Vol. 8, No. 9, 1991

Watchtower Dodges

Craig Branch

The more Christians have been motivated and trained in cult evangelism, the more cult members have been won to Christ.

The leadership of Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses are becoming more skillful at preventing their members from being exposed to people and information which demonstrates the fraud, lies, errors and corruption of their organization.

Two of the best methods of manipulation and control are to isolate members away from meaningful outside contacts, and to control what information the member sees or studies.

For instance, one technique these cults use is to brand members of Watchman Fellowship as "apostates." Since the Watchtower has a perverted doctrine of shunning all ex-members (apostates) for fear of "contamination" and as well as making contact a disfellowshipping offense, the JW will run from such people.

To date, no Watchman staff member is an ex-JW, therefore no apostate, but the Watchtower is not interested in honesty or facts.

If written information is handed or mailed to them which documents from the Bible or from their own publication they are instructed to treat it like "pornography" (Watchtower, 3/15/86, pp. 12-13).

Jehovah's Witnesses must be helped to see the double standard imposed by the Watchtower Society and be made suspicious as to the reasons for the double standard. Have them look up and read the contradictions from their own literature.

For instance, in the Watchtower book The Trust that Leads to Everlasting Life, they write, "We need to examine not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organizations. If we are lovers of the truth, `there is nothing to fear from such an examination'" (p. 13; emphasis mine).

Also in the book Millions Now Living Will Never Die is written, "Every man should be persuaded in his own mind and no man should permit himself to be deterred from examining a question based upon the Bible because a clergy man or any one else makes the unsupported assertion that it is dangerous or unworthy of consideration. Error always seeks the dark, while truth is always enhance by the light. Error never seeks to be investigated. Light always courts a thorough and complete investigation" (p. 13).

In The Watchtower (11/15/63), we find, "It is not a form of religious persecution to say and to show that another religion is false for an informed person to expose publically a certain religion on being false, thus allowing persons to see the difference between false religion and true religion" (p. 688).

They write that any group that "claims to be the way of salvation should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticisms" (Awake!, 8/22/84, p. 28).

Amazingly, in their door-to-door instruction book, Qualified to be Ministers, they actually are taught to meet with and discuss the issues, even with "opposers" like Watchman Fellowship staff.

They write, "Most of the argumentation used by Jehovah's Witnesses is at the homes of the people in the house-to-house work or in return visits and in the course of home Bible studies sometimes one opposed to the Kingdom message is on hand to prevent good-will persons from hearing. In either case we want to apply the principles of good argumentation to enable the honest hearer to see the truth" (p. 197).

"Get him to show you what evidence and reasoning he based his conclusions upon. When you make references to the Scriptures or to any other authority, be definite. And use reliable, capable authorities" (p. 199).

Ask the JW, "Do you consider the Bible or Watchtower publications to be apostate literature?" When he says no, then assure him that is all you are going to use to examine the teachings of the Watchtower.

Contact Watchman Fellowship for any needed documentation.