Witchtower: August 1, 2010 - Disfellowshipping – A Timeless Arrangement

The Witchtower 08/2010 1

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The Witchtower

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3 Disfellowshipping – A Timeless Arrangement (2)

10 Scriptural Questions Answered

14 Imitate God’s Wonderful Works of Creation

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“It would be a dangerous thing to allow our curiosity to move us to feed on such writings

or to listen to their abusive speech!” (The Watchtower, July 1, 1994, page 12)

As shown in the previous issue, even de-

ceased Jehovah‟s Witnesses must be disfellow-

shipped if they sinned against the “present

truth” during their lifetime. (Jehovah’s Wit-

nesses – Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, page

121). The book Pay Attention to Yourselves and

to All the Flock contains detailed instructions

for elders, including a list of transgressions

that require disfellowshipping. After the previ-

ous issue covered the sin of apostasy, we will

now consider the other transgressions.

Manslaughter

The first Bible account about a manslayer

says: “Now it came about in those days, as

Moses was becoming strong, that he went out

to his brothers that he might look at the bur-

dens they were bearing; and he caught sight of

a certain Egyptian striking a certain Hebrew of

his brothers. So he turned this way and that

and saw there was nobody in sight. Then he

struck the Egyptian down and hid him in the

sand.” (Exodus 2:11, 12) Moses slayed this

man; just as Satan, he “was a manslayer when

he began.” – John 8:44.

Under the headline “Manslaughter”, the

book Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the

Flock adds: “A degree of guilt could result from

… thoughtless action that causes injury or

death.” (page 92) This applies to Peter, who

surely did not want to kill Ananias when he

thoughtlessly told him: “You have played false,

not to men, but to God.” But “on hearing these

words Ananias fell down and expired.” (Acts

5:4, 5) Hence Moses and Peter were manslay-

ers, and according to righteous theocratic prin-

ciples they must be disfellowshipped.

Sexual Misconduct

“Presently thousands each year are disfel-

lowshipped from the Christian congregation for

fornication.” (The Watchtower, August 1, 1986,

page 14). Guilty of fornication is “Rahab the

harlot” without doubt. (Hebrews 11:31) The

Bible does not report that she would have

abandoned her business; even after her death

she still was called “the harlot,” though the

writer referred to the period after the conquest

of Jericho. – James 2:25.

The judge and suicide assassin Samson

spent a night with a prostitute: “Once Samson

went to Gaza and saw a prostitute woman

there and came in to her.” (Judges 16:1) He

was not married at this time, and we can as-

sume that he „came in to the prostitute woman‟

to make use of her services.

Image courtesy of FreeBibleIllustrations.com

Moses was a manslayer when he began


An article says, however: “Nothing in this

record suggests that Samson‟s purpose in going

to Gaza was to see a prostitute. Instead, while

in the city, he recognized a woman of her class,

and, since he was in enemy Philistine territory,

her home was the only place where he could

find accommodations for the night.” (The

Watchtower, February 15, 1979, page 31) Con-

sequently, Samson would not have committed

fornication when he visited the prostitute.

Fornication?

Would that have any effect on the sentence

that the elders as appointed judges have to

pass on him? The rulebook Pay Attention to

Yourselves and to All the Flock points out:

“Strong circumstantial evidence, such as …

evidence … that the accused stayed all night in

the same house with a person of the opposite

sex … is acceptable.” (page 111) Every modern-

day Jehovah‟s Witness spending a night in a

prostitute‟s house would be disfellowshipped –

the same standard must be applied to Samson.

As regards Judah, the situation is obvious:

“When Judah caught sight of [Tamar], he at

once took her for a harlot … So he turned aside

to her by the road and said: „Allow me, please,

to have relations with you.‟ … Then he … had

relations with her.” (Genesis 38:15-18) It is

evident that he committed fornication – that

the woman was not a real harlot but actually

his daughter-in-law doesn‟t make the situation

better.


Christians must not keep company with fornicators like David

Like every other Jehovah’s Witness spending a night in

a prostitute’s house, Samson must be disfellowshipped

A very unscrupulous fornicator and adul-

terer was King David: “From the rooftop he

caught sight of a woman bathing herself …

Then David sent and inquired about the wom-

an and someone said: „Is this not Bathsheba

the daughter of Eliam the wife of Uriah the

Hittite?‟ After that David sent messengers that

he might take her. So she came in to him and

he lay down with her.” (2 Samuel 11:2-4) Later

he admitted that he deserved death for his sin.

– 2 Samuel 12:5.

Rahab, Samson, Judah and David commit-

ted fornication and, in some cases, even adul-

tery – and God‟s word instructs us “to quit

mixing in company with fornicators;” the apos-

tle Paul urges us in this context: “Remove the

wicked man from among yourselves.” (1 Corin-

thians 5:9, 13) “No fornicator … has any inher-

itance in the kingdom of the Christ and of

God.” – Ephesians 5:5.

Loose Conduct

The book Pay Attention to Yourselves and to

All the Flock makes “loose conduct”, a precur-

sor of fornication, a punishable offense too:

“Loose conduct is a shocking, flagrant disre-

gard for Jehovah's moral standards.” According

to the latest, updated version of the book, this

involves willful, repeated and passionate vo-

luptuous embracing, endearment and kissing.

– page 93.


The Shulammite is obviously guilty of loose

conduct; she said regarding her boyfriend (which

was not her husband at that time): “May he kiss

me with the kisses of his mouth, for your ex-

pressions of endearment are better than wine …

I am lovesick. His left hand is under my head;

and his right hand – it embraces me … Do come,

O my dear one, let us go forth to the field; do let

us lodge among the henna plants. Do let us rise

early and go to the vineyards … There I shall

give my expressions of endearment to you.”

– Song of Solomon 1:2; 2:5, 6; 7:11, 12.

Her boyfriend in turn said to her: “How

beautiful your expressions of endearment are!

… How much better your expressions of en-

dearment are than wine and the fragrance of

your oils than all sorts of perfume! With comb

honey your lips keep dripping.” (Song of Solo-

mon 4:10, 11) There is no doubt at all that

“embracing, endearment and kissing” hap-

pened before they were married. Hence, the

Shulammite and her shepherd must be disfel-

lowshipped.

Drunkenness

Another sin leading to disfellowshipping is

“drunkenness.” (Pay Attention to Yourselves

and to All the Flock, page 95) The Bible reports

about the first drunkard of mankind: “Noah

started off as a farmer and proceeded to plant a

vineyard. And he began drinking of the wine

and became intoxicated, and so he uncovered

himself in the midst of his tent.” (Genesis 9:20-

21) Lot, Abraham‟s nephew, also was boozy

more than once. Under the influence of wine,

he even impregnated his own two daughters!

– Genesis 19:30-36.

Samson and the Shulammite transgressed against this “solemn

vow to God” (Watchtower Reprints, May 1, 1909, page 127)

Lot was so drunk that he impregnated his own daughters

Noah and Lot only imitated Jehovah

though: “Then Jehovah began to awake as from

sleeping, like a mighty one sobering up from

wine. And he went striking down his adver-

saries from behind.” (Psalm 78:65, 66) Since

Jehovah is perfect, we can assume that he was

perfectly drunk. (Matthew 5:48) After he woke

up gradually, he turned violent and “went

striking down his adversaries from behind,”

though he could simply have made them fall

dead.

Fits of Anger, Violence

“Fits of anger” and “violence” are other

transgressions that cause spiritual death by

disfellowshipping. (Pay Attention to Yourselves

and to All the Flock, page 96) The event men-

tioned in Psalm 78:66 was not the only situa-

tion where Jehovah had a fit of anger and

resorted to violence – Isaiah and Ezekiel also

report of a “fury” of Jehovah. (Isaiah 9:19; Eze-

kiel 7:19) Paul and Barnabas too had “a

sharp burst of anger.” – Acts 15:39.

Most Kings of Israel were violent: “Saul

kills by the thousand, David by the ten thou-

sand!” (1. Samuel 18:7, MSG) Nehemiah too

had a fit of anger when he found that some of

his fellows had married foreign women. He

“began to find fault with them and call down

evil upon them and strike some men of them

and pull out their hair.” – Nehemiah 13:23-25.


Reviling

“Reviling” and “slander” are prohibited too.

(Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the

Flock, page 95) As mentioned above, Nehemi-

ah reviled his compatriots and called down evil

upon them. Other prophets also got abusive;

Elijah, for example, reviled and insulted the

god Baal. – 1 Kings 18:27.

Blood

“Failure to abstain from blood” also justifies

disfellowshipping. (Pay Attention to Yourselves

and to All the Flock, page 95) The book What

Does the Bible Really Teach? makes clear that

there is only “one proper use of blood,” namely

offering it “on the altar at the tabernacle or

later at God‟s temple. The only proper use of

blood was in such sacrifices.” (page 131, 132)

Indeed, “there was only one use of blood that

God ever approved, namely, for sacrifice.”

– Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 344.

Moses however used blood for another pur-

pose: “He lifted up the rod and struck the wa-

ter that was in the Nile River under the eyes of

Pharaoh and his servants, and all the water

that was in the Nile River was turned into

blood. And the fish that were in the Nile River

died, and the Nile River began to stink.” (Exo-

dus 7:20, 21) So he made a stand against the

Governing Body‟s order to “keep abstaining …

from blood.” – Acts 15:29.


Nehemiah had a fit of anger; he called down evil upon

his compatriots, stroke them and pulled out their hair

Moses disobeyed the command that blood

was to be used only for sacrificial purposes

Extortion

“Extortion” is a sign of “greed” and hence a

big sin, causing disfellowshipping. (Pay Atten-

tion to Yourselves and to All the Flock, page 96)

Paul clearly instructed Christians “to quit

mixing in company with anyone … that is …

an extortioner, not even eating with such a

man.” – 1 Corinthians 5:11.

Jehovah said to the Israelites: “It must oc-

cur that if you will without fail listen to the

voice of Jehovah your God by being careful to

do all his commandments that I am command-

ing you today, Jehovah your God also will cer-

tainly put you high above all other nations of

the earth. … And it must occur that if you will

not listen to the voice of Jehovah your God by

taking care to do all his commandments and

his statutes that I am commanding you today,

all these maledictions must also come upon you

and overtake you … Jehovah will cause the

pestilence to cling to you until he has extermi-

nated you … Jehovah will strike you with tu-

berculosis and burning fever and inflammation

and feverish heat and the sword and scorching

and mildew … Jehovah will strike you with the

boil of Egypt and piles and eczema and skin

eruption … You will become engaged to a

woman, but another man will rape her … All

these maledictions will certainly come upon

you and pursue you and overtake you until you

have been annihilated.” (Deuteronomy 28)

Wasn‟t that extortion?


Providing for the Family

The book Pay Attention to Yourselves and to

All the Flock mentions another transgression

that leads to disfellowshipping: “Adamant re-

fusal to provide materially for one's own family

– leaving wife and children destitute when hav-

ing the means to provide.” (page 96) Abraham

clearly is guilty of this sin. He “got up early in

the morning and took bread and a skin water

bottle and gave it to Hagar, setting it upon her

shoulder, and the child, and then dismissed

her. And she went her way and wandered

about in the wilderness of Beersheba. Finally

the water became exhausted in the skin bottle

and she threw the child under one of the bush-

es. Then she went on and sat down by herself,

about the distance of a bowshot away, because

she said: „Let me not see it when the child dies.‟

So she sat down at a distance and began to

raise her voice and weep.” – Genesis 21:14-16.

Granted, God eventually provided for Ha-

gar, but Abraham did not. (Genesis 21:19) He

refused to provide for his concubine and his

son; he even cast them out of his camp. He was

a wealthy man and surely was “having the

means to provide.” Still he sent them away,

destitute, only with a little bread and water for

the day – without God‟s intervention, they

would have died.

Neutrality

“Nonneutral activities” lead to disfellow-

shipping too. (Pay Attention to Yourselves and

to All the Flock, page 96) It would go beyond

the scope of this article to list all Bible persons

who exercised such activities. However, an

especially hard case was Daniel who was

made “the ruler over all the jurisdictional dis-

trict of Babylon” by Nebuchadnezzar and held

this office for decades. (Daniel 2:48) Even at old

age, after Babylon‟s fall, “Daniel was one of the

three high officials appointed over the 120

satraps who were to rule the kingdom” and was

“excelling greatly in governmental service.”

– Insight on the Scriptures, volume I, page 577.

Any participation in war would be a

„nonneutral activity‟ of course. “Jehovah‟s Wit-

nesses do not go to war.” (The Watchtower, July

1, 2008, page 22) But Abraham went to war.

(Genesis 14) The Bible calls King David “a man

of wars.” (1 Chronicles 28:3) Jehovah conduct-

ed so many wars that there even was a “book of

the Wars of Jehovah.” – Numbers 21:14.

Lies

Finally, “deliberate, malicious lying” is a sin

deserving disfellowshipping. (Pay Attention to

Yourselves and to All the Flock, page 95) The

first liar of human history was Jehovah, since

he claimed to Adam: “As for the tree of the

knowledge … in the day you eat from it you

will positively die.” (Genesis 2:17) This was a

blatant lie – Adam continued to live for more

than 900 years or more than 300,000 days!

Later, Jehovah promised Abraham: “I am

giving all this land, as far as you can see, to

you and your descendants as a permanent

possession,” but in actual fact “he did not give

him any inheritable possession in it, no, not a

footbreadth.” (Genesis 13:15, NLT; Acts 7:5)

This was „deliberate lying,‟ since Jehovah

knows everything he must have known that his

promise would not be fulfilled.

Jacob was a liar too – when his personal

benefit was involved, he even lied to his own

father! “Jacob went on to say to his father, „I

am Esau your firstborn.‟” (Genesis 27:19) Isaac

became suspicious and asked Jacob: “‟You are

really my son Esau?‟ to which he said, „I am.‟”

(Genesis 27:24) So he finagled Isaac‟s blessing

and inheritance.

Abraham refused to provide for Hagar and

Ismael although he surely had the means


Are All Lies Evil?

Some may argue: “Didn‟t the Governing

Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses also lie and

hence would have to be disfellowshipped?” This

question is justified, but we can answer with a

plain No. “Even though all lying is bad, when

considering a case of lying, elders should use

good judgment, balance, and reasonableness in

determining the gravity of the sin and whether

it is a practice. Some lying may involve either

exaggerating the facts or petty, misleading

statements of relatively minor consequence.

The person may have lied because of momen-

tary pressure or fear of man.” – Pay Attention

to Yourselves and to All the Flock, page 132.

This can surely be applied to most lies of

the Governing Body. For example, when they

kept claiming even decades ago that Armaged-

don was imminent and children of that time

would under no circumstances grow old in this

system of things, they were only “exaggerating

the facts” and made “petty, misleading state-

ments of relatively minor consequence.” On

other occasions, the “faithful and discreet

slave” lied “because of momentary pressure or

fear of man.” Hence the Governing Body does

not deserve to be disfellowshipped but pleases

Jehovah. – Matthew 25:21.

Shunning

Not only Moses, James, Jesus, Jehovah, Je-

hu, Abraham, Joseph, John, Jacob and Gideon

must be expelled from the congregation, but

Peter, Rahab, Samson, Judah, David, the Shu-

lammite, Noah, Lot, Nehemiah, Paul, Elijah

and Daniel too. And “the Bible commands

Christians not to keep company or fellowship

with a person who has been expelled from the

congregation.” – The Watchtower, September

15, 1981, page 21.

Because of that, we must avoid any contact

with these sinners. “It would be a dangerous

thing to allow our curiosity to move us to feed

on such writings or to listen to their abusive

speech!” (The Watchtower, July 1, 1994, page

12) If we carefully keep ourselves from them,

we will prosper!


Jehovah deliberately lied to Abraham

Whenever the “faithful and discreet slave” lied, he

was only “exaggerating the facts” or making “petty,

misleading statements of relatively minor consequence”


Table of Necessary Disfellowshippings

Jehovah Promotion of false doctrines (2 Peter 1:21); practice of spiritism (Job 1:7); drunkenness

(Psalm 78:65); fits of anger (Psalm 78:66; Ezekiel 7:19); extortion (Deuteronomy 28);

violation of neutrality (Numbers 21:14); deliberate lying (Genesis 2:17; 13:15)

Noah Drunkenness (Genesis 9:20-22)

Abraham Support of false religion (Genesis 22:10); refusal to provide for the family

(Genesis 21:14-16); violation of neutrality (Genesis 14)

Lot Drunkenness (Genesis 19:30-36)

Jacob Idolatry (Genesis 31:32); deliberate lying (Genesis 27:19, 24)

Rachel Idolatry (Genesis 31:19)

Judah Fornication (Genesis 38:15-18)

Joseph Practice of spiritism (Genesis 44:5)

Moses Promotion of false doctrines (Exodus 14:13); manslaughter (Exodus 2:11, 12);

misuse of blood (Exodus 7:20, 21)

Rahab Fornication (James 2:25)

Gideon Idolatry (Judges 8:27)

Samson Fornication (Judges 16:1)

David Fornication (2 Samuel 11:2-4); violence (1 Samuel 18:7); violation of neutrality

(1. Chronicles 28:3)

Shulammite Loose conduct (Song of Solomon 7:11, 12)

Elijah Reviling (1 Kings 18:27)

Jehu Support of false religion (2 Kings 10:18-20)

Daniel Violation of neutrality (Daniel 2:48)

Nehemiah Fits of anger; reviling (Nehemiah 13:23-25)

Jesus Promotion of false doctrines (Matthew 5:43, 44); causing of divisions (Luke 12:51-53);

practice of spiritism (Matthew 8:31, 32; Luke 9:30, 31)

Peter Manslaughter (Acts 5:4, 5)

Paul Idolatry (Acts 17:23); fits of anger (Acts 15:39)

Barnabas Fits of anger (Acts 15:39)

James Promotion of false doctrines (James 1:27)

John Practice of spiritism (Revelation 1:4)


Scriptural Questions Answered

Where does the “brighter light” that is pre-

sented every year at the conventions origi-

nate?

It cannot originate from God, since with

him there is “neither variation nor change of

light.” (James 1:17, Luther) The apostle Paul

revealed the actual initiator when he wrote:

“Satan himself keeps transforming himself into

an angel of [brighter] light.” – 2 Corinthians

11:14.

In actual fact, “brighter light” is not pleas-

ing to God. Paul wrote: “If one of us … were to

preach something other than what we

preached originally, let him be cursed!” (Gala-

tians 1:8, MSG) That‟s why God instructed his

worshippers: “Hold fast what you have.” – Rev-

elation 2:25.

It is evident that the “faithful and discreet

slave” time and again „preaches something

other than what he preached originally.‟ Thus

he is “cursed” and, along with the originator of

the “brighter light” and others who “have been

cursed,” he will go “into the everlasting fire

prepared for the Devil and his angels.” – Mat-

thew 25:41.

Who will be allowed to live in paradise?

God‟s word clearly says that most humans

will be annihilated at Armageddon, “but the

meek ones themselves will possess the earth.”

(Jeremiah 25:33; Psalm 37:11) Hence “the

meek ones” will live in paradise – now the

question is, how meek must one be to receive

this reward?

“Moses was by far the meekest of all the

men who were upon the surface of the ground.”

(Numbers 12:3) But even Moses was not meek

enough for Jehovah; he said regarding the

Promised Land (which foreshadowed the future

paradise): “Even against me Jehovah got in-

censed … saying, „You too will not go in there.‟”

– Deuteronomy 1:37.

Accordingly, only people who are much

meeker than Moses will be allowed to live in

paradise. Since Moses was “by far the meekest

of all the men” who ever lived, such a person

does not exist. Hence there will be no one al-

lowed to live in paradise; that‟s why “death will

be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry

nor pain be anymore.” – Revelation 21:4.


Who is the greater Cyrus today?

Cyrus diverted the water of the Euphrates

to conquer Babylon. Something similar will

happen in the future, since John saw in a vi-

sion: “The sixth [angel] poured out his bowl

upon the great river Euphrates, and its water

was dried up, that the way might be prepared

for the kings from the rising of the sun.”

– Revelation 16:12.

The antitypical Babylon is “Babylon the

Great,” the “world empire of false religion,”

including, among others, the churches of Chris-

tendom and Jehovah‟s Witnesses. (What Does

the Bible Really Teach?, page 152) “The great

river Euphrates” is the “river of water of life”

that is distributed in form of “the Watchtower

and Awake! magazines.” – Revelation 22:1;

The Watchtower, March 15, 1992, page 24.

Who is the greater Cyrus today? Note that

it was the sixth angel who announced the

event. In old Israel, numbers were written with

letters; the number six was represented by the

sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, ו (Waw).

The number six being emphasized to the third

degree would be ו ו ו or, transcribed to the

Latin alphabet, WWW. This is manifest evi-

dence of the Internet being the greater Cyrus

– compare The Witchtower, February 2009,

page 3.

The Internet is the greater Cyrus

“The kings from the rising of the sun” who

finally will dry up the “water of life” and so

cause the Watchtower Society‟s downfall are

the Internet and the World Wide Web. These

two institutions contain countless evidence of

the lies of the Watchtower Society, freely ac-

cessible by everyone. The global access to in-

formation provided by the Internet will prove

to be the deathblow for isolated ideologies, such

as the one of Jehovah‟s Witnesses.

“Just a little while longer” and the Watch-

tower Society will lose more and more mem-

bers due to the Internet, until at some point

only “dried up” dotards will remain. Then

“there will [only] sit old men and old women” in

the kingdom halls. (Zechariah 8:4) Don‟t we

look forward to that time?

What was the forbidden fruit, and how can we

avoid it today?

Very early in human history, even before

Eve‟s creation, God introduced the following

universal ban: “As for the tree of the knowledge

of good and bad you must not eat from it.”

(Genesis 2:17) Like the command to abstain

from blood, this prohibition already existed

long before the Law covenant was made

– hence it was also not abolished with it. Thus

it is still valid.

However, the Bible account does not tell

which tree and which fruit were involved. As

“all Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial,”

we can assume that Jehovah wanted it like

that. (2 Timothy 3:16) Obviously he wants us to

avoid all fruits. – see The Witchtower, April

2010, page 7.

In order to please God, we must abstain

from everything grown on a tree – it could be

the forbidden fruit.


How does Jehovah’s blessing affect his wit-

nesses?

Freedom: Jesus said to his disciples: “The

truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) This can be

applied to Jehovah‟s Witnesses, for detailed

instructions for all situations make it easy for

them to make decisions based on their own

Bible-trained conscience. Since their conduct is

constantly monitored by loving fellow Chris-

tians, they are indeed free of freedom.

Riches: Solomon knew from his own experi-

ence: “The blessing of Jehovah – that is what

makes rich.” (Proverbs 10:22) Since many Je-

hovah‟s Witnesses cut back on their secular

work so that they have more time to distribute

the Watchtower, they are really rich in poverty.

Blessing: In Ukraine, many “servants of

Jehovah suffered … and even lost their life.”

(The Watchtower, October 1, 2003, page 30)

The same can be seen in other countries. Thus

it is evident that Jehovah has blessed his peo-

ple with calamity.

Indeed, Jehovah‟s Witnesses are free of

freedom, rich in poverty and blessed with ca-

lamity – don‟t we see Jehovah‟s hand behind

these paradiselike conditions?

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses go witnessing

from house to house?

No one likes to go from door to door in any

wind and weather, and no one likes being de-

rided and reviled. Also, most Jehovah‟s Wit-

nesses do not love their fellows so much that

they want to bring them the hope for everlast-

ing life by all means; rather they hunger for

the annihilation of these “worldlings” so that

they can seize their houses.

The actual reason why Jehovah‟s Witnesses

go in the service is Jesus‟ command: “If some-

one … impresses you into service … go with

him.” (Matthew 5:41) It is beyond debate that

the “faithful and discreet slave” class „impress-

es Jehovah‟s Witnesses into service‟ – partici-

pation in field service is even a requirement for

baptism! (Our Kingdom Ministry, September

1986, page 2) “We have the responsibility of

participating in the ministry and attending

Christian meetings. These activities are not

optional.” – The Watchtower, December 1,

2003, page 17.

Hence, Jehovah‟s Witnesses go into service

because the Watchtower Society compels them.

However, anyone doing something “grudgingly

or under compulsion” does not please God.

(2 Corinthians 9:7) This surely applies to Jeho-

vah‟s Witnesses.

Hardly any Jehovah’s Witness would go from door to door

if the “faithful and discreet slave” would not compel him


Should Christian women remain unmarried?

Jesus Christ recommended his disciples to

remain single when he said: “There are eu-

nuchs that have made themselves eunuchs on

account of the kingdom of the heavens. Let him

that can make room for it make room.” (Mat-

thew 19:12) Note that he said this to men;

there are no female “eunuchs.”

Thus the advice to remain unmarried does

not apply to sisters. The Watchtower Society in

Germany rather counseled sisters: “Now is the

time to look for a mate!” (Unser Königreichs-

dienst [German edition of Our Kingdom Minis-

try], April 1982, page 3). Indeed, the preaching

work is important, but “of greater importance,

though, is finding a mate.” – Worship the Only

True God, page 152.

The August 2009 issue of Our Kingdom

Ministry contains detailed advice how sisters

can proceed. Under the headlines “Search for

Men” and “Contact More Men,” the article says

what to do when “a sister … receives a favora-

ble response … from a man.” Thus Christian

women should hurry to look for a mate before it

is too late.

What sort of men qualify as elders?

Usually, only the qualifications from 1 Tim-

othy are quoted in reply to this question. How-

ever, the Hebrew Scriptures, namely the

Psalms, reveal another important requirement.

David said: “You have ascended on high; you

have carried away captives; you have taken

gifts in the form of men, yes, even the stubborn

ones, to reside among them, O Jah God.”

(Psalm 68:18) “These „gifts in men‟ are overse-

ers, or elders.” – The Watchtower, April 1,

2007, page 27.

So Jehovah has particularly chosen “the

stubborn ones” to serve as elders. Stubborn,

obstinate men are especially qualified for this

office; they do not allow arguments or new

insights to throw them off course. They do not

“force the truth to hurry.” – Sing Praises to

Jehovah, song 111.

However, the Hebrew word rendered “the

stubborn ones” in the New World Translation

is translated “those … that do not believe”

(Douay-Rheims), “rebels” (The Message) or “the

apostates” (Luther) in other translations. Ac-

cordingly, Catholics, apostates and atheists

should be appointed as elders, too.

What should Christians do when one of their

relatives leaves the truth?

The Bible provides a clear answer to this

question: “Cain proceeded to assault Abel his

brother and kill him … Go your way and be

doing the same yourself.” (Genesis 4:8 – Luke

10:37) Of course, the same principle applies if

the sinner is a sister. Accordingly, Moses or-

dered the Israelites: “Kill your relatives,

friends, and neighbors!” – Exodus 32:27, GWT.

Granted, “the law of the land … forbid[s] us

to kill apostates, even though they be members

of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship.”

(The Watchtower, November 15, 1952, page

703) But “we must obey God as ruler rather

than men.” (Acts 5:29) Execution is the only

way to “remove the wicked man from among

yourselves” permanently. – 1 Corinthians 5:13.

Secular laws may forbid killing apostates, but

“we must obey God as ruler rather than man”


Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses speak ill of apos-

tates?

For decades, people “desiring to live with

godly devotion in association with Christ Je-

sus” felt attracted to Jehovah‟s Witnesses. Paul

advised such persons though: “Wicked men and

impostors will advance from bad to worse,

misleading and being misled.” – 2 Timothy

3:12, 13.

Evidently this can be applied to Jehovah‟s

Witnesses who have evolved from “earnest

Bible students” to mindless Watchtower under-

liners. However, through modern means of

communication many Jehovah‟s Witnesses

come to know the truth behind the Watchtower

organization, whereupon they “cleanse them-

selves and whiten themselves and will be re-

fined” by leaving Jehovah‟s Witnesses. “No

wicked ones at all will understand [their deci-

sion]; but the ones having insight will under-

stand.” – Daniel 12:10.

The remaining “wicked ones,” that is, Jeho-

vah‟s Witnesses, do not like it that the apos-

tates lead a fine life, while they themselves

have to trudge from door to door and keep ac-

cepting “brighter light” and new lies over and

over. That‟s why the apostle Peter wrote to

apostates: “Because you do not continue run-

ning with them in this course to the same low

sink of debauchery, they are puzzled and go on

speaking abusively of you.” (1 Peter 4:4) In-

deed, Jehovah‟s Witnesses “go on speaking

abusively” of apostates because these “do not

continue running with them in this course to

the same low sink of [spiritual] debauchery.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses have evolved from “earnest

Bible students” to mindless Watchtower underliners

’

Faithful Job recommended: “Ask, please,

the domestic animals, and they will instruct

you.” (Job 12:7) Later, wise Solomon advised:

“Go to the ant … and become wise.” (Proverbs

6:6) True, all creation argues Jehovah‟s Wis-

dom and provides instruction for us. How can

we imitate the “domestic animals,” the “ant”

and other animals? We will consider three

areas – field service, congregation and private

life.


In Field Service

One of the most popular “domestic animals”

is the dog. What can Christians learn from it?

The website of PETA Germany says: “Some dogs

do not mind going from house to house.” We too

should not mind going from house to house,

being derided and meeting with hostility. Ra-

ther we cherish this great privilege that marks

us as God‟s worshippers.

However, we should not only go in the ser-

vice but also “to the ant.” The leaf-cutting ant

doesn‟t carry around whole leaves but only small

portions that it has bitten out. We can imitate it

in field service by taking only single sheets with

us rather than complete books. The lower

weight of our bag can make us persevere longer

– ideally we can remain in our territory uninter-

ruptedly until our death, just as some ants keep

working until their death without rest.

When an elephant walks through the jungle,

it trumpets and reaches a volume of up to 100

decibel. We can imitate it by crossing the terri-

tory with our car, honking steadily, before we

start going from door to door. The car horn does

not only make a similar noise as the elephant

but also reaches a comparable volume.

Especially when we arrive early in the morn-

ing, this would be a perfect way to catch the

people‟s attention. It could also reduce the num-

ber of Not-at-Homes caused by sleeping home-

owners.

But we can also learn from the house mouse.

It leaves behind its scent marks everywhere in

its territory. Do we also leave our “scent marks”

in form of magazines, brochures and tracts in

every house?

Mice and other animals regularly return to

the marked spots to renew the scent marks. We

should emulate their deeds by making regular

return visits.

When someone refuses to listen to us, it

would be good to imitate the wolf by starting to

howl. We can cry aloud for the homeowner be-

cause of his imminent destruction at Armaged-

don. That might make him change his mind.

Our main goal is of course that people listen

to us and we can start a home Bible study. In-

terestingly, Our Kingdom Ministry compared

such people to animals of prey: “You must be a

capable, efficient huntsman … Hunters often

work together … in order to stir up their quarry.

They seek to let nothing escape. So publishers

must work.” – October 1957, page 1.

When we have found such a homeowner who

gets himself into a home Bible study, we abso-

lutely must imitate the crocodile. Writer Anouk

Zijlma says: “Crocodiles attack by dragging their

prey under water.” (Africa’s Most Dangerous

Animals) We must do the same with the home-

owner by leading him to baptism.

Related to the “hunt” for homeowners we

should also take the lion as an example. Regard-

ing him, Encyclopaedia Wikipedia says: “Lion-

esses do most of the hunting; males attached to

prides do not usually participate in hunting,”

Likewise, men in the congregation spend much

time on shepherding visits, speeches and other

organizational activities while “the women tell-

ing the good news are a large army.” (Psalm

68:11) Indeed, women are doing the greater part

of the “hunting,” the field work.

In the Congregation

The hippo likely is the Biblical “Behemoth”

who is called “the beginning of the ways of God.”

(Job 40:15, 19) According to writer Richard Es-

tes, “staying close to mother” is very important

for hippos. (The Safari Companion) And “Jeho-

vah‟s organization is like a mother” to us. (1988

Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, page 161) This

means that we also must „stay close to mother,‟

that is, to the Watchtower Society.

We can benefit from the hippo’s wisdom


We can also learn from the rooster. Often he

stands on the dunghill, crowing. In a similar

manner our organization is “very high” above

the “dungy idols” of other religions. (Psalm 47:9;

Ezekiel 6:4) Like the rooster, we should let eve-

ryone know that!

The pig belongs to God‟s wonderful creation

too. According to the German edition of Encyclo-

paedia Wikipedia, pigs “can mostly be found

near bodies of water.” (compare Matthew 8:32)

Likewise we should be found in the congregation

meetings where the “water of life” is distributed.

(Revelation 22:1) Regarding the meetings, we

must again imitate the crocodile: “The average

croc eats about 50 full meals a year” (Crocodile

Secrets of Survival) To get “50 full meals a year”

we need to visit all meetings in all 52 weeks of

the year, given that there are two weeks without

meetings due to the district convention and

circuit assembly.

Regarding our spiritual nourishment, we can

learn a lot from the animals, for example from

the koala. “The koala lives almost entirely on

eucalypt leaves.” (Encyclopaedia Wikipedia) We

too should, in a spiritual sense, live entirely on

the “leaves” or sheets of the Watchtower and

other spiritual food from the “faithful and dis-

creet slave.” – Matthew 24:45.

Another outstanding model for us is the cow.

She is a ruminant; the ingested food passes four

stomachs. We too should hash and rehash the

spiritual food in the Watchtower four times – at

first reading, at studying in advance, at the

congregation Watchtower study and afterwards

at meditation.

When we are confronted with brothers hav-

ing doubts regarding certain teachings of the

organization, we should pattern ourselves on the

donkey. Its proverbial obstinacy is exactly what

we need in such a situation. Stubborn as a don-

key, we must stick to the truths revealed by

God‟s channel of communication until the “faith-

ful and discreet slave” replaces them with

“brighter light”!

In Personal Life

Even at young age, we can imitate one of

God‟s most wonderful works of creation, i. e.

the sheep. The Bible likens Christians to sheep

at many passages. Jesus called his disciples

“my sheep.” (John 10:14) And according to

Answers.com, sheep are “dumb stupid, gullible”

– the Online Etymology Dictionary by Douglas

Harper even says that “the meaning „stupid,

timid person‟ [for the word „sheep‟] is attested

from 1542.” To be as stupid as sheep, we must

not “pursue secular education beyond what is

required by law” and start pioneering as early

as possible, rather than wasting our best years

with vocational education. – The Watchtower,

December 1, 1996, page 19.

How can Christians imitate the goat? Goats

are known for their penetrating smell. Espe-

cially good-looking young Christians can use

the same ploy to avoid immoral offers. Rubbing

themselves with fresh dung or eating multiple

cloves of garlic per day would offer a good op-

portunity to benefit from the goat‟s wisdom.

If we are married and have a family, we

should imitate the rooster. Every day he keeps

crowing early in the morning to wake up and

assemble his family. Are we waking up our

family every morning to review the daily text?

When we are underway, we should always

have a pouch with us, just like the kangaroo.

Of course our pouch should be filled with tracts

and brochures, so that we can take every op-

portunity to bear witness. But it can also hap-

pen that we suddenly encounter an apostate; in

such a case we should imitate the rabbit and

run away as fast as we can.

Are we not stuck with awe when we consid-

er Jehovah‟s wonderful works of creation? May

we imitate them better and better and so bene-

fit from their wisdom!

Witchtower: August 1, 2010 - Disfellowshipping – A Timeless Arrangement

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