SHORT CHRISTIAN READINGS SELECTED FOR FORMER JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
Should You Believe the Watchtower?
By Everett Shropshire
The Jehovah's Witness organization is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WT). They maintain that God has only one organization on earth today, and they are it. Their claim that they are God's "channel of communication" for our time is a heady one. It is a claim that the WT has a corner on spiritual truth. It is a claim that only the WT can rightly interpret and explain Scripture. And it is a claim that the WT alone can provide godly direction and counsel for all the people on earth.
Any group can make such a claim. However, it is another matter to measure up to it. We are commanded to test those who make such claims (1 John 4:1). In the Bible, God has given us standards by which we can test teachers and prophets, and distinguish between the true and the false. That is the intent of this article. Perhaps you know someone who has been meeting with the Jehovah's Witnesses, or someone who is considering joining the WT. If so, we hope this information will be helpful.
Evaluating False Prophets
There are scriptural guidelines for evaluating claims like those of the WT. The Lord Jesus said that false prophets might be recognized by"bad fruit" or sinful deeds (Matt. 15:17-20). We would have to acknowledge that all people sin, even prophets. But a true prophet would not be characterized by a consistent pattern of deliberately spurning God's law.
Therefore, anyone who claims to be a prophet should be reliably honest in all his dealings-especially in spiritual matters. The WT claims it is the "faithful and wise servant" called to dispense God's "meat indue season" (see Matt. 24:45). Those whom God has called to be teachers and prophets must be circumspect about their proclamation (James 3:1). It must always be only the truth.
Jesus also said that false prophets deceive rather than enlighten (Matt.24:11). One who deliberately and repeatedly distorts the truth would be disqualified as a true prophet. The apostle Peter taught that false prophets can be spotted because they fail the test of orthodoxy, and introduce heresies which deny Jesus as Lord (2 Pet. 2:1).
The Trinity and the Deity of Christ
Two well-established doctrines in the Bible are the Trinity and the full divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reader should note that a well-developed case for the validity of these doctrines is beyond the scope of this article because of space limitations. However, since we are questioning the orthodoxy of the WT as God's organization, it would be well to briefly make the case for these two doctrines.
Briefly, here is how the Bible conveys the doctrine of the Trinity. There is only one true God (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6-8). The Father is God (2 John 1:3; 1 Pet. 1:2-3), the Son is God (John 1:1; Rev. 1:7-8),and the Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17). Each of these Persons must be fully God, because to say otherwise would be to compromise the essential unity of God.
The Bible also clearly portrays the full deity of Jesus Christ. Everything that the Father is, the Son is also: Both are eternally unchanging (compare Mal. 3:6 and Heb. 13:8); both use the title "Lord" (compare Ps. 68:19 and Rom. 10:9); both are called "Lord of Lords" (compare Deut. 10:17 and Rev. 17:14); both are the only "Savior" (compare Isa. 45:21and Acts 4:12); and it is said of both that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess their Lordship (compare Isa. 45:23 and Phil. 2:10-11).
These doctrines are not man-made. They are derived from the Bible. Those who challenge them are not challenging men, but the very word of God. Thus, anyone or any organization that teaches otherwise is engaging in heresy-the teaching of ideas that are in opposition to the clear teaching of what God has revealed in Scripture.
Testing the Watchtower
Now we may return to the primary purpose of the article, to answer the question of whether the WT can be trusted to teach spiritual truth.
The Bible gives us clear standards by which we can judge the WT's position that it is God's organization. The Bible is clear that God's organization would not deliberately and consistently mislead people, it would not distort the truth, and it would not teach heresy which denies Jesus as Lord.
So, how does the WT measure up? As a case study, we here will examine one of the WT's most commonly-distributed pamphlets. This pamphlet has been used by the WT since 1989, and thus Jehovah's Witnesses cannot claim that it is new, and it will be corrected. If it is wrong,they have had ample opportunity to change it. If it is in error,it represents a consistent and intentional pattern of deception.
The pamphlet in question is an attack on one of the Bible's most important and fundamental doctrines. The title is Should You Believe in the Trinity? 1 The pamphlet seems very authoritative. Quotations from non-WT and even evangelical Christian sources make it appear as though the doctrine of the Trinity is, in reality, unbiblical, and that even our own pastors and teachers don't really believe it.
However, as the reader will see, the WT repeatedly misquotes publications and authors, taking out of context in a number of places in order to make a case for the heresy of denying the Trinity, and thus denying the full Lordship of Jesus Christ. What follows are four examples of these distortions.
Trinitarian Theology Unreasonable?
Firstly, the pamphlet quotes The Encyclopedia Americana on page4: "The doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be 'beyond the grasp of human reason.'" However, in its fuller context, The Encyclopedia Americana actually says, "It is held that although the doctrine is beyond the grasp of human reason, not contrary to reason, and may be apprehended (though it may not be comprehended) by the human mind."2
This passage was taken out of context to add credibility to the WT teaching that the Trinity is an "unreasonable" doctrine. However, even the WT admits that just because a doctrine seems incomprehensible, that is no reason to reject it: "Should we really expect to understand everything about a Person who is so great that he could bring into existence the universe,with all its intricate design and stupendous size?"3
Trinitarian Theology not Biblical?
Secondly, the pamphlet quotes from The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (NIDNTT) twice on page 6. The first of the two quotations says, "The N[ew] T[estament] does not contain the developed doctrine of the Trinity. 'The Bible lacks the express declaration that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are of equal essence' [said professor Karl Barth]." This would make it appear that the author of this article in NIDNTT, J. Schneider, does not believe that the New Testament teaches the doctrine of the Trinity.
However, the WT fails to note that earlier in the same article, the author declares that Christ is God. He says, "Jesus' words of self-disclosure in statements using the divine 'I am' formulae...which in the O[ld] T[estament] are self-revelations of God Himself."4 Schneider continues, "Several passages in Jn. contain ascriptions of divinity. Jn. 1:1 (RSV) declares: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...'"5
He goes on to say: "Jn. 20:28 contains the unique affirmation of Thomas in addressing the Risen Christ as God: "My Lord and my God..." The statement marks the climax of the Gospel. God has become visible for Thomas in the form of Jesus. The climax of Johannine teaching occurs in the confessional formula of 1 Jn. 5:20 which asserts the full identity of essence of Christ and God.6
The other out-of-context quotation from NIDNTT is also from an article written by Schneider: "Primitive Christianity did nothave an explicit doctrine of the Trinity such as was subsequently elaborated in the creeds." But again, Schneider is not saying that the Trinity is a doctrine introduced later, and is therefore unbiblical. Quite the contrary, in another article in NIDNTT Schneider writes, "The virgin birth, according to the N[ew] T[estament], is the channel by which the eternally pre-existing Second Person of the Trinity entered as a truly human being..." 7 Schneider does not deny the Trinity in the NIDNTT, Schneider is actually affirming it!
Jesus a Created Being?
Thirdly, on page 7, the Should You? pamphlet quotes the church father Tertullian as having said, "There was a time when the Son was not..." The implication is that Tertullian (along with other church fathers prior to the Nicean Council in a.d. 325) did not believe in the Trinity, but instead saw Jesus as a created being, as the WT maintains.
However, even a casual study of Tertullian will reveal that this is incorrect. Tertullian believed that the Word, or Second Person ofthe Trinity, was eternally pre-existent. Only His title, "Son" was later added. In his famous defense of the doctrine of the Trinity, Against Praxeas, Tertullian wrote that Jesus was "both Man and God."8 In fact, Tertullian is the one who coined the term, "Trinity!"
Further, he stated:
"While the mystery of the dispensation is still guarded, which distributes the Unity into a Trinity, placing in their order the three Persons - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: three, however, not in condition,but in degree; not in substance, but in form; not in power, but in aspect; yet of one substance, and of one condition, and of one power, inasmuch as He is one God, from whom these degrees and forms and aspects are reckoned, under the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. How they are susceptible of number without division, will be shown as our treatise proceeds.9
Heretical Confusion
Finally, the pamphlet repeatedly confuses the biblical doctrine of the Trinity with the ancient heresy of Modalism (or Sabellianism). On page 3, the WT correctly states the doctrine of the Trinity, quoting from The Catholic Encyclopedia: "'The Father is God, the Son is God, the Holy Spirit is God, yet there are not three Gods, but one God.'
In this Trinity...the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal..."
However, afterward, the pamphlet misrepresents the doctrine by substituting Modalism in place of orthodoxy. Modalism is the belief that there is one divine Person acting in three roles or modes. The WT then"disproves" the Trinity by attacking the heresy of Modalism. They quote Tertullian (p. 7) as having said, "The Father is different from the Son..." The same fallacy occurs on page 17 under the heading "Jesus distinguished from God." All they prove is that the Father and the Son are not the same Person-which is one of the key aspects of the doctrine of the Trinity.
A Non-Prophet Organization
Should you trust the Watchtower? The answer is definitely not. As we have seen, they have deliberately and repeatedly misled people who seek God, distorted the truth about Him, and propagated the heresy of denying the full Lordship of Jesus Christ.
1 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Should You Believe in the Trinity (Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1989).
2 Frederick C. Grant, "The Trinity," Encyclopedia Americana (Danbury, CN: Americana Corp., 1980), Vol. 27, 116.
3 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, Reasoning from the Scriptures (Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1989), 148.
4 J. Schneider, "God, Gods, Emmanuel" The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975) Vol. 2, 79-80.
5 Ibid., 81.
6 Ibid., 81-82.
7 Ibid., Vol. 3, 661.
8 Tertullian, "Against Praxeas" The Ante-Nicene Fathers: Translations of the Fathers down to A.D. 325, (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 598.
9 Ibid.
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WHO SHOULD BE WORSHIPPED?
Author Unknown
(edited)
The word "worship" as found in the New Testament is derived from the Greek word "proskuneo." This word is utilized in Scripture references to both Jehovah God and Jesus Christ.
However, in the later editions of the Watchtower Society's "New World Translation", verses that used the word "worship" in application to Jesus, have been changed to the expression "obeisance", a word that connotes something LESS than the true worship rendered to God.
GREEK-ENGLISH LEXICON
Hebrews 1:6 "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."
The Watchtower Society quotes The Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich), and concludes that "proskuneo" here means "a respectful bowing down; paying homage". WT 2-15-83 p.18
But the Lexicon here isn't defining any particular New Testament usage of the word "proskuneo." As we read on, several things become clear. The definition, as far as the Watchtower Society has quoted it, is also used in non- biblical writings, and can refer to the false worship of deified men and holy objects. (Lexicon p.723)
Furthermore, starting where the Watchtower Society left off, the Lexicon says:
"... the Persians did this in the presence of their deified King, and the Greeks before a divinity or something holy..."
Here, it is apparent that "proskuneo" is something more than casual respect, like a salute, or calling someone "sir." And certainly this description doesn't imply that real worship isn't to be understood in Hebrews 1:6.
It is specifically mentioned further in the definition, under point 2:
"to God" item "a." The kind of worship in Hebrews 1:6 is listed as being used "of the God worshipped by monotheists (Christians, Jews, Samaritans)" (Lexicon p.724)
The Lexicon lists this form of worship at Hebrews 1:6 with what Jesus said shall be offered to the Father at John 4:21, 23, and also of that restricted to Jehovah Himself in Luke 4:8 and Matthew 4:10.
RELATIVE WORSHIP
Q. Does "obeisance" mean the same as "relative worship?"
Since the Watchtower Society doesn't believe that Jesus is really God, there isn't much difference between "relative" (indirect) worship and idolatry. The Watchtower once defined idolatry as:
"... the worship of anyone or anything aside from the one true God." WT 1-15-63 p.53
But by Watchtower Society statements, the worship that is to go through Jesus, must go to Jesus Himself:
"It does no good to argue that such honor given to images is merely "relative," for in actual practice...the worship of the image itself is real." -- Let God Be True, 1952, p.150.
The Watchtower Society further states:
"A religionist may not excuse himself by saying that he merely gives the image "relative honor and worship" and is not worshipping the image itself, but the one for whom the image stands." -- The Truth Shall Make You Free, 1943, p.37.
The above two statements refer to "images" as used in the Roman Catholic Church. But even in the "relative worship" of the Jehovah's Witnesses, the worship going through Jesus, who in a similar sense becomes the "image," has to be REAL if it's ultimately going to go to God Himself.
The Society's publication, "Reasoning From the Scriptures," said this about worship:
"We must understand that it is "proskuneo" with a particular attitude of heart and mind that should be directed only toward God." (p.215)
If Jesus is a created being, then the Father commanded all the angels to engage in creature worship in Hebrews 1:6. Would God really do this, or is it "relative creature worship?"
Since Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is an exalted angel, (AWAKE! 9-22-59 p.7) can an angel receive "relative worship?" The WatchTower Society's book, "Let God Be True", 1952, p.151 answers:
"Relative honor to God through an angel was reproved in these words: "Be careful! Do not do that! (Rev. 19:10; 22:8,9)
Finally, notice that the Father commands all the angels to worship the Son. If Jesus was Michael the Archangel, Hebrews 1:6 would have said: "Let all the "other" angels worship Him."
The Watchtower Society once used this very verse to prove that Jesus could NOT be Michael! (WT Nov. 1879, p.4)
"The New World Translation" goes so far as to render the exact same Greek word as "worship" when applied to Jehovah, but "obeisance when applied to Jesus Christ. Then the WatchTower Society goes to great lengths to try and make "obeisance" mean something less than worship! Why do they do this only when the word "worship" is used in connection with Jesus Christ? The words "worship" and "obeisance" mean exactly the same thing!
Jesus accepted the worship of men throughout the New Testament:
-- Matthew 14:33 "Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him..."
-- Matthew 28:9 "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him."
The WatchTower Society book "Make Sure of All Things" (1965) has this erroneous and nonsensical heading on page 283:
"He (Jesus) taught men not to worship him, but to worship Jehovah, his Father."
He did no such thing! There is no verse in the entire Bible which says that only the Father should be worshipped.
Then turning right around in their twisted reasoning, and in direct opposition to the "Make Sure of All Things" book, the newer "Reasoning From the Scriptures"(1985) had this question on page 214:
"Does the fact that worship is given to Jesus prove that he is God?"
Now they are admitting that worship WAS given to Jesus! This act of worship was refused by men and angels in the Bible (Acts 10:25 and Rev. 19 and 22).
In the WatchTower Society's Bible commentary, "Insight on the Scriptures" under "Obeisance", on page 523, they state:
"... bowing to anyone other than Jehovah as a deity was prohibited by God."
So what did they think the disciples were doing as they bowed down before Jesus, took hold of his feet, and "worshipped" Him?
Backpedaling as fast as they can in the "Insight" book, they warn their misguided members that:
"... the evidence does not warrant one's reading too much into this rendering."
What evidence? They produce none that any scholar would accept. Jesus was worshipped (received obeisance) and they cannot explain away the word of God so easily.
THE WATCHTOWER CHARTER - 1944 (Amendments 1945)
The following quotes from the Watchtower Society's literature present the most devastating proof of dishonest journalism:
Article 2 of the Charter of Incorporation of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society states:
"The purposes of this Society are...public Christian worship of Almighty God and Jesus Christ; to arrange for and hold local and worldwide assemblies for such worship.
In the 1969 "Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses", the Charter is quoted again. Notice how it is actually MISQUOTED:
"... and for the public Christian worship of Almighty God ..."
It is obvious that they have deliberately and dishonestly altered their own quotation, the purpose being to avoid the reference to the worship of Jesus Christ.
The original quote is again changed in the WT 12-15-71 p.760: "... and for the public Christian worship of Almighty God [through] Christ Jesus;"
Why the dishonesty and cover-up? Because their later publications discourage the worship of Jesus Christ and command their followers to worship Jehovah (the Father) alone. This alteration is done to rob Jesus of His role as Mediator. The Witnesses must look to the organization for truth.
There is a severe penalty for not obeying the Charter. In Section 9 it says:
"... a member may be suspended ... or expelled for cause upon willfully violating any of the by-laws ... or of the Society's purposes."
What would happen to a Jehovah's Witness if he stood up in a Kingdom Hall and said that he was about to publicly worship Jesus Christ?
FROM THE WRITINGS OF THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS
These great men from the earliest years of the Christian Church were without doubt as to whom they directed their worship:
"Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judaea, in the times of Tiberius Caesar; and that we reasonably worship Him, ..." -- Justin Martyr, First Apology, ch. 13.
"And again, how it was said by the same Isaiah, that the Gentile nations who were not looking for Him should worship Him, ..." -- Justin Martyr, First Apology, ch. 49.
"For next to God, we worship and love the Word who is from the Unbegotten and Ineffable God, ..." -- Justin Martyr, Second Apology, ch. 13.
[Trypho the Jew complains to Justin] "... you seek to persuade us that this crucified man was with Moses and Aaron, and spoke to them in the pillar of the cloud; then that he became man, was crucified, and ascended up to heaven, and comes again to earth, and ought to be worshipped." -- Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 38.
"Therefore these words testify explicitly that He is witnessed to by Him who established these things, as deserving to be worshipped, as God and as Christ." -- Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 63.
"... some Scriptures which we mention, and which expressly prove that Christ was to suffer, to be worshipped, and [to be called] God, and which I have already recited to you, do refer indeed to Christ," -- Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 68.
"And David predicted that He would be born from the womb before sun and moon, according to the Father's will, and made Him known, being Christ, as God strong and to be worshipped." -- Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 76.
"For the man who loves God with all the heart, and with all the strength, being filled with a God-fearing mind, will reverence no other god;" [obeisance] -- Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho, ch. 93.
"The divine law, then, not only forbids the worshipping of idols, but also of the heavenly bodies, the sun, the moon, or the other stars; yea, not heaven, nor earth, nor the sea, nor fountains, nor rivers, must be worshipped, but we must serve in holiness of heart and sincerity of purpose only the living and true God, who also is Maker of the universe." -- Theophilus to Autolycus, Book II, ch XXXV.
"...we are not atheists, as we worship God the Maker of this universe and His Logos," -- Athenagoras, A Plea for Christians, ch. XXX.
MISCELLANEOUS SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES
-- Revelation 4:10, 11: Words of worship addressed to Jehovah.
-- Revelation 5:11-13: BOTH Jehovah and the Lamb receive "glory, honor and power." This is worship -- the highest praise and deepest adoration that Heaven can give. Worship is given simultaneously to both the Father and the Lamb.
-- II Kings 17:35: "Do not serve or bow down to other gods."
-- Colossians 3:24: Paul said: "You serve the Lord Jesus."
-- Matthew 28:9: Women bowed down to Jesus - without rebuke from Him
PRAYING TO JESUS:
-- John 14:14: "Ask ME anything in my name ..." (The New World Translation deliberately omits the word "ME," But it's in the original Greek text!
-- I Corinth. 1:1, 2: The early church called upon the name of JESUS!
OLD LIGHT - NEW LIGHT: CHANGES IN WATCHTOWER DOCTRINE
From the to late 1800's - Jesus was worshipped:
-- WT 3/1880 p.3 - Jesus was worshipped
-- WT 7-15-1898 p.216 - Jesus was worshipped
-- WT 10-15-45 p.313 - Jesus was worshipped
-- Make Sure of All Things (1953) p.85 - Jesus was worshipped
-- Make Sure of All Things (1953) p.178 - bowing before men or angels is "relative worship" and is forbidden.
-- WT 5-15-54 p.317 - Jesus NOT worshipped
-- WT 7-15-59 p.421 - Jesus NOT worshipped
-- Make Sure of All Things (1965) p.249 - "relative worship" forbidden
-- WT 11-15-70 p.704 - "relative worship" permitted
Jehovah has been sadly inconsistent in dispensing His truth to the Jehovah's Witnesses.