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Furuli's new e-book: "My Beloved Religion - And The Governing Body"

Ann O'Maly

By Ann O'Maly
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Patiently waiting for Truth Veteran

Patiently waiting for Truth

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I want to relate something here which my wife and I found interesting. I have just been sat at our kitchen table with my wife and our son. My son went out yesterday and met up with a friend and they were talking about families and household situations. Who is speaking to whom and who isn't etc. My son happened to mention that I am an ex JW and therefore many people will not talk to me. He didn't mention anything else. His friend then mentioned this BOOK and mentioned the ARC and CSA. His friend knew all the abreviations and what they meant. Now I found that interesting because my son is not really interested in it, only in as much as it involves our close family.  But his friend watches videos and reads news articles all about the situation and knew a lot about it. His friend is not a JW and not an ex JW, he just has an interest in things going on in the world. Now Arauna does this as do many JWs. They keep on the watch. And this young man seems to be doing likewise.  BUT, if a JW should knock at his door, i do wonder what his reaction will be. It brought out to me, that people 'in the world' are aware of the 'problems' in the CCJW, and those 'problems' will of course cause a stumbling block to many. Yes JWs may go from door to door preaching, but do those same JWs realise how much information the public already has. A, it will cause people not to listen to the 'message' and B, it could cause abuse towards the JWs knocking on doors. 

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JW Insider

I brought it up because it's one of several places where Furuli's book provides the exact type of anecdote I am familiar with. These types of interactions were evidently memorable and important to Fur

Arauna

In this world nothing is perfect because humans tend to overstep boundaries - even Moses did so. But if we are really prepared to give our life for another (spirit of christ), then reading our bi

TrueTomHarley

If it was JWI, you’d still be reading it.  Because that “merely” is a pretty big merely.  What if my roof caves in tomorrow and I decide it’s God’s fault? What if I park on the Kingdom H

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Patiently waiting for Truth Veteran

Patiently waiting for Truth

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One other thing i find funny is when people on here try hard to relate the GB to Bible characters. 

The Bible characters were inspired by God's Holy Spirit. the GB are neither inspired or guided by God's Holy Spirit. 

Yes the GB 'know the scriptures' but so does the Pope and many other people. 

List of Christian theologians

 

21st century[edit]

You see, quite a lot of people know the Bible / Scriptures.

TTH says " They (the GB) want to do the biblically supported role of herding sheep. They don’t want to be overbearing, but at the same time they don’t want to be so loose and vague that they find themselves herding cats.

Tom, many of us know what the GB are herding, and it isn't nice. 

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Witness Mentor

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On 6/25/2020 at 2:26 PM, Anna said:

Going back to the fear of apostates, it makes me wonder why they (the GB) are so afraid, to the point of putting the fear of God in you if you so much as glance at something apostate related. That has always bothered me a bit. Are they afraid that their influence be undermined? That people will lose trust in them? If that is so, where then does the trust in Jehovah figure? Are we not supposed to trust Jehovah more than any man? Does it not reveal that our trust may lie more in the GB than Jehovah? Recently, in one of the study articles it was mentioned that idolizing someone (the reference was to the GB) could become a stumbling block if that someone falls away. Is it then not better to see the "contrasting view" because that might help us be more realistically grounded. And as JWI alluded (I think it was JWI) why try and "hide" something unless we are ashamed of it (meaning the GB) and why not be candid and transparent? Why have all this "secret" stuff for the apostates to dig up and wave around? Stuff that the GB does not want us to read? Do they think our faith in Jehovah is so fragile?

Anna, you have brought out so many good thoughts.

No, they don't believe that one's faith in God is fragile since they are well aware that people can leave the organization and maintain and develop further, their faith in God and Christ. They keep watchful track on the works of especially the anointed, who have left and continue in declaring their praise to God.   Realistically, they fear for the life of the organization that they live for, and it is the only reason for hiding its sins from the sheep. It must appear clean since it is "Jehovah's organization".   It is the only reason that they would feel moved to express that "Jehovah and Jesus trusts the slave", so also, should the sheep.  

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JW Insider Grand Master

JW Insider

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15 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

I get from you the sense that the GB sends up little trial balloons here and there to gauge the response. You think the line of ‘being obedient even if a given direction seems to make little sense from a human point of view’ one of them?

No. That would actually be cynical. I was only saying that the idea I mentioned would sound cynical. Instead, I was proposing that someone wrote the original with no intent of implying anything ominous or "cult-ish." The GB would have checked it and it would have sounded perfectly innocuous, because they were also on the same innocent "wavelength" as the original writer.

Then as some others read it "in print" months later, they might have noticed the negative connotation and pointed it out. So the GB had a choice to clarify, or even admit it implied an unintended overstatement. As it was in a November 15th issue, it would be studied in the following year, and would have already made the bound volume by then, so that it was too late to edit it out. Later, in the February 2017 Watchtower, perhaps they thought that the statement was mitigated by admitting there that the GB is neither inspired nor infallible, and saying that may make mistakes not only in doctrine but in directions given.

But someone might have pointed out that this could sound even worse, admitting that we must be ready to obey fallible, mistaken direction.

So, since they probably originally intended things that would be understood better at the time when such issues came up, then the matter would best be cleared up when that type of issue might soon come up. I thought that the type of direction might come up with some of the brothers suffering persecution in Russia. As a made up example, perhaps some Russian brothers might be asked to stay and keep a low profile, while others might be asked take flight to Finland and Norway. "Why go there, so far away, when it's easier for us to just move to Crimea?" some Witnesses might ask. But the direction given might have been based on data that the central HQ of the WTS receives from many sources, perhaps even secret sources, not just the local information that Russian brothers might have had before some of their communications with WTS HQ broke down.

Anyway, the Covid19 case helped show that the original statement could easily refer to important, but potentially mundane directions, and didn't have anything to do with ominous or scary blind obedience. It was still a "weak" example as Anna pointed out, too. But it does help to defuse the overreach, so the GB were happy to use it.

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On 6/26/2020 at 5:31 AM, JW Insider said:

So, it was serendipitous that someone had said that preparing for Covid in their country made no sense to them until it spiked just a few weeks later. Then they understood that the GB direction saved lives.

Covid 19 is an interesting phenomenon. Even more interesting is how science and authorities reacted at the start of the pandemic, and how they are doing it today or how they will do it tomorrow. The instructions are similar but still different in scope and application from country to country.
I am not sure in what way GB gives instructions regarding Covid, because all sources about Covid comes from science, medical experts and secular authorities. GB "instructions" are based on secular sources NOT on guidance from HS. How Covid 19 worldwide instructions can be interpreted within, in conection with the two religious doctrines uttered by GB.


The first is: Watchtower 13 11/15 p. 20 par. 17 Seven Shepherds, Eight Dukes—What They Mean for Us Today ***
At that time, the direction that you receive from Jehovah’s organization may seem strange or unusual. But all of us must be ready to obey any instructions we may receive, whether we agree with them or not.

The second is: Watchtower 2009 Feb 15 p.27 "Since Jehovah God and Jesus Christ completely trust the faithful and discreet slave, should we not do the same?" 

I don't know exactly what instructions JW's received and receive today about Covid, but how is possible to connect this pandemic episode (not first not last in history) with "spiritual food" and "life saving instructions" from GB when, normally, all about Christian life or JW life is about to stay faithful to JHVH and Jesus in "universal issue". 

To stay health despite pandemic or to be ill because of pandemic, is not "universal issue".  And by that, "obedience" (or disobedience) to GB instructions about Covid can't be part of this "universal issue" as was explained in many WT publications.  

THE universal sovereignty of the Creator of heaven and earth is the foremost issue before men and angels. - https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1990488

 

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Patiently waiting for Truth

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5 hours ago, Arauna said:

Old info..... so why do they use the name Jehovah's witnesses and not Yahweh witnesses?

They started with the name Jehovah because it was a name already known to some people. They continue with it as it would cost millions to change it, and it would show them up as being wrong for so long.. It would mean new Bibles and all new literature. New Org web site. And in honesty they don't care as they are not serving God properly anyway. 

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Anna Grand Master

Anna

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22 hours ago, JW Insider said:

 this could sound even worse, admitting that we must be ready to obey fallible, mistaken direction.

That is exactly how I feel. I hazzard a guess that I'm not the only one. It has actually been one of the things that I have found difficult to get my head around. I am glad that others see this paradox as well. What I find concerning though is when the same people who see the illogicality of it will then say something to the effect that they will just obey regardless. That's a bit scary. 

I like the way you explained what you think might have been the steps to rectify this situation. I meant to reply to your other comment a few days ago, just haven't got around to it yet!

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@Anna  Quote "they will just obey regardless. That's a bit scary." 

I think you have got it in one. :)  That is the stupid sheepness of many JW sheep. 

They are blinkered. They do not look outside the box. 

But i will admit that for many years of my life I was one of them. 

Moses could easily be seen to have God's guidance. The GB cannot be seen to have God's guidance simply because they do not have God's guidance.  

Moses was chosen by God. The GB were not chosen by God. By their works you will know them.

How can any JW sheep condemn a Catholic for believing in the Trinity. it is what they are taught from birth. A JW that just follows blindly is as bad as a Catholic that just follows blindly. They both have their faith in Men. 

 

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Arauna Grand Master

Arauna

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On 7/5/2020 at 2:50 PM, 4Jah2me said:

Jehovah because it was a name already known to some people.

And the newest research proves they were right.  Since you refuse to acknowledge this....  I am not going to please your hate-OCD by engaging in a lengthy argument about Jehovah's name.  Let us just say.... time will tell.   I do not have an urge to always be right...

2 hours ago, 4Jah2me said:

GB cannot be seen to have God's guidance simply because they do not have God's guidance.

A blanket statement that none of them have the spirit of God when they were anointed by spirit.... funny.....  but you seem to blessed by some spirit do have such deep insight but it does not appear to be from Jehovah -  you do not even accept the name....

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