Basic Doctrines
The other night a passage in “In Search of Christian Freedom” caught my eye. After discussing how the Watchtower targets certain doctrinal matters in the earlier stages of its bible study program for new converts, Franz makes this observation:
“Remarkably, most Witnesses are so impressed by these initially targeted teachings about the soul’s mortality, hell’s being synonymous with the grave or the death state, and similar points that they think and speak of them as the ‘basic doctrines’ of the Scriptures, teachings forming the principal criteria for identifying the one, true religion.
“Yet one cannot find in the Bible even one chapter devoted to a discussion of such subjects.” (page 419)
I agree with this statement. For many years as a Witnesses I congratulated myself about having the “truth” on these and a few other subjects. I still see some on these boards referring to these as “basic doctrines.”
If one asked a mainstream Christian what belief is most central to his religion, you will get an entirely different answer. In fact I don’t even think these are the basic doctrine of being a JW, but will get to that in moment.
From a Christian perspective the central doctrine of the Bible is that God, in the person of Jesus, came to Earth to live among us, experience humanity; and die on the cross, taking all of our sins upon Himself.
This simple and powerful message is lost entirely to the adherents of the Watchtower because the central doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that God raised up a publishing corporation to be His representative on Earth. Although the Watchtower gives lip service to the notion that Jesus is the head of the congregation, in actual practice the center of power is Bethel. Jehovah’s Witnesses practice an essentially Old Testament religion, and as such the role of Jesus is subordinated to that of the Earthly organization. This is why all matters pertaining to the Watchtower eventually come down to policy, not Scripture.