions of this person appear as doves and such?..OR does God influence the righteous by means of his breath..his power,the REAL definition of his spirit?Can you show me in Acts 13:2 where the holy spirit is seen..are you sure it isn''t God using his power and force to talk through others and the means by which he does is speaking through others by MEANS of his spirit,his power,his influence,his "breath"..therefore "He said"
*While some texts refer to the spirit as "witnessing","speaking" or "saying" things ,other texts make it clear that it spoke THROUGH other persons having no personal voice of it's own(heb 3:7,10:15-17,ps 95:7,Jer 31:33,34,acts 19:2-6,21:4,28:25)(from Insight on the Scriptures vol. 2,a JW publication)
With just a little reasoning with the texts that talk about the holy spirit talking,it becomes simple to comprehend that it IS God speaking through others,by means of HIS holy spirit.Another easy concept.What do you think Jesus meant when he said his words were not his own?(John 14:10,John 3:34)
John 20:21 Jesus said to them: “May you have peace. Just as the Father has sent me forth, I also am sending you.” 22 And after he said this he blew upon them and said to them: “Receive holy spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any persons, they stand forgiven to them; if you retain those of any persons, they stand retained.”
Did Jesus here blow out of his mouth the 3rd person of the same God that he is on his disciples OR did he breathe HOLY breath(which conveniently is the definition of spirit!) and power and influence that God dispenses THROUGH the agency of the Messiah so that the disciples could have the power of God to forgive sins like Jesus did?God forgives sin through Yeshua.He can likewise forgive sin through the disciples in the very same fashion.Not by their being possessed by a person in a fictional "godhead,"but rather by means of God working through them by means of his spirit.Even OUR spirits are magnificent,indescribable,and unfathomable.How much more GOD'S!Ours animates us and cause us to breathe,move and exist.God's is HOLY and inimitable,it being His after all.If ours is so overwhelming,how much more our Creator's who the very heavens cannot even contain!!
How can Jesus have the spirit so fully and magnificently if he isn't the same God his father is?
John 3:34:For the one whom God sent forth speaks the sayings of God, for he does not give the spirit by measure.
What these texts tell me is that Yaheweh,Yeshua's father,is the SOURCE of the holy spirit..He GIVES it to Yeshua without measure and Yeshua,as mediator and due to authority afforded him from his superior,dispenses measures of it to his followers so that they TOO can accomplish what he or his father would,EVEN FORGIVE SIN!Significantly,the spirit was given by Jesus BREATHING upon them,.Think about it.Did he breathe a PERSON?The text,verse 2 of John 20, could have just as easily and appropriately been translated "And after he said this he blew upon them and said to them: “Receive sacred breath."I'm not suggesting the spirit doesn't imply much more than God's breath. Even our spirits imply more than that because they animate us and keep us alive.
We would not be able to breathe or live if God didn't afford us the opportunity with a dispension of his holy spirit.Remember he blew spirit,or breath, into Adam's nostrils.(Gen 2:7)He didn't breathe a person into Adam's nostrils,nor did a person live in Adam's nostrils.Keeping in mind the REAL definition of our spirits and also God's spirit,and Adam having spirit in his nostrils the holy spirit being given it's real definition makes much more sense!
Personification:
The holy spirit,being of the Almighty God,owned and operated by him,would be appropriately personifiable.Don't assume it is a person because it is personified sporadically..otherwise you are assuming something the whole of the bible fails to support and also recognizing wisdom and trees etc. must be people by these easily disprovable standards.It's clearly a bias to say that it's personified and therefore a person.I'm not presupposing it's a person like trinitarians are because of an entrenched tradition but rather simply recognizing the definition of spirit,that we all have a personifiable one,and that translations with arbitrary use of "he" and "who" as opposed to "it" and "which" and also arbitrary capitalization are bias.It always amazes me when trinitarians say the NWT is clearly a horrific translation when it has no more error than other translations that are also bias.Time to extract the rafter.
"The occasional personifications which he(Paul) employs do not go beyond the personifications found in the OT and in Judaism."-John L. Mckenzie Bible dictionary p. 883
"When the spirit is the mode of God's presence in the hearts and minds of His people ,then there is a good case for personal language."-C.F.D Moule "The Holy Spirit" p.50
To quote Christian author Ray Franz from the essay "What is the Holy Spirit:"
"It is true that the Holy Spirit is spoken of as speaking,teaching,guiding,being grieved etc.However..anyone who has read the bible as whole would realize that it is EXTREMELY common to personify objects and forces..."
Then Ray goes on to list many examples where things like the desert,earth,mountain,rivers,the gates of Jerusalem etc. do things like rejoicing,singing,clapping hands,lamenting,mourning etc..He also points out that Wisdom is spoken of as if it were a woman and FAR more is said about personified wisdom than is said about personified Holy Spirit.She(Wisdom) raises her voice,exhorts,reproves,rejects,ignores,despises,mocks,guards..can be loved and embraced.She has a mouth and lips,attains knowledge,loves and hates,slaughters animals,offers bread and wine.The list goes on!As Ray says,trinitarians won't fail to offer such a list as supposed proof that the Holy Spirit OF God is actually a person.I would point out that if I described MY spirit as speaking,crying,grieving etc NO ONE would assume "her spirit is an extra person in her being apparently!"The list of Wisdom's personifications far exceeds that of the spirit of God.Personification was just as tenable a reality in the NT than the OT.(Matt 11:19,Luke 7:35 etc.)One text trinitarians like to use to say it's a person is 1 John 5:6 & 7,inexplicably,where the spirit testifies,completely ignoring or being blinded to the fact that in the SAME texts water and blood testify.Are they two other people too?At Romans 10:6 righteousness speaks!To quote Ray:
"How different is it to speak of the Holy Spirit as guiding and to speak of wisdom as reproving,guarding,and keeping?How different is it to speak of the holy spirit as being grieved and to speak of love as being patient,enduring,not quick to take offense or irritable?"-from essay "What is the Holy Spirit" by Ray Franz
It is a weak argument to say that something that speaks and grieves etc. has to be a person given the definition of spirit,that we all have one that isn't a person within us and that God has one too..He is composed of it,is omniscient by means of it,indwells us by sharing it with an appointed mediator who he loves.
"Because it carries the personal presence of Christ into the life of every believer ,the use of PERSONIFICATION is highly appropriate."-Graeser,Lynn,Schoenheit "One God One Lord p.596
Even our spirits,because of how dynamic they are,considering they animate us with breath along with life,are appropriately and highly personifiable!How much more God's Holy one!
It IS "of God"(HIS and therefore sometimes rightfully personified in relation TO him)..Here are a few more examples of non-people being personified(it's not uncommon):
Luke 7:35,Romans 7:8,Romans 5:14,21,1 John 5:6-8,1 Corinthians 12:15,16,Ps. 96:11,12,Is. 55:12
**Luke 7:35-Yet wisdom is vindicated by all her children."
**Romans 7:8-11:sin dies,revives,deceives and slews.
**Rom 5:14,21-death reigned from Adam to Moses21just as sin ruled by bringing death, so also grace might rule by bringing justification that results in eternal life through Jesus the Messiah, our Lord.
**1 John 5:6-8- water and blood bear witness too
**I Cor. 12:15,16-If the foot shall say, because I am not the hand, I am not of the body.... And if the ear shall say, because I am not of the body .
**Psa. 96:11,12-Let the heaven rejoice, and let the earth be glad. …let the field be joyful . . then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice
**Isa. 55:12-the mountains and hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees shall clap their hands
There are many more examples than that,just making a point.
When angels would speak Yah's messages as his messengers,they didn't enter or possess people.They appeared before them.They can be SEEN AS ANGELS..When has the holy spirit ever been seen as a person or given a personal name?By trinitarian standards,wisdom,knowledge,trees,etc. could all be people because they are sometimes ,even though inanimate non-persons given personification in a poetic way.Trinitarian standards are easily refuted at many turns.For instance,we as Christians can have the "fullness of God" by means of the holy spirit as well,just as Christ did.The difference is we aren't said to have it "without measure"..If fullness of God,which I maintain is accomplished by a generous and lovely dispension of the holy spirit unto believers,means one IS the True God,then we really have a problem.Yet trinitarians won't hesitate to say it makes Jesus the same Only True God that he said only his father was!
Now to cover a text those who believe God's spirit is God's third person love to use to prove that it is:
Acts 13:2:While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Put quite simply God IS speaking through others by means of His spirit,representing his divine presence wherever he measures it and pours it out,in essence,his agency of accomplishment.Similar to how I could use my arm to lift something..my arm did it,but ultimately it was ME using my arm.OBVIOUSLY the teachers and prophets are speaking in this text who HAVE THE HOLY SPIRIT.It is personified in relation to who is talking with it.God pours it out on his servants.Does God split up and pour out his third person all over the map and portions of this person appear as doves and such?..OR does God influence the righteous by means of his breath..his power,the REAL definition of his spirit?Can you show me in Acts 13:2 where the holy spirit is seen..are you sure it isn''t God using his power and force to talk through others and the means by which he does is speaking through others by MEANS of his spirit,his power,his influence,his "breath"..therefore "He said"
*While some texts refer to the spirit as "witnessing","speaking" or "saying" things ,other texts make it clear that it spoke THROUGH other persons having no personal voice of it's own(heb 3:7,10:15-17,ps 95:7,Jer 31:33,34,acts 19:2-6,21:4,28:25)(from Insight on the Scriptures vol. 2,a JW publication)
With just a little reasoning with the texts that talk about the holy spirit talking,it becomes simple to comprehend that it IS God speaking through others,by means of HIS holy spirit.Another easy concept.What do you think Jesus meant when he said his words were not his own?(John 14:10,John 3:34)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Is the Holy Spirit of God the third person of a trinity?
Some of this is inspired by the excellent book "Divine Truth or Human Tradition?: A Reconsideration of the Roman Catholic-Protestant Doctrine of the Trinity in Light of the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures" by Patrick Navas.Many of the quotes were taken from that book's section on the holy spirit,where he quotes a lot of people.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Is the New World translation always honest?
This video is similar to my "Watchtower or Holy scripture?" video(which I reposted below it) but focuses a little more on why the New World Translation of the Holy scriptures interprets certain passages the way they do.I wonder:Do they do it to intentionally mislead because if the texts are read the way they're supposed to be,JW's will know they must be in Christ for salvation without qualification?
"Watchtower or Holy Scripture?" video..
When Jehovah's Witnesses say they're in the truth,they're talking about a wordwide organization/corporation.When Christians say they're in the truth,they're talking about Jesus Christ.Who is correct?By no means am I defending the doctrines of orthodox Christianity,some of which I vehemently disagree with!But they do realize that Jesus is their mediator and the way,the truth,the life,as opposed to a corporation or building or society.
I'm sure I could've made a better presentation of this,but I wanted to get it out there..I now have come to realize that The watchtower society misinterprets many scriptures just like Christendom does.And their misinterpretations in my opinion may be just as dangerous.This just briefly presents a couple points that I think are pertinent for all Jehovah's Witnesses to contemplate sincerely ..without the lens of WT publications doing their work on your mind,making you interpret texts through THEIR filter.Keep in mind that Orthodox Christianity has been bombarded with their traditional views about hell and the trinity..it may be all they've ever known.And the best apologists can make both concepts seem plausible by isolating texts and misusing them.By not being able to admit that in ancient Judaism it was perfectly fine to call Jesus God without him being the Most High one.By ignoring the context in the Isaiah passages they use.By threatening Christians with labels and possibly even shunning if they don't believe the same.etc.The WT society is at fault for the same misuse of texts and abuse of ones that don't agree.Anyway,if you have any questions,feel free to e-mail me at biscuitpouncer@hotmail.com.
"Watchtower or Holy Scripture?" video..
When Jehovah's Witnesses say they're in the truth,they're talking about a wordwide organization/corporation.When Christians say they're in the truth,they're talking about Jesus Christ.Who is correct?By no means am I defending the doctrines of orthodox Christianity,some of which I vehemently disagree with!But they do realize that Jesus is their mediator and the way,the truth,the life,as opposed to a corporation or building or society.
I'm sure I could've made a better presentation of this,but I wanted to get it out there..I now have come to realize that The watchtower society misinterprets many scriptures just like Christendom does.And their misinterpretations in my opinion may be just as dangerous.This just briefly presents a couple points that I think are pertinent for all Jehovah's Witnesses to contemplate sincerely ..without the lens of WT publications doing their work on your mind,making you interpret texts through THEIR filter.Keep in mind that Orthodox Christianity has been bombarded with their traditional views about hell and the trinity..it may be all they've ever known.And the best apologists can make both concepts seem plausible by isolating texts and misusing them.By not being able to admit that in ancient Judaism it was perfectly fine to call Jesus God without him being the Most High one.By ignoring the context in the Isaiah passages they use.By threatening Christians with labels and possibly even shunning if they don't believe the same.etc.The WT society is at fault for the same misuse of texts and abuse of ones that don't agree.Anyway,if you have any questions,feel free to e-mail me at biscuitpouncer@hotmail.com.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Pagan Easter
This video and blog were inspired by"The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop,the websites linked here, and of course my inherent knowledge that holidays are commercial,silly and pagan.Btw,this isn't a Jehovah's Witness thing but rather a common sense thing.
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-the-easter-bunny-faq.htm
http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/easter.asp
http://www.albatrus.org/english/festivals/easter/is_easter_pagan.htm
Jeremiah 7:18:The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
So who was this Queen of Heaven?It was the Sun god Baal's consort Astarte,also known in Nineveh as Ishtar.As I'm sure many of you know Ishtar is also known as the goddess Easter.Notice also in Jeremiah the women kneaded dough and made cakes for her..these today are the Hot Cross buns of Good Friday.
This sacred bread offered to the gods of antiquity was called "boun."
And from whence did the eggs at Easter time come?What inspired those?Jesus Christ?Of course not!Let's take a look in the book "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop to see.
from pages 103-112 where he talks about the origins of Easter(a couple lil points put in my own words..) it communicates
In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks,and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples.The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians.Semiramis died & reincarnated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox by the following means:An egg of wondrous size(containing this goddess of fertility) is said to have fallen from heaven into the River Euphrates.The fishes rolled it to the bank,the doves settled upon and hatched it,and out came Venus,afterwards called the Syrian goddess Astarte.Hence the egg became one of the symbols for her,for Easter.The Romish church adopted this mystic egg of Astarte and consecrated it as a symbol of Christ's resurrection.Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a celebration at or after the Spring Equinox.
Many ancient heathen peoples used eggs,sometimes dyed and painted,in their celebrations,idolatries and religious rites,from the Druids to the Hindus to the Japanese and Chinese.And ,well,now the Christians do.
So what about that lovely Easter ham?What inspired that?Jesus Christ?Of course not!
Semiramis's son (he was also her husband!)Tammuz was gored by a wild boar when he was 40.After this,he was worshipped or honored by people weeping for 40 days,a day for each year of his life.These 40 days of weeping for him was one of the origins of Lent!Then they killed the wild boar that killed him and ate HAM on Easter Sunday.And,well,now the Christians do.
More about Lent from Hislop:
"The forty days' abstinence of the Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, 'in the spring of the year,' is still observed by the pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent was held by the pagan Mexicans, in honor of the sun.... Such Lent was observed in Egypt (Wilkinson's Egyptians). This Egyptian Lent of forty days was held expressly in commemoration of Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god." (the Two Babylons, by Hislop, pages 104 and 105, and Sabean Researches, by Landseer, p. 112).
1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
My guess would be that it doesn't glorify him to adopt pagan traditions and practices into your "Christian" worship.
What about those cute bunnies at Easter?What inspired those?Jesus Christ?Of course not!!
Easter was the goddess of fertility and Springtime,and her symbol was the rabbit.Anglo-Saxons worshipped the rabbit believing it to be Easter's earthly incarnation.
And what about the Easter sunrise service?
The following info is straight from a website I linked up top:
The Easter sunrise service is derived from the ancient pagan practice of welcoming the sun on the morning of the spring equinox, marking the beginning of spring. What we now call Easter lilies were revered by the ancients as symbols of fertility and representative of the male genitalia. The ancient Babylonian religions had rituals involving dyed eggs as did the ancient Egyptians.So, next Sunday, if you go to an Easter sunrise service, hunt for colored eggs or eat marshmallow bunnies, remember you are indulging in pagan rituals that celebrate fertility and the advent of springtime!
Ezekiel 8:16: And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD' house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Ezekiel 8:18: Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them
From another site also linked up top:
It is the same identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning--- the sun-rise services--- standing with their faces towards the east, as the SUN is rising, in a mythical idolatrous consort goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient SUN-WORSHIP of the Sun-god BAAL! Throughout the Bible this is revealed as the MOST ABOMINABLE of all idolatry in the sight of the Eternal Creator!
Deuterononmy 12:30:Do not inquire regarding their gods, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I, too, would do the same.'
Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." - Exodus 23:13, NIVSB
God demands serious and uncompromised exclusivity in devotion,which would be compromised if we adopt pagan customs into our worship of Him,no matter how harmless they may seem.Thay cannot be if they have such horrific,destructive,disgusting origins.
These Pagan legends and practices infiltrated Christianity to make it more appealing to the pagans.Easter is a commercial holiday chockfull of pagan inspired goodies,or should I say baddies?Is this ok?Of course not!
The commemoration of the death of our Savior is being mocked & disrespected by commercialism and pagan practices wrapped in childish packages,packages that God called abominations and detrimental practices deserving of destruction for those who partook.God had the Babylonians take the Jews captive for offering what we now call HOT CROSS BUNS to false pagan gods!
More from another website linked up yonder:
To the Thessalonians Paul stated, "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," and only some 30 years after the Church began! He referred to the very "Chaldean Mysteries," of which Easter and Christmas were the two chief festivals! (2 Th 2:7)
For those who say only the Roman Catholic church will be judged for abominations and apostacy etc..keep in mind she is called the mother harlot..which means she has children.
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities'" (Revelation 18:4,5).
We need to test and make sure our denominations and places of worship aren't upholding her pagan adopted practices like the blatant commercial and pagan originated holidays.Is it possible that celebrating these would make one more a part of the world than an earnest servant of God?
John 17:16 Jesus said about his followers "They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world".
God clearly condemned,hated,was angry and hurt over everything that Easter and other holidays like it originated from.Easter and other holidays incorporate all the bells and whistles of pagan rituals,a little repackaged..but still remarkably blatant.
Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch NO UNCLEAN THING, and I will receive you." - 2 Cor. 6:17.
For those who say that all these things don't mean anything pagan for you personally and are simply harmless,well,I cannot dictate your conscience to you but what I can say is that I don't understand your thinking.That would be like the Israelites observing the pagans' way of doing things,adopting it then calling it something else and excusing it.I don't think God would like the excuses nor do I think he would shrug His shoulders at willful ignorance and the commercialization,lies attached and pagan customs adopted into Christianity.In fact,it would make him jealous,hurt and fiercely angry.I know this because I have read the OT and I didn't see anyone escape his wrath who had ANYTHING to do with pagan practices,no matter how pretty or appealing or seductive the packages were.
Matthew 15:6:You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7
Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
8
'This people honors me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;
Why even pretend the origin of holiday practices and all their customs aren't pagan adopted?Who cares if it all seems to be like an angel of light?Didn't God warn us about that?Do you really think Satan would make everything detestable feel and look detestable?No more excuses for shallowness,nonchalance and pretend time.At least that's my opinion.I will point out that I am not judging someone's eternal salvation by whether or not they celebrate holidays..God said love covers a multitude of sin and we all fall short in some respects..He is the perfect, just, and only judge through Christ..I am simply appealing to Christians with the facts about Easter ,why it isn't ok,and why I and many other Christians have no personal interest in taking part.But awww..isn't it cute?No.
1 Corinthians 10:20
what they sacrifice, (they sacrifice) to demons,not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons.
21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.
22
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?
"The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth to come to repentance." (Acts 17:30)
http://www.allaboutjesuschrist.org/origin-of-the-easter-bunny-faq.htm
http://www.zenzibar.com/Articles/easter.asp
http://www.albatrus.org/english/festivals/easter/is_easter_pagan.htm
Jeremiah 7:18:The children gather wood, the fathers kindle fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And they pour out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke me to anger.
So who was this Queen of Heaven?It was the Sun god Baal's consort Astarte,also known in Nineveh as Ishtar.As I'm sure many of you know Ishtar is also known as the goddess Easter.Notice also in Jeremiah the women kneaded dough and made cakes for her..these today are the Hot Cross buns of Good Friday.
This sacred bread offered to the gods of antiquity was called "boun."
And from whence did the eggs at Easter time come?What inspired those?Jesus Christ?Of course not!Let's take a look in the book "The Two Babylons" by Alexander Hislop to see.
from pages 103-112 where he talks about the origins of Easter(a couple lil points put in my own words..) it communicates
In ancient times eggs were used in the religious rites of the Egyptians and the Greeks,and were hung up for mystic purposes in their temples.The classic poets are full of the fable of the mystic egg of the Babylonians.Semiramis died & reincarnated on the first Sunday after the vernal equinox by the following means:An egg of wondrous size(containing this goddess of fertility) is said to have fallen from heaven into the River Euphrates.The fishes rolled it to the bank,the doves settled upon and hatched it,and out came Venus,afterwards called the Syrian goddess Astarte.Hence the egg became one of the symbols for her,for Easter.The Romish church adopted this mystic egg of Astarte and consecrated it as a symbol of Christ's resurrection.Pagan religions in the Mediterranean area had a celebration at or after the Spring Equinox.
Many ancient heathen peoples used eggs,sometimes dyed and painted,in their celebrations,idolatries and religious rites,from the Druids to the Hindus to the Japanese and Chinese.And ,well,now the Christians do.
So what about that lovely Easter ham?What inspired that?Jesus Christ?Of course not!
Semiramis's son (he was also her husband!)Tammuz was gored by a wild boar when he was 40.After this,he was worshipped or honored by people weeping for 40 days,a day for each year of his life.These 40 days of weeping for him was one of the origins of Lent!Then they killed the wild boar that killed him and ate HAM on Easter Sunday.And,well,now the Christians do.
More about Lent from Hislop:
"The forty days' abstinence of the Lent was directly borrowed from the worshippers of the Babylonian goddess. Such a Lent of forty days, 'in the spring of the year,' is still observed by the pagan Devil worshippers of Koordistan, who have inherited it from their early masters, the Babylonians. Such a Lent was held by the pagan Mexicans, in honor of the sun.... Such Lent was observed in Egypt (Wilkinson's Egyptians). This Egyptian Lent of forty days was held expressly in commemoration of Adonis or Osiris, the great mediatorial god." (the Two Babylons, by Hislop, pages 104 and 105, and Sabean Researches, by Landseer, p. 112).
1 Corinthians 10:31 (New International Version)
31So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
My guess would be that it doesn't glorify him to adopt pagan traditions and practices into your "Christian" worship.
What about those cute bunnies at Easter?What inspired those?Jesus Christ?Of course not!!
Easter was the goddess of fertility and Springtime,and her symbol was the rabbit.Anglo-Saxons worshipped the rabbit believing it to be Easter's earthly incarnation.
And what about the Easter sunrise service?
The following info is straight from a website I linked up top:
The Easter sunrise service is derived from the ancient pagan practice of welcoming the sun on the morning of the spring equinox, marking the beginning of spring. What we now call Easter lilies were revered by the ancients as symbols of fertility and representative of the male genitalia. The ancient Babylonian religions had rituals involving dyed eggs as did the ancient Egyptians.So, next Sunday, if you go to an Easter sunrise service, hunt for colored eggs or eat marshmallow bunnies, remember you are indulging in pagan rituals that celebrate fertility and the advent of springtime!
Ezekiel 8:16: And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD' house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
Ezekiel 8:18: Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them
From another site also linked up top:
It is the same identical thing millions are doing every Easter Sunday morning--- the sun-rise services--- standing with their faces towards the east, as the SUN is rising, in a mythical idolatrous consort goddess Easter. Yes, deceived into believing this is Christian, millions practice every Easter the identical form of the ancient SUN-WORSHIP of the Sun-god BAAL! Throughout the Bible this is revealed as the MOST ABOMINABLE of all idolatry in the sight of the Eternal Creator!
Deuterononmy 12:30:Do not inquire regarding their gods, 'How did these nations worship their gods? I, too, would do the same.'
Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips." - Exodus 23:13, NIVSB
God demands serious and uncompromised exclusivity in devotion,which would be compromised if we adopt pagan customs into our worship of Him,no matter how harmless they may seem.Thay cannot be if they have such horrific,destructive,disgusting origins.
These Pagan legends and practices infiltrated Christianity to make it more appealing to the pagans.Easter is a commercial holiday chockfull of pagan inspired goodies,or should I say baddies?Is this ok?Of course not!
The commemoration of the death of our Savior is being mocked & disrespected by commercialism and pagan practices wrapped in childish packages,packages that God called abominations and detrimental practices deserving of destruction for those who partook.God had the Babylonians take the Jews captive for offering what we now call HOT CROSS BUNS to false pagan gods!
More from another website linked up yonder:
To the Thessalonians Paul stated, "the mystery of iniquity doth already work," and only some 30 years after the Church began! He referred to the very "Chaldean Mysteries," of which Easter and Christmas were the two chief festivals! (2 Th 2:7)
For those who say only the Roman Catholic church will be judged for abominations and apostacy etc..keep in mind she is called the mother harlot..which means she has children.
And I heard another voice from heaven saying, 'Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities'" (Revelation 18:4,5).
We need to test and make sure our denominations and places of worship aren't upholding her pagan adopted practices like the blatant commercial and pagan originated holidays.Is it possible that celebrating these would make one more a part of the world than an earnest servant of God?
John 17:16 Jesus said about his followers "They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world".
God clearly condemned,hated,was angry and hurt over everything that Easter and other holidays like it originated from.Easter and other holidays incorporate all the bells and whistles of pagan rituals,a little repackaged..but still remarkably blatant.
Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch NO UNCLEAN THING, and I will receive you." - 2 Cor. 6:17.
For those who say that all these things don't mean anything pagan for you personally and are simply harmless,well,I cannot dictate your conscience to you but what I can say is that I don't understand your thinking.That would be like the Israelites observing the pagans' way of doing things,adopting it then calling it something else and excusing it.I don't think God would like the excuses nor do I think he would shrug His shoulders at willful ignorance and the commercialization,lies attached and pagan customs adopted into Christianity.In fact,it would make him jealous,hurt and fiercely angry.I know this because I have read the OT and I didn't see anyone escape his wrath who had ANYTHING to do with pagan practices,no matter how pretty or appealing or seductive the packages were.
Matthew 15:6:You have nullified the word of God for the sake of your tradition.
7
Hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy about you when he said:
8
'This people honors me with their lips,but their hearts are far from me;
Why even pretend the origin of holiday practices and all their customs aren't pagan adopted?Who cares if it all seems to be like an angel of light?Didn't God warn us about that?Do you really think Satan would make everything detestable feel and look detestable?No more excuses for shallowness,nonchalance and pretend time.At least that's my opinion.I will point out that I am not judging someone's eternal salvation by whether or not they celebrate holidays..God said love covers a multitude of sin and we all fall short in some respects..He is the perfect, just, and only judge through Christ..I am simply appealing to Christians with the facts about Easter ,why it isn't ok,and why I and many other Christians have no personal interest in taking part.But awww..isn't it cute?No.
1 Corinthians 10:20
what they sacrifice, (they sacrifice) to demons,not to God, and I do not want you to become participants with demons.
21
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and of the table of demons.
22
Or are we provoking the Lord to jealous anger? Are we stronger than he?
"The times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth to come to repentance." (Acts 17:30)
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Did the disciples go door to door like Jehovah's Witnesses do?
This blog is inspired by the book "In Search of Christian Freedom" by former governing body member Ray Franz..HIGHLY recommended for JW's and ex JW's.First Read "Crisis of Conscience" then this one.
Though there are many other groups who evangelize,some of which do it door to door,no other group but the JW's place such an emphasis on doing so as evidence of the genuiness of one's Christianity and faith.
The WT certainly imposes guilt on individual JW consciences if they do not participate enough in this "field ministry."They kind of speak out of both sides of their mouth.On one hand,they say not to compare your activity in the field service to others' activity.But THEN they will, out of the other side of their mouth,say that ones who aren't active enough and who don't attend every meeting when they're physically able are spiritually weak and bad associations.Talk about a guilt trip and an imposition on one's conscience,sly and unwarranted.Sort of similar to the Pope making his followers feel guilt for failure to attend Mass regularly.
Even though the bible makes it clear that there is absolutely NOTHING we can do to earn our salvation because ONLY the blood of the Lamb of God can accomplish that,WT literature makes things such as the following loud and clear for their followers:
"It is by our endurance in proclaiming "this good news of the kingdom" that we may attain to salvation."~WT 7/15/1979
So right off the bat,an apropos question would be :Why as a JW do you buy in to this?Do you believe like the WT teaches that we cannot "attain to salvation" without enduring in the kind of preaching activity just as they set it out?If the bible is true and there's nothing we can do to buy our salvation..no work at all..then wouldn't that fact render statements like these as outright lies?Yes,faith produces good works..so why doesn't the WT organization trust the rank and file to have enough faith to produce works that satisfy individuals' consciences and their proddings?And that may include SOME OTHER way of sharing the good news.
To quote Ray Franz:
"There is little doubt that the majority of JW's have come to accept the teaching that this particular method of door-to-door witnessing is a God-ordained one,that it was the method used by Christ and his disciples,and that it is the best and most effective way to accomplish a worldwide preaching of the good news in our time."~"In Search of Christian Freedom" p. 208
Sometimes,people are arrested for this activity and have to leave behind their familes.One POIGNANT example is Nancy Yuen who(a while ago )left 4 children,one of whom was only 1 yr. old,was detained for 4 yrs.,then finally sentenced.Another JW,a schoolteacher,also with 4 children,was arrested.
Apparently,because of WT literature,these women,who faced the intense and frightening prospect of being separated for an indefinite amount of time from their children,assumed that this particualr method of preaching was necessary,as if there aren't alternative methods,some even superior possibly.The organization hailed Nancy in an article for her being willing to go to prison for the door to door activity so apparently they approve of viewing this particular preaching method as a NECESSARY method if one is physically able at all.Nancy Yuen,after being arrested 6 times,wasn't reunited with her family for TWENTY-THREE YEARS.By that time,her children were grown.
She stated "I had to give up everything,even my little children to be loyal to God."
Was she really being loyal to God or men?Could she have possibly found some other method of reaching people with "the good news of God's kingdom" and been able to be there for her family and serve God outside imprisonment?Was she possibly influenced by repetition and reiteration in WT literature such as this?:
"The dedicated one MUST BE a house-to-house witness as was Christ Jesus and his apostles to the extent of his ability."-WT 7/01/1955
"Thousands have experienced arrest and imprisonment simply because they felt under obligation to maintain that method of spreading their message in the face of contrary legal restriction."-Ray Franz "In Search of Christian Freedom" p. 212
Through letters to the society,circuit overseers and others have expressed THEIR conscientious concerns about the society itself imposing guilt on people for not living up to their manmade objectives.
Witnesses are taught to either attend every meeting,go in field service as much as is humanly possible and to read and study EVERY publication or they just aren't doing enough.They are then labelled as weak and made to feel unworthy if these objectives aren't fully met.Is it encouraging or burdensome to have such heavy loads?What about families who have numerous obligations and people who have to work a lot or elders who have too many responsibilities to realistically fulfill the expectations they hear and read about constantly in WT publications?
A circuit overseer said in a letter he sent to the society in regards to the aftermath of circuit overseer visits:
"These talks many times have the effect of beating a faithful and tired horse that already feels overworked."
Now before I continue,I want to make something clear.I don't condemn door to door activity nor the declaration of the good news of God's kingdom in the manner the apostles accomplished it.But obviously it is of the utmost importance to "make sure of all things,"to see if there are any other possible interpretations of the texts JW's incorporate to insist that a literal door to door ministry is that of which the apostles partook.Is it POSSIBLE the WT has mislead their followers?Let's see.
Acts 5:42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.
Acts 20:20:I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.
JW's automatically assume this is a literal consecutive going from door to door.
To quote Ray:
"A person can go from house to house by going from a home in one area to a home in another area,just as a doctor making "house calls" might go from home to home.It does not at all require the idea of consecutive door-to-door visitation." p.214
In Acts 2:46: And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart
In that text the same distributive sense of the greek word KATA appears just like it does in Acts 5:42,yet the NWT renders a distinction.
"Because it is illogical to think that the disciples' taking meals was done by going from one house to the next on down the street ,and since the WT society wishes that particular sense to attach to the phrase "from house to house" (in support of its door to door activity) it does not want to raise probable questions by using the rendering "house to house" here.As stated,most Witnesses do not realize this switching of renderings and the WT society prefers not to call attention to it or address it openly."-p.215
In other words,in the texts where house to house is used,another possible rendering is,according to the society's own interlinear and interpretation in other texts,"in private homes."It isn't that house to house is a poor translation at all..It's perfectly acceptable.What is iffy is attaching a meaning to it that,given some evidence,may not be the proper honest one.
"That the apostles and other early Christians visited people in their private homes is clear.That they engaged in door-to-door activity as done by JW's today is definitely NOT clear.It is a claim with absolutely no supporting proof."-p.215
Before you as a JW label this man as insane,keep in mind he was a member of the governing body and made it his mission to examine this and the society's claims diligently and thoroughly.
Examine:
Matthew 10:9 Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your girdle purses, 10 or a food pouch for the trip, or two undergarments, or sandals or a staff; for the worker deserves his food. 11 “Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. 12 When you are entering into the house, greet the household; 13 and if the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. 14 Wherever anyone does not take you in or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off your feet.
JW's say that searching out people signifies going door to literal door to find those receptive to WT teachings."Stay there until you leave" is rarely addressed in the literature.My opinion is because they know that,after various discussions within governing body meetings and concerns raised,that these texts are about OBTAINING LODGING.Clearly,this doesn't demand the view that Christ and the apostles actually went door to door in the same current JW fashion,but rather only demands that they visited private homes to obtain lodging in this instance,being instructed to stay where they were received hospitably.Makes sense huh?Certainly makes more sense than the WT interpretation to me personally after examining the context.
To quote the WT:
"The carrying of the kingdom message from house to house in printed form, and presenting this to the people, is too humiliating for such self-important ones...Even today there are those who, from time to time, find the field service a drudgery and attending meetings tedious. This is what can happen when we lose our fear of Jehovah and, along with it, our love for him.
The article goes on to say:How sad the outcome is for those who lose the fear of God! They lack appreciation for the undeserved privilege of having a relationship with the Sovereign of the universe." -WT 12/01/1987
Apparently,the WT thinks we don't fear or love or even have a relationship with God if we don't hand out their magazines door to door.And this is the kind of rhetoric that is pretty constant in the publications.Obviously,this is intimidating and manipulating.Just another example of them comparing fully meeting their manmade requirements and policies to pleasing God himself.No matter how the bible may lack support for all their claims.Where does Jehovah say you don't love or fear or even know him if you don't hand out WT literature door to door?Interesting indeed that these quotes in the 1987 publication were quotes from a 1937 publication that was written by Judge Rutherford who took no part in door-to-door activity.
The WT writes all their articles about house to house activity with deceptive rhetoric to mold the holy texts to THEIR OWN ideal,instead of presenting ALL the facts.That isn't right.
Sharing the good news IS vital. HOW it is actually done is not as vital as they would have you believe.It can be done at work,in public,through internet,in casual conversations with family or friends or strangers..a NUMBER of ways.
As Ray points out,the other 30 accounts where the word "house" or "home" occurs should be of interest.And it is always in relation to LODGING or GATHERING.There is no single instance of disciples going from one door to the very next door in succession.The Greek phrase "katoikin" is used 4 times in reference to the believers gathering in the disciples private homes.Just more evidence that "house to house" probably connotes these types of gatherings.
examine:
Luke 10:7:Do not be transferring from house to house.
This phrase makes sense only if one understands that the context is Jesus exhorting his disciples to search suitable homes for lodging and remaining there once its found.Conveniently,the WT isolates surrounding texts and largely ignores the points they don't like altogether and the implication in this one..Or imposes their own interpretation on them that makes little sense.It CLEARLY says NOT to transfer from house to house.What it DOESN'T say is TO transfer from house to house after a few minutes in one where one receives the WT literature hospitably.
KATO is distributive,not consecutive.Meaning the disciples visited homes but not necessarily literally knocking on door after literal door.But rather going to find lodging,visiting those they've met publicly,or congregating in homes,depending on where we are in scripture.In Acts 20:20,equally as many a number of translations render "house to house" as "in private homes" or "at home."
Was Jesus giving instructions on preaching activity or as to obtaining lodging?
To quote Ray
"The disciples ALREADY KNEW how Jesus "witnessed" for they had been with him and observed his example.Their own accounts say nothing of his going from house to house but DO relate his speaking in synagogues,marketplaces and other public places and of his accepting invitations to particular homes and speaking to people present there."-p.226,footnote.
It can only be viewed as intellectual dishonesty that the WT never once presents alternative interpretations(superior imo),but rather hides what they've learned through study and governing body meeting discussion on the topic with continual circular reasoning and positive statements in their literature,shamelessly.Surely as reasonable JW's you can discern that the way men assert their views in such a positive and charismatic and single minded fashion can fool and blind the readers or listeners to think there is no other option or interpretation.Secular Christian books and orthodox sermons accomplish about the same thing for millions of Christians.JW's recognize the deception there but not within their own organization.
Keep in mind the disciples publicly preached FIRST then went to the private homes of ones they had met publicly preaching.A good example is Lydia who Paul met in public then went to her home as a guest.These accounts in no way support a WT interpretation.None of these biblical accounts where disciples are made,and they are numerous,indicate that it was from door to door activity.In Luke's eyewitness accounts,he gives evidence of MANY becoming believers and it was as a result of public talks in public places in a public manner.The 3,000 at Pentecost became believers THAT VERY DAY(another thing that is supposedly impossible in the world of the Watchtower where it takes seemingly forever to be acceptable enough to get baptized.)These ones were not responding to door to door activity either.All those who became disciples became acquainted with those who helped them in public somewhere.If homes were involved,it was by invitation most likely.
Questions from Ray,in my own words:
Where had Paul borne witness about repentance toward Yah and faith in the Messiah?From door to door activity?OR in public places,mainly synagogues?When homes WERE involved,had he gone there in door to door activity ,or had he in each case been invited to that specific home?Could this be what Jesus meant when he said to stay in the homes of "worthy persons?"
Paul found believers publicly and then THEREAFTER went to their homes to give personalized instruction.This seems to be what all the evidence as a whole suggests,so why does the WT fail to recognize or report this?Could they fear a drop in door to door activity if they release all the pressure in accomplishing the ministry via this method,and,essentially,a great loss of money since they make so much through literature used in the field ministry?Could they fear a shaking of their empire?
Only a small fraction of the enormous volume of WT publications distributed actually get read.However,the volume put out gives an impression of a greater worldwide witness than is actually accomplished.The apostle Paul taught in private homes where he was invited which starkly contrasts the Jehovah's Witness method of brief preaching,handing out of literature,and RARELY teaching,usually not even getting past the doorstep.When they do,it doesn't exactly constitute a "bearing of thorough witness about repentance and faith in the Lord" but rather a hoping that the "householder" will read the WT publications.Which cannot do the wonders or offer the whole truth and nothing but the truth that holy scripture can.
As for feelings of empathy that JW's claim they have for the people they're trying to reach,Ray says:
"The very fact that Witnesses are trained to think of the people they visit as "worldlings,"to discount any profession of spirituality on their part as not genuinely Christian,and to view only those few who respond as "sheeplike,"certainly hinders any true empathetic feelings.Even if a person is suffering due to severe problems and needs,rarely will the Witness concern himself with anything other than seeking to place literature or making a convert."-p.233
I might add a convert to an organization and not to Christ because the organization forbids almost every JW from actually being in Christ.
Fact is,there is stronge evidence that most people become JW's through family or friends or informal witnessing at work or elsewhere and not in the door to door activity at all.There is simply too much emphasis placed on hours,time sheets and magazine placement as if it is more meaningful than love,faith and reaching out without legalism and burden attached.An honest ministry should be accomplished out of faith and love as opposed to fear of being perceived as spiritually weak or not Christian enough.And if as a JW,you claim the WT uses no such intimidation or fear tactics,I can offer my testimony that I WAS influenced by the propaganda in the literature to do more,do more,do more or be unworthy of my brothers and sisters and Jehovah's love.I was motivated by imposed fear along with my faith and love in Jehovah.I did feel stress and pressure.Not from Jesus,whose load is light,but from WT literature inspired by legalistic men.
My intentions here are not to emphasize that the JW's are doing something wrong by going door to door.But rather to get them to think about the possibility that they have been misled by men who hide the actual most logical interpretations of the texts that they use constantly to instill fear in JW's that if they do not accomplish their ministry in this particular manner that they aren't really "Christian."Obviously,the society wholeheartedly portrays this method as vital and fundamental to their very existence as Christians.That is both dishonest and sketchy.They're hiding a lot.They have secret meetings the rank and file will never know about where they have discussed these matters and are well aware that these texts don't prove a literal going door to door of the apostles but rather a visiting of private homes to either obtain lodging or visit ones they met in synagogues or in public or to meet in humble Christian home gatherings.That simple.
Other valid interpretations that convey the sense of what actually occurred given all the evidence,the contexts,and all the biblical records:
Acts 20:20:I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.(New Living Translation)
And how I kept back nothing which might be of profit to you, teaching you publicly and privately,(Bible in Basic English)
and that I never shrank from declaring to you anything that was profitable, or from teaching you in public and in your homes,(Weymouth NT)
Acts 5:42:And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.(American Standard Version)
And every day, in the Temple and privately, they went on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.(Bible in Basic English)
But they did not desist from teaching every day, in the Temple or in private houses, and telling the Good News about Jesus, the Christ.(Weymouth NT)
Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.(World English Bible)
etc..
Of course I encourage individual JW research to make the truth your own.It isn't ok for men to hide all the facts,ignore the most logical interpretations,and to build and maintain a facade that enslaves people to a particular manmade policy that has sent some people to prison and holds others captive to the concept that they're not even Christian or decent if they don't follow the rules in WT literature and the instruction given at kingdom hall podiums to the letter.May your faith in and love for Yaheweh guide you all to share the good news in whatever capacity you feel compelled,making converts to Yeshua,to be born again in him(or you've no way to enter the kingdom) as opposed to converts to an organization that cannot save you like the Messiah can.Don't let men nor a latter day manmade organization insist to you it's your Messiah.A "mother organization" is an idol.My intention here is not to criticize an organization just for the heck of it but to wake up JW's misled by blind guides to bring them to Christ,the only way to salvation.The REAL truth.Exposing the MEN they follow may help them follow their true shepherd,their Lord.
Psalm 118:8:It is better to take refuge in Jehovah Than to trust in earthling man.
Though there are many other groups who evangelize,some of which do it door to door,no other group but the JW's place such an emphasis on doing so as evidence of the genuiness of one's Christianity and faith.
The WT certainly imposes guilt on individual JW consciences if they do not participate enough in this "field ministry."They kind of speak out of both sides of their mouth.On one hand,they say not to compare your activity in the field service to others' activity.But THEN they will, out of the other side of their mouth,say that ones who aren't active enough and who don't attend every meeting when they're physically able are spiritually weak and bad associations.Talk about a guilt trip and an imposition on one's conscience,sly and unwarranted.Sort of similar to the Pope making his followers feel guilt for failure to attend Mass regularly.
Even though the bible makes it clear that there is absolutely NOTHING we can do to earn our salvation because ONLY the blood of the Lamb of God can accomplish that,WT literature makes things such as the following loud and clear for their followers:
"It is by our endurance in proclaiming "this good news of the kingdom" that we may attain to salvation."~WT 7/15/1979
So right off the bat,an apropos question would be :Why as a JW do you buy in to this?Do you believe like the WT teaches that we cannot "attain to salvation" without enduring in the kind of preaching activity just as they set it out?If the bible is true and there's nothing we can do to buy our salvation..no work at all..then wouldn't that fact render statements like these as outright lies?Yes,faith produces good works..so why doesn't the WT organization trust the rank and file to have enough faith to produce works that satisfy individuals' consciences and their proddings?And that may include SOME OTHER way of sharing the good news.
To quote Ray Franz:
"There is little doubt that the majority of JW's have come to accept the teaching that this particular method of door-to-door witnessing is a God-ordained one,that it was the method used by Christ and his disciples,and that it is the best and most effective way to accomplish a worldwide preaching of the good news in our time."~"In Search of Christian Freedom" p. 208
Sometimes,people are arrested for this activity and have to leave behind their familes.One POIGNANT example is Nancy Yuen who(a while ago )left 4 children,one of whom was only 1 yr. old,was detained for 4 yrs.,then finally sentenced.Another JW,a schoolteacher,also with 4 children,was arrested.
Apparently,because of WT literature,these women,who faced the intense and frightening prospect of being separated for an indefinite amount of time from their children,assumed that this particualr method of preaching was necessary,as if there aren't alternative methods,some even superior possibly.The organization hailed Nancy in an article for her being willing to go to prison for the door to door activity so apparently they approve of viewing this particular preaching method as a NECESSARY method if one is physically able at all.Nancy Yuen,after being arrested 6 times,wasn't reunited with her family for TWENTY-THREE YEARS.By that time,her children were grown.
She stated "I had to give up everything,even my little children to be loyal to God."
Was she really being loyal to God or men?Could she have possibly found some other method of reaching people with "the good news of God's kingdom" and been able to be there for her family and serve God outside imprisonment?Was she possibly influenced by repetition and reiteration in WT literature such as this?:
"The dedicated one MUST BE a house-to-house witness as was Christ Jesus and his apostles to the extent of his ability."-WT 7/01/1955
"Thousands have experienced arrest and imprisonment simply because they felt under obligation to maintain that method of spreading their message in the face of contrary legal restriction."-Ray Franz "In Search of Christian Freedom" p. 212
Through letters to the society,circuit overseers and others have expressed THEIR conscientious concerns about the society itself imposing guilt on people for not living up to their manmade objectives.
Witnesses are taught to either attend every meeting,go in field service as much as is humanly possible and to read and study EVERY publication or they just aren't doing enough.They are then labelled as weak and made to feel unworthy if these objectives aren't fully met.Is it encouraging or burdensome to have such heavy loads?What about families who have numerous obligations and people who have to work a lot or elders who have too many responsibilities to realistically fulfill the expectations they hear and read about constantly in WT publications?
A circuit overseer said in a letter he sent to the society in regards to the aftermath of circuit overseer visits:
"These talks many times have the effect of beating a faithful and tired horse that already feels overworked."
Now before I continue,I want to make something clear.I don't condemn door to door activity nor the declaration of the good news of God's kingdom in the manner the apostles accomplished it.But obviously it is of the utmost importance to "make sure of all things,"to see if there are any other possible interpretations of the texts JW's incorporate to insist that a literal door to door ministry is that of which the apostles partook.Is it POSSIBLE the WT has mislead their followers?Let's see.
Acts 5:42 And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus.
Acts 20:20:I did not hold back from telling you any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching you publicly and from house to house.
JW's automatically assume this is a literal consecutive going from door to door.
To quote Ray:
"A person can go from house to house by going from a home in one area to a home in another area,just as a doctor making "house calls" might go from home to home.It does not at all require the idea of consecutive door-to-door visitation." p.214
In Acts 2:46: And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart
In that text the same distributive sense of the greek word KATA appears just like it does in Acts 5:42,yet the NWT renders a distinction.
"Because it is illogical to think that the disciples' taking meals was done by going from one house to the next on down the street ,and since the WT society wishes that particular sense to attach to the phrase "from house to house" (in support of its door to door activity) it does not want to raise probable questions by using the rendering "house to house" here.As stated,most Witnesses do not realize this switching of renderings and the WT society prefers not to call attention to it or address it openly."-p.215
In other words,in the texts where house to house is used,another possible rendering is,according to the society's own interlinear and interpretation in other texts,"in private homes."It isn't that house to house is a poor translation at all..It's perfectly acceptable.What is iffy is attaching a meaning to it that,given some evidence,may not be the proper honest one.
"That the apostles and other early Christians visited people in their private homes is clear.That they engaged in door-to-door activity as done by JW's today is definitely NOT clear.It is a claim with absolutely no supporting proof."-p.215
Before you as a JW label this man as insane,keep in mind he was a member of the governing body and made it his mission to examine this and the society's claims diligently and thoroughly.
Examine:
Matthew 10:9 Do not procure gold or silver or copper for your girdle purses, 10 or a food pouch for the trip, or two undergarments, or sandals or a staff; for the worker deserves his food. 11 “Into whatever city or village you enter, search out who in it is deserving, and stay there until you leave. 12 When you are entering into the house, greet the household; 13 and if the house is deserving, let the peace you wish it come upon it; but if it is not deserving, let the peace from you return upon you. 14 Wherever anyone does not take you in or listen to your words, on going out of that house or that city shake the dust off your feet.
JW's say that searching out people signifies going door to literal door to find those receptive to WT teachings."Stay there until you leave" is rarely addressed in the literature.My opinion is because they know that,after various discussions within governing body meetings and concerns raised,that these texts are about OBTAINING LODGING.Clearly,this doesn't demand the view that Christ and the apostles actually went door to door in the same current JW fashion,but rather only demands that they visited private homes to obtain lodging in this instance,being instructed to stay where they were received hospitably.Makes sense huh?Certainly makes more sense than the WT interpretation to me personally after examining the context.
To quote the WT:
"The carrying of the kingdom message from house to house in printed form, and presenting this to the people, is too humiliating for such self-important ones...Even today there are those who, from time to time, find the field service a drudgery and attending meetings tedious. This is what can happen when we lose our fear of Jehovah and, along with it, our love for him.
The article goes on to say:How sad the outcome is for those who lose the fear of God! They lack appreciation for the undeserved privilege of having a relationship with the Sovereign of the universe." -WT 12/01/1987
Apparently,the WT thinks we don't fear or love or even have a relationship with God if we don't hand out their magazines door to door.And this is the kind of rhetoric that is pretty constant in the publications.Obviously,this is intimidating and manipulating.Just another example of them comparing fully meeting their manmade requirements and policies to pleasing God himself.No matter how the bible may lack support for all their claims.Where does Jehovah say you don't love or fear or even know him if you don't hand out WT literature door to door?Interesting indeed that these quotes in the 1987 publication were quotes from a 1937 publication that was written by Judge Rutherford who took no part in door-to-door activity.
The WT writes all their articles about house to house activity with deceptive rhetoric to mold the holy texts to THEIR OWN ideal,instead of presenting ALL the facts.That isn't right.
Sharing the good news IS vital. HOW it is actually done is not as vital as they would have you believe.It can be done at work,in public,through internet,in casual conversations with family or friends or strangers..a NUMBER of ways.
As Ray points out,the other 30 accounts where the word "house" or "home" occurs should be of interest.And it is always in relation to LODGING or GATHERING.There is no single instance of disciples going from one door to the very next door in succession.The Greek phrase "katoikin" is used 4 times in reference to the believers gathering in the disciples private homes.Just more evidence that "house to house" probably connotes these types of gatherings.
examine:
Luke 10:7:Do not be transferring from house to house.
This phrase makes sense only if one understands that the context is Jesus exhorting his disciples to search suitable homes for lodging and remaining there once its found.Conveniently,the WT isolates surrounding texts and largely ignores the points they don't like altogether and the implication in this one..Or imposes their own interpretation on them that makes little sense.It CLEARLY says NOT to transfer from house to house.What it DOESN'T say is TO transfer from house to house after a few minutes in one where one receives the WT literature hospitably.
KATO is distributive,not consecutive.Meaning the disciples visited homes but not necessarily literally knocking on door after literal door.But rather going to find lodging,visiting those they've met publicly,or congregating in homes,depending on where we are in scripture.In Acts 20:20,equally as many a number of translations render "house to house" as "in private homes" or "at home."
Was Jesus giving instructions on preaching activity or as to obtaining lodging?
To quote Ray
"The disciples ALREADY KNEW how Jesus "witnessed" for they had been with him and observed his example.Their own accounts say nothing of his going from house to house but DO relate his speaking in synagogues,marketplaces and other public places and of his accepting invitations to particular homes and speaking to people present there."-p.226,footnote.
It can only be viewed as intellectual dishonesty that the WT never once presents alternative interpretations(superior imo),but rather hides what they've learned through study and governing body meeting discussion on the topic with continual circular reasoning and positive statements in their literature,shamelessly.Surely as reasonable JW's you can discern that the way men assert their views in such a positive and charismatic and single minded fashion can fool and blind the readers or listeners to think there is no other option or interpretation.Secular Christian books and orthodox sermons accomplish about the same thing for millions of Christians.JW's recognize the deception there but not within their own organization.
Keep in mind the disciples publicly preached FIRST then went to the private homes of ones they had met publicly preaching.A good example is Lydia who Paul met in public then went to her home as a guest.These accounts in no way support a WT interpretation.None of these biblical accounts where disciples are made,and they are numerous,indicate that it was from door to door activity.In Luke's eyewitness accounts,he gives evidence of MANY becoming believers and it was as a result of public talks in public places in a public manner.The 3,000 at Pentecost became believers THAT VERY DAY(another thing that is supposedly impossible in the world of the Watchtower where it takes seemingly forever to be acceptable enough to get baptized.)These ones were not responding to door to door activity either.All those who became disciples became acquainted with those who helped them in public somewhere.If homes were involved,it was by invitation most likely.
Questions from Ray,in my own words:
Where had Paul borne witness about repentance toward Yah and faith in the Messiah?From door to door activity?OR in public places,mainly synagogues?When homes WERE involved,had he gone there in door to door activity ,or had he in each case been invited to that specific home?Could this be what Jesus meant when he said to stay in the homes of "worthy persons?"
Paul found believers publicly and then THEREAFTER went to their homes to give personalized instruction.This seems to be what all the evidence as a whole suggests,so why does the WT fail to recognize or report this?Could they fear a drop in door to door activity if they release all the pressure in accomplishing the ministry via this method,and,essentially,a great loss of money since they make so much through literature used in the field ministry?Could they fear a shaking of their empire?
Only a small fraction of the enormous volume of WT publications distributed actually get read.However,the volume put out gives an impression of a greater worldwide witness than is actually accomplished.The apostle Paul taught in private homes where he was invited which starkly contrasts the Jehovah's Witness method of brief preaching,handing out of literature,and RARELY teaching,usually not even getting past the doorstep.When they do,it doesn't exactly constitute a "bearing of thorough witness about repentance and faith in the Lord" but rather a hoping that the "householder" will read the WT publications.Which cannot do the wonders or offer the whole truth and nothing but the truth that holy scripture can.
As for feelings of empathy that JW's claim they have for the people they're trying to reach,Ray says:
"The very fact that Witnesses are trained to think of the people they visit as "worldlings,"to discount any profession of spirituality on their part as not genuinely Christian,and to view only those few who respond as "sheeplike,"certainly hinders any true empathetic feelings.Even if a person is suffering due to severe problems and needs,rarely will the Witness concern himself with anything other than seeking to place literature or making a convert."-p.233
I might add a convert to an organization and not to Christ because the organization forbids almost every JW from actually being in Christ.
Fact is,there is stronge evidence that most people become JW's through family or friends or informal witnessing at work or elsewhere and not in the door to door activity at all.There is simply too much emphasis placed on hours,time sheets and magazine placement as if it is more meaningful than love,faith and reaching out without legalism and burden attached.An honest ministry should be accomplished out of faith and love as opposed to fear of being perceived as spiritually weak or not Christian enough.And if as a JW,you claim the WT uses no such intimidation or fear tactics,I can offer my testimony that I WAS influenced by the propaganda in the literature to do more,do more,do more or be unworthy of my brothers and sisters and Jehovah's love.I was motivated by imposed fear along with my faith and love in Jehovah.I did feel stress and pressure.Not from Jesus,whose load is light,but from WT literature inspired by legalistic men.
My intentions here are not to emphasize that the JW's are doing something wrong by going door to door.But rather to get them to think about the possibility that they have been misled by men who hide the actual most logical interpretations of the texts that they use constantly to instill fear in JW's that if they do not accomplish their ministry in this particular manner that they aren't really "Christian."Obviously,the society wholeheartedly portrays this method as vital and fundamental to their very existence as Christians.That is both dishonest and sketchy.They're hiding a lot.They have secret meetings the rank and file will never know about where they have discussed these matters and are well aware that these texts don't prove a literal going door to door of the apostles but rather a visiting of private homes to either obtain lodging or visit ones they met in synagogues or in public or to meet in humble Christian home gatherings.That simple.
Other valid interpretations that convey the sense of what actually occurred given all the evidence,the contexts,and all the biblical records:
Acts 20:20:I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.(New Living Translation)
And how I kept back nothing which might be of profit to you, teaching you publicly and privately,(Bible in Basic English)
and that I never shrank from declaring to you anything that was profitable, or from teaching you in public and in your homes,(Weymouth NT)
Acts 5:42:And every day, in the temple and at home, they ceased not to teach and to preach Jesus as the Christ.(American Standard Version)
And every day, in the Temple and privately, they went on teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ.(Bible in Basic English)
But they did not desist from teaching every day, in the Temple or in private houses, and telling the Good News about Jesus, the Christ.(Weymouth NT)
Every day, in the temple and at home, they never stopped teaching and preaching Jesus, the Christ.(World English Bible)
etc..
Of course I encourage individual JW research to make the truth your own.It isn't ok for men to hide all the facts,ignore the most logical interpretations,and to build and maintain a facade that enslaves people to a particular manmade policy that has sent some people to prison and holds others captive to the concept that they're not even Christian or decent if they don't follow the rules in WT literature and the instruction given at kingdom hall podiums to the letter.May your faith in and love for Yaheweh guide you all to share the good news in whatever capacity you feel compelled,making converts to Yeshua,to be born again in him(or you've no way to enter the kingdom) as opposed to converts to an organization that cannot save you like the Messiah can.Don't let men nor a latter day manmade organization insist to you it's your Messiah.A "mother organization" is an idol.My intention here is not to criticize an organization just for the heck of it but to wake up JW's misled by blind guides to bring them to Christ,the only way to salvation.The REAL truth.Exposing the MEN they follow may help them follow their true shepherd,their Lord.
Psalm 118:8:It is better to take refuge in Jehovah Than to trust in earthling man.
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