From: smithw@col.hp.com (Walter Smith)
Subject: Re: Jehovah's Witnesses
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 16:00:14 GMT
Organization: Colorado Springs IT Center

asiivo@cs.joensuu.fi (Antti Siivonen) writes:
> 	True fruits, as I told you. It's true that even false religion can 
> 	produce some fruit that can seem good to someone, but when considered
> 	everything they've done, it's more bad than good. 

The question is, are *any* of these fruits good?  Not as a sum, but
do these groups, which you consider "bad trees" produce ANY "good
fruits"?  If so, then can they be bad trees?  I find what whole 
approach rather simpleminded, but you've chosen to use that to
condemn others; let's see if it has validity. 

> 	I know there are honest non-JWs among worldly people. We're seeking them

Hmmm...if they are honest, decent people, what is the need for you
to convert them?  I would seem that their current religion is producing
"good fruits"...

> 	First, I have been reading a book - you know the big yellow book       
> 	published in early 1970's about 1,000-year Government ? 

God's Kingdom of a Thousand Years....I've read it. Isn't that the book
that claims they "disposed" of all stocks of Russell's "Studies in the
Scriptures" in 1927, because they created a sect centered around a man,
and promoted sectarianism? 

> 	The point is that we've always known what the Truth is, 
> 	only details have changed. 

So they knew the Truth, but details changed..so either the Truth
was incorrect, or their understanding of it was...and in 50 years,
they'll look back at the present time, and say the exact same thing,
and so on, and so on...an odd thing for a group that professes you
have to believe in the Right Things (tm) to avoid God destroying you..
What makes you think they are more True than they were then? 

> 	1931 is in that way significant year that then we were given that 
> 	great name that labels us to the servants of the true God. 

GIVEN?  Or TAKEN UPON THEMSELVES?  The easiest way to become God's
True Prophet is to bestow the title on yourself...

> 	I only wanted to say that in that time everything seemed to be clear, 
> 	but it wasn't: Bible students knew only a little about the Bible and
> 	its prophecies. Still they acted like it would final.                

Sounds rather similar to the present...you know what they say about
those who fail to learn from history..

> 	Seems that you haven't studied the yellow book... and neither the old
> 	Watchtowers. They KNEW about the "Eve gap", but they preferred to say
> 	it was only small. 

Small to the extent that it would not change their chronology; it was
less than a year...until 1975 came and went, and an explaination had
to be found.

> 	OK. Tell me, what good fruits have you produced ? I suppose the Catholic
> 	world is the happiest nation on earth and has solved all their problems.
> 	If you add +100 to -10,000,000 it's still negative. 

OK. Tell me, what good fruits have you produced ? I suppose the JW
world is the happiest nation on earth and has solved all their problems.
If you add +100 to -10,000,000 it's still negative.

Now that you've seen it turned around, do you still find your logic valid?

Walter Smith
smithw@cs.itc.hp.com

Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc