I also wanted to address the issue of religious oaths in regards this topic. The June 15th 2012 Watchtower article, which is quoted above, begins with this:
WHEN you become a dedicated and baptized follower of Jesus, you take a very serious step. Your dedication to God is the most serious decision that you as an individual can make. It is as if you are saying: ‘Jehovah, I want you to be my Master in every aspect of my life. I am your servant. I want you to determine how I should spend my time, what my priorities should be, and how I should use my resources and talents.’
2 If you are a dedicated Christian, this is basically what you promised Jehovah. You are to be commended for your decision; it was the right and wise thing to do. What, though, does your recognizing Jehovah as your Master imply as to the way you use your time? The examples of Noah,Moses, Jeremiah, and the apostle Paul can help us to examine that question. Each of them was a whole-souled servant of Jehovah. Our situation is similar to theirs. The decisions theymadewith regard to their principal pursuits can encourage us to examine how we are using our time.—Matt. 28:19, 20; 2 Tim. 3:1.
The Watchtower has all their members go through a public oath to the organization when becoming a "baptised Christian."
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization? Having answered yes to these questions, candidates are in a right heart condition to undergo Christian baptism.
The Book of Matthew has something to say about oath-taking:
Matthew 5 - 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
The above Watchtower quote is basically saying "Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made." They are saying that because you made a promise to God in a convention or assembly hall of theirs that you also made a promise to them. That's why they add in "God's spirit-directed organinization" to the baptismal vows. Yet, the Bible is clear on this subject as it states that oaths are wholly unnessesary to God. Rather, he wants us to use the simplicity of our yes meaing yes and our no meaning no. The verse specifically states that anything beyond such simplicity comes from "the evil one."
Further down the article you will find this image:
This is an actual scene from the Watchtower's fabrication of Noah's day. It shows him acting exactly like the Watchtower publisher. Preaching to people who are rejecting the message. Yet, for a Watchtower publisher their message is getting rejected, not because it's God's, but because it's an obviously false message. The image shows people in the background noticing what is being taught as if they are future prospects. The entire scene is a perfect example of how the Watchtower goes "beyond what is written" to suit their own organizational procedures.
The article first asserts that the Watchtower has total authority to tell you what to do, IF you have sworn an oath to them, and then uses a false teaching to make you bow down to. Because IF you believe this tripe, you are engaging in an act of idolatry. You are bowing down to the Image of the Beast erected by a false prophet seeking adoration and worship over the True God. Since Christ IS truth, worshipping a lie is the only way around.
-Sab
