The Watch Tower Society originally used the term “governing body” in a strict legal sense, and in fact, used the term quite sparingly. As stated in the Watchtower, it was not until “the year 1944 the Watchtower magazine began to speak about the governing body of the Christian congregation (italics theirs).” (Watchtower, Dec. 15, 1971, Read more…
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THE RECORDING CAN BE HEARD HERE: DavidSteinInterviewNov12-2011 On Saturday November 12, 2011. Ex-JW and former Circuit Overseer Richard Rawe interviewed David Stein a former JW and Bethelite, who is now a Bible Student Elder. David Stein will tell the story of how he was disfellowshipped from the Jehovah’s Witnesses and how his wife Read more… Here is the publication of the story of Kent from Sweden by his own hand. Searching for the true God and the meaning of life. I grew up in the 70s. My childhood was filled with mixed emotions due to a separation Read more… Here is the Governing Body of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Although the Bible Students are few in numbers, they are spread all over the world—America, Canada, England, France, Germany, Lithania, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, India, Africa, Brazil, South America, etc.. . . .Generally, when possible, they are gathered together in “ecclesias.” This word “ecclesia” comes from Read more… Here is what JW.org says about blood transfusions. http://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovahs-witnesses-why-no-blood-transfusions/ Here is a quote: ” Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses accept blood transfusions? This is a religious issue rather than a medical one. Both the Old and New Testaments clearly command us to abstain from blood (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10; Deuteronomy 12:23; Acts s the heart, vessels, Read more… https://www.beyondwatchtower.com/wp-content/uploads/Dealing-with-Doubts-and-Uncertainties-when-Leaving-the-Watchtower.mp3 This conference call hopes to provide comfort and consolation for present or Ex-JWs who are confronting the specter of rejection, excommunication, doubt, family splits and negative labeling. These are real and very difficult realities for Read more…
The Truth Brings, “Not Peace, But a Sword” “Do not think I came to bring peace to the earth; I came to bring, not peace, but a sword.”—MATT. 10:34. Above is the title and theme text of an article beginning on page 12 of the Read more… [Watchtower – R5892 : page 137] THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM —MAY 28.—ACTS 15:22-33.— THE FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL OF THE CHURCH—”THE SPIRIT OF A SOUND MIND” IN SETTLING DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES —THE YOKE OF THE LAW COVENANT VS. CHRISTIAN LIBERTY—THE DECISION OF THE APOSTLES ON THE QUESTIONS AT ISSUE—LESSONS FOR OUR DAY—LIBERTY IS NOT LICENSE.
From Religion Section of Time Magazine, February 22, 1982: Witness Under Prosecution. A secretive and apocalyptic sect shuns a former leader. This question might strike the reader as one startling question for a Bible-founded Christian fellowship to pose; after all, did not the Apostle Paul plainly write to the congregation at Corinth that, “I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified”—I Corinthians 2. 2? Still, in the Read more… The Watchtower Society claims that the Jehovah’s Witnesses has maintained a global brotherhood without any divisions, denying any denominational divisions or sects among them: The Watchtower, November 1 (2009) p.19 article “Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a Protestant Religion?” “…unlike the Protestant movement, which has splintered into hundreds of denominations, Jehovah’s Witnesses have maintained a united Read more… “Good it is that one should wait, even silently, for the salvation of Jehovah” (Lamentations 3:26; Titus 2:13) Translation – “Wait on the JW Organization Leadership to make the necessary changes. Don’t initiate any improvements yourself or you may find yourself in trouble.” Have you been waiting on Jehovah for years to fix His Organization? Read more… CLICK HERE FOR AMBER’S STORY
Amber Scorah went to Shanghai as a Jehovah’s Witness missionary. But in one of the most restrictive, totalitarian countries in the world, for the first time in her life, she found she had the freedom to think. Missionary work is illegal in China, and the government has recently Read more… To the contrary, in the early days (1877-1916), the Watchtower was simply a publishing house and lecture service, making its resources available to the Bible Students worldwide. The Watchtower did not govern or manage any congregations. Each congregation had full liberty in Christ to make their own decisions and elect their own elders annually, by Read more… WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE YOU AWARE OF AN UPCOMING TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY AND HOPE TO GET YOUR COMMENTS PRO OR CON AFTER IT AIRS. Worldwide online screenings will be held on Christmas Day, accompanied by social media-facilitated discussions (#hereliesthetruth). “TRUTH BE TOLD is a new feature-length documentary film about growing up in the Jehovah’s Read more… In the late 1920s, The Watchtower Organization began to identify the Bible Students who had left the organization as the evil slaves (documentation below). Yet in 2013, the Governing Body eliminated the “evil slaves” as a class, instead applying it as a hypothetical danger to the composite Faithful Slave, which they say has never become Read more… ARE THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES CHANGING THEIR NAME TO “BIBLE STUDENTS?” Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? In 1931, at a Columbus Ohio Convention, with great fanfare, J. F. Rutherford introduced a name change from “Bible Students” to “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” The real reason, we think was to differentiate themselves to the public and brethren from the Bible Students Read more… Does the JW Organization believe it is good to extend our worship of praise beyond Jehovah and Jesus and also to the men known as the Faithful Slave (or Governing Body)? You can find the JW Songbook here: Sing to Jehovah Book What do you think of these songs? Do you agree with the Read more… UPDATED WITH MORE LINKS TO RELATED INFORMATION – Oct 1, 2014 This year (2014) the Jehovah’s Witnesses Organization published a new book, “God’s Kingdom Rules,” which will be studied by JWs around the world starting in early 2015. This new book attempts to harmonize the organizations teachings, mission and activities from the early days Read more… If you thought that by escaping control of the JW Organization, you could finally enjoy free speech without censorship, think again. America, once the land of the FREE and home of the BRAVE, has morphed into the land of Political Correctness and the home of the afraid. Did you know that Facebook will delete your Read more… Let’s see what the JW Organization itself says about this question. “The anointed and their other sheep companions recognize that by following the lead of the modern-day Governing Body, they are in fact following their Leader, Christ.” Watchtower 2010 Sep 15 p.23 “A mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow Read more… Quoting form author Kenneth Rawson, in his book, Pastor Russell the Founder of the Bible Students, not the Jehovah’s Witnesses (2nd Edition), we read the following: With all the Internet exchange of information, Jehovah’s Witnesses are beginning to realize that the image of Judge Rutherford is a liability and they are out to minimize Read more… J. F. Rutherford Believed that the Idea of Christian Character Development was a Delusion from SatanA coluporter in the days of Bro. Russell, Bible Student Elder, G. Russell Pollock told of how JFR ridiculed character development from the platform, pronouncing it ‘char-AK’-teer’ and saying, “You don’t have a character, you are a character.” The stress Bible Students were putting on character development, JFR evidently felt a need to counter it. Read more… Here is the true story of a JW aunt that disowned her niece and nephew over a charge of Apostasy. The names have been changed to protect the privacy of the hurt and injured. We have permission to publish the email correspondence. This exchange of emails occurred in September of 2013. First is the Read more…
Keefa contributed and interesting comment that we present below slightly modifed. We do not mean to cause offense to those highly respect and regard the Jehovah’s Witness Governing Body. However, what we do want to do is raise the question, how can any religious group know Read more… The July 15 2013 “Study Edition” reveals “new light” unveiled at the October 5th 2012 Annual Meeting, at which it was announced that the Governing Body is now considered the “faithful and discreet slave” – the spiritual overlords of the nearly 8 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. You can find the July15, 2013 Watchtower Study Read more… June 29 – JW Elder’s Policies for Discipline & Disfellowship Compared to the Bible – Conference Call
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE RECORDING OF THE CONFERENCE CALL. On Saturday evening, June 29, Bible Student Elder, David Stein will lead a round table discussion on this topic. Joining him will be other Bible Student Elders Ric Read more… Click here for this amazing historical book from 1930 – Desolations of the Sanctuary 1929 This book chronicles the doctrinal and prophetic changes Rutherford made and explains how these changes were all for the purpose of transferring influence from Russell to Rutherford and for consolidating dictatorial power around the new movement, later Read more… In 1907, Pastor Russell had executed his Last Will and Testament, which was amended slightly the following year, again in 1910 and once more in 1911. Copies of these Will’s have ever been made available to the public or the brethren. Yes, the 1907 Will was published in a 1916 Watchtower, however, we don’t have Read more… In 2010, a new Elder’s book – “Shepherd the Flock of God” – was released. You can find a copy by clicking here. A large portion of the book is devoted to the procedure for judicial committees and disfellowshipping. This book is for elders only, as made clear in Letter to Elders, August 23, 2010, Read more… Tom Blackwell, National Post Staff | Dec 20, 2012 9:59 PM ET For years, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ fiercely held belief that blood transfusions are contrary to God’s will led to emotional and very public disputes, hospitals clashing with parents over whether to infuse sick children. That long history of messy legal confrontations appears to be Read more… Brother Eric – Our prayers are with you as you are going through this very terrible trial. We pray for you and your family and want to encourage you in every emotional and spiritual way possible. We trust the Apostle Paul’s words, that “all things work together for good for those who love God and Read more… Meet and get to know other Former Bible Students, JWs and others who are seeking an outlet for freedom of expression Facebook – Friends of Jehovah’s Witnesses Facebook – Christian Questions Radio Facebook – Chicago Bible Students Facebook – Charles Taze Russell for Truth – administered by Ronald Day In 1984, Harrison Reed wrote a letter to the Dawn Bible Students explaining how he was disfellowshipped for going back to our Early Watchtower roots. Read this amazing letter and follow Brother Reed on his journey beginning as a faithful follower of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Brother Harrison’s conscience is awakened as he considers how the Read more… Ioan Bota’s First letter – Reghin, October 2011
Dear brethren from the Bucuresti congregation, This letter, with the exactly same content, I sent you three months ago. But you didn’t answer me. Now, I’ll try again. My name is Ioan Bota, I live in the Mures area, the city of Reghin… I have decided Read more… Actually, there is no denominational church today that is structured like the Early Church. The Early Watchtower actually was structured like the Early Church, but Rutherford changed that after Russell’s death. Bible Students today still structure their congregations in this Biblical manner. According to the Bible, the election of elders by Holy Spirit anointed congregational Read more… An official magazine for Jehovah’s Witnesses that described those who leave the church as “mentally diseased” is at the centre of a police inquiry, it has emerged. Read more from the UK Telegraph here: Check out related articles on the “Ask Jacqueline” page of this website. The official magazine for Jehovah’s Witnesses has described Read more… The concept of the apostasy as a “falling away” is clearly defined in the Scriptures. The prophetic and historic “apostasy” of the Christian Age has been the Papacy (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8). The Historic Apostasy—and Many Apostasies. As the “mystery of evil [lawlessness],” the apostasy was already fomenting in the Apostles’ day with “elders” emerging as Read more… For over forty years, the early Watchtower taught freedom of thought and liberty in Christ. After the death of C.T. Russell in 1916, everything changed. Here is what the Watchtower used to publish. The following quotes are taken from “The New Creation” book, Volume 6 of C.T. Russell’s Studies in the Scriptures series, starting on Read more… For decades Charles Taze Russell’s legacy has been associated with Jehovah’s Witnesses in published accounts that inaccurately list him as their founder. In 1997, Professor David S. Doran corrected the matter by writing the editor of The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia and delivering a more accurate account of Brother Charles Taze Russell’s life. Through Professor Doran’s Read more… On Saturday April 2, Ex-JW and former Circuit Overseer Richard Rawe interviewd Russ Marten (an elder with the Chicago Bible Students Congregation) about what the Bible says about the formation and structure of the Bible Student congregation, how the early church is set up and how the Bible Students model themselves after this. You can Read more… For Years it has been said that Bible Students are guilty of creature worship. That this “creature worship” led to the largest schism in Watchtower history, and separated the “Faith Slave Class” from the “Evil Slave Class”. What is the creature they are charged with worshipping? None other then Charles Taze Russell, organizer of the Read more… Isaiah 43:10 – YOU are my witnesses,” is the utterance of Jehovah, “even my servant whom I have chosen, in order that YOU may know and have faith in me, and that YOU may understand that I am the same One. Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be Read more… We are grateful that Mrs. Researcher has put together Internet links of some of the best articles for understanding this very serious life and death issue. Perhaps you have some you would like to recommend as well. Here is what she has to share with us: • On all blood transfusion topics: Associated Jehovah’s Witnesses Read more… Should apostates and sinners be disfellowshipped from the congregation? “Apostate” is a term used by the governing body and JW organization, but let’s look at the Bible list of unacceptable behavior. SINS PREVENTING INHERITANCE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD Various sins prevent people from inheriting the Kingdom of God. Gal 5:19-21 says, “Now the Read more… On Sunday November 7, elder Russ Marten gave the annual election discourse (talk or sermon). The Chicago Bible Students have this type of discourse once a year, the week before Church elections of elders, deacons and other church offices. Brother Russ speaks about the order and organization within the Church of which the Read more… You can listed to our Nov 5 Webcast which aired on Friday, November 5, 2010 – 7:00 pm CDT by clicking on the link below. https://biblestudents.adobeconnect.com/p23773076/ David Stein interviewed Rolando Rodriguez, a former JW and now a Bible Student elder, who has a ministry reaching out to JWs. Born and raised a Catholic, Rolando was Read more… The whole purpose of addressing sin in our brother is to win or gain him back! Jesus himself gives directions for handling sin in our midst. In Matthew 18, Jesus said to his disciples that they must be humbled “like children” before being “greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (vss1-6). Jesus then further explained that Read more… Former JW and Bethelite, David Stein shares his personal journey, from his youth as a Catholic, to his conversion to the Jehovah’s Witnesses at age 17, his time at Bethel and finally his discovery of the original Watchtower teachings and the Bible Students. Many ask questions and share comments with David. Here is the link Read more… The passage below is quoted from the book, “Pastor Russell, Messenger of Millennial Hope,” pages 275-277. Supporting references can be found in this book. Rumblings of Conspiracy and Intrigue At the headquarters office, an alleged plot began to unfold that one historian dubbed a “bitter palace intrigue.” It has also been likened more to Read more… (Editorial note added 8/22/10: If you are happy as a JW, we are not advocating that you leave, nor are we advocating division among the Lord’s people. What we are expressing here is that Christians in any Church should have the freedom and liberty to express their views of scriptures, based on personal and honest Read more… |
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