MT13:10 And the disciples approached and asked Jesus: “Why do you speak by means of parables?” MT13:11 Jesus responded by saying, “You [disciples] have been permitted[1] to know the mysteries[2] of the Realm of Heaven,[3] but to those [people] it has not been granted.[4] MT13:12 For whoever possesses[5] will be made to abound even more;[6] and whoever possesses nothing, even that will be removed. MT13:13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: because though looking they do not see; and, though hearing, they do not comprehend.[7] MT13:14 Thus is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah,[8] which says, ‘Hearing you will hear but not comprehend; and observing you will look but not see. MT13:15 The heart of this people is become thick,[9] and with their ears heard with irritation.[10] They closed their eyes, so they would never [really] see; and their ears would never hear, and their hearts never comprehend – and they turn around[11] and I heal them.’[12] [Isaiah 6:9, 10]
*
[1]You [disciples] have been permitted: Or, KJV: it is given unto you; PME: you have been given the chance. By means of their discipleship to the Nazarene they have been granted a favored position to hear and understand.
[2]Know the mysteries: The Greek is GNONAI TA MYSTERIA. Or, TCNT: the knowledge of the hidden truths; PME: to understand he secrets of. This is the only context where Jesus’ translators use “mystery.” (Luke 8:10) Paul uses the word 1 Corinthians 4:1; 13:2; 14:2; Ephesians 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:7. The word also appears in Revelation 10:7; 17:5, 7.
[3]Realm of Heaven: Or, Kingdom of the Heavens. In Luke this is “kingdom of God.” Some would apply this term to the celestial realm where God resides. It is strongly possible, however, that the phrase refers to the realm, domain, or territory over which Messiah reigns. Some have called this “the realm of profession.” Jesus is talking about that “congregation” (church) he will build and the opportunities of gaining membership with all its rights and privileges (Matthew 16:18). Jesus is about to give several parables that explain truths about the development and evolution of his Church and those members within it.
[4]To those [people] it has not been granted: Did Jesus gesture toward the beach crowd? Perhaps the disciples were so arranged only they heard this statement. Likely the crowd included the enemies of the Lord and what follows applies to them.
[5]Whoever possesses: Or, KJV: whoever hath; MON: whoever holds; NOR: if a man has possessions.
[6]Made to abound even more: Or, KJV: have more abundance; MON: more shall be given; NOR: he will get more until he has more than enough. The Nazarene’s disciples possess a privilege and responsibility within the group of his disciples. This is only the beginning, for according to their proper use of what they have, they will receive even more.
[7]They do not comprehend: The crowd has no taken the step of following the Lord as one of his disciples. They will hear the parables but not understand without an explanation by Jesus. Or, KJV: neither do they understand; BAS: the sense is not clear.
[8]The prophecy of Isaiah: This is a quotation of Isaiah 6:9, 10. This portion of Isaiah is also quoted at Acts 28:26, 27 and John 12:40. Some scholars believe Matthew and John are quoting from different original texts. Matthew adhering to the Greek text and John to the consonantal Hebrew text.
[9]Heart of this people is become thick: Or, KJV: heart is waxed gross; WEY: this people’s mind is stupefied; GDSP: this nations mind has grown dull. Jesus has already laid a heavy burden on his generation, calling it adulterous (apostate) and destined for a difficult judgment (Matthew 12:39). The Jewish hierarchy is particularly close-minded and their conscience (or, heart) will surely harden more and more until that fateful day when they scream, “Crucify him!”
[10]Heard with irritation: Or, KJV: dull of hearing; GDSP: hear faintly.
[12]I heal them: The Nazarene does not mean himself. The “I” is Yehowah in Isaiah 6. “Them” is the nation of Israel. This is a judgment on the generation or the entire nation, not individuals.
When Jesus was alive he warned already for a time that false teachers would come along. Soon after he died, was risen and gone up in the skies to his heavenly Father several teachers found something interesting in the rabbi his teaching they could use for their own teachings. They mixed it with Roman Greek ideas and popular traditional thoughts.
Icon depicting the First Council of Nicaea. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Throughout the years deceitful individuals managed to lure people into false teachings. Worse was it when a majority of church leaders did agree with Constantine the great to come under its authority. To cease the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire some found it better to agree to those Roman Greek teachings and several gods. By agreeing to make Jeshua into a similar figure as Zeus, making his name into Issou or ‘Hail Zeus’ the worst false teaching entered in Christendom. It was a terrible turning point for Early Christianity, By some referred to as the Triumph of the Church, the Peace of the Church or the Constantinian shift.
But already before that great turning point of the introduction of the false Trinitydoctrine there where also other false teachings brought by many who tried to get people around them. We can find the apostles warning about such people who twisted the words of Jesus and mixed it with popular human philosophy and popular thoughts. Those different teachers because of the more popular ideas and giving in to pagan rites could often gain more popularity than the strict followers of Jesus Christ. Lots of people believed in demons, monsters and stories about horrible beings where much enjoyed. When there were sick people there where preachers, who tried to gain there living by so called driving out such demons, they were asked to come to help and cure. That practice of exorcising went on for a long time and never disappeared. Today we still can find exorcists all over the world.
Paul said to the elders of the congregation in Ephesus:
“From among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things.”
And Peter wrote in a letter to several congregations:
“There will also be falseteachers among you.”
This should warn us that false teachers even may come from inside the community or congregation. Already from the early times onwards there where people who did not agree with what was going on or who rebelled against the teachings made in the community. Such a rebellion against true worship and an abandoning of it was called “apostasy” and the agitators and falseteachersapostates.
Today also we can see similar apostates or people trying to infiltrate the believers in One God and followers of His only begotten son, by entering Facebook Groups or other communities wanting
“to draw away the disciples after themselves.”
The disciples Paul is talking about are the disciples of the master teacherJeshua, Jesus Christ who as a Jew believed in the Only OnetrueGod of Israel. Everywhere in the world there are people trying to get those who want to believe in that One God of Israel and in His son to become confused and to come to accept that what seems to be believed by the majority of Christians, but is therefore not the truth. These falseteachers try to take, or steal, disciples from inside the congregation of real followers of Christ. Jesus said that apostates are like wolves that eat the sheep. Apostates want to destroy the faith of the members of the congregation and want them to leave the truth. (Matthew 7:15; 2 Timothy 2:18.)
Lots of men concerning the truth have erred on many aspects, and their ideas which are all false often seem more plausible or attractive, because pagan, and so many other people believe in it, like extra internal beings or spirits, good and bad angels, who are inside man and bring them to do good or bad, or so called immortalsouls that leave the body after death to go into an other body or into an other space, like heaven, purgatory or a hell by which they think it is a place of torture by eternal fire.
The inspired utterance, the Spirit speaks expressly that in later times some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1) Still today we can see that several people will drop out of the faith, giving their attention to misleading spirits and the teachings of demons. Being fooled by falseteachers often in a very clever way. Several tricks are used. Apostates for example can “quietly” bring their ideas into the congregation, like criminals who secretly bring things into a country. Apostates use “counterfeit words.” This means that they say things that make their false ideas sound true, like criminals who make false documents look real. Lots of Christians often twist words of the Bible like when there is written “the son of God” they read or say “god the son”. By twisting such sayings in many passages others start believing what they are saying. Or they use such twisted wording saying “look there it says he is god the son” and here he says “I am” so he must be God. They try to get as many people as possible to believe their “deceptive teachings.” Peter also said that they like twisting the Scriptures. They explain Bible verses in the wrong way to make others believe their ideas. (2 Peter 2:1, 3, 13; 3:16) Apostates do not care about us. If we follow them, we will leave the road to everlasting life.
Often they also try to convince you what they are telling, are things you should believe because they are to difficult for a normal human being to understand. They try to convince people around them that the Trinity is beyond human comprehension and therefore we should accepted like it is. Though it might well be that certain things in Scripture are not always so clear and can not be understood straight away, god is a God of order and clarity and did not make His Word so complicated only scholars could or would be able to understand it. However, some things in them are hard to understand, and these things the ignorant* or those people who then are unlearned and unstable, unsteadfast wrest and come to twist, the same as they do the rest of the scriptures, to their own bane, their own destruction. {2 Peter 3:16}
When hearing people saying there is something written in the Bible, dare to ask them to let it see what is written and be alert yourself, daring to say when they say it is about ‘god the son” and there is written in the bible ‘the son of God’ to point out how they wrongly interpret Scriptures.
Romans 16:1:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to keep your eye on those who create divisions and causes for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them.+18 For men of that sort are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own appetites,* and by smooth talk and flattering speech they seduce the hearts of unsuspecting ones.
2 John 9-11:9 Everyone who pushes ahead and does not remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God.+ The one who does remain in this teaching is the one who has both the Father and the Son.+10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes+ or say a greeting to him. 11 For the one who says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works.
Bombarded by lots of words wanting to have you to believe other things than are written black on white in the Bible you should be fully aware to always compare their sayings with what is written in the Bible. Always remember you must be aware that there are lots of false teachers around but that the simple warning in the bible is:
“Avoid them.”
That means that we have to stay away from them. The warning from the Bible is like a warning from a doctor who tells you to avoid a person who has a disease that may spread to others. The doctor knows that if you get this disease, you will die. His warning is clear, and you will do what he says. The Bible says that apostates are mentally diseased and that they use their teachings to make others think like them. (1 Timothy 6:3, 4) Jehovah is like that good doctor. He clearly tells us to stay away from falseteachers. We must always be determined to follow his warning.
You always should know that God gave us His Word, the Holy Bible, to come to know Him and to come to understand Him and His Plan. Each person god has given the opportunity to learn about Him and to find guidance to come to Him.
When trusting God and allowing the Word of God come to you like it is written, done away from all the human doctrines, you shall be able to find the Biblical doctrines.
Instead of listening to false teachings that go against the truth in God’s Word, trust God and listen to His Word. (Psalm 31:5; John 17:17) As followers of Christ Jesus we should be careful when it comes to those who attack you and your faith. You always should know the bible itself should be your Guide. You always should have your ear to that Word of God and take the words like they are written in the Holy Scriptures. Listen to God’s Spirit Who is warning you that what certain people are teaching doesn’t sound quite right, then search the Scriptures and judge correctly. God gave you His Spirit to lead you into Truth. Don’t ignore His Spirit, but instead allow the Spirit to guide you today, tomorrow and every day of your life. Never let yourself be discouraged or weakened because you seem to stand alone in your understanding of the Scriptures.
What will the church look like in the last days Considering the following Hillsong video, what does it say about the state of the church in these last days, surely this video demonstrates we are witnessing the precursor to the prophesied great falling away
4 Who are you to judge the servant of another?+ To his own master he stands or falls.+ Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Jehovah* can make him stand. (Romans 14:4)
4 Who are you to judge the house servant of another?+ To his own master he stands or falls.+ Indeed, he will be made to stand, for Jehovah* can make him stand.+
to judge the servant of another:
Matthew 7:1: 7 “Stop judging+ that YOU may not be judged;
James 4:11-12: 11 Quit speaking against one another, brothers.+ He who speaks against a brother or judges+ his brother speaks against law and judges law. Now if you judge law, you are, not a doer of law, but a judge.+12 One there is that is lawgiver and judge,+ he who is able to save and to destroy.+ But you, who are you to be judging [your] neighbor?+
Luke 6:37: 37 “Moreover, stop judging, and YOU will by no means be judged;+ and stop condemning, and YOU will by no means be condemned. Keep on releasing, and YOU will be released.+
Romans 2:1: 2 Therefore you are inexcusable, O man,+ whoever you are, if you judge;+ for in the thing in which you judge another, you condemn yourself, inasmuch as you that judge+ practice the same things.+
Romans 14:10: 10 But why do you judge your brother?+ Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment+ seat of God;
Romans 14:13: 13 Therefore let us not be judging+ one another any longer, but rather make this YOUR decision,+ not to put before a brother+ a stumbling block+ or a cause for tripping.
1 Corinthians 4:5: 5 Hence do not judge+ anything before the due time, until the Lord comes,+ who will both bring the secret things of darkness to light+ and make the counsels of the hearts manifest,+ and then each one will have his praise come to him* from God.+
Isaiah 33:22: 22 For Jehovah is our Judge,+ Jehovah is our Statute-giver,+ Jehovah is our King;+ he himself will save us.+
Genesis 18:25: 25 It is unthinkable of you that you are acting in this manner to put to death the righteous man with the wicked one so that it has to occur with the righteous man as it does with the wicked!+ It is unthinkable of you.+ Is the Judge of all the earth not going to do what is right?”+
Psalm 9:16: 16 Jehovah is known by the judgment that he has executed.+ By the activity of his own hands the wicked one has been ensnared.*+ Hig·gaʹion.*Seʹlah.
Psalm 50:6: 6 And the heavens tell of his righteousness,+ For God himself is Judge.*+Seʹlah.
Psalm 58:11: 11 And mankind will say:+ “Surely there is fruitage for the righteous one.+ Surely there exists a God that is judging* in the earth.”+
Psalm 75:7:7 For God is the judge.+ This one he abases, and that one he exalts.+
Psalm 98:9:9 Before Jehovah, for he has come to judge the earth.+ He will judge the productive land with righteousness+ And the peoples with uprightness.+
Hebrews 10:30: 30 For we know him that said: “Vengeance is mine; I will recompense”;*+ and again: “Jehovah* will judge his people.”+
he stands or falls:
1 Corinthians 4:4: 4 For I am not conscious+ of anything against myself. Yet by this I am not proved righteous, but he that examines me is Jehovah.*+
Proverbs 21:2: 2 Every way of a man is upright in his own eyes,+ but Jehovah is making an estimate of hearts.+
Romans 14:10: 10 But why do you judge your brother?+ Or why do you also look down on your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment+ seat of God;
Hebrews 4:13: 13 And there is not a creation that is not manifest to his sight,+ but all things are naked and openly exposed to the eyes of him with whom we have an accounting.+
Acts 10:42: 42 Also, he ordered us to preach+ to the people and to give a thorough witness that this is the One decreed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.+
Acts 17:31: 31 Because he has set a day in which he purposes to judge+ the inhabited earth* in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and he has furnished a guarantee* to all men in that he has resurrected+ him from the dead.”
2 Corinthians 5:10: 10 For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of the Christ,+ that each one may get his award for the things done through the body, according to the things he has practiced, whether it is good or vile.+
Jeremiah 35:19: 19 therefore this is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, has said: “There will not be cut off from Jonʹa·dab the son of Reʹchab a man to stand*+ before me always.”’”*+
Psalm 5:5: 5 No boasters may take their stand in front of your eyes.+ You do hate all those practicing what is hurtful;+
Jeremiah 15:19: 19 Therefore this is what Jehovah has said: “If you will come back, then I shall bring you back.+ Before me you will stand.+ And if you will bring forth what is precious from valueless things, you will become like my own mouth. They themselves will come back to you, but you yourself will not come back to them.”
Luke 21:36: 36 Keep awake,+ then, all the time making supplication+ that YOU may succeed in escaping all these things that are destined to occur, and in standing before the Son of man.”+
God’s evaluation of us is what counts. Jehovah values our devotion and faithfulness to him; he does not measure us by our accomplishments. And it could well be that you have accomplished more for Jehovah than you realize. There likely are ones in the congregation whom you have affected for good, as well as those in the territory who have been exposed to the truth through your efforts. View each assignment from Jehovah as proof that he is with you. (Jer. 20:11) You might be discouraged because your service seems fruitless or because some spiritual goal seems unattainable. Yet, you still share the greatest privilege that any of us can now have—that of preaching the good news and bearing God’s name. Remain faithful. Then, in a sense, the words in one of Jesus’ parables can be said to you:
Saam sterk verenig in die deel met mekaar van die Waarheid van God, vol durf om daar op uit te trek om die Goeie Nuus te verkondig – samen sterk in de verkondiging van het Goede Nieuws en bekendmaking van Gods Heilige Naam en Zijn Plan van wereldvrede – Together people can be strong witnessing in the Holy Name of the One True God, the God of Israel, who has a plan with the world and takes care of His people
4 Qui es-tu pour juger le domestique d’un autre+ ? C’est pour son propre maître qu’il tient debout ou qu’il tombe+. Oui, il sera maintenu debout, car Jéhovah* peut le faire tenir debout+.
C’est le jugement de Jéhovah qui compte. Il attache du prix à notre fidélité ; il ne nous juge pas en fonction de nos résultats. Et il se pourrait bien que tu aies accompli pour Jéhovah plus que tu ne le penses. Tu as sûrement fait du bien à des membres de ta congrégation ou encore à des habitants de ton territoire qui, grâce à ton activité, ont eu un contact avec la vérité. Considère toute attribution venant de Jéhovah comme une preuve qu’il est avec toi (Jér. 20:11). Tu pourrais déprimer parce que ton service pour Dieu te paraît improductif ou qu’un objectif spirituel te semble inaccessible. Tu as néanmoins le plus grand honneur auquel un humain puisse accéder aujourd’hui: prêcher la bonne nouvelle et porter le nom de Dieu. Reste fidèle. Alors, d’une certaine manière, ces paroles d’une parabole de Jésus pourront t’être adressées:
« Entre dans la joie de ton maître » (Mat. 25:23).
Saam sterk verenig in die deel met mekaar van die Waarheid van God, vol durf om daar op uit te trek om die Goeie Nuus te verkondig – samen sterk in de verkondiging van het Goede Nieuws en bekendmaking van Gods Heilige Naam en Zijn Plan van wereldvrede
All human beings can and shall make faults in their life; Nobody can escape. The only one who did nearly escape was Jeshua, the NazareneJew who did everything to please his heavenly Father. But by doing so he more than once probably frustrated his earthly parents; For sure he made them twice in his lifetime very worried and sad. Once when he was 12 years old and did not follow up the wishes to stay close to his family in the big city Jerusalem. there he had not thought of the worries his parents might get when he would not be in the caravan back home. An other time he worried his mother very much was when he was taken prisoner and later brought up to the hill for execution nearby the walls of that same city. An other time he got out of the normal behaviour a human being should stay, was when he saw all those sellers in the temple, the house of God. He really lost his temper and threw the tables over and shouted to those vendors in what Jesus considered a house of prayer and not a sales market. Jesus like any other human being could sin, but did not. What he did was righteous in the eyes of God.
To be all the time righteous for any person is ‘very difficult’. When you look around you, you shall be able to see people you like very much and others you like less, but also some you do not like at all. From those you know you also shall be able to tell good things but probably also bad things. Also about yourself you shall have to admit there are good and bad things.
There does not exist any organisation which can escape to undergo things in its ranks which would better not have occurred at any time. It is worse or gets really bad when organisations do not want to see what goes wrong in their organisation or worse even try to hide the things which went wrong in their organisation. In the last instance we do have to ask questions and we do have to be more aware of the danger of such activities.
When people in charge of parishes or communities to something wrong to people where they should take care off their wrongdoings are even worse than those who do not know better. We should always take into account the people who are poor in mind or who do have a brain which is not working like it should do. but by those who get a position to take care over a flock or some people who give their trust in his or her arms, than it becomes abominable.
When elders, priests, pastors, ministers commit acts which are an abomination in the eyes of God it becomes worse, because those people are considered ‘workers for God’ and should be defending the Faith. they should be an example for the community and for those who have to be brought to God. They should not be persons who give others the opportunity to blame the Church or to spit on religion or to defile the Name of God.
We can not deny that also by groups who call themselves Bible Students there can be found people unworthy of such name. We also can not deny that in such groups there can be found people who should know better, and who really study the Word of God, but could not resist doing things which are against the Laws of God.
No denomination in Christendom nor in Christianity seems to escape the evil of some men or women in own ranks. When there can be found such evildoers in a group which bears the name of the Most High it becomes even worse. But that should not get such organisations try to hide such things for others, because then they do even more damage to their own organisation and worse to the Name of God.
Rape Infographic (Photo credit: Snipergirl)
Former elder Mark Sewell is the last mentioned case of such an example which no Christian organisation would like to find in their midst. According to the accusations he used his “position of power” to “exploit and abuse” women and children over a ten-year period.
Officials at head office of the Jehovah Witnesses appointed a seven-man committee to investigate what had happened.
As a result Tom Brown was stripped of his post as presiding overseer but remained as an elder, while Anthony Sewell was removed as an elder because of events he concealed and tried to conceal.
A four-man committee then investigated the claims of assault and rape against Sewell, resulting in him being ‘disfellowshipped’, which meant being removed from the church and “shunned” by other Witnesses.
What is important that people look for the intentions of some one. Those of a person claiming to belong to Jehovah His organisation when he does fornication or rape does something which not only brings blame on that worldly organisation but also on the organisation of God and on His Name.
In 2012 the Watch Tower Society had already issued a letter to all Bodies of Elders instructing them on how to handle cases of child abuse in the wake of the Candace Conti verdict, but some years on now, we wonder how those elders in the different countries do the right thing and follow the rules of the countries in which they are working and living.
It was already chocking in 2012 that the Governing Body did not use the lessons learned from the Conti case to bring the Society’s child protection policy into conformity with the law, not to mention the basic principles of community responsibility.
Despite the jury’s multi-million dollar award of punitive damages against the Society in the Conti case, little was being done to ensure that similar cases would not arise in the future. And the world could hear of many many different cases of child abuse and of sexual harassment by elders and the female Witnesses.
For us we can not understand why parents in the 21st century still react like the parents in the 1950ies and 60ies did in the Catholic families. It can be that the Witnesses are only in that stadium and are 50 or 60 years behind the time, which would mean that over such time we are going to see empty Kingdom Halls or having only Kingdoms Halls in 2060 with just 5 or 6 attendants.
The organisation and the people leading a congregation should know that not one religion can make a psychological/criminal evaluation in case they themselves did not receive a higher education in that field. They also should know they have to take the responsibility to protect the weaker people in their community and should always investigate every sign of wrong going.
We agree that a person accused of being a paedophile should always be considered innocent until proven. But to say he is innocent unless two people witnessed the abuse (the victim and someone else) is ridiculous, because any sex offender shall probably take care there would be no witnesses or nobody who would come to stand up against him or her.
To have an organisation ruling out paedophilia because there would be no witnesses to confirm it would make that there nearly never would be a case in instances of child molestation to confirm the allegation. Certainly in very confined communities with very strict rules, like the Jehovah Witnesses or any small or big fundamentalist religious organisation, child molesters who are smart enough to carry out their despicable crimes without someone else watching, shall always feel the protective hand above them because nobody lower than them would go against them.
Saying that those accused of child abuse have not to be judged by “worldly” standards, but through God’s standards as determined through a mistaken application of the Mosaic law is taking the law in their own hands and not giving the Caesar what belongs to the Caesar (like Jesus said), but denying jurisdiction to do her work .
It was hoped that the Conti case might have resulted in the Society revisiting the “two witness rule”, but until now there is not such a thing.
Demanding a confession is not always to bring such a confession when somebody did really something he or she should know is really not allowable in our worldly nor in our spiritual society.
The rule the JW organisation asks to be followed goes in against any lawful acceptable position. when a child and her parents do not find others who have seen something which went wrong between the child and the sex offender, the parents may feel guilty to bring a complaint because they have no witnesses of the events their child is talking of.
“Do not admit an accusation against an older man, except only on the evidence of two or three witnesses. Reprove before all onlookers persons who practice sin, that the rest also may have fear…. The sins of some men are publicly manifest, leading directly to judgment, but as for other men [their sins] also become manifest later. In the same way also the fine works are publicly manifest and those that are otherwise cannot be kept hid.” (1 Timothy 5:19,24,25 – New World Translation)
However, in evaluating the evidence for internal congregational purposes, they must bear in mind the Bible’s clear direction: ‘No single witness should rise up against a man respecting any error or any sin . . . At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good.’ (Deut. 19:15) {Shepherding textbook, chapter 12, paragraphs 18-21}
When a girl, woman, boy or man is on his own, not finding somebody who has seen that she or he is molested, this would mean she or he does not make any change in the congregation to be heard, and worse could become seen as somebody bringing the unity in the congregation in danger, so becoming herself or himself an object of exclusion.
To say
“the elders are not authorized by the Scriptures to take congregational action unless there is a confession or there are two credible witnesses.” {2012 letter to all Bodies of Elders paragraph 11}
shall not give any opportunity to righteous and honest elders to act lawfully and honestly.
Barbara Anderson, who once worked at the Brooklyn headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses from 1982 to 1992 and was a member of Jehovah’s Witnesses from 1954 to 1997, became a long-time campaigner for the Society to drop its negligent approach towards child protection. She did research as well as wrote a number of articles for their Awake! magazine and has done extensive research on issues related to child sexual abuse in the religion leading to interviews on major TV and radio programs as an outspoken critic of Jehovah’s Witnesses sexual abuse policies. The first time she heard about child sexual abuse within the organization was around 1984, which may be considered quite late, when we do know that lots of sexual offences in the other denominational churches had most of their offences in the 1950ies and 1960ies.
It can well be that by the wishes to stay truthful to Bible teaching there could be lesser cases, but as long as not more JW will come out of the dark to bring such accusations and developments after such knowledge into the open, we would not know for sure and could only guess. this guessing by the public can do more damage to the organisation which by many already now is considered to be a sect and not a proper church organisation.
Barbara Anderson writes on her website:
At the time I thought this behavior was an aberration, but later I found out just how wrong I was. The evidence that there were more than just the case related above where children of Jehovah’s Witnesses were molested and kept silent about the abuse, was the authorizing of a series of articles in the January 22, 1985 Awake! the cover title being, “Child Molesting, Every Mother’s Nightmare.” From my past experience with the Writing Department I knew that it was doubtful that the Society would have had a cover series of articles dedicated to the problem unless the child sexual abuse revelations were on the increase within the Witness organization and Witness leaders knew parents needed instruction how to protect their children from being molested and how to recognize signs of molestation. Sadly, though, there was little information in the articles provided to help caregivers and victims deal with the impact of abuse; neither was there a directive to immediately report abuse to the authorities. In fact, in the upstate New York case, it was school officials who notified the authorities about the sexual abuse of one of the children. {Awake! Articles Discuss Molestation; The Life and Discoveries of Barbara Anderson}
World headquarters of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
From 1992 on she was so worried about the Watchtower Society’s problematic procedures in the matter of child sexual abuse that she missed seeing the obvious—Witness leaders were treating accusations of child sexual abuse no differently than from the sin of fornication or drunkenness. In case they are still doing this so, as it looks like, it is clear that the organisation world wide but even more important, the local organisations, would treat such accusations to serious to treat them on their own. Elders should understand that at first they may have to investigate it first, but as soon as they have any idea or hear of a possible child sexual abuse allegation, they should also inform the authorities, because child sexual abuse is a crime — a form of rape – a point the Society still does not seem to fully comprehend. Police handle crime, elders deal with sin!
Any crime is also a sin, but the handling should always happen on two sides. The first direction has to go to the police forces and juridical departments of the authorities. Next the juridical department of a church can take additional matters.
If elders need procedural directions for disfellowshipping someone for child abuse, it should be made clear that the instructions are only for that. Elders are not magistrates. If two witnesses are required to determine guilt to disfellowship the accused, so be it, but only so long as the authorities are notified of the accusation by those involved. {Finally Disillusioned; The Life and Discoveries of Barbara Anderson}
Putting the victims to the side where they have no voice or right of speaking made many leave the organisation but made also that many lost faith in the God which they had hoped would have protected them in “His Organisation”. What most of them forget to see is that William H. Conley, the first president of the Watch Tower Association formed in 1881 (not Charles Taze Russell) and Joseph Lytel Russell took care that people where willing to come to believe that what they, as human beings had formed, was not theirs but Jehovah His Organisation. They misused the Name of God to create an organisation which would take the right away to any other witness of Jehovah to call himself publicly a witness, because than everybody in the world would consider them to be a Jehovah Witness, being part of the organisation with that name.
Many Bible Students felt dishonoured by that organisation by which many people thought they would be part of, which they were not and are not. Lots of people take the Bible Students to be the same as the Watch Tower Society’s Organisation of Jehovah Witnesses.
Well-known Witness attorney, Hayden C. Covington with Lloyd Barry, Jack Barr, Arthur Worsley and Karl Klein did not take the necessary efforts to bring justice to those who did offences which should have been brought to justice. It were those persons who did not bring out the truth about Rutherford who choose only those around him who were willing to follow him and who would not oppose any idea of him. Rutherford endeavoured to mollify the authorities in every possible way. The organisation of today does not seem to respect the authorities yet.
Like we can see in other communities, like the Amish who are struggling with the changes in technology and society, there may be abusive domination and tyranny of women and children by rigid, domineering patriarchal men in the faith who used Bible teachings as a whip.
Gordon Leighton, 53, was found guilty on two counts of indecency with a child, and six of indecent assault after a six-day trial.
In the JW society many elders are aware of such facts but do not handle it properly. Still today there may be found too many unhappy Witness wives complaining of their husbands’ misuse of their authority as head of the house. For children having to face such patriarchal dictatorship it is very difficult to come up to their father or to their mother to tell them when they are misused. Probably a lot of abuses are not coming into the open in the family itself. Befroe it comes into the open outside the family circle it must be already a very severe case.
We can read on Barbara’s site:
One angry woman told me about a Witness who claimed she was raped by a man, who also was a Witness, when she was cleaning the man’s house. When questioned, the man admitted to the elders they had sex, but he said it was consensual and he expressed repentance. She denied it was consensual and said she was raped. She was disfellowshipped for lying; he was not disfellowshipped because he admitted and regretted his sin. Witness women who knew the accused were outraged because the man did not have a good reputation and they believed he was not trustworthy. (Incidentally, no one reported the rape to the authorities.) {Respect for Women; The Life and Discoveries of Barbara Anderson}
It can not be that only after a victim, when she has become an adult, breaks her silence by making a complaint to the police that the authorities could come to hear about such a case and can come to investigate. It is even worse to know that still today many elders refuse to cooperate with the police investigation.
We can only hope the JW organisation shall be uncovered one day and shall have to confess like the present pope of the Catholic Church did recently and too late.
Little Tidbit #3: My Excuses (rebeccafellrath.com)
Our excuses are endless.“I got drunk, because there was alcohol at the restaurant.” “I lusted because that woman’s shirt was too revealing.” “I gossiped because I was on Facebook.” “I said those things, because of the bad music they play at work.”
Watching Porn At Church (leadingfamilydevotions.com)
our bodies are now the temple of God. Inside of them resides the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit desires for them to be set apart from defilement. Can you imagine bringing your iPad into the Jerusalem temple (assuming they had wifi) and pulling up a pornographic video to watch during the worship service? Of course you can not. That would be wrong wouldn’t it. But it is the same way with our bodies now. Our bodies are the temple of God’s Spirit. If we bring such garbage into the temple of our body, we are polluting and defiling God’s sanctuary. What a horrible effect this sin has caused in our society. Flee such perversion!
Season of Rape: Why we defile small girls – Pastor, others (vanguardngr.com) Child defilement is becoming a source of concern in Benin-City, Edo State capital. It is even more worrisome when the act is carried out by supposedly men of God.In the last few weeks, no fewer than five children have, allegedly, been defiled in Benin-City by men old enough to be their fathers. On Thursday, Edo State Police Command paraded 32 suspected criminals, amongst them, three accused of defiling children. The suspects include a pastor with the Deeper Life Bible Church, Abudu, Edo State, Eze Fidelis, who was said to have had carnal knowledge of two girls: Joy, 9, and Anthonia,11.
Teacher arrested in Ibadan for defiling pupils (whatsupibadan.com) A teacher at the Calvary Heritage Kiddies Castle, Oluyole Estate, Ibadan, Olayinka Oluwadare Folarin has been arrested by the Oyo State Police Command for defiling three pupils under his care. Folarin is a teacher at the Heritage Home, a non-governmental organization where orphans and vulnerable children are catered for. His victims, who have been subjected to sexual trauma on a weekly basis since 2013 are said to be between 10 and 11 years old and they are primary five pupils. Two of the victims are orphans in the home where they have been living since they were two years old. Folarin allegedly began the escapade last year on a weekly basis inside the school toilet with a threat to kill the pupils should they tell anyone. For easy access, the father of four was alleged to have been applying lubricant gel on the girls. He was said to have been sacked from his previous school on account of the same behaviour. The secret act of the teacher came to the open when a group of male pupils found one of the teenage girls crying after being sexually abused by the teacher.
Islam’s Halal Sexual Practices (banislamofficial.com)
it is utmost important to study what sexual practices were carried out by him in his life so that all Muslims can practice those sunnas and follow his footsteps.
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A Muslim man can have sexual pleasure with a little girl as young as a baby. But he should not penetrate her vaginally, however he can sodomize her.
Islamic Dogs of War – The Use Of Gang-Rape to Subjugate Infidels and Those that Resist (trevorloudon.com)
As a young child, standing by my father, watching the nightly news, I innocently asked what the word ‘rape’ meant. I never received an answer and rightly so. It was not something that you discussed – it was too evil, too horrific. Today, rape is a commonplace epidemic growing across Europe and the world — the perpetrators are primarily radical Islamists. Committed by power freaks and evil incarnate who are not spoken of because it is politically incorrect to do so. So, we tell our women to be quiet… to obey… to cover themselves and hide, rather than fight the depraved animals who degrade, torture, abuse and murder them in the name of Allah.
Abu Ghraib prison eulogy – Satire (younglbadult.wordpress.com)
Ah Abu Graib, the suspended garden of democrazy ! A great work of art, where photographing beautiful atrocities were so much fun.Remember the smile of Mrs England pointing her finger to a male sexual organ ? ( couldn’t remember what species ).
The Wedding Night in Islam With Hadith Explanation (ohack.in)
Our Beloved Prophet muhammad(pbuh) has clearly explain the sahaba about how to make an wedding night in islam,As Follower of islam we need to do same as what prophet muhammad(pbuh) has did, Many of them think’s that it is usual way as what other’s did(By watching Tv,hearing From Friend’s,Learning through Book’s).
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Ramadan, Hadith Regarding Fasting
In ramadan Who ever fast should abstain from sexual activity from dawn to duck and also immoral behaviour like Anger,Abuse.
Muslims Allowed to Rape Captive Women (paulmarcelrene.wordpress.com)
Also (prohibited are) women already married, except those whom your right hands possess: Thus hath God ordained (Prohibitions) against you: Except for these, all others are lawful, provided ye seek (them in marriage) with gifts from your property, – desiring chastity, not lust, seeing that ye derive benefit from them, give them their dowers (at least) as prescribed; but if, after a dower is prescribed, agree Mutually (to vary it), there is no blame on you, and God is All-knowing, All-wise. S. 4:24 Y. Ali The above passage emphatically allows for the raping of women that are taken captive, even if these captives happened to be married!
The Paths of Deceptions-The Infiltrated Paths! (ministry786.wordpress.com)
Over 1400 years ago when the Quran was revealed; it was mentioned in Chapter 4 verse 119 that Satan will order people to change their looks that Allah (God Almighty) has created. Today you can notice that on a daily basis either on the roads or in TV! May Allah SWT guide those who are following the footsteps of Satan & may He guide us & increase our faith
Quran Chapter 4, verses 117 They call upon instead of Him none but female [deities], and they [actually] call upon none but a rebellious Satan.
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The adultery of the eye is the lustful look and the adultery of the ears is listening to voluptuous (song or talk) and the adultery of the tongue is licentious speech and the adultery of the hand is the lustful grip (embrace) and the adultery of the feet is to walk (to the place) where he intends to commit adultery and the heart yearns and desires which he may or may not put into effect.
At the beginning of our contemporary age a son of man was hailed, by some triumphantly praised as a king entering Jerusalem, by others regarded as a dangerous person undermining their power. About 2 000 years later it are still religious leaders who do not want people to come to know that Nazarene man or to accept him as the son of God and future King of this world.
Jesus told his disciples that he will return only once and that when he does, after a time of great tribulation, it will be visible to everyone and be followed by immediate and dire consequences for those unprepared and for those who were adversaries of God.
The disciples expected that Christ would “come” as King, with a royal presence, and to remove the Romans and thrown down the corrupt temple, all at the same time and soon! It was a disappointment for them it turned not out that way, but they came to understand we could have an even much better future because of what Jesus had done. Though they also became convinced of the necessity to be prepared for the time that Jesus would return and that each believer could add by his effort of preaching, to bring the time closer.
In our fifth chapter on African clergymen, we look at the founder and first bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, a major American denomination, Richard Allen.
In our fourth chapter looking at Afro-American preachers, we look at the American scholar and Episcopalian minister Alexander Crummell, founder of the American Negro Academy (1897), the first major learned society for African Americans.
In our third chapter looking at Afro-American preachers, we look at the leading African American abolitionist and clergyman Henry Highland Garnet (1815-1882)
In our series looking at the influence of Afro-Americans in Church we look at George Liele and Andrew Bryan (of mixed race) who was stimulated by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (S.P.G.) to become a religious leader.
Logos asks us to look back at American history by learning about five Black theologians, pastors, and missionaries who were influential in American and Christian history.
Recent Posts on the Lifestyle Magazine: Stepping Toes
Connaissez-vous déjà les maisons de transition ? Une Maison de Transition est un petit établissement résidentiel où une quinzaine de détenus passent les derniers mois de leur détention à travailler à leur réinsertion dans la société. Les maisons de transition sont le fruit d’une collaboration entre différentes parties. La Maison de Transition s’articule autour de […]
Ken jij onze Belgische transitiehuizen al waar verschillende teams samen werken om mensen klaar te stomen terug in de maatschappij te stappen? Een transitiehuis is een residentieel gebouw waar ongeveer vijftien gedetineerden de laatste maanden van hun detentie doorbrengen om te werken aan hun re-integratie in de maatschappij. Het Transitiehuis hanteert drie pijlers om deelnemers […]
In the Christian world, there are people who say we may not judge nor vote. John 7:24 says “Stop judging by mere appearances, and make it right judgement” Many people forget that we may not judge according to appearance, but it does not say we may not judge at all. We should investigate everything before […]
Gelooft u het getuigenis van God, zijn Zoon en zijn dienaren? God openbaart Zich als de Heilige, die de zonden niet kan verdragen en deze veroordeelt. De meeste mensen vrezen God echter niet. Hun denken en doen is gericht op het voldoen aan hun begeerten. Door deze aardse, vleselijke gezindheid is de mens onheilig en […]
In de Heilige Schrift hebben wij meerdere voorbeelden vna mensen met geloof, Abraham daarbij de voornaamste. Onze persoonlijke ervaringen en innerlijk gevoelen moeten ons leiden en bewust maken van de essentiële waarden en geloofspunten, zodat wij dan ook zullen kunnen getuigen van gods aanwezigheid in ons leven en in de wereld.
Recent Posts on the other Lifestyle Magazine and Readers Digest: From guestwriters
Originally posted on Stephen Best: By Stephen Best How is it possible that the majority of white US evangelicals were seduced into Trump’s dangerous political schemes?? How is it possible for so many of their leaders to have encouraged their followers to trust his lies, and enable his malicious and criminal behaviour?? How is it…
Originally posted on Stephen Best: By Stephen Best I possibly, like others who are not US citizens, am bewildered by the overwhelming support that US Evangelicals have shown President Donald Trump. Prior to the 2020 presidential election, eighty-two percent of white American evangelicals were prepared to further Trump’s reign.[1] (See [2]) As a father and…
Today we welcome a guest blogpost from Crawford Gribben, who has published extensively on the history of Puritanism. That includes his notable 2016 book John Owen and English Puritanism: Experiences of Defeat. His new book is strictly contemporary in subject matter, addressing as it does Survival and Resistance in Evangelical America: Christian Reconstruction in the […]
In the United States we can see a great tendency not to go for vaccination because according to lots of Christian citizens God would protect them. Millions of white evangelical adults in the U.S. do not intend to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Tenets of faith and mistrust of science play a role; so does politics. […]
In the Jeshuaist article “Noahide Laws or Seven commandments incumbent upon all of humankind” we looked at the matter of human beings coming together and having to multiply. Throughout the centuries people tried to unite with each other, but not always managed to keep fidelity for each other. But in a certain way we, human […]
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Often they also try to convince you what they are telling, are things you should believe because they are to difficult for a normal human being to understand. They try to convince people around them that the 
Exposing False Teachers
There does not exist any 
Saying that those accused of child abuse have not to be judged by “worldly” standards, but through God’s standards as determined through a mistaken application of the 
Belgian Biblestudents - Belgische Bijbelstudenten
Guestspeaker
Relating to God
Bijbelvorsers Webs
Belgische Vrije Christadelphians / Belgian Free Christadelphians – Old Google Main Website
Christadelphian Ecclesia
Hoop tot Leven – Redding in Christus
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