tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post8865345068566020776..comments2024-03-15T19:59:22.975-05:00Comments on DISMYTHED: Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Seek "New Light" if They Already Have the Truth? [Revised]Dismythedhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-33380469130419917262017-01-04T11:40:21.477-06:002017-01-04T11:40:21.477-06:00You should also read the following post:
http://d...You should also read the following post:<br /><br />http://dismythed.blogspot.com/2013/07/waiting-on-jehovah.htmlDismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-58113798699079529052017-01-04T11:36:11.038-06:002017-01-04T11:36:11.038-06:00As to your second point, Sanchez, Paul said, "...As to your second point, Sanchez, Paul said, "you should all speak in agreement" (1 Corinthians 1:10) If a person can't speak in agreement, then they can either hold their tongue or leave.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-82634187073118685372017-01-04T11:32:21.064-06:002017-01-04T11:32:21.064-06:00Sanchez:
Read John 21:21-23. Being wrong about so...Sanchez:<br /><br />Read John 21:21-23. Being wrong about something does not necessitate being wrong about all things. A religion not willing to make course corrections is not worth its salt, nor are they humble, and therefore cannot be trusted.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-90772835080510363182016-05-30T19:53:04.757-05:002016-05-30T19:53:04.757-05:00Our WT Study was very good Sunday. In a sense, in ...Our WT Study was very good Sunday. In a sense, in my opinion, you can say Moses received "increased light" from that of Noah, and Jesus also gave "increased light" from that of Moses. <br /><br />The Bible is a book of change based on circumstances. Moses had a practice different from that of Noah, and Christians have one different from that of Moses. Does this mean God wasn't with them and not causing these changes?<br /><br />Interesting discussion that increased my knowledge.Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16222067990028193076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-73322308962155982762015-11-05T16:10:19.750-06:002015-11-05T16:10:19.750-06:00b ~.^b ~.^Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-21502079569811103872015-11-05T13:28:24.381-06:002015-11-05T13:28:24.381-06:00Thank you for the correction, CJ. Much appreciated...Thank you for the correction, CJ. Much appreciated!Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16222067990028193076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-8159152713751829552015-11-05T12:07:49.064-06:002015-11-05T12:07:49.064-06:00One correction. "The Truth" is what is w...One correction. "The Truth" is what is written in the Bible. (John 17:17) So long as the Bible is our source of truth as embodied in Jesus Christ, we remain to be "in the truth". (John 8:31, 32; 14:15-17) Others use fanciful stories, worldly ideas and theology as their guides and that is why the truth is not in them. (John 8:42-47) Truth is from God and what Jehovah God has revealed to us is in the Scriptures through His Son, Jesus Christ, and we seek to come ever closer to that truth. That is why we are "in the truth".Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-45147173258505639752015-11-05T10:13:26.126-06:002015-11-05T10:13:26.126-06:00CJ - The Mormons refer to their sitting president ...CJ - The Mormons refer to their sitting president as a "prophet, seer, revelator". The Pope at times speaks with "infallibility". Ellen G White was a "prophet". Anyone holding these titles are in no need of adjustments, and thus, should never be wrong or need any adjustment once something becomes doctrine.<br /><br />CT Russell, on the other hand, never assumed these titles, never wanted them. In fact, he issued statements distancing himself from such titles/praise:<br /><br />"We have not the gift of prophecy" - Zion's Watch Tower - January 1883 p 425<br /><br />"Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible, or on par with the Holy Scriptures" - Zion's WT and the Herald of Christ's presence" - Dec 15. 1896.<br /><br />On par with this, the Governing Body has also make similar statements:<br /><br />"It is not claimed that the explanations in this publication are infallible". - Revelation Book, 1988 P 9.<br /><br />"Although the slave class is identified as the "faithful and discreet slave", Jesus did not say they would be infallible...they can be mistaken, as such men sometimes were in the first century" - Watchtower, December 1 2002. P 17.<br /><br />I am sure that the Witnesses reading this post are familiar with these or perhaps similar statements, and I'm posting this just to support CJ's wonderful explanation as to why "increasing light" is needed even though we believe this is God's organization. <br /><br />By the Governing Body recognizing this, they're instilling confidence in the members of the organization that (1) we're open to adjustments when they are clearly warranted, and (2), we are humble enough to actually make those adjustments without the excuse that "God just told us to". <br /><br />Brother A.H Macmillan said that even though we make adjustments where needed, the clear Biblical teachings will remain the same, namely, no immortality of the soul, no Hellfire, and no Godhead or Trinity. These are foundational, and thus, we build from them.<br /><br />As CJ said, this should be a tremendous comfort to people. This indicates that the Governing Body is continually questioning their conclusions, checking the Scriptures to see how closely we are or are not aligned to them, and discussing the direction in which the organization is going. <br /><br />This process clearly identifies and corrects errors, and this is what I find to be an attractive quality. <br /><br />But some understandably object: "Well, if you have the truth, then it should never change". When we say we have the "truth", we are not saying that every sentence printed in the Watchtower Magazine is factual, we're speaking of the overall body of beliefs. If someone says that that they have "great parents", they're not saying that everything their parents have done has been "great", or has always been beneficial -- they're referring to the total scope of the parenting they received. <br /><br />This is what we mean by having the "truth". <br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> <br /><br /><br /><br />Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16222067990028193076noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-23496930808874049132014-07-27T23:35:54.733-05:002014-07-27T23:35:54.733-05:00I gather by your comment that you have never been ...I gather by your comment that you have never been a Witness.<br /><br />I invite you to challenge anything you find on the following page:<br /><br />http://dismythed.blogspot.com/2009/01/three-are-not-greater-than-one_06.html<br /><br />You might also consider my series on identifying dangerous cults.<br /><br />There's no posturing here. Just truth.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-26771680090082758802014-07-27T19:21:14.076-05:002014-07-27T19:21:14.076-05:00For all your posturing, JW's are a cult in the...For all your posturing, JW's are a cult in the truest sense because you do not believe Jesus is God. Too bad, so sad. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-71471580919682520372013-11-08T04:43:27.092-06:002013-11-08T04:43:27.092-06:00The most frequent mistakes I hear, both from the p...The most frequent mistakes I hear, both from the platform and from the audience, revolves around the usage of the Interlinear, which is hardly surprising as few, if any, members of the congregation have much knowledge of Greek.<br /><br />One mistake is to think that the English word under each Greek word is the 'literal' meaning of the Greek word. In actual fact, the English word is a 'gloss' that often, but not always, is the basic meaning of the Greek term. Greek is a tricky language and to get the real meaning of a term requires a decent lexicon, an understanding of the grammatical form of the word and an understanding of how Greek words are affected by the grammar - no easy task.<br /><br />The 'worst' mistake I have heard is when someone looked at a Greek word, transliterated it into English and thought it sounded like an English word and so defined the Greek word in terms of that English word. He actually got the transliteration wrong but it is usually a mistake to define a word by one of its cognates, especially when that cognate is centuries younger than the original word...<br /><br />AndyAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02709664853900705931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-88435371200058648682012-12-10T17:24:41.405-06:002012-12-10T17:24:41.405-06:00As an example, one speaker just a few weeks ago in...As an example, one speaker just a few weeks ago in my congregation, identified jeans specifically as being "slovenly dressed" and that Jehovah's people shouldn't be like that. But if you read through the organization's literature, they never once refer to jeans in a negative way. If there is any negative connotation in association with them, there is usually an adjective that turns it pejorative, such as "baggy" or "ragged" or they are mentioned as a part of an ensemble, but jeans themselves are never said to be slovenly. So the speaker was incorrect, and no one ever corrected him. But then, there was no great spiritual need to do so. Just about everyone in the congregation wears jeans outside of the congregation and service, so they are all familiar with the reality that there is no restriction on jeans, nor any bad opinion in the publications.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-26808720852936576272012-12-10T17:09:14.534-06:002012-12-10T17:09:14.534-06:00By "frequent", I'm not suggesting ev...By "frequent", I'm not suggesting every talk, but several times a year. While the elders do make corrections occasionally, for every correction made by an elder four statements don't get corrected. In fact, I have only once seen an elder actually speak up during a talk to make a correction. Usually, they make the correction after the talk, either when they get up to introduce the next meeting or next speaker, or during the Watchtower study, or in another talk the next week. The correction is usually very subtle.<br /><br />But understand that I have trained myself extensively in critical thinking. I analyze each and every statement as either "true" or "false" according to my own research in the publications and other areas.<br /><br />Usually the mistakes that don't get caught have to do with one of two things: 1) Understanding of something in the world, or 2) an opinion of the speaker that is not advanced by the publications.<br /><br />So these aren't really things most elders would care to correct unless they are dangerous to the spiritual welfare of the congregation. If elders spoke up for every one of these little mistakes, it would become tedious, so elders focus only on correcting information that is of a doctrinal or spiritual nature, and rightfully so.<br /><br />Thus, no need to worry, I was not criticizing the integrity of the organization's speakers, but only highlighting the human tendency to get some things wrong and to inject one's own feelings into a talk. We're not perfect. We err frequently. That's why we need the salvation through Jesus Christ.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-6863451977379548852012-12-10T12:37:02.987-06:002012-12-10T12:37:02.987-06:00In my over 40 years of hearing talks, I have not h...In my over 40 years of hearing talks, I have not heard incorrect statements frequently given from the platform. No doubt there are occasional errors. When errors are made, an elder usually tactfully corrects the speaker. But making incorrect statements frequently? That is a questionable statement. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-4510066714465610932012-11-19T09:03:44.177-06:002012-11-19T09:03:44.177-06:00P.S.: I hear speakers give incorrect statements fr...P.S.: I hear speakers give incorrect statements from the platform frequently. It's not something that you can take as the official stand of the organization. That is why a publication is superior to a talk on the platform. You can ask questions of it, check the context and have a dialog with the organization concerning it.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-24877903194447302472012-11-19T08:47:37.244-06:002012-11-19T08:47:37.244-06:00Hello, Sergey. I'm glad you have an interest i...Hello, Sergey. I'm glad you have an interest in serving according to accurate knowledge. As for book writing, it is strongly discouraged. While defending the faith against attacks lies within acceptable bounds, it can be handled poorly by some and lead to censure within the congregation. Exercise wisdom and do not provide any form of spiritual guidance by means of it, neither quote apostates, nor address apostates. One book writer was disfellowshipped for having ongoing conversations with an apostate, which is expressly prohibited in the Scriptures.<br /><br />Regular exposure to material from apostates and opposers can cause a subtle disease of mind, even if you never agree with it. Eventually the mindset rubs off and one begins to look for fault within the organization, and suddenly, instead of refuting accusations, they end up looking for support to the accusations. With being so new to the truth, you should be looking to bolster your faith through reliance on Jehovah and service to him through the ministry, helping people come to know about our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. On the other hand, research to refute challenges has little spiritual value. I recommend that you become sure in your faith, knowing once for all time, without any further question, that this is Jehovah's organization headed by Jesus Christ and his "faithful and discreet slave", and then you will have the spiritual qualification to speak in defense of the organization by a book.<br /><br />Not everyone has been "once for all been enlightened." I myself have been, and I know with such absolute certainty that this is Jehovah's organization that I will not be swayed by anything. The only threat to my faith is my own failure to maintain it. But what got me here was not refuting the lies of Christendom and apostates about the organization, but through my absolute reliance upon Jehovah and Jesus Christ and the answering of my prayers to the extent that they can be neither refuted nor repealed in my mind.<br /><br />As for the question I excised from your post, I am lacking reference, and therefore lacking context. Due to its being out of context and its questionable nature and unknown source, I cannot permit it to be quoted here. Your statement said that it was a statement made to Bethel members. How am I or anyone else supposed to check that and even so, an impromptu statement made in front of the Bethel family in 1980 would not have gone through the rigorous process of editing that Watchtower articles go through since 1994.Dismythedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09872186295008632240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-413969216273696296.post-45237193834420651022012-11-19T08:17:11.660-06:002012-11-19T08:17:11.660-06:00Hello I'm going to become a Jehovah's Witn...Hello I'm going to become a Jehovah's Witness. I 'm working on writing a book in which I want to refute the most common accusations of Jehovah's Witnesses.Sorry but I do not know very well English, to work on his studies.I read your blogs and found them very Intersnyh. I'll be glad eslivy help me in my researches and let me use the materials in your sites. [Edited.]Сергейhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08058609321173063761noreply@blogger.com