Posted by Harold [harold] on November 18, 1999 at 06:28:07 {KEdmzBXaT661p6sL3HUsdt40fI85yM}:
In Reply to: Reformation or Liberation posted by Camryn on November 17, 1999 at 08:51:26:
Nice post, Camryn
:"It seems to me that the Society cannot be truly reformed until it first acknowledges it is not "God's
faithful and discreet slave organization."
BINGO!!!!!
I can attest to the fact that this is one of the very first concepts to be established when becoming a Witness, whether through birth or as a result of PUBLISHING. By the time I was 3 or 4 years old I understood that Jehovah's Witnesses are Jehovah God's only true religion. It is the single most important underpinning of JW faith. This authority which the WTS confers upon itself allows it to demand complete compliance with it's directives. Mere questioning of WT doctrine is not tolerated and can - and does - lead to a Q & A and eventual disfellowshipping if there is refusal to "adjust one's thinking".
:How many non-Witnesses would get baptized as one of "Jehovah's Witnesses" if they became
aware of the Society's true history of false teachings and prophecies and knew that "the Society is
not God's organization?"
Well, if the Society ever reformed to the point where it admitted that they weren't REALLY the FDS after all, and members were now baptized just as the Bible instructs - IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT - as a symbolism of their relationship with God, then I would consider coming back myself. But I never would consider it under the present regime...
Really, the only function of organized religion that has any net benefit to one's spiritual progress is that it facilitate's bible study and can provide fellowship with others of like kind. All the other stuff - doctrine, rules & regulations, ect, get in the way of true worship.
Thanks for the interesting post,
Harold