Foreword
ACCORDING to the annual report for the year 2003 in the January 1, 2004 Watchtower, 6.5 million Jehovah?s Witnesses spent about 1.2 billion hours distributing hundreds of millions of pieces of literature while going door-to-door and conducting 5.7 million Bible studies in 235 lands. All that activity resulted in 16 million people attending their annual "Memorial of Christ?s death."
But, as will be shown, all this effort has been in support of an illusion ? an illusionary concept that has become the ?foundation cornerstone? of the Watchtower religion upon which everything else rests; a concept that dominates and controls the thinking of both the Witnesses who write their literature as well as the Witnesses who read it.
In order to understand this illusionary concept and how it affects Jehovah?s Witnesses it is not be necessary to compare the teachings of the Bible (or other religions) with the teachings of the Watchtower Society because?
It isn?t what Jehovah?s Witnesses believe about the Bible that has made them captives of a concept. It is what they believe about the Watchtower Society that has done it.
But there are two things that are necessary to compare?
- The Society?s interpretation of the most important Scripture in Watchtower theology (Matthew 24:45-47) with?
- The most important claimed event in Watchtower history in the Spring of 1919 in fulfillment of Matthew 24:47.
The reason why this comparison is necessary is because the concept holding Jehovah?s Witnesses captive is based upon the outcome of it. If the way they interpret Matthew 24:45-47 did happen in Watchtower history in the Spring of 1919, then everyone on earth may want to consider leaving their present religion and joining this one. But if it didn?t happen, then Jehovah?s Witnesses may want to consider leaving it. This single Scripture/Event is that important to their religion.
Those who make this comparison before they get baptized by the Watchtower Society don?t get baptized! Most who make made it after they got baptized realize that they made a mistake. For when this comparison is made, at least three things become evident?
- God and Jesus Christ have never had anything to do with the Watchtower organization.
- It?s Governing Body has not told Jehovah?s Witnesses the whole truth about the organization?s history, especially as it relates to their interpretation of Matthew 24:45-47.
- Their repeated warnings about former Witnesses, whom they like to call "apostates," turns out to be Watchtower propaganda that does not protect Jehovah?s Witnesses from being misled. Rather, it prevents them from noticing that they are already being misled ? not by those they distrust the most outside their organization but by those they trust the most inside their organization.
An example of the above point #3 appears on page 11 of the March 1, 2002 Watchtower where what is said is obviously not trying to encourage Witnesses to examine anything for themselves. Rather, they demonize those who try to encourage Witnesses to check up on what their Governing body has told about the organization?s history by labeling them ?apostate servants of Satan.? They then reason?
If we entertain the false reasoning of such ones, our confidence in Jehovah?s Word of truth, the Bible, can be weakened and our faith can die.
But that?s not what happens to most Witnesses when they look at what former Witnesses have to say. What they discover does not weaken their confidence in the Bible or their faith in God. But it does cause them to loose confidence in the Watchtower Society. And what dies in the process is their faith in its Governing Body! Whatever "false reasoning" is going on is finally seen to be coming from their religious leaders and not from so-called "apostates."
This brings up the question, How is it possible for men who claim to represent "the only true God" in "the only true religion," be anything but completely truthful with those who depend on them for their "direction and guidance in matters of worship?"
The first answer that may to come to mind is that the Society?s religious leaders are no different from the religious leaders of Jesus? day whom he said were hypocrites, serpents, off-spring of vipers, etc.
But there is something that the apostle Paul said that might be an alternative explanation that doesn?t necessarily require these men to be hypocrites, serpents, or offspring of vipers?
Because they did not accept the love of the truth [
?] that is why God lets an operation of error go to them that they may get to believing the lie. ? 2 Thessalonians 2:10,11Only God knows if this is how he has been dealing with these men, but if this is what is going on it would explain a lot.
Once they "get to believing the lie" then the lie becomes "the truth" in their minds. And once that happens it doesn?t matter what the Bible says or what went on in the Society?s history. Nothing will be allowed to disprove the lie. Anything that is contrary to it will either be ignored, as is done throughout their Proclaimers of God?s Kingdom book, or else it will be manipulated to force it to apparently fit the lie, as is also done throughout their Proclaimers book. And yet they will do these things while thinking they are being candid in their efforts to uphold the truth. Apparently this is one of the strange ways the human mind is capable of working when "God let?s an operation of error go to them that they may get to believing the lie."
And so, what is this particular lie that God has let the Governing Body get to believe? It?s the concept or premise upon which their religion rests. A concept so powerful that upholding it rather then upholding the truth is what influences and ultimately controls the decision-making process of not only the men of the Governing Body, but all the rest of Jehovah?s Witnesses as well.
Don