11 QUESTIONS WHICH THE LEADERS OF THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES
WILL NEVER ANSWER.
Question #1
Can individuals read & understand the Bible alone, or do they need an organization and it's publications to do so?
Question #2
Can Jehovah's Witness hold and discuss openly with other Jehovah's Witnesses opinions that differ from orthodox Watch Tower doctrine? Is there any valid reason for a person to decide that he does not wish to belong to the Jehovah's Witnesses?
Question #3
What is God's proper name "Yahweh" or "Jehovah"? if "Yahweh" is more proper, is it showing the proper respect to "Yahweh" to say that because "Jehovah" is more commonly used it does not matter how you pronounce the name? And, should an religion that puts so much emphasis on the name of God use any other version than the proper pronunciation?
Question #4
Did President Fred Franz get an Rhodes Scholarship offer from the Rhodes Scholarship organization? If not, why did he testify under oath that he was offered one, and why was this information published in Watch Tower publications?
Question #5
Did the Watch Tower and the Governing Body currently teach that Armageddon will come before the close of the twentieth century according to information published in the January 1, 1989 Watch Tower? Also, why were the dates in the article changed to not be specific to the twentieth century when it was published in the bound form at the end of the year?
Question #6
Did the Watch Tower and the Governing body believe and publish information that Jesus's 1000 year millenial reign would take place in 1975?
Question #7
Did the Watch Tower and the Governing Body believe that in or around 1925 there would be an awakening of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, and others mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, and that there would be an end to death at that time?
Question #8
Did the Watch Tower and the Governing Body believe that the year 1914 was the beginning of the Armageddon of the Scriptures?
Question #9
Is any portion of the Watch Tower or the Governing Body to be considered a prophet of God, or the voice of God? Do the Governing Body or its associated corporations have better information from God or have a more direct channel to or from God's thoughts than others? If this is true why has God changed his opinion, based on Watchtower teachings, so many times in Watch Tower history?
Question #10
Why were the Jehovah's Witnesses in Mexico at one time told to not use Bibles, not hold prayers, not sing religious songs, and deny that they were part of a religious group, but were simply part of a "Cultural" group even though religious groups were not in any way prohibited by the Mexican government at the time? Did it have anything to do with the Watch Tower or the Governing Body's desire to own property in Mexico, which was prohibited under Mexican law, rather than be known as a religion?
Question #11
Was Beth-Sarim, the Mansion owned and operated by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society in San Diego and used by Joe Rutherford in the 1920's built as a residence for Enoch and other holy men from the Bible when they were expected to rise from the dead in 1925 by the Watch Tower?
FACTS YOU WON'T BE TOLD WHEN JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES CALL AT YOUR DOOR
They believe & teach
THAT all religions except theirs are of Satan, and your Pastor or Priest is under the Devil's control.
THAT the Watch Tower Society is the only source of truth on earth today, and all churches teach error and will be destroyed at Armageddon.
THAT the cross is a pagan symbol of sex worship, and that all buildings or persons displaying the cross are likewise pagan. Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus died on the cross. However, recent "new light" in the WatchTower Magazine now admits they are not certain about the cross, but will continue to deny it anyway.
THAT no one goes to heaven but 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses, and your soul will be destroyed if you refuse their organization.
THAT the Christ child was only an "IT", not a "HE". See the New World Translation, Luke 2:16,17.
THAT Jesus was not the Christ (or Messiah) until age 30, even though their own bible says in Luke 2:11, "because there was born to you today a savior, who is Christ the Lord."
THAT after Jesus was buried in the tomb, Jehovah dissolved his body into gases and it disappeared forever.
THAT Jesus rose invisibly in three days, so Jehovah had to "materialize" a fake body for him complete with fake nailprints so His disciples would believe it was really Jesus risen.
THAT Armageddon and Christ's second coming were foretold to happen in 1874, 1914, 1925 and 1975 by this "non-prophet" organization.
THAT when Christ failed to show up in 1914 The Society claimed in later years that He had come invisibly--of course, and all Jehovah's Witnesses believe this today.
THAT Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob etc. were to be back on earth as perfect humans in 1925. The Society built a palacial home for them BUT when the patriarchs failed to show up, the President of the Society moved in.
THAT their light gets "brighter and brighter", allowing for many changes and "about faces" on their doctrines. Yesterday's error is today's "truth". Often the "light" bounces back and forth from old to new views and back again! Does real light return to darkness?
THAT the Watch Tower Society and its followers are all prophets of God today and the Governing Body is directed by angels from God.
THAT salvation for Society members consists of doing good works of selling Watch Tower books and magazines and winning converts.
THAT soon Jehovah God will become a GRANDFATHER and Jesus will be promoted to "EVERLASTING FATHER"!
THAT Jehovah God is not omnipresent, but still Almighty. Think! How can this be?
They have NOT been told -- By the leadership of the Society ....
THAT when they translated their New World Translation of the Bible they deliberately altered almost every scripture on the deity of Christ, to make him only a creature.
THAT the Society used a translation by a SPIRIT MEDIUM, Johannes Greber, to support their rendering of John 1:1 with full knowledge that his sources were DEMONIC.
Greber was exposed in the Feb. 15/56 Watch Tower. However in 1961 they released a translation based on his occult one, then denied they knew what they were doing on page 31 of the Apr. 1, 1983 Watchtower!
THAT none of their "translating committee" knew Biblical Greek or Hebrew. No scholars at all.
That Fred Franz, who for many years headed the Society, perjured himself under oath in Scotland in a court trial, by saying he could read Hebrew, and then failing a simple Hebrew test.
THAT the following encyclopedias consider the name "JEHOVAH" to be FALSE: Merits Student Enc.; Encyclopedia Americana; The Jewish Enc.; Encyclopedia International, The Interpreters
Dictionary of the Bible; The New Catholic Enc.; The Universal Jewish enc., [Encyclopaedia Britannica] etc.
J.W.'s own "Aid" book admits on pages 884 & 885 that "Jehovah" originated with a Catholic monk about 700 years ago!
THAT the date 1874 was taught for Christ's invisible presence by the Society right up till 1929. (See their book, "Prophecy",page 65).
THAT top executives of the Society have admitted under oath that they forced their members to accept false prophecies or face disfellowshipping and be found worthy of death.
In Summary
We find the Watch Tower Society practicing their belief that it is proper to deceive people. But they say this really isn't lying. Why? Because the Society has a different Definition of lying than most of us. In their book "AID TO BIBLE UNDERSTANDING" under the
word "LIE" we read:
"Lying generally involves saying something false to a person who is ENTITLED to know the truth....". "While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it".
OF course it is the Watch Tower leaders who decide WHO deserves to know the truth.
DO YOU DESERVE TO KNOW THE TRUTH ?
SHEOL - IS IT MERELY THE GRAVE?
The following is a limited study of the meaning of Sheol in the Old Testament. Jehovah's Witnesses and others maintain that Sheol is the common grave of mankind, and that man ceases to exist at death. They also deny any conscious punishment of the wicked
after death
It is my conviction that the Scriptural concept of Sheol is *not* simply the grave. A thorough study of the word in the Scriptures reveals it to be a place of conscious existence for souls after death. Without getting too long-winded, here are a few
reasons why this is so:
1) There exists in Hebrew a specific word for the grave: kever. When the biblical authors wanted to speak of the grave, they used the word kever. That they did not view kever and Sheol as synonymous is clear from the way these words are used throughout
the Old Testament. For example, in Isa. 14:19, the king is cast out of his grave (kever) in order to be thrown into Sheol where the departed spirits can rebuke him (vv.9,10). In this passage, Sheol and kever are opposites, not synonyms.
2) This distinction is maintained in the Septuagint as well. In the Septuagint, Sheol is never translated as mneema, which is the Greek word for grave. It is always translated as Hades which meant the underworld.
3) Many distinctions exist between kever and Sheol. While bodies are unconscious in the grave, those in Sheol are viewed as being conscious (Isa. 14:4-7; 44:23; Ezek. 31:16; 32:21). While touching a grave brings ceremonial defilement (Num. 19:16), the Scriptures never speak of anyone being defiled by Sheol. While we can enter and leave a tomb or grave (2 Kings 23:16), no one is ever said to enter and then leave Sheol. Many other such distinctions can be found in the Hebrew scriptures.
4) God's revelation to OT saints about the afterlife was not complete. As such, much of the language used about Sheol is figurative, and incomplete in descriptiveness. Nevertheless, it is clear, that these saints understood that Sheol represented a place of conscious existence after death, and not simply the common grave of mankind. It was viewed as a place where one can reunite with his ancestors, tribe or people (Gen. 15:15; 25:8; 35:29; 37:35; 49:33; Num. 20:24, 28; 31:2; Deut. 32:50; 34:5; 2 Sam. 12:23). This cannot refer to one common mass grave where everyone was buried. No such graves ever existed in recorded history. Sheol is the place where the souls of all men go at death. That is why Jacob looked forward to reuniting with Joseph in Sheol (Gen 37:35).
5) The Scriptures suggest that Sheol has different sections. There is the contrast between "the lowest part" and "the highest part" of Sheol (Deut. 32:22). This figurative language implies that there are divisions or distinctions within Sheol. While this is not clearly stated in the Old Testament, there seems to be some kind of distinction within Sheol. Later rabbinic writers clearly taught that Sheol had two sections. The righteous were in bliss in one section while the wicked were in torment in the other.
6) the condition of those in Sheol is described in the following ways: At death man becomes a rephaim, i.e., a "ghost, "shade," or "disembodied spirit" according to Job 26:5; Ps. 88:10; Prov. 2:18; 9:18; 21:16; Isa. 14:9; 26:14,19. Instead of describing man as passing into nonexistence, the Old Testament states that man becomes a disembodied spirit. The usage of the word rephaim establishes this truth. Langenscheidt's Hebrew-English Dictionary to the Old Testament (p.324) defines rephaim as referring to the "departed spirits, Hades." Brown, Driver and Briggs (p.952) define rephaim as "Hades, ghosts...name of dead in Sheol." Keil and Delitzsch define rephaim as referring to "those who are bodiless in the state after death." This concept is carried on into the New Testament in such places as Luke 24:37-39. A belief in "ghosts" necessarily entails a belief that man survives the death of the body. Those in Sheol are pictured as conversing with each other and even making moral judgments on the lifestyle of new arrivals (Isa. 14:9-20; 44:23; Ezek. 32:21). They are thus conscious entities while in Sheol.
7) God's judgment upon the wicked does not cease when the wicked die in their sins. Thus some of the spirits in Sheol experience the following: a. God's anger (Deut. 32:22): According to Moses, the wicked experience the fire of YHWH's anger in the "lowest part of Sheol." This passage would make no sense if the wicked are nonexistent and Sheol is the grave.
b. Distress (Ps. 116:3): The Hebrew word matzar refers to the distress that is felt when in the straits of a difficulty. It is found in this sense in Ps. 118:5. Also, the word chevel, which is the poetic parallel for matzar, means "cords of distress" (2 Sam. 22:6; Ps. 18:6).
c. Writhing in pain (Job 26:5): The Hebrew word chool means to twist and turn in pain like a woman giving birth.
It is obvious that nonexistence can hardly experience anger, distress, or the like.
Some Watchtower Doctrine to Be Noted
When the Watchtower states something as unequivocally from God they lose the right to then state that there was a misunderstanding of prophecy. When the prophets of old stated a word from God it always happened. If they stated something as being from God and it did not happen then they were put to death as a false prophet. No man is perfect but God's word is. If it is used falsely then that person is a false prophet. Study the history of the Watchtower closely and see just how far it was from God in the beginning and still is today.
Watchtower Doctrine:
1. The Watchtower Society claims to be the only organization upon
earth guided by God's Holy Spirit, and the only organization capable of understanding the meaning of the Holy Scriptures.(The Watchtower, July 1, 1973, page 402)
2. They claim: "That the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, is God's sole collective channel, for the flow of biblical truth to men on earth in these last days." (The Watchtower, July 15, 1960, page 439)
3. The Jehovah's Witness is taught: "That they must adhere absolutely to the decisions and scriptural understandings of the Society because God has given it this authority over his people." (The Watchtower, May 1st, 1972, page 272)
4. In order to gain Eternal Life, the Jehovah's witness is told that certain things are necessary - as follows:
a. They should study the bible diligently, but only through Watchtower publications.
b. They should attend all five meetings each week.
c. They should devote as many hours as possible to the ministry work.
d. They should only associate with other Jehovah's Witnesses.
e. They should be baptized. They are then told: "That all of these things, and more, must accompany faith, because the earning of the reward of eternal life, requires 'hard work'." (The Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1972, pages 491 through 497.) (Please Note:
Nowhere does the bible speak of Eternal Life as a reward but rather as a
Gift. [Romans 6:23: "The gift of God..."])
5. To them, and them alone, the bible is not a sealed book.(The Watchtower, July 1, 1973.)
6. The year 1975 would mark the end of six thousand years of rebellion against God. (The Awake, January 8, 1968, page 19.)
7. 1975 will mark the end of 6000 years of human history since Adam's creation. (The Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1968, page 494.)
8. In A.D. 1914, The Kingdom of God was to be set up in the earth.(The Watchtower, 1880, page 82.)
9. "In A.D. 1914, the Kingdom of God will be firmly established in earth on the ruins of present institutions..." also "He whose right it is to take dominion, will then be present as 'Earth's New Ruler'." (The Time is at Hand, pages 76-78)
I have included the date, page and location of each, thereby avoiding any possible refutation by Watchtower members.
The Watchtower's Attitude Towards The Bible
W.T. May 1, 1957, page 273 stated:
"Jehovah God has provided His holy written word for all mankind and it contains all the information that is needed for men in taking a course leading to life. But God has not arranged for that word to speak independently, or to shine forth life giving truths by itself. His word says, "Light is sown for the righteous" (Psalm 97:11). It is through his organization that God provides this light that the prophet says is the teaching or law of the mother. If we walk in the light of truth, we must recognize not only Jehovah God as our father, but his organization as our mother."
W.T. Oct. 1, 1967, page 587 stated:
"Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be proper understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind."
W.T. Sept. 15, 1910, page 298 stated:
"Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the "Scripture Studies" (Russell's writings) aside, even after he has used them, after he has read them for ten years...if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness."
In the Scriptures it states. 2 Tim 2:15; "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
We do not need an organization such as the Watchtower to tell us what the Bible says. All we need to do is read it for ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to give us understanding!
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