Saksi-Saksi Yehuwa
Andhika Gunawan, B.Sc., M.A.
Dalam banyak tulisannya Watchtower menggunakan mind-control
dengan mengemukakan argumentasi semacam berikut ini:
¨ Alkitab tidak
dapat menyinarkan terang kebenarannya sendiri, harus melalui organisasi Allah.
“Jehovah God has provided his holy written Word for all mankind…
But God has not arranged for that Word to speak independently… It is through
his organization that God, provides this light that the proverb says is the
teaching or law of the mother. If we are to walk in the light of truth we
must recognize not only Jehovah God as our Father but his organization as our
mother.” (WT 1 May 1957, p.274)
¨ Individu tidak
dapat menafsirkan Alkitab
“Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the
Christian congregartion as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of
how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For
this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible
organization in mind.” (WT, 1 Oct 1967, p.587)
¨ Hanya organisasi
Allah saja yang diarahkan oleh Roh Kudus
“Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah’s organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God’s
holy spirit or active force (Zech 4:6).
Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it
alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.” (WT, 1 July
1973, p.402)
Pada banyak kutipan di bawah ini terlihat jelas, bahwa mereka
percaya bahwa WBTS [The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society ] adalah
satu-satunya ‘channel’ komunikasi Allah kepada manusia.
|
Klaim |
Kutipan dari publikasi WBTS |
|
Hikmat Allah hanya bisa diketahui melalui
WBTS (1984) |
1994 Channel to understanding
the Bible... All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of
God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication,
the faithful and discreet slave. (Watchtower; Oct. 1, 1994; p. 8) |
|
Kita harus beriman kepada Yehovah dan
kepada WBTS, organisasiNya (1984) |
1984 "Faith in Jehovah, faith in those whom
he is using as spokesmen, yes, faith
in his organization! As we 'go out' to Jehovah's service today, how
important it is that we exercise such faith!" (Watchtower July 1, 1984
p17) |
|
Kita tidak boleh mempertanyakan apa yang
sudah disediakan Allah melalui WBTS (1983) |
1983 "Avoid independent thinking...questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization."
(Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 22) |
|
Untuk memperoleh hidup kekal kita harus
menjadi bagian dari WBTS (1983) |
1983 To
receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.
(Watchtower; Feb. 15, 1983; p. 12) |
|
Tanpa melalui channel (WBTS) ini kita tidak
akan maju dalam kehidupan, tidak peduli berapapun seringnya kita membaca
Alkitab (1981) |
1981 No matter
where we may live on earth, God's Word continues to serve as a light to our path
and a lamp to our roadway as to our conduct and beliefs. (Ps. 119:105) But Jehovah God has also provided his visible
organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of
spirit anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply
properly the Bible in their lives. Unless
we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will
not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.
(Watchtower; Dec. 1, 1981; p. 27) |
|
Penolakan terhadap WBTS menandakan
penolakan terhadap pemerintahan Ilahi (1976) |
1976 "We
must take seriously what his Word says and what his organization reveals to
us.... Would not a failure to respond
to direction from God through his organization really indicate a rejection of
divine rulership?" (Watchtower, February 15, 1976, p. 214) |
|
Semua harus secara absolut tunduk pada
keputusan dan pengertian Alkitabiah dari WBTS karena WBTS-lah penerima
otoritas Allah (1972) |
1972 "That
they [Jehovah's Witness] must adhere absolutely to the
decisions and scriptural understandings of the Society because God has given it this authority over his
people." (Watchtower, May 1, 1972, p. 272) |
|
Tidak konsisten bila kita berkata mengasihi
Allah tetapi menolak WBTS (1967) |
1967 "We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his
word and channel of communication." (Watchtower, October 1, 1967, p.
591) |
|
Allah tidak memberikan pengertian akan
firmanNya diluar dari WBTS (1965) |
1965 "He does not impart his holy spirit
and understanding and appreciation of his Word apart from his
visible organization." (Watchtower, July 1, 1965, pg. 391) |
|
WBTS adalah ‘satu-satunya channel kolektif’
dari kebenaran Alkitab pada hari-hari akhir ini (1960) |
1960 "The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society,
identifies itself as God's 'sole collective channel for the flow of Biblical
truth to men on earth' in these last days" … "The facts show
that during this time and up to the present hour the 'slave' class has served
as God's sole collective channel for the flow of Biblical truth to men on
earth. Just as the early Christians congregation collectively served as the
channel of communication from heaven to earth, so in our time. (Eph. 3:10)
Abundant spiritual food and amazing details as to the doing of God's will have
been flowing through this unique
channel actually as a miraculous evidence of the operation of holy
spirit. The present stature of the new World society of Jehovah's witnesses,
numbering nearly a million ministers in 175 lands, gives eloquent testimony that
it is not the product of human ingenuity. Rather, it is the product of holy
spirit operating theocratically through a tested channel, influencing the
lives of dedicated men and women in all walks of life." (Watchtower,
July 15, 1960, page 439) |
|
Baiklah kita meresponi arahan dari WBTS
sebagai suara Allah, karena ini memang yang disediakanNya (1957) |
1957 Let us now unmistakably identify
Jehovah's channel of communication for our day, that we may continue in
his favor. ... It is vital that we appreciate
this fact and respond to the directions of the "slave" as we would
to the voice of God, because it is his provision. (Watchtower; June 15,
1957; p. 370) |
|
Allah tidak mengatur firmanNya berbicara
& menyinarkan terang dengan sendirinya, melainkan hanya melalui WBTS
Allah memnberikan terang (1957) |
1957 "The
world is full of Bibles, which Book contains the commandments of God. Why,
then, do the people not know which way to go? Because they do not also have
the teaching or law of the mother, which is light. Jehovah God has provided
His holy written word for all mankind and it contains all the information
that is needed for men in taking a course leading to life. But God has not
arranged for that word to speak independently, or to shine forth life giving
truths by itself. His word says, "Light is sown for the righteous"
(Psalm 97:11). It is through his organization that God provides this light
that the prophet says is the teaching or law of the mother. If we walk in the
light of truth, we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our father, but his
organization as our mother." … "God has not arranged for [His] Word to speak independently or to
shine life-giving truths by itself. It is through his organization God
provides this light." (Watchtower, May 1, 1957, pg. 274) |
|
Jika kita mengasihi Yehovah dan
organisasiNya, kita tidak boleh curiga, melainkan mempercayai ‘segala
sesuatu’ yang WBTS keluarkan (1955) |
1955 "If we have love for Jehovah and for the
organization of his people we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the
Bible says, 'believe all things,' all
the things that The Watchtower brings out." (Qualified to be
Ministers, 1955, pg. 156) |
|
Kuasa penunjukkan semua hamba berada di
Governing Body, di bawah supervis langsung Kristus (1955) |
1955 Similarly
today the power of appointment of
all servants in congregations rightfully
rests with the governing body of the "faith and discreet slave"
class, which is under the direct
supervision of Christ Jesus at the temple. (Watchtower, June 1, 1955 p.
333) |
|
Mereka yang mengakui pemerintahan Allah,
tidak akan bertindak bodoh dengan melawan WBTS dengan menggunakan akal,
setimen, dan perasaan pribadi mereka (1952) |
1952 "We
should eat and digest and assimilate what is set before us, without shying away
from parts of the food because it may not suit the fancy of our mental
taste...We should meekly go along with
the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification,
rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and
proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were
worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will
appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning
and sentiment and personal feelings." (Watchtower, February 1, 1952,
pp. 79-80) |
|
Majalah Watchtower (Menara Pengawal) adalah
alat Allah untuk berkomunikasi dengan umatNya di bumi (1939, 1933) |
1939 We
acknowledge as the visible
organization of Jehovah on earth the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society,
and recognize the Society as the
Channel or instrument through which Jehovah and Christ Jesus give instruction
and meat in due season to the household of faith. (Watchtower, April 15, 1939
p. 125) 1939 "It
should be expected that the Lord would
have a means of communicating to his people on the earth, and he has
clearly shown that the magazine called
The Watchtower is used for that purpose." (1939 Yearbook Of
Jehovah's Witnesses, P 85) 1933 Surely Jehovah has an organization on earth,
because everything with him is done orderly. For many years many years he has used the Watchtower Bible &
Tract Society. There is but one
class of people that are doing his work on earth today and these we call
"the Society", acting under the direction of the Watchtower Bible
& Tract Society and putting forth the Watchtower publications.
(Watchtower, May 15, 1933 p. 154-155) |
|
WBTS adalah perusahaan terbesar di dunia
karena sejak awal Tuhan telah memakainya sebagai channelNya untuk
memberitakan kabar baikNya (1917) |
1917
"Following the election Brother Rutherford, addressing the meeting, said
in part:...'The Watchtower Bible And
Tract Society is the greatest corporation in the world, because from the time
of its organization until now the Lord has used it as His channel through
which to make known the Glad Tidings'." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1917, p.
22, quoted in, The Finished Mystery, Studies in the Scriptures, VII, p. 144). |
Di dalam beberapa kutipan di bawah ini jelas sekali bahwa mereka
mengklaim organisasi tsb (WBTS) adalah ‘nabi’ yang dipilih Allah untuk
berbicara kepada umatNya.
|
Klaim |
Kutipan dari publikasi WBTS |
|
Mereka yang dikenal di seluruh dunia
sebagai Saksi-Saksi Yehovah adalah nabi-nabi. |
1986 …all of whom are prophets, or
witnesses for God. In fact they are known throughout the world as Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Awake 8
June, 1986, p 9) |
|
Di bumi ini ada kelas nabi yang harus
menyelesaikan tugasnya sebelum perang Armagedon bisa dimulai |
1982 At this
late date there is a mere remnant of
this “prophet” class yest on earth.
The “war of the great day
of God the Almighty at Har-Magedon could
not start before this composite “prophet” ends his work.” (Watchtower
1Oct 1982, p 27) |
|
Yehovah tidak ingin umatNya disesatkan oleh
nabi palsu, dan Yehovah memiliki seorang ‘nabi’ untuk memperingatkan
umatNya. ‘Nabi’ ini bukan seorang
manusia, melainkan suatu organisasi (badan) yang terdiri dari laki-laki dan
perempuan, dan pada hari ini mereka dikenal dengan nama Saksi-Saksi Kristen
Yehovah. (1972) |
1972 "They
Shall Know That A Prophet Was Among Them" … However, Jehovah did not let
the people of Christendom, as led by the clergy, go without being warned that
the League was a counterfeit
substitute for the real kingdom of God. He had a 'prophet' to warn them. This 'prophet' was not one man, but
was a body of men and women. it was the small group of footstep followers
of Jesus Christ, known at that time as international bible students. today they are known as Jehovah's
Christian witnesses." (Watchtower April 1, 1972 p. 197) |
|
Bangsa-bangsa akan mengetahui adanya
seorang ‘nabi’ dianatar mereka, suatu ‘nabi’ kolektif, suatu grup ‘nabi’
(1972) |
1972 …This would
indicate that Jehovah's Witnesses
today make their declaration of the good news of the kingdom under angelic
direction and support. (Rev. 14:6; Matt. 25:31;32) and since no word or work of Jehovah can fail,
for he is god almighty, the nations will see the fulfillment of what these
witnesses say as directed from heaven. … Yes, the time must come shortly that
the nations will have to know that really
a 'prophet' of Jehovah was among them. Actually now more than a million
and a half persons are helping that collective
or composite 'prophet' in his preaching work and well over that number of
others are studying the Bible with the
'prophet' group and it's companions" (Watchtower April 1, 1972 p.
200) |
|
Nabi Yehovah adalah mereka yang mendeklarasikan
nama Yehovah dan memberitakan ‘akhir jaman’ kepada kekristenan |
1972 What is
required of God’s messanger.
Therefore when it came time
for the name of Jehovah and his
purposes to be declared to the people,
along with God’s warning that
Christendom is in her “time of the end,”
who qualified to be commisioned? Who
was willing to undertake this monumental task as “Jehovah’s servant”? Was there anyone to whom Jehovah’s
heavenly “chariot” could roll up and whom it could confront? More
accurately, was there any group on whom Jehovah would be willing to bestow
the commission to speak as a “prophet” in His name, as was done toward
Ezekiel back in 613 B.C.E.? (Watchtower Maret 15, 1972 p.189) |
|
Fakta menunjukkan bahwa Allah telah memilih
Saksi-Saksi Yehovah sebagai nabiNya, dan Yehovah-lah yang akan menaruh
firmanNya kedalam mulut mereka (1959) |
1959 "Whom has God actually used as his prophet?....
Jehovah's witnesses are deeply
grateful today that the plain facts show that God has been pleased to use
them.... Jehovah thrust out
his hand of power and touched their lips and put his words in their mouths." (Watchtower, January 15,
1959, p. 40-41) |
Mereka percaya bahwa Allah berbicara menjelaskan firmanNya dan
memberitahukan serta menjelaskan nubuat-nubuatanNya melalui mereka.
|
Klaim |
Kutipan dari publikasi WBTS |
|
Yehovah membukakan nubuat-nubuatan melalui
penerangan Roh Kudus (1981) |
1981 "Prophecies open up to us as Jehovah's
holy spirit sheds light upon them, and as they are fulfilled in world
events or in the experiences of God's people." (Watchtower, December 1,
1981 p. 17) |
|
Majalah Watchtower memampukan orang untuk melihat
apa yang ada di masa depan (1980) |
1980 'A
Watchtower enables a person to look far into the distance and announce to
others what is seen. Likewise, this
magazine, published by Jehovah's Witnesses, aids the reader to see what the
future holds'. (this statement featured on the cover each issue of the
Watchtower in late 1970s through 1980's) |
|
Tuhan telah menubuatkan akan adanya ‘sisa’
murid Kristus yang diurapi yang telah memberitakan nubuat ke segala bangsa
(1976) |
1976 "The
holy spirit, which Jehovah prophesied that he would pour out in the last
days, has not ceased to operate, for the remnant are still baptizing
disciples of Christ in the name of that spirit.... The announced purpose
behind God's pouring out of his spirit upon all sorts of flesh was that the
recipients thereof might prophesy. The
facts substantiate that the remnant of Christ's anointed disciples have been
doing that prophesying to all the nations for a witness in favor of God's
kingdom. Logically, then, they must be the ones upon whom God's spirit has
actually been poured out. That spirit is behind their worldwide preaching.
Why argue about it?" (Holy Spirit-The Force Behind the Coming New
Order!, 1976, p. 148) |
|
Yehovah bernubuat melalui WBTS, Yehovah ada
dibalik semua nubuatan itu, dan banyaknya detail yang dinyatakan Yehovah
membuktikan bahwa merekalah ‘hamba yang setia dan bijaksana’ [dalam Mat
24:45] (1964) |
1964 "As Jehovah revealed his truths by means
of the first-century Christian congregation so he does today by means of the
present-day Christian congregation. Through
this agency he is having carried out prophesying on an intensified and
unparalleled scale. All this activity is not an accident. Jehovah is the one behind all of it.
The abundance of spiritual food and the amazing details of Jehovah's purposes that have been revealed to Jehovah's
anointed witnesses are clear evidence that they are the ones mentioned by
Jesus when he foretold a "faithful and discreet slave" class that
would be used to dispense God's progressive revelations in these last
days." (Watchtower, June 15, 1964, p. 365) |
|
Yehovah adalah penafsir nubuatNya sendiri,
WBTS hanyalah channel untuk mempublikasikan penafsiran Yehovah yang diberitakan
melalui Kristus (1952) |
1952 "Jehovah as the great interpreter makes
known the meaning of his revelations in his due time, and speculation by men
cannot bring to light the true meaning
of prophecy before time. Jehovah
has provided a channel, the faithful and discreet slave class, who are
given spiritual food at the proper time, and this spiritual food includes
among other things the understandings
of the prophecies in the course of their fulfillments. (Matt. 24:45 NW) Jehovah's witnesses themselves are not
nor can they be interpreters of prophecies. but as fast as the superior
authorities Jehovah and Christ Jesus reveal the interpretations through their
provided channel that fast do God's people publish them"
(Watchtower, April 15, 1952, p. 253) |
|
Yesuslah yang menafsirkan nubuat-nubuatNya
kepada saksi-saksiNya (1943) |
1943 The Lord by
Christ Jesus interprets his prophecies
to his witnesses. (Watchtower, Nov. 1, 1943 p. 293) |
|
Hanya Yehovah yang merupakan penafsir
tertinggi dari firmanNya, Kristus adalah jurubicaraNya, dan WBTS dipakai
Allah untuk mempublikasikan penafsiranNya (1943). |
1943 "The
claim of any individual or religious organization to be the interpreter of
Gods sacred Word is false and misleading. No creature or organization on
earth can truly presume to sit as the supreme tribunal of interpretation of
the holy bible...Jehovah God is
therefore the only Supreme Court of Interpretation of His inspired Word.
… This does not signify that the faithful remnant or society of Jehovah's anointed witnesses are an
earthly tribunal of interpretation, delegated
to interpret the Scriptures and its prophecies. No; Christ Jesus the King has not entrusted that office to
them. The supreme court still interprets, thank God; and Christ Jesus, the Courts official mouthpiece of interpretation,
reserves to himself that office as Head of Jehovah's faithful and wise
servant class. He merely uses the
servant class to publish the interpretation after the supreme court by Christ
Jesus reveals it. How does the Lord God make known the interpretation? By
causing the facts to come to pass visibly which are in fulfillment of the
prophecy or dark saying or misunderstood scripture. Thereafter in due season he calls such fulfillment or
clarification of prophecy and scripture to the attention of his faithful and
wise servant class. Thereby he
makes them responsible to make known the meaning of such scriptures to all
members of the household of faith and to all person of goodwill. This
constitutes giving them the meat in due season. (Watchtower, July 1, 1943, p.
202-203) |
|
Majalah Watchtower adalah tidak ada
tandingannya di bumi, karena pengarang Alkitab itu sendiri yang sekarang
menafsirkan nubuat-nubuatNya melalui majalah tsb. (1943) |
1943 "The Watchtower is a magazine without
equal in the earth, and is conceded this rank by all that have been faithful
readers thereof during its more than sixty years of publications.... This is
not giving any credit to the magazines publishers, but is due to the great author of the Bible with
its truths and prophecies, and who
now interprets its prophecies. He it is that makes possible the material
that is published in the columns of this magazine and who give promise that it shall continue to publish the
advancing truths as long as it continues to exist for the service of the
interests of his Theocratic Government. (Watchtower, April 15, 1943, p. 127) |
|
Barangsiapa yang menganggap majalah
Watchtower hanya mempublikasi pendapat dan ekspresi manusia, dia tidak perlu
membuang waktu untuk melihatnya, tetapi siapa yang percaya bahwa Wtachtower adalah
alat Allah untuk berkomunikasi kepada umatNya, harus mempelajarinya. (1942) |
1942 "Those who are convinced that The
Watchtower is publishing the opinion or expression of a man should not waste
time in looking at it at all, because a mans opinion proves nothing
except when that opinion is based wholly upon the Word of God. Those who
believe that God uses the Watchtower
as a means of communicating to his people, or of calling their attention to his prophecies, should study the Watchtower with
thankfulness of heart and give Jehovah God and Christ Jesus all the honor and
credit and give neither honor nor credit to any man." (Watchtower, Jan.
1, 1942, p. 5) |
|
Yesuslah yang memberikan pengertian
terhadap nubuat-nubuat yang dipublikasikan dalam Watchtower (1942) |
1942 Christ Jesus has caused the understanding of the
prophetic dramas and pictures to be clear and set forth in the Watchtower
publications. (Watchtower, Dec. 15, 1942 p. 376) |
|
President Franz di pengadilan ditanya :
Siapa Editor utama majalah Watchtower?
Dia menjawab: Allah Yehovah (1940) |
1940 Court's
Question to Franz: "Who subsequently became the Editor of the magazine, the main editor of the 'Watch Tower'
magazine?" Franz's Answer: "Jehovah God." (Fred W. Franz on the witness stand under oath,
New York King's County Clerks' Court Record, 1940, vol. II, p 795) |
|
Organisasi Yehovah di bawah Kristus adalah
channel untuk membawa penafsiran ilahi bagi firmanNya (1938) |
1938 "Jehovah's word is not of private human
interpretation. He is his own interpreter. He causes light to be shed one
Scripture text by others elsewhere in the Bible bearing on the same subject. He also brings to pass the fulfillment of
Bible prophecies by definite events and then he calls the attention of
his witnesses to such fulfillments in clarification of prophecy. He has
appointed Christ Jesus the head of his visible organization and his associate
interpreter for the organization, an interpreter, one among a thousand. (Job
33:23) So Jehovah's visible organization
under Christ is a channel for bringing the divine interpretation of his word
to his devoted people." (Watchtower, June 1, 1938, p. 169) |
|
Penafsiran nubuat berasal dari Yehovah, dan
Dialah yang menyiapkan mesin-mesin, proses pencetakan dan semua material
untuk menyatakan beritanya kepada dunia Kristen, dan ini dilakukanNya melalui
‘hamba yang setia dan bijaksana’. (1938) |
1938 "The
resolutions adopted by conventions of God's anointed people, booklets,
magazines, and books published by them, contain the message of God's truth
and are from the almighty God, Jehovah, and provided by him through Christ
Jesus and his under officers. This shows the grand and glorious organization
working in exact harmony, as indeed it must work. These instruments being provided
by Jehovah, and placed in the hand of the remnant, the remnant or 'servant'
class is commanded to use the same. … the
interpretation of prophecy, therefore is not from man, but is from Jehovah;
and Jehovah causes events to come to pass in fulfillment of the prophecy in
due time. It is His truth and not man's; and when men attempt to give the
honor and glory for the message of truth to a man or men, such make fools of
themselves. Jehovah provides the
machinery, the printing presses, and all material for the purpose of preparing his fiery message that must be poured out or scattered upon
'Christendom', and this is done by his 'faithful servant' class."
(Watchtower May 1, 1938 p 143) |
|
Melalui ijin dan arahan Yehovah, Kristus
memberikan pengertian atas nubuat Allah kepada hamba-hamba setiaNya (1937) |
1937 "The
Watchtower is issued twice each month and brings to its readers the current
report which the Lord, in the exercise of his loving-kindness, manifests in
the unfolding of his prophecies to
those who are devoted to him....the Watchtower being the means the Lord is
pleased to use to transmit his message of truth to the people, it is a real
comfort to the remnant and the other sheep of the Lord to have this given to
the regularly twice each month." (1937 Yearbook, p. 82) 1937 This
foretells that Jehovah's prophecies cannot be interpreted by men, but
interpretation if from Jehovah...Christ Jesus at the temple is Jehovah's
great Servant and Interpreter, and by
God's permission and direction he gives to the faithful ones an understanding
of God's prophecies and his coming to the temple. Those who attempt to
run ahead of the Lord and try to interpret prophecies to suit their own ideas
never get the proper interpretation thereof . (Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1937 p. 52)
|
|
Allah telah membukakan arti dari
nubuat-nubuat dan sejak 1931 Saksi Yehovah telah mendistribusikan berita itu
kepada umat (1937) |
1937 Shortly
after 1918 Jehovah began to make known
to his servant the meaning of some of his prophecies . (Watchtower, Nov.
1, 1937 p. 330) 1937 The
faithful will not be deceived by any such sophistry. God has revealed the meaning of these prophecies to his people...
Since 1931 Jehovah witnesses have,
in obedience to God's commandment, made
a wide distribution of God's message to the people. There has been a wide
distribution of such Biblical explanations as contained in the books
Vindication, Preparation, Preservation, Jehovah, Riches, Choosing
("Separating the Nations"), Uncovered, Protection, and many others.
(Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1937 p. 349) 1937 "The Watchtower is issued twice each
month and brings to its readers the current report which the Lord, in the exercise of his loving-kindness, manifests in
the unfolding of his prophecies to
those who are devoted to him....the Watchtower
being the means the Lord is pleased to use to transmit his message of truth
to the people, it is a real comfort to the remnant and the other sheep of
the Lord to have this given to the regularly twice each month." (1937
Yearbook, p. 82) |
|
Allah telah mengaruniakan beritaNya dalam
bentuk buku-buku, dan buku-buku tsb tidak mengandung pendapat seorang
manusiapun (1936) |
1936 "The Lord has graciously provided for the
publication of his message in the form of books, that the people many be
informed of the truth....those books
do not contain the opinion of any man." (Riches, 1936, p. 384, 385) |
|
Tidak ada satu pendapat manusiapun yang dinyatakan
dalam (majalah) Watchtower (1933, 1931) |
1933 "This
is proof that the interpretation of
prophecy does not proceed from man, but that the Lord Jesus, the chief
one in Jehovah's organization, sends the necessary information to his people
by and through his holy angels." (Preparation; 1933; p. 28) 1931 Jehovah God has made Known to his anointed ones in advance what these scriptures
mean. (Watchtower, June 1, 1931 p. 160) 1931 The
Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of any of men, nor is it
published according to the whims of men. No
man's opinion is expressed in the Watchtower. (Watchtower, Nov. 1 1931 p.
327) |
|
Kronologi [yg mendasari nubuat WBTS tentang
kedatangan Yesus ke-2, Armagedon, dll] ini bukan berasal dari manusia
melainkan dari Tuhan. (1922) |
1922 "This chronology is not of man, but of
God. Being of divine origin and
divinely corroborated, present-truth chronology stands in a class by
itself, absolutely and unqualifiedly
correct...." (Watchtower, July 15, 1922) |
|
Dalam semua peringatannya, Russel mengakui
bahwa semua datang dari Tuhan melalui pencerahan Roh Kudus (1917) |
1917 "In
all his (Russell's) warnings he claimed no originality. He said that he could
never have written his books himself. It
all came from God, through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit."
(Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 7, p. 387.) |
¨ 1985 "But that does not relieve each individual Christian of the responsibility to dig deeper into Gods
Word, for the purpose of getting the full depth of the thoughts explained. This involves looking up the scriptures
cited. It means reading the footnotes in Watchtower articles, some of which refer the reader to an older
publication that provides a fuller explanation of a certain passage or prophecy.
It requires digging deeper, putting
forth effort to locate that older publication and then studying the pages
referred to." (Watchtower, June 15, 1985, p. 12)
¨ 1979 "However, all
person who have love for the truth are invited to examine this claim that
Jehovah's Witnesses really do have the truth. In doing so, they should
imitate what those persons in the first century did who listened to the preaching
of the apostles: They received the word with the great eagerness of mind,
carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were
so." (Watchtower July 1, 1979, p. 25)
¨ 1968 If a religion is not in accord with what the Bible teaches,
then it is not in harmony with truth. it is not the true religion. (Rom. 3:4) You have nothing to fear in examining your
beliefs by the standard of Gods Word, for if you have the true religion you
can only be reassured. And if what you believe is not in keeping with the
Bible, then you should welcome the truth, because it leads to eternal life.
John 17:3 (Watchtower, July 1, 1968, p. 389)
¨ 1968 "We need to
examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any
religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings
in full harmony with Gods Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers of the truth, there is
nothing to fear from such an examination. It should be the sincere desire
of every one of us to learn what Gods will is for us, and then to do it."
John 8:32 (The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life, 1968, p. 13)
¨ 1990 We have the opportunity to show love for our brothers
who take the lead in the congregation or in connection with Jehovah's visible
organization worldwide. This includes being loyal to "the faithful and
discreet slave." (Matthew 24:45-47) Let
us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would
never have learned the truth on our own. (The Watchtower; 12/1/1990; pp.
19)
¨ 1981 "We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the scriptural guidance we
need outside the 'faithful and discreet slave' organization.'"
(Watchtower, February 15, 1981, p.19)
¨ 1981 Unless we are in
touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not
progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.
(The Watchtower; 12/1/1981; pp. 27)
¨ 1973 Only this organization
functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.
(Watchtower; July 1, 1973; p. 402)
¨ 1967 "The Bible
cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind."
(Watchtower, Oct 1, 1967, pg. 587)
¨ 1965 "He does not
impart his holy spirit and understanding and appreciation of his Word apart
from his visible organization." (Watchtower, July 1, 1965, pg. 391)
¨ 1951 But if each of us were left to himself just because he
has a copy of the Bible and were to direct his movements independently as he
thought he understood the Word, what? It is likely, or possible, that there would be a great deal of confusion
or working in competition among us. Hence, besides individually possessing
God's Word, we need a theocratic organization. Yes, besides having God's spirit of illumination, a Christian needs
Jehovah's theocratic organization in order to understand the Bible. (The Watchtower;
6/15/1951; pp. 375)
¨ 1983 "Avoid
independent thinking...questioning the counsel that is provided by God's
visible organization." (Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983 pg. 22)
¨ 1983 "Fight
against independent thinking… Yet there are some who point out that the
organization has had to make some adjustments before, and so they argue: ‘This
shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe.’ This
is independent thinking. Why is it
so dangerous? Such
thinking is an evidence of pride… If we get to thinking that we know better
than the organization, we should ask ourselves: ‘where did we learn Bible truth
in the first place? Would we know the
way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really,
can we get along without the direction of God’s organization?’ No we cannot!" (Watchtower, Jan.
15, 1983 pg. 27 )
¨ 1986 "Have No Dealings With Apostates, ... For example,
what will you do if you receive a letter
or some literature, open it, and see right away that it is from an
apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say?
You may even reason: `It won't affect me; I'm too strong in the truth. And
besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand
the test.' In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate
reasoning and have fallen prey to
serious questioning and doubt." (Watchtower, March 15, 1986 p12)
¨ 1993 "connecting
a computer to an electronic bulletin board can open the way to serious
spiritual dangers. Just as an unscrupulous individual can place on a
bulletin board a virus-a program designed to corrupt and destroy computer
files-apostates, clergymen, and persons seeking to corrupt others morally or
otherwise can freely place their poisonous ideas on bulletin boards. Unless a bulletin board, even one
labeled "JW Only," is properly
supervised, with its use being limited to those who are mature, faithful servants
of Jehovah, it could expose Christian users to "bad associations."
(1 Cor. 15:33) The Society has received reports that such so-called private
networks have been used not only to speculate regarding spiritual matters but
also to give bad advice, spread gossip and false information, plant negative
ideas, raise questions and doubts that subvert the faith of some, and
disseminate private interpretations of Scripture. On the surface, some
information may appear to be Interesting and informative, and yet it may be
laced with poisonous elements. Christians
look to "the faithful and discreet slave" for timely spiritual food
and for clarifications." (Watchtower, August 1, 1993, p17).
email us at : gkri_exodus@lycos.com