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The Growth of Papal AuthorityThe Watchtower—1958 | February 15
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said: “The Bible is the book that, more than any other, has raised against us the tumults and tempest by which we have almost perished. In fact, if anyone examines closely and compares the teaching of the Bible with what takes place in our churches he will soon find discord, and will realize that our teachings are often different from the Bible and oftener still contrary to it, and if the people wake up to this they will never stop challenging us till everything is laid bare and then we shall become the object of universal scorn and hatred. Therefore, it is necessary to withdraw the Bible from the sight of the people, but with extreme caution in order not to cause rebellion.”
On what, then, must we conclude that papal authority has been built? Surely not on God’s Word, because it has been necessary to keep it from the public in order to maintain its position. It has been built up on forged claims of apostolic succession to Peter, unscriptural requirements of celibacy of the clergy and claims of papal infallibility. It was made secure in the lives of the populace by elevating the position of the priest in their eyes, by requiring that he be called on to officiate at the principal events of life, by submitting the consciences of men to his tutorship in the confessional and by fear. And by international intrigue the power of Rome has been made secure in politics.—1 Tim. 4:1, 3.
Let there be no mistake about it, papal power is not of God. Instead of serving God, papists have banned his Word and burned those who dared to read it. Not only has the papacy proved itself to be a friend of the world, but they are very much a part of it and ruled by its god. Jesus makes clear that his disciples are “no part of the world,” and James adds that “a friend of the world is constituting himself an enemy of God.”—2 Cor. 4:4; John 17:14; Jas. 4:4.
REFERENCES USED
The Papal Conspiracy Exposed, by Edward Beecher.
The Catholic Encyclopedia.
McClintock and Strong’s Cyclopædia.
Beacon Lights of History, by John Lord.
Church History, by John Laux.
The Popes and Their Church, by Joseph McCabe.
The Vatican in World Politics, by Avro Manhattan.
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Preaching in Prisons FruitfulThe Watchtower—1958 | February 15
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Preaching in Prisons Fruitful
Making use of every opportunity to preach the good news, Jehovah’s witnesses also conduct Bible studies in prisons with those who are of honest heart. One couple, a man and a wife who are doing this in the state of New Jersey, writes: “We have a Bible study with some prisoners in the B———— prison and have studied with them over a year now. One of them recently was discharged and upon leaving the prison he wrote us a very fine letter giving us his new address and expressing his appreciation to Jehovah and to us for having studied the Bible with him. He said that his prison stay was not in vain, for in it he found both himself and his Maker, Jehovah God. He looks forward to the time when he will also be going from house to house and be able to call himself one of Jehovah’s witnesses. Every time we study with one of the inmates we must have a guard with us and they must sit in on our study. Since it is a different guard each time, the guards in this prison are also getting spiritual food, including sample copies of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines. One of the men we study with has become editor of the prison magazine and now writes articles in it about Jehovah’s kingdom. About 650 prisoners read this magazine, and many copies are also sent out of the prison to the homes of the men; so quite a witness is also being given in this manner due to our prison studies.”
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