FALSE PREMISE 1: WE NEED HELP TO UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE.
The first premise the Watchtower implants in the mind of a prospective convert is the idea that the Bible is so complex that one must have “help” to understand it. Once the person feels he or she can’t understand the Bible without “help,” the door is open for the prospective convert to accept the Watchtower claim that it alone has the authority from God to correctly interpret Scripture. To provide support for this idea, the Watchtower points to the following example of Philip teaching the Ethiopian eunuch:
“And he arose and went; and behold, there was an Ethiopian eunuch… he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go up and join this chariot.’ And when Philip had run up, he heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ And he said, ‘Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him… And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him.” —Acts 8:27-31, 35
The Watchtower correctly notes how the Ethiopian eunuch was unable to understand Scripture without Philip’s help, but it fails to note that once the eunuch accepted Christ, his teacher (Philip) left and he “saw him no more.”
“And they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch saw him no more, but went on his way rejoicing.” —Acts 8:38-39
If Acts 8 is to provide the basis for the Watchtower claim that God’s people need help to understand the Bible, how can one explain the fact that the eunuch’s teacher left him once he came into “the truth” about Christ? This question along with the following list of Scripture verses will help you debunk this faulty Watchtower premise:
•At John 16:13, Jesus promises to send the “Spirit of Truth” who guides believers “into all the truth,” and at 1 John 2:27, Christians are told that they “do not need anyone” to teach them because they have God’s anointing teaching them “about all things.” If we have the Holy Spirit to teach us, why do we need Watchtower literature?
•At Matthew 23:8-10, Jesus proclaims that Christians are not to call anyone “Rabbi” which means “Teacher” or have anyone as “Leader” because Christians have one teacher being the Holy Spirit and one Leader being Christ. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to look to the “Governing Body” of the Watchtower as their “teacher” and the only “channel” through whom spiritual instruction is to be given, how can this not be a violation of Jesus’ command here at Matthew 23?
•If God is a loving God and He wants all to be saved, why would He make the Bible so complicated that we would need the “help” and guidance of an organization to understand His truth?
FALSE PREMISE 2: GOD ALWAYS USES AN ORGANIZATION TO COMMUNICATE HIS TRUTH.
The Watchtower correctly teaches that in the Old Testament, God led the nation of Israel through a “priestly organization” of men from the lineage of Aaron. These priests served as temporary mediators between Israel and God by offering blood sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. However, with the coming of Christ, God did away with the “priestly organization” of Israel as Jesus became our ultimate “High Priest” and “Mediator” through whom alone we are to approach God by acceptance of His sacrificial atonement for sin (Hebrews 7:26; 1 Timothy 2:5).
While the Watchtower recognizes the death and resurrection of Christ as changing the way God leads His people, the Watchtower incorrectly teaches that after Jesus rose from the dead, He appointed a Christian organization of followers in Jerusalem to serve as God’s “governing body” leadership to mankind in place of Israel’s “priestly organization.” To bolster its claim, the Watchtower points to the resolution of a debate over circumcism that began in Antioch and was settled Jerusalem.
“And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue…. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees, which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.” —Acts 15:2; 16:4-5
This passage does not prove that a so-called “governing body” existed in Jerusalem for if we look carefully at the context (Acts 15:1-2), we see that the dispute over circumcism arose when men from the area of Jerusalem (Judea) came down to the congregation at Antioch and proclaimed to these believers that they needed to be circumcised according to Jewish custom. Is it any wonder they went to Jerusalem to settle the dispute that had been caused by men from that area? At Acts 16, the “decrees” that Paul and Silas were delivering to the churches had to do with the decision that had just been reached concerning circumcision. There is no indication that these “decrees” involved any other issue. Thus, we see that one cannot use these passages to provide a basis for the Watchtower claim that Jesus appointed an organization to led God’s people in first-century Christianity.
Not only is the evidence for leadership from a first-century organization completely lacking in Scripture, but the consistent pattern seen throughout the New Testament is God leading directly through the Holy Spirit. You can help a Jehovah’s Witness come to this conclusion by showing the following verses and asking the questions outlined below:
•At Acts 13:2-4, we see the Holy Spirit directing the congregation at Antioch to send Paul and Barnabas out on their first missionary journey without any approval from a “governing body” in Jerusalem.
•When they returned from their missionary journey at Acts 14:26-28, they did not report to a “governing body” in Jerusalem, but rather, to the congregation at Antioch which had sent them out.
•In the same way, at Acts 18:22, we see Paul and Silas returning from Paul’s second missionary journey—not to a “governing body” in Jerusalem—but to the congregation at Antioch. At Acts 18:23 Paul went out again on his third missionary journey from this same congregation. If a “governing body” in Jerusalem existed, where was its leadership in all of this?
•Who commissioned Philip at Acts 8:5 to preach to the city of Samaria? It wasn’t until verse 14, that the “apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God.” At Acts 8:26, 29, and 40, we read that the Holy Spirit is the One who directed Philip to the territories he preached in.
•Who prevented Paul and Silas from preaching in Asia at Acts 16:6-7? Was it a “governing body” in Jerusalem or was it the “Spirit of Jesus”?
FALSE PREMISE 3: JESUS APPOINTED THE WATCHTOWER ORGANIZATION TO DISPENSE SPIRITUAL TRUTH IN THE LAST DAYS.
The idea that God appointed a select group of people to dispense spiritual truth in the last days is based on the Watchtower’s misinterpretation of Jesus’ parable at Matthew 24:45-51. In this parable, Jesus describes two types of slaves (servants) who were put in charge of their master’s belongings while their master was away. One slave was found “faithful and discreet” 2 upon his master’s return and was thus rewarded by being appointed over “all” of his master’s possessions. The other slave proved unfaithful in his tasks and when his master arrived, he was thrown out with the hypocrites.
While there is nothing in this passage to indicate that it is describing a religious organization, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that this passage is prophetically speaking of the Watchtower organization. They believe Jesus’ “invisible presence” began in 1914 and that at this time, Jesus being the “master” in this parable inspected all of the religious “slaves” (Christian churches) of Jehovah God to determine which one qualified to be appointed by Jehovah God to give spiritual food to God’s people in the last days. Thus, they claim the Watchtower organization passed the test and was appointed as the sole spiritual authority over “all” of God’s “possessions” (His followers).
We will now demonstrate that the Watchtower does not qualify to be God’s “faithful and discreet” slave and that its interpretation of Matthew 24:45-51 is incorrect. To accomplish this, we will first examine Watchtower history, then examine inconsistencies in current Watchtower literature and conclude with questions from Scripture to debunk the Watchtower’s faulty interpretation of Jesus’ parable.
QUESTIONS TO ASK ON WATCHTOWER HISTORY:
•The Watchtower claims that from 1914-1919, Jesus inspected its literature and determined that the Watchtower “passed the test” to represent Jehovah God (See God’s Kingdom of a Thousand Years Has Approached, 1973, pp. 348-349). However, when we examine Watchtower history, we discover that at this time, Watchtower literature was falsely prophesying that Christ’s presence had begun in 1874 and that the end of the world would occur in 1914. When 1914 failed, the Watchtower shifted the date to 1915, then 1918, then again to 1925. Since Deuteronomy 18:20-22 warns about false prophets who would forecast events that do not occur, how could Jesus have put His approval upon this organization?
•At Matthew 24:11, 23-24, Jesus warned that in the last days, “false prophets” would proclaim that his presence had begun when it had not. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses now believe that Christ’s presence began in 1914, doesn’t this prove that their previous proclamation of Christ’s presence beginning in 1874 mean that this organization was doing the very thing Jesus warned His followers that “false prophets” would do in the last days—namely, proclaiming His presence had begun when it had not? Why would Jesus appoint an organization to represent Jehovah God that was doing the very thing He warned his followers about at Matthew 24?
•On page 88 of the 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Watchtower admits that at the time of Jesus’ inspection (before and shortly after Watchtower founder Charles Taze Russell’s death in 1916), “the idea adopted by many was that C. T. Russell himself was the ‘faithful and wise servant.’ This led some into the snare of creature worship.” Since Jehovah’s Witnesses were engaged in false worship of a man during the time of Jesus’ inspection, how could He have appointed this organization to be God’s representative on earth?
•The Watchtower prides itself in having been “neutral” during World War I when Jesus was allegedly conducting His inspection of its organization. (See Knowledge That Leads to Eternal Life, pp. 160-161) Yet, the May 15th and June 1st issues of the 1918 Watchtower encouraged Jehovah’s Witnesses to purchase “Liberty Loans” which helped to fund US involvement in World War I. Is this true “neutrality” or compromise?
QUESTIONS TO ASK ON CURRENT WATCHTOWER LITERATURE:
•In Proverbs 30:6 and in other passages of Scripture, God warns about those who would “add” to His word. While the Watchtower admits that of the 5,000 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament we possess today, none of them contain God’s name (Jehovah) in full. Yet, the Watchtower’s New World Translation Bible inserts “Jehovah” 237 times into their translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (New Testament). How can they do this in light of Scripture’s warning about adding to God’s word? One of the ways they justify their insertion of “Jehovah” is to argue that God’s name was removed from the New Testament text prior to the fourth century. This argument falls apart when we consider that we have copies of New Testament manuscripts that date back to the 2nd and 3rd centuries and none of these contain the name. We also have 36,000 quotations of the New Testament from early Church Fathers and none of these contain God’s name. If God’s name was removed from the New Testament without a trace, how can we be sure nothing else was removed from the New Testament? Didn’t Jesus promise to preserve His word (Matthew 24:35)? Would Jehovah support an organization that “adds” to God’s Word?
•The Watchtower denied that they published Russell’s Biography because they did not want people to know that early Jehovah’s Witnesses “worshipped” Russell. They covered up with excuses their history of quoting books connected with the “spirit world” of Satan, and they lied about the true teachings of the early Church Fathers in order to support their belief that the Trinity doctrine was derived from paganism. Would Jehovah who is the God of “truth” (Titus 1:2) support a dishonest organization?
QUESTIONS TO ASK ON MATTHEW 24:45-51:
•If we are to interpret the faithful slave in Matthew 24:45-47 as representing the Watchtower organization, what organization is represented by Jesus’ statements concerning the “evil slave” at Matthew 24:48-51?
•If we look at religious hypocrites who abuse their power and authority for illicit gain, wouldn’t you agree that these people collectively qualify as the “evil slave” spoken of in this passage? Since any individual can become part of the “evil slave” group just by being a hypocrite, why can’t any individual become part of the “faithful and discreet slave” group by being faithfully devoted in Christian ministry?
◦NOTE: A common Jehovah’s Witness objection to the above argument is that if every loyal Christian qualifies to be in the “faithful and discreet slave” group that is put in charge of “all” of Jehovah’s possessions (His followers), what possessions would they rule over? Our response is that the Bible speaks of the fact that during the 1,000-year reign of Christ, there will be people on earth who have not made a decision for or against Jehovah God. Thus, these Christian in the “faithful and discreet slave” group will be able to rule over them as well as over the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).
•If we are to interpret the faithful “slave” in Matthew 24:45-48 as speaking prophetically of the Watchtower organization being setup in the last days, what organizations do the “slaves” in Jesus’ other parables represent? For example, just like the slaves in the Matthew 24 parable were put in charge of their master’s possessions, in Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus describes three “slaves” who were also entrusted with their master’s possessions. Does the Watchtower interpret the three slaves in this parable as three religious organizations? Or does the Watchtower interpret the “slaves” to be individual Christians? If all other “slave” parables of Jesus are to be interpreted as describing individuals and not organizations, why interpret the parable in Matthew 24 any differently?
FALSE PREMISE 4: THE WATCHTOWER ORGANIZATION IS THE ONLY TRUE RELIGION ON EARTH TODAY.
The final method the Watchtower uses to solidify its authority in the mind of a prospective Jehovah’s Witness is to get the person to accept a unique list of doctrinal criteria that the Watchtower describes as “the Truth.” Once the potential convert embraces these doctrines, he or she is guided by a Jehovah’s Witness mentor (usually the one who initiated the indoctrination “studies”) to accept the Watchtower claim that it alone fulfills the unique list of doctrinal criteria. Claiming that Jesus started only “one true religion” and that one must join this religion in order to be saved, the prospective convert is then led to make a commitment to the Watchtower organization through baptism. At this point, the convert is accepted into the religion “one of Jehovah’s Witnesses” and expected to follow Watchtower leadership as the sole religious authority for his or her life.
To fully counter Watchtower authority in the mind of a Jehovah’s Witness, one must be prepared to remove the Watchtower “truth” criteria and replace it with the Biblical definition of “the truth.” But until the Jehovah’s Witness is convinced that the Watchtower organization is not God’s organization, Scriptural arguments over its alleged “truth” criteria may prove futile. Thus, we recommend an alternative approach to dealing with this false premise.
This approach involves listing the criteria that the Watchtower claims proves it is the “only true religion” and contrasting the criteria with the claims of other religious organizations who also embrace the same fundamental doctrinal beliefs. Since most Jehovah’s Witnesses are unfamiliar with the religious groups we outline below, this approach can easily demonstrate to the Jehovah’s Witness that the Watchtower is not unique in its beliefs and therefore, cannot use its “truth” criteria to prove that it is the “only” true religion. At this point, you can substitute the Watchtower’s “truth” criteria for Biblical “truth.”
QUESTIONS TO ASK JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ON IDENTIFYING “THE TRUTH”:
•Do you believe that there is only one true religion on earth today?
•Do you believe that the following list of beliefs and activities described on pages 26-27 of the 1996 Watchtower publication, What Does God Require of Us? give an accurate description of how we can identify the “only” true religion? The list given teaches that the true religion must:
◦Avoid War and Politics
◦Avoid Pagan Holidays
◦Reject the Trinity Doctrine
◦Reject the Immortality of the Soul and Hell
◦Must Preach the Kingdom
◦Must Proclaim the Name “Jehovah” for God
•Did you know that the following religions also embrace these very same doctrines and practices?
◦Assemblies of Yahweh
◦Assemblies of the Called out Ones of Ya
◦House of Yahweh
◦Assembly of YHWH Yeshua
◦Christadelphians
•When other religions also fulfill the Watchtower’s criteria, how can this criteria prove that it is the “only” true religion?
•Since the criteria given by the Watchtower organization is not unique to its religion, could it be that the Bible gives a different criteria than the Watchtower does for determining “the Truth”?
•At John 17:17, Jesus proclaims that God’s “word is truth.” At John 1:14, who is identified as God’s living “Word”? According to John 14:6, is “the Truth” a Person or a religion?
•According to John 5:39-40, is the theme of the Bible a Person or a religious theocracy?
•At John 6:68, did Peter say to “what” shall we go away to? Or did He say to “whom” shall we go away to?
•According to John 10:27-29, what do God’s “sheep” respond to and follow? Where do they go to receive “eternal life”? Do you see anything in this passage about a religious organization?
Note: Jehovah’s Witnesses are warned against reading anything critical of their organization. You may need to present photocopied documentation from their literature and other sources to prove some of these points in “Removing the Watchtower Foundation.” For more information and supporting photocopied documentation, see the following links on our website:
Do The Beliefs Of Jehovah’s Witnesses Prove They Are The Only True Religion?
Is the Watchtower “Faithful and Discreet”? (www.4jehovah.org)
What is the Truth? (www.4jehovah.org)
Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses
Facts the Watch Tower Society Doesn’t Want You To Know (www.4jehovah.org)
Jehovah’s Witness Topics:
•Bible - New World Translation
•Lying – Theocratic War Strategy
Dialogues with JW Cindy and Christian Karen (www.4jehovah.org) - Based on the Watchtower 1996 Publication, What Does God Require of Us?:
•How Close is the End? (Discusses False Watchtower Prophecy)
•How Honest is the Watchtower About Its History? – Part 1 / Part 2
•How Can You Find The True Religion?
•Who is the Faithful and Discreet Slave? – Part 1 / Part 2
•Your Decision to Serve God – Loyalty to Jehovah or Loyalty to An Organization?
STEP 3: COUNTER JEHOVAH’S WITNESS DOCTRINE WITH TRUTH
Unlike the Christian who is encouraged to challenge one’s faith using objective methods of reasoning and analysis (see 1 Thessalonians 5:21), Jehovah’s Witnesses are constantly discouraged from applying critical thinking to any of the doctrines and policies advocated by the Watchtower organization. Therefore, when the Watchtower organization is removed as a source of spiritual truth, the Jehovah’s Witness is left with feelings of uncertainty, not knowing what to believe or who to trust. Many of the common fears associated with leaving the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses include:
•Fear of Having Left “The Truth”
•Fear of Being Rejected by God
•Fear of Being All Alone
•Fear of Having to Think and Make Decisions
•Fear of the Outside World (Satan’s System)
•Fear of Trusting Anyone or Anything
Many disillusioned converts who leave the Watchtower organization without sufficient help from people trained to counter Watchtower indoctrination, end up either joining another religion that claims to be “the Truth” or becoming atheists and agnostics, living life with no view of God or eternity. However, with proper resources, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the loving support of committed Christians and former Jehovah’s Witnesses who have been through the process, many have come to find true freedom in a personal relationship with Christ.
If God grants you the privilege of leading Jehovah’s Witnesses out of the Watchtower, it is important to keep in mind their struggle with these “fears” mentioned above and to be sensitive and patient in helping them work-through these issues with the truth of God’s Word. Because the Watchtower demands so much activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is also important to keep in mind that many who leave are “burned-out” on religious activity. Do not expect them to attend religious services with you right away. Because of the “fears” implanted in them from their Watchtower experience, it may take months and even years before a former Jehovah’s Witness feels comfortable enough to attend religious services regularly or to participate in a church-sponsored activity. Go easy when it comes to this area of Christian living and keep in mind that the goal is not to get them to join your church but to help them come into a personal relationship with Christ, looking only to God’s Word the Bible and the guidance of the Holy Spirit for spiritual truth and freedom.
