Since the days of Da Judge, dub leaders have scorned education and science. They have scorned scholars who have produced evidence that parts of the Bible are disproved by archaeology, science and well, just plain common sense. At the same time, they promote and praise scholars who agree with them, even if such “scholarship” is shoddy or even falsified.
I have been out of dubland for nearly thirty years and all in that time I have never once heard or read the terms “higher criticism” or “higher critic” even once. As a dub, I heard it and read about it all the time. A search on the 1997 WT CD ROM gave approximately 260 references to those terms, but a search of pre-1950 Watchtowers and other publications down through the time of Da Judge will not doubt reveal hundreds more. Every single use of that term in the society’s publications is pejorative and often slanderous.
The term “higher critic” is almost nonsensical. “Higher?” Higher than WHAT? If there is a “higher critic” there must also be a “lower critic” and even a “medium-sized” critic, wouldn’t you think? As used by WTS writers, the term definitely is talking about people who have the unfortunate arrogance and audacity to actually get a solid education, instead of remaining stupid gullible and braindead. Whatever the society’s current official stance on a “higher” education is today, it still subtly reinforces the thinking among the rank-and-file that college can mess you up and shipwreck your faith.
Let’s take a look at how the society vilifies educated criticism of the Bible and see how shallow and even childish their arguments against this criticism really is.
Keep in mind that the term “higher criticism” actually means EDUCATED criticism, but the WTS is too devious to state the truth, so they obscure it with a silly non-specific term like “higher criticism.” You as a reader should mentally substitute the word “higher” with “educated” as you go over these quotes. Doing so will help you see just how empty the society’s arguments are.
*** w96 4/15 18 Why True Worship Receives God's Blessing ***
7 A fourth requisite for God’s approval is that the true servants of God should uphold the Bible as God’s inspired Word. They would therefore not become victims of higher criticism, which attempts to reduce the Bible to a simple human literary work with all the failings that this would imply.
Here, educated criticism creates “victims.” You will note that the society frequently states that such criticism “attempts” to discredit the Bible, but they almost never show exactly why it is only an “attempt” and not an actual fact.
*** w96 12/15 6 The Truth About Jesus ***
The book The Real Jesus notes that many critics of the past did not consider themselves to be apostates. Rather, “they perceived themselves as the more genuinely Christian for having broken free from the shackles of dogma and superstition.” Higher criticism, they felt, was a “purified form of Christianity.”
“The sad fact is that Christendom has become a breeding ground for man-made tradition. “
“Fact?” I didn’t see any “fact?” Did you see a “fact?” The only fact presented was that educated critics of the Bible no longer are shackled by dogma and superstition, yet to the WTS that must be a bad thing, while being shackled by dogma and superstition is a GOOD thing!
*** w94 4/1 13 Divine Teaching Versus Teachings of Demons ***
In the world today, atheism, agnosticism, evolution theories, and higher criticism of the Bible are examples of falsely called knowledge, as are the unscriptural ideas promoted by modern apostates. The fruits of all this falsely called knowledge are seen in the moral degradation, the widespread disrespect for authority, the dishonesty, and the selfishness that characterize Satan’s system of things.
Well folks, there you have it: educated criticism of the Bible will make you a moral degenerate, selfish, a liar, an anarchist and a pawn of Satan. Who’d a’thunkit?
*** w90 3/15 13 'The Faithful Slave' and Its Governing Body ***
16 As the long period of Jesus’ waiting at Jehovah’s right hand drew to a close, it gradually became apparent who was giving spiritual food supplies to Christ’s domestics even in the time prior to 1914. Do you think it was Christendom’s churches? Certainly not, for they were deeply involved in politics. They had been willing tools of colonial expansion and had tried to outdo one another to prove their patriotism, thus encouraging nationalism. This soon brought heavy bloodguilt upon them, that is, when they gave their active support to political governments involved in the first world war. Spiritually, their faith had been weakened by Modernism. A spiritual crisis was brought about because many of their clergy became easy prey to higher criticism and evolution. No spiritual nourishment could be expected from Christendom’s clergy!
Here educated criticism of the Bible is portrayed as predatory to people’s thinking. Why can’t these people understand that people get an education and to extensive research and even devote their entire lives in a search for TRUTH and FACTS? If the fruits of such searches prove conclusively that parts of the Bible are wrong, then so be it.
*** w88 4/1 18 Christendom Exposed as the Promoter of False Worship ***
Many are ashamed of the Bible; they even ridicule it by means of their “higher criticism.” They claim that it is myths and legends presented as good literature.
Any sensible human being SHOULD be ashamed of the Bible. It is barbaric, and even the myths aren’t that good. Aesop was much better.
*** w87 2/1 29 Do You Have an Inquiring Mind? ***
They even abandon their belief in the inspiration of the Bible in favor of higher criticism in an effort to gain intellectual respectability. Political and social philosophies stressing personal freedom have led to an epidemic of abortions, widespread sexual immorality, drug abuse, and other destructive practices. Materialistic thinking leads most people today to measure happiness and success by their material possessions.
The thrust of this article is “if you have a mind that actually wants to LEARN something, then you’d better take steps to curb it and become braindead. Otherwise, you’ll become a materialistic, drug addicted, fetus-killing, promiscuous slut.”
Did you seen any evidence presented for such a harsh judgement? I didn’t.
*** w86 4/1 4 The Bible-Just the Word of Man? ***
Does all of this mean that science has somehow disproved the Bible? Or has higher criticism shown that the Bible is not the Word of God?
Yes it has bubba. Better get used to it.
*** w81 3/1 28 The 'Faithful Slave' Gives "Food at the Proper Time" ***
Down to the present time, the churches of Christendom have been infected by the spirit of this world, and by its materialism, evolutionary thinking, higher criticism and philosophies that deny Bible truth. Most have accepted the world’s immorality, fornication, adultery and homosexuality, resulting in the breakdown of marriage and family life, juvenile and adult delinquency, the spread of venereal disease and the increase of violence. The churches are involved in this world, upholding dictatorships in certain countries and actively supporting terrorism and lawless activities in some others.
Well folks, we have a few more little things to add to our laundry-list of what educated criticism of the Bible will do to you. To, “Victims, predators, moral degenerate, selfish, liar, anarchist, pawn of Satan, materialistic, drug addicted, fetus-killing, promiscuous slut” we can now add “homosexual, marriage wrecker, juvenile AND adult delinquent with venereal disease.”
See what getting a genuine education or reading works by those who have one can do to you? It is better to place the trust of your entire life and all life decisions in a group of gerontocrats, half of whom never even finished high school. Only THEY know what is best for you. How do we know they know what's best for you? Because they TOLD you only they know what's best for you, dummy!
*** w74 3/15 181 A Personal Gift from Jehovah ***
15 It would not be wise for a Christian to make it a practice to listen to false religious propaganda on the radio or on television, nor to have such literature come regularly into his home, thinking that this would equip him to refute unscriptural teachings. Nor would it be beneficial to study higher criticism, thinking that this would help him to talk intelligently to those who disbelieve the Bible. In order to be able to speak well, one does not study bad grammar but, rather, studies the rules of good grammar. If one knows good grammar, that which is incorrect will stand out. Likewise, if one studies the truth from God’s Word, that which is false will stand out. One who has an accurate knowledge of God’s Word will have no problem in refuting false religious ideas. But there is danger in feeding one’s mind on religious teaching contrary to God’s Word. The apostle Paul cautions us in this regard when he says: “Look out: perhaps there may be someone who will carry you off as his prey through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary things of the world and not according to Christ.”—Col. 2:8; 1 Cor. 10:12.
The society’s argument here is basically this, “it is not necessary for you to have all the facts from all sources before you make your decision. Just listen to us. If you don’t listen to just us, you’ll get all messed up.” I thought the “grammar” analogy was particularly pathetic, by the way.
*** w74 12/15 760 Benefits and Rewards from Being Spiritually Secure ***
Among the spiritually harmful “plagues” that now infest the citylike world are such contagious things as nationalism, fanatical patriotism, the teaching of evolution as a fact, selfish materialism, drug abuse, the blood transfusion craze, spiritistic practices, the modern “new sexual morality,” the love of pleasures rather than love of God, religious sectarianism, “Higher Criticism” of the Bible, worship of the “sacred cow” of science, also the worship of the political “wild beast” and worship of its postwar “image,” the United Nations, successor to the League of Nations.
Dang! This list of what is going to happen to you for reading educated criticism of the Bible is getting long! To “Victims, predators, moral degenerate, selfish, liar, anarchist, pawn of Satan, materialistic, drug addicted, fetus-killing, promiscuous slut, homosexual, marriage wrecker, juvenile AND adult delinquent with venereal disease” we now can add “worship of the ‘wild beast’.”
Knowing stuff can certainly MESS YOU UP, huh?
*** w73 2/1 73 Are You Living for What You Can Get Out of Life Now? ***
There are authors, too, of books on philosophy, higher criticism, and so forth, with whom we do not wish to associate. If we read these books, it is tantamount to sitting down before them and letting them fill our minds with their ideas on life.
Never may that happen! Instead, sit down and fill your minds with hundreds of pages of mindless slaughter, child-eating, plagues, pesky demon stories, teenagers being shredded to death by bears for taunting an old man, incest and a God who has an unbelievable temper and such low self-esteem that he will kill you if you look at him cross-eyed.
*** w72 3/15 169 The Delight of Jehovah Will Succeed ***
. The same can be said of many books, such as Bible dictionaries and commentaries, which profess to be good friends of the Bible. The modern tendency is to lean more and more toward higher criticism, and to accept human reasoning and opinion, rather than accept the Bible itself as the final authority.
Don’t read those Bible dictionaries and commentaries, folks.
*** w71 6/1 332 Are You Waiting for "The Call"? ***
But they recognize the need for taking in accurate knowledge of God’s Word. They are not burdened down with years of fruitless training in philosophy and higher criticism, but their training and instruction for the ministry help to build their faith and adequately equip them to share the truth with others.
Don’t study philosophy and the works of educated scholars. Instead, stay dumb and sell those books for us!
*** w67 6/15 371 Firm in Faith Despite Opposition ***
22 In addition to all of this, a person’s faith can be weakened by what he reads and takes into his mind, dwelling upon “higher criticism,” relying on worldly philosophers. It should be remembered that, when we are reading a book, the author of the book becomes one’s teacher, and for this reason great care should be taken in selecting reading matter. When the source of such information is from persons outside of Jehovah’s organization or from those that may have crept into the organization for injurious purposes, such would be a good time or occasion to heed Paul’s counsel to the young man Timothy
Read our books. Don’t read their books. Simple.
*** w63 10/1 597 "Everlasting Good News" for the "Time of the End" ***
The common people of today have had their religious perceptions distorted by false religion, higher criticism of the Bible and science that is falsely called science, and so we cannot leave it to such people to look at the heavens and observe the things in the great expanse day and night and understand them correctly.
Of course not a shred of evidence has been produced to call science “false” science. Here the argument is “only we can look at the heavens and understand them correctly. Scientists can’t do that.”
*** w62 4/15 245 The Bible-Authentic and Inspired ***
Minds unprejudiced by discredited “Higher Criticism” and evolution can find ample proof of the Bible’s authenticity.
Yes, only minds prejudiced by the Bible with not other input can find ample “proof.”
*** w61 3/15 191 Are You Mature? ***
Among the very first essentials to gaining spiritual maturity is spiritual food, and that means studying the Bible and such aids as God has provided to enable us to understand it properly. There is so much to read and so much to study, there are so many meetings for which to prepare and to attend, that we have no time or energy for valueless things. Reading higher criticism is like nibbling at poison. Such a morbid curiosity may cause our death, spiritually and eventually physically. Reading novels is like making a meal on pastry or candy. It may taste pleasant, but good spiritual food is needed for spiritual health.
Don’t read stuff that is actually enjoyable and pleasant to read; read Watchtower drivel that sickens your stomach and makes you want to throw up.
*** w59 3/1 139 Warnings of Jehovah's Unusual Work ***
Jehovah’s witnesses do not speak to them their language, the language of the sectarian creeds, the language of higher criticism, the language of philosophy. Our Bible preaching is to the clergy a foreign tongue, a jargon of our own, like the uncultured language of barbarians.
You’ve got the “jargon of our own” part right. Dubs have more “dub jargon” than any religion I’m familiar with.
*** w57 6/1 342 How to Avoid Backsliding Today ***
On the one hand, destructive higher criticism of the Bible has become so universal that many of us modern ministers hardly know what we believe. On the other hand, we have become such worshipers of intellectual cults and clichés that we dare not believe any longer in the supernatural powers.”
Right. You are NOT an intellectual cult. You are a STUPID, anti-intellectual cult!
*** w55 1/1 5 Part 1: Early Voices (1870-1878) ***
Infidelity, higher criticism, evolution, spiritism, atheism and communism began to invade and decimate the great world religious organizations
Sigh. The list increases even more. To “Victims, predators, moral degenerate, selfish, liar, anarchist, pawn of Satan, materialistic, drug addicted, fetus-killing, promiscuous slut, homosexual, marriage wrecker, juvenile AND adult delinquent with venereal disease, worship of the ‘wild beast,’” we add “spiritist, atheist, and communist.”
*** w55 1/1 8 Part 1: Early Voices (1870-1878) ***
After two years of affiliation a testing occurred that brought about a parting of the ways. In 1878 Barbour began to fall victim to higher criticism. He published an article in the Herald—
“denying that the death of Christ was the ransom price . . . saying that Christ’s death was no more a settlement of the penalty of man’s sins than would the sticking of a pin through the body of a fly and causing it suffering and death be considered by an earthly parent as a just settlement for misdemeanor in his child.”
No wonder Chuck Russell didn’t like Nelson Barbour. Barbour finally started to make some sense!
So folks, the “indisputable facts” the society has neatly presented clearly shows that if you study the works of scholarly scientists such as archaeologists, linguists, paleontologists and astronomers you will end up being a:
Victim, predator, moral degenerate, selfish, liar, anarchist, pawn of Satan, materialistic, drug addicted, fetus-killing, promiscuous slut, homosexual, marriage wrecker, juvenile AND adult delinquent with venereal disease, worship the ‘wild beast,’ spiritist, atheist, and communist.
Better drop out of ninth grade, sell Watchtower books and save yourself all that grief.
Farkel