Path: paganini.bofh.team!weretis.net!feeder8.news.weretis.net!news.mixmin.net!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "NightBulb.net" Newsgroups: alt.bible Subject: Is a Jehovah's Witness Religious Organization neccesary? Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2022 15:10:00 -0600 Organization: Mixmin Message-ID: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Tue, 27 Dec 2022 21:12:19 -0000 (UTC) Injection-Info: news.mixmin.net; posting-host="e2990a5f16d1cc870c2cb7047f00c32a7de8decc"; logging-data="1162208"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@mixmin.net" Content-Language: en-US Xref: paganini.bofh.team alt.bible:654275 The Jehovah's Witnesses cult substitutes obedience to their organization in place of faith in Jesus as the requirement for eternal salvation. [quoted from https://jw.support/is-a-religious-organization-neccesary] Watchtower claims "Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way." If Jehovah has always had an organization, why didn’t Charles Russell join it, instead of forming the Watch Tower Society in 1884? Russell was not a link in an unbroken chain extending through history as Jehovah's organization. In fact, Russell turned his back on organized religion, promoting rebellion against organization. "Beware of "organization." It is wholly unnecessary. The Bible rules will be the only rules you will need. Do not seek to bind others' consciences, and do not permit others to bind yours. Believe and obey so far as you can understand God's Word today, and so continue growing in grace and knowledge and love day by day." Watchtower 1895 Sep 15 reprints p.1866 All that was deemed necessary was acceptance of Jesus and Bible principles. The tragic irony is that over time, the group he founded went to the opposite extreme, now saying salvation is dependent on belonging to their organization. The word "organization" never appears in the Bible, yet over 20,000 times in Watchtower publications, where the claim is made that Jehovah has always used an organization to direct his followers. This is to convince Jehovah's Witnesses that being associated with the Watchtower Organization is vital for their salvation. It is incorrect to claim Jehovah has always used an organization, as for most of Bible history Jehovah is not associated with any organization. For 2,500 years, from Adam until Moses, the Bible describes God dealing directly with individuals. For another 2000 year period, from the death of the Apostles until Watchtower’s formation, Jehovah's Witnesses cannot identify any group as representing Jehovah. [full article: https://jw.support/is-a-religious-organization-neccesary] -- Nightbulb | https://blog.nightbulb.net | Flip the night switch. If tacky red hats annoy Pharisees I want to buy hats for the whole town.