Vol. 13, No. 1, 1996

A Letter in the Light of 1914

January 1, 1996

As most Jehovah's Witnesses know by now, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has recently changed key doctrines regarding the generation of 1914, as outlined in the 11/1/95 issue of The Watchtower. This teaching has long been one of the cornerstones of Jehovah's Witnesses eschatology. As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, these doctrinal changes have forced me to confront a serious issue of conscience. The Society claims that it alone is God's "Prophet," "sole channel of communication to mankind" and "spirit-directed organization." I cannot reconcile these claims with the failure of another prophecy 3/4 that persons alive in 1914 would see the end of this system of things. The "new light" on the 1914 generation is not simply "a more precise understanding," it is a major change in doctrine brought about by prophetic failure. As the Society has done on numerous occasions in the past, it has changed doctrine to cover over a false prophecy.

These doctrinal changes have raised a number of questions in my mind. If God is directing the Watchtower Society by means of His Holy Spirit, how is it possible that key doctrines which were taught for decades are now admitted to have been wrong? Why does God allow His chosen channel to teach erroneous doctrine and make false prophesies? Why do the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses undergo constant change so that older publications become out of date? Why is the entire history of the Society littered with prophetic failures and doctrinal reversals? Does God make mistakes? Is God continually learning new things thereby necessitating that He send "new light" to His organization to correct wrong information given in the past? Does the Holy Spirit purposely mislead the earthly organization? Since God is all-knowing and free from any error or deception, I am forced to the conclusion that the Society's teachings do not originate with God but are the product of flawed human reasoning. The words of Jeremiah concerning false prophets come to mind: "They have prophesied the delusions of their own minds 3/4 they have spoken falsely in Jehovah's name."

While the Society does not claim to be infallible, it nevertheless deals ruthlessly with any who question or disagree with certain teachings. Such ones are labeled" apostates" and are cast out. The leaders of the Watchtower Society, however, can simply change doctrine at will, discarding old teachings and replacing them with new ones whenever it suits their purpose. In addition to this rigid stance on doctrinal issues, the Society mandates that its followers obey an elaborate system of rules which govern virtually all aspects of life. Any Witness who strays from these rules risks disfellowshipping in a judicial committee star-chamber proceeding. Witnesses are even expected to sacrifice the lives of their children and other loved ones rather than break the Society's rule on blood transfusions (even though many persons believe that the anti-blood rule is a misapplication of Jewish dietary laws). But the Society can change the rules at any time, as it has in the past on issues such as organ transplants or forbidden sexual practices between married persons. Even in the application of its own rules, the Society is guilty of "using two sets of measures". For example, in the 1960's, the Society prohibited Witnesses in Malawi from buying political party cards even if that refusal led to one's death. Some African Witnesses did die over this issue. At the same time, however, the Society tacitly encouraged Witnesses in Mexico to illegally buy certificates attesting to involvement in a military organization. Another example is that while the Society requires that Witnesses die before accepting a single drop of blood in a transfusion, it allows hemophiliacs to regularly use products made from many pints of blood. By constructing this perverse web of legalism the Society has become like the ancient Pharisees about whom Jesus said, "They bind up heavy burdens and put them upon the shoulders of men, but they themselves are not willing to budge them with their finger". I do not believe that Jesus Christ ever intended his followers to be tyrannized by such an autocratic organization. I do not understand how an organization that admits to mistakes can be so unyielding in denying freedom of belief to individual Christians.

I have been one of Jehovah's Witnesses for all of my thirty-eight years. It is a humbling experience to realize that I was serving a false god all that time. That god is a human organization which denies that Jesus Christ is my personal mediator and instead declares that it alone offers the way to salvation. That organization further proclaims that I cannot understand the Bible without its publications and effectively rejects God's gift of grace by teaching that I must earn my salvation by going out in field service, attending meetings and performing other works. That organization is led by a group of arrogant and corrupt men who have usurped the title of "faithful and discreet slave" in order to hold power over other humans and who demand strict obedience to their edicts even if it means that some fellow believers must die. That human organization, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, is the real god of the Jehovah's Witnesses.

I now understand that truth is not to be found in human works or legalism or end-time prophecies derived from imaginative interpretations of scripture. Truth is found only in the person of Jesus Christ who said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." One day each of us will have to render an account to God. On that day a record of loyalty to a human organization will be of no value. The only thing that will matter then is our personal relationship with Jesus Christ and the way in which we have treated his followers.

In light of these facts, I can no longer in good conscience be associated with a human organization which has shown itself to be a teacher of error and a false prophet, and which puts itself in the place of God. I am therefore disassociating myself from the Jehovah's Witnesses' organization. Indeed, it is my hope that all those in the Watchtower Society, including members of my own family, will one day see the futility of following men and turn, instead, to Jesus Christ.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Pendley