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Knights News March 2017 Knights of Columbus, Sun City Council, 7846 Knights News March 2017 Sun City Council 7846 “Celebrate Faith, Family and Fraternity” Council’s Website www.kofc7846.org Need a ride—Call a Brother Knight Meetings: General Meeting 1st Wednesday of the Month Your participation makes the council run smoothly. Time: 7:00 PM Place: Parish Coffee Room Published Monthly by K of C Council 7846 Knights of Columbus, Sun City Council, 7846 Council 7846 Officers—2015-2016 Grand Knight Stephen Gaston 714-356-0943 [email protected] Deputy Grand Knight SK George Toscano 951-672-2692 [email protected] Spiritual Advisor Deacon Jose Ibarra 951-679-4531 [email protected] Recorder SK Arturo Perchemlian 909-938-4400 [email protected] Chancellor Bill McCarthy 951-696-1122 [email protected] Financial Secretary Mike Castillejos, PGK 951-218-6808 [email protected] Treasurer Ronald Adams 805-443-4240 [email protected] ----- Lecturer Paul Goodsaid 951-970-4249 [email protected] Advocate SK Tom Merritt, PGK 951-566-5539 [email protected] Warden SK Randy Cruise 951-928-1113 [email protected] Inside Guard Ronald Mucci 951-301-1073 ----- Outside Guard David Gonzales 951-443-0966 [email protected] 2 Year Trustee SK Peter Kenny, PGK 951-672-1305 [email protected] 1 Year Trustee SK Armand Blais, PGK 714-717-2470 [email protected] 3 Year Trustee SK Bruce Liby 951-244-2545 [email protected] District Officers 2015-2016 District Deputy Rich Ritchie “Deceased 02/18/17” General Agent Stephen Melancon 702-221-1919 www.mybrotherknight.com Service Program Personnel Programs Director SK George Toscano [email protected] Vocations Director Open Retention Committee GK Stephen, SK George Toscano, Nicholas Murch ----- SK Tom Merritt, PGK and David Gonzales Pro-Life/Family SK Randy and Teri Cruise [email protected] Community Director SK Pete Kenny, PGK [email protected] Family Director OPEN Public Relations Director SK Tom Merritt, PGK [email protected] Health Service Director OPEN Council Director OPEN Youth Director Jonathan Lumamba Web Master Nicholas Murch 949-456-3111 [email protected] St. Jude Statue Program SK Dave Schlegel [email protected] Knights Newsletter SK George Toscano [email protected] A special “Thank You” to Evans-Brown Mortuary and Crematory for their continued support in preparing our Newsletters. www.kofc7846.org Published Monthly by K of C Council 7846 Knights of Columbus, Sun City Council, 7846 GRAND KNIGHT’S MESSAGE FOR MARCH, 2017 Dear Brothers and Families: For the next few months, I will be presenting some articles about the theologies of some of our neighboring Churches. This is in no way to criticize them unfairly, but only to give you some insights that are problematic (false doctrines) in comparison with the beauty of our Catholic Faith. These articles are taken from Catholic Answers Magazine, and Wikipedia. Some portions are redacted for the sake of brevity. 2. Jehovah's Witnesses The beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are based on the Bible teachings of Charles Taze Russell—founder of the Bible Student movement—and successive presidents of the Watch Tower Society, Joseph Franklin Rutherford and Nathan Homer Knorr. Since 1976 all doctrinal decisions have been made by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders at the religion's Brooklyn headquarters. These teachings are disseminated through The Watchtower magazine and other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses, and at conventions and congregation meetings. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the present world order, which they perceive as being under the control of Satan, will be destroyed by a direct intervention of Jehovah (God), who will use Jesus Christ to fully establish his heavenly government over earth, destroying existing human governments and non-Witnesses, and creating a cleansed society of true worshippers. They see their mission as primarily evangelical (disseminating "good news"), to warn as many people as possible in the remaining time before Armageddon. All members of the religion are expected to take an active part in preaching. Witnesses refer to all their beliefs collectively as "the Truth". Here are some of the key beliefs which The Jehovah’s Witnesses hold as “Truth” : (a) They do not believe in the Divinity of Christ; nor the Holy Trinity (b) They do not believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Consecration of Holy Eucharist (c) They believe that only 144,000 souls will go to Heaven (including all the souls in the past, present, and future). (d) They do not believe in the Sacraments. (e) They do not celebrate Christmas and Easter. (f) They teach that Jesus Christ began to rule in heaven invisibly as king in October 1914. (g) They teach (confirmed by world events since 1914, including wars, famine, earthquakes and increasing lawlessness), which they see as fulfillment of the "sign" of Christ's presence. Since its incorporation in 1884, the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania has been directed by a president and board of directors. Until January 1976, the president exercised complete control of doctrines, publications and activities of the Watch Tower Society and the religious denominations with which it was connected—the Bible Students and Jehovah's Witnesses. When the Society's second president, J. F. Rutherford, encountered opposition from directors in 1917, he dismissed them. In 1925 he overruled the Watch Tower Society's editorial committee when it opposed publication of an article about disputed doctrines regarding the year 1914. In 1931, the editorial committee was dissolved. In 1943 The Watchtower described the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society as the "legal governing body" of anointed Jehovah's Witnesses. A year later, in an article opposing the democratic election of congregation elders, the magazine said the appointment of such ones was the duty of "a visible governing body under Jehovah God and his Christ." For several years, the role and specific identity of the governing body remained otherwise undefined. A 1955 organizational handbook stated that "the visible governing body has been closely identified with the board of directors of this corporation. Referring to events related to their 1957 convention, a 1959 publication said "the spiritual governing body of Jehovah’s witnesses watched the developments [then] the president of the Watch Tower Bible & Tract Society [acted]." The 1970 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses noted that the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania was the organization used to plan the activity of Jehovah's Witnesses and provide them with "spiritual food", then declared: "So really the governing body of Jehovah's Witnesses is the board of directors of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Published Monthly by K of C Council 7846 Knights of Columbus, Sun City Council, 7846 In 1972, a Question From Readers article in The Watchtower further reinforced the concept of the "Governing Body"; the magazine said the term referred to an agency that administers policy and provides organizational direction, guidance and regulation and was therefore "appropriate, fitting and Scriptural." Organizational changes at the highest levels of the Watch Tower Society in 1976 significantly increased the powers and authority of the Governing Body. The body has never had a legal corporate existence and operates through the Watch Tower Society and its board of directors. The ruling council of Jehovah's Witnesses is based at the religion's Warwick, New York headquarters. The body formulates doctrines, oversees the production of written material for publications and conventions, and administers the group's worldwide operations. Official publications refer to members of the Governing Body as followers of Christ rather than religious leaders. Its size has varied, from seven (2014–present) to eighteen (1974–1980) members. New members of the Governing Body are selected by existing members. Headquarters purge In 1980, dissent arose among members of the Governing Body regarding the significance of 1914 in Jehovah's Witnesses' doctrines. According to former Witnesses James Penton and Heather and Gary Botting, internal dissatisfaction with official doctrines continued to grow, leading to a series of secret investigations and judicial hearings. Consequently, dissenting members were expelled from the Brooklyn headquarters staff in the same year. Raymond Franz claimed he was forced to resign from the Governing Body, and he was later disfellowshipped from the religion. The Watch Tower Society responded to the dissent with a more severe attitude regarding the treatment of expelled Witnesses In his 1997 study of the religion, Penton concluded that since Raymond Franz's expulsion in 1980, the Governing Body displayed an increased level of conservatism, sturdy resistance to changes of policy and doctrines, and an increased tendency to isolate dissidents within the organization by means of disfellowshipping. Helpers The April 15, 1992 issue of The Watchtower carried an article entitled Jehovah’s Provision, the “Given Ones” which drew a parallel between ancient non-Israelites who had been assigned temple duties (the "Nethinim and "sons of the servants of Solomon") and Witness elders in positions of responsibility immediately under the oversight of the Governing Body who did not profess to be "anointed." Both that issue of The Watchtower and the 1993 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses carried the same announcement: In view of the tremendous increase worldwide, it seems appropriate at this time to provide the Governing Body with some additional assistance. Therefore it has been decided to invite several helpers, mainly from among the great crowd, to share in the meetings of each of the Governing Body Committees, that is, the Personnel, Publishing, Service, Teaching, and Writing Committees. Thus, the number attending the meetings of each of these committees will be increased to seven or eight. Under the direction of the Governing Body committee members, these assistants will take part in discussions and will carry out various assignments given them by the committee.
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