Jehovah's Witnesses or not?

5. Has the society distorted the record of any of its past activities?

* [Note: Beth-Sarim, which means "House of Princes" in the Hebrew language, was a handsome estate built in San Diego in 1930 by the Watchtower Society. Its history is variously represented by the Society.]

* 5A. What was the purpose of the construction of Beth-Sarim?

Beth-Sarim was, according to a recent Society yearbook, built as a home for one of the Society's presidents: "... a direct contribution was made for the purpose of constructing a house in San Diego for Brother Rutherford's use."

1975 Yearbook, p.194
* 5B. Did the Society, at an earlier date, give an entirely different purpose for constructing Beth-Sarim?

Yes. "...the purpose of acquiring that property and building the house was that there might be some tangible proof that there are those on earth today ... who believe that faithful men of old will soon be resurrected by the Lord, be back on earth, and take charge of the visible affairs of earth."

Salvation, p.311
* 5C. Did the Society actually believe that certain resurrected Old Testament saints would come back and live in Beth-Sarim?

Yes. "...those faithful men of old may be expected back from the dead any day now...in this expectation the house was built... it is now held in trust for the occupancy of those princes on their return."

The New World, p.104
* 5D. Does the deed to the Beth-Sarim property reveal the Society's original purpose for the estate?

Yes. While it is true that Rutherford was to have "exclusive possession" of the house during his lifetime, it was also true that that possession was to be relinquished upon the soon anticipated arrival of "David," "Joseph," "Samuel," etc. to the earth "for the express purpose of being used by those who are servants of Jehovah God."

Page iii of the deed indicates other Society members could equally make use of the property "until the same be taken possession of by David or some of the other men herein named [from Hebrews chapter eleven] and this property and premises being dedicated to Jehovah and the use of his kingdom it shall be used as such forever."

It is interesting to note that the Society later sold the house.

Deed to Beth-Sarim, Dec. 24, 1929

Brother Rutherford had a severe case of pneumonia after his release from unjust imprisonment in 1919. Thereafter, he had only one good lung. In the 1920's, under a doctor's treatment, he went to San Diego, California, and the doctor urged him to spend as much time as possible there. From 1929 on, Brother Rutherford spent the winters working at a San Diego residence he had named Beth-Sarim. Beth-Sarim was built with funds that were a direct contribution for that purpose. The deed, which was published in full in "The Golden Age" of March 19, 1930, conveyed this property to J. F. Rutherford and thereafter to the Watch Tower Society.

Concerning Beth-Sarim, the book "Salvation," published in 1939, A few years after Brother Rutherford's death, the board of directors of the Watch Tower Society decided to sell Beth-Sarim. Why? "The Watchtower" of December 15, 1947, explained: "It had fully served its purpose and was now only serving as a monument quite expensive to keep; our faith in the return of the men of old time whom the King Christ Jesus will make princes in ALL the earth (not merely in California) is based, not upon that house Beth-Sarim, but upon God's Word of promise."

Footnote

At the time, it was believed that faithful men of old times, such as Abraham, Joseph, and David, would be resurrected before the end of this system of things and would serve as "princes in all the earth," in fulfillment of Psalm 45:16. This view was adjusted in 1950, when further study of the Scriptures indicated that those earthly forefathers of Jesus Christ would be resurrected after Armageddon.

- 1975 Yearbook page 76

... Actually, I could use a lodge like that myself !!

Eorl wrote:

... Actually, I could use a lodge like that myself !!

HERE YA GO[/b][/i][/u]

Well, we never said we were perfect.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most churches maintain and multiply residences for their elite?

Oh, sorry for the cut and paste; I'm just following your lead.

Not trying to run down the hard work done here, but surely if you want a discussion then you post only a few points at a time, the first page seems abit long winded and tbh i couldn't be bothered reading it.

Well, we never said we were perfect.

Scott777ab wrote:

Is the Jehovah's Witness religion Christian?

The answer to the question is, "No. It is not Christian." Like all non-Christian cults, the Jehovah's Witness organization distorts the essential doctrines of Christianity........... It is a non-Christian cult.

Is that somehow worse than a Christian cult....or for that matter, any religious group? The same basic principles apply to them all....ever heard of a Catholic hoping their kids would marry a Muslim or a Jew?

11. Has the Society ever altered its publications without notice to suit its changing prophecies?

* Yes. Quietly the Society shifts its position when an embarrassing prophecy is made and then remains unfulfilled. For example, a crucial change was made in the 1923 version of Studies in Scriptures in order to bring it into line with the Society's changing prophecies. The earlier version has:

"...the deliverance of the saints must take place some time before 1914 is manifest..."
* The 1923 version has:

"...must take place very soon after 1914 is manifest..."

etc. . . .

Scott777ab wrote:

11. Has the Society ever altered its publications without notice to suit its changing prophecies?

* Yes. Quietly the Society shifts its position when an embarrassing prophecy is made and then remains unfulfilled. For example, a crucial change was made in the 1923 version of Studies in Scriptures in order to bring it into line with the Society's changing prophecies. The earlier version has:

"...the deliverance of the saints must take place some time before 1914 is manifest..."
* The 1923 version has:

"...must take place very soon after 1914 is manifest..."

etc. . . .

I suppose you would support an organization only if it maintained its teachings even in the face of controverting evidence?

Oh, I forgot, you believe in the trinity and the immortality of the soul, burning hell, and all that.

For now I will leave you with a few reasons why I continued attending [Jehovah Witnesses'] meetings after first coming in contact.

No collections,
No rituals,
No idolatry, and
A firm commitment to Jesus' message in John 13:35.

I've never heard of a reason for subscribing to a particular church because of the way they make, or don't make, collections.

Certainly when a collection plate makes its way down the aisle in any denomination, one is free to pass it on without contributing. How could it be any different for JWs? There may be an absence of passing the plate during services--I don't know, I've never attended a JW service--but there must be other organized procedures for extracting cash from the participants.

Perhaps there are other religious organizations with similar practices; I had just never seen them.