Og, I respect ur position, and what you stand for, but you sit there with a very hypocritical stance saying people read the watchtower mindlessly, and ur philosophocal viewpoints, are quite unfounded, when speaking on the bible. Why? Because the bible has its own theme, its spelled out for you by its author, and what you do is deviate from the sound, cohesive teachings of it, and put ur own spin on it. Which is why you lack biblical understanding.
And the nerve of you to sit behind your pc/phone and say everyone who reads the watchtower is mindless. But if everyone took ur position I guess that would qualify as growth and understanding? Knock it off. You are not that bright, nor noble. I base my faith on a higher being, someone I believe is loving and responsible for all things relevant concerning life. His way, is way better than yours. He does not have his people running around mindlessly, in fact, Jw are some of the smartest people in the world.
Here is what it is, like it or not. Math 24:14
And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.
The only people on earth that know what the Kingdom message truly is, are JW. The Watchtower is the worlds most read magazine in the WORLD! The message in that magazine coincides exactly with what Jesus preached, which would be exactly what Jehovah would want humans to know. Thr work is getting done, despite hate and heavy opposition, and it does not hinge on imperfevt human philosophy, but truth! real truth, unlike your philosophical rhetoric you THINK is true.
You do not provide what the watchtower society does, because you and your views are not backed by God. Clearly, JWS are, because there has never in human history been such a thorough worldwide preaching of truth. And Jesus said it would happen thousands of years ago.
You read mat 28:14 and only a fool or hater could say its not happening. You can scoff, say we're mindless, stupid, etc... But all we have to do is look around and we can see the prophecies unfolding around us. And there is nothing anyone can do to stop it....
In the way of Christ...
I did not call you or your organization stupid or mindless. I think no such thing. I said that people who receive magazines (something you expressed having great pride in)
likely read them mindlessly. I was thinking of the word "most," when I wrote the line you refer to, and I will change it to reflect what I was actually thinking.
Why is this my impression? Because it's what people do, with many publications and not just the watchtower: when they do read, they tend not to understand what they read; and so, I was questioning the significance of having lots of people "read" a magazine [period].
As for my biblical understanding, we sometimes tend to miss the forest (the fundamental reasons for something) for the trees (a handful of rules, e.g., using the name Jehovah, which does not necessarily mean one understands anything).
First consider the overall message of the bible, then consider the individual components, and you're getting somewhere. The overall message of the bible, especially that of the gospels and the epistles is one of redemption. The individual components are love, compassion, humility and [most of all] peace.
I suggest that your organization lacks a fundamental understanding of the bible and its components. Because of this, its members live in the mind and body (all of which are created in this world), instead of in the heart. Instead of love and compassion, which moved Jesus to violate all sorts of Jewish laws, most JWs I have met love in spite of the organization and its focus on rules, not because of it.
And please look at the scripture I posted and tell me whether your organization is compatible with Apostle John's call for loving with actions and truth, rather than with words (1 John 3:18). It is only through love, and not words, that our goodness can be proven true, as the supreme is not the result of words.
And again, the Supreme is in all, otherwise It would not be supreme. Nothing we say, as individuals, can change the fact that all has and will continue to belong to It, in all hells, earths or heavens. Surely, your organization cannot contain the supreme. It is everywhere, right now, as it always has been.
PEACE & LOVE to all