How does such independent thinking manifest itself? The main way is to ask questions about the counsel given by God's visible organization

And just as in the first century there was only one truly Christian organization, Jehovah today uses only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4,5, Matthew 24:45-47) However, some conclude that the organization must have been regulated in some way before, and they state, "This shows that we should not attach importance to our own belief that we believe." This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous? Such thinking brings out the obvious presence of pride" (The Watchtower, Jan. 15, 1983, pp. 22, 27).

"Now is not the time for independent thinking..." (Organized to Conduct Our Ministry. 1983-1990, p.8)

Doubt is a feeling from Satan. In order to convince Jehovah's Witnesses of this, not only articles in magazines on the subject are used, but parables are also concocted. Here is one of the parables, entitled "The Sale of Satan's Inventory".108

"One day, Satan held a tool sale in his garage. He laid out all his shiny and sparkling tricks in heaps. In one corner there were stumbling blocks, in the other there were lenses to exaggerate one's own importance or, if used by the other side, to minimize the merits of other people and even one's own. Against the wall there are "garden" tools for the rapid cultivation of pride: a rake of contempt, a shovel of envy, convenient for digging a hole for a neighbor, as well as such tools as gossip, snitching, selfishness and apathy. All the tools looked wonderful, promised fabulous results, and guaranteed prosperity. Prices, of course, were high, but there was no reason to worry: each instrument could be purchased on credit. "Take it, use it, and pay later!" shouted Satan, towering over his wares.

One customer noticed a couple of pretty battered tools in the corner. Even though they weren't as attractive as the others, the price was significantly higher. When the customer asked why this was so, Satan laughed and said, "It's because I use them a lot. If they were not so plain, then people would guess what they serve for." Satan pointed to these tools: "See, this is Doubt, and this is Discouragement. They work flawlessly even when other tools are powerless."

Because the price of these tools was too high, they remained with Satan. And he still uses them."

And in general, there is no need to talk for a long time:

"What organizations can exist outside of the true assembly? Only Satan's organizations" (The Watchtower, March 1, 1979, p.

Справедливости ради надо заметить, что иногда ОСБ в своих публикациях указывает, что руководители Свидетелей Иеговы простые люди и могут ошибаться, но эти выссказывания в общем потоке о боговдоховенности указаний ОСБ проходят малозаметными. У Свидетеля Иеговы существует некое раздвоение мышления, о котором Д.Рид в книге «Как спасти вашего близкого из Сторожевой Башни» писал:

«Двоемыслие заставляет Свидетелей верить всем сердцем в то, что Общество является пророком Бога, и, даже столкнувшись с очередным «ложным пророчеством», отрицать, что организация когда-либо заявляла о себе как о пророке. Так, например, обсуждая учения Сторожевой Башни о том, как защищаться Свидетелям, «если кто-то говорит – «мое служение говорит о Свидетелях Иеговы как о лжепророках», книга Сторожевой Башни «Ответы из Писания» предлагает следующий ответ: «Свидетели Иеговы не заявляют, что они являются боговдохновенным пророком» (1985 год, стр. 136-137)»

Выше обсуждаемые и с ними связанные вопросы обсуждаются в интресной статье А.Рассказова «Теократия или авторитарность?»109

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Подведем некоторый итог вышесказанному словами Д.Рида из книги «Как спасти вашего близкого из Сторожевой Башни»: