You will never win this argument with a devout witness by bringing up the wrong teachings and wrong understandings being taught in 1919 - believe me I've tried. Unfortunately, the WT leaders have successfully convinced millions that they (early witnesses) alone were "in general" doing what was proper in God's eyes compared to everyone else - especially Christendom.
As this weeks Revelation book study information states, "Like John, however, they [early witnesses] were used by Jehovah even before the voices of the seven thunders were fully published. They had preached diligently for 40 years before 1914, and they had struggled to stay active during the first world war. They had proved to be the ones who, when the master arrived, were found to be giving the domestics food at the proper time. (Matt 24:45-47)" - Revelation Climax, p.159, par 19
In fact, the entire 25th chapter of the Revelation book is devoted to this same subject where it is explained that Revelation 11:1-13 corresponds to the time period of 1914-1919 when all so-called Christian religions were examined and found to be deficient. Only the small group of Bible Students measured up and thus were "chosen" to be God's channel here on earth.
The WT leaders have convinced millions that their being chosen in 1919 was just a beginning of Jesus turning his attention to them exclusively. That certain wrong things were being taught prior to 1919 is irrelevant. Only the Bible Students, it is claimed, were "on the watch" and not involved with politics and the World War, unlike all others - especially Christendom. And of course, the WT leaders have iron-clad proof of their being chosen - their being released from prison in 1919 with all their lengthy prison sentences overturned. Their being chosen was only the beginning of a "refining" done by Jesus himself where little by little wrong teachings were corrected continuing down to this day.
So, you can't win by bringing up all the wrong things being taught prior to 1919 to refute their claim of being selected as God's only channel..
What you can do, and what I have had much success with, however, is attacking the concept of even the existence of a modern day Faithful and Discreet Slave class. By pointing out that Jesus words both in Matthew and Luke were not meant to be taken as prophetic, pointing to the development of a "class" of individuals, but were in fact illustrative of each person's choice (making him/her a "faithful" slave or an "evil" slave) then the whole "slave class" concept falls apart. Furthermore, nowhere can it be found that Jesus pointed to a modern-day earthly "mediator" as the only means of salvation (a role that is regularly claimed by the FDS). Instead, the scriptures make it clear that there is "... one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus..." (1Tim 2:5)
Finally, by driving home the point that there is no FDS feeding program anyway and that the Governing Body is the "channel" and does all the "feeding" while 99.9% of the FDS have no input whatsoever - I have had much success in convincing others of the lunacy of the whole FDS concept and the idea of Jesus selecting the small group of Bible Students in 1919.
