The Strange Logic of Jehovah's Witnesses

Doug Checketts (aka Farkel)

Although never specifically stated in official Jehovah's Witnesses' publications, the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society (WTBS) has conditioned members to believe that the Holy Scriptures are not clear and straightforward instructions from God designed to give any sincere seeker of Truth an understanding of God's Will and requirements for mankind's happiness and salvation. In doing this, the WTBS has, effectively, taken the mantle for understanding the Holy Scriptures upon itself.

Let us briefly examine some of the strange logic, which comes from this mantle of responsibility taken on by the WTBS.

God's Will Was Simple for Perfect Man, But Unbelievably Complex for Imperfect Man

When the first human couple was created, there was just one clear "don't do" commandment, and one clear punishment for breaking that commandment. This couple was created perfect with perfect minds, perfect bodies and perfect discernment, unlike their unfortunate descendents, namely, you and me.

For some strange reason, the WTBS has taught its followers to believe that the Bible, which outlines God's requirement for broken-down, DNA damaged, mentally inferior and dying, fallen humans, is a book of extremely complex, symbolic, cross-referenced combination of literal words intertwined with symbolic and figurative words full of hidden meanings, and mathematically "exact" prophetic chronology.

To make matters even more complicated, the WTBS has interpreted scripture by stating that one part of a sentence can have a literal meaning, while another part of the SAME SENTENCE is either figurative, symbolic, prophetic, or has TWO fulfillments (one in the past, another in the future). In effect, this is implying that our Creator has apparently gone to great efforts to make His Own Word for His Own Children as confusing (and even as "misleading") as possible, and that only the "spirit-directed", i.e. the WTBS, is qualified to understand and interpret His Word.

Who REALLY is That Faithful and Discrete Slave? Yes, Indeed, Who REALLY Is It?

WTBS publications state in thousands upon thousands of instances that the "spiritual food at the proper time" is to be delivered by Jehovah's anointed or spirit-begotten Christians. ALL anointed ones have received a special gift of the Holy Spirit and, by virtue of this, they alone are able to determine the meaning of the Scriptures.

The earliest anointed Christians after Pentecost were imperfect men, as are all men today. Because of this, they had disagreements over scripture, as do imperfect men today. But one advantage they did have that we don't was the privilege of knowing LIVING Apostles who (except for Paul) knew Jesus and his words and teachings firsthand. Even Paul, who did not know Jesus intimately while he was alive, must have had Jehovah's special blessing, considering the number of Books of the Bible he wrote, and the amount of respect he commanded among the various congregations during his ministry.

Now, the question is, regarding understanding the meaning of His word: Does Jehovah treat all believing anointed ones the same with revealing His Will through His Word, or is he selective about who gets to do that?

If he is selective, then the faithful and discrete slave is not the sum total of living anointed at all, as touted by the WTBS, but rather, selected members of the anointed, whose selection was personally directed by Jehovah. And if they are personally selected by Jehovah, then how do they KNOW they were selected by Him? Do they get an extra special "dose" of Holy Spirit in order to be charged with this most sacred responsibility? Has anyone in the WTBS who has been entrusted with scriptural interpretation ever given testimony to receiving such a special "dose" of Holy Spirit? If they have, I am not aware of it.

The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses tells the public and its members that the "faithful and discrete slave" is charged with providing all "spiritual food". In reality, all "spiritual food" is sanctioned by a dozen or so members of "democratically elected" Governing Body members. If hundreds or more of the other living, anointed, "faithful and discrete slave" would dare challenge (or even question) in a reasonable and scriptural manner ANY current teaching as espoused by the Governing Body, they would probably be immediately disfellowshipped. If such were the case (as it has indeed, been in recent JW history), the "faithful and discrete slave" (REALLY the Governing Body) would not even be "faithful" or compassionate to their own fellow-anointed brothers.

You Woulda Been Better Off if You Woulda Died Sooner

The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses states that a goodly number of murderers, even mass-murderers who have existed and then died over the centuries will be given a "second chance" at the resurrection and millenium. However, ALL living persons who have not heeded the words of the WTBS by the time Armageddon arrives will be executed and remain unconscious for eternity. "See you in Paradise, Jeffrey Dahmer! Sorry about your bad luck, Mother Teresa!"

Jehovah's Modern "Broker"

Jesus made it quite plain in his own words that no one could get to the Father except through him. The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses argues that no one can get to the Father OR Jesus except through believing and following the interpretations of the "faithful and discrete slave". It seems that the "slave", then, has replaced the Christ as "master" and as the doorway to the Father. (Don't forget get to use the "secret" password: "I ask this all in Jesus' name" each time you say your prayers, either!)

The Amazing "Disfellowshipping Addendum" to 1 Cor 5:11

First Corinthians 5:11 lays out six and only six types of conduct which would require a faithful Christian to avoid associating with professing Christians: fornicators, greedy persons, idolaters, revilers, drunkards, and extortioners.

The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses argues that there are many, many more reasons to disassociate from members than what the Bible says. I personally can name DOZENS more, because the amazing "disfellowshipping Addendum" to this verse has been regularly added-to in WTBS publications. What is strange, though, is that in my 27-year association with the Jehovah's Witnesses I can't recall ONE single example of disfellowshipping for greed. Can you?

"Organization" — The Word Jehovah Forgot in His Word

At or near the top of most commonly occurring nouns in WTBS publications is the word "organization". When WTBS publications talk about the "Organization" or the "Society" they are not talking about all anointed ones, nor are they talking about all members at the worldwide headquarters at Bethel. They are talking about the Governing Body, since ONLY the Governing Body is allowed to decide what information is to be dispensed to believers. The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses uses a word that IS NOT EVEN MENTIONED ONCE IN THE BIBLE to remind the faithful that they must obey the "organization" or face certain death.

Our Lord Can't Get No Respect

Why is the word "Society" capitalized in WTBS publications when it is referring to the "organization", while the word "god" is always in lower-case when the JW Bible refers to Jesus Christ? The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses uses the word "Society" as a proper noun, but yet uses the simple noun "god" when referring Jesus Christ. Since a proper noun is used to distinguish a particular or unique being or thing, why should the "Society" be elevated and distinguished from other "societies", while the SAVIOR OF ALL MANKIND is not even distinguished from other gods in the Jehovah's Witness Bible?

You Do It, You're Bad. We Do It, We're Good

For decades the WTBS has been quick to condemn the Catholic Church for its long abandoned practice of forbidding the rank-and-file to own a Bible, and later forbidding members to attempt to understand the Bible by studying it outside of the Church's direction. Currently, the Catholic Church allows private Bible study but still maintains that in order to fully understand God's requirements, one must obey the doctrines of the Church.

While it is true that Jehovah's Witnesses are not specifically forbidden to study the Bible without the help of any other publications, it has been clearly stated in official WTBS publications that such attempts will lead Bible students into spiritual darkness and eternal destruction. So what is the difference between Catholic policy and "faithful and discrete slave" policy?

My Concordat is Better Than Your Concordat

Along the same lines, the WTBS has many times condemned the Catholic Church for sending a Concordat (a proposed agreement between a religious organization and a secular government) to Adolf Hitler. During this same period in the 1930's, the WTBS sent it's own Concordat to Adolf Hitler, called the "Declaration of Facts". How many Witnesses have actually read both? As a child, I heard much about the "evil" Catholic Concordat, in which the Catholic Church in Europe allegedly made major compromises to Hitler, but I never saw the actual document ever printed in its entirety in any WTBS publication.

Also, I heard nothing of the JW Concordat. The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses implies that they never attempted to compromise with Hitler, while the Catholic Church "gave up the farm to him". If you are curious, read both of them, as I have. They are on various sites on the Web. You decide who "sold out" and who didn't.

When is a "Bible Study" a "Bible Study"?

The strange logic of Jehovah's Witnesses allows them to proclaim loudly and boldly about their offers of a "free home Bible Study", yet out of the many tens of millions of studies conducted in modern times, how many Witnesses and former Witnesses have actually given a "free home Bible Study"? It might be "free" if the student declines to purchase any literature offered, and the teacher then donates that literature, but is it a Bible study, or is it a "Literature Study" with the literature providing all the interpretation and logic and the Bible being used merely as a secondary "reference" book? I conducted hundreds of Bible studies in my 27 years as a Witness, but NOT ONE of them was, strictly speaking, a "Bible Study". If you are or were associated with Jehovah's Witnesses, did you also have the same experience? Strange, isn't it?