Apostates are still public enemy number one - WATCHTOWER August 2024

Under the theme "Help for Those Who Are Removed From the Congregation" Study Article 35 in August 2024 Wafchtower that deals with the many changes the organization introduced recenly we specifically look into paragraphs 14 and 15 that deal with the way that we now treat disfellowshipped ones, or more accurately removed ones , since this is the new term. And see how they still try to micromanage their members down to the finest detail and how still apostates and more accurately active apostates are public enemy number one. So without further ado we read in the paragraph 14 the first half :

Does what we have considered mean that we would completely ignore a person who has been removed from the congregation? Not necessarily.Certainly, we would not socialize with him. (=notice the sentence "completely ignore" which is what the practiced up to now to "not socialize with him" which is what they want you to do now.

So how do you go from ignoring someone to not socialize with him? It is this tiny grey area that they want to define for you now and they explain further on in the paragraph.

But Christians can use their Bible-trained conscience in deciding whether to invite a person who was removed from the congregation​—perhaps a relative or someone they were close to previously—​to attend a congregation meeting.

Did you notice the weasel get out of jail words? "Bible trained conscience" it's the famous 3 words they have used over and over in their publications to make their case to the courts that it us not them it's use who decides now who to associate with. We don't disfellowship our members it is our followers who decide to do so based on their Bible trained conscience. Brilliant and I love it! Now the paragraph continues :

What if he attends? In the past, we would not greet such a person. Here again, each Christian needs to use his Bible-trained conscience in this matter. Some may feel comfortable with greeting or welcoming the person to the meeting. However, we would not have an extended conversation or socialize with the individual.

Again the famous three words "Bible trained conscience " but thus time they define the premise, "SOME may feel comfortable with greeting or welcoming the person to the meeting".Let me tell you how that works out and that is how I have experienced it myself. You turn up at the meeting ,if the brother elder welcomes you shakes your hand then that signals to the rest that are free to do so themselves. Mind you most of the old guard don't like this new arrangement so they carry on being their unfriendly lot they used to be. But don't get carried away as the Watchtower says "we would not have an extended conversation or socialize with the individual." Talking about micromanaging rank and file down to the most minute detail!

So now thay will give you the new Biblical background of how they came about with this groundbreaking change. We read in paragraph 15 :

Some may wonder, ‘Doesn’t the Bible say that a Christian who says a greeting to such a person becomes a sharer in his wicked works?’ (Read 2 John 9-11.)

Did you notice again the weasel words? "Some may wonder" l wonder how this wonder came about? Could it be that YOU wrote in your magazines for decades that anyone associating with a disfellowshipped person is a a sharer in their wicked words? I didn't wonder about it, I read about it in your magazines and then it was drummed into my ears from countless elders from the platform. I didn't just start thinking about it. But you see this is their modus operanti the way they always distance themselves from any incriminating thing they wrote in the past. It wasn't ME that wrote about it ,it was used that thought about it. Do you see how that works? The paragraph continues:

The context of this scripture shows that this direction refers to apostates and others who actively promote wrong conduct. (Rev. 2:20)

Let's read this verse because they only quote it, there it says "Nevertheless, I do hold this against you, that you tolerate that woman Jezʹe·bel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit sexual immorality and to eat things sacrificed to idols". Do you see that woman Jezebel? This is you going around the congregation spreading apostasy that Samuel Herd looks papa smurf with a beard or that Stephen Lett looks like a clown. So the paragraph continues:

Therefore, if a person is actively promoting apostate teachings or other wrongdoing, the elders would not arrange to visit him.

Let me break that down for you, the key word is ACTIVELY. What that means is a brand new thing and I experienced it myself first hand. Up to recently you were not allowed to even have apostate thoughts in your head, they even made a drama about this a couple of years ago.A sister was having apostate thoughts and was counceled, it was there as convention drama few years ago. Talking about Communist China and Big Brother. This is not working anymore, anyone with a mobile phone and 5 minutes to spare can be a little apostate now. So they have created 2 classes now the active and the inactive apostates. Don't you love how they love creating classes for everything? In other words it is already to have apostate thoughts in your mind or watching funny exjw apostate videos just as long as you don't talk about it. That's been inactive. But when start making videos or have a website then automatically you get to be a dreadful active apostate, you become a little Jezabel from the book of Revelation and that's when you become enemy number one. So what happens in that case? The paragraph continues :

Of course, there is hope that he will come to his senses. Until that happens, though, we would neither greet such a person nor invite him to attend a congregation meeting

So being an active apostate is like being the big bad wolf, so no greetings for you at the meeting and no visits from the elders.