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The Apostle Peter, writing nearly nineteen hundred years
ago, identifies clearly the most tragic characteristic of a cult group:
destruction.
But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will
be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive
heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them bringing swift
destruction on themselves. (2 Pet 2:1)
Is the Watchtower a Cult?
One religious organization that has caught the attention of cult researchers
is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, usually referred to simply
as gThe Watchtower."18 Founded in 1879, this group has experienced
phenomenal growth in many countries around the globe. The current world-wide
membership is estimated to be over five and a half million.19
The Watchtower organization is well known for its evangelistic activities,
its unique system of theology,20 its predictions of the end of the world,
and its separation from many other religious and secular organizations.
Believers work diligently to present the image of a clean, godly, and
happy body of Christians striving to obey the teaching of the Bible.
Many cult researchers, however, cite specific problem areas that would
seem to clearly brand the Watchtower as a cult.
Devotion to the Organization
Jehovah's Witnesses are required to support, obey, and believe the Watchtower
organization as a condition to receiving God's favor. The following
quotes from Watchtower literature, spanning a forty year period (1957-1996),
will suffice in demonstrating this point.
If we are to walk in the light of truth we must recognize not only Jehovah
God as our Father but his organization as our mother. 21
Respond to the directions of the organization as you would the voice
of God.22
Put faith in a victorious organization!23
But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his efaithful
and discreet slave,' made up of spirit-annointed ones, to help Christians
in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives.
Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is
using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much
Bible reading we do.24
Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will.
To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify
that organization and serve God as part of it.25
Today, a efaithful and discreet slave' has been appointed . . . . Jehovah,
by his spirit, reveals deep scriptural truths by means of this loyal
slave.26
Loyalty requires that we. . . loyally uphold the Bible teachings found
in the Watchtower and Awake! magazines as well as all other spiritual
food provided by the Watch Tower Society.27
. . . being loyal to Jehovah's visible organization . . . Thereby we
will win his favor and will receive the prize of everlasting life.28
. . . how unsound it is to rely on human reasoning. . . stay by the
faithful organization. How else can one get Jehovah's favor and blessing?
29
Obviously the Watchtower society and its leaders have put themselves
in the place of Christ. The loyalty, faith, and obedience that they
demand of their followers can only be placed under the category of idol
worship. This form of religion has no basis in Scripture, though Watchtower
leaders do not hesitate to quote from the Bible in order to undergird
their authority.
One passage frequently referred to in Watchtower literature is found
in Acts 8:30-31.
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the
prophet. gDo you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. gHow
can I," he said, gunless someone explains it to me?" So he invited
Philip to come up and sit with him.
In this well-known story, Philip is led by the Spirit of God to speak
with an Ethiopian eunuch. The man was reading from the fifty-third chapter
of Isaiah, a prophetic passage which speaks about the suffering Messiah,
but he was not able to comprehend its meaning. gHow can I understand
unless someone explains it to me?" he appeals to Philip. The Watchtower
Society jumps upon this anguished cry of the Ethiopian eunuch and then
proceeds to apply it to every human being who has ever attempted to
read the Bible. gJust as the Ethiopian eunuch needed Philip's help,
you need someone to explain the Scriptures to you," they declare, as
they conveniently produce the latest edition of their Watchtower literature.
A careful examination of this passage, however, will reveal that the
Watchtower has ignored the most important aspect of the story. The reason
why the eunuch could not understand the Old Testament prophecy was because
he did not have a copy of the New Testament in his possession. In other
words, he had not yet heard that the prophecy had been fulfilled in
the person of Jesus Christ. After hearing the gospel from Philip, the
eunuch readily understood and confessed faith in Christ. One may therefore
conclude that the words of the eunuch, gHow can I understand unless
someone explains it to me?" apply only to those who have never read
the New Testament.
Manipulation of the Faithful
Watchtower history is dotted with several prophecies concerning the
end of the world. 1914, 1918, 1925, 1941, and 1975 are all dates which
the organization predicted would usher in the Millennium. With the introduction
of each new prophecy, Jehovah's Witnesses were strongly encouraged to
focus their energies on the work of evangelism and not the matters of
this world.
In 1966 the Watchtower published the book Life Everlasting--In Freedom
of the Sons of God. This volume assured Jehovah's Witnesses that the
end of the world would come in the fall of 1975. This prophecy was repeated
numerous times in subsequent editions of the Watchtower and Awake! magazines.
There was also specific advice for faithful Jehovah's Witnesses living
in the gend times."
Of course, there may be a tempting offer of higher education or of getting
into some field of work that promises material rewards. However, Jehovah
God holds out to you young folks many marvelous privileges of service
in his organization. Which will you decide to take up? In view of the
short time left, a decision to pursue a career in this system of things
is not only unwise but extremely dangerous. . . . Many young brothers
and sisters were offered scholarships or employment that promised fine
pay. However, they turned them down and put spiritual interests first.30
Yes, the end of this system is so very near! Is that not the reason
to increase our activity? . . . . Reports are heard of brothers selling
their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their
days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly this is a
fine way to spend the short time remaining before the world's wicked
end.31
Today there is a great crowd of people who are confident that a destruction
of even greater magnitude is now imminent. The evidence is that Jesus'
prophecy will shortly have a major fulfillment, upon this entire system
of things. This has been a major factor in influencing many couples
to decide not to have children at this time. They have chosen to remain
childless so that they would be less encumbered to carry out the instructions
of Jesus Christ to preach the good news of God's kingdom earth wide
before the end of this system comes.32
When 1975 came and went without any fulfillment of the Watchtower's
prophecy, many Jehovah's Witnesses came to the painful realization that
they had been manipulated. That realization moved one million believers
to leave the organization. For the ones that remained, the Watchtower
offered the following words of comfort.
However, say that you are one who counted heavily on a date, and, commendably,
set your attention more strictly on the urgency of the times and the
need of people to hear. And say you now, temporarily, feel somewhat
disappointed; are you really the loser? Are you really hurt? We believe
you can say that you have gained and profited by taking this conscientious
course. Also, you have been enabled to get a really mature, more reasonable
viewpoint.33
Loss of Life
The cover of the May 22, 1994 edition of the gAwake!" magazine features
pictures of twenty-five attractive youth. Underneath the photographs
are the words, gYouths Who Put God First." Only upon opening the magazine
do readers discover that the appealing photos represent young people
who died in obedience to the Watchtower Society's ban on blood transfusions.
In former times thousands of youths died for putting God first. They
are still doing it, only today the drama is played out in hospitals
and courtrooms, with blood transfusions the issue.34
From a Scriptural point of view, it might be possible to applaud these
youths as heroes if they had died as martyrs who were faithful to Christ
and His Word. However, a careful examination of the Scriptures and the
Watchtower track record on various medical issues will soon reveal that
the organization's policy did not originate from divine wisdom.
Past Watchtower Teaching on Medical Issues
Blood transfusions are not the first medical treat-ment banned by the
Watchtower. From 1931 until 1952 Jehovah's Witnesses were forbidden
to accept vaccinations, the reason being that they are ga direct violation
of the covenant that God made with Noah after the flood."35 From 1967
until 1980, organ transplants were forbidden, having been designated
as gcannibalism" by the Watchtower author-ities.36 At the present time,
both vaccinations and organ transplants are allowed.
In addition to vacillating positions on life and death medical issues,
the Watchtower has, in the past, published articles that exhibit a profound
ignorance of medical science. The following are actual quotes from Watchtower
literature.
Moreover, recent medical research has indicated in a realistic way how
blood transfusions may damage the individual's personality. According
to one authority: eThe blood in any person is in reality the person
himself. It contains all the peculiarities of the individual from whence
it comes. This includes hereditary traits, disease susceptibilities,
poisons due to personal living, eating and drinking habits.' Transfusing
blood, then, may amount to transfusing tainted personality traits. How
great the danger may become if the blood is taken from blood banks to
which criminals and other derelicts of society have contributed!37
Some say blood transfusions are harmless. Do you believe
that? For 40 years Robert Khoury was known as an honest man. Then he
was given a blood transfusion after a fall. eI learned the donor was
a thief,' Khoury told police. eWhen I recovered I found I had a terrible
desire to steal.' And steal he did. He confessed to stealing '10,000
in six robberies in three months. Khoury threatened to sue the doctor
who arranged the transfusion, if he receives a severe sentence for his
thievery.38
It has long been known that heart-transplant patients have a higher-than-average
amount of postoperative psychiatric problems. But it seems that the
same is true with regard to some other vital organ transplants, such
as kidney transplants. . . . A peculiar factor sometimes noted is a
so-called epersonality transplant.' That is, the recipient in some
cases has seemed to adopt certain personality factors of the person
from whom the organ came. One young promising woman who received a kidney
from her older, conservative, well-behaved sister, at first seemed very
upset. Then she began imitating her sister in much of her conduct. Another
patient claimed to receive a changed outlook on life after his kidney
transplant. Following a transplant, one mild-tempered man became aggressive
like the donor.39
The Bible does not speak of a symbolic or spiritual heart in contradistinction
to the fleshly or literal heart, just as it does not speak of a symbolic
mind, and thus we do not want to make the mistake of viewing the literal
heart as merely a fleshly pump as does orthodox physiology today. .
. . The heart is a marvelously designed muscular pump, but, more significantly,
our emotional and motivating capacities are built within it. Love, hate,
desire (good and bad), preference for one thing over another, ambition,
fear in effect, all that serves to motivate us in relationship to our
affections and desires springs from the heart.40
Anyone who dies as a result of allegiance to Watch-tower policy can
hardly be classified as a martyr. gVictim" would be the more appropriate
term to describe the tragedy of all those who have offered up their
lives on the altar of ever-changing Watchtower doctrine.
Distortion of Scripture
The Watchtower, in support of its ban on blood transfusions, regularly
quotes from Old Testament Scriptures that forbid the consumption of
blood.41 Reference is also made to a verse in Acts which encourages
Gentile believers to gobstain from blood."42
Quoted in context, however, none of the verses that the Watchtower authorities
cite has anything to say about blood transfusions or the use of blood
for medical purposes. Like the Pharisees of old, the Watchtower organization
has ggone beyond what is written"43 and has fallen into a form of legalism
that violates the spirit of love demonstrated in the ministry of Jesus
Christ. Jesus always put first priority on the preservation of human
life, even when this appeared to be a transgression of Old Testament
law. He allowed His disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath, stating
that gThe Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath."44
Christ also healed a man on the Sabbath day, an action which aroused
the wrath of the Pharisees. He responded to them by saying, gWhich
is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or
to kill?"45 Biblical Christianity always proclaims a Christ who came
gthat they may have life, and have it to the full."46 Cults share a
common bond with him who is known in Scripture as gthe thief." Commonly
referred to by the name gSatan," he comes gonly to steal and kill
and destroy."47
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