Nothing Can Make The Righteous Stumble – Study 2021/19

“Abundant peace belongs to those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.” – Psalms 119:165

[Study 19 from ws 5/21 p.8, July 12 – July 18, 2021]

This study article is a continuation to last week’s Watchtower Study Article – “Will you stumble because of Jesus?”^[1].

“Jesus was Impartial”

Paragraph 3 states “Some self-righteous individuals stumbled at what Jesus did. They asked his disciples: “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” To this, Jesus replied: “Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but those who are ill do. I have come to call, not righteous people, but sinners to repentance.”—Luke 5:29-32.”. Now, let us think about whom Jesus was referring to. The unrighteous were the Jews who were disobeying the Mosaic Law which Jehovah had given to the Israelites after they left Egypt. Yet, Jesus was prepared to even eat and drink with tax collectors (considered traitors by the Jews, as the tax collectors were agents of the Roman Empire), and also sinners. If this was the case, then how do we think Jesus would have dealt with Jews who perhaps had lost faith in God because of their treatment at the hand of the Pharisees and Sadducees? Based on his attitude shown in Luke 5:29-32, it is reasonable to conclude that he would have tried to help them.

So in the following scenario (just humor us that they had mobile phones in the 1^st Century!), how do you think Jesus would act? Jesus receives a mobile telephone call from someone he knows to be a Pharisee, or from one of his own fleshly brothers (who had not put faith in him) or from an ex-disciple who was stumbled when he said that they would have to eat his flesh and drink his blood. What does he do? Also, why do you answer so?

1. Answer the phone and try to help the individual?
2. Ignore the phone call?
3. Ignore the call and block the phone number for any future calls?

Now, please compare your answer with the suggestion indicated in the following videos available on JW Broadcasting.

• Maintain Loyalty with a Unified Heart^[2],
• 2016 Convention, Shun Unrepentant Wrongdoers video^[3].

[For those who may not want to watch them or access JW Broadcasting, they both feature parents ignoring a mobile call from their child, who is disfellowshipped or disassociated]

It is, therefore, reasonable to conclude, Jesus was impartial, but the Organization is not. Indeed, the Organization expects you not to be impartial. Instead, despite its official public stand (which can found in the FAQ section on the JW.Org site), the reality is that it expects Witnesses to shun family members who decide to leave the Organization for whatever reason.

In taking this stance, the Organization is breaking a basic human right, that of “You have the right to enjoy family relationships without interference from government. This includes the right to live with your family and, where this is not possible, the right to regular contact. … ‘Family life’ can include the relationship between an unmarried couple, an adopted child and the adoptive parent, and a foster parent and fostered child.” And “This right means that the media and others can be prevented from interfering in your life. It photographs, letters, diaries and medical records) should be kept securely and not shared without your permission, except in certain circumstances.” [Article 8 (UK)^[4]].

In addition, [Article 14 (UK)]^[5] is relevant : “Discrimination occurs when you are treated less favourably than another person in a similar situation and this treatment cannot be objectively and reasonably justified.” And “The Human Rights Act makes it illegal to discriminate on a wide range of grounds including ‘sex, race, colour, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, association with a national minority, property, birth or other status’” and by extension, lack of a religion.

“Jesus exposed Wrong Ideas”

“Jesus courageously denounced the hypocritical religious practices of his day.” (paragraph 7). How does the Organization view former Witnesses who denounce the hypocritical religious practices of the Organization? Take for example the case of Kevin McFree (a pseudonym) who made stop-motion animation Lego stories about teachings, and videos, etc of the Organization. The Organization has started legal proceedings against him in an effort to stop him and find out his identity.^[6]

It may also be of interest to readers that this and its companion sites have been the subject of repeated attempted hacking by unknown persons from the very inception of the sites back in late March 2021. Is it an attempt to stop reviews such as this review from being published?

The Organization wishes to be free to expose what it believes to be wrong ideas. So then, why does it resort to legal action in an attempt to silence others who wish to expose what they believe to be wrong ideas that the Organization teaches?

Galatians 4:16 comes to mind which asks the question, “Well, then, have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?”

Can you imagine Jesus taking the Pharisees or the Sadducees to court? Of course not.

Paragraph 10 commented [split into points by us], “

1. Many are stumbled because our Bible-based teachings expose false religious ideas.
2. Clergymen teach their flocks that God punishes the wicked in hell.
3. They use that false teaching to maintain control over the people.
4. As Jehovah’s servants, who worship a God of love, we expose that false teaching.
5. The clergy also teach that the soul is immortal.
6. We expose the pagan origin of that doctrine, which—if true—would make the resurrection irrelevant.
7. And contrary to the belief in predestination that many religions embrace, we teach that man has free will and can choose to serve God.
8. How do religious leaders respond? Often, they are furious!”.

Now let us just slightly change the text and see if it sounds familiar and true.

1. Many are stumbled because our Bible-based research and reviews expose false religious ideas of the Organization.
2. Elders and Governing Body members teach their flocks that God will destroy all non-Jehovah’s Witnesses at Armageddon despite the words of 2 Peter 3:9 which in part states “… he [God] is patient with you because he does not desire any to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance”.
3. They use that false teaching to maintain control over the people.
4. As servants of Jehovah and Jesus Christ, who worship a God of love, we expose that false teaching.
5. The Elders and Governing Body also teach that the resurrection has already started and that Jesus has already come, albeit invisibly.
6. We expose the falsity of those doctrines, which—if true—would make the resurrection irrelevant. 2^nd Timothy 2:18 warned us that men would deviate “ from the truth, saying the resurrection has already occurred.” ^[7]
7. And contrary to the belief that the Kingdom was established in 1914 based on Daniel 4:1-37 as taught by many Adventist Groups and the Elders and Governing Body, there is no scriptural evidence that the Gentile Times started in 607 BC and ended in 1914 AD.^[8]
8. How do the Organization’s leaders respond? Often, they are furious! Even to the extent of launching lawsuits in attempts to stifle those exposing such wrong teachings.

Do not these passages almost read identically?

At least we can agree with this in paragraph 11, although not in a way that they intended the reader to view it! “How can we avoid being stumbled? If we love the truth, we must accept the sayings of God. (Read John 8:45-47.) Unlike Satan the Devil, we stand fast in the truth.”

“Jesus was Persecuted”.

It says in paragraph 16 “How can we avoid being stumbled? Learn the facts.” Yes, “Learn the facts” is what we encourage all readers and all brothers and sisters in the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses to do. Wake up! Learn the facts. One fact you may not be aware of is that your donations are being used to pay for expensive lawyers, and court proceedings trying to silence those who speak out against the Organization on things such as the unfair Judicial Committee system, the false teachings from the Governing Body, and those whose complaints about child sexual abuse have been swept under the carpet time and time again, resulting in millions of USD and GBP being spent paying compensation. You will not find one note of any of these on the website of JW.Org, even though there is an article there entitled “How your donations are used”.

Do you think lawyers such as those being used to chase Kevin McFree, that is Cowan, Liebowitz and Latman come cheap? Far from it when a simple google search returns this^[9] which states they are ““One of the best anywhere in the world when it comes to trademark counselling, prosecution and litigation, Cowan Liebowitz & Latman renders an A-to-Z service​ … ”.

“Jesus was betrayed and abandoned”

The Organization claims in paragraph 19 “Do we see the same problem today? Yes. In modern times, a few well-known Witnesses have left the truth, become apostate, and then tried to turn others away.^[10] They have spread negative reports, half-truths, and outright lies about Jehovah’s Witnesses through the news media and the Internet.”.

Sadly, the writer of this review is undoubtedly viewed by the Organization as an apostate, and its representatives would slander me as such, despite the fact I still have faith and belief that Jehovah is God Almighty and Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, the one with all authority in heaven and on earth. True, I do sometimes spread negative reports about the Organization. It might be about such things as about the child sexual abuse cover-up scandal. However, it is only because I want to protect the children of the brothers and sisters. While it may be negative, it is true and needs to be known.

Because the Organization smears my reputation by calling me an apostate by its own definition, do I as an honorary ‘apostate’ spread half-truths and even outright lies?

• Categorically, No. I have never knowingly spread a half-truth, it goes against my Bible-trained conscience to do so.
• In addition, I have never published anything I knew to be untrue. In fact, I spend many hours verifying any sources I use, and I am careful to use reliable sources. That is how I have been able to verify the lies and half-truths told by the Organization.
• In fact, in my experience, it is rare for those labeled apostates by the Organization to tell half-truths and outright lies. They too have a conscience and besides which, they have no need to lie. There is such an abundance of evidence available, both scriptural and secular, which clearly shows the Organization itself to be the one teaching untruths and lies.
• The Organization tries to silence them by resorting to slandering former Witnesses, who have chosen to disagree with the teachings of the Organization but still want to stick to the teachings of the Bible and of God and Christ.

Open Letter to the Governing Body^[11]

It is defamatory to label others as an apostate, just because they hold a different opinion about a particular scripture to yourselves, especially when your so-called frequent flashes of “new light” mean that you are changing your opinion about a particular scripture.

According to the Shepherd the Flock of God Book, April 2020 edition, your definition of apostasy and hence an apostate is : “ a standing away from true worship, a falling away, defection, rebellion, abandonment. It includes the following: … (3) Deliberately spreading teachings contrary to Bible Truth. 2 John 1:7-10″.

2 John 1:9 states in part  “Anyone going on ahead and not abiding [staying] in the teaching of Christ, does not have God“. You claim that Christ appointed the faithful and discreet slave aka the Governing Body in 1919, but you offer no provable evidence of this. In this you are being presumptious and, therefore, are “going on ahead”. Therefore, in this way by your own definition you yourselves are apostates.

You are also hereby called upon to immediately stop the persecution of former witnesses such as Kevin McFree and many others, by lawsuits and disfellowshipping. They should be allowed the freedom to criticize your beliefs, just as you wish the freedom to disagree with their views.

Shame on you for suing opposers and stating in court things that would shock the brothers and sisters if they knew.

• On the one hand, the Organization you lead claims clergy-laity confidentiality in an effort to avoid reporting criminal acts of child sexual abuse by appointed men in the congregations. ^[12]
• By contrast, in your publications, all of which are vetted and signed off by yourselves, such as *** w95 5/15 p. 18 par. 10 Part 1—Flashes of Light—Great and Small *** you claim that early Bible students “came to see that there is no Scriptural basis for a clergy-laity distinction.”
• Furthermore, you have a hierarchical organization like the Catholic Church, just as a lawyer stated on your behalf in the Menlo Park case “And I say “organization.” I am general counsel for the National Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses out of Brooklyn, New York. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t be here, but this is one of our 13,000 congregations in the United States. We are a hierarchal religion structured just like the Catholic Church.” ^[13]
• However, did not Jesus say in Matthew 23:8 “all of you are brothers”, not a hierarchy. Yet, in your own publications which you read, vett and sign-off for publication, such as *** w01 1/15 p. 13 par. 7 Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed ***, it states about the Organization “Overseers among them are not put into office by some congregational, hierarchical, or presbyterian form of church government.”

This writer, therefore, points to the fully referenced evidence above and calls you out for what you are, “Duplicious Liars” just like the Pharisees. You even have the gall to be highly hypocritical by at the same time making unreferenced, and hence unsubstantiated, allegations inferring that all opposers lie about the Organization.

By your actions, you show you have strayed far, far away from the example of Jesus Christ, the one whom you claim appointed you.

1. For a review of last weeks study article please see https://awakenjw.com/will-you-stumble-because-of-jesus-study-2021-18 ↑
2. https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/FamilyChallenges/pub-jwbai_201611_1_VIDEO : Note: It is suggested that you use a private vpn if you wish to access this video (and others) from the JW.Org website. Otherwise it is possible for the Organization to identify you by your home ip address along with the repercussions of that. ↑
3. https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODBiblePrinciples/pub-mwbv_201709_6_VIDEO : Note: It is suggested that you use a private vpn if you wish to access this video (and others) from the JW.Org website. Otherwise it is possible for the Organization to identify you by your home ip address along with the repercussions of that. ↑
4. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights-act/article-8-respect-your-private-and-family-life ↑
5. https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/human-rights-act/article-14-protection-discrimination ↑
6. This sites purpose is :This channel is not intended for children, but rather seeks to provide some light hearted humor for adults who finally see the high control group known as Jehovah’s Witnesses for what they are! Content on this channel is primarily EX-JW Stop motion animation stories set in a fictional jehovah’s witness town known as DubTown. The high levels of control placed on all jw’s include the unforgivable sin of disagreeing with a teaching. If my identity is discovered a secret court will judge me as an apostate or causing division. i would be put to death spiritually and all my family would have to treat me as dead. These videos do speak in a way that I HOPE undermines the confidence of jw.borgs hierarchy . yet my words remain true and honest.”If you want a really good laugh why not watch Series 1 Episode 2, entitled “Brian Gets a Beard – JW Training day.”

   This is a link to the court documents that the Organization has filed against Kevin McFree. https://torrentfreak.com/images/7-21-cv-04155-Watch-Tower-v-John-Doe-Kevin-McFree-complaint-210510.pdf ↑

7. For example *** w07 1/1 p. 25 “The First Resurrection”—Now Under Way! *** Paragraph 9 states “When does the first resurrection occur? There is strong evidence that it is now under way.” ↑
8. See the following series of articles on this site https://awakenjw.com/did-the-gentile-times-start-in-607bc-part-1 ↑
9. https://www.google.com/search?q=COWAN%2C+LIEBOWITZ+%26+LATMAN%2C+P.C&oq=COWAN%2C+LIEBOWITZ+%26+LATMAN%2C+P.C&aqs=chrome..69i57j46i175i199j0i22i30l6.1183j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 ↑
10. A long time elder in Norway, Rolf Furuli, who probably provided a lot of information for the *** w11 10/1 p. 26 When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One *** and *** w11 11/1 p. 22 When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part Two *** articles.  He also wrote and published two editions of two books attempting to show errors in the secular 587 BC date. Yet he has now been disfellowshipped for daring to openly criticise the current Governing Body. This was a result of him publishing the following book https://mybelovedreligion.no/ . It is very interesting to read his “About” page https://mybelovedreligion.no/about/ ↑
11. The Governing Body is held responsible for both the actions of its lawyers, and the actions of the Writing Committee (which includes at least one Governing Body Member) because in particular it reviews and signs off all publications. ↑
12. https://reclaimedvoices.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/JGVGmrt2019_E.pdf ↑
13. https://ex-jw.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Court-Trial-Testimony-Redwood-City-2.pdf See Page 4 lines 18-23. https://ex-jw.com/menlo-park-state-lawsui

    For links to Original court documents Court Site see https://jwleaks.org/scandals/menlo-park-congregation/ ↑