UCG Antion: JW's Are Good for UCG Members To Emulate

Gary Antion, one of UCG's resident guru's has told the UCG membership that the Jehovah's Witnesses are worth emulating because of their desire to 'witness' to those around them.  The JW's have no problem spending countless hours a week in knocking on door to get their message across.  Is this something that UCG members are prepared to do?  Don't count on it!  The proven track record of Armstrongism is to talk about "a strong hand from someplace".  Armstrongism has always been embarrassed about it's god.  The JW's are not.

Every inhabited household of this country is a sign to a Jehovah's witness to visit two times a year and in fact they log on an average of 20 to 70 hours per month in witnessing.  They have spread their Watchtower magazine to 13 million people in a 103 different languages.  There are 7 million Jehovah's witnesses worldwide at least, those who claim to be adherents.  They take their name from Isaiah:43:10 where God says:

Isaiah:43:10 “You are to be My witnesses, says the Eternal God,” which is translated Jehovah by them or YHVH.  You are to be My witnesses.

Did you know you are supposed to be a witness too?  Not a Jehovah's witness necessarily, but you and I are called to be witnesses.

You have to wonder what is at the root of Antion's praise of the JW's.  Could it be something a little deeper? Could it be that the JW's have held true to the control over the membership that UCG and the rest of the COG's have lost control over?  JW's hold the exact same standards of ruling peoples lives as UCG used to be able to do.

Here is a list of eight things the JW's expect of their members.  Substitute UCG for the Watchtower name, or for that matter, any COG splinter cult name in it's place and you will have the same belief manifesto that Armstrongism has always employed!

How dare you low life members dare to think for yourself! Interpret the Bible on your won?  Not on your life.  All correct biblical instruction can only come down from the leadership of the UCG (or PCG, LCG, Packism, Flurryism, etc.)

1. The Bible can only be understood via the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
   1. Quote: "Only this organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book," (Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402).
   2. Comment: This is an amazing quote. Only the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization can properly interpret the Bible. It is saying that the Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, cannot give a Christian a proper understanding of the Bible even though it is Jesus who opens the mind to understand Scripture (Luke 24:45). This effectively prevents the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, members) from thinking and interpreting the Bible for himself apart from the Watchtower organization's guidance.
2. Individuals are not able to rightly interpret the Bible apart from the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
   1. Quote: "Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 587).
   2. Comment: The Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) restricts its followers from looking at the Bible by itself without the guidance of the organization's input. This is not freedom to think for oneself and it is a sure way to keep the Jehovah's Witnesses (UCG, PCG, LCG, members) intellectually in line with Watchtower teachings.
   3. Also, contrast the quote above with the following quote from the Watchtower: "The Vatican belittles Bible study by claiming it is the only organization authorized and qualified to interpret the Bible," (Watchtower, July 1, 1943, p. 201). The funny thing is that that is exactly what the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) does. It claims to be the only source of true spiritual knowledge.
3. If you don't understand something, meekly wait for the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) to tell you what the truth is, otherwise you are foolish.
   1. Quote: "We should eat and digest and assimilate what is set before us, without shying away from parts of the food because it may not suit the fancy of our mental taste...We should meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings," (Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1952, p. 79-80).
   2. Comment: Here, the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) tells us that submission is to God's "theocratic organization", the Watchtower organization, and that submission must be complete and meek. Undoubtedly, this is clearly teaching that independent thought is not welcome in the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) Organization.
4. The Watchtower (Tomorrow's World, Plain Truth, Good News) magazine is the means of God's communication
   1. the magazine called The Watchtower (Tomorrow's World, Good News, Plain Truth) is used for that purpose," (1939 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 85).
   2. Comment: This says that the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization is the means God uses to communicate on earth today. But, the Bible says that God speaks to us through His Son: Heb. 1:1-2 says it is Jesus: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, ²in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."
5. Cannot understand the Bible outside of the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization
   1. Quote: "We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the 'faithful and discreet slave' organization," (Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981).
   2. Comment: The Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization has set itself up as the sole means of understanding the Bible. In contrast to this, Jesus opens the mind to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). It isn't the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization that does this, but God. Admittedly, we have denominational differences. But the differences are not in the essentials and we certainly are able to understand those essentials apart from the Watchtower.
   3. See CARM's article on the "Faithful and Discreet Slave," for clarification on this issue.
6. Those who think apart from the Watchtower's (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) guidance are like Satan
   1. Quote: "From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah's people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago..." (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1981).
   2. Comment: So, if you think independently, find fault with something the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) says, then you are like Satan. Is this freedom of thought? Is this how Christ works in the church? Hardly.
   3. Also, what are the apostate doctrines spoken of in the above quote? Of course, that would be the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the physical resurrection of Christ, etc., all things the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization denies. So, if you read the Bible by itself, reading it for what it says, without the Watchtower guiding you, you will adopt these doctrines -- which the Watchtower says are not true!
7. If you love God, then you accept the Watchtower(UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) .
   1. Quote: "We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his word and channel of communication," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 591).
   2. Comment: In other words, if you love God then you will be "in" the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization. If you reject the organization, then you reject God. Amazing! So, the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, member..) is urged to not leave the organization lest they end up rejecting God. Is this encouraging freedom on thought? No.
8. The truth of God can be known only through the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
   1. Quote: "All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1994, p. 8).
   2. Comment: Here, the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) states that the only way to understand God's word is through the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization. In other words, your thinking must be in submission to the teaching of the Watchtower(UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) .  Does the Watchtower organization control the Jehovah's Witnesses' thinking?

Idiots In The Pulpit: Moo Moo's, "Really Overweight Good Lookin' Ladies" and Dissolving Fat

The Sundown Kid: How Sabbatarianism Destroyed a Career and Life

The case of Danny Thomas was more clear-cut, but no less somber. A highly touted prospect in the Brewers’ system, Thomas also had emotional concerns and required psychiatric care. After the 1976 season, he decided to join a religious group known as the Worldwide Church of God. According to the group’s religious beliefs, it was not appropriate to work from sundown on Friday to sundown on Sunday. As a result, when Thomas reported to spring training in 1977, he informed the Brewers that he would have to miss a number of weekend games. Thomas became known as “The Sundown Kid.”

Thomas had enormous power and hit well in two stints with the Brewers, but several disciplinary infractions and his refusal to play on weekends curtailed his career. He seemed to have legitimate mental health problems. Ultimately, the Brewers felt he was too much trouble and demoted him to Double-A; when he refused the assignment, the Brewers gave him his release. In 1979, he attempted a comeback, playing minor league ball for the Miami Amigos in the ill-fated Inter-American League, which folded in the middle of its first season.

The following June, his playing days over, Thomas was arrested on charges of rape and sodomy, a situation made even more complicated because he happened to be married with two young children. On June 12, as he sat in jail awaiting trial, Thomas cut strips from his jeans, tied them to his jail cell, and hanged himself. Like Wilson, Thomas was only 29 years old. To make matters worse, Thomas’ family was so poor that it could not afford to pay for a funeral.Observations from Cooperstown 

Wikipedia had this to say about Thomas and Sabbath keeping:

The "Sundown Kid"

After his strong performance in 1976, Thomas required psychiatric care in the off-season.^[2] He joined the Worldwide Church of God and began practicing strict Sabbath observance. When he arrived for spring training in 1977, he informed the Brewers that he would not play on Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.^[5] "The Sundown Kid", as he came to be called, missed a night game on Saturday, April 23, 1977, when he was slated to be in the lineup as cleanup hitter and left fielder, after having been excused from pre-sundown batting practice earlier in the day.^[6][7] Thomas said he heard on the radio that he was scheduled to play in the game and apologized to Brewers manager Alex Grammas.^[6]

He told People magazine, "If I'm good at baseball, it's only because God gave me the talent. I'll give it all I've got, but I won't play on the Sabbath".^[8] Thomas was also outspoken in criticizing pitchers who hit batters, saying, "I think they ought to make a rule that if a guy gets hit and is able to get up, they should tie the pitcher's hands behind his back and let the hitter smack him in the face."^[9]

And then you have to ask where was the Church at this time?  Did it stand beside Thomas?  Or did it just take and take his money, leaving the family high and dry? Check this out:

Thomas and his wife, Judy, had two children. The family lived near Spokane, where he had difficulty finding steady employment after baseball.^[12] Thomas died at age 29 on June 12, 1980, after he was arrested in Mobile, Alabama, by hanging himself in his jail cell.^[12][13] His family was so impoverished by then that they were unable to afford funeral expenses or even remain in Alabama for his potter's field burial.^[12]

In later years, sports writers such as Furman Bisher have recalled Thomas's once-promising baseball career and eventual suicide, as in Bisher's 1986 column, "When great talents fail", and Howie Stalwick's 2003 article, "Remembering the Tragedy of Danny Thomas".^[13][14] Sports columnist John Blanchette of the Spokane Spokesman-Review described him that same year as a "troubled soul", saying, "no one was more haunted than Danny Thomas".^[5]

Bill's Testimony: One Man's Exit From Armstrongism

Part 1

Part 2