Evangelism Training Resources What You Need to Know to Rescue Your Loved One from Jehovah’s Witnesses
 |
 |
|
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO RESCUE YOUR LOVED ONE FROM JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES —How to Open the Closed Mind of a Jehovah’s Witness Friend or Relative What You Need To Know To Reach Your Loved One
If you have a close friend or relative involved in the Jehovah’s Witness religion, you know from experience that the beliefs and practices of the Watchtower organization not only affect the individuals involved, but nearly every other non-Jehovah’s Witness relationship surrounding them. In some form or another, spouses, children, parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, and co-workers are all affected as conflicts arise over:
All these potential conflicts place strain upon the relationships on both sides of the equation. Fractured families as a result of these religious conflicts are a common consequence, accounting for perhaps 50% of the child custody battles involving religion. 1. The unequally yoked marriages that are left intact are often divided with arguments over religion, nagging and abusive pressure being applied to the inactive or non-Jehovah’s Witness spouse to force compliance with Watchtower requirements and emotional barriers being erected against the influence of each other’s beliefs. In addition to the stress that conflicts of faith add to family relationships, the constant pressures to perform to the expectation of respected leaders within the organization have led many Jehovah’s Witnesses to burnout and depression. Many are on Prozac or need to be for mental stability. The rate of suicidal tendencies and schizophrenia are statistically higher among Jehovah’s Witnesses than the general population as a whole. 2. These are just some of the many reasons a concerned friend or relative may seek to reach out in love with the hope of converting a Jehovah’s Witness out of this religion and into a healthier spiritual environment. It is important to remember that in any spiritual battle, the enemy is not the person who is deceived by the false religion, but rather, the demonic forces of the spiritual realm who hold the person captive to do the will of Satan (2 Timothy 2:24-26; Ephesians 6:12). Thus, the Bible proclaims at Ephesians 6:11-20 that Christians must take up the spiritual armor of God and lay a foundation of prayer before engaging in any battle for the hearts and minds of loved ones. Due to the high level of mind-control exercised by the Watchtower religion, a person should also learn how to engage a Jehovah’s Witness in conversation without triggering their programmed responses. The following guidelines will demonstrate how: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TO REACH YOUR LOVED ONE 1. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ARE WARNED THAT SATAN WILL USE THEIR NON-JEHOVAH’S WITNESS LOVED ONES TO TRY TO GET THEM TO LEAVE THE WATCHTOWER. One of the most effective ways the Watchtower organization establishes its authority over the lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses is by alienating them from their friends and family members outside this religion. Unlike other cults that build physical walls and compounds to keep their members separated from the outside world, Jehovah’s Witnesses do so mentally by instilling “fear” of the “influence” that those outside their religion might have over them. Thus, in addition to being told to avoid religious literature presented from outside sources, they are warned that Satan will use their close friends and relatives to try to convince them to leave the Watchtower. One of the ways they do this is by implanting into the minds of potential converts an expectation of “opposition” from their non-Jehovah’s Witness relatives. As you will see from the following quotes of the Watchtower literature that Jehovah’s Witnesses use to indoctrinate potential converts, this expectation of “opposition” is given within the first few weeks of their initial “study” with the Witnesses:
As you can see from the above quotes, the potential convert is told to view these concerns of “well-meaning” “loved ones” as a tactic of Satan to get them to “stop learning about Jehovah.” Thus, almost immediately when a friend or relative attempts to approach the potential convert with warnings about the problems in the Jehovah’s Witness religion, the Watchtower Society gains credibility in the convert’s mind because the Society’s warnings about those who would oppose their religion proved true. This mind-control method often causes many converts to cut-off contact with the friends or relatives who express any type of opposition to their new religion. Prayer is needed to break through these mental barriers, but in addition to prayer, a friendly, non-confrontational demeanor and an attitude that expresses a caring interest in the person involved can go a long way in reaching these loved ones. WITNESSING TIP: BUILD RAPPORT BEFORE EXPRESSING CRITICISM Realizing that Jehovah’s Witnesses are programmed to expect opposition from their non-Jehovah’s Witness friends and relatives, extreme caution is needed when you share concerns over what they believe. One way to overcome this suspicion is to play the role of a “student” who is interested in hearing the reasons why they converted to the Jehovah’s Witnesses or why they feel this religion is “the truth.” WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LOVED ONE IS STUDYING TO BECOME A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS If your loved one has recently taken an interest in the Jehovah’s Witness religion, time is of the essence. Considering the Watchtower’s warnings about “opposition” or “persecution” coming from concerned friends and relatives, sensitivity is needed to determine the openness of your love one to reading literature critical of the Watchtower’s history and beliefs before you attempt to present this information. You can use the following hypothetical questions to aid in opening the mind of your loved one to consider what others have to say about the Jehovah’s Witness religion:
Most people will likely agree with you that if they heard these kinds of statements from a car salesman, it would cause them to investigate the claims of the other dealership before purchasing a vehicle. So, once they agree with you about this, ask:
If your loved one has not yet been programmed to avoid literature from “apostates” (those who left the Watchtower), you may be able to get him to read the testimonies of Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses on our www.4jehovah.org website. However, if he seems hesitant to do this, there is a good chance he has already been warned against reading critical literature or talking to former Jehovah’s Witnesses. In this case, it would be appropriate to follow-up with these next questions:
These questions are a non-threatening way to convince your loved one to look at literature that is critical about the Jehovah’s Witness religion. You might also remind him that Proverbs 18:17 in the Bible also encourages us to hear the other side of a controversy before making a decision. Then, you can present the following resources from our website as these will go a long way in helping him see the dangers of the Jehovah’s Witness religion:
WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LOVED ONE IS A CONVERT TO THE JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES Once a person has given his heart to a religion, he has given his mind. Until his heart is won, his mind is closed. Therefore, your initial goal in reaching out to a converted relative is to build a relationship that will open the doors for honest conversations about religious beliefs in a non-threatening way that wins his heart. Because your loved one is a convert to the Jehovah’s Witness religion, you can appeal to him on the basis of his previous beliefs or way of life. Ask him what made him interested in changing his beliefs, what beliefs he still holds onto from his previous religion, and what he has rejected and why. Since you will be asking questions about the beliefs he enjoys talking about, this is a good way to build a relationship of understanding and connection with your loved one. During this process, listen to what he says without expressing disagreements over the reasons he gives for his beliefs. This will give you insight into what led him into this religion and what beliefs will be the most important for you to discuss with him later when it comes time for you to help him leave this religion. As you ask him questions about his beliefs, he will likely share the Scriptures that he feels support his beliefs. Let him share what he wants to with you, but in this initial conversation with him, be careful not to say anything negative about his interpretations of the Bible or try to rebuttal his verses with your verses. If there is something you can agree to, let him know that, but don’t express disagreement with anything in this first conversation because you need to build a rapport with him before he will be ready to listen and consider your criticism. Keep in mind there are two types of converts: Those who joined this religion because it met an emotional need and those who converted because it gave them “answers” to the questions they were facing in life. While the second group is easier to reach through logical reasoning about doctrinal inconsistencies, the first group is the most difficult to reach because the emotional support system that drew that person into the Jehovah’s Witness lifestyle is not something that may be easily duplicated outside this religion. As long as this first group’s emotional needs are being met, doctrinal arguments and logical reasoning rarely have an effect upon them. However, your loving support and interest in them as individuals can go a long way in releasing the emotional bonds they feel toward this religion. Over time, as the love bombing and special attention that a new convert receives begins to wears off, he will feel the weight of the Watchtower’s performance standards. It is then that your loving support as a caring friend outside this religion may be the one thing that will enable an emotionally starved Jehovah’s Witness to leave this controlling religious system for a healthier belief system and lifestyle. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LOVED ONE WAS RAISED AS A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS A person who was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness doesn’t know any other way of thinking. Unlike a convert to whom you can appeal to a prior belief system, he has no point of reference to identify with any other lifestyle or belief system. Thus, in your attempt to build rapport, you will need to ask him questions about what he feels proves that the Watchtower religion is the most correct religion on earth. It is here that you will discover what holds him captive to this belief system in spite of the hypocrisy that he as undoubtedly seen and/or experienced within this organization. Just as is the case when talking to a convert, this knowledge about the most important Watchtower doctrines embraced by your friend or relative will give you insight into the specific thinking that needs to be overcome before your loved one will leave this religion. To this end, you will find the Karen and Cindy dialogues in the following resource helpful in both understanding and debunking the faulty thinking within the fundamental teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses:
Remember that your goal in your first conversation with your friend or relative is to help him feel comfortable in talking with you about his beliefs so that you can overcome any guarded feelings he may have against hearing criticism of his religion. Therefore, you must not use this initial conversation as a catalyst to argue or debate his beliefs. This is simply a time for you to listen and build understanding and rapport. If he asks you to agree with a viewpoint that you can’t agree to, pause for a moment and with a serious, contemplative look on your face simply reply with something like this:
This response will help you avoid the temptation to argue, and it will help him feel that you are genuinely interested in understanding him and his religion. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LOVED ONE WANTS TO “STUDY” WITH YOU OR INVITE HIS FRIENDS FROM THE KINGDOM HALL TO JOIN YOUR DISCUSSIONS As your loved one begins to feel comfortable with you, he may ask if you would be interested in a “Bible study” with him and his friends from the Kingdom Hall. We do not recommend that you agree to a formal “study” with him or his friends because these studies are designed to force agreement with their basic beliefs before you will be allowed to “progress” to discussions on deeper points of doctrine. So, if you agree to a “study” but refuse to accept their fundamental beliefs (such as living on paradise on earth after death instead of going to heaven and rejecting the Trinity doctrine), they will abandon their religious discussions with you before you would be allowed to discuss deeper and more controversial aspects of their faith. Furthermore, the more Jehovah’s Witnesses you allow into the discussions between you and your loved one, the more likely it will be that his friends from the Kingdom Hall will “warn” him against your “influence” because you would be refusing to allow them to pressure you into accepting their belief system. So, if he offers to bring his friends into your discussions, simply say:
Usually, if you are low-key enough in expressing concerns or criticism, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will agree to continue to talk to you without involving his friends. However, later as you continue talking with him, there may be an occasion when he may invite his Jehovah’s Witness friends to accompany him without letting you know ahead of time what is going on. This is particularly common when you begin to ask difficult questions to which he feels unprepared to answer. If this happens, be as congenial and non-confrontational as possible. Do your best to avoid asking difficult or critical questions as long as his friends are with him, and unless your loved one brings up for discussion one of the difficult questions you may have asked him in a previous session, do your best to avoid these types questions during this time. Keep in mind that the main reason a Jehovah’s Witness would call his friends into his discussions with you would be to have them evaluate your motives and what kind of a threat your influence may be to him. If his friends sense that you know too much about their religion and are discussing the type of information they think would threaten his commitment to the Watchtower organization, you can be sure that your loved one will receive advice and pressure from his friends to cut off all communication with you. So, do your best to keep the conversation light-hearted, even discussing non-religious topics such and family and work experiences when they are in your presence. Then, the next time you and your loved one are alone together, express to him that you felt uncomfortable around his friends and ask if he can just keep future religious discussions private between you and him. Of course, if your loved one is surrounded by Jehovah’s Witness family members who live within his home (such as a spouse, children or siblings), you do not need to be as concerned over their presence during your discussions as you would a leader from the Kingdom Hall. WHAT TO DO IF YOUR LOVED ONE WILL NOT SPEAK TO YOU In an effort to control the information that an active Jehovah’s Witness is exposed to, the Watchtower Society has implemented a strict shunning policy against baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses who formally leave the religion — either by sending a letter of “disassociation” to the elders of the congregation or by breaking the Watchtower’s rules and being officially “disfellowshipped” (expelled). 3. As a result, all friends and relatives in the Jehovah’s Witnesses are required to avoid all unnecessary communication with their loved ones who have become Ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. While some families may attempt to bend the Watchtower rules by maintaining some contact with their loved one who left the religion, many strictly follow these rules even to the point where a simple “hello” to the former Jehovah’s Witness is not even given and personal letters written by the Ex-Jehovah’s Witness have been returned unopened. For the former Jehovah’s Witness, this shunning policy makes outreach to friends and family very difficult, but we offer a few suggestions to help:
2. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ARE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT YOUR “MOTIVES” IN TALKING TO THEM THAN THEY ARE ABOUT THE FACTS YOU PRESENT. When a person presents an argument that is designed to get a Jehovah’s Witness to question the credibility of the Watchtower’s doctrines or policies, he is trained to examine the “motives” of the person asking the questions before deciding whether to engage that person in conversation on the issues raised. This is a “stop thinking” technique used by cults to control the information that a person under the cult’s influence is exposed to. Thus, if a Jehovah’s Witness determines that your “motive” in asking your questions is “not sincere,” but rather an attempt to undermine his religion, he would feel justified in refusing to answer your questions. Here is how the Watchtower Society explains this technique:
WITNESSING TIP: PRESENT YOUR MOTIVES AND GET A COMMITMENT UP FRONT You can see from the above Watchtower quote how a Jehovah’s Witness friend or relative who perceives your motives as “argumentative” would not be interested in listening to anything you have to say about his religion. Thus, in order to be effective in reaching out to your Jehovah’s Witness loved one, you must tactfully present your concerns in a way that demonstrates a sincere interest in truth and a willingness to listen to his ideas without misleading him into thinking you want to convert to his religion. This is a difficult balance to maintain, but it can be done by prefacing your first conversation with a few words about your motives. We suggest that you start by asking your loved one if he would be willing to “help” you with some of your Bible “questions” and be willing to teach you about his beliefs even if you aren’t interested in becoming a Jehovah’s Witness. You can say something like this:
If you present your motives in this way, most of the time your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will agree to talk with you. Your hope is that in the process of trying to answer your questions, he will discover problems to which he will not be able to find answers, and as he researches the Society’s publications and the Bible, the Holy Spirit will be able to use this evidence to help him discover the truth that he isn’t being told about his religion. Thus, you will be instrumental in helping him question his faith without causing him to doubt the “sincerity” of your motives. 3. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES BELIEVE THAT THEY ALONE HAVE “THE TRUTH” AND THAT EVERYONE OUTSIDE THEIR RELIGION IS DECEIVED BY SATAN. Jehovah’s Witnesses use verses such as 1 John 5:19, John 14:30 and 2 Corinthians 4:4 that speak of Satan’s rule over this world as evidence that everything outside the Watchtower religion is controlled and influenced by Satan. Claiming to be the “only true religion,” 4. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that all other religions comprise the system of “Babylon the Great” that Jehovah God will destroy at the end of the world. 5. Thus, Witnesses are specifically warned against the influence of other religious beliefs—especially those of Christianity that they refer to in a derogatory term called “Christendom.” Since they believe that all religions, including the many denominations of Christianity, are under Satan’s demonic inspiration, Jehovah’s Witnesses are told to avoid religious radio, TV, music and literature that is not produced or authorized by the Watchtower organization. 6. Believing that they alone have “the truth,” Jehovah’s Witnesses are even warned against taking information that is offered to them by the religious people they meet at the door for fear of “exposing themselves” to false religious beliefs that are “designed to deceive.” 7. Thus, in order to effectively reach out to your loved one, you must understand that he is not interested in hearing about your beliefs or the arguments that support your religion. WITNESSING TIP: BUILD CURIOSITY Knowing that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not think you have any spiritual insights to offer them, your goal in talking to them is to encourage them to “teach” you about their beliefs while making them curious about your faith so that they will want to learn more and ask you questions. Only when they start asking you about your beliefs should you attempt to give them any idea about what you believe. But even then, do not reply to their initial questions with arguments for your belief system. Instead, continue to build curiosity about your beliefs by answering their questions in a way that doesn’t fit their preconceived ideas so that you create doubt in their minds. This can be done by replying to their questions with short simple statements and follow-up questions to make them think about the logical implications about what they are sharing with you. For example, when they discuss a certain Watchtower belief, you can use the questions given in our business card tracts to stimulate thinking, but don’t allow them to see the cards as they will immediately run from this type of printed material. Just memorize the questions on the cards or write them down on pieces of paper in your own handwriting so that these become your questions, not some type of anti-Jehovah’s Witness questions from another source:
A good subject to talk about is what it would be like to survive the end of the world. The question card link on this subject listed below demonstrates just how illogical it is to believe that being involved in the Watchtower religion guarantees Jehovah’s Witnesses protection during God’s wrath described in Revelation. As you go through the specific elements of God’s judgments, you can ask them what survival plan they plan to use to protect themselves. Since no Jehovah’s Witness has a “survival plan” and since the Bible states that only the 144,000 are supernaturally protected during God’s wrath (Revelation 7:1-8), you can ask them why they think that they will be protected since the Watchtower Society teaches that most Jehovah’s Witnesses of today are not part of this 144,000 group of people who are the only ones guaranteed any type of protection during this period.
These types of questions will make them curious about your beliefs so that they will want to know if your belief system has better answers for these issues than their belief system. In the specific example given above about surviving the end of the world, you can share the Christian belief that those who are in Christ will not be on earth when Armageddon occurs and you will be able to demonstrate this with the Scriptures given in the following article:
As you ask and answer these questions without arguing or telling Jehovah’s Witnesses that they are “wrong,” you will be able to lead them in a process of discovering the truth for themselves. It is important to keep in mind that while Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that they have researched other religions, often the information presented by the Watchtower Society has been skewed and distorted. This is especially true when it comes to the fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion. In addition to reinterpreting the simple meaning of many Biblical passages, the Watchtower Society has published its own version of the Bible (The New World Translation) where they have distorted texts that relate to the Deity of Jesus Christ and other Christian doctrines. Thus, your goal in waiting for your Jehovah’s Witness loved one to ask you about your faith is to answer his questions with just enough information to raise curiosity and cause him to want to ask you not just what you believe but why. This will give you the opportunity to clarify what you actually believe while helping him see the plausibility of certain beliefs that he has been programmed to reject. Another topic that Jehovah’s Witnesses like to talk about is their hope of living forever in a Paradise on earth that will be ruled by God’s Kingdom. Often, they will start by discussing the paradise that Adam and Eve lost when they sinned and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden. They will tell you that God’s purpose for the earth has not changed and that He still desires to turn it back into a paradise. They believe that Jehovah God will do this by eventually ending worldly governments through a battle called “Armageddon” and bringing His Kingdom rule upon the earth through Jesus Christ. During this 1,000-year reign of Christ, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that faithful humans will work to transform this present earth back into a Garden of Eden type paradise. Here they believe the majority of faithful humans of past ages will be resurrected back to life to enjoy this paradise forever. Thus, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that only 144,000 faithful humans will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Christ over the earth while the rest of God’s people will be resurrected to life on earth. They will tell you that one of their goals as Jehovah’s Witnesses is to spread this “good news” of Jehovah’s future Kingdom to all the inhabitants of the earth so that everyone will have a chance to respond to Jehovah’s requirements to be saved before this present worldly system comes to an end. After sharing this with you, they will likely ask you what your thoughts are about God’s Kingdom and living forever on earth. This is a perfect opportunity to build curiosity about your beliefs by saying something like this:
At this point, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will respond to you with a shocked and puzzled look on his face. He will most certainly want to know why you think that if you were to become a Jehovah’s Witness, you would never be able to “see” God’s Kingdom. To this you can respond by asking,
When he says, “yes” to this question, ask him to read John 3:3 in his Bible which states:
He will likely agree with you that this verse says one cannot “see” the Kingdom without being “born again” but if he knows Jehovah’s Witness doctrine well enough, he will present several arguments that a person will be able to enjoy the Kingdom even if he is not able to “see” it. He will explain that a person who is “born again” (Watchtower definition = has a non-physical, spirit body) will not be able to live on earth but will be required to live in heaven so that is why that person is able to “see” the Kingdom as it will be in heaven while those who are not “born again” (do not have a spirit body because they will live on paradise earth) cannot see it but will be able to enjoy it. When he makes these claims, instead of arguing against his viewpoint, simply ask him these questions:
The thought that Jesus’ human followers will be able to go back and forth between heaven and earth just like Jesus did in His resurrected body will be something your Jehovah’s Witness loved one has never thought of before. While he may say that he doesn’t think this is possible, he will not have a good answer for why. Likewise, most Jehovah’s Witnesses have never looked for a verse in the Bible that strictly says that ONLY 144,000 people are in heaven. He will be able to show you plenty of verses that speak of people living on earth and certain groups of people who will “rule” over other groups of people here on earth, but none of these verses explicitly state that only 144,000 are in heaven. In fact, as you explore Revelation with him, you will be able to point out that not only are the 144,000 mentioned as being in heaven (Revelation 14:2-3), but the 24 elders (Revelation 4:10) and the “great crowd” are also mentioned as being “in heaven” (Revelation 19:1; 7:9, 15 c.f., Revelation 11:19). Finally, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will ask you what you believe about the fact that all of God’s people will be in heaven. He will want to know how it will be possible for all of God’s people to be able to rule over the earth when there will be none left on earth to govern. In response, you can remind him that the people who survived God’s battle of Armageddon will still be living on earth and will be having their own families during the 1,000-year reign of Christ. Thus, the earth will not be empty, but will have plenty of people for God’s resurrected servants to rule over. Indeed, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will not leave this conversation without his thoughts being challenged and seeds of truth being planted. HOW TO BUILD CURIOSITY WITH A DIFFICULT DOCTRINE The doctrine of the Trinity—the idea that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God can be a difficult doctrine to defend and discuss with Jehovah’s Witnesses. This doctrine is one of the most hated doctrines that Jehovah’s Witnesses like to use to scoff at Christianity, so we don’t recommend that you start your conversations with this topic, but if the Jehovah’s Witness brings it up in conversation and wants to discuss it with you, there is a way you can handle this situation to turn the discussion around in a way that builds curiosity. Here is how. As you begin to engage on the subject of religion, sooner or later your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will want to tell you about the Watchtower belief that there is only “one” true God (the Father) and that Jesus (God’s Son) is merely a created little “god” who works under the supreme authority of the Almighty “Jehovah God.” At this point, he will ask you if you believe that Jesus is God. An easy mistake to make when this question comes up is to respond immediately with a bunch of verses to support your belief in Jesus being God. Resist this temptation because in asking this initial question, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one is not yet interested in your arguments. Rather, he wants to belittle your beliefs by scoffing at what he thinks is a “confusing” doctrine of God. So, we suggest that you respond by answering his question this way:
You will notice that this answer will cause curiosity in his mind because it goes against what he has been taught concerning the Trinity. Watchtower literature is full of arguments that Jesus cannot be God because the Father and the Son are not the same “Person.” So, when you respond to his initial question by explaining that you believe Jesus is God without being the same Person as the Father, this will catch his attention and cause him to ask you how you can believe Jesus is the same “God” as the Father without being the same Person. Then, instead of simply discounting and ignoring any argument you might have given in your initial response, he will be more open to hearing how you reconcile this perceived inconsistency within your belief system. In this way, you will build curiosity to bring him to the point of wanting to know what you believe and why. For more information on how to lead Jehovah’s Witnesses in the discovery process of accepting the Deity of Jesus Christ, see the following article:
These are just some examples of the most common topics that Jehovah’s Witness bring up for discussion. By answering with questions or short statements to build curiosity, you will be able to turn any spiritual discussion with a closed minded Jehovah’s Witness into a productive opportunity to present truth in a non-confrontational way. In so doing, your Jehovah’s Witness friend or relative will drop his guard against your religious ideas because by asking you questions, he will feel he is in control of the spiritual dialogue. Because your statements about your beliefs are merely given in response to the questions being asked, this will also prevent your Jehovah’s Witness loved one from feeling that you are trying to coerce him into accepting your beliefs. 4. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ARE PROGRAMMED TO REJECT ANY TYPE OF “CRITICAL THINKING” AGAINST THEIR RELIGION. Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained to follow the dictates and teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society without question. By misapplying the Scripture about the “faithful and discreet slave” at Matthew 24:45, the Watchtower Society teaches Jehovah’s Witnesses to view its organization as Jehovah God’s sole “channel of communication” to mankind in the last days. Consequently, any Jehovah’s Witness who questions or criticizes any of the beliefs or policies of the Watchtower organization is seen as questioning Jehovah God Himself! He is called “proud” and “arrogant”—someone who thinks he “knows better” than Jehovah because he is supposedly “running ahead” of the guidance provided by God’s “visible organization.” The Society states:
To avoid criticism over doctrine, Jehovah’s Witnesses are often told to follow the advice of 1 Corinthians 1:10 to: “all speak in agreement, and that there should not be divisions… but that YOU may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” They assert that if, after “praying” about and “studying” the Watchtower’s material, any uncertainty or “doubts” continue to plague one’s mind on spiritual matters, one must put these thoughts aside and wait for spiritual “food at the proper time” from the “faithful and discreet slave” Watchtower organization. It is in this way that the Watchtower Society misuses Scripture to force all Jehovah’s Witnesses into unquestioning agreement with the “unified” thought and practice of the Jehovah’s Witness religion.
Thus, when you witness to your Jehovah’s Witness loved one, you must not expect him to express any “doubts” about the Watchtower’s doctrine, nor admit that your view of a particular Bible passage makes more sense than the Watchtower Society’s interpretation. WITNESSING TIP: ASK THIRD PARTY QUESTIONS Because Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained not to doubt or criticize their religion, they are not allowed to agree with any argument you present from the Bible that contradicts the official position of the Watchtower Society. For this reason when possible, we suggest that you phrase your questions from the standpoint of a third party. By referencing a hypothetical third party, your Jehovah’s Witness loved one could agree to the idea that a third party who reads a certain passage in the Bible could come to the conclusions you stated, without your loved one having to agree to those conclusions as applying to himself. For example, consider a discussion where your loved one states that he does not believe in the traditional doctrine of “hell” where unbelieving human “souls” are tormented with fire forever. He may argue that when the Bible uses the words “Hell” or “Hades,” it is referring to the common grave of mankind where he believes human souls will be unconscious after death. To rebuttal his claims, you might choose to present Jesus’ words at Luke 16:22-29 that in the Jehovah’s Witness New World Translation Bible reads as follows:
Since Jehovah’s Witnesses are taught to excuse away the literal meaning of these verses by claiming that the language used in this passage is symbolic of a spiritual torment rather than physical pain, your loved one will not be allowed to agree with you that Jesus spoke of hell as a literal place of torment. So, in response to his arguments, you can use a third party question to help your Jehovah’s Witness loved agree to the simple meaning of this passage. Ask him:
If he is honest with you, he will have to admit that a person could reach this conclusion by reading this passage, even though he will not be allowed to accept a literal interpretation of this Scripture for himself. For more information on the subject of Hell and the immortality of the human soul, see the following articles: Never underestimate the effect that third party questions can have on your loved one. When your questions begin to break through, it is not uncommon to hear a Jehovah’s Witness say:
5. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES DO NOT TRUST YOUR INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE OR THEIR OWN ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AND INTERPRET THE BIBLE FOR THEMSELVES. Just as Jehovah’s Witnesses are warned against being influenced by anyone who would disagree with their religion, they are taught to distrust their own ability to understand and interpret the Bible for themselves. The Watchtower Society teaches that the Scripture in Matthew 24:45 that speaks of a “faithful and discreet slave” whom Jesus would appoint over all his belongings in the last days to dispense spiritual “food at the proper time” is a reference to the Governing Body (ruling entity) of Watchtower Society. In this way, the Watchtower Society gains authority over the thinking of Jehovah’s Witnesses by claiming that it alone has been given the authority by God to interpret the Bible. Thus, any Jehovah’s Witness who espouses a different interpretation of the Bible than what is officially sanctioned by the Watchtower organization, is viewed as an “apostate” from the Jehovah’s Witness religion. They are told:
So, to be effective in witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses, you must understand that they do not trust your interpretation of the Bible or their own ability to interpret the meaning of a particular Bible passage that you may seek to discuss with them. Through questions about what a Jehovah’s Witness is allowed to believe, you will reveal their true spiritual authority and help them overcome the Watchtower Society’s control over their lives. WITNESSING TIP: ADDRESS THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY’S CONTROL While Jehovah’s Witnesses have been programmed to accept the Watchtower Society’s interpretation of the Bible over their own personal viewpoints, most have never considered the implications of this policy until they have been forced to try to reconcile a difficult Biblical passage with one of their false beliefs. You can set them up to experience this in a non-threatening way by asking your loved one the following question:
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses will adamantly respond by saying that they believe the Bible over the Watchtower, but when pressed with a verse that contracts a Watchtower teaching, they will rationalize away the irreconcilability by claiming that with prayer, study and waiting upon Jehovah, the truth will be made clear and that if the Watchtower organization is wrong, Jehovah will send “new light” to clarify any incorrect teaching in His due time. 9. In conversations on this subject, we have even had some Jehovah’s Witnesses honestly admit:
Thus, if your Jehovah’s Witness loved one is honest with you and has come to realize this requirement of the Watchtower Society, he will tell you that a baptized Jehovah’s Witness would not be allowed to believe anything that is contrary to what the Watchtower Society teaches and that Jehovah will judge that person based upon his “loyalty” to God’s “channel of communication,” rather than allowing himself to be “stumbled” at any incorrect doctrine he perceives within it. 10. While this would be an honest statement to make, many Jehovah’s Witnesses (especially recent converts) are not consciously aware of this policy and may need help to recognize this before you can discuss the authority the Watchtower organization has over them. At this point, a few examples of clear contradictions between the Bible and the Watchtower may be helpful to present. Again, when you ask these questions, keep the focus upon a third party so that your loved one will not feel pressured to accept for himself the doctrinal position presented:
Your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will likely attempt to argue that Jesus could not have been talking about His physical, human “body” because “flesh and blood” cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven (1 Corinthians 15:50). He may also try to argue with other verses to prove that Jesus rose in a “spirit” body. When he brings these arguments up, do not let him distract you from your main point by diverting you from your discussion of these verses at John 2:18-22. Instead, keep to your main point by simply saying something like this:
By forcing your Jehovah’s Witness loved one to address your question, rather than allowing him to divert to a discussion of other Scriptures, you will avoid a game of Bible ping-pong and get to the root of the issue which is the fact that a person who is a Jehovah’s Witness is not allowed to believe the Bible over the Watchtower. Once he admits this, you can ask him the questions under the “Remove the Watchtower Foundation” section of the following article on our website. These questions will help him overcome the Watchtower’s authority over his spiritual life.
As a follow-up, once he has come to realize that he should trust the Bible over the Watchtower, you can use the answers given in the following article on our website to discuss each of the verses he tried to bring up to disprove the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. Although this doctrinal topic may not seem as important to you, it is extremely important for a Jehovah’s Witness because many of their false doctrines (such as the idea of that Jesus is Michael the Archangel and that Jesus’ returned to earth in an “invisible” presence in 1914) hinge upon this false teaching concerning the physical, bodily resurrection of Christ.
6. JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ARE PROGRAMMED TO PROTECT THE WATCHTOWER’S REPUTATION AT ALL TIMES. Every Jehovah’s Witness who has been in the Watchtower organization any length of time has seen his share of hypocritical behavior within the congregations and has likely encountered inconsistencies within doctrine. Yet, when it comes to abuses and inconsistencies, Witnesses have been taught to ignore these problems and excuse them away as “human imperfections” or “immature misunderstandings” of spiritual matters that Jehovah will correct in His own due time. This is why someone who has been inactive from the Jehovah’s Witness religion for several years is still able to defend the Watchtower organization as “the truth” and refuses to listen to criticism of the organization’s beliefs in spite of all that he has experienced. In essence, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been programmed to protect the organization’s reputation and hide personal feelings of doubt and unresolved hurts and abuses that they have witnessed or experienced within the congregations so as not to “bring reproach” upon Jehovah or His organization by speaking of these problems to the outside public. Thus, until your Jehovah’s Witness friend or relative is ready to reevaluate his loyalty to the organization, expect him to excuse away or rationalize any of the hurts or abuses he has seen in an effort to uphold the concept that the Jehovah’s Witness religion is “the truth.” WITNESSING TIP: PRESENT PHOTOCOPIED DOCUMENTATION FROM A THIRD PARTY As discussed in the previous section, the Watchtower’s authority over the spiritual life of a Jehovah’s Witness must be removed before he will be free to reconsider his beliefs on the basis of the pure, simple reading of the Bible. This can be done by destroying the fundamental authority concept that the Governing Body of the Watchtower Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses constitutes Jehovah God’s “faithful and discreet slave” channel of communication to mankind and proving that these authority claims are impossible to reconcile with the documented evidence found in the history of the organization. Questions to use to dispel this myth can be found in the following article that was also referenced in the previous section:
Due to the mental programming that Jehovah’s Witnesses have against viewing literature that is critical of their religion, it is also helpful to present photocopies of Watchtower literature that document the many false prophecies and historical lies and cover-ups within the organization’s history. You can download these PDF photocopies at the following website link: Since you will be presenting nothing but photocopies of his own literature, he cannot call your information “apostate.” However, unless you are careful in the way that you present this photocopied documentation, you risk coming across as a “threat” to your loved one’s spiritual condition by being an avid expert who opposes his religion. Thus, we suggest that you use the third party approach by saying something like this:
Jehovah’s Witnesses are constantly told to avoid the Internet for fear of exposing themselves to “apostate” information. Yet, since you honestly explained that you “ran across” these PDFs from this third party source (i.e., the Internet) and that you felt that these photocopies looked like they were taken from official Watchtower literature, you will not appear to be an expert on his religion. Rather, you will present yourself as an interested person who simply desires to verify the accuracy of the information you are researching by comparing these photocopies to the original publications. Since your loved one will be “helping” you in your research, he will be able to verify these photocopies for you at any Kingdom Hall library or the personal home library collection of a lifelong Jehovah’s Witness family member he may know. In so doing, he will discover the documented evidence that disproves the Watchtower’s claims. When he sees that this organization cannot be Jehovah God’s “true religion,” your Jehovah’s Witness loved one will have two choices. Either he will deny and ignore this evidence by continuing to blindly follow the Watchtower Society or he will abandon his trust in the organization altogether and reevaluate his spiritual condition. When this situation arises and you sense that your loved one is wrestling with these issues, be prepared for him to ask you what your religion has to offer. This would be a perfect opportunity to present the true Gospel of grace and the assurance of eternal life that the forgiveness of Christ guarantees. The following articles on our website will help you present these concepts to him:
However, if your loved one refuses to consider the implications of the evidence you have presented and chooses to blindly following the organization, it may be appropriate to leave him with this thought:
SUMMARY OF THE DO’S AND DON’TS IN WITNESSING We have studied the spiritual control that the Watchtower organization exercises over the hearts and minds of Jehovah’s Witnesses. In summation, the following is a simple list of “do’s” and “don’ts” to keep in mind when witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses:
FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE:
=========== 1. Jeff Atkinson who is the former chairman of the American Bar Association’s Child Custody Case Committee is quoted at http://www.jehovahswitnessesexperts.com as saying: “Jehovah’s Witnesses are probably responsible for half of the contested custody cases involving religious issues.” |
Testimonials
I LOVE this site!
“I just wanted to write and tell you that your website is absolutely FANTASTIC and invaluable. Thank you so much for providing fantastic resources that true Christians can use to reach out in love to those caught in the lie of Mormonism and the Watchtower Society. I love this website.”
Your site is the best!
“Just want you to know that I love your website. What a wealth of information …I have been looking for a website to aid in my witnessing to my Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness friends. This is the best one I have seen by far. Please keep up the good work!!!!”
Your website is crucial in my witnessing efforts!
“Your website is crucial in my witnessing efforts to Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. I cannot get the Mormons to come back anymore, but I had my first study with the Jehovah’s Witnesses today. ...One has been in the Society for over 50 years!!! I was very intimidated by this. ...But the thing that really got them squirming in their seats today were the questions I got off your website regarding the use of the Divine Name. It was almost as if they had never heard questions like this before. ...thank you so much for what you do. God has used your talents in such a wonderful way to bring glory and honor to our King Jesus Christ.”
I appreciate the loving tone of your website...
“I need to say thank you so much to the people involved in this website! I am a Christian and have been in contact with a Jehovah's Witness for several months, and at the beginning I was very unfamiliar with Jehovah's Witness teachings. Your website has helped me tremendously. I feel much better acquainted with Jehovah's Witness teachings and able to question her on her beliefs, and point her to the Truth of Jesus in the Bible. I enjoy the thoughtful, loving tone your website has in pointing out the error of the Watchtower organization, and the error of Jehovah's Witness beliefs.”
Thanks for providing the documentation to back up what you're saying.
“I recently became acquainted with a girl who was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness, and I am a solid evangelical Christian. Despite our differences, we have become good friends ...I have had the hardest time talking to her about my concerns regarding the Watchtower because I understood so little about it. In my search for resources online, it is so refreshing to find a website that is not slanderous or based on opinion, but that simply provides the facts. Thanks for providing documentation to back up what you're saying. This is legitimate journalism and it has been incredibly useful to me.”
I Feel So Much Better Equipped!
“I just wanted to say thanks for the tremendous amount of effort it must have taken to put together this website. I am a Christian who has been visited by Jehovah’s Witnesses for about 7-8 years… I was online …when I came across your site. Having found what I was looking for, I continued on with browsing your site. There is so much useful information here! Recently, one of the young Witnesses that had previously come to my door ...came back to my door alone. … After reading many pages on your site, I feel so much better equipped to speak with her. …I hope to show her the joy that is in the freedom we have in Christ.”
What's New!
