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JWs and the York Fair

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It’s been awhile since I’ve written anything regarding a physical interaction with any JW.  I’ve had some email interactions with a Seventh Day Adventist thanks to a coworker to which I’ll be releasing the emails (without any personal information as per my policy).  That said, today was different.  The fall season is great for one thing-fair season.  Residing in South Central PA means an annual trip to the York Fair-America’s oldest. 

Growing up spending some time on a farm working for a church elder than moving onto a horse breeding farm brings back many a good memories.  That’s the start, then there’s PLENTY of food to eat.  However, I was testing out one of those massage chairs and the Misses tells me that the JWs had a booth set up.  I got up and went over. 

Here’s a very quick rundown regarding it.  Its my “go to topic” when I don’t have much time.  I walk up and informed them that I had met with some Witnesses for a period of time and asked for a copy of their New World Translation.  The lady pointed me to look at the organization's official website (I almost feel bad for them since they can only say "go to the website") Side note-if you come across a JW set up, they will most likely NOT have a bible on display.  That means the priority is pushing their publications and the bible (even though their version is altered) is of secondary importance. 

 

So here’s how it went….

 

I told them I do not understand how they believe what they do about the resurrection (Witnesses believe that Jesus was raised as a spirit.  The conversation centered on the following verses:

I Peter 3:18 (NWT)-For Christ died once for all time for sins, a righteous person for unrighteous ones, in order to lead you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit.

They use this to demonstrate that Jesus is a spirit body.

 

I had the female Witness read John 2:19-21 (she read through verse 22 in the New World Translation)-19Jesus replied to them: “Tear down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said: “This temple was built in 46 years, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21But he was talking about the temple of his body. 22When, though, he was raised up from the dead, his disciples recalled that he used to say this, and they believed the scripture and what Jesus had spoken.

Luke 24:36-43(New World Translation)-36While they were speaking of these things, he himself stood in their midst and said to them: “May you have peace.” 37 But because they were terrified and frightened, they imagined that they were seeing a spirit. 38So he said to them: “Why are you troubled, and why have doubts come up in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; touch me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones just as you see that I have.” 40And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41But while they were still not believing for sheer joy and amazement, he said to them: “Do you have something there to eat?” 42 So they handed him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it before their eyes.

When we started, they were more than willing to chat about the resurrection.  I set things up by saying John gave a prophetic statement.  They initially agreed that it was.  I had the gentleman read the account in Luke.  When he was done, I “set the scene” by reading the first few verses so that the they would realize that it was just after the resurrection.  We both agreed that Jesus was seen many times in the 40 days prior to his ascension to heaven.  He said that “flesh and blood” cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven to which I agreed and pointed him to verse 39 and there’s a difference with “flesh and bones” vice “blood.”  I asked how the organization believes that Jesus is a spirit when Jesus said something totally different.  The full effect of JW training kicks in.

He deflects by saying that we believe:

Jesus was the first and only thing Jehovah created based on Colossians 1.

Jesus was produced based on Proverbs 8 (he couldn’t even locate the verse so I had to inform him)

He said a few other things and the lady interjected, “are you here to talk about the Trinity?”  I said, “nope, and even if I did, I’m willing to conclude what you thing the Trinity is and what the bible describes what the Trinity is are two different things.”  So I took him back to the resurrection and asked the question this way, “you’re telling me one thing about Jesus’ resurrection, the Bible is saying the total opposite, which one is correct (remember I had him read Luke)?”  If you were there, you’d have seen the cognitive dissonance play out on his face between the organization’s teachings versus what the Bible says.  I let him “waffle” for a few minutes.  The lady beside him is scrambling.  What possibly felt like an eternity for him had the lady interrupt and say, “here’s the study bible and see what it says.”  He rejected it as he was still trying to rectify the clear delineation between the bible and what the organization teaches.   

He eventually answered by saying that angels manifested themselves.  He even had what I presume to be an elderly witness couple walk by.  A few moments later, he received a phone call and said, “I’ll call you back.”  I let him give a few examples throughout the bible.  I retorted that, “Jesus stated that he was NOT a spirt.”  The man said, “show me where it says this (mind you he had just read it).”  So I had him read verse 39 AGAIN.  He then tried to give some other faulty line of reasoning.  From here, the lady said that some things Jesus said are to be taken figuratively and other things literally.  She also stated, “God raised Jesus.”  I retorted, “Jesus raised himself so what does that make Jesus? Also, you say some things are literal, some things figurative.  In Luke it was LITERALLY His body that He told the disciples to touch.”

The gentleman cuts in and tries to change the topic and says, “we believe this about the resurrection.”  I cut him off (I had enough topic changes which is their practice when they feel things aren’t going well) and asked a question was direct, simple, and short: You’re saying one thing, Jesus is saying something different.  Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life”  He finished it saying, “no one comes to the Father but by Him.”  I agreed and asked, “you’re saying one thing, Jesus said something totally different.  Are you making out Jesus’ words a contradiction and therefore he’s a liar?” 


The reaction: SILENCE.

 

 

He didn’t answer initially nor could he.  I saw a physical display on his face regarding the spiritual battle taking hold.  He tried to talk.  I talked over him and reiterated again, “you have two choices, believe what Jesus said as contained within the inspired word of God OR believe what the Watchtower says.  I’m going to leave and allow you to think on that.”

 

With that I walked off. 

 

I saw them later tonight as I was leaving and turned behind me.  I’m pretty sure he knew who I was from behind (John Deere hats stick out) and I moved to the side to wait for one of my kids.  It looked like they picked up the pace and with that, the evening was over. 

So as always, I will ask that you the reader prays something good will come of this exchange which was shorter than normal but Lord willing be profitable and that a seed was planted within both individuals.

November 2017 Armageddon Project Update

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Greetings to all!  Next week in the United States is the start of the holiday season with Thanksgiving.  For those who reside in Pennsylvania as I do, the unofficial holiday starts the following Monday-the start of rifle deer season (yes I’ll be in the woods).  Prior to that though, I wanted to just give a quick update regarding this Armageddon project. 

When I started this project last November, I knew it would take some time.  I thought I could get it finished up by the end of summer however, “time ran out.”  All quotes have pretty much been added that I have been able to find (I did stop at 2015 for the time being).  I’m in the midst of doing final edits which is the only tedious part (spot checking/citing everything).  Concurrently, I’ve been compiling the numbers which is going pretty good.  The days of Charles T. Russell went pretty easily since there wasn’t much in terms of quotes used.  I believe this is due what started as a “breakaway” group attracting people from various mainstream Christian denominations. 

The usage of the term “Armageddon” really skyrocketed under the days of "Judge" Joseph Rutherford.  I believe this is due to needing to have an “identity” along with having a sufficient number of people under the organization’s umbrella.  Thanks to Rutherford, the word “Armageddon” is now an integral part of the organization’s “DNA.” 

I’m currently working the year 1944 under the administration of Nathan Knorr.  When I’m done with this era, I’ll start releasing material sequentially one year a week with a publication a day (possibly I’ll break it up depending on length since some take up in excess of 50 pages). 

As I’ve worked through, this quote would apply: Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah's organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God's holy spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. 

The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom.  April 15, 2010 p. 10 

 

How you may ask?  If you believe everything the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society puts out, you’ll have to believe that Jehovah wanted the word “Armageddon” (Revelation 16:16) to become the centerpiece of the Bible’s message since the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has mentioned it so much. 

When Charles T. Russell came along, Jehovah didn’t want him to be the “vessel” that promoted Armageddon.  It looks like Russell was to merely lay the foundation and the Watchtower’s holy spirit wanted Judge Rutherford to be the one responsible promoting Armageddon for Jehovah.  Not included on the spreadsheet is the 1978 Watchtower that only has Armageddon mentioned only three times which either Jehovah didn’t want to be the focus or holy spirit “realized” 1975 was a failure and shouldn’t have been the focus for the year.    

So with that, here’s a Rutherford focused (some Nathan Knorr sprinkled in) “teaser” spreadsheet (at the end) with some numbers for you to look at.  Each issue mentioned has a total number of quotes.  This spreadsheet serves as a summary for 1080 quotes.  When I get everything done, I’ll do a statistical breakdown from totals down to the eras of leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society organization.  As always, if you have any comments either positive or negative, feel free to reach out to me at watchtowerofjehovahswitness@mail.com. 

 

 

Rutherford Knorr teaser spreadsheet

2017 Annual Meeting

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Normally I don’t cover current events in the traditional sense.  However, this is one of those exceptions.  I was searching around a bit for some Jehovah’s Witness news on the internet.  Out of respect to copyright laws, I won’t post it here but if you take a little bit of time and search, you’ll find the Annual Meeting Announcements.  This letter, assuming it’s real is dated October 7, 2017 and has a number of interesting tidbits of information.  I’ll briefly discuss what this covers:

  1. There’s going to be an emphasis in “starting Bible studies.”  So essentially what’s going to happen is the average Jehovah’s Witness may get more studies started however, they may not get more people into the organization.  The organization keeping people busy by starting studies is a subtle way of making the problem when it comes to retaining people once in.  The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society already has significant retention problems.   
  2. There is now a REDUCTION in Watchtower Bible and Tract Society material produced.  Significance is this-the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is a publishing company.  Reductions start with the public edition of The Watchtower.  Three times per year down from six per year.  Not only that, there is going to be less material both print and video used when the average rank and file Witness goes door to door.  One thing that struck me is What Does the Bible Really Teach? that was recently released as a revised version in 2014 is now done.  This is probably one of the shortest shelf lives for a publication.  I believe the shortest one (going off memory) is Way to Paradise released in 1925 and done two years later.  This is a publishing company coming to grips in part to the signs of the times regarding the age of the internet. 
  3. “More emphasis will be place on starting and continuing conversations” is within the third bullet point.  Does this mean that the average Jehovah’s Witness will now continue studies regardless of how many questions they get asked? 
  4. They are revising How to Remain in God’s Love and releasing under the title Keep Yourselves in God’s Love.  As it’s released in a language, the older version will be discontinued.  My question is what sort of changes go along with “simplifying?” Will there be some sort of doctrinal changes or is the focus simply on language?
  5. There is talk of “encouraging reports” on the official website and accompanying videos.  Therefore, they will no longer be publishing the Yearbook anymore.  Although this may be the case, I do believe this is a way of conveniently hiding numbers regarding how badly the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is not “speeding up the work” since numbers are either stagnating or declining.  Another aspected that is conveniently left out is the number of increasing partakers (attributed now to a “mental imbalance”) which has steadily risen even though the following quote should be the case:
    1. Sixth, the number of genuine anointed disciples of Christ is dwindling, though some will evidently still be on earth when the great tribulation begins. Most of the remnant are quite elderly, and over the years the number of those who are truly anointed has been getting smaller.  The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom.  January 15, 2000 p. 13
  6. There is going to be no new changes (as of now) within nine separate areas of the organization’s official website.  If there are changes, it’ll be slightly more difficult to find them.  However, the Wayback Machine will help people out. 
  7. The letter ends with Acts 13:48 and the “goal of teaching all.”  I again contend if you look at the Yearbook which is set to be discontinued in 2018, the organization has ZERO numbers for the countries in the Middle East.  My guess is that this will continue.  However, we will never easily or officially know anymore.

With that done, here’s just a few random thoughts:

 

I had a position at a previous employer.  When an employer starts reductions of it’s generally not a good sign.  This prior employer whom I left in 2011 is still having problems and hasn’t recovered.  A number of offices in the Northeast United States closed down.  My work experience is limited but they have a similar model to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (focus on getting new customers and those on the backend are “on their own”).

 

Those who are Bethel workers should be very alarmed at the number of reductions that are still occurring.  These are folks who have given “their lives to Jehovah” and have no real employable skills.  Hopefully when their “turn comes,” they can find something or the local circuit from which they came from will lend a hand. 

 

As I’ve been working on my Armageddon project, I noticed that from the beginning until now, the book length has steadily been decreasing.  The older publications particularly in Rutherford’s era were pretty devoid of pictures and focused specifically and solely on content.  Rough guess is they were an average of 350 pages in length.  Today, perhaps as a sign of the times, more pictures are included now along with less content overall.  “Simplifying” is either making things easier or it could merely be a sign of the times when it comes to reading material.  Regardless, perhaps this is leading to the average Jehovah’s Witness from being able to answer questions.  With the Watchtower Society not preparing them like they used to back in the “good old days,” this will only contribute to their problems they already have. 

 

I did see online (link below) that Leah Remini has gotten a flood of requests for other similar cult groups.  This article highlighted that she may turn her attention to the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.  If this is done, aside from the general introduction/background information of the organization, there is already a highlight of Candace Conti and the child sexual abuse issue that the Society continues to cover up.

 

Entertainment Weekly: Leah Remini-Scientology and the Aftermath Season 3

 

My time examining Armageddon in Watchtower publications is drawing to a close.  I’m thankfully getting closer to the end of it.  When done, it’ll highlight the centrality of the message even though it’s mentioned just once in scripture.  I’m revising and guessing that this will end up being in excess of 3,000 pages but time will tell. 

 

Here’s a teaser from the Knorr era:

 

Further the last "Operation Frigid", Armageddon, is described: “He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold?” (Psalm 147:16, 17)

Awake!  February 8, 1947 p. 16

And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon." Armageddon is the trail's end for man government.

Awake! March 8, 1947 p. 7

How long will Chinese girls continue to laugh at Western-world women? Probably till Armageddon has swept away the bondage of vain and sexy fashion and people once again "get their feet on the ground".

Awake!  March 22, 1947 p. 16

At the start we say, upon the basis of the Scriptures, that the true Christians, begotten by God's spirit, and who share the victory over this world at the battle of Armageddon with their Captain Jesus Christ, are the called ones of God and are also His chosen or elect ones (eklektoi, Greek).

Awake!  April 22, 1947 p. 24

He must be faithful to God unto the death of his fleshly body, in order to do this.  Christ Jesus, who will overcome the united nations of the world at the battle of Armageddon, will share the victory with those who "with him are called, and chosen [elect], and faithful".

Awake!  April 22, 1947 p. 25

Consequently all the efforts of the political, commercial and religious giants of the earth to by-pass, postpone or cancel these famines will come to nought.  The sign will continue until Armageddon. 

Awake!  May 22, 1947 p. 7

All accounts will be settled at Armageddon. 

Awake!  May 22, 1947 p. 16