Thursday, August 20
We should no longer be . . . carried here and there . . . by means of the trickery of men. —Eph. 4:14.
A story that is only 10 percent true is 100 percent misleading. Consider what happened to the Israelites dwelling on the western side of the Jordan River in the days of Joshua. (Josh. 22:9-34) They received a report that the Israelites living on the eastern side had constructed a large, impressive altar. That portion of the report was true. Based on this incomplete information, those on the western side concluded that their brothers had rebelled against Jehovah. (Josh. 22:9-12) Thankfully, before attacking, they sent a delegation of trustworthy men to get all the facts. What did the men learn? The altar was built, not for sacrifices, but as a memorial, so that in the future all would know that they too were faithful servants of Jehovah. How thankful those Israelites must have been that they did not massacre their brothers based on incomplete information but took the time to get the facts! w18.08 5 ¶9-10
Is a story that is 90% true also misleading? What if only a few details are inaccurate? Is it still pretty much factual? The Watchtower article that the text is based upon exhorts JW’s to get all the facts first. But how is that possible? Where do go we get the “facts”?
The article states that JW.org is the only reliable source where all the faithful should get their information. But alas, there is no mention of the numerous child abuse cases reported upon in the media. For example, there is no mention that a member of the Governing Body was compelled to testify under oath before the Australian Royal Commission a few years back in regards to the over 1,000 cases of abuse over the years, not one of which was reported to the police. Being before the authorities should have been a glorious moment though —a theocratic victory, standing before authorities, giving them a mighty witness. Why bury it?
Shouldn’t true Christians want to know if the Governing Body bears some responsibility for mishandling cases of pedophilia? After all, there is the principle of community responsibility. Apparently, the Governing Body would have the gullible believe that there is no truth whatsoever to the media reports and numerous exposés. Talk about the trickery of men!
The article reminds JW’s that the Bible refers to Satan as the accuser. While that is surely true, ought we to assume that his accusations are only 10% true? The scripture does not say that Satan falsely accuses. The Devil surely knows where all the Watchtower’s skeletons are hidden. He is, after all, not only the Accuser but also the Tempter. He tempts us into wrongdoing and then he accuses us before God. That’s why Jesus referred to him as the wicked one.
JW’s have been led to assume that just because much of the opposition against the Watchtower is slanted and skewed, that all accusations are false. And that is 100% not true.
For now, the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses can pretty much keep a lid on their badness and deception. But that will not always be the case. Satan is not the accuser they ought to fear. Christ is. Consider the prophecy of Malachi. The third chapter foretells of the coming of the messenger of the covenant and poses the somewhat unsettling question: “But who will be putting up with the day of his coming, and who will be the one standing when he appears?”
The reason that question ought to concern us all is what is stated next: “I will come near to you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who take false oaths, against those who defraud the hired worker, the widow, and the fatherless child, and against those who refuse to help the foreigner. These have not feared me,” says Jehovah of armies.
One of the biggest frauds ever perpetrated is the 1914 invisible parousia hoax. By the trickery of men, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been deluded into imagining that the messenger came in 1918 and after disciplining the Bible Students everything is fine. What utter nonsense!
Take the matter of sorcery. Back a few years ago drone footage revealed that an outdoor assembly hall in Denmark had been laid out to appear from above as the occult’s eye of Horus. More recently the Masonic symbol of the level and the square appeared as props on a stage for a JW Broadcast production dubbed Behind the Scenes. The very same sigils appear routinely on television commercials —sometimes in a nano-second subliminal flash. If Christ became a swift witness against the sorcerers in the temple back in 1918 why is the leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses rife with magic-practicing Masons?
Adultery is bad. But at least it is consensual sex between adults. Pedophilia is not consensual. A child cannot consent. They are always groomed and deceived —tricked. Sometimes children are simply overpowered in outright rape. If Christ became a speedy witness against all the immoral adulterers back in 1918 —and we would have to assume pedophiles would be included — why does the Watchtower maintain a database of over 20,000 known child sexual predators?
If Christ became a speedy witness against those who make false oaths back in 1918 how would it be possible for one of God’s spokesmen to make blatantly false statements before the Australian Royal Commission?
And what about the latest atrocity —selling hundreds of perfectly suitable kingdom halls? Although Jehovah’s Witnesses volunteer their labor and do not expect any monetary compensation, they do expect that their work will advance the truth. Their wage is received in having a nice place to meet in their community — a kingdom hall where they can bring invited persons to enjoy a Bible-based talk. If Christ came to judge those who defraud the hired worker back in 1918 why does he allow the Watchtower to steal property dedicated to Jehovah —leaving the workers who built Jehovah’s house of worship with nothing?
Alas, if Christ has already judged those who have refused to support the fatherless child why does he allow the Watchtower to continue as an adversary at law against victims of their own misguided child abuse policies?
It should be obvious that the underlying problem is deeply spiritual. The leadership of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not fear Jehovah.
