Glen T. Winstein
Click here to edit subtitle
GTJ Brooklyn 1a cont.
Shun the blight of so-called "love"--only marry for sex
Having children is discouraged
Nathan H. Knorr
If Jerusalem won't come to Fred Franz, then Fred Franz will move Jerusalem
Satanic birthday cupcakes
Satanic Christian charity
Satanic efforts for human rights
Satanic fellowshipping
JWs leaders tell followers to stop worshipping their created Jesus
Satanic fellowshipping with the disfellowshipped
Jesus was blown up
Satanic personality--as in "practically any"
1919 starts to take on the present JWs leaders' definition
Satanic Chubby
Satanic higher education
Satanic worship of Apollo 11
The beginning of control by the Governing Body
Frederick W. Franz
Satanic sand the floor, wax on--wax off, paint the fence
Dowsing for evidence
Signs of The End
Satanic birthday cupcakes, Christmas trees, etc.
Satanic higher ed. is for selfish gain and deprives JWs leaders of the
results of JWs' literature sales time
Milton George Henschel
Invisible browsing from heaven part two
Lemon Pledge
Satanic homosexuality
History rewritten to make it seem like a JWs leader predicted something
Don Alden Adams
History rewritten again to make it seem like a JWs leader predicted
something about 1914 and 1918/1919
Intelligent design
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of in-
telligent design"
We must preserve the sanctity of our stance on blood--truth and others'
lives, we're not crazy about
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material under the heading
'We must preserve the sanctity of our stance on blood--truth and other's
lives, we're not crazy about'"
The deadline for how late a JW can have been born, 1935, and be able to
join the 144,000, which the JWs leaders claim to belong to, is dropped
The GB declares itself the only Faithful and Discreet Slave
The GB increases marketing and appears on the Internet
The GB requires "theocratic warfare" about child abuse
A few highlights in summary
Playing prophet badly is harder to pull off on TV
Shun the blight of so-called "love"--only marry for sex
1937 "That Delusion Called Love": "God's consecrated people do well to re-
frain from marriage unless they find themselves continually tormented with de-
sire for sexual intercourse, in which case they should marry." "For those of
the younger or older who have need to marry on this score, let them dispose of
the matter in candor and honesty." It encouraged followers that the recommended
course is "shunning the blight, the delusions and illusions of 'love' so called
and courtship, which bring reproach on the holy name of Jehovah." ("The Golden
Age," Jan.27, 1937) (See 1938 and 2000)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/wrong-with-being-jehovahs-witness.php
****
1937 The Watchtower Society withdrew from commercial radio. JWs were
equipped with wind-up phonograph players to take speeches of Rutherford door to
door: "...at an assembly in Columbus. Ohio, on September 15-20, 1937, the work
using the portable phonograph on the doorstep was introduced."
"Jehovah's Witnesses In The Divine Purpose," p.188
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lt3mJCsAiI0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLNq0cXiB2ohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLNq0cXiB2o
The records were made from 1934 to 1942. Rutherford had the JWs continue to
use the practice he started in 1934 of having them use sound trucks to spread
his recorded messages.
See the "Timeline of JWs leaders in regard to human government, war, propagan-
da, and persecution" on p.6.
****
Having children is discouraged
1938 "...mark the words of Jesus, which definitely seem to discourage the
bearing of children immediately before or during Armageddon.... It would
therefore appear that there is no reasonable or scriptural injunction to bring
children into the world immediately before Armageddon, where we now are." ("The
Watchtower," Nov.1, 1938, p.324) (See 1937 and 2000)
Who let this nut in the bedroom?
1940 Judge Rutherford, two bodyguards, and their melee weapons in the Satur-
day Evening Post, Sept.14, 1940.
http://www.randallwatters.org/armageddonmuseum/rutherford.htm
http://www.catholic-forum.com/members/popestleo/armageddoninc.html
A: Maybe if I talk to one of his bodyguards, I could get backstage to get to
meet the Judge in private--see what he wants me to do with that stick.
B: You really don't get out much, do you?
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942, 1943,
1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
1941 Armageddon was imminent through the late 1930's and 1940's. For exam-
ple, JWs were "in the remaining months before Armageddon" according to "The
Watchtower," Sept.15, 1941, p.288.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses#.22Arma
geddon_Immediately_Before_Us.22_.281925.E2.80.931966.29
http://www.freeminds.org/history/dates.htm
"In the Kingdom the 'great multitude' will look to the Lord to guide as to se-
lecting each a mate for himself. Why, then, should a man who has the prospect be-
fore him of being of the great multitude now tie himself up to a stack of bones
and a hank of hair?" "The Watchtower," Sept.15, 1941, p.287
Nov., 1941 "Armageddon is surely near, and during that time the Lord will
clean off the earth everything that offends and is disagreeable." ("Children"
by Rutherford, 1941, p.366)
(GTW note: that's a pretty awful description of WWII, if that's what anyone
connects it with, since it would describe all the fatalities as people who had
it coming to them. It stopped the Nazi movement from taking over, but not all
overindulgence of human selfishness, and it wasn't Biblical Armageddon. Arma-
geddon, along with substantiation for Rutherford being a prophet, didn't hap-
pen.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armageddon
(Unsurprisingly, this was a period of peak PO 'ed feelings about JWs as the al-
ready troubled families of the WWII era found that Rutherford had JWs with sound
trucks and phonograph players spreading their renewed hope that soon God would
kill everyone on Earth but them, and trying to talk prospective converts out of
fighting the Nazis--see the timeline on p.6. Fortunately, the JWs leaders' pro-
phets were still batting .000 and God 1.000 in this playoff.)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941-2?, 1942, 1943,
1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1941-2? In Rutherford's last book: "hence those faithful men of old may be
expected back from the dead any day now. The Scriptures give good reason to be-
lieve that it shall be shortly before Armageddon breaks." "In this expectation
the house at San Diego, California, which house has been much publicized with
malicious intent by the religious enemy, was built, in 1930, and named `Beth-
Sarim,' meaning `House of the Princes.' It is now held in trust for the occu-
pancy of those princes on their return" ("The New World," 1942, p.104)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1942, 1943,
1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1942 Rutherford died on Jan.8, 1942. (Well, if they won't come to you...
sorry.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Franklin_Rutherford#Death_and_burial
His death certificate said he died of uraemia due to carcinoma of the rectum
and pelvic metastasis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uremia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carcinoma
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metastasis
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/136955/rutherfords-death-certificate?page=1&size=20
At the Jehovahs-Witness.net site, RR reports that he knew Bible Students of
Rutherford's time who told RR that when Rutherford hadn't appeared to give a
speech at a convention, some friends of his found that he'd fallen to the bottom
of his basement stairs where he'd hit his head, died several days before, and
his face had been nibbled by rats. (It's possibly true or just wishful thinking
that became an urban legend.)
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/2417/did-you-know-rutherford?page=1&size=20
Another unusual thing about his death is that there's some uncertainty where
he's buried. He wanted to be buried in a crypt he had built by Beth Sarim, but
the local authorities wouldn't permit it.
According to "Visions of Glory: A History and Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses"
by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, 1978, "His lieutenants, squabbling with local
authorities who refused permission to bury Rutherford in a crypt at Beth Sarim,
did not disclose his death to his followers. The news was released by a local
mortician. [The New York Times, Jan. 10, 1942]" Rutherford was buried three
months later, on April 26, in Woodrow Cemetery next to the Watchtower radio sta-
tion of the time--WBBR.
Hayden Covington claimed that William and Bonnie Heath took the body back to
New York by train and Rutherford was buried in Staten Island (at Woodrow United
Methodist Church and Cemetery, 1075 Woodrow Road, where W. E. Van Amburgh and
Luie T. Van Amburgh are interred as well).
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/90899/where-j-f-rutherford-burried?page=1&size=20
The graveyard used for some JWs, between the time of Russell's burial at
Rosemont United Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA, and Knorr's burial at Watchtower
Farms, 900 Red Mills Road in Wallkill, NY, was a 100' square lot by a Methodist
church by the original location for radio station WBBR. An unusual aspect of it
is that grave markers weren't used in the graveyard.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/115384/time-magazine-1927-rutherford-
circuit-judge-14-years?page=1&size=20
But Fred Franz allegedly said Rutherford was buried at Beth Sarim.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/14648/where-judge-buried?page=1&size=20
According to a post by VM44 at the Jehovah's Witness Discussion forum site,
"The former owner of Beth Sarim, a Dr Chang (?), when asked about Rutherford,
is said to have said 'You're standing on him!' (Dr Chang and the questioner
were in the garage next to the house)."
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/119957/pictures-from-grave?page=1&size=20
Rutherford also continued the tradition of Watchtower leaders who taught that
many of his little group then living wouldn't die before Jesus returned but
died before the next leader did it and died.
****
Nathan H. Knorr
Fancy Photo Cube
1942 The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society leadership was taken by president
Nathan H. Knorr on Jan.13, 1942. The 3rd Watchtower President, Knorr, was as-
sisted with the writings of Vice President Frederick W. Franz. In these times
of controversy for JWs, Knorr, unlike Rutherford and his heavy security, didn't
care to be as much of a front man. The JWs' allegiance was shifted from a per-
son (like Rutherford) to the heads of the organization, but the Governing Body
hadn't really come into power yet. It was during this period that the JWs lead-
ers first banned blood transfusions. Although Russell and Rutherford had taken
credit for their authorship, the JWs leaders' literature writers stopped sign-
ing their names to their works, a practice still followed by the JWs leaders'
literature writers. (A JW might suggest it's due to modesty; I would suggest
other things.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Homer_Knorr
Knorr reminds me of Dana Carvey's church lady character from the late 1980's--
early 1990's stretch of the TV show Saturday Night Live--lots of things for him
were Satanic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Church_Lady
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Carvey
1942 "The faithful acts of the men who were known as fathers in Israel are
recounted in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. Genesis 12:1-3; 28:13,14; Acts 7:
2-5.... These men will be the visible representatives of the Theocracy, which
is the government created and built up by the almighty God as his capital organ-
ization and which shall rule the world. Further proof that these princes will
shortly take office upon earth as perfect men is found in the prophecy of Dan-
iel. But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest and stand in thy
lot at the end of the days. (Daniel 12:13) Daniel's lot is that of these
princes. Proof is now submitted that we are now living at the end of the days,
and we may expect to see Daniel and the other mentioned princes any day now!"
("Consolation," April 27, 1942, p.13)
http://www.bible.ca/Jw-Prophecy.htm
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1943,
1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1942 In the fall of 1942, Nathan Knorr made a speech which served as the
basis for the booklet "Peace--Can It Last?" Page 21 contains the claims that
"The association of worldly nations will rise again" and "ascend out of the
abyss" "(Rev. 17:8) again after the end of the war?" Later JWs leaders' liter-
ature has claimed Knorr made a successful prophesy in that the League of Na-
tions, which failed in preventing WWII, would arise again, which came true with
the formation of the United Nations.
However, p.26 of the booklet shows Knorr also predicted that the peace to
come "will be very short-lived" and would lead to Armageddon. Things didn't
turn out as his 1943 prophecy predicted, either (see below). Various millenar-
ian prophecy-believing Christians were saying things similar to his idea of the
return of something like the League of Nations, even earlier than Knorr did.
The idea of the United Nations appeared when Roosevelt and Churchill led twen-
ty-six nations, including the Soviet Union and China, in a "Declaration by Uni-
ted Nations" on Jan.1, 1942.
According to the article at the first link below, "The declaration committed
the twenty-six not to cut separate peace deals with the Nazis and to subscribe
to the principles of the Atlantic Charter for the post-war world. The Charter
provided the political basis for countering Nazi ideology; it caught the imagin-
ation of people around the world, including the young Nelson Mandela and other
anti-colonial activists."
(See the articles by Carl Olof Jonsson at the 4th link below, and see the
listings for 1945, 1999, and 2001 on p.6 of GTJ Brooklyn.)
http://www.opendemocracy.net/globalization-UN/article_2519.jsp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millenarianism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Declaration_by_United_Nations
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/cojonsson.htm
1943
LAWYER: At any rate, Jehovah God is now the editor of the paper, is that
right?
F.FRANZ: He is today the editor of the paper.
LAWYER: How long has he been editor of the paper?
F.FRANZ: Since its inception he has been guiding it.
LAWYER: Even before 1931?
F.FRANZ: Yes, sir.
LAWYER: But you don't make any mention in the fore part of your Watch Tower
that "We are not infallible and subject to correction and may make mistakes"?
N.H.KNORR: We have never claimed infallibility.
LAWYER: But you don't make any such statement, that you are subject to cor-
rection, in your Watch Tower papers do you?
N.H.KNORR: Not that I recall.
LAWYER: In fact, it is set forth directly as God's Word, isn't it?
N.H.KNORR: Yes, as His Word.
LAWYER: Without any qualification whatsoever?
N.H.KNORR: That is right."
(Action for Libel: Olin R. Moyle v. F.W.Franz, et al, May 10--May 27 1943, New
York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, sections 2596-7, 4420-1)
As mentioned on p.1, the Watchtower leaders claim they are fallible men who
don't print errors because their editor has been infallible God, and the printed
words have been his without qualification, since the inception of the paper.
I bet there's a good retirement plan for that. The last time I heard of that
was, I think, Boy's Life.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys%27_Life
****
If Jerusalem won't come to Fred Franz, then Fred Franz will move Jerusalem
(Thanks to an old folk tale, not found in Islam itself, for the idea for the
title.)
1943 The JWs leaders' Bible chronology was altered in "The Truth Shall Make
You Free," chapter 11. The creation of Adam was bumped up 100 years (it
stopped inserting 100 years into the period of the Judges and used the oldest
and most authentic reading of Acts 13:20, and accepted the spell-out numbers of
the Hebrew Scriptures). The JWs leaders' idea of 6,000 years of human history
now had it end in 1972 instead of 1873, which removed any imaginable prophetic
significance for 1874. There wouldn't then be any confusion created by 1974
about 1914 being the year of the beginning of the end times and when Jesus in-
visibly returned (invisible returns of Jesus being the kind of theological
points the average believer could get confused about).
http://www.strictlygenteel.co.uk/truthfree/truthfreetitles.html
http://www.spiritwatch.org/jwgospel.htm
It also solved the problem of the JWs leaders' 606 BC to 1914 AD 2,520 year
span calculation by Barbour that Russell used being one year off (there's no
year "0") by moving the start of the Gentile Times back to 607 BC. The corres-
ponding claim of 606 BC being the time of the fall of Jerusalem wasn't moved to
607 BC as well till 1944 (see below). The article at the next link explains a
bit about how Franz falsified the record with his priority being to preserve the
intended integrity of the JWs leaders' historicism and claims for the 1914 date.
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/evolution-of-606-to-607-bce-in.html
"Beginning in 606 B.C., and being seven in number, when would these 'times'
end and the righteous overlordship of God's kingdom be established?.... In Neb-
uchadnezzar's time the year began counting from the fall of the year, or about
October 1, our time. Since he destroyed Jerusalem in the summer of 606 B.C.,
that year had its beginning in the fall of 607 B.C. and its ending in the fall
of 606 B.C. Inasmuch as the count of the Gentile 'seven times' began its first
year at the fall of 607 B.C., it is simple to calculate when they end.
(Again, even Russell's Bible Students were unaware of any Matt.24:29-31-type
change in Jesus' presence in 1914, which is hard to square with the very dramat-
ic awareness everyone is supposed to have about the second coming--"every eye
will see him" including "every one who pierced him" (Rev.1:7). If God had just
started using you as his sole channel of information on Earth, don't you think
your teaching would become unerring, and don't you think you'd know? In 1914,
the Watch Tower Bible Students were just thinking that Jesus' invisible presence
continued to be around since 1874 but wouldn't give any interviews except by way
of angel messengers sent from Jesus to Russell, with some prophecy messages
about when the end of human government, etc., would occur apparently garbled
during transmission.)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1944 The fall of Jerusalem was moved back one year from 606 to 607 BC. ("The
Kingdom is at Hand," 1944, pp.171-175) Don't you kids try that at home. This
made it suit the time that was given for the start of the Gentile Times--moved
from 606 BC to 607 BC in 1943.
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/evolution-of-606-to-607-bce-in.html
(Non-JWs historians give 587-586 BC as the time of the fall of Jerusalem to
Nebuchadnezzar II. Some other JWs leaders' literature inadvertently gives dates
that support 587-586 BC, too, although 587-586 BC isn't directly supported in
JWs leaders' literature. See p.1c.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Jerusalem#Neo-Assyrian_and_Neo-Baby
lonian_Empires_period
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebuchadnezzar_II
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
1944 Article II of the 1884 Watch Tower Charter was amended to state that
among the "purposes of the...Society are…public Christian worship of Almighty
God and Christ Jesus; [and] to arrange for and hold local and world-wide assem-
blies for such worship." (Since the days of Russell, Watchtower leaders taught
Jesus was archangel Michael and that he was to be worshipped. Worship of Jesus
was ruled against in 1954.)
http://books.google.com/books?id=jFDi5jGsyV8C&lpg=PA104&ots=Qr5EViAFhU&dq=Ar
ticle%20II%20of%20the%201884%20Watch%20Tower%20Charter&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=
false
1946 "The disaster of Armageddon, greater than that which befell Sodom and
Gomorrah, is at the door." ("Let God be True," 1946, p.194)
I don't know if I can stand the suspense.
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
Satanic birthday cupcakes
Finally, we're starting to distinguish the 144,000 with the really important
stuff. The Devil wants to lure you from the light with the creamy frosting.
And if that shouldn't work, he invented festive balloons. He may have had a
hand in children frolicking in merriment--I'm not sure.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5sgVi88SXU
1951 "Doubtless many things practiced by Christians today were also practiced
by pagans; but when these practices are steeped in false worship contrary to Bi-
ble principle they become objectionable. The celebration of birthday anniver-
saries centers the mind on the creature and exalts the creature, giving him and
his birth undue importance. Romans 1:25 (NW) warns of those who 'venerated and
rendered sacred service to the creation rather than the One who created.'" ("The
Watchtower," Oct.1, 1951, p.607) (See 1927 or ?, 1929, 1931, 1983, and 1988)
Rom.14 gives holidays as matters of personal conscience. Some wanted to cele-
brate Mosaic law feasts. Paul could have worried that it would have the conno-
tation of a need to be under Mosaic law, which is over for Christians, but
didn't. Whether you celebrate Mosaic law feasts or not, just know it's optional
and make sure your faith is strong either way.
Despite the JWs leaders alleging that certain things have pagan connotations
and should be avoided with blanket bans, 1 Cor.8-11:1,17-33 parallel an idol
temple and a meal offered by an idolater with the Lord's Supper to show that the
things per se aren't important, whether or not you have strong faith and worship
the one true God is in either kind of situation:
The common meat in Corinth came from idol temple sacrifices. If you thank God
for everything, including whatever the temple is made of and the animal used for
the food, before you eat, you're not an idolater. If you're an atheist and eat
at the Lord's Supper, you're still an atheist. Christians don't have off-limits
foods and such. Just have strong faith in either situation. Other than that,
Paul recommends circumstantial abstinence if it comes up that you can't eat
without giving someone the mistaken idea that you favor idolatry. (If you can
tell them you worship the one true God, do that and dig in.)
If your faith is weak and you can't think of a food or holiday without making
a non-Christian connotation, then don't indulge in it. However, if your faith
is weak, I don't know how you could claim to be of a literal 144,000 of excep-
tional faith.
Col.2:16-23 reaffirms those ideas about Christians not having taboo foods and
holidays--just have faith in Jesus.
One reason the JWs leaders give for ruling against birthday parties is they're
supposed to be a form of creature worship. I know most people aren't thinking
of a birthday party as more than love or fun--they don't think of it as obei-
sance (prostrating on the ground in deference) let alone worship with sacred
service for the person the celebration is for. But while you probably wouldn't
perform obeisance/worship at a birthday party, obeisance/worship to a "god"/an-
gel is a violation of monotheism (Ex.34:14; Col.2:18), yet the JWs leaders re-
quire it for a "god" (the JWs leaders' version of Jesus/archangel Michael) at
Philip.2:10; Heb.1:6, others (pp.6b,8). Oy, goyim.
This is a good time for a reminder that the whole reason such a flaky JWs
leaders' rule is there is that the JWs leaders cook it up for their claim of a
literal 144,000 exclusiveness.
****
Satanic Christian charity
1951 "THE charity drives in connection with Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Year's Day occur as regularly as the perennial monsoons. In a downpour of edi-
torial and oratorical tears the cry for money to help the poor goes out from
press and pulpit, while on the relentless winds of advertising-by radio and
television, billboard and poster, and by many tricky devices-the heart-touching
appeal is carried to the public. So great is this deluge of propaganda and so
emotionally touching is the appeal, in many instances the poor and needy them-
selves are victimized as the principal contributors. The saddest part of this
distressing picture, however, is the fact that in addition to the ever-increas-
ing number of those in need of physical assistance the people in general are
spiritually and morally destitute and in a perilous condition.
"But why, thoughtful persons ask, do such conditions exist? In native Africa
the religion of witchcraft and demonism is the basic cause, for it keeps the
people in ignorance, superstition and fear. The same is true among all primi-
tive races. The backward living conditions in India are primarily due to age-
old religious superstitions and fears. In godless communistic countries, it is
'Red religion', or the worship of the state, that holds the people in virtual
captivity and slavery. And in Christendom, surprising as it may seem to some,
the false religious teachings, creeds, traditions and commandments of men are
both directly and indirectly responsible for the physical and spiritual misery
of the poor, notwithstanding Christendom's showy display of charity.
"It does not shift Christendom's responsibility to say that the increasing
numbers of widows, orphans, cripples, and the mental, moral and physical wrecks
of this age are only by-products of wars, crimes and calamities. It is Chris-
tendom herself that is largely responsible for such death-dealing conditions.
Had Christendom chosen to do so she could easily have prevented World Wars I and
II. If Christendom chose to be Christian her land would not be filled with
crime, violence and immorality. And if the people of Christendom were taught
God's laws and commandments her spiritual poverty would not exist.
"The little charitable help the poor get from Christendom is like the crumbs
the beggar Lazarus picked up from the rich man's table, while the dogs licked
his ulcerous sores. Neither the crumbs nor the licking remedy the beggarly con-
dition. Only Jehovah can effect a rescue.-Matt. 19:16-24; Luke 16:19-21; John
12:3-6." ("The Watchtower," Dec.1, 1951, pp.731-733)
Summary of the JWs leaders' points: evil Christendom has drives to give to the
poor and handicapped (the Golden Rule, etc.), whereas the JWs leaders don't have
false religious teachings--they have followers take money from the poor to send
to the JWs leaders. The problems of the world are due to human selfishness,
which is a trait the JWs leaders are disheartened to find among those of evil
Christendom. Financing the JWs leaders should be the concern of the poor--God
help them. (Personally, I didn't think it made a real good case for the JWs
leaders.)
1 John 3:17-18 "But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in
need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and
truth." (NASB) (See 1909, 1969 and 2003)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_%28virtue%29
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03592a.htm
****
Satanic efforts for human rights
1952 Summary: the JWs leaders' taught that racial segregation is bad, but to
accept the status quo for now where it's enforced--to rebel against it is Satan-
ic. Why would Martin Luther King have been disfellowshipped?--see the entry at
the link below for "The Watchtower," Feb.1, 1952, p.95.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/racial_attitudes.html
This is covered more in the listing for 1952 on the "Timeline of JWs leaders
in regard to human government, war, propaganda, and persecution" on p.6.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_and_political_rights
****
1952 "We should meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and
wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a
thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and
opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual
food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not
be so foolish as to pit against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and
sentiment and personal feelings." ("The Watchtower," Feb.1, 1952. p.80)
****
Satanic fellowshipping
1952 "We might wonder, then, since this congregation which God is developing
or bringing into existence is based on love, why anyone should ever want to talk
about disfellowshipping or putting people out of this congregation. There cer-
tainly must be some reason. Well, the reason for disfellowshipping is that some
persons get into this congregation of God that do not love Christ." "Those who
are acquainted with the situation in the congregation should never say ‘Hello’
or ‘Goodbye’ to him. He is not welcome in our midst, we avoid him." "Such an
individual has no place in the clean organization or congregation of God. He
should go back to the wicked group that he once came from and die with that
wicked group with Satan’s organization." ("The Watchtower, March 1, 1952, pp.
131,134) (See 1955)
http://jehovah.net.au/disfellowship.html
****
1952 The "generation" of 1914 that will live to find Paradise forever on
Earth was previously said to be able to live to be 30-40 years old when that
happens. The JWs leaders have now decided that they consider a "generation" as
being 33 years. But since the Bible doesn't define that in years it could be
taken to be three or even four times that--the entire life of a human. So now
(as time runs out on the JWs leaders' earlier prediction) that's how old the
"generation" of 1914 could be when God gives them Paradise on Earth. ("The
Watchtower," Sept.1, 1952, p.542)
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/1914_generation.html
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1952 "In the case of where a father or mother or son or daughter is disfel-
lowshiped, how should such person be treated by members of the family in their
family relationship?...We are not living today among theocratic nations where
such members of our fleshly family relationship could be exterminated for apos-
tasy from God and his theocratic organization, as was possible and was ordered
in the nation of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai.... Being limited by the
laws of the worldly nation in which we live...we can take action against apos-
tates only to a certain extent.... Of course, if the children are of age, then
there can be a departing and breaking of family ties in a physical way, because
the spiritual ties have already snapped." ("The Watchtower," Nov. 15, 1952)
http://www.paradisecafediscussions.net/showthread.php?tid=5954&pid=67922
http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/dirty_watchtower_secrets_
pt2.htm
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/196026/blondie-text-needed-on-stoning-
children-but-law-disallows-needed?page=1&size=20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excommunication
1953 "Some attribute striking qualities to these constellations or star
groups and on the basis of such they then offer private interpretations of Job
38:31,32 that amaze their hearers...when viewed Scripturally they are completely
without foundation." ("The Watchtower," Nov.15, 1953, p.703) (God isn't given
as located in the Pleiades anymore. See the sections on pyramidology, 1915,
1925, and 1928.)
http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/astrology_and_watchtower.htm
****
JWs leaders tell followers to stop worshipping their created Jesus
1954 JWs weren't to worship Jesus anymore according to the Jan.1, 1954
"Watchtower": "that no distinct worship is to be rendered to Jesus Christ now
glorified in heaven.”
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/worship-jesus.php
The JWs leaders have finally gotten a partial grip on first century Jewish
monotheism and stopped worship (Heb.1:6) of the JWs created "god" (John 1:1--
NWT) Jesus by translating "proskuneo" "obeisance." Ex.34:14 (don't worship/give
obeisance to a "god") remains a problem, though. A whole different word would
be better, but they haven't rewritten the NT that much yet (p.6b).
****
1954 When the JWs leaders referred back to the earliest JWs leaders, they
followed the lead that one of them, Charles Taze Russell, showed early on--they
covered up for them:
"Why, then, do the nations not realize and accept the approach of this climax
of judgment? It is because they have not heeded the world wide advertising of
Christ's return and his second Presence. Since long before World War I Jeho-
vah's Witnesses pointed to 1914 as the time for this great event to occur."
("The Watchtower," 1954, June 15, p.370)
(The Jesus/1914 part of Russell's prophetic train wreck was that Jesus would
be seen as in "seen" to rule the Earth in 1914, 1915, etc.)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1955 "In the light of the fulfillment of Bible prophecy it is becoming clear
that the war of Armageddon is nearing its breaking-out point." ("You May Sur-
vive Armageddon into God's New World," 1955, p.331)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1995,
1993, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1955 The name "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society" (1896-1955) was changed
to "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania."
****
Satanic fellowshipping with the disfellowshipped
1955 "If a publisher refuses to do this and ignores the prohibition on asso-
ciating with the disfellowshipped one, that publisher is rebelling against the
congregation of Jehovah, and 'rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stub-
bornness is as idolatry and teraphim." "If after sufficient warning the pub-
lisher persists in associating with the disfellowshipped person instead of
aligning himself with Jehovah’s organization he also should be disfellow-
shipped." ("The Watchtower, Oct.1, 1955, p.607) (See 1952)
http://jehovah.net.au/disfellowship.html
****
Jesus was blown up
The JWs leaders teach Jesus was blown up: "was disposed of by Jehovah God,
dissolved into its constituent elements or atoms." ("The Watchtower," Oct.1,
1955, p.518) I think this would have left a mess on the inside of the tomb.
I don't know if the JWs leaders' still explain it that way, but having him "an-
nihilated" doesn't sound better. No wonder they're not allowed to have Christ-
mas.
A couple of verses the JWs leaders refer to for their view are:
1 Peter 3:18 "Why, even Christ died once for all time concerning sins, a
righteous [person] for the unrighteous ones, that he may lead you to God, he be-
ing put to death in the flesh, but being made alive in the spirit." (NWT)
1 Cor.15:44-46 "It is sown a physical body, it is raised up a spiritual body.
If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one. It is even so writ-
ten: 'The first man Adam became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life
giving spirit. Nevertheless, the first is, not that which is spiritual, but
that which is physical, afterward that which is spiritual." (NWT)
Resurrection
Article addressing skepticism that Jesus arose in a physical body by James
Patrick Holding:
http://www.tektonics.org/lp/physrez.html
Vine's
"Spiritual," pneumatikos, body
http://studybible.info/vines/Spiritual
Ascension
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ascension_of_Jesus
Refutations of JWs leaders' views:
https://carm.org/jesus-resurrection-was-physical
http://www.watchman.org/jw/jesusresurrection1.htm
According to the Catholics United for the Faith web site:
"In Revelation 6:9-10, John sees a vision of the souls of the martyrs who died
for Christ. Additional passages such as 1 Samuel 28, Matthew 10:28, Luke 16 and
1 Peter 3:19 validate the existence of one’s soul after death.
"Verses that JWs use to the contrary, like Ecclesiastes 9:5-6, must be read in
context. God had not revealed very much about the afterlife in the Old Testa-
ment, and this passage only asserts that the dead will not be remembered in some
sense, not cease to exist.
"Also be aware that the Bible uses the word 'soul' in several ways. Sometimes
it is the seat of human emotion (Psalm 42:2), sometimes it is the whole per-
son--'a living being'-—(Genesis 2:7), and sometimes it is the immortal spirit
which animates a body (Matthew 10:28, Revelation 6:9-10, common usage). JWs
will try to limit the meaning of 'soul' to exclude the third (and most common)
meaning, but this is not biblical."
John 2:19-21 Jesus will raise himself after the crucifixion works better for
the mainstream view. Both views have Jesus raised by the Father, Son, and holy
spirit (see the threefold formula section on p.8). In the mainstream view, Je-
sus' body would die but not his spirit, and as the Son of God could help raise
the body which hadn't corrupted and was then in a glorified form. The JWs lead-
ers' archangel Michael became dead in body and spirit and, three days later, the
spirit was recreated without a body which God disposed of somewhere. That
wouldn't be a resurrection, that would be to be disembodied with the spirit be-
ing remembered by God for three days before bringing the spirit back to exis-
tence.
By either view of Jesus, Jesus said that if you destroy this temple (his body)
down, he would make it rise again in three days (John 2:19-21). After the res-
urrecton, Jesus arose in a pneumatikos, a spirit-powered body. Some didn't rec-
ognize him at first but others did, Thomas felt the holes in Jesus' hands, Je-
sus ate food, yet he could walk through a door and ascend to heaven, so it was
some kind of body powered by God's spirit so not susceptible to corruption that
might or might not make the normal physical manifestation.
I figure by either Jesus view he was transformed to go from heaven to human
form and he'd need to be transformed for the ascension. The mainstream view has
it that Jesus' body was transformed yet recognizable for the resurrection, so I
guess it would transform however it had to to enter heaven. The JWs leaders'
view has it that Jesus said if you tear this temple down, he'd make it stand in
three days, but God made the body disappear before the resurrection. The main-
stream view is better regarding Jesus' claim about raising his body in three
days.
****
1957 About the world: "It is on its deathbed and the prophecies of God's Word
foretell its end within the generation of men that has been living since 1914.
(Matt.24: 33,34)" ("The Watchtower," Sept. 1, 1957, p.568)
When Charles Russell about-faced on wars and earthquakes, etc., being signs of
the end a little after WWI broke out, I wonder if he could have predicted what a
big longstanding mess it would make?
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
Fred Franz, "Divine Will" assembly, Yankee Stadium and Polo Grounds, July 27
to Aug.3, 1958
1961 "The blood in any person is in reality the person himself...poisons due
to personal living, eating and drinking habits...The poisons that produce the
impulse to commit suicide, murder, or steal are in the blood. Moral insanity,
sexual perversions, repression, inferiority complexes, petty crimes--these often
follow in the wake of blood transfusion." ("The Watchtower, Sept.1, 1961, p.564)
physical--monochotomous--how can sin be transmitted by physical blood?")
("Monochotomous" means "single-natured.")
http://www.bible.ca/su-spirit-soul.htm
http://www.freeminds.org/history/part3.htm
Which segues into:
1961 Taking a "blood transfusion" is "grounds for disfellowshipping." ("The
Watchtower," 1961, pp.63,644)
1961 1975 will end 6,000 years of man's existence and the Millennial reign
will begin. The 6,000 years of man's existence was bumped up again (compare
1943, in which the 6,000 years was said to end in 1972.) (Again, don't you kids
try that at home.)
1961 "When, in Genesis 1:30, God says: 'To every wild beast of the earth and
to every flying creature of the heavens and to everything moving upon the earth
in which there is life as a soul I have given all green vegetation for food,'
are we to understand that this absolutely excludes the idea that any animals ate
meat at that time or before that?" "Besides this, Noah was to take into the ark
every sort of food that is eaten to 'serve as food for you and for them.' (Gen.
6:19-22)"
"All those creatures, human and subhuman, were able to live without flesh for
a whole year inside the ark. Why could not every one of those living creatures
live without flesh during 1,656 years prior to the Flood, or back to the time
when God specified to Adam and Eve in Eden what he had given to earthly crea-
tures as food?"
"Let us take the Bible position on the subject and not over-occupy ourselves
with merely incidental matters to the extent of wasting time, thought and peace
of heart and possibly stumbling ourselves into the camp of the godless evolu-
tionists." ("The Watchtower," Dec.15, 1961, pp.766,767)
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/191318/blondies-comments-you-will-hear-
04-04-10-wt-study-jah-ruling?page=1&size=20
This Wikipedia article says anatomically modern humans appeared 130,000 years
ago:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human#Evolution_and_range
leaders' views against evolution.)
1962 Reversing Rutherford's ruling of June 1, 1929, the higher powers of Rom.
13:1-8 are again called worldly governments. ("The Watchtower," Nov.15, 1962)
(See 1929) The JWs leaders maintain their elitist definition of "Worldly,"
though.
****
Satanic personality--as in "practically any"
1963 "Clearly, not all dedicated and even mature Christians posses the holy
spirit to the same measure. There is no doubt that unselfishness, depth of de-
votion, self-control, humility, mildness of spirit, studiousness as regards
God's word and zeal in God's service have a bearing on how much of the holy
spirit we have. It also appears that inherited qualities have no small bear-
ing on the extent to which we permit the holy spirit to have a free flow in our
lives or tend to obstruct its activity. Thus the more colorful the personality
the more difficult for the holy spirit to saturate it fully. The colorful per-
sonality has more need of self-control and must in particular guard against the
snare of creature worship. Richness of personality seems to work against spir-
itual-mindedness, as the colorful person tends to lean more on himself, even as
those who are rich in material things tend to put their trust in them instead of
Jehovah God." ("The Watchtower," Feb.15, 1963, p.108)
You're going to hell if you have more personality than Nathan Knorr? Damn,
and I though they were strict before.... (Sam Kinison impression): people open
up the pearly gates (click) "ROAR" (slam) "Oh!" People pounding on the pearly
gates--"Let me outta here! I thought it was the gate to heaven--it was the gate
to hell! Oh! Oh! OHHhhhh!"
Far be it from me to make sport, but the guy's saying you're going to hell if
you have more personality than him. This could explain how the 144,000 disap-
peared from early Christian history without a trace, though. Frankly, if you
can knock the Jews after the Holocaust, you're not the first person I want to
learn self-control from (see p.6, 1946, 1963, 1975).
****
1919 starts to take on the present JWs leaders' definition
1963 JWs president Fred Franz announced that Babylon, all false religion,
fell in 1919 ("Babylon the Great has Fallen! God's Kingdom Rules!" 1963). Ar-
mageddon would happen sometime in the future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Franz
(Again, "The Finished Mystery," 1917, predicted that the non-JWs churches, and
all their flocks, would be destroyed in 1919. Russell had said they would be
destroyed from 1910-1914 and just ended up badmouthing them a lot, too.)
****
1967 "What vital thing has now been added to the good news of the kingdom of
God that Jesus Christ and his zealous apostles used to preach nineteen hundred
years ago? This, namely, the birth of God’s Messianic kingdom in the heavens at
the end of the Gentile Times in 1914. And after the ensuing war in the invisi-
ble heavens and the ouster of Satan the Devil and his demons from heaven and
down to earth, this announcement was sounded forth, to be added to the good
news, as stated in Revelation 12:9-12...." ("The Watchtower," Dec.15,1967, pp.
753,754)
According to apostle Paul:
Gal.1:6-9 "I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you
by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another;
only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of
Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel
contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said
before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to
what you received, he is to be accursed!" (NASB)
It's applicable because the JWs leaders require agreement to their 1914, etc.,
ideas about Jesus for salvation.
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1968 "During world war I, God's people expected it to lead directly into Ar-
mageddon, but Jehovah prevented such a climax at that time. We didn't succumb
to such an expectation during world war II." ("(Our) Kingdom Ministry," Jan.,
1968, p.5)
(See the listing for every year of WWII in the "Timeline of JWs leaders in re-
gard to human government, war, propaganda, and persecution" on p.6 for examples
of the JWs leaders prophesying that Armageddon was imminent.)
1968 "According to reliable Bible chronology, Adam and Eve were created in
4026 B.C.E.. There is another way that helps confirm the fact that we are liv-
ing in the final few years of this 'time of the end.' (Dan. 12:9) The Bible
shows that we are nearing the end of a full 6,000 years of human history. What
significance does this have?" "When God gave his laws to ancient Israel, one of
those laws involved keeping the sabbath day holy. On the seventh day of the
week there was to be no labor." "How fitting it would be for God, following
this pattern, to end man’s misery after six thousand years of human rule and
follow it with His glorious Kingdom rule for a thousand years!" ("Awake!" Oct.8,
1968, pp.14,15)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human#Habitat_and_population
leaders' views against evolution.)
(Armageddon, etc.--see 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912,
1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938,
1941, 1941-2?, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1969, 1982,
1983, 1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
Satanic Chubby
1969 "For example, when dances like the 'twist' and all its later develop-
ments are introduced, the young accept them eagerly and without question, while
their parents raise their eyebrows or smile indulgently for a while and then
take them up with almost equal fervor, ostensibly in order to project the youth-
ful image themselves. What they fail to realize is that such dances have their
origin in pagan fertility dances that were performed in times past as a part of
immoral religious rites. And just as they were designed to arouse the sexual
emotions of the participants in the religious orgies, so their modern-day coun-
terparts contribute to the loosening of moral inhibitions.
lations have no objection to this. But what of those who have no such end in
view, who may be indulging themselves simply because it is the custom? Such
ones should not deceive themselves. They are still affected emotionally in the
same way. Stimulation of this sort inevitably leads to improper inclinations,
and those who entertain wrong desires can be just as completely overtaken as the
twenty-four thousand were in succumbing to the Baal of Peor in the days of Is-
rael.-Num. 25:1-9." ("The Watchtower," Feb.15, 1969, p.113)
http://toptwentyclub.blogspot.com/2009/09/artists-1962.html
"The Twist" (Hank Ballard), 1960, by Chubby Checker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbK0C9AYMd8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=im9XuJJXylw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chubby_Checker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twist_%28dance%29
****
Satanic higher education
1969 "Many schools now have student counselors who encourage one to pursue
higher education after high school, to pursue a career with a future in this
system of things. Do not be influenced by them. Do not let them 'brainwash'
you with the Devil’s propaganda to get ahead, to make something of yourself in
this world. The world has very little time left! Any 'future' this world of-
fers is no future.... Make pioneer service, the full-time ministry, with possi-
bility of Bethel or missionary service your goal. This is a life that offers an
everlasting future!" ("The Watchtower," March 15, 1969, p.17)
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/index.php/doctrine-changes/new-
light-on-education/
An earlier example: "All this study put into many books which do not issue
forth through Jehovah’s Theocratic Organization, has merely wearied mankind...."
("J W Yearbook," 1946, Text for November 23)
This stance of the Watchtower leaders since Russell was relaxed for a bit in
1992, but otherwise higher education that interferes with spreading JWs leaders'
literature is still discouraged. (See 1917, 1989, 1992, and 2006)
****
1969 "If there is any material giving, to charities for instance, it is be-
cause there is need to salve a conscience, or because one's reputation is at
stake." ("The Watchtower," May 1, 1969, p.280) (See 1909, 1951, and 2003)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/wrong-with-being-jehovahs-witness.php
1969 "In July of 1969, President Nathan H. Knorr addressed 81,000 Witnesses
at Dodger Field in Los Angeles. 'Why are we looking forward to 1975?' he asked.
And then he answered his question by stating, 'It is firmly maintained that by
the autumn of the year 1975, the battle of Armageddon will have been fought and
God's new world will have been established' (Los Angeles Herald Examiner, July
21, 1969)."
http://christinprophecy.org/articles/the-jehovahs-witnesses/
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1993,
1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1969 In an interview, Nathan Knorr compared his claim that most clergymen are
hypocrites, such as for agreeing with teachings about evolution, with Jesus' ac-
cusations of hypocrisy, said God may use atomic energy for Armageddon, and gave
the JWs leaders' stance requiring JWs to refuse the medical use of blood.
(link inactive)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ysCiXR6rc
****
Satanic worship of Apollo 11
1971 The JWs leaders warn that Christendom is idolatrous--in a figurative
sense, worships the sun--in that it's not as committed to the Creator as to
something else: science.
"They pay more respect to these modern scientists and intellectuals, they at-
tribute more to these, than they do to Jehovah. These have become the symbolic
'sun' that Christendom worships and to which she looks for salvation. Christen-
dom’s general acceptance of the unprovable Theory of Evolution is one of the
evidences betraying her as a worshiper of such a 'sun.'”
"Christendom’s infection with the worship of false gods, the gods of demonism,
betrays itself very slyly. For instance, on July 20, 1969, when for the first
time a human astronaut set foot upon the moon, who was glorified thereby, ac-
cording to the way that the scientific group responsible for it named things
that were involved? Certainly not Jehovah, the Creator of the moon, but the
mythological sun-god. How so? Because the man-made spacecraft with which the
successful moon-shot for putting Americans on our lunar satellite was made was
named Apollo, Number Eleven. Phoebus Apollo was the sun-god of the ancient
Greeks and was also the twin brother of Artemis (or Diana), the moon-goddess.
This Apollo of the Greeks has been traced back as being the first king of Baby-
lon, namely, Nimrod, the 'mighty hunter in opposition to Jehovah.' (Genesis 10:
8-10) Since that first landing on the moon, further moon-shots have been made
in spacecrafts of the 'Apollo' series. All a part of sun worship!" ("Know Je-
hovah--How?" p.157, 1971) Thanks to BluesBrother at the Jehovahs-Witness.net
site for the quote.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/178853/apollo-programme-evidence-pagan-
worship?page=1&size=20
leaders' views against evolution.)
****
1973 "Of all men used by God to prophesy, Jesus is outstanding. Based on
what he said, along with the words of Daniel and John, Jehovah's witnesses
pointed to the year 1914, decades in advance, as marking the start of "the con-
clusion of the system of things." ("Awake!" Jan.1, 1973, p.8)
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1982, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1973 "Consider too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone in all the
earth is directed by God's holy spirit or active force." ("The Watchtower," July
1, 1973, p.402)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/directed-by-holy-spirit.php
1975 Though the JWs leaders had called 1975 the beginning of God's 7th 1,000
year creative "day" and predicted Armageddon for it (see the entry for July,
1969), they fudged about Armageddon as 1975 drew near. The recording below is
of Fred Franz in early or mid 1975 giving sundown of Sept.5, 1975 as the start
of God's 7th 1,000 year creative "day" but fudging about the time of Armageddon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EvehJGCuMo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses#.22Looking_
Forward_to_1975.22_.281966.E2.80.931975.29
Raymond Franz was a nephew of Frederick Franz, became a JW when he was
16 (1938), became a writer at Bethel (JWs world headquarters) in 1965 (he re-
searched a lot of the JWs leaders' distinctive views to help write "Aid to Bible
Understanding," 1969, later revised a bit as "Study in the Scriptures," 1988),
was a Governing Body member from 1971 till he felt pressured to resign on May
22, 1980, and was a JW till he was disfellowshipped on Dec.31, 1981.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_publications#Aid_to_
Bible_Understanding
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Franz
He gave some insights on the Governing Body predictions and concerns about
1975, etc., in "Crisis of Conscience," 1983. Some of it is at the next links:
http://www.commentarypress.net/cpn-essays/English/F9C115BD-1D29-47FE-AB95-FD
CFEC726B0A.html
http://web.archive.org/web/20031209184316/http://users.volja.net/izobcenec4/
coc/9.pdf
http://web.archive.org/web/20031210004130/users.volja.net/izobcenec4/coc/
10.pdf
1975 Governing Body
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/97874/update-new-governing-body-pics-
have-fun?page=1&size=20
http://www.freeminds.org/bethel/homosexuality_bethel.htm
Standing (left to right): Daniel Sydlik, Theodore Jaracz, Raymond Franz (re-
signed in 1980), Lyman Swingle, Lloyd Barry (died in 1999), Milton Henschel (de-
ceased, 5th president), William Jackson (deceased) Karl Klein (died Jan., 2001),
Grant Suiter (deceased), Albert Schroeder, and Leo Greenlees (forced resigna-
tion)
Sitting (left to right): Ewart Chitty (forced resignation), Frederick Franz
(deceased, 4th president), Nathan Knorr (deceased, 3rd president), George Gangas
(deceased), John Booth (deceased), and Charles Fekel (deceased)
Not shown: John Barr, Carey Barber (deceased), Martin Poetzinger (deceased),
and Gerrit Losch
****
The beginning of control by the Governing Body
1976 After discussions in 1975, the Governing Body replaced the president as
having the most control of JWs in Jan.1, 1976. ("The Watchtower," Jan.1, 1977,
pp.15-17) (See 1917, 1919, and others.)
http://www.freeminds.org/history/franzorg1976.htm
****
1977 Nathan Knorr died on June 8, 1977.
http://www.neirr.org/jwschrono.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathan_Homer_Knorr#Life
Knorr is buried at Watchtower Farms, 900 Red Mills Road in Wallkill, NY ("the
Launching Pad"). As blondie sensibly pointed out in a post at the Jehovah's
Witness Discussion forum site, Knorr said he was among the few JWs who'd go to
heaven right after death, so the name "Launching Pad" is incorrect even on his
own terms. (I'd recommend "discarded expendable launch system yard" for that.)
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/79213/where-they-buried?page=1&size=20
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expendable_launch_system
****
Frederick W. Franz
Decorate Your Own Photo
Society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_William_Franz
Satanic sand the floor, wax on--wax off, paint the fence
1981 "It is not in harmony with the spirit of 1 Corinthians 13 : 4-7 or Isai-
ah 2:4 for a Christian to learn karate, judo, or other martial arts. A brother
would be disqualified as an elder, a ministerial servant, or a pioneer if he
took up the study of such martial arts and practiced them. A person publicly
advocating such could be dealt with in line with 2 Thessalonians 3:13-15. As in
the case of a person who takes up professional boxing and continues in such a
course, he would be expelled from the congregation." ("The Watchtower," July 1,
1981, pp.30,31)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWMtUDJQfYs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Karate_Kid
1981 "Truly, all the foregoing demonstrates that the pathway of Jehovah's
people has been and is like the bright light that gets ever brighter. (Prov.4:
18) As they came out of the gross darkness enveloping 'Babylon the Great,' the world
empire of false religion, it was not to be expected that they would see all
things immediately in their true light. (Rev. 17:5) The brilliance of revealed
truth could have had a blinding, even a confusing, effect upon them spiritually.
This could be compared to a person's coming out of a totally dark room into
bright sunlight. It would take time for the person's eyes to adjust to the sud-
den glare of brilliant sunlight." ("The Watchtower," Dec. 1, 1981, p.26)
(That might be impressive if anything extraordinary for the eyes to behold,
not counting very public prophecy flops, was announced before it happened. Ac-
tually, back then, all they had as distinctions were some forced minority inter-
pretations, some of which they've replaced with other forced minority interpre-
tations, a lot of prophesies that turned out wrong, most of which they don't
write about anymore or changed the meaning of after the fact, some faithful fol-
lowers/customers, and a lot of damnation for other religions. Jesus (conserva-
tive view) would have gotten predictions and medical ideas, etc., right. I'm
sure Jesus could have made himself quickly clear and taught on any subject the
JWs leaders define their religion with without blinding anyone into a stupor.
Speaking of vision problems):
1982 "So the expression 'every eye will see him' means that everyone will
then" (1914) "understand or recognize that Christ is present" ("Paradise," 1982,
p.146) (The JWs leaders maintained the Nelson Barbour view that Russell main-
tained about Rev.1:7.)
A mainstream view of the second coming, one the JWs leaders' view condemns, is
at the next link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Coming
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1983, 1987,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1983 Raymond Franz, former Governing Body member, gave some insights on the
Governing Body concerns about 1914, etc., in "Crisis of Conscience." A chapter
on the issue is available as a .pdf file at the next link:
http://web.archive.org/web/20031210004130/users.volja.net/izobcenec4/coc/10.pdf
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1987, 1993,
1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1983 "We need to face up to the fact that Christmas and its music are not
from Jehovah, the God of truth. Then what is their source? Reason should sug-
gest that they are from someone whose sole aim now is to mislead as many people
as possible. The Bible tells us that this is the goal of Satan the Devil. Yes,
Satan the Devil can ingeniously make Christmas music appear to be of God and the
singing of it a Christian duty that honors Him and His Son. In reality, it does
just the opposite." ("The Watchtower," Dec.15, 1983, p.7) (See 1927 or ?, 1929,
1931, 1951, and 1988)
1984 "Why not read other's literature?" "Witnesses do not go to people's
doors searching for truth or enlightenment. Rather, they already have devoted
countless hours learning the truth." "...people who believe that 'there is good
in all religions' might consider it narrow-minded to think otherwise." "Jeho-
vah's Witnesses are not ignorant of others' beliefs. They have gained consider-
able basic knowledge of the doctrinal beliefs of religions" from "'What Has Re-
ligion Done for Mankind?' as well as numerous articles in The Watchtower and
Awake!
"God's Word warns Christians that 'Satan himself keeps transforming himself
into an angel of light. It is therefore nothing great if his ministers also
keep transforming themselves into ministers of righteousness. But their end
shall be according to their works.' (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15) Satan so success-
fully appeared as 'an angel of light' that he was able to deceive even a perfect
human, Eve. (1 Timothy 2:14) So it would be foolhardy, as well as a waste of
valuable time, for Jehovah's Witnesses to accept and expose themselves to false
religious literature that is designed to deceive. They have no intention of
falling into the sad course of the Jews, whom Paul said 'exchanged the truth of
God for the lie.'-Romans 1:25, NW; Revised Standard Version.
"Furthermore, some of the religious literature that people may urge Jehovah's
Witnesses to read is written by, or contains the thoughts of, individuals who
have apostatized. True Christians are commanded to shun such apostates" (and
that they can) "not have been interested in listening to apostates, nor in ob-
taining any poisonous writings that these might distribute 'for the sake of dis-
honest gain.' Why finance their wickedness by buying their literature? (Titus
1:11) As loyal Christians .. holding appreciatively and loyally to the channel
from which we first learned Bible truth." ("The Watchtower," May 1, 1984, p.31)
I'll try to make this editorial short and sweet. The JWs leaders wanted their
claims of exclusiveness, meant to be shown by a dozen or so rules, to be be-
lieved without it being checked, which goes against the common sense of how a
fair trial is conducted. Either side might lie, so you want to hear both sides
and see what's left on the plate, then judge from that. Otherwise, whoever went
first in a trial could win every time: "Your honor, this is what I say, this is
what they'd say. I'm right--they're wrong." Fair judgement isn't based on
that. You want to hear both sides and weigh evidence against gossip before ren-
dering judgement.
The JWs leaders sent their followers door to door, where they might run into
all manner of outlooks opposed to the JWs leaders' claims of exclusiveness,
therefore income. The JWs leaders' teachings like the above, combined with
harsh disfellowshipping rules, were the JWs leaders' efforts at Bible-based-
sounding reasons to discourage followers from learning about the methods the JWs
leaders used to affect their exclusiveness, and to make sure that if someone got
wise to the JWs leaders, they wouldn't be around very long to spread the infor-
mation to others in the target marketing group.
1984 "The Catholic Church occupies a very significant position in the world
and claims to be the way of salvation for hundreds of millions of people. Any
organization that assumes that position should be willing to submit to scrutiny
and criticism." (Awake!" Aug.22, 1984, p.28)
1985 "(Our) beliefs and practices are not new but are a restoration of first-
century Christianity." ("Reasoning From The Scriptures," 1985, 1989, p.203)
(GTW note: recent minority view outlook religious groups that use the Bible,
as the JWs leaders do, NWT debated translations to the side, may refer to them-
selves as restoring the early church and try to get into any blank spots in the
early record, if not by the methods the JWs leader's use. There's often an ac-
companying claim about there having been a great apostasy due to their idea
bumping into the main of what's recorded in history, and the one claiming to re-
store the original church often claims to be a prophet. The JWs leaders have
tried those, too. Such efforts sometimes come with food rules--the JWs leaders
from Rutherford on have used their blood rules for that.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Apostasy
1985 Fred Franz lists some of the failed prediction attempts by the JWs lead-
ers in the clip at the next link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKdwk5SVXM
****
Dowsing for evidence
1985 The Watchtower book "Life—-How Did It Get Here? By Evolution or by Crea-
tion?" 1985, says that the chance of a simple protein molecule forming at ran-
dom in an organic soup are ten to the 113th power. I wondered where that num-
ber came from--the Watchtower book gives it as something evolutionists say.
It's one of the many cases of the Watchtower using quotes out of context or
regardless of the source of information, in this case a quote of Dr.Jean Sloat
Morton, a six-literal-day creationist who, in turn, was quoted by paranormalist
and dowser Francis Hitching.
http://evolutionwiki.org/wiki/Francis_Hitching
Thanks to an article by Alan Feuerbacher for this information:
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/notes-on-francis-hitching-and.html
"Chapter 4 of the Creation book relies heavily on the writings of paranormal-
ist Francis Hitching, who has already been shown to have borrowed heavily from
six-literal-day creationists. Here is another case in point. On page 44, para-
graph 18 states:
"The proteins needed for life have very complex molecules. What is the chance
of even a simple protein molecule forming at random in an organic soup? Evolu-
tionists acknowledge it to be only one in" [10 to the 113th power] "(1 followed
by 113 zeros). But any event that has one chance in just" [10 to the 50th pow-
er] "is dismissed by mathematicians as never happening. An idea of the odds, or
probability, involved is seen in the fact that the number" [10 to the 113th pow-
er] "is larger than the estimated total number of all the atoms in the uni-
verse!"
"It turns out that it was taken from pages 67, 70-71 (pp. 50, 52-53 paperback)
of Francis Hitching's book The Neck of the Giraffe, in a panel entitled 'Can
Life Form by Chance?'"
"Hitching was merely quoting someone else's argument, which he reproduced in
some detail with full attribution. The panel quotes Dr. Jean Sloat Morton, ap-
parently a six-literal-day creationist, writing in Impact, December 1980, number
90. Impact is a publication of the Institute for Creation Research in San Die-
go, and is quoted elsewhere in Creation. Hitching's quotation said:
"'...let us consider a simple protein containing only 100 amino acids. There
are 20 different kinds of L-amino acids in proteins, and each can be used re-
peatedly in chains of 100. Therefore, they could be arranged in" [20 to the
100th power] "or" [10 to the 130th power] "different ways. Even if a hundred
million billion" [10 to the 17th power] "of these combinations could function
for a given purpose, there is only one chance in" [10 to the 113th power] "of
getting one of these required amino acid sequences in a small protein consisting
of 100 amino acids."
"Creation is really plagiarizing the work of a young-earth creationist in the
ICR pamphlet Impact, via Hitching."
The Wikipedia article at the next link is a little more objective than the
Watchtower book:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenesis
An alternative interpretation to taking Genesis literally, when that interpre-
tation is at odds with science, is imaginable without intending theological dam-
age to the scriptures. (See the articles at the next links.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augustine_of_Hippo#Natural_knowledge_and_bib
lical_interpretation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorical_interpretations_of_Genesis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Christian_sentiment
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages_%28historiography%29
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Christians_in_science_and_technology
An example from 115, or 130-140, AD by Papias: "Taking occasion from Papias of
Hierapolis, the illustrious, a disciple of the apostle who leaned on the bosom
of Christ, and Clemens, and Pantaenus the priest of [the Church] of the Alexan-
drians, and the wise Ammonius, the ancient and first expositors, who agreed with
each other, who understood the work of the six days as referring to Christ and
the whole Church."
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/papias.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papias_of_Hierapolis
leaders' views against evolution.)
****
Signs of The End
1987 "The Sign of the Last Days--When?," 1987, by Carl Olof Jonsson and Wolf-
gang Herbst, and "The Gentile Times Reconsidered," year?, by Carl Olof Jonsson,
take a critical look at the JWs leader's dating methods used to arrive at 1914,
and their claims that since then wars, earthquakes, famines, and pestilences
have gotten worse, which are signs that indicate that Jesus became invisibly
present on Earth since 1914, etc.
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/cojonsson.htm
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/dates/the-watchtower-society-back
pedals-on-earthquakes/
http://www.ldolphin.org/quakes2.html
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/part-1-summary.html
It's been a number of years since I read it, so I'll take a whack at covering
a few of the topics it covers below. The mess started when, after WWI broke
out, Russell about-faced and taught that Jesus meant followers were supposed to
take wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes as signs that Armageddon was
near.
Jesus refers to wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes at Matt.24:6-13;
Mark 13:7-13; and Luke 21:9-19.
Current (2016) official JWs leaders' website (brochure Sept.30, 2007):
http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1102000101?q=gentile+times&p=par
"A crucial time was drawing close. In 1876 the Bible student Charles Taze Rus-
sell contributed the article "Gentile Times: When Do They End?" to the Bible Ex-
aminer, published in Brooklyn, New York, which said on page 27 of its October
issue, 'The seven times will end in A.D. 1914.' The Gentile Times is the period
referred to in another Bible translation as 'the appointed times of the na-
tions.' (Luke 21:24) Not all that was expected to happen in 1914 did happen,
but it did mark the end of the Gentile Times and was a year of special signifi-
cance. Many historians and commentators agree that 1914 was a turning point in
human history. The following quotations illustrate this:
"A turning point in human history
"'The last completely 'normal' year in history was 1913, the year before World
War I began.'—Editorial in the Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., March 13, 1949."
The article gives other such quotes about the changes brought by WWI.
http://www.cogwriter.com/news/church-history/jehovahs-witnesses-and-1914/
One way to see the JWs leaders' claim about 1914 is as an outgrowth of Rus-
sell's claims about it (shown above). It was arbitrary numerology and prophet-
playing by a man whose predictions about miraculous things all turned out to be
wrong but made a lot of calculations and created a lot of persuasuve rhetoric to
put on airs about being of an exclusively God-guided group to attract attention
and sell literature (continued with subsequent JWs leaders' pretensions of
"144,000" exclusiveness).
Another way to see it is to wonder if Jesus meant to tell his followers not to
be superstitious about wars, earthquakes, etc., or they'd be regularly imagining
signs of the end around them, or if he meant to tell them not to do that. Rus-
sell originally taught it the first way (which I agree with), only choosing the
second way when 1914 didn't give him anything to try to save face with but a war
(not Biblical Armageddon).
Another way to test the claim is imagine it in reverse: if you weren't given
the JWs leaders' prophecy about 1914, and were given the information at the
links below, would you pick 1914 specifically as when all four things got worse?
The analysis should include that the world population has multiplied the most
in the last century or so, mainly due to advances in medical care over that pe-
riod, which includes improved mass media and transportation allowing the chari-
table people and governments to better know if a group needs food or other aid
and send it to them.
The number of fatalities in a recent year for a type of tragedy should be
weighed against an increased number of people who weren't killed by the tragedy.
Compare percentages--if the percentages aren't worse, even if you imagine Jesus
meant to tell his followers to worry about omens regularly and the Bible meant
Jesus would return invisibly, you'd have Jesus simply telling his followers that
the human race would be healthy enough to keep growing.
Another factor to consider is that technology, including for warfare and the
ability to measure the force of earthquakes, has improved through that period,
and transportation and mass media have improved through it, including the abili-
ty to have good records about the four things Jesus listed. We have more data
for fatalities caused by those things in recent years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seismic_scale#Seismic_intensity_scales
It looks like the period of a big percentage of the world population dying
from those things would be the period around the time of the Black Death, a pes-
tilence that also brought about important changes socially in other regards.
The biggest earthquake before it, July 5, 1201, of Upper Egypt or Syria, was an
earthquake that caused an especially big number of fatalities: 1,100,000. The
Hundred Years War brought significant advancement in how wars were fought.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Famine_of_1315%E2%80%931317
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hundred_Years%27_War
Understandably, a lot of people of the time thought it was the end of human-
ity--the Apocalypse.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Death
Rev.6:8 "And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death,
and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to
kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the
earth."
- World population growth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Population_growth
- Wars
Cycles of war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_R._Dewey#The_Foundation_for_the_Study_of_Cycles
List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_and_anthropogenic_disasters_
by_death_toll
List of battles and other violent events by death toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_battles_and_other_violent_events_
by_death_toll
- Famines
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_famines
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famine#Regional_history
- Pestlences
"Originally, the term..." contagious disease "...referred to a contagion (de-
rivative of contact) or disease transmissible only by direct physical contact.
In the modern day, the term has sometimes been broadened to encompass any com-
municable or infectious disease. Often the word can only be understood in con-
text, where it is used to emphasise very infectious, easily transmitted, or es-
pecially severe communicable disease."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contagious_disease
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infection#Historic_pandemics
- Earthquakes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earthquake
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_earthquakes#Strongest_earthquakes_by_magnitude
List of natural disasters
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_by_death_toll
previous 2,000 years, the average per year has been 20 times as great since
1914." ("Reasoning from the Scriptures," 1985, p.236)
Thanks to a post by dozy at the Jehovah's Witness Discussion Forum web site
for this response he got from the National Earthquake Information Center to a
question about the Watchtower's claims about earthquakes:
"National Earthquake Information Center .. There is absolutely no way to de-
termine the number of earthquakes, of any magnitude, that occurred during the
2,000 years before 1914. If the NGDC database contains a certain number, those
are only the earthquakes that happened to be felt and written about in the his-
torical literature. It does not include the much larger number that either oc-
curred in unpopulated areas or were not noted in the existing literature. Going
by any meaningful statistics, there is no increase in the frequency of earth-
quakes. Any increase in damage and casualties can be ascribed to the rapid in-
crease in population and the attendant growth of the built environment."
"I would be happy to discuss this with a representative of the Watchtower So-
ciety should they wish to contact me. Sincerely, USGS/NEIC"
Thanks to a post by BluesBrother at the same web site for showing that the
March 22, 2002 "Awake!" has a new direction for JWs leaders' efforts to bolster
their prophecy claims:
"Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy does not require an in-
crease in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there
would be great earthquakes in one place after another. Furthermore, he stated
that these events would mark the 'beginning of pangs of distress.' (Matthew 24:
8) Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on
the Richter scale, but by the effect that they have upon people."
That would just be a prediction of a population increase, though, and should
a period characterized by things that cause death be a time for that?
Remember as you deliberate on this that the JWs leaders not only teach that
1914 is a dividing line after which all four things got notably worse, they
moreover called it the year Jesus took the throne in heaven and his presence in-
visibly returned to Earth (despite how that mischaracterizes Rev.1:7--"all eyes
will see") (changed in 1993 to 1914 being when Jesus invisibly turned his atten-
tion toward the Earth), and even insist on it to the point of requiring it for
salvation and disfellowship anyone who persists in disagreeing. It's not kept
in perspective as someone's personal speculation as such a thing is generally
considered to be in Christianity.
In a way, this is easy to explain: if you know you'd be forcing points to the
point of lying and playing false prophet if you insisted on the JWs leaders spe-
cifics on the subject for salvation, you're imagining what the JWs leaders have
been doing. The most reasonable thing to make of the evidence isn't anything
supernatural but just that the JWs leaders' methods to promote the sales of
their literature are meant to maintain the marketing group that Russell and
Rutherford established.
1967 "'In one place after another pestilences.' (Luke 21:11) As World War I
ended, some 21 million people were felled by the Spanish flu. Since then, heart
disease, cancer, AIDS, and other pestilences have killed hundreds of millions."
("Awake!" Sept.8, 1967, p.7)
Cancer and heart disease can be influenced by the environment but basically
aren't pestilences. According to Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical
Words, loimos/pestilence means a "any deadly infectious malady."
http://gospelhall.org/bible/bible.php?search=LO&dict=vine&offset=60
As others, including Alan Feuerbacher in the article at the next link, have
pointed out, the increase in death from cancer and heart disease in recent years
indicates more people are living to an older age to die from them. The irony of
the JWs leaders' inclusion of those things to pad their fatality figures is it
makes Jesus out to have warned that in the last days more people would live to
an old age.
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/part-3-unassailable-proofs.html
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
1988 "You will find valuable information in the older publications." ("(Our)
Kingdom Ministry," Jan., 1988, p.7)
1988 "The three essentials for establishing the credentials of a true pro-
phet, as given through Moses, were: The true prophet would speak in Jehovah's
name; the things foretold would come to pass (Deut. 18:20-22); and his prophes-
ying must promote true worship" ("Insight On the Scriptures," Vol. 2, "Jehovah
to Zuzim," 1988, p.696)
****
Satanic birthday cupcakes, Christmas trees, etc.
1988 "Kindergarten or day-care programs, for instance, feature birthday and
holiday parties that can be fun for children. So the child needs to understand
why Jehovah's servants do not participate. Otherwise he may grow to hate his
parents' religion. This last point is important to consider. If a child is not
taught from infancy that some forms of 'having fun' are wrong, such as birthdays
and holiday parties, they may grow to hate their parents' religion (which is ad-
hering to the teachings of the Watchtower Society as one of Jehovah's Wit-
nesses).
"This tragedy can be avoided with proper teaching from as early in the in-
fant's life as possible...the chapter explains that the only two birthday par-
ties mentioned in the Bible were celebrated by pagans, who did not worship Jeho-
vah, and that at each party 'someone's head was chopped off.' (Mark 6:17-29;
Genesis 40:20-22) How can you use this information to reach your child's heart?
Think about it.... 'His ability to quote scriptures makes him very effective
in the house-to-house ministry, since many householders are amazed and cannot
resist the offer of Bible magazines he presents." ("The Watchtower," Aug.1,
1988, pp.13,15)
The JWs leaders are playing prophet again. Rom.14 (see p.36) gives the Chris-
tian view of holidays. Some wanted to celebrate Mosaic law holidays though Mo-
saic law was over for Christians. I'm sure Paul could have thought like a JWs
leader and wondered if having such an observance could evoke the idea of being
under all of Mosaic law. Yet he taught that we're not to judge one another over
the matter but understand it as a matter of personal decision--just makes sure
your faith is true.
Birthday celebration isn't known to be advocated by the early church leaders.
Some followers commemorated the martyrs on the anniversaries of their deaths--
their "birth" into a better life--Natalitia. The church fathers lived in a day
when Christians were a minority in a largely pagan culture, one in which you
could be executed for being Christian and not worshipping the emperor. Some
church leaders wanted to encourage Christians to have days to commemorate the
days the martyrs held to their faith unto death, the resurrection (later Eas-
ter), and the last supper, which were more specifically Christian things com-
pared to birthday parties, which were more general things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_Supper
The JWs leaders' stance was taken from an early 200's AD opinion by Origen,
who has a bad opinion about birthday parties which he backs up by noting that
the Pharaoh and Herod having the only birthday parties noted in the Bible and
that someone's head was chopped off at each. (Gen.40:20-22; Matt.14:6-10) Ac-
cording to Wikipedia, "Origen denounced the idea of celebrating Jesus' birthday
'as if he were a king pharaoh.' He contended that only sinners, not saints,
celebrated their birthday."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
It sounds like Origen didn't like the idea of Natalitia, or, more likely, that
while Christians were a minority, there were cultural trends of the time gener-
ally associated with birthday parties, possibly getting drunk or even false wor-
ship ("king pharaoh"-style?), which caused Origen to associate it with sin to
avoid. This could account for someone from his time and place discouraging such
a celebration or festival for the birth of Jesus, a stance which to many of us
seems more than a little curious.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03724b.htm
As it says in "Why December 25?" by Elesha Coffman at the next link, "Not all
of Origen's contemporaries agreed that Christ's birthday shouldn't be cele-
brated, and some began to speculate on the date (actual records were apparently
long lost). Clement of Alexandria (c.150-c.215) favored May 20 but noted that
others had argued for April 18, April 19, and May 28. Hippolytus (c.170-c.236)
championed January 2. November 17, November 20, and March 25 all had backers as
well."
http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/2008/august/why-december-25.html
However, despite Origen's personal opinions, the general idea of a birthday
party per se isn't ruled against in the Bible, and some even see a precedent for
scriptural approval for the celebration of a birth as possibly meant as held for
Job at Job 1:1-5, in how many would rejoice at the birth of John the baptist at
Luke 1:13-15, and shown by the praise of the heavenly host at the birth of Jesus
at Luke 2:10-14. If celebrating the birth of someone good is good in the Bible,
what's supposed to be bad--doing something annually? It may be Job's family did
that. Out of all that's given in pertinent scriptures, the only thing that's
clearly banned by the Bible is beheading people as entertainment. (Don't you
do that, you kids out there. I don't want to hear you had to because all the
other kids are doing it.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday
Again, the JWs leaders hijacked some opinions by an Ante-Nicene Father men-
tioned before, Origen, regarding the customs of his day related to birthday
parties (as if to pharoah), and made a blanket ban of them, including having
such a holiday to celebrate the birth of Jesus, instead of adhering to the Bi-
ble rules about holidays,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas
http://www.britannica.com/topic/Christmas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nativity_of_Jesus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_traditions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_in_the_post-war_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_tree
http://german.about.com/library/blcmas_ornam.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gift
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yule_log
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_lights
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Nicholas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nutcracker
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Visit_from_St._Nicholas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bells
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_%28song%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bells
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Holy_Night
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Wonderland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Drummer_Boy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleigh_Ride
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_%28Baby_Please_Come_Home%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Tannenbaum
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Came_Upon_the_Midnight_Clear
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joy_to_the_World
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Days_of_Christmas_%28song%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Christmas_Song
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hark!_The_Herald_Angels_Sing
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Away_in_a_Manger
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Noel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_Part_II#Scene_7
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Come,_All_Ye_Faithful
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Night
"Jingle Bells" by Der Bingles and Patty, Maxene, and LaVerne
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAxAfn-7JBg
"O Holy Night," "Winter Wonderland," and "The Little Drummer Boy" by Bing
Crosby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_HFzSCR7v8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zifGp5KTBKg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Bv6sX370E
"O Tannenbaum" ("O Christmas Tree") by Nat King Cole, and "The Christmas Song"
by Nat King and Natalie Cole
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdpicC_6y4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJZ9P3BlNs0
"Sleigh Ride" by The Ronettes, and "Winter Wonderland" and "Christmas (Baby
Please Come Home)" by Darlene Love
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xa-hTXE72G0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAC3jp8Z5c4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV8x7H3DD8Y
"The First Noël - Hallelujah Chorus," "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful," and "Silent
Night" by the Mormon Tabenacle Choir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B3J85iEAnc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z51apErmAuw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2CHfZ9NP8k
"T'was the Night Before Christmas" by Emily (2 yrs. old)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS5bw7hpLIw
"Twas the Night Before Christmas" Bell Telephone The Mabel Beaton
Marionettes from "The Spirit of Christmas," 1950
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzNJxLvbRrM
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1519250/
The JWs leaders' ban also bans Easter as a so-called pagan Christendom holi-
day. Actually, it's another Rom.14, 1 Cor.8-11, pp.36,37, matter. If a long
ago origin of a related holiday matter (Satanic bunnies?) most people haven't
considered as the intended meaning for centuries bothers you, don't have the
celebration, and if it doesn't, go ahead. Christmas or Easter might also be a
matter of a JWs leaders' difference of view about Jesus, but I'm sure a JWs
leaders' view could come up with a JWs customization for it short of a ban of
the whole thing. My criticism is that the JWs leaders play prophet again in
going beyond what can be guaranteed as an intended meaning of the Bible and make
a necessary ban despite the scripture describing it as a matter of personal con-
science.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michaelmas
Paul taught we aren't to have the Mosaic-type unclean things rules which
create ethically unnecessary artificial divisions between people. Christianity
was to spread to Jewish and Gentile people anywhere in the world. You'd have an
impossibly hard time avoiding everything that was used in pagan worship. Some
people worshipped nature--that's everything. There were Roman festivals all
year 'round. So to make a workable system of avoiding not just pagan worship,
idolatry, but any related things--from all history, yet, someone has to play
prophet (against this scriptural concern) and pick some things and not others.
How did they get in the act? According to Paul, such things per se aren't a
consideration--belief in only the one true God is (p.37).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_festivals
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature_worship
When JWs leaders do that in regard to an idolatrous significance a thing had
long ago--the previous use of a tree since used as a Christmas decoration, etc.,
the JWs leaders contradict their own version of the meaning of "things offered
to idols" (Act 15:29)--that the meat lost an idolatrous connotation away from
the idol temple. JWs leaders use this idea to allow the medical use of minor
blood fractions as far enough removed from recognizable as whole blood as to
make it permissible. The ancient meanings some attached to holidays or related
foods or decorations, or even current disagreement about who Christ was regard-
ing Christmas or Easter given that some celebrate them in a secular way, are
generally far removed from current concerns or don't have to be the meanings a
person attaches to them in their own home.
The JWs leaders' ban also bans national holidays as worldly--see the entry for
1935 about the JWs leaders' ban of saluting the flag and the section about "The
Watchtower outlooks on worldliness" on p.6. Rutherford's 1929 interpretation of
Rom.13:1-7 as referring to God and Jesus as the higher authorities, so govern-
ment was considered Satanic, was reversed in 1962. That should leave the JWs
leaders' view to be that the government is basically or generally given as a
good thing in upholding law and order, but the JWs leaders' expanded version of
what the Bible means by "worldly" ironically includes involvement with the gov-
ernment as if they defaulted to a Charles Taze Russell view, whish was also an
expanded idea of what "worldly" means.
See "The Watchtower outlooks on worldliness" on p.6. Actually, being worldly
just refers to not believing in God and not loving one's neighbor as one's self
as by lying, stealing, etc. JWs should be able to have worthwhile employment
while contributing to the good of what's good about government but aren't al-
lowed.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_service
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_civil_service
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independence_Day_%28United_States%29
The JWs leaders play prophet again in going beyond what can be guaranteed as
an intended meaning of the Bible and giving it as a necessary view for Bible be-
lievers and requiring followers to disfellowship persistent dissenters. It's
just an artificial way of creating a "144,000," etc., exclusiveness and another
unnecessary division between people. (And it's an unnecessary prevention from
JWs having something they might like.) (See 1927 or ?, 1929, 1931, 1951, and
1983)
****
1989 The end of the world is expected to come before the end of the century.
("The Watchtower," Jan.1, 1989, p.12; the text was changed to say the work was
to be completed "in our 20th century" in the bound volume.)
http://www.watchman.org/articles/jehovahs-witnesses/did-the-watchtower-
society-predict-2000-for-armageddon/
Satanic higher ed. is for selfish gain and deprives JWs leaders of the results
of JWs' literature sales time
1989 "A university degree may or may not improve your employment prospects.
But one fact is indisputable: 'The time left is reduced'! (1 Corinthians 7:29)
For all its presumed benefits, would four years or more in a university be the
best use of that remaining time?—Ephesians 5:16." "In view of these facts, many
Christian youths have decided against a university education. Many have found
that the training offered in congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses-—the weekly
Theocratic Ministry School in particular—-has given them a real edge in finding
employment." ("Awake!" May 8, 1989, pp.13-14, "What Career Should I Choose?)
(See 1917, 1969, 1992, and 2006) More from the same article discouraging col-
lege education is at the next link.
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/education.html
1990 "We cannot take part in any modern version of idolatry--be it worshipful
gestures toward an image or symbol or the imputing of salvation to a person or
an organization." ("The Watchtower," Nov.1, 1990, p.26) (See 1930 and 1943)
1992 "You likely know that after 1919 the anointed remnant got busy in the
preaching work in cooperation with the angels..." ("The Watchtower," June 15,
1992, p.21).
http://richkelsey.org/Jehovah's_Witnesses_1914_and_1919_Doctrines_Examined.html
That claim refers back to Rutherford getting the Bible Students (which Ruther-
ford later called Jehovah's Witnesses) to take his tracts door to door in 1919.
It wasn't predicted before 1919 and doesn't substitute for what was predicted:
the wholesale destruction of the churches and flocks of the other religions--
"Babylon" to the JWs leaders--of the world. To say that Russell and Rutherford
and their followers caused that to happen would be like saying the United States
was annihilated by an outsider throwing some JWs leaders' pamphlets over the
border that most people in the U.S. didn't read.
1992 "...no hard and fast rules should be made either for or against extra
education.... If Christian parents responsibly decide to provide their children
with further education after high school, that is their prerogative." ("The
Watchtower," Nov.1, 1992, p.20)
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/doctrine-changes/new-light-on-
education/
The JWs leaders' long-standing discouragement of higher education as Satanic
was temporarily relaxed to a matter of personal conscience, but higher education
that interfered with spreading JWs leaders' literature was still discouraged as
shown by the listing for 2006. (See 1917, 1969, 1989, and 2006)
Someone skeptical of the sincerity of the JWs leaders' prophecy claim (oh,
where will we find such a person?) could imagine that they taught that selling
their literature was an important work for salvation (p.3), so discouraged giv-
ing to charity (see 1951), going to college, reading books that were critical of
the JWs leaders distinctive stances, helping causes for human rights (see 1952),
entering the military (see p.6), etc., at times even having children (see 1938),
as matters of doing something other than gathering money for them. It had be-
come hard to find anything better than minimum wage jobs without higher educa-
tion by this time, though.
1992 Frederick W. Franz died on Dec.22, 1992.
****
Milton George Henschel
Fancy Photo Cube
1992 Milton George Henschel became the 5th president of the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_George_Henschel
****
Invisible browsing from heaven part two
1993 "As the events following 1914 began to unfold and the Bible Students
compared these with what the Master had foretold, they gradually came to appre-
ciate that they were living in the last days of the old system and that they had
been since 1914. They also came to understand that it was in the year 1914 that
Christ's invisible presence had begun and that this was, not by his personally
returning (even invisibly) to the vicinity of the earth, but by his directing
his attention toward the earth as ruling King." ("Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaim-
ers of God's Kingdom," 1993, p.137)
A similar message:
"This means, then, that Jesus’ ‘sitting down on his glorious throne’ for judg-
ment, mentioned at Matthew 25:31, applies to the future point when this powerful
King will sit down to pronounce and execute judgment on the nations." ("The
Watchtower," Oct.15, 1995)
The JWs leaders teach that Matthew 24:45-47 indicates that Jesus picked the
Watchtower leaders as his religious leaders on Earth in 1919. Yet he hasn't
fulfilled Matt.25:31 and taken the throne yet (?). His "presence" is so invis-
ible it isn't here at all--he'll arrive later. As with Rutherford in 1929, it's
taught that Jesus began invisibly browsing from heaven, except this time start-
ing in 1914 and picking the JWs leaders as God's channel on Earth before he got
to the throne (which I thought related to ruling), which will happen later (?).
My guess is that they call it "turning attention toward the Earth" in 1914,
but I'm not sure what they call expelling Satan from heaven to cause trouble on
Earth snce 1914, or choosing the JWs leaders in 1919, if you're supposed to as-
sociate sitting on the throne with making a rule and he hasn't sat in it yet.
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1987, 1995, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
****
Lemon Pledge
1993 "At the momentous 1935 Washington, D.C., convention of Jehovah’s Wit-
nesses, someone asked Brother Rutherford, the Watch Tower Society’s president,
about whether school children should salute the flag. He answered that it was
unfaithfulness to God to ascribe salvation by saluting an earthly emblem; he
said he wouldn’t do it. This impressed Bill and me. We talked about it with
our parents and looked up Exodus 20:4-6, 1 John 5:21, and Matthew 22:21. Mom
and Dad never pressured us or made us feel guilty." ("Awake! July 22, 1993,
p.13. See 1935 and 1994.)
1994 "Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that saluting a flag, singing a national
anthem, and reciting a pledge of allegiance are religious acts. Their Bible-
trained conscience does not permit them to participate in such acts of worship.
(Matthew 4:10; Acts 5:29) No matter what country they live in, this is their
stand in imitation of Jesus Christ, who said that his followers would be 'no
part of the world, just as (he was) no part of the world.'—John 17:16."
("Awake!" Jan.8, 1994, p.2) (See 1935 and 1995.)
"The Pledge of Allegiance of the United States is an oath of loyalty to the
national flag and the republic of the United States of America, originally com-
posed by Francis Bellamy in 1892."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pledge_of_Allegiance
"An oath of allegiance is an oath whereby a subject or citizen acknowledges a
duty of allegiance and swears loyalty to monarch or country."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oath_of_allegiance
Neither is a case of idolatry (worshipping whatever other than God as God) or
more than a basic promise to be a good citizen of the country (the sort of basic
stance of Rom.13:1-7). The JWs leaders' stance on neutrality isn't explicitly
required by the Bible and is ordinarily a matter of personal interpretation or
opinion. The credibility of the JWs leaders' stance of requiring their follow-
ers to agree that their stance is a Bible requirement is weakened further by
contradiction.
See the article at the next link: Watchtower presidents Rutherford, Knorr,
Franz, and Henschel are shown in their passport photos for which they signed an
oath of allegiance to the United States. In the case of Rutherford, it was pri-
or to the 1935 onward ban (3/28/22), but for Knorr (6/8/68), Henschel (9/16/52),
and Franz (?/8/88), it was after the JWs leaders' ban of oaths or pledges of al-
legiance to the country took effect.
http://masonemerson.freeyellow.com/christianwitnessescom/id312.html
See the passports on p.1d.
http://glenster1.webs.com/gtjbrooklyn1d.htm
"Because Christians can be loyal both to God and to earthly governments they
can take oaths of allegiance to defend the Constitution, as is required of citi-
zens in some countries in order to get a passport." ("The Watchtower," Sept.15,
1964, p.551)
According to the jwfacts site, the JWs leaders ruled against such pledges and
oaths as idolatrous and worldly and out of the question--except when making an
identical oath to a country for a passport or citizenship (so the JWs could more
freely travel to sell JWs leaders' literature and for whatever reasons the JWs
leaders had to travel).
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/malawi-mexico-oath-allegiance.php
Compare the JWs leaders' ruling that JWs in Malawi shouldn't get 25 cent mem-
bership cards for the Malawi Congress party and the beatings, rapes, destroyed
houses, concentration camp stays, etc. followers suffered there with thousands
fleeing to other countries. See the listings for 1960, 1964, and 1968 on p.6a.
http://glenster1.webs.com/gtjbrooklyn6a.htm
See "The Watchtower outlooks on worldliness" and "The Watchtower outlooks on
neutrality" on p.6.
http://glenster1.webs.com/gtjbrooklyn6.htm
****
Satanic homosexuality
1995 "True, some individuals may very well be prone to homosexuality...a
Christian cannot excuse immoral behavior by saying he was 'born that way.'
Child molesters invoke the same pathetic excuse when they say their craving for
children is 'innate.' But can anyone deny that their sexual appetite is per-
verted? So is the desire for someone of the same sex." ("Awake!" Feb.8, 1995)
The Watchtower stance is that homosexuality is a sin like child molestation.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_jeh.htm
Some defenses of interpretating scriptures as not banning homosexuality:
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/mayweb-only/gayordinationpcusa.html
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_pru.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_in_the_New_Testament
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bible_and_homosexuality
Wikipedia article about pedophilia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedophilia
"See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that
their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven."
(Matthew 18:10, New Jerusalem Bible)
For the God concept to be credible, it has to be reconciled with the known
facts of the world, so I'd only consider a liberal stance on the subject credi-
ble.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality
Believers in Orthodox Judaism, conservative Christianity, and Islam predomin-
ately condemn homosexuality. Most other religions either don't make it an issue
or only have a disagreement among followers on other terms--not a standard reli-
gious ban.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Judaism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_religion#Christianity
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_in_Islam
http://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/homosexuality.htm
Many liberal and reform branches of Judaism and Christianity don't consider
homosexuality a sin unlike many literalist and conservative branches.
For example, many liberal Christians say Matt.19:12 indicates that Jesus under-
stood that some people are born with a sexual orientation and others are made
that way by people so would accept innate homosexuals. The same view holds that
Paul in Rom.1 only counts it a sin for people to perform homosexuality against
their nature--that Rom.1:26 refers to people appeasing false gods like Aphrodite,
Diana, and other fetility gods with temple prostitution.
In 1 Cor.6:9 and 1 Tim.1:10, the meaning of the words "malokois" (NRSV: "male
prostitutes") and "arsenokoitai" are debated. In the Greek Septuagint, "arseno"
is "a man" and "koitai" is "lying with," so for "arsenokoitai" to indicate male
homosexuality "arseno" would be added to indicate who the man is lying with.
This compound word doesn't specify that but just indicates a man is having sex
in some way (having sex indiscriminately?).
http://christiangays.com/articles/malakoi.shtml
http://www.psa91.com/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf
http://www.soulforce.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_prostitution
****
1995 "Jehovah has established a limited number, 144,000, to make up the lit-
tle flock, and he has been gathering it since Pentecost 33 C.E. Logically, the
calling of the little flock would draw to a close when the number was nearing
completion, and the evidence is that the general gathering of these specially
blessed ones ended in 1935." ("The Watchtower," Feb.15, 1995)
(See 1877, 1878, 1881, 1904, 1908, 1910, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1935,
and 2007; also see 1880 for Rev.7:1-8 taken to refer to a literal 144,000 Jewish
people)
1995 "Therefore, in the final fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy today, 'this
generation' apparently refers to the peoples of the earth who see the sign of
Christ's presence but fail to mend their ways. In contrast, we as Jesus' disci-
ples refuse to be molded by the life-style of 'this generation.'" ("The Watch-
tower," Nov.1, 1995, p.19)
"This generation" is no longer people who were alive in 1914, which includes
JWs. Now it's the non-JWs who suffer the judgement of Jesus when the events of
Matt.24 happen. The "great crowd" is made up of those who survive Armageddon
("These are the ones that come out of the great tribulation," Rev. 7:14, NWT)
while "other sheep" includes both those and the ones resurrected to Earth during
Christ's thousand year reign. ("The Watchtower," Nov.1, 1995, p.17)
http://www.freeminds.org/history/new1914.htm
http://www.freeminds.org/women/GivenOnes.htm
http://www.bible.ca/Jw-Prophecy.htm
http://www.bible.ca/jw-1914-generation.htm
The promise that the generation alive in 1914 will be alive when this system
of things is ended has been dropped.
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1987, 1993, 1997, 1998, and 2000)
1997 "In the early 1920's, a featured public talk presented by Jehovah's Wit-
nesses was entitled 'Millions Now Living Will Never Die.' This may have re-
flected over optimism at that time. But today that statement can be made with
full confidence. Both the increasing light on Bible prophecy and the anarchy of
this dying world cry out that the end of Satan's system is very, very near!"
("The Watchtower," Jan.1, 1997, p.11)
http://www.freeminds.org/history/gen_back.htm
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1987, 1993, 1995, 1998, and 2000)
****
History rewritten to make it seem like a JWs leader predicted something
1998 "...a prophecy providentially caused sincere 19th-century Bible students
to be in expectation. By linking the 'seven times' of Daniel 4:25 with 'the
times of the Gentiles,' they anticipated that Christ would receive Kingdom power
in 1914." ("The Watchtower," Sept.15, 1998, p.15)
http://www.watchtowerinformationservice.org/index.php/dates/boastful-lies/
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 2000)
****
2000 "Although Noah's three sons were all married, none fathered children un-
til after the Deluge." "While this does not imply that it is wrong to have
children today, many Christian couples decline to have children so as to become
more fully involved in the urgent work that Jehovah has given his people to do.
Some couples have waited for a time before having children; others have decided
to remain childless and consider the possibility of bearing children in Jeho-
vah's righteous new world." ("Watchtower," Aug.1, 2000, p.21) (See 1937 and
1938)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/wrong-with-being-jehovahs-witness.php
2000 Organizational changes took place. The Governing Body of Jehovah's Wit-
nesses were separated from the Society's board of directors. The members of the
Governing Body stepped down from their capacities in the Watchtower Society.
Henschel left his office to Don A. Adams, not a member of the Governing Body.
Henschel remained a member of the Governing Body until his death.
http://www.watchman.org/articles/jehovahs-witnesses/jehovahs-witnesses-
reorganize-the-watchtower-society/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_George_Henschel
****
Don Alden Adams
OK, I know--wrong one. If you saw "Get Smart," try telling me that isn't who
you thought of when you heard the name, though. (Sorry about that.)
Decorate Your Own Photo
2000 Don Alden Adams, born 1925, became the president of the Watchtower So-
ciety in late 2000.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Alden_Adams
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporations_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses
****
History rewritten again to make it seem like a JWs leader predicted
something about 1914 and 1918/1919
2000 "In the latter part of the 19th century, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
U.S.A., a group of sincere Bible students was organized and became the nucleus
of God's modern-day witness class. These Christians drew attention to the
Scriptural evidence that the conclusion of the present world system was at hand.
True to Bible prophecy, this world's "conclusion" began in 1914 and was marked
by the outbreak of the first world war."
(See 1876, 1877, 1884, 1889, 1891, 1897, 1906, 1910, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1916,
1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1922, 1925, 1929, 1930, 1933, 1938, 1941, 1941-2?, 1942,
1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1982, 1983,
1987, 1993, 1995, 1997, and 1998)
"In June 1918, Satan frantically tried to wipe out those Bible students....
He also sought to destroy their legal corporation, the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society. Responsible officers of the Society were imprisoned.... But in
1919, these officers were released, enabling them to continue their ministry.
Later, they were fully exonerated."
"When 'the time of the end' began, therefore, Jehovah again had a watchman on
the scene, alerting people to events having to do with the fulfillment of His
purposes... Until this day, that watchman class--anointed Christians, the Israel
of God--has been acting in harmony with Isaiah's description of the prophetic
watchman.... This is a watchman who takes his task seriously!
"What did this watchman see? Again, Jehovah's watchman, his witness class,
announced: 'She has fallen! Babylon has fallen, and all the graven images
of her gods he [Jehovah] has broken to the earth!'" "This time, following
World War I, it is Babylon the Great, the world empire of false religion,
that is toppled from its perch of authority.... In 1919, Babylon the Great
could not prevent the Bible Students, as Jehovah's Witnesses were then known,
from escaping from their inactive state and embarking on a worldwide witnessing
campaign that still continues.... That signaled a fall for Babylon the Great,
just as the release of Israel in the sixth century B.C.E. signaled a fall for
ancient Babylon. ("The Watchtower," Jan.1, 2000)
http://corior.blogspot.com/2006/02/latest-wts-lies.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudohistory
The Jan.1, 2000 "The Watchtower" made another case for the outlooks the JWs
leaders require for followers about 1914 and 1919, and are current JWs leaders'
teachings. You can check the top of the time-line and compare for yourself. A
few points: Russell had taught not to see a war as a sign of the end and only
changed his stance after WWI broke out, his couple of prediction times, Oct.,
1915 and Oct., 1914, weren't about WWI and missed the start of it, anyway--WWI
started earlier than either, and none of the miracles he predicted happened--Je-
sus didn't become seen as in "seen," Abraham didn't appear, Biblical Armageddon
didn't happen, etc.
The 1919 prediction was another failure: the non-JWs churches and their flocks
weren't destroyed as predicted. Rutherford just badmouthed them with transpar-
ent elitism like Russell had done in lieu of those churches being destroyed as
Russell predicted for 1910-1914. It was when Rutherford and company got out of
jail and made a special sales effort. One of the important writings of theirs
of the time that was sold was "The Finished Mystery," which I doubt Satan, be-
lieved to be the father of lies (John 8:44), was frantically trying to stop un-
less he was PO 'ed that he didn't get a writer's fee. Even someone with current
JWs leaders' outlooks would have to agree since it was so far off in even pre-
dicting the future views of the JWs leaders.
I guess that's what happens when you stop caring about "the truth will set
you free" and care more about "the truth will set back sales." Crooks and JWs
leaders share one of the definitions of "enemy": someone who'd tell the truth
about their past record to provide evidence that show the JWs leaders to be
caught at something not only wrong but deceptive and harmful--not an outlook
you'd expect to go along with a "144,000"-rarified virtue.
The current JWs leaders' views of 1914 and 1919 were fashioned after each had
gone by. Nothing miraculous was shown in prediction ability in either case to
cause the mainstream historical churches to reconsider JWs leaders' minority in-
terpretations, another in a long line of efforts at arbitrary historicism that
JWs leaders used like the lure of the lottery and changed as they went along,
predictors who couldn't predict anything remarkable, quack medical ideas, etc.,
let alone cause those churches to topple in destruction. I know the JWs leaders
want to promote their stuff to sell it, but that's silly.
Time hasn't been kind to the old predictions, either. More recently, the
claims about them became watered down to unlikely interpretations of an invisi-
ble "presence" for Jesus of Matt.24:29-31 that started in 1914 (that nobody was
aware of any change about at the time--they thought the predictions that were
made failed), earthquakes dropped from supposed "signs" of Luke 21:10,11, the
promise that some people alive in 1914 would be around when Jesus returned vis-
ibly has been dropped, and other religions are doing far stronger than the JWs
leaders' for religions that are supposed to have "fall"en in 1919, etc.
****
2002 The current JWs leaders recently became more accepting of followers get-
ting professional help for mental problems.
"If depression persists, seek professional help. The sooner you do so, the
sooner you can be on the road to recovery. Seek out an understanding doctor who
is familiar with the condition." ("Awake!" July 22, 2002)
http://dr-jeff-morris.tripod.com/id40.html
(Compare that with the listing for 1963 under "Blood transfusions aren't the
only things the Watchtower leaders have had distinctive medical ideas or rules
about" on p.1 and the quotes from JWs leaders' literature at the next link.)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/psychiatry.php
2003 "When it comes to organized charity, though, we need to be cautious as
we evaluate the many appeals we receive.
"Giving That Does the Most Good
"There is a kind of giving that is even more important than charity. Jesus
alluded to this when a rich young ruler asked what he had to do to get everlast-
ing life. Jesus told him: "Go sell your belongings and give to the poor and you
will have treasure in heaven, and come be my follower." (Matthew 19:16-22) No-
tice that Jesus did not just say, 'Give to the poor and you will get life.' In-
stead, he added, "Come be my follower." In other words, as commendable and ben-
eficial as charitable acts are, Christian discipleship involves more. Jesus'
chief interest was in helping others spiritually." "In fact, among his final
instructions to them was the command: 'Go therefore and make disciples of people
of all the nations.'—Matthew 28:19, 20."
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/charity.php
Similar to the JWs leaders' narrowed view of the Golden Rule whereby accept-
able defense is defense of another of the JWs (p.6), charity work, like disaster
relief, is encouraged between JWs (see the site at the first link below). Non-
JWs leaders' charity organizatons are to be considered skeptically, and involve-
ment in them is unnecessarily ruled out (the JWs leaders' prophet playing creat-
ing unnecessary division) if having an origin in mainstream Christianity (the
American Red Cross, Salvation Army, YMCA, YWCA, World Vision, Caritas, Christian
Children's Fund, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, outreach programs, etc.).
("Watchtower." June 1, 2003, pp.3-7) (See 1909, the listing for 1951 called
"Satanic Christian charity," and 1969)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses/
Practices_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses#Disaster_relief
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Red_Cross
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Salvation_Army
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YWCA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Vision_International
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caritas_International
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ChildFund
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Society_of_Saint_Vincent_de_Paul
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzedakah
http://www.just-tzedakah.org/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadaqah
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakat
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alms
****
Intelligent design
2004 The JWs leaders' stance on evolution is basically their customized ver-
sion of the latest trends in the intelligent design argument.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligent_design
If the easiest thing to do in reconciling belief in God with evolution is to
just figure God did it the way evolutionism indicates, the JWs leaders, with
their commitment to feigning elitism about what a Bible believer's interpreta-
tions have to be, screw it up by adding various things that go against the gen-
eral understanding of science.
The JWs leaders deny the existence of "intermediate organisms, or links, be-
tween the major types of living things" in the fossil record. ("Awake!" June 22,
2004)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitional_fossil
The JWs leaders declare that the Bible (meaning their collection of stances on
it) is incompatible with evolution: Adam must be a literal person Jesus was de-
scended from for the JWs leaders' ransom argument for the meaning of the cruci-
fixion (see "Ransom" on p.8), which is given as incompatible with evolution,
etc. ("Awake!" Sept., 2006)
Arguments for intelligent design also appear in "Awake!" Jan.22, 2000, "The
Watchtower," Aug.15, 2007, "The Watchtower" Jan.1, 2008, and "The Watchtower"
Feb.1, 2008.
https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/family/teenagers/ask/creation-evolution-part-3/
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/blog/creation-evolution.php
A more balanced overview, which the JWs leaders' stances contend with, is at
the next links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genesis_creation_narrative
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_the_Bible
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicity_of_the_Bible
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_literalism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegorical_interpretations_of_Genesis
http://www.reasons.org/articles/coming-to-grips-with-the-early-church-fathers-
perspective-on-genesis-part-2-of-5
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theistic_evolution
(Also see 1902, 1904, 1914, 1961, 1968, 1971, and 1985 for Russell's and the
JWs leaders' views against evolution.)
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of in-
telligent design"
Rama Singh, Professor of Biology at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada,
was quoted out of context in the Jan., 2015 "Awake!" to leave the false impres-
sion that he supported the JWs leaders' stance to doubt evolution.
"Rama Singh, professor of biology at Canada'a McMaster University, says:
'The opposition to evolution goes beyond religious fundamentalism and in-
cludes a great many people from educated sections of the population.'"
So he wrote to the editor of "Awake!" asking for an apology.
"So I am asking you first to remove the misquotation from your article
immediately and second print an unconditional apology for what I consider
is a deliberate damaging action on your part to my reputation."
Subsequent Internet and .pdf versions removed the quote but the professor
didn't recieve an apology.
http://jwsurvey.org/cedars-blog/jw-org-does-partial-u-turn-over-awake-
magazine-rama-singh-misquote
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/g201501/evolution-vs-creation/
Also see:
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material under the heading
"We must preserve the sanctity of our stance on blood--truth and other's lives,
we're not crazy about" on p.1a cont.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of de-
termining when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem" on p.1c.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of
pedophilia" on p.5.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of the
identity of Jesus and the holy spirit" on p.6b.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of
early Christian history and related research material" on p.9.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of the
medical use of blood and major blood fractions" on p.14.
****
2005 "What is the best way to make contributions for the benefit of needy
brothers in other lands? At times, we hear about brothers in another land who
have come into material need because of persecution, disaster, or other diffi-
cult circumstances. Some brothers have been moved to send funds directly to the
branch offices in such lands, requesting that the money be used to help a cer-
tain individual, a particular congregation, or a designated building project.--
2 Cor.8:1-4.
"While such loving concern for fellow believers is commendable, often there
are needs that are more urgent than those that the contributor has in mind.
"In come cases, the designated need has already been cared for. Of course, we
can be confident that when contributions are sent to the local branch office for
the worldwide work, the Kingdom Hall Fund, or disaster relief, those donated
funds will be used as directed by the contributor. The brothers in all the
branches have been thoroughly trained to respond quickly to unanticipated needs.
In all cases, the branch keeps the Governing Body informed regarding the matter.
If additional assistance is needed, the Governing Body may invite nearby
branches to help or funds may be sent directly from headquarters. 2 Cor. 8:14,
15.
"Therefore, all contributions intended for the worldwide work, building pro-
jects in other lands, or disaster relief should be sent to the branch office in
the land in which you live, either through the congregation or directly. In
this way, 'the faithful and discreet slave,' through the organizational arrange-
ment set in place by the Governing Body, cares for the needs of the worldwide
brotherhood in an orderly manner.--Matt.24:45-47; 1 Cor.14:33,40." ("Our King-
dom Ministry," p.7, Jan., 2005)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/quotes/charity.php
2006 "Do you not agree that to continue enjoying divine blessings, we must
resist seeking things for ourselves at the expense of Jehovah's worship? That
is so whether the activity or interest diverting our attention is the pursuit of
wealth, get-rich-quick schemes, ambitious plans for advanced education to have a
desirable career in this system, or programs of personal fulfilment."
"Such things may not be sins in themselves. However, do you not see that from
the standpoint of everlasting life, those really are dead works? In what sense?
They are spiritually dead, vain and fruitless. If one persists in them, such
works could lead to spiritual death. It happened to some anointed Christians in
the apostles' day. It has happened to some in out time. You may know of some
who were gradually distracted from Christian activities and from the congrega-
tion; now they show no inclination to return to Jehovah's Service." ("Watch-
tower," April 15, 2006, p.27) (See 1917, 1969, and 1992)
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/wrong-with-being-jehovahs-witness.php
****
We must preserve the sanctity of our stance on blood--truth and other's
lives, we're not crazy about
Thanks to Mary at the Jehovahs Witness Discussion Forum web site for the exam-
ple of the blood card the JWs leaders distribute.
http://img458.imageshack.us/img458/176/2007nobloodsheet11akc9.jpg
http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/4580/2007nobloodsheet2apm4.jpg
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/142651/need-good-color-scan-latest-
blood-card?page=1&size=20
A site that's critical of the Watchtower stance is at the site at the next
link.
http://ajwrb.org/watchtower-approved-blood-transfusions
2006 Gene Smalley, of the JWs leaders' writing dept. at Bethel, appears in an
interview in the CD extras of "Knocking," the 2006 documentary about the JWs.
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/gene_smalley.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocking_%28film%29
According to Randall Watters of freeminds, the current Governing Body is "even
more rabid than Ted Jaracz (head of the WT's Service Dept.) is about obeying the
blood injunction." Gene Smalley has been at Bethel since at least 1967 and
wrote the "Watchtower 'Questions from Readers' columns. And many blood doctrine
announcements and changes have been found there since 2000."
Randy adds that Smalley wrote the 1990 JWs leaders' tract "How Can Blood Save
Your Life?," which is at the site at rhe next link.
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/blood/how-can-blood-save-your-life/
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/blood-transfusions.php
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material under the heading
'We must preserve the sanctity of our stance on blood--truth and other's lives,
we're not crazy about'"
Kerry Louderback-Wood wrote about the 1990 JWs leaders' tract "How Can Blood
Save Your Life?" in her essay "Jehovah's Witnesses, Blood Transfusions and the
Tort of Misrepresentation," (Journal of Church and State, Autumn 2005), which is
at the site at the next link.
http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-140409175.html
My abbreviation of some of the criticisms her report makes of the tract is
given below.
She wrote that her mother died as a result of the JWs leaders' policies and
handling of them, and makes the case that the JWs leaders' organization should
be held responsible by law for using deception in their literature to persuade
readers to agree with their rules. She gives evidence that Smalley's 1990 JWs
leaders' tract is deceptive in various regards including that it:
- misrepresented Joseph Priestly as supporting the JWs leaders' stance, though
Priestly doubted that the idea of not eating blood was a moral concern or a gen-
eral rule for Christians, by using select statements of Priestly's pros and cons
on the subject found in an appendix of his book "The Theological and Miscellan-
eous Works of Joseph Priestley."
- quotes Dr.John S. Spratt as stating "The cancer surgeon may need to become a
bloodless surgeon" without explaining that he didn't mean doctors should follow
the JWs leaders' rules about blood but only that doctors may need to rely more
on red cells (banned for medical use by the JWs leaders) than whole blood: "can-
cer surgeons should consider administering only packed washed or washed frozen
red cells for urgent correction of blood loss."
- cites a 1960 study that claimed there's a death for every 13,000 bottles of
blood used. (p.49) It bolsters the case with warnings about the chance of get-
ting Lyme disease, Chaga's disease, hepatitis, or AIDS from the medical use of
blood. In doing so, it:
1. misrepresents the possibility of contracting Lyme disease from a transfu-
sion as "unlikely, but experts are wary" whereas in 1990 there wasn't known to
be a case of someone contracting it from a transfusion.
2. warns of the possibilty of getting Chaga's disease from a blood transfu-
sion. The Watchtower article says that the insect that spreads it is common in
a widespread area of the U.S., that there have only been five cases of the di-
sease in the U.S., and two of them were linked to transfusion. It gives a New
York Times, May 23, 1989, quote by Dr.L. Altman: "Additional cases may have gone
undetected because (doctors here) are not familiar with Chagas' disease, nor do
they realize that it could be spread by transfusions." The June 15, 2004 Watch-
tower adds that "the threat comes from about 100,000 infected immigrants from
high risk countries." The JWs leaders don't make clear how remote the possibil-
ity is or that the blood supply is easily sanitized with the use of gentian
violet.
3. warns of the risk of getting HIV-2, quoting a June 27, 1989 New York Times
article as saying it "is not consistently detected by the AIDS tests now in use
here." The tract leaves out that the article also says HIV-2 is widespread in
Western Africa, that of the six infected in NYC two lived in Western Africa
(four had incomplete information), that "several European companies have devel-
oped new AIDS tests that cover both strains of the virus" and that the tests
would be implemented soon after FDA approval, and that current tests gave incon-
clusive results 45-90 percent of the time when HIV-2 was present but blood banks
discarded blood with inconclusive results and people from West Africa were asked
to refrain from donating blood.
4. indicates the risk of getting hepatitus C, the most common disease trans-
mitted by blood, was indicated by stating "between 8 and 17 percent of those
transfused in Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, and the United States con-
tracted it" without giving the source. It gives the Feb.13, 1990 New York
Times as a source of the information that if other viruses that cause hepatitis
appear, they'll be designated hepatitis E, etc.
The tract leaves out that the same article gives one in 200 donors as having
hepatitis C so recommends putting off surgery that would call for a transfusion
could either wait for a few months, when the FDA would approve the test for hep-
atitis C, or store their own blood beforehand (which the JWs leaders didn't ap-
prove of). As she wrote: "As of the pamphlet's 1990 publication date, the risk
of diseases (not death), except for Hepatitis C, was far more remote than the
Society's earlier quoted death rate of 1 per 13,000 bottles. As previously dis-
cussed, the Hepatitis C test was soon to be released, mitigating this risk to
one in 100,000 in the U.S." (I'll add the update that the chart she supplies
shows that the risk of getting Hepatitis C dropped to 1 in 1,935,000 by the year
2000.)
- the tract mischaracterizes survival with a low blood count.
1. While it's true a normal hemoglobin count, a measure of the oxygen-carrying
ability of blood, is 14 or 15, it quotes "Contemporary Transfusion Practice" by
the American Association of Blood Banks as saying it was "difficult to detect a
deficit in work capacity" in anemic patients with a count of 7, and that other
patients had "moderately impaired function," but doesn't mention that the book
adds a correlation between low hemoglobin levels and heart attack. The risk is
higher for those with pre-existing heart or circulatory problems when the count
is 7, and those with healthy hearts have a significant risk of heart attack,
kidney failure, or pulmonary edema when the count is below 5.
2. While it's true "when a person loses a lot of blood in an accident or dur-
ing surgery, if the loss is rapid and great, a person's blood pressure drops,
and he may go into shock," it's true that the bleeding should be stopped and the
volume in their system should be restored--the tract recommends saline, Ringer's
solution, and Hetastarch, it's true that the oxygen deprivation makes the heart
beat faster to compensate, and a resting patient uses 25% of the oxygen avail-
able, and "most general anesthetics reduce the body's need for oxygen," the
tract doesn't mention that the heart can only beat so fast and the blood only be
diluted so much safely. "Contemporary Transfusion Practice" says "Together, all
compensations available for anemia are unable to transport sufficient oxygen for
workloads above a certain level, and the compensations themselves impose a sig-
nificant workload." Even at rest, the oxygen deprivation can mean organ failure
and death.
3. The example the tract uses of someone surviving a low hemoglobin count is
far from the kind of example that should have been used to show what typically
happened. It gives the example of a woman who survived a hemoglobin count of
1.8 g/liter after "she was successfully treated...[with] high inspired oxygen
concentrations and transfusions of large volumes of gelatin solution [Haemac-
cel]." The tract uses this example for the argument that "skilled physicians
can help one who has lost blood and so has fewer red cells. Once volume is re-
stored, doctors can administer oxygen at high concentrations."
But the tract doesn't give the attending physician's explanations. She spent
thirty-four days in the hospital--ten in intensive care. The tract doesn't say
that the doctors "found no other case of a patient with such a low haemoglobin
who has survived without a transfusion of blood or artificial oxygen-carrying
substances." The tract doesn't say that the doctors credited her survival part-
ly to the fact that "women can withstand haemorrhage better in the early post-
partum period"--she'd undergone induced labor due to jaundice.
As Kerry Louderback-Wood notes, the tract doesn't say that "her blood pressure
became unrecordable several times, the medicine to increase her blood pressure
caused severe hypemataemia (too much sodium in one's blood), bile leaked into
the woman's abdomen, she developed oedema of the hands and forearms requiring
diuretic therapy, or that she developed a chest infection. Incredibly, her only
permanent disability was that she developed palsy in her right vocal cord."
The pamphlet gives the woman's doctors as speaking positively of using hyper-
baric chambers--that those "with acute blood loss have been successfully treated
with hyperbaric chambers." But the article cited doesn't say that--it speaks
negatively of hyperbaric chambers: "oxygen transport to the tissues could be in-
creased by the use of an hyperbaric chamber, but the period of exposure to very
high oxygen partial pressures is limited because of toxicity problems and this
form of therapy is better suited to the case where further treatment (such as
blood transfusion) is envisaged in the near future. By contrast, our patient's
problem of severe anaemia was likely to continue for several weeks."
The tract might also have noted that hyperbaric chambers are not commonly
available. They're found more often around beaches that scuba divers go to, and
are used to help wounds heal in big cities.
4. The pamphlet doesn't give the prognosis for patients with low blood counts.
A study of pre-operative Jehovah's Witnesses gave a 1.3 percent mortality rate
for patients with hemoglobin concentrations of 12 g/dL, but a 33 percent rate
for those less than 6 g/dL. Poor cardiovascular health of increased the mortal-
ity rate 4.3-fold, so it would be very unlikely that a patient with a heart
problem and a low hemoglobin count of 6 would have a favorable outcome. Due to
this high risk of organ failure or death, the usual "lowest" acceptable level is
about 7--"red cell transfusion...is almost always needed when the level is less
than 6 g/dl." Doctors would probably use transfusions earlier if they thought
the patient had a poor heart or circulatory system.
- The JWs leaders'/Smalley's brochure mischaracterizes the ability of prema-
ture infants to survive a low blood level.
The tract quotes a study on premature infants by Dr.James Stockman III:
"With few exceptions, infants born prematurely will experience a de-
cline in hemoglobin in the first one to three months.... The indica-
tions for transfusion in the nursery setting are not well defined.
Indeed, many infants seem to tolerate remarkably low levels of hemo-
globin concentration with no apparent clinical difficulties."
1. The JWs leaders'/Smalley's tract seems to imply to JWs parents that prema-
ture infants with a low blood count are common and doctors unnecessarily push
blood transfusions--that the infants don't need a transfusion since Dr. Stockman
said many infants can survive low hemoglobin levels.
But the JWs leaders'/Smalley's tract leaves out that Dr. Stockman gave two
situations for which a transfusion is necessary:
(1) "certainly before ten percent of blood volume" had been withdrawn for
blood sampling, and
(2) when stabalized premature infants continue to show hemogloibin levels low-
er that 10, show low available oxygen, and have one of various other problems
which include "poor feeding, dyspnea, tachycardia, tachypnea, diminished activi-
ty, and pallor."
Dr. Stockman recognizes that once a preterm infant has stabilized, transfu-
sions are not needed if hemoglobin is "greater than 10 to 11 g/dl." The Society
could have more accurately summarized Dr. Stockman's recommendation by claiming
that most preterm infants do not need transfusions once they have stabilized,
but those who need frequent blood sampling or continue to have hemoglobin counts
lower than 10, along with other problems, may need a transfusion.
The JWs leaders'/Smalley's pamphlet adds other doctors' discussions of hemo-
globin counts and the decision to transfuse but leaves out Dr. Stockman's recom-
mendations about premature infants who've had either a loss of blood volume or
consistently low hemoglobin levels.
2. The JWs leaders'/Smalley's quote that the decision to transfuse is "not
well defined" may create the fear that the medical community unnecessarily
pushes the use of blood transfusions. The preceding two paragraphs describe the
doctor's decision based on a hemoglobin level of "10" as "cloaked in tradition"
and "shrouded in obscurity," and, as noted above, have preceded this with the
statement that it was "difficult to detect a deficit in work capacity" in anemic
patients with hemoglobin levels of "7." This may leave the impression that "not
well defined" means that doctors just guess at whether or not they should trans-
fuse a newborn.
But Dr. Stockman was contrasting the doctor's "not well defined" decision
about newborns relative to the situation in "older adults and children...." Dr.
Stockman emphasized that a doctor should make a complex analysis of the many
tests that show the physiological nadir most infants experience in their three
month, post partum transition from the fetus. Dr. Stockman noted that the deci-
sion should take into account hemoglobin and erythropoietin levels, reticulo-
cyte count, oxygen affinity/release levels, and PO2 readings. Dr. Stockman's
article was not a conclusion that pediatricians' recommendations for premature
infants were poorly-informed, but rather that they should be well-informed about
the greater number of variables to make decisions that were less clear-cut than
a decision involving a transfusion for a healthy infant, older child, or adult.
- Smalley's brochure mischaracterizes the degree to which JWs parents have the
legal right to dictate a child's bloodless treatment.
Courts are often asked to order transfusions for the children of JWs parents.
In the legal information section "You Have The Right to Choose," Smalley's pam-
phlet tells parents that certain legal precedents guide courts to recognize a
JWs parents' rights to make medical decisions for their children:
"In 1979 the U.S. Supreme Court stated clearly: 'The law's concept of
the family rests on a presumption that parents possess what a child
lacks in maturity, experience, and capacity for judgment required for
making life's difficult decisions simply because the decision of a
parent [on a medical matter] involves risks does not automatically
transfer the power to make that decision from the parents to some
agency or officer of the states.'—-Parham v. J.R.
"The same year the New York Court of Appeals rules: 'The most signifi-
cant factor in determining whether a child is being deprived of adequate
medical care...is whether the parents have provided an acceptable course
of medical treatment for their child in light of all the surrounding
circumstances. This inquiry cannot be posed in terms of whether the
parent has made a 'right' or a 'wrong' decision, for the present state
of the practice of medicine, despite its vast advances, very seldom per-
mits such definitive conclusions. Nor can a court assume the role of a
surrogate parent'—-In re Hofbauer."
But the JWs leaders'/Smalley's tract leaves out that these cases don't involve
JWs minors who need immediate, life-saving blood transfusions.
1. Parham v. J.R. deals with parents wanting to get psychiatric help for their
minor by civilly committing an uncontrollable minor against the minor's objec-
tions. The relevant facts of "Parham...." don't involve the parents' refusal to
accept medical treatment on religious grounds. In fact, concurring Justice
Stewart wrote that a state has the constitutional grounds to preempt the par-
ent's decision, and defended this position by referring to a seminal case
against a Jehovah's Witness parent who required her minor niece to sell JWs
leaders' literature in violation of the state child labor laws.
2. In re Hofbauer deals with the parents' choice to use nutrition instead of
chemotherapy to treat Hodgkin's disease. The JWs leaders/Smalley left out that
the Hofbauer court distinguished the concerns of the case from cases that in-
volve a parents' religious refusal of medical treatment, including a reference
to a specific Jehovah's Witness blood case.
These legal precedents allow that many courts may order blood transfusions for
minors over and against the parents' wishes and the alleged "right" of JWs to
make martyrs of their children.
- The JWs leaders'/Smalley's tract says erythropoietin works "very quickly"--
that doctors can administer erythropoietin and the patient develops red blood
cells "three to four times faster than normal." A reader might think "very
quickly," as it applies to a commonly held need for red cells in an medical
emergency (like the effort to save a car wreck victim), is a few minutes or
hours, maybe a day or two. The tract doesn't explain that erythropoietin takes
four or more weeks to create enough red blood cells to make a difference.
- The tract mischaracterizes complicated surgery as simply being safe Without
a transfusion.
While most surgeries do not require blood transfusions, some surgeries--coron-
ary bypass, hip or knee replacement, hepatic resections (liver surgery), and
radical prostatectomy (prostrate removal)--are a higher risk.
But Smalley's pamphlet simply states that bloodless surgeries are safe and
quotes as support a study by Dixon B. Kaufman conceming renal (kidney) trans-
plants: "The overall results suggest that renal transplantation can be safely
and efficaciously applied to most Jehovah's Witness patients."
I could put that in my article in one of the sections about the JWs leaders'
self-serving misuse of research material. It's another case of using a quote
out of context to make a source that isn't a support seem like one.
I put the quote used by the Watchtower Society in capitals (I don't have ital-
ics in Windows Notepad and want to keep the distinction clear in my copy).
"Jehovah Witnesses had an increased susceptibility to rejection epi-
sodes. The cumulative percentage of incidence of primary rejection
episodes was 77 percent at three months in Jehovah's Witnesses versus
44 percent at 21 months in the matched control group. The consequence
of early allograft dysfunction from rejection was particularly detri-
mental to Jehovah's Witness who developed severe anemia (hemoglobin
(Hgb)* 4.5 per cent) - two early deaths occurred in the subgroup with
this combination.
"THE OVERALL RESULTS SUGGEST THAT RENAL TRANSPLANTATION CAN BE SAFELY
AND EFFICACIOUSLY APPLIED TO MOST JEHOVAH WITNESS PATIENTS
"but those with anemia who undergo early rejection episodes are a high-
risk group relative to other transplant patients."
The JWs leaders' pamphlet by Smalley devotes pages to anemia yet omits the
nearly doubled rate for organ rejection and the warning by the study that "those
with anemia...are a high-risk group."
Again, if anybody is going to be hurt or killed by such things, I'd like to
see a sign of God for it. I'm seeing methods that aren't that, or an indica-
tion of an exclusively honest and righteous 144,000, either, but the JWs leaders
lying to create an impression of exclusiveness and not caring if someone is
killed over it.
(See the listing about the Red Cross for 1881. For my coverage of how the JWs
leaders handle the scriptural matters of the medical use of blood, see pp.11 to
42 of this article.)
Also see:
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of in-
telligent design on p.1a cont.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of de-
termining when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem" on p.1c.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of
pedophilia" on p.5.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of the
identity of Jesus and the holy spirit" on p.6b.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of
early Christian history and related research material" on p.9.
"Complaints about the JWs leaders' use of reference material: the issue of the
medical use of blood and major blood fractions" on p.14.
****
2007 "But this does not mean that he should introduce additional material
from his own personal research and thus possibly overshadow what has been pub-
lished in the magazine. Extensive research has already been involved in produc-
ing the study article, and the points to be emphasized are those included in the
paragraphs under consideration. When outside material is introduced, it often
detracts from what 'the faithful and discreet slave' has prepared for the con-
gregation. (Matt 24:45-47) The impression may be given that the additional in-
formation from the conductor's research is of equal or greater value." (Letter
to Elders, April 3, 2007, "RE: Guidelines for Watchtower Study Conductors")
http://www.jehovah.net.au/whats_wrong.html
In April, 2007, these were the members of the Governing Body (followed by the
year they joined it): John E. Barr (1977), Samuel Herd (1999), Theodore Jaracz
(1974), Stephen Lett (1999), Gerrit Lösch (1994), Guy Pierce (1999), David
Splane (1999), Anthony Morris (2005), and Geoffrey Jackson (2005). (The other
Governing Body members shown are Carey W. Barber, who passed away on April 8,
2007, and Albert D. Schroeder and Daniel Sydlik, who passed away in 2006.)
http://tinypic.com/dea4jc.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governing_Body_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses
****
The deadline for how late a JW can have been born, 1935, and be able to
join the 144,000, which the JWs leaders claim to belong to, is dropped
2007 "From the late 1800's until 1931, the main thrust of the preaching work
was the gathering of the remaining members of the body of Christ. In 1931, the
Bible Students took the name Jehovah's Witnesses, and in the November 15, 1933,
issue of The Watchtower, the thought was expressed that this unique name was the
'denarius' referred to in Jesus' parable recorded at Matthew 20:1-6. The 12
hours mentioned in the parable were thought to correspond to the 12 years from
1919 to 1931. For many years after that, it was believed that the call to the
heavenly Kingdom had ended in 1931 and that those called to be joint heirs with
Christ in 1930 and 1931 were 'the last' called. (Matthew 20:6-8) However, in
1966 an adjusted understanding of that parable was presented, and it became
clear that it had nothing to do with the end of the calling of the anointed.
"In 1935 the 'great crowd' of Revelation 7:9-15 was understood to be made up
of 'other sheep,' Christians with an earthly hope, who would appear on the
world scene in 'the last days,' and who as a group would survive Armageddon.
(John 10:16; 2 Timothy 3:1; Revelation 21:3, 4) After that year, the thrust of
the disciple-making work turned to the gathering in of the great crowd. Hence,
especially after 1966 it was believed that the heavenly call ceased in 1935.
This seemed to be confirmed when almost all who were baptized after 1935 felt
that they had the earthly hope. Thereafter, any called to the heavly hope were
beieved to be replacements for anointed Christians who had proved unfaithful.
"Without a doubt, if one of the anointed unrepentedly falls away, Jehovah does
call another individual to take his place. (Romans 11:17-22) However, the num-
ber of genuine anointed ones who have become unfaithful is likely not large. On
the other hand, as time has gone by, some Christians baptized after 1935 have
had witness borne to them that they have the heavenly hope. (Romans 8:16,17)
Thus, it appears that we cannot set a specific date for when the calling of
Christians to the heavenly hope ends." ("The Watchtower," May 1, 2007)
Again, the JWs leaders' distinctive rules, like their ban on the medical use
of blood and major blood fractions, seem mainly meant to try to justify the
claim of being the only Christian leaders of a literal 144,000 who go to heav-
en. That claim, in turn, is meant to bolster confidence in distinctive rules.
(See 1877, 1878, 1881, 1904, 1908, 1910, 1914, 1916, 1917, 1921, 1922, 1935,
and 1995; also see 1880 for Rev.7:1-8 taken to refer to a literal 144,000 Jewish
people)
****
2008 "Choosing to play violent and immoral games is like choosing to play
with Radioactive waste. The damaging effects may not be immediatley obvious,
but they are inevitable. Exposure in high doses of radiation can destroy the
lining of the stomach and allow bacteria from the intestines to invade the blood
stream, resulting in sickness. Simularly, exposure to sex and violence can
damage your moral senses." ("Awake!" Jan., 2008, p.19) (Thanks to Witness 007)
The quote from the JWs leaders reads like unintentional irony. Causing unnec-
essary harm (dividing people) or death (in Germany, Malawi, and hospitals) by
playing prophet, selling people a con that one has a unique ability to recieve
guidance from God which guided them to make guarantees about what the Bible re-
quires for salvation beyond what evidence can be said to guarantee, and that
those requirements include the JWs leaders' definitions of disfellowshipping,
worldliness, and the medical use of blood, is a violent and immoral game.
A Game Revolution web site article, updated Oct. 19, 2005, "The Truth About
Violent Youth and Video Games," gives charts by the U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Statistics which show that violence by young people in the U.S. has
decreased in the years of the last several GTA games.
http://www.gamerevolution.com/features/violence_and_videogames
It also says the 2004 FBI crime report shows that the murder rate in 2004 was
the lowest it's been in 40 years, the same year the most popular game was "Grand
Theft Auto: San Andreas."
****
2011 After the Watchtower claimed defectors are "mentally diseased," the En-
glish police began to investigate to determine if it violated the UK Racial and
Religious Hatred Act 2006.
"Suppose that a doctor told you to avoid contact with someone who is infected
with a contagious, deadly disease. You would know what the doctor means, and you
would strictly heed his warning. Well, apostates are 'mentally diseased', and
they seek to infect others with their disloyal teachings." "Watchtower," July 15,
2011, p.11
According to telegraph.co.uk, Rick Fenton, a Watchtower spokesman, backed up his
organization's condemnation: "Any one of Jehovah's Witnesses is free to express
their feelings and to ask questions. If a person changes their mind about Bible-
based teachings they once held dear, we recognize their right to leave."
English police began to investigate whether the Watchtower violated the UK reli-
gious hatred laws.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8791196/Police-inquiry-over-Jehovahs-Witness-magazine-mentally-diseased-article.html-
Witness-magazine-mentally-diseased-article.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/28/jehovahs-witness-magazine_n_985479.html_
985479.html
As explained elsewhere in my article, the harmful, at times fatal, efforts of
the GB to affect exclusiveness for marketing involves discouraging JWs from re-
search that would lead them to realize the dubious methods the GB uses. The GB
has a dozen or so distinctive rules, or methods for teaching fairly distinctive
rules, and among those rules is the Governing Body policy that JWs, including fam-
ily members with separate living quarters, who show persistent disagreement with
any of those rules should be shunned by JWs in good standing.
The issue here is that the GB (ironically) characterizes their critics as people
to be avoided like disease. This is clearly to keep the paying customers away
from unsatisfied customers who predictably may provide such research and discour-
age payments.
What is fostering religious hated if not disingenuous religious leaders requir-
ing followers to have contempt for defectors, who persist in disagreeing with
trumped-up strictly religious rules by those leaders...
(predictions, the explanation of the alleged Biblical need to forgo the medical
use of blood/major blood products even unto pain of death, mischaracterizations of
various non-JWs' Bible interpretations and research sources and of non-JWs, etc.),
...to the degree you must avoid the defectors as though they were diseased?
Rick Fenton's spin on the GB, consistent with the GB's shunning rules, puts the
blame on critics of the GB: the claim is that the GB shunning rules, and the GB's
characterizations of those to be shunned, represent Bible requirements that JWs
can take or leave (simply leave--not be shunned for in notable and unfounded con-
tempt). The misdirection attempted is that the issue is simply that you should
have the religious freedom to accept the Bible or not, and that the GB recognizes
that right--a right covered by the UK Racial and Religious Hatred Act of 2006.
Rick Fenton implied a Rutherford-type claim that the GB is being unduly perse-
cuted and an ironic request for protection by the R and RH Act.
The UK Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006:
Supporters of the Bill responded that all UK legislation has to be inter-
preted in the light of the Human Rights Act 1998, which guarantees freedom
of religion and expression, and so denied that an Act of Parliament is capa-
ble of making any religious text illegal.
The House of Lords passed amendments to the Bill on 25 October 2005 which
have the effect of limiting the legislation to "A person who uses threaten-
ing words or behaviour, or displays any written material which is threaten-
ing... if he intends thereby to stir up religious hatred". This removed the
abusive and insulting concept, and required the intention - and not just the
possibility - of stirring up religious hatred.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racial_and_Religious_Hatred_Act_2006
The act was meant to allow people their religious texts but discourage efforts
beyond that to turn people against people and cause unsubstantiated harm. All
that's left is for the accusers of the GB to provide the evidence of them as
guilty of that. I can join others who are able to supply that:
http://glenster1.webs.com/gtjbrooklynindex.htm
****
The GB declares itself the only Faithful and Discreet Slave
The GB increases marketing and appears on the Internet
The GB requires "theocratic warfare" about child abuse
At the jehovahswitness.com forum in Feb., 2016, I asked what the biggest
changes have been to the JWs leaders' business in the last five years.
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/5748717483196416/notable-changes-jws-
org-last-five-years
The Governing Body proclaims itself the sole Faithful and Discrete Slave
The freewheeling, ScenicViewer, Truthexplorer , etc., think that the biggest
change was when the Governing Body appointed themselves as the Faithful Slave.
According to the jwsfacts.com site:
For decades the Slave included all anointed Witnesses but from 2009 on the
Governing Body made statements claiming increased authority. Finally, during
the 2012 Annual Meeting, the Governing Body announced it alone had the role of
the Slave.
144,000 > Russell > Jesus + 144000 > 144,000 (notably including the GB) >
Governing Body
The Governing Body claimed the sole role between Jesus and the JWs followers.
I figured they wanted JWs to consider them as such before that anyway. The
millions of followers, even those who dared imagine they were part of the
144,000, never had any say in how things were run and still don't. ("Watch-
tower," July 15, 2013)
JWs must follow all the rules of the GB to stay in the JWs orgaization so be
saved. Theoretically someone could follow all those distinct rules on their
own but considering the JWs leaders/followers are the only ones who teach cer-
tain things (like refusing the medical use of blood/major blood products for
oneself or children), or are the only only who teach certain things their way
(Jesus as created god and related history), it's unlikely to happen.
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/faithful-discreet-slave.php
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses_and_salvation
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faithful_and_discreet_slave
The GB makes Internet videos and more theocratic warfare
Beth Sarim, talesin, Coded Logic, etc., think the biggest recent changes have
been the appearance of the JW dot org logo and major "branding" (considered as
even more overt money grubbing), literature carts in parks, malls, etc., and the
Governing Body using the Internet to show videos of their speeches. The deli-
very of M. Stephen Lett's teaching was criticized as being odd (as if teaching
infants). Smiddy emphasized that Vin Toole (representing the legal department
of the Australian Branch of the Watchtower Society--regarding the refusal of
the medical use of blood/major blood products--to the Australian Parliament) and
Geoffrey Jackson (Governing Body) were caught lying under oath (which the GB has
taught for decades as Theocratric Warfare--hiding the truth from God's "ene-
mies," being evasive, or withholding truthful or incriminating information) at
the A.R.C. (Australian Royal Commissioj) and waited to see if any charges were
laid against them for it.
https://www.jw.org/en/
http://tv.jw.org/#en/home
https://www.jw.org/en/videos/
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/blood-transfusions.php
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/topic/433530003/misleading-australian-royal-
commission?size=5&page=3
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_warfare#Jehovah.27s_Witnesses
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governing_Body_of_Jehovah%27s_Witnesses#Current
"Jehovah's Witnesses Governing Body member Lett DONATE" by Christian Sparlock-
Freedom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LND0Mt4xgqs
"Governing Body Fails Compilation 2015" by Fateful Slave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wABSbzZt7Xw
Over 1,000 JWs child abuse cases not reported by elders in Australia
"Jehovah's Witnesses failed to report 1,000 alleged perpetrators, child sex
abuse royal commission hears" By Nicole Chettle Updated 27 Jul 2015, 3:42pm
"More than 1,000 members of the Jehovah's Witnesses have been identified by
the church as perpetrators of child sexual abuse since 1950 but not one was
reported to police, an inquiry has heard.
"A Jehovah's Witness elder, Max Horley, said he destroyed notes from a
meeting about the assault of BCB. Justice McClellan then asked Mr Horley if
he would do the same thing today if someone reported a serious allegation of
sexual assault to him. 'Yes,' Mr Horley said. 'That's our practice.'
"Justice McLellan then asked him if he was aware of his obligation to tell
the authorities if a serious allegation of sexual assault was reported to
him. 'If we have any hesitation we contact the branch for advice on how we
should proceed legally and scripturally,' Mr Horley said. 'We don't report
it to the police. I think we encourage them to do that. But we give them the
assistance to do that.' He was then asked how he encouraged people to report
sexual assaults to the police. 'My understanding, a little bit unclear be-
cause I've never had to do it--I'm not fully aware on the process but if it
did come to me I would just be saying "Look this is a matter that you need to
talk to the police about.""
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-07-27/jehovahs-witnesses-child-sexual-abuse-
royal-commission/6649340
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah%27s_Witnesses%27_handling_of_child_sex_abuse
Watchtower closures indicate business failing or just being streamlined?
Pete Zahut thought that the Watchtower selling properties (such as moving
their HQ out of Brooklyn and reducing Branch offices), laying off Bethelites,
getting rid of the Special Pioneers, etc., may indicate deep problems. Beth
Sarim added that the Special Pioneers did all the work for the Borg (Brooklyn
organization).
Maybe, but I think the property sales just indicate streamlining business and
the GB further isolating themselves for security. The HQ (25-30 Columbia
Heights, DUMBO) and two other properties are expected to sell for over 1 billion
dollars. The Watchtower is expected to move from the Brooklyn headquarters to
upstate Warwick (Orange county in southern NY) in 2016-2017. Wallkill (printing
operation) was expanded.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2015/12/4/sales-watchtower-headquarters-
and-two-other-jehovah%E2%80%99s-witnesses-properties-could
http://www.warwickadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140617/NEWS01/
140619969/Jehovah-Witness-World-HQ-project-moving-forward-
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/activities/construction/wallkill-
warwick-projects/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick,_New_York
I can only guess what the GB have in mind about Special Pioneers--some kind of
replacement?
****
A few highlights in summary
- After Jesus didn't show up in 1874, Russell opted for Barbour's unlikely in-
terpretation of scripture to teach Jesus invisibly returned in 1874, and would
be seen in the sense of seeing in 1914. 1874 to 1914 would be the time of the
worst trouble the world has ever known. The non-Russell churches would be des-
troyed from 1910 to 1914. When everyone would literally see Jesus, they'd also
see Abraham, etc., of Heb.11, 144,000 Jewish people living in a restored Pales-
tine, and Armageddon would make a general mess of things for everybody who
didn't agree with everything Russell taught, which would be most people.
- - Russell predicted that the end would begin ending by the end of 1914, then
1915 (corrected calculation--no year "0") or 1914 (original calculation--in-
cludes a year "0" but agrees with the calculation about the Great Pyramid).
Russell began to fudge about whether or not he could predict anything.
- Russell taught you weren't supposed to use wars. etc., as a sign of the end
of the end. But the month after WWI started, and despite it starting earlier
than either of his prediction dates, Russell decided to call the war a sign of
the upcoming end of the end--the upcoming beginning of the end which would in-
volve everyone being able to literally see Jesus, Abraham, etc.
- Russell predicted that the end would begin ending by the end of 1914, then
the end of 1915, then a few years after Oct., 1916. Russell taught that evil
Christendom didn't believe everything Russell taught because it didn't have the
light (which seems like an awfully unreasonable reason for God to destroy it).
- in the late 1920's, after Jesus declined to destroy all the churches except
the tiny percent that agreed with everything Russell taught, Rutherford called
1914 the time Jesus invisibly returned--the start of the end times before Arma-
geddon. God would now destroy everybody who didn't agree with him.
Since there wasn't any evidence that even the 1914 Bible Students (later JWs)
understood that it happened in 1914--in 1914, they were thinking Jesus invisibly
returned in 1874, Rutherford decided that Russell's strong point was to change
the idea of not seeing a war as a premonition till after a war started then be-
gin seeing it as one. Rutherford taught that wars, earthquakes, and famines got
worse since 1914, and "this generation will not pass away" (Matt.24:34) was
taught to mean there were Bible Students/JWs alive in 1914 who would still be
alive when Armageddon happened. Rutherford, despite Russell's correction, re-
verted to using Nelson Barbour's 606 BC to 1914 AD calculation that included a
year "0."
1918-1919 became taught as the period in which Jesus decided who had the one
religion by which people can be saved, and that he picked the Bible Students led
by Rutherford, which Rutherford called Jehovah's Witnesses.
- The earthquake claim was dropped, and the top age was increased for JWs of
1914 who could be around for Armageddon--"this generation..." until the top age
was dropped, and it's now taught that JWs at any time, now or later, will be
present for it. Armageddon may happen anytime, yet people who reject the JWs
leaders' idea of Jesus invisibly returning in 1914 will be rejected by God.
- Jesus has done something in 1914, but not taken the throne yet, although he
chose the JWs leaders as his sole religious leaders on Earth in 1919 (see 1993).
In other words, the JWs leaders now just teach that 1914 is just when Jesus
took invisible heavenly control of Earth, although not on the throne yet, then
waited a few years to pick the Watchtower leaders to teach his religion.
All it amounts to is playing prophet badly with historicism for over a century
as a messy way of claiming to have the one true religion, yet someone is counted
as not saved if they look at it and disregard it. Since the JWs leaders not
only hold onto a year when Jesus would have seen that the JWs leaders' doctrines
had notable differences from the current ones, but when Russell, later Ruther-
ford, made false prophecies and taught things they and later JWs leaders have
covered up, denied, and even lied about, it seems kind of harsh having JWs
shunned for not making anything better of it.
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/607-1914.php
I also see a comparison between how current JWs leaders teach the history of
their historicism/eschatology and how they strain to inject their own views of
Jesus and the holy spirit into a revisionist history of early Christianity, and
leave out their own early history of the late 1800's and on, in the "Should You
Believe in the Trinity?" brochure (p.9).
****
Playing prophet badly is harder to pull off on TV
In 1987, Peter Popoff was shown by James Randi to be a phony playing prophet.
Popoff wore a radio transmitter in his ear, through which his wife sent him mes-
sages about the names and illnesses, etc., of the flock he preached to. She and
some others had talked to flock members before the show to gather this informa-
tion. Popoff pretended God was sending him messages and claimed God healed
through him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Popoff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7BQKu0YP8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hOL7WUXmR0
One of the claims of such faith healers is that the healing may not work if
you flag in your faith. (Seeing a doctor could indicate skepticism about the
healing.) In that some said they believed it, and they may have not sought
proper medical help, and possibly died, it reminds me of the JWs leaders' pre-
tension about being God's sole channel of information on Earth meant as part of
the support for their claim of a Bible guarantee for a blood transfusion ban.
This is more cynical than elitism alone. And it's a little more reckless than
playing the lottery to support it uncritically.
Peter Popoff went bankrupt later that year, but has recently gotten onto TV to
use a healing act and make more money. Unfortunately, once some people decide
they believe something, they don't want to cross things off the list even if
it's been shown to be wrong or hurts anyone unnecessarily.
I don't want to seem intolerant or cranky about people whose belief or non-be-
lief choice is different and are harmless or even do good. But there's a dif-
ference in criticizing insincerity that causes harm.
You might be thrown if you try to understand it as a matter of the sincere be-
lief of the victim if the question in this case is the responsibility of their
religious leader. Are they liable if they knowingly misled someone to do some-
thing that caused them harm?
Peter Popoff's insincere affected exclusiveess = the JWs leaders' insincere
affected exclusiveness.
Radio transmitter gimmick = quotes out of context to make it seem there's
support in research books that aren't supportive, misrepresenting the
comparison of their distinctive stances with alternative stances, forced points,
and omission of pertinent evidence.
Throw away nitro-glycerin and insulin = refuse the medical use of blood and
blood products for yourself and your kids.
Same ethics.
The JWs leaders are shown to be play prophet in claiming a literal 144,000
elitism, requiring regimented agreement to minority interpretations and personal
opinion and bad predictions as though scriptural to justify the exclusiveness,
and use forced points, mangle research material, and misrepresent critics to
make the JWs leaders' rules about them seem like the only ones that are reason-
able. Yet the flock, while losing some members when predictions failed, kept
growing.
I think the difference is due to the widespread exposure of a TV figure com-
pared to the relative obscurity of JWs leaders' literature, especially conflict-
ing older JWs leaders' literature at any one time since the JWs leaders choose
not to keep copies of it in the JWs Kingdom Hall libraries, or obscure because
it's been re-written afterwards to cover up things the leaders got wrong or
don't want to admit they changed. The leaders teach the followers to avoid peo-
ple or literature that's persistently critical of them, that such criticism
comes from people who hate God, and they keep the publishers diligently going
door to door with new material.
There's been lot of bad behavior over bad predictions, but the JWs leaders
maintain whatever damage control they can over the failures, changes, and weak-
nesses in their case for elitism shown in their literature.
****
A few Watchtower articles about recommended music for JWs are at the next
links:
http://www.quotes-watchtower.co.uk/music.html
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/sing-to-jehovah-new-songs/
"We should...gratefully accept...counsel (from the) 'faithful slave' (on) our
choice of music and entertainment...we are grateful that the 'faithful and dis-
creet slave' continues to help us..." ("The Watchtower," July 15, 1998, pp.13,
14) (See 1969)
(GTW note: No. Just no.)