Reading this today, in light of the September Kingdom Ministry Question Box, I think that
this chapter is very pertinent. As a matter of fact, if I were to publish this book, I would have
to adjust chapter 1 to include that Kingdom Ministry comment. If you are prepared to read
the entire thing, you will see many answers in WT literature that contradict their own request
that people stick to their own literature for their studies and avoid examining the NWT or
anything the WTS says.
I said in my last thread that I had decided to stop writing my book. I cannot continue
to feel comfortable telling JW's that there is a way to fade and retain family. The truth
is that in many cases, they will lose their family.
I am not debating that subject above. The book is permanently shelved. While I retain
the authorship of the following material for any future use, I post it now. That way, if
any benefit can come from it, it is available. I am debating with myself as to whether
I wil release an unfinished chapter 2. All further work after chapter 2 will definitely
never be released, as I feel strongly that I cannot recommend my path for many others.
Toward the end, for some reason, the JWD puts quotes in additional boxes. This doesn't
change the ease of reading, so I didn't try to correct this. Without making the post longer, here it is:
Fading from the Truth: Escaping Jehovah's Witnesses Without Losing Your Family Chapter 1- Have you examined “the truth?”
Jehovah’s Witnesses refer to their own religion and its teachings and practices by
the phrase, “the truth.”It is no secret.They use this phrase when talking to each other,
from their podiums in their meeting places (Kingdom Halls), and in front of thousands at
their yearly Conventions.It is such a common phrase that virtually all of their active
members say it and hear it every week, most on a daily basis.If one is raised as a Witness,
he hears that phrase throughout all of his growing up.If one is converted to the beliefs of
Jehovah’s Witnesses, the phrase is repeatedly heard as the conversion takes place. The phrase appears early on in training to become a Witness.The study book that
Jehovah’s Witnesses currently offer to people in their door-to-door work (field service) is
called What Does The Bible Really Teach?Chapter one is titled “What is the Truth About
God?” (Italics mine) The phrase “the truth” is found in that book 26 times.While not all of
these occurrences of the phrase refer to the religion or its practices, a search of the 2005
Watchtower Library CD-ROM (a database of all Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
publications going back to 1950 for Watchtower magazines and 1970 for all other publications)
shows that the phrase “the truth” appears 18,774 times throughout the literature.This includes
99 occurances in their own Bible version, The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.Included in the life stories of Jehovah’s Witnesses, printed in their magazines, are the titles;
“…I Found the Truth,” “I Finally Found the Truth,” “Jehovah Draws Humble Ones to the Truth,”
“…the Beauty of the Truth,” “My Escape to the Truth,” “Power of the Truth…,” and “Staunch
Fighter for the Truth.” What does all this exposure to “the truth” do to Jehovah’s Witnesses?Since the phrase is
heard and said so often, the members accept it as a fact.They are confident that the practices and
doctrines of the Watchtower organization are, indeed, the truth.They may say to outsiders, “That
person is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses,” but to each other, they remove such a cumbersome title and
say, “He is in the truth.”Since it is an established fact in their minds, anything new printed by the
Watchtower Organization is accepted as the truth.There is no room for doubt. Jehovah’s Witnesses are even told that there is no room for doubt.Notice this excerpt from
their primary magazine, “The Watchtower.”
WT, July 1, 1973 p. 402 par. 4 Praise Jehovah with his people Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah’s organization alone, in all the earth, is
directed by God’s holy spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this organization
functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word,
the Bible, is not a sealed book. Many persons of the world are very intelligent,
capable of understanding complex matters. They can read the Holy Scriptures, but
they cannot understand their deep meaning. Yet God’s people can comprehend such
spiritual things.
Most members of Jehovah’s Witnesses would never dare to question such authoritative
statements.Quotes such as these help people to understand that the average Witness doesn’t even
try to think and interpret the scriptures for himself, but relies totally upon the Watchtower organization.(This book does not contain debate about whether the Bible is the accurate word of God or not, nor
does it engage in theological discussions about whether Christ could aid the individual to come to an
accurate knowledge of truth.) In case they miss the message, Witnesses have been told that they cannot
interpret the Bible for themselves:
WT, Oct. 1, 1967 p. 587 par 9
Finding Freedom with Jehovah's Visible Organization 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 properly understood
without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind. Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained never to rely upon the Bible by itself, but to seek the
guidance of the organization’s input on every teaching.
WT, Oct. 1, 1967 p. 591 par. 3
Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his
king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every
aspect. We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his Word and channel of communication.
WT, Oct. 1, 1994, p. 8
The Bible- A Book Meant to Be Understood
Channel to Understanding the Bible
JESUS assured us that after his death and resurrection, he would raise up a “faithful
and discreet slave” that would serve as his channel of communication. (Matthew 24:45-
47) The apostle Paul identified this channel to the Ephesian Christians when he wrote
that “there might be made known through the congregation the greatly diversified
wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose that he formed in connection with the
Christ, Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:10, 11) It was the congregation of anointed
Christians, born at Pentecost 33 C.E., that was entrusted with the “things
revealed.” (Deuteronomy 29:29) As a group, anointed Christians serve as the faithful
and discreet slave. (Luke 12:42-44) Their appointed assignment from God is to provide
spiritual understanding of the “things revealed.” Even as Bible prophecy pointed forward to the Messiah, it also directs us to the
close-knit body of anointed Christian Witnesses that now serve as the faithful and
discreet slave. It helps us to understand the Word of God. All who want to understand
the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become
known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet
slave.—John 6:68. Since Jehovah’s Witnesses rely upon the Watchtower organization for their understanding of
“the truth,” I will make extensive use of the Watchtower literature throughout this book to help examine
the truth.A Witness believes that love for God means full acceptance of the Watchtower organization
and all of its printed material as absolute truth.Rejecting their material would be the same as rejecting
God Himself.Further, they believe that since outside materials are not from God’s channel of
communication with men, there is no need to read outside materials.The May 1, 2000 Watchtower
article “Firmly Uphold Godly Teaching” said that “…a superabundance of information has caused
problems.”“There is often no reliable way to verify that the flood of information is accurate and
balanced.”While discussing information provided by former members, the articles says, “Avoiding all
contact with these opponents will protect us from their corrupt thinking. Exposing ourselves to apostate
teachings through the various means of modern communication is just as harmful as receiving the
apostate himself into our homes. Never should we allow curiosity to lure us into such a calamitous
course!”Witnesses are forbidden to use research sources from former members, and they are cautioned
about research from others such as scientists, archeologists, historians, or theologians.That same article
says “the secular world is a prolific source of harmful idea.” … “Especially during this final part of the
last days, it is to be expected that Satan and his demons will saturate the world with harmful
information.” What is the Truth? If asked, “What is the truth?” Jehovah’s Witnesses will answer most likely like this: “The truth is that
which is firm, trustworthy, stable, faithful, and established as fact.Jehovah God is truth, in that His judicial
decisions, law, commandments, and word are truth.He cannot lie according to Titus 1:2.”Seeking an
answer elsewhere, Websterdefines “truth” as: (1) being true; specif., a) sincerity; honestyb) conformity with fact c) reality; actual existenced) correctness; accuracy(2) that which is true(3) an established fact. Wikipedia (online encyclopedia) mentions that “ there is no single definition of truth about which the majority
of philosophers agree.”In John chapter 18, Jesus told Pontius Pilate that he came into the world to “bear
witness to the truth,” but when Pilate asked, “What is truth?” there was no answer from Jesus. The title of
this book, Fading From the Truth: Escaping Jehovah's Witnesses Without Losing Your Family is referring to
the beliefs that are unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses.Yet, when you are finished reading, I hope that your
definition will be more in line with Webster’s definition.In one subtopic of a chapter in a book, we can
barely scratch the surface on what is meant by “the truth.”I will, therefore, have to be specific about which
truth will be examined. There are various opinions on how to define and identify truth.Even with Webster telling us that truth
is “that which is true,” I could make a statement and say that it is a true statement, but that just leads to
questions such as these; What is a true statement?Is it different from a statement made truthfully?Such
highly abstract discussions will get us nowhere. Some feel that truth is subjective and personal, that one man’s truth comes from his inner feelings and
thinking, his viewpoint.Many add that truth is relative, only defined by its comparison to something else.This would be similar to the abstract question, “What is beauty?”In subjective truth, different persons would
have different truths. Outside of philosophy, truth is not generally thought of in subjective terms.Truth is determined by
existing realities, based on facts independent of the mind.Most people think that truth is objective.Some go
so far as to say that only absolute truth matters."Absolute truth" is defined as inflexible reality: fixed,
invariable, unalterable facts.Absolute truth requires an absolute standard.This is the truth of which the
Watchtower organization refers.Even here, we can run into trouble.If I make the objective statement that
“Earth is the third planet out from the sun,” another person could ask, “Whose definition of ‘planet’ are you
using?”“Is it possible that there are other undiscovered planets between the earth and sun?”“When you say
‘out from the sun,’ do you mean in distance or a straight line?”With religious doctrine, it is no different.Whose translation are we using, and which ancient Greek or Hebrew meaning are we applying?The
Watchtower claims that our perspective on truth should come from the absolute authority of the creator of all
things.They teach that the creator determines what is right and what is wrong, and that the absolute truth we
seek is knowledge of His will for His creation.This is “the truth” that, unlike beauty, does not lie in the eye of
the beholder.It’s just a shame that we need humans to interpret what that absolute truth is, and to tell us what
they think God’s will is for us. I am still on my lifelong journey to determine what is the absolute truth, so in this book, we will only
examine the claim of absolute truth from Jehovah’s Witnesses.The concept of whether there is any absolute
truth will not even be discussed.That is too hot a subject for me.Most theologians of today who accept
Christ say that the absolute truth which Christ brought to the world was eventually turned into political dogma
to manipulate people rather than enlighten them, as was his original intention.I will not be able to prove what
is “the truth” but I intend to show you what is not “the truth.”Since the Watchtower teaches absolute truth, I
simply have to demonstrate that it is false or not absolute.This is surprisingly easy to do.It is only difficult
for an inactive member like myself to overcome my Watchtower training and be willing to do it.It may be just
as difficult for you to allow your mind to process it against Watchtower training.It is imperative that you
overcome that training and use your mind. I will tend to avoid doctrines or beliefs of “the truth” which are really ethical or moral values.While
Watchtower literature is chock full of statements like “Drunkenness is bad,” I will not be trying to prove such
statements false, as it is an opinion of the writers asserted to come from God.I implore each of you to
continue your own journey toward finding the truth, and in doing so, weigh the ethical and moral values for
yourselves.Opinions of writers are wonderful, but we should use them carefully.I started writing this book
because I felt that it is morally irreprehensible for an organization to force its opinions on its members.They
should have the entire truth before them so that they freely decide how to apply it in their lives. The average Witness at your door, or in your family or congregation is not intentionally lying.He is
telling you the truth and nothing but the truth, as far as he understands.That is why he can be so convincing.The untruths are coming from the organization, passed on as truths.Even there, often, truths are passed on
with untruths, with both mixed together with moral judgment values, to make them indistinguishable from each
other.I contend that you are not getting the whole truth from the Watchtower organization in virtually every
case.If you see the whole truth, it will cause you to reexamine what has been told to you, and you will clearly
be able to see that it is not “the truth” in an objective absolute sort of way.Once you discover that it is not the
truth, you will be able to see how it is the anti-truth, a mix of misleading truths and omissions of complete
facts that enables the Watchtower organization to control the lives of millions of people.In my opinion, the
average person calls that a lie. Is it Proper to Examine “the truth?” I am primarily writing to baptized Jehovah’s Witnesses.If Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained to accept
all the words printed in the Watchtower literature, how can they examine those words for truthfulness?If you
are a baptized member of Jehovah’s Witnesses, this is your concern, as it was mine.If you’ve not thrown this
book to the floor by this point, you have gotten past that concern, but you deserve an answer, anyway.Remembering that the Watchtower told us that “we cannot claim to love God, yet deny his Word and channel
of communication,” we learned to do whatever the Watchtower told us to do, unquestioningly.So if the
Watchtower literature tells us to examine “the truth” for ourselves, we may have been wrong not to do it
before our baptisms, but we can still correct that wrong by doing that examination now.Let’s read what some
of the literature had to say on the matter:
The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life (1981) chap. 2 p. 13
Why It Is Wise to Examine Your Religion The Bible informs us that “the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit
and truth.” (John 4:23) If our worship is to be acceptable to God, it must be firmly
rooted in God’s Word of truth. Jesus reproved those persons who claimed to serve God
but who relied heavily on the traditions of men in preference to God’s Word. He
applied to them God’s own words from Isaiah 29:13, saying: “It is in vain that they
keep worshiping me, because they teach commands of men as doctrines.”
(Matthew 15:9) Since we do not want our worship to be in vain, it is important for each
one of us to examine his religion. 5 We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by
any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teachings in full
harmony with God’s Word, or are they based on the traditions of men? If we are lovers
of the truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination. It should be the sincere
desire of every one of us to learn what God’s will is for us, and then to do it.
—John 8:32.
You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (1989)
chap. 3 p. 32 pars. 19-20 YOUR RELIGION REALLY MATTERS 19 The truth will not allow for all the different kinds of religious doctrine in the world.
For example, either humans have a soul that survives the death of the body or they do
not. Either the earth will last forever or it will not. Either God will bring wickedness to
an end or he will not. These and many other beliefs are either right or wrong. There
cannot be two sets of truth when one does not agree with the other. One or the other is
true, but not both. Sincerely believing something, and practicing that belief, will not
make it right if it really is wrong. 20 How should you feel if proof is given that what you believe is wrong? For example,
say that you were in a car, traveling for the first time to a certain place. You have a road
map, but you have not taken time to check it carefully. Someone has told you the road
to take. You trust him, sincerely believing that the way he has directed you is correct.
But suppose it is not. What if someone points out the error? What if he, by referring to
your own map, shows that you are on the wrong road? Would pride or stubbornness
prevent you from admitting that you are on the wrong road? Well, then, if you learn
from an examination of your Bible that you are traveling a wrong religious road, be
willing to change. Avoid the broad road to destruction; get on the narrow road to life!
Knowledge that Leads to Everlasting Life (1995) chap. 5 p. 51 par. 20
Whose Worship Does God Accept?
With a desire to please God, each of us needs to examine our worship to make sure that it is not contaminated by ungodly practices or that we are not omitting something that he considers vital.—James 1:26.
WT May 1, 1958 p. 261
Is Your Religion the Right One?
How can you tell whet her your religion is the right one or not? A simple way of
telling is to expose it to a test of God’s Word. If your religion is not in accord with
what the Bible teaches, then it is not in harmony with truth. It is not right. “And if they
speak not according to this word, they shall not have the morning light,” said God. It is
important, then, that you “keep testing whether you are in the faith,” as Paul declared.
Keep checking to see whether the things you believe are in keeping with God’s Word.
But the question is, Are you willing to put your religion through such a test? There is
nothing to fear, because if you have the right religion you can only be reassured by the
examination. And if what you believe is not in keeping with the Bible, then you should
welcome the truth, because it leads to light and life.—Isa. 8:20, Dy; 2 Cor. 13:5.
WT July 1, 1968 p. 389
Is Your Religion the True One?
If a religion is not in accord with what the Bible teaches, then it is not in harmony
with truth. It is not the true religion. (Rom. 3:4) You have nothing to fear in examining
your beliefs by the standard of God’s Word, for if you have the true religion you can
only be reassured. And if what you believe is not in keeping with the Bible, then you
should welcome the truth, because it leads to eternal life.—John 17:3. If there is nothing to fear in an examination of the truth, that would include examinations using the
writings of former members.Perhaps a few more quotes will illustrate that such writings are necessary:
WT Jan 15, 1974 p. 35
Can You Be True to God, Yet Hide the Facts?
When persons are in great danger from a source that they do not suspect or are being misled by those they consider their friends, is it an unkindness to warn them? They may prefer not to believe the warning. They may even resent it. But does that free one from the moral responsibility to give that warning?
WT, June 1, 1988 p. 7
Why Some Have Changed Their Religion
…we encourage you to make a serious study of the Bible. The Bible shows that all false religions are on a collision course with the God of the Bible. Like the pilot mentioned in the previous article, you may have to take drastic action to save your life and the lives of your loved ones.
The following was a letter in response to an article in the December 8, 1983 Awake! entitled “The Pope on the Move.”Notice the organization’s return response.
Awake!, August 22, 1984p.28 FromOurReaders ThePopeontheMove
Awake, Aug 22, 1984 p. 28
From Our Readers
The Pope On The Move
You all loved it, didn’t you? You couldn’t resist taking a shot at the Catholic Church,
could you? I will never forgive the way you mercilessly tore down the Pope. If
Jehovah’s Witnesses must refer to cheap shots in attempting to bring down other
religions, they’re in more trouble than the Catholics. M. C., Florida We surely were not trying to take cheap shots at the pope or the Catholic Church, nor were we criticizing Catholics. The Catholic Church occupies a very significant position in the world and claims to be the way of salvation for hundreds of millions of people. Any organization that assumes that position should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism. All who criticize have the obligation to be truthful in presenting the facts and fair and objective in assessing such. In both respects we try to live up to that obligation.—ED.
The Watchtower organization claims to be the only avenue of salvation for mankind, being God’s
sole visible channel for spiritual instruction.They should submit to any scrutiny and criticism, no matter
the sources, just as they have stated that any organization that assumes that position should be willing.In
saying “All who criticize…,” Watchtower is referring to themselves, so they “have the obligation to be
truthful in presenting the facts and [be] fair and objective in assessing such.”These quotes are not written
just for nonmembers.Everyone is urged to do the research and careful examinations, for their very lives are
at stake.We can say in agreement with the Watchtower that:
· If we are lovers of the truth, there is nothing to fear from an examination of our beliefs.
· Tradition or sincerity is not enough to be “in the truth.”
· A belief is either right or it is wrong.
· Persons who know of great danger to others are morally responsible to warn them.
The Watchtower asks potential members to scrutinize and criticize other religions.It asks them to
examine their current religion and to compare it to the Watchtower organization.It insists that even if your
family disapproves of your examination because of their beliefs, nothing should stop you.If members were
raised as Witnesses, or if they were converted as adults, they may have come to think that they should never
openly criticize or use human reasoning against the doctrines they believe.I am not encouraging the open
criticism at this time.Witnesses have learned that their own organization may remove them for doing so.Keep these matters to yourself for now.The elders in your congregation will not likely agree with you that
this examination is important.They will possibly say that the organization has already proved itself
trustworthy in the past, and that you should have done an examination before your baptism.They may say
that only the Watchtower organization is fully able to help us understand the deeper things of God, so there
is really nothing else available to check on them.“We are right, just ask us.”Does that sit well with you?
It is never too late.Join me in an examination of what was taught by the Watchtower organization.I will use their own standards to judge their statements and doctrines.After the examination, I will discuss
what many members have done since their examination.Know this along the way: “You will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)