Tower Man,
Good interviews and sad too since the lives lost were sacrificed to the Watchtower and not to God. The next time this comes up perhaps you can add a little more information in them that will help JW's still ensnared by this doctrine. Their key text to support this doctrine is: Acts 15:19 Therefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: 20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.
What the Watchtower does not bring out is the fact that James and the thousands of now Christian Jews in Jerusalem many of which were also present at that meeting were still keeping the Law and believed it to be essential to their salvation. And now their worship was under attack by Paul, Peter and John since Paul convinced them before the meeting started Gal 2:1-10. James however was not convinced and did not want the argument to extend to them as he was also a law keeper so he put a stop to it with this letter. Paul unaware did not take it as a doctrinal letter but simply as their way to make peace with the Gentiles. And Paul did not take it to mean that this letter applied only to Gentiles and not to all the Jews present as well. He thought the matter was resolved for them all and taught accordingly. How do we know James deceived Paul? The reference to Moses and the sabbath for one thing. They were in fact trying to obligate the Gentiles to keep at least some of the Law. And men like James, along with the Jews in Jerusalem and in Paul’s territories would continue to keep the Law for well over 14 more years or until the book of Hebrews was written to settle the mater for the Jews as well. How do we know this? Because you will find this same latter mentioned again in scripture, during Paul’s visit to Jerusalem to confront them once again about it. They said to him at that time: Acts 21:24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. Can you see the restriction here that they put on it and the true purpose of this document? Paul did not have to prove to them that he was keeping the law because he wasn’t. And he was not teaching Jews to do it either. James was the one that was wrong on this matter and in demanding that he take this vow something JW’s do not do. And they were on the verge of having Paul killed which they tried to do a bit later. Paul was in trouble and needed time. It was his policy to become all things to all men in order to reach them anyway. It took the Roman army to rescue him from this incident. James we know finally repented and his letter shows that.
So Tower Man if you can bring this to their attention somehow in your interviews, perhaps many lives can still be saved and the unscrupulous tactics of the WT revealed to the glory of our Savior Christ Jesus.
Joseph