Paul's Letter to the Galatians and the Struggle for Doctrinal Purity

[TrueTomHarley]

On 10/31/2023 at 11:29 AM, George88 said:

If I were granted the extraordinary ability to travel through time, my first endeavor would be to valiantly stand by Jesus' side. Although I harbor doubts as to whether my efforts would have yielded success, given that Christ was destined to become humanity's savior, the mere notion of trying fills me with indescribable wonder.

I must be reading this wrong, but it seems to me the notion ought to fill you with dismay. Had you succeeded, you would have negated God’s means to save humanity. That’s a pretty steep price to pay just to get some licks in.

Oh. Wait. My bad. You’re probably not speaking of success in the sense of stopping Jesus arrest. You’re speaking of outdoing the twelve and not cutting loose and run in his moment of trial. Well, yes, that might be a good thing to aspire to. Not so sure the twelve could be outdone, though. 

Sort of like all this commentary on what Aaron should have done if he just had a little backbone.

[Pudgy]

In 1998 comedian Paul Shanklin came out with this parody on the Yugo, because those evil SUVs were running over people nationwide and guzzling gas as if through a fire hose. Headlines would scream “Another SUV KILLS FAMILY ON INTERSTATE!”, etc. Liberal Snowflakes demanded they be BANNED!  This takeoff on Elvis’ “In the Ghetto” was an audio on the Rush Limbaugh Show, which I listened to almost every day for 31 years. FullSizeRender.MOV  

 

I copied it off of YouTube with my 8 year old coal fired plywood iPhone….

[TrueTomHarley]

On 11/9/2023 at 2:14 PM, Many Miles said:

I completely understand what you write here, and don't necessarily disagree. The sole reason I brought up the questions you responded to was only to show there is a limit to any obedience or loyalty we may owe any human or group of humans, regardless of whatever authority they might hold.

It seems like if we are going to do overstepping headship, we should criticize Aaron for not going all the way and saying to God, ‘Oh, come on! After all he’s done? It was just a little loss of temper, and goodness knows, they had it coming!’

That is the sentiment most of us have to come to grips with upon reading the account. Aaron was human. Would he not have had to come to grips with it too?

The trouble with overstepping headship is that people don’t have the judgment to know when to do it. For every ‘proper’ time they do it, there are 5 improper times.

[Pudgy]

 As I recall that is the exact percentage of abuse of time off recalcitrant employees grift from their employers. 

Studies have shown that in order to have 3 day weekend, 20% of the time employees will call in sick on a Monday or a Friday.

[Thinking]

8 hours ago, TrueTomHarley said:

It seems like if we are going to do overstepping headship, we should criticize Aaron for not going all the way and saying to God, ‘Oh, come on! After all he’s done? It was just a little loss of temper, and goodness knows, they had it coming!’

That is the sentiment most of us have to come to grips with upon reading the account. Aaron was human. Would he not have had to come to grips with it too?

The trouble with overstepping headship is that people don’t have the judgment to know when to do it. For every ‘proper’ time they do it, there are 5 improper times.

Did Jehovah think it just a little loss of temper..or Aaron’s failure to be strong in his faith . Jehovah was goi g to strike him dead except for Moses begging for his life.

Do I feel sorry for either of them…absolutely..more for Moses than Aaron….as there for the grace of god go I…….I ponder on both of them…and I think,,,….Thinking … your dead...

[TrueTomHarley]

13 hours ago, Thinking said:

Did Jehovah think it just a little loss of temper..or Aaron’s failure to be strong in his faith . Jehovah was goi g to strike him dead except for Moses begging for his life.

 

Hadn’t thought of that. Even if Aaron had caught Moses’ flash of temper, he might have thought, ‘I owe him one.’

[Srecko Sostar]

I think this video can fit into the title theme.

 

 

 

[JW Insider]

On 11/11/2023 at 12:21 AM, Pudgy said:

Studies have shown that in order to have 3 day weekend, 20% of the time employees will call in sick on a Monday or a Friday.

Dilbert 4:14

 

[JW Insider]

Srecko,

That last video has a lot of the same points made by Fred Franz when he gave his infamous Sept 1975 speech at the 59th Gilead Graduation and railed and ranted against the idea of a governing body. Of course, he was preparing to take over as a governing individual, and thus opposed a governing body for the wrong reasons, it seems. But at least Brother Franz' points were all scriptural when he showed why a governing body was not scriptural.

[JW Insider]

34 minutes ago, George88 said:

Personally, I wouldn't want to be governed by such a body either

It's the current style governing body he was against. If you listen to his talk carefully you see that he was against any kind of governing body that took any part of the final decision-making away from the President of the Watchtower Society. That's the way it had always been, under Russell, Rutherord and Knorr, even though Franz himself had provided the strongest direction for doctrinal matters mostly behind the scenes. But it was behind the scenes only to most of us 'rank and file' Witnesses. But for decades, it was clear as day to those around him in Bethel that only he had the final say on anything doctrinal right up until some of his perceived failures respecting predictions surrounding 1975. And they already knew that Knorr was dying of cancer.

[Many Miles]

1 hour ago, JW Insider said:

But for decades, it was clear as day to those around [Fred Franz] in Bethel that only he had the final say on anything doctrinal right up until some of his perceived failures respecting predictions surrounding 1975. And they already knew that Knorr was dying of cancer.

The 1975 fiasco, which diminished Franz's then near ironclad hold on doctrine, and Knorr's death, left governance of the society vulnerable to other forces.

[JW Insider]

On 11/12/2023 at 2:25 PM, George88 said:

When Bro Russell died, there was still a board, and the presidency was just a formality for legal reasons that was made in New York that wasn't present in Pennsylvania.

The Watchtoewr's publications including those promoted and distributed by the Watchtower Society have always presented the opposite view. And I don't think they would have any reason to lie about this. See "The Biography of Charles Taze Russell" published by the WTBTS and Russell's funeral address by Rutherford, and "Fatih on the March" by A H MacMillan but promoted and distributed by the WTBTS. Also see Russell's own statements about how he would make all decisions by himself and that the board would not come into play at all until and unless Russell died.

The view from the Watchtower has been that it was only the President of the Society who made all decisions and that the board was just a legal formality. Russell WAS the Society, as claimed in Watchtower publcations. It sounds like you are saying the Watchtower wasn't telling the truth when they made this claim. Do you have any evidence against the Watchtower's claims?