Posted by CoHeRent on March 14, 1999 at 20:46:42 {MWztECftbNz2o}:
In Reply to: 2/15/94 WT Reposted as link posted by Shaun on March 14, 1999 at 19:37:28:
The subject of cults as they relate to Jehovah's Witnesses is full of controversy, and I believe it is because of the conflicting messages that can be found within the publications themselves, as well as the surprisingly wide variation of
ways that individual Witnesses are affected by the WatchTower experience.
Some JWs, for example, do display characteristics reminiscent of cult followers. But not all. There are many JWs who do not allow every single detail of
their personal lives to be controlled from Brooklyn. For example...
Cult members often isolate themselves from family, friends, and even society in general. Is that the case with Jehovah�s Witnesses?
Yes, read their own
literature to see the instructions for Jehovah's Witnesses
The truth is that there are varying degrees to which JWs will restrict their association with non-believers. This is especially true as there will be a variety of ways that the information in the 9/8/97 Awake! article "No Part of the World - What Does It Mean?" is applied. And they do not isolate themselves completely from society.
Yes their teachings are very different.
Yes they did warn
people by predicting the following dates as the battle of Armageddon.
The current teaching no longer tries to pinpoint dates, and they are getting back to following Jesus' words that "of that day, no one knows". The
challenge would be to have as many as possible continue to be guided by that scripture even if there ever was another date suggested in the publications.
The last two examples also highlight that positive changes have occured in recent
years. The nineties seem to have been the decade for that. All the references that you have cited were dated prior, and so may be irrelevant today.
There are some points you made that I do agree are still problems with the WatchTower
Society. Among them are the view that the "organization" is put on a pedestal, and another is the unclear teaching regarding the role of Jesus as the way to the Father. The view of not pursuing independant Bible research and investigation
apart from the Society's publications is another area that I see a variety in among the brothers. This runs the gamut from elders who say that we should only use the NWT as our primary study Bible to those who readily use a variety of
translations in their personal as well as WT study.
The case is not cut and dry in my mind as there are legitimate objections to the view that Jehovah's Witnesses are members of a cult in the strictest sense of the word.
Regards,
CHR