Jehovah's Witnesses Revisited - New Light

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After the success of the "Final Flat Earth proof thread" here is one for the JW religion.

TL;DR

if religions can change to become unrecognisable and can go from being very wrong to very right due to "New Light" WITHOUT consequence, then any religion can change to become the "right" one over time. in fact following a "wrong" religion that WILL change at some point in the future is expected and natural according to JW creed and the fact that a religion looks wrong at any one point in time is not reason alone for disqualification

 

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This is intended for those who know or understand the Jehovah Witness religion. Those not familiar with their religion may not fully understand some of the terms used below.

QUESTIONS


BACKGROUND


QUESTION 1: Who was Charles Taze Russell

Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916) was founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement.

QUESTION 2: Who was Franz Rurtherord

Joseph Franklin Rutherford (November 8, 1869 – January 8, 1942) was the second president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania until 1942.

QUESTION 3: Some examples of fundamental changes Rurtherford made to the religion?

Spoiler: ...

1917 Claim that salvation is tied to membership within the Watch Tower Society, as well as shunning and censuring any who reject the interpretations given in the volume or related articles in Zion's Watch Tower magazine.


1922 Teaching that Christ's reign had begun in 1914


1922 Moved the date of the resurrection of the "sleeping saints" (all Christians who had died since Jesus' time) from 1878 to 1918


1925 he developed the view of the battle of Armageddon as a universal war waged by God


1926 Watch Tower introduced new emphasis on the importance of the name "Jehovah"


1932 he published an interpretation of a passage in Ezekiel describing the attack on Jerusalem by Gog of Magog, in which he predicted an intensification of persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses


1927 Christmas was declared to be of pagan origin, and the following year its celebration by Bible Students was condemned as supporting "Satan's organization"


1927 Mother's Day was condemned in 1931


1928, Rutherford discarded Russell's teaching that the natural Jews would be restored to Palestine and return to God's favor,


1933 Reversed Russell's earlier teaching, claiming that prominent Jewish business leaders were "arrogant, self-important and extremely selfish," and would gain no favored standing with God


1928 Russell's teaching that the Great Pyramid of Giza was built under God's direction[146] was overturned


1930, Rutherford published a systematic reinterpretation of the book of Revelation and these reinterpretations reflected both a wholesale rejection of his own earlier views as well as the historicist interpretations of Pastor Russell


1935 Rutherford rejected Russell's teaching that the "great company" of Revelation 7:9 was a "secondary spiritual class" composed of millions of Christians who would be resurrected to heaven apart from the 144,000 "elect", and instead argued that the "great multitude", the "sheep" of Matthew 25 and the "Jonadabs" of 2 Kings chapter 10 all picture the people who could potentially survive Armageddon and receive everlasting human life on earth if they became Jehovah's Witnesses before it began


In 1935, Rutherford objected to U.S. state laws requiring school students to salute the flag as a means of instilling patriotism


In 1936, Rutherford rejected the belief that Jesus had been executed on a Roman cross, in favor of an upright stake or "tree."

QUESTION 4: Did Rurtherford's changes include wholesale changes to the religion?

Yes. Rutherford's changes included adoption of and heavy usage of the name of Jehovah and the name change.


QUESTION 5: Did these Rutherford changes invalidate the work of Russell or the efforts of those in the organization before Rutherford took over?

No because of the New Light doctrine.

from jw.org

"While the world is in dense spiritual darkness, the true God continues to shed light upon his people. As a result, their path “is like the bright morning light that grows brighter and brighter.” (Prov. 4:18) Increasing light from Jehovah continues to illuminate their way organizationally, doctrinally, and morally. What are some of our beliefs that have been clarified in recent years?"

New Light changes are to be celebrated.

QUESTION 6: Does that mean that Charles Taze Russell would be allowed to join the organization today with his previous beliefs?

No. If Charles Taze Russell wanted to join Jehovah's Witnesses today he would have to adopt their current teachings.

If he refused to change his beliefs he would be disfellowshipped and cast out.

As new light is revealed JW's have to drop any newly invalidated beliefs and move immediately to the new light beliefs.

QUESTION 7: Does that mean that it would be sinful to join the organization 140 years ago with Charles Taze Russell's previously UNGODLY and INVALID beliefs?

No as it doesn't matter that they were incorrect. But you would subsequently have to follow any new doctrinal changes as they arrived.

If you went back in a time machine today YOU would have to do what they organization told you to do even if you knew they were wrong.

You would have to patiently wait for the new light to arrive.

PROBLEMS THIS INTRODUCES

QUESTION 8: How do I know which religions / doctrines will get future light?

You don't. This can only be seen retrospectively.

QUESTION 9: How could I recognise JW's as the true religion 100 years ago even though what they were doing was VERY WRONG?

You could not.

JW's looked very different 100 years ago. They didn't use the name (as today), there was no Governing Body, there was no preaching work, the was no current understanding of Armageddon, birthdays and Christmas was ok, numerology was ok, racism was ok.

In fact if you look at it, the main major aspect that didn't change is "publishing books to sell", the rest was unexceptional and unrecognisable.

QUESTION 10: How do I know that religions which might have issues today are not just awaiting future light?

You don't.

QUESTION 11: So Mormon, Catholics or one of the many other small religions might actually BECOME right(-er) in the future through New Light?

Yes they might. The bible MANDATES new light so we KNOW that no religion will be perfect.

We also know that following wrong teachings are not an issue as long as new light arrives (or we die in the meanwhile)

QUESTION 12: If New Light can invalidate beliefs how do I know which beliefs are wrong today (in advance)

You don't.