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TruthSmack
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Originally posted by 5Solas=Truth
This thread has made me wonder, do the followers of Enyart et al believe that the Scriptures can be rightly understood without The Plot? It seems not. I mean, the criticism leveled at persons who advocate The Plot is not so much for their affirmation that The Plot is a helpful aid to Bible Study. All of us probably have numerous books and teachers who have influenced our lives in positive ways. Its just that when some persons speak about The Plot, it does not come across as merely another good book to help with biblical understanding, and so here I agree with Lucky (I think), it comes across that this book is the only book that will enable a person to rightly divide the truth. And this is where the concern for a cult-like mentality comes about for persons outside of the clique spawned by Enyart and his books and videos. Perhaps if persons who are fans of Enyart were to also mention other biblical teachers, as well as other books besides Enyart’s, with as much enthusiasm and reverence, this criticism would not as likely be made.
It is the elevation of just one man and one book that causes the concern.
Consider the following marks of a cult:
“The group is focused on a living leader to whom members seem to display excessively zealous, unquestioning commitment.
The group is elitist, claiming a special, exalted status for itself, its leader(s), and members
The group has a polarized us- versus-them mentality, which causes conflict with the wider society. (I would add here that the society I have in mind is the Christian community)
Members are expected to devote inordinate amounts of time to the group.”
(From Cult 101, Checklist of Cult Charisteristics, Dr. Michael Langone)
And note how closely some of the posts in this thread that praise The Plot mirror the following excerpts; p.s., insert “Bob Enyart’s Organization” in place of “Jehovah’s Organization” or insert “The Plot” for “Scripture Studies”:
Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the Divine Plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the Scripture Studies aside, even after he has used them, after he has become familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years - if he lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had merely read the Scripture Studies with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of the two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures. (The Watchtower; 9/15/1910; pp. 298)
But if each of us were left to himself just because he has a copy of the Bible and were to direct his movements independently as he thought he understood the Word, what? It is likely, or possible, that there would be a great deal of confusion or working in competition among us. Hence, besides individually possessing God’s Word, we need a theocratic organization. Yes, besides having God’s spirit of illumination, a Christian needs Jehovah’s theocratic organization (Bob Enyart’s organization and the book The Plot) in order to understand the Bible. (The Watchtower; 6/15/1951; pp. 375)
The world is full of Bibles, which Book contains the commandments of God. Why, then, do the people not know which way to go? Because they do not also have the teaching or law of the mother, which is light. Jehovah God has provided his holy written Word for all mankind and it contains all the information that is needed for men in taking a course leading to life. But God has not arranged for that Word to speak independently or to shine forth life-giving truths by itself. His Word says: "Light is sown for the righteous." (Ps. 97:11) It is through his organization that God provides this light that the proverb says is the teaching or law of the mother. If we are to walk in the light of truth we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our Father but his organization as our mother. (The Watchtower; 5/1/1957; pp. 274)
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. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind. (The Watchtower; 10/1/1967; pp. 587)
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. (The Watchtower; 7/1/1973; pp. 402)
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,... (The Watchtower; 8/15/1981; pp. 29)
No matter where we may live on earth, God’s Word continues to serve as a light to our path and a lamp to our roadway as to our conduct and beliefs. (Ps. 119:105) But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his "faithful and discreet slave," made up of spirit anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives. Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do. (The Watchtower; 12/1/1981; pp. 27)
We have the opportunity to show love for our brothers who take the lead in the congregation or in connection with Jehovah’s visible organization worldwide. This includes being loyal to "the faithful and discreet slave." (Matthew 24:45-47) Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own. (The Watchtower; 12/1/1990; pp. 19)
Channel to understanding the Bible... 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. (The Watchtower; 10/1/1994; pp. 8)" (http://www.jude3.net/bible_or_watchtower.htm)
Now surely this will bring a howl of protests, so let me reiterate a few things, and to try and be clear as to what I am saying and what I am not saying. One is that it does not seem inappropriate to elevate Enyart or his teaching per se, what seems inappropriate is to elevate he and his books as being “the only” true key for unlocking and understanding the Scriptures. And secondly, the above is not meant to equate Enyart’s followers with the Jehovah’s Witnesses, surely this is not the case as Enyart’s followers seem to affirm what would be deemed core Christian beliefs. The point is simply to help clarify to insiders regarding the loyal readership of those advocating The Plot, the concerns of those outside this group. Perhaps the main reason for this impression is mostly due to the exclusivistic language being used for The Plot. See some of Lucky’s excerpts for examples.
Blessings
TruthSmack