How do Jehovah's Witnesses know that today's teachings...?

Question

by their leadership won't change again as "the light gets brighter"? Since previously revealed JW truth has been discarded, how can it be known that JW teachings on the trinity, blood transfusion, prophecy, door to door proselytizing, etc. won't change again?

For example:

The 1972 Organization book instructed that "none in the congregation should greet" disfellowshipped persons. (p. 172) Then the August 1, 1974, Watchtower reversed this by teaching that "Jesus' own example protects us against adopting the extreme view" of refusing to speak to them. (pp. 464-465) Then the September 15, 1981, Watchtower returned to the previous point of view. (pp. 24-26)

What attack, LineDancer? I asked a question, you respond. That's the format in Yahoo Answers.

JR, if there is a plausible explanation for it, I'd like to hear it. You usually havsome of the better responses. This is a forum to defend your beliefs. I'm a fundamentalist, Baptist christian. You think I don't get hammered in here about my stances?? A faith not worth defending isn't a faith worth having, my friend.

Sal D. : Atheism produces mostly law-abiding citizens. Buddhism produces mostly law abiding citizens. We're dealing here with eternal matters. Paying your taxes on time and not breaking into houses won't make you righteous before God.

sxanthrop: If I gave thumbs downs, you'd get one. Worst answer I've seen on this topic.

Q&A Queen: So, let's say, in 5 years the doctrine on blood transfusion changes. How will those JW's who have had their lives affected negatively by this doctrine feel at that point? How did those who sold property and quit jobs in the past in preperation for the end of the world feel about that when it didn't happen?

JR, you are the champion of "rope-a-dope" debating. I take it that the answer to my question is that you CAN'T be sure the teaching won't change. And if it does, and you don't agree, you have NO CHOICE but to go along with it or be disfellowshipped. Right?

LineDancer, as a YA regular, I recognize the tone of your statement as one that is made due to not having an adequate answer. The JW's that come by my home....like recently...and try to tell me their doctrines and hand me watchtower material never have the answers, either.

By the way LineDancer....you asked me my denomination, so what is yours?? You once said that you aren't JW, but you chided me on the trinity. Are you perhaps Mormon?

JR: Look back through your organizations history. Did the JW's in the 20's, 30's, 40's,50's,60's, etc. expect doctrine to change. What would they say to you today?

LineDancer, you don't spend much time here if you don't read the questions aimed at "fundies", and all christians in general. I ask again. What is your denomination, if not JW?

Besides, LineDancer, it was YOU who e-mailed me and told me I needed to do a bible study and start denying the Trinity. An organization like JW's shouldn't go door to door handing out their material and not expect it to be questioned! 2nd Timothy commands us to make a good defense of our faith, and to correct those in error. Am I not attempting to do this? So why condemn me?

Oh,okay....you told me I was spreading lies about the trinity. Sorry i took that as being chided. Reprimanded,perhaps?
Again, what is your denomination?

Tell Ya what LineDancer. you tell me what denomination you are, and I'll unblock my QandA.

So JR, what does that tell you about your organization? If Baptists backed up on their doctrines every few years, I'd leave the baptist church,too. That's why we get so many people moving from denominations that are compromising on Homosexuality.

TeeM: What if you don't skip over the verses you don't agree with? Do we even need to go there again??

It's not a case of the light getting brighter for JW's. It's a case of one bulb blowing out, and putting in a different one. The JW's, like another well known Christian off-shoot, say "We are the ONLY ones who can tell you what the bible says." I can truly say if my pastor got up one day and began teaching heretical doctrine that he's be rebuked and asked to leave. Could you rebuke your pastors/elders for heresy? No, because all they have to say is "the light got brighter!" If you had that religious freedom, you'd see alot less of the changing doctrine you guys must deal with.

LineDancer: In other words, you don't have an answer to the question. We'll leave it at that.

To Abdijah: Here's another example. Would you call this a "procedural" adjustment?
Originally the Watchtower Society taught that the "superior authorities" or "higher powers" of Romans 13:1 are the secular governments, but in 1929 this was rejected as a 'false doctrine.' (Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose, p. 91) The new teaching was that the "higher powers" are God and Christ. But decades later the old teaching was adopted again, so that J.W.'s now say Romans 13:1 refers to the secular governments. (The Watchtower, May 15, 1980, p. 4)

Answer 1

I have the publications she gets her information from. Everything she says is verifiable.

When I first became troubled by claims I saw on the internet, I went back to my own collection of literature, which goes back to the 1940s and verified every single accusation.

In some cases, I found commentary online about issues that had troubled me personally. We were often told that if we didn't understand a doctrine, after praying about it and studying about it, we should simply "wait on Jehovah" to make it plain to us "in his good time."

Everything I read, from the Watchtower Society's own literature, condemned them. Being objective, looking across time, it's very clear.

Of course they'll change again. Look at how they printed changes to be inserted into the Revelation book! Any time they change a doctrine, it's an excuse to print a new book with "new light" and make more money. (And oh, yes, they really do make money.)

Answer 2

Jehovah's Witnesses are critical of other religions for not changing erroneous doctrines. The problem is that we are two thousand years removed from the time of Christ and the apostles. In the intervening centuries, the truth has been buried under a virtual mountain of religious lies.

The early Bible Students, as Jehovah's Witnesses were originally called, set out on a course to discover and uncover the truth and overturn the lofty things that churchianity has raised up against Bible truth. Overturning the babylonish doctrines of the trinity, the immortal soul and hellfire was the easy part.

Unraveling prophecy is still a work in progress. There are many changes yet to be made, but Jesus has assured us that the spirit of the truth will eventually guide us into "all the truth." At that point there will be no need for any new light of any sort.

New Topic: References

References are from Anointed Christians that were once alive or ones who are still living that will co-rule with Jesus in heaven.

New Topic: Blood Products

The refusal to take blood transfusions is not based upon the efficacy or convenience of alternative treatments or the risks of unsafe blood. We simply object to taking the blood of another human into our bodies because the Scriptures command Christians to "abstain from blood." So, that is not something that we are willing to negotiate even if it is considered to be the only treatment available.

As far as the use of the ever-growing number of treatments using blood derivatives and blood fractions and so forth, the Watchtower has wisely tried to avoid the Pharisaic pitfall of determining for Jehovah's Witnesses the acceptability of every new treatment that may involve the use of a blood derivative. The Pharisees of Jesus' day, if you recall, felt compelled to make rulings on the minutest matters of the Law.

For instance, they made hundreds of rules that defined exactly what a person could and could not do on the Sabbath. It has been said that the Pharisees ruled that merely swatting a fly on the Sabbath constituted "work" and so was illegal. The point is that the Sabbath was originally a law from God but men lost sight of the intent of the Law.

So it is with blood transfusions: we are working to respect God's law regarding blood without becoming fanatical about whether taking some pharmaceutical is right or wrong just because it may have an ingredient, perhaps even miniscule, that was derived from a component of blood.

Answer 3

Our "doctrines" have not changed. We still do not believe in the Trinity doctrine, the Hellfire doctrine, the Immortality of the Soul doctrine.

As far as what is required of a Christian. That has not changed, we still preach door to door, we still do not take blood transfusions, we still do not associate with those who are unrepentant wrongdoers.

What you consider a change is not a change in our beliefs.
The bible does say that understanding prophecy that the "light would get brighter" during the end. Prov. 4: 18
"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established."

Dan 12: 4 "And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of the end. Many will rove about, and the true knowledge will become abundant."

Matt 24:45 "Food at the proper time"

No one has ever claimed to be infallible when understanding prophecies.

"We are not prophesying; we are merely giving our surmises...We do not even aver that there is no mistake in our interpretations of prophecy and our calculations of chronology. We have merely laid these before you, leaving it for each to exercise his own faith or doubt respect to them."
Zion's Watchtower P. 4110 1908 "Yet Seven Years More"

The early Bible Students celebrated holidays, until further research showed that they are not bible based, but have pagan origins. So they made the adjustment in their lives. Isn't that what a Christian does, continually examines themselves to make sure that they do not become disapproved somehow.

If men had not continued to search the scriptures for the truth, we would all be Catholic today.

edit: There has not been a change regarding blood transfusions. We do not accept whole blood, red cells, white cells, platelets or plasma under any circumstanes, which are the main components of blood. There have been advancements in medical procedures that have come into question. It would be up to each individual if their conscience would allow them to accept they procedures or any minor blood fractions. Their decision would be between them and Jehovah and should not be taken lightly.

Answer 4

I have been one of Jehovah's Witnesses since 1969. I've been around for a number of clarifications that have taken place. Yes there was a major misunderstanding about what would happen in the year 1914 but that was nearly 100 years ago. Since then, none of those clarifications have been of any major proportion or changed one bit the doctrine to be found in God's word such as those related to the trinity, blood transfusion, etc.

The question of whether or not one speaks to a disfellowshipped individual is not crucial. The Watchtower you refers never said much different. There was still no socializing, no spiritual discussion except with a person who wants to return and talks to the elders in the congregation.

Is it possible that there will be some further clarifications down the line? Of course. Speaking for myself alone, the bottom line is whether or not you trust the organization itself? I do. My mother was one of Jehovah's Witnesses and I was baptised as a teenager. However later in life I struck out on my own and wondered about things. I then made a more serious study of what I was being taught and became more convinced than ever that I was learning the truth.

One more thing: Ask yourself this question, and answer it to yourself truthfully. What makes more sense in God's eyes? An organization that changes something it's been teaching for a while slightly because they come to a better understanding of the Bible, or an organization that changes it's standards.. say moral ones... simply to bend to the will of the people and the changing times?

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Greg: If that were ever to happen, I'd deal with it then. I'm not going to worry about something that is not likely to happen. As I said the command against taking in blood in any form is absolutely clear throughout the scripture. It's not a gray issue or even partly cloudy. :)

Answer 5

The question is about whether witnesses themselves have always considered themselves Christians. In that context, they always have. They consider all Christians other than themselves to be "false" Christians. How far back do you have to go to find the origin of that teaching? The answer is probably in one of the links already posted. The blatant difference in their teaching about the ransom of Christ is that they claim it directly benefits ONLY the 144,000 anointed "bride class," the "remnant" of which form their leadership. Separating oneself from Jehovah's witnesses, according to them, means that the "great crowd" -- the majority of witnesses -- would lose the "benefit of the ransom" as it will be "administered" by the "bride class." That is a subtle point that has emerged clearly in the past several years, which many JWs read right over and miss. Stuff like that will probably soon be relegated to the witness-only editions of the Watchtower that they are going to start printing. Hmmm.... What else do they have to hide? What else can't take close scrutiny?

Answer 6

Greg M. you're known for not accepting any of our answers, so why should I bother explaining why it won't?


What of all of Christianity changed their doctrines? What would you do?

Greg M.

If the teachings on Blood, Trinity, Hell Fire, Immortal Soul, Holidays, door to door do change, I will no longer be a JWs. But, don't expect these doctrines to change at all.

Greg M.
Your reasoning doesn't make sense. If I still believed in those doctrines, I wouldn't even want to be a JWs.

Answer 7

None of the basic Scriptural teachings have ever changed. Hellfire, trinity, immortality of the soul, and so on are still just as much lies as they ever were.

What has changed has been mostly in two areas: Procedural things, and our understanding of exactly how certain prophecies are being fulfilled.

Answer 8

I have respect for folks who are continuily examining their beliefs which means nothing is infallible. The point is, the organization has produced mostly law-abiding citizens who have respect for both secular authority and The Creator. I may not agree with everything they say, but the results are impressive when it comes to the character of the people and I admire their dedication. Nit pick all you want. The proof is in the pudding.

Answer 9

I feel that bites and piece are taking from the bible and twisted. Making things up and screwing the mind up. Yeah you can hate me for this. I say if you want us to join you church. Stop ringing my doorbell. I am having a great time and you guys ring my stupid bell. Leave me come to your church in my free will. No, you guys think I'm blind. I can find a church and tho you think I can not see yours. I say get off my back and stupid mixed up sayings. Your the ones making people hate you for bugging us and running around. That is why we are pissed off. Stop scaring me, I want my mommy now. "suck my thumb and curl up in a ball, with you blue blankie!"

Answer 10

Aren't what if questions wonderful.

I know what if you open your bible and read

"The Father is greater than I am"
"I do only what the Father has taught me"
"Not my will be done, but yours"
"Worship the Father, cause the Father is looking for such ones"
"I will place the name of my God on your forehead"
"I go to my God and my Father"

And you decided to believe Jesus instead of the 'scholars' that you've been using.

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