Although I know it is a small step, it feels real good to me to do a little something to shed light on this cult. I am going to put a few copies of this little fact sheet around and put a copy in the Kingdom Hall's door in the town I am going to this evening, Leesburg, FL. That way I know at least one Witness will see it, though I doubt he or she reads it beyond ascertaining that it is critical. Here is the copy I finally went with:
What you need to know about, "Jehovah's Witnesses."
All quotes will be from Jehovah's Witness publications which are held to be food given at the proper time by the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class of Jehovah, the Anointed which approve all material printed by the Watch Tower Society.
Jehovah's Witnesses are told in their publications to believe ANYTHING the Watch Tower Society/Organization says:
Qualified to be Ministers
pg. 156 -
"If we have love for Jehovah and for the organization of his people
we shall not be suspicious, but shall,
as the Bible says, 'believe all things, all the things that the Watch Tower brings out."
The Watchtower, 10/1/67, pg. 587 -
"The Bible cannot be properly understood
without Jehovah's visible organization in mind."
Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do."
WT.. 12/1/81 pg.27
The Watchtower, 5/1/57, pg. 274 -
"God has not arranged for [His] Word to speak independently
or to shine life-giving truths by itself.
It is through his organization God provides this light."
Jehovah's Witnesses are told by this Organization that they should avoid, and shun family members, even parents or children, if they oppose the Organization.
w81 9/15 29 If a Relative Is Disfellowshiped: "... Such a person is still related by blood or marriage, and so there may be some limited need to care for necessary family matters. Nonetheless, it is not as if he were living in the same home where contact and conversation could not be avoided."
Jehovah's Witnesses are told that not all people are "entitled" to the truth. Lying is OK sometimes, in fact telling the truth would be like "casting their pearls before swine."
Insight book, vol. 2, page 244: "While malicious lying is definitely condemned in the Bible, this does not mean that a person is under obligation to divulge truthful information to people who are not entitled to it. Jesus Christ counseled: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never trample them under their feet and turn around and rip you open." (Mt 7:6)"
w60 6/1 352 Questions from Readers ***
Thus the Scriptures show that for the purpose of protecting the interests of God’s cause, it is proper to hide the truth from God’s enemies.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe Jesus Christ is their mediator, or yours, nor do they believe that you or they, are in the New Covenant. Notice the bracket they inserted in their quote.
w79 11/15 Benefiting from "One Mediator Between God and Man" p. 2620 What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all."—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.
God first arranged for 144,000 heavenly ‘priests to our God to rule as
kings over the earth’ with Christ Jesus. (Revelation 5:9, 10; 7:4; 14:1-3)
Through them the benefits of the ransom will gradually be applied
to mankind over a period of a thousand years.—1 Corinthians 15:24-26;
Revelation 21:3,4. (par. 6)
The founder of the group now known as Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Russell, got many dates from the Great Pyramid of Giza and thought God placed it there:
"God [had] placed the Great Pyramid [of Gizeh in Egypt]" [WR Sep 1883 525] "We find it to be 3457 inches, symbolizing 3457 years .. Thus the Pyramid witnesses that the close of 1914 will be the beginning of the time of trouble .." {TKIC 1916 ed} [TKIC 1897 ed 342 stated ".. this measurement is 3416 inches, symbolizing 3416 years .. This calculation shows A.D. 1874 as marking the beginning of the period of trouble .." - but 1874 had passed.] [ The Finished Mystery, 1917 edition, p. 485]
The next leader of the Jehovah's Witnesses was Judge Rutherford. Here is a sample of his medical advice:
"Thinking people would rather have smallpox than vaccination, because the latter sows the seed of syphilis, cancers, eczema, erysipelas, scrofula, consumption, even leprosy and many other loathsome affections. Hence the practice of vaccination is a crime, an outrage and a delusion."
1929 The Golden Age 05 01 502
In summary, the Jehovah's Witnesses were founded by a kook who got biblical dates from the Great Pyramid of Egypt and thought God "Placed it there", another kook who thought vaccination was an "outrage," bought a house in San Diego and said Moses was coming to live there when the world ended in 1925, and the present day kooks who said the world was ending in 1975, not to go to college and who tell people it is ok to take fractions of blood but not blood. They tell their members who not to be friends with, who not to marry, who not to speak to, what medical treatments not to have and even how to cut their hair and shave, (short, no beards.) This group shatters families and tells children they can disrespect parents by shunning them, denies Christ is mediator and changes the gospel so that the New Covenant is not for everyone but only for a select few, 6000 out of all the earth today. I think these two scriptures apply to this cult:
Deut. 18
:21 And in case you should say in your heart: "How shall we know the word that Jehovah has not spoken?" 22 when the prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and the word does not occur or come true, that is the word that Jehovah did not speak. With presumptuousness the prophet spoke it. You must not get frightened at him.’
Galatians chapt. 1:
6 I marvel that YOU are being so quickly removed from the One who called YOU with Christ’s undeserved kindness over to another sort of good news. 7 But it is not another; only there are certain ones who are causing YOU trouble and wanting to pervert the good news about the Christ. 8 However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to YOU as good news something beyond what we declared to YOU as good news, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said above, I also now say again, Whoever it is that is declaring to YOU as good news something beyond what YOU accepted, let him be accursed.
My advice to you is: If you are a member of this group, research what I have said, see that it is true. If it is, then GET OUT. If you are not a member, whatever you do, don't join or expose your children to this group.