# *The Greater Issue

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Posted by AF [AF] on November 25, 1999 at 09:10:56 {yaNwUlwC5c1EwaxRomAMdaOt1gg/Zk}:

In Reply to: The Greater Issue posted by AP on November 25, 1999 at 07:56:54:

In general I agree with your comments. However, to implement them would require a huge change in thinking on the part of JW leaders.

Traditionally these leaders see themselves and only themselves as authorized by God to speak in his name to mankind. This is embodied in the doctrine of the "faithful and discreet slave", which they claim was specially "appointed over all Christ's earthly belongings" in 1919. They equate public disagreement with them with apostasy, whereas Biblical apostasy actually means abandoning God. JW leaders explicitly teach that they must "teach" with authority on all subjects on which they offer opinions. This is clearly stated in the "Questions from Readers" in the April 1, 1986 Watchtower. Disfellowshiping people for arguing their ideas in front of other JWs is a prime example of this arrogance.

A simple example of this sheepbrain attitude was how JWs on the Witnesses.net "Bible Research" forum last spring handled the question of whether the Society still teaches that the creative days of Genesis are 7,000 years long. The latest explicit statements in WTS literature (ca. 1987) said this, but all statements after this simply say "millenniums". Most of the JW's comments showed that they deferred to the Society's latest explicit statements, even though some commented that they had a lot of trouble going along with it.

I think you'll also agree that the only reason most JWs go along with the Society's thoroughly disproven "1914 chronology" is that the Society still teaches it. They would immediately abandon it and accept new ideas as soon as the Society gave them the go-ahead.

In principle I believe that your sentiments are on the right track. In practice I don't believe that they'll ever be implemented, except on a piecemeal basis, because it would require a complete change in current JW leadership. Whether that change comes in the form of change of heart on the part of the current leaders, or a change in personnel, most observers have little hope that such will occur.

AF

Your point about JWs not seeing the contradictions in the KM argument is very good. Why do they not see them? Because for most JWs, truth is defined by whatever the Society prints. I know that this is anathema to those who do think for themselves, but that's the way it is. It's also the way it is for most people generally, because most people are sheep. They want to be led, to be told what to do, to be told right from wrong because they're too lazy or stupid to think for themselves. Therefore, a great challenge for any religious body is to teach the faithful to think for themselves.

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