Being held responsible for taking correct measurements with a ruler does not entitle a person to define the ruler ( how long should an inch be .)
If my father asked me to take a measurement and my three brothers offered their six inch rulers and after a while I came to realise that they were all slightly different rulers I would have to decide as best that I could which one I was going to use or whether I would average it out as best that I could so that I didn't end up with something that was longer than it should be,
With that in mind. When I was a Jehovah's Witness there came a time that I had to decide whether I would continue joining those who had identified themselves as Christ's brothers in the preaching work or not.
I didn't feel that my conscience would permit me to do that. In coming to that decision although still holding to the my faith in Christ, his death and resurrection and living a Christian life I was not really a Jehovah's Witness.
When I was a small boy and was calling door to door with my father he had a long discussion with a woman who attended the local church. One of the points he discussed was the generation that is mentioned in Matthew and how close the end, Armageddon was. She responded that this was his JW interpretation. He responded that the bible interprets itself.
My father I believe was engaged in the declaring of the good news of
Jehovah's newly established kingdom and there was a message of
judgment. (Rev 19:17) He understood at that time from his study of the bible with the aid of the Watchtower publications that the Tribulation had started in 1914 and very soon Armageddon would come. In the Watchtower of April 1 1966 page 216 it mentions that 'persons who belong to a religion of Christendom should give more than the usual attention to this good news of the Kingdom being preached. That reason is that there is a judgement message that accompanies the good news.'
My father is now dead.
However some Witnesses came to my door shortly after and had a similar message.
One an elder said that it didn't matter if it was 1914 the Messianic Kingdom was born or some later date and the other one although raised as a witness hadn't in my view led an exemplary life having been disfellowshipped at one time and married a few times.
Standing on my door and effectively telling me that my family, one who attends church, needs to 'give more than the usual attention to this good news of the Kingdom' (as the previous Watchtower stated)unless the message has changed, based on Revelation 19:17.
The one who attends church is a doctor of theology and was raised with an understanding of Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs. So I think more that the usual attention has been given. However this one feels that they could not support 1914 and by the sounds of it the elder on my door was having a difficult time himself. This one has also led a good Christian life.
So I questioned them on who may survive Armageddon but they said they didn't know.
"Only Jehovah's
Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd,"
as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have
any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed
system dominated by Satan the Devil." Watchtower 1989 Sep
1 p.19
With this in mind I feel that our conscience must decide what we believe is Christian.