This is rather long and probably won't help to someone that is completely immersed but.........
The book The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life (p13) says "We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but also what is taught by any religious organization". The Awake of October 22, 1973 (p6) says "Reasonable persons agree that the only fair method is to examine the evidence on both sides, both for and against a disputed theory. That is how one arrives at the truth." The bible tells us to "make sure of ALL things". Not SOME things. The bible mentions the Bereans in the 17th chapter of Acts. Yes, they accepted the word, but not without careful examination.
Yet conversely you can also find the following sentiments within the society's publications: " Since our Lord has used the Faithful and Discreet Slave to convey to us the saying of everlasting life, why should we look elsewhere?" (Nov 1, 1987 WT p20). Or the Jan 15, 1983 Watchtower (p22) that says "Avoid questioning the counsel provided by God's visible organization".
I was calling on a return visit one day who had studied with witnesses in the past. He posed an interesting question. He asked, "why is it that you folks tell others you meet in your ministry that they shouldn't be afraid to examine their religion, their beliefs, their faith etc....because if their religion is true.....then careful examination should prove that. Yet when it comes to examining your own beliefs, you will only consider information that is expressly approved by your leadership? You're not allowed to look at anything from a former member. You're not allowed to look at anything that is critical of your religious beliefs. Even reviewing older publications that were written by your own members is frowned upon because it isn't up to date! That is hypocritical, isn't it?"
He made a very good point. I didn't want to look at anything that could be considered even remotely apostate, so I did just as he said I would. I refused to read anything written by apostates or anything critical of the society. But to prove him wrong......what i did do is research within our own literature. Our kingdom hall library had copies of some of the real old publications. I read the Divine Plan of the Ages and found that CT Russell engaged in the spiritistic practice of pyramidology to help him come up with the year 1914. I read Millions Now Living Will Never Die and The Finished Mystery. These were the publications that were produced right around 1919, when Jesus selected the brothers as the ONLY organization that was fit to be called God's.
Simply put, so much of what was being taught as truth back then was flat out dead wrong. Truth does not change. Jesus is supposed to have made his selection of the Bible Students because they were providing the RIGHT food at the PROPER time. There is no PROPER time for WRONG food. These publications were eye openers for me.
In the society's video Faith in Action part 1, Geoffrey Jackson is quoted as saying “once the people saw they were being taught falsehood, it was only logical to withdraw and not give support to religious institutions that were teaching falsehood.” Wouldn’t the same be true today? If I can pick out falsehoods that have been taught by the society over the years, wouldn’t it be logical to withdraw my support? If not, is the reason because the light gets brighter and I should be content to wait for such light? If that is the case can’t any religious order claim the same about their doctrines both past and present? Furthermore where is the scriptural precedent that says that Jehovah would send forth his holy spirit to direct a falsehood, to act as a makeweight, until the actual truth could later be revealed? Read Proverbs the 4 th chapter again. Read the entire chapter. What is it about that chapter that makes you believe that it is more than just a proverb? What is it about that chapter that makes you believe it should be applied as though it were a prophesy? What is it about that chapter that makes you believe it should only apply to the governing body? If the light truly gets brighter and the truths that Jesus approved as “food at the proper time” back in the early 20 th century can no longer be trusted as being “truthful” today, then how can I be sure that the “truth” I am learning today won’t similarly be regarded as outdated a few years from now? And if you cannot guarantee that the “truths” I am learning today won’t someday be regarded as “past truths” that should no longer be followed, then why should I or anybody else be subject to disfellowshipping for failing to follow them?
These are questions that nobody has been able to answer for me. In fact, I've been told that I shouldn't be "critically thinking about the past". But when the very foundation of my faith rests on it, how can I not?
