Conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness

In August of 2006, I wrote an article which was printed in the Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. This article led to an e-mail conversation with a Jehovah’s Witness believer. In order to give some context to the conversation, the original article is copied below. Following that is the conversation.

Disagreement Needn’t Lead to Destruction
I have my own personal point of view when it comes to the hot button issues of things like abortion, religion in the public square, evolution, homosexual marriage, the “right to die,” and so on. In fact, I don’t make any bones about the fact that I am an Evangelical Christian and believe that God is an objective person who has personally revealed himself to mankind in a way that allows us to know who he is, what he is like, and his purpose and will for mankind. On top of that, I don’t mind asserting and debating my beliefs with people who don’t agree with me. But I also have a very strong sense that it is possible for people to disagree without feeling like we have to destroy each other.

I am absolutely convinced that what I believe is right and that opposing viewpoints are wrong. But so are you and everyone else. And we live our lives based on our understanding. It is just that these days, people seem determined to make their view dominate regardless of the will of the majority. If we happen to be on the minority side we ought to advocate for our position and work for change, but not in a way that breaks down society.

I can’t fix intolerance for opposing viewpoints, but let me at least contribute a way to better understand one another. There are many different belief systems, but every one emerges out of only four foundational worldviews. Each worldview represents the way that people organize reality. It is easy to see that others believe differently than we do. But for most, it is hard to imagine that others understand the actual nature of reality differently. This is important because each belief system leads to different conclusions about how we should view, and make policy for, the hot button issues. First, a quick look at the four worldviews.

Naturalism is the belief that only material reality exists – no God or spiritual existence. The implication is that morality becomes strictly man made. Naturalistic belief systems include existentialism, secular humanism, atheism, much of postmodernism, and others.

Animism sees reality to have separate material and spiritual parts which interact in a symbiotic relationship. The spiritual gods manifest themselves in physical nature. The implication is that people tend to live completely “in the present” for the purpose of appeasing and manipulating the spirits. Animistic religions include Shinto, Wicca, Voodoo, and various forms of paganism.

Far Eastern Thought understands reality as a totally impersonal cosmos which is moving toward unity. All of material reality is seen to be an illusion. The implication is a passivism which asserts that we can’t objectively know anything. Far Eastern systems include Hinduism, Buddhism, elements of New Age, and others.

Theism is the belief that there is a God. He may be personal or impersonal. Theistic systems usually depend on some kind of revelation as their authority source, and the way things ought to be are prescribed by a written revelation or a prophet. The primary implication is that adherents should work to fulfill the morality specified by the authority. Theistic belief systems include Christianity, Judaism and Islam, along with many spin-offs such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Mormonism.

The specifics of any particular belief system can be gathered by finding its view concerning ultimate reality, material reality, human beings, death, knowledge, morality, and human history. Once these are known it is possible to examine what evidence there is to support the conclusions. There is no such thing as empirical proof for any belief system. But there is evidence for or against the validity of each one.

I believe that the Christian faith has the most coherent answer to the worldview questions and the most consistent evidence to support it. I also realize that other people disagree with me. So let’s fiercely argue the evidence, make our points, try to convince our opponents, and then respect the outcome that the majority decides. And if we don’t like it, work within the boundaries of civility to try and change it. The only way to avoid tyranny or the chaos of anarchy is to be willing to give that kind of respect.

Freddy Davis is the Executive Director of MarketFaith Ministries (www.marketfaith.org), author of the book Culture Wars and a writer and speaker on the topic of worldview.

[The conversation begins at this point.]

SM
Dear Mr. Davis,

In response to your article, “Disagreement needn’t lead to destruction”, may I take a moment of your time to respond. I agree with your viewpoint that disagreement should not lead to destruction or violence of any kind. But history paints a clear picture of religions being responsible for a majority of the bloodshed. The world wars of the 20th century could have been completely avoided if the religious leaders, especially of the “Christian Churches”, would have condemned their members to share in such destruction and devastation. But as you said, “… people seem determined to make their view dominate regardless of the will of the majority.” This seems to be true today, of the U.S. involvement in Iraq and other nations in the mid-east. I was particularly interested in your next statement, “… If we happen to be on the minority side we ought to advocate for our position and work for change, but not in a way that breaks down society.” You said you are dedicated to your beliefs, which are mainstream Christian teachings. You also stated you believe “… the Christian faith has the most coherent answer to the worldview questions and the most consistent evidence to support it.”

Of course this is where I differ with you as stated above, Christianity has been supporting war and bloodshed by offering their young men and women to be sacrificed for political and religious gain. I am one of those who was offered but survived the ultimate price. At the time I was taught it was my duty to this country and to God, so I allowed my belief in God to include taking the lives of others who did not agree with my country or religion. (Vietnam 1970 – 173rd Airborne Brigade) This was confirmed one day in the Central Highlands when a priest came out to our re-supply LZ and offered mass. His closing remarks are burned in my brain. “Gentlemen, may God Bless you, now go out and get a few.” (kill VC)

The confusion and arguments over religious teaching especially within Christendom was over-whelming to me. I decided in 1980 to seriously investigate. Since I hold the same view that the teachings of Christ are the foundation for world peace, (not church teachings) I set out to prove to myself there are answers to be found. The history of Christianity was a fascinating saga of power hungry men and women using everything from murder to genocide to promote their own interests before the teachings of Christ. (your affiliation is no doubt a “spin-off” from the early princes of Rome. The actual Bible was locked away for over a thousand years to prevent the common people to form their own understanding of what it “really” teaches. This is the key to power. Yes I am afraid your evangelical background is also involved in mis-guiding the common people to hold to church teachings and not what the Bible says.

To mention some of the biggies, that are church teaching carved in stone which the Bible has very clearly disowned include: (Godhead of the Trinity, Immortal Soul and Hell fire, Use of images in worship, praying to saints, Being involved in worldly affairs, and a Clergy class). I know.

I know. You disagree. But you are not disagreeing with me, you are arguing what the Bible really teaches. So my point to make to you is this: In your study of the scriptures you may come across a verse that says in effect .. “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” Or “.. he is misleading the entire inhabited Earth.” No matter how hard you want to believe in your man made doctrines and beliefs in non-scriptural excuses for continuing to support bloodshed, your will never change the change the fate of this world. Satan is in the driver seat and he is on a course of destruction and madness. He is mad, because he knows his time is short.

But that does not mean there is no hope. Dan 2:44 explains God will set up a Kingdom that will do away with all the existing governments and religions on the entire earth (including your government and your religion) and only His Kingdom ruled by His son Jesus will exist. Who will he be ruling. 1 John 5:17-19 ….. only those doing the will of God remain for ever. Who are doing the will of God? Who are the meek who will inherit the Earth? Psalm 27:11 I invite you to respond for answers not for arguments. You may just find that a spin-off is not a write-off. Thank you for your time and consideration.

SM

Freddy Davis
Dear SM,

I will be glad to dialogue with you, but before I do, I would like to have a little more information about where you are coming from as relates to your belief system. You seem to want to use the Bible, yet you set aside the Christian church. It is a bit difficult to dialogue with a ghost. So, just what is your doctrine?

Freddy

SM
Dear Mr. Davis,
Thank you for your response. Yes my entire belief is based on what the Bible teaches. I do not follow a man-made doctrine formulated by Church traditions and theology. When I started my quest for the truth I personally called twenty “Christian” churches listed in the Saturday paper to ask simple questions about basic Bible teachings. The results of my research were a total failure. Only three out of twenty attempted to answer my questions, but one out of three used a Bible. If I were to place an ad in the paper to invite anyone to contact me for Biblical guidance, my first question would not be to ask the person about their identity or affiliation. I would simply listen to their question and respond according to what the Bible teaches.

Yes, I set aside the “Christian Church”, because there is no such thing. There are organizations that call themselves “Christian”, but the thousand or so organizations using the “Christian” identity are not one worldwide organization devoted to doing the will of God on Earth. This is in direct opposition of the Apostle Paul’s words at (1Cor. 1:10)

Yet I continued to reason that there had to be one organized effort on Earth, united in worship and works and had to be recognized worldwide. The Bible clearly teaches the followers of Jesus would be identified as being no part of this world, (John 17:14) and they are clearly identified and separated from those who use the name of Christ in an unapproved way. (Mat. 7:21,22)

The necessity for a united worldwide organization is required in order to declare the good news of the Kingdom over the entire Earth, (Luke 4:43) especially during our day. (Mat. 24:14) This message must be of one mind and thought and completely in agreement with the Bible. Otherwise there would be total confusion, which is what the “Christian Churches” are responsible for now. The Bible compares the world of religions as a harlot. The name of the harlot found in Rev. 17 is Babylon the Great. The name Babylon actually means “confusion”, which can not represent a God of peace. This religious empire is the collection of all Christian, Muslim, Eastern, Western, Jewish or tribal religions that have committed fornication with the Kings of the Earth.

So what worldwide organization is dedicated to preaching God’s Kingdom through out the entire Earth in unity and are no part of the world? (James 4:4) Can you identify it? If so will you join them? I did and I joined them.

I am a Christian Witness of the only true God, Jehovah. They – worship the God and Father of Jesus Christ.(in unity)
– accept the salvation of the ransom sacrifice of Jesus
– use the entire Bible as God’s word
– preach the good news of the Kingdom of God and explain what it is
– are no part of this world’s politics or affairs but obey the laws
– love one another
– apply Bible principles in their daily lives

No they are not a “spin-off” of Christendom” because they reject such unscriptural teachings. But their members do come out of all religious and social backgrounds. They learn and study the scriptures before being baptized and dedicate their lives to doing God’s will.

If you have a desire to gain everlasting life as the Bible offers, please consider Jesus’ words at (John 17:3). It explains that .. “everlasting life means this, their knowing you the only God and the one You sent forth Jesus Christ.”

Please feel free to reply. I thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely, SM

Freddy Davis
Dear SM,
I appreciate the explanation that you have given, but would appreciate more a straightforward answer. Based on the clues you throw out there, my first guess is that you are a Jehovah’s Witness. But there are actually quite a few different groups that are interested in unity and use the Bible as their source authority. Thanks for your response. Look forward to hearing back from you.

Freddy

SM
Dear Mr. Davis,
Yes. I am one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. By saying “.. I am a Christian Witness of the only true God, Jehovah”, I thought you would recognize what I meant. I apologize for the confusion.

Jehovah’s Witnesses were the only “Christian” organization that could answer my questions from the Bible. As you stated there may be other groups who are interested in unity, but the only one who have proven to remain united are Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Before getting baptized as a Witness, I spent over 2 years studying the Bible with them and asked many, many questions concerning what I was taught and what the Bible really teaches. I was so surprised at the simplicity of what I was learning, that the pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place. It was also amazed by the “scholars” of the Christian world and of the Bible, who confused the Bible’s simplicity with doctrines of faith that the Bible does not support. Such as the trinity, the immortality of the soul, and so many other doctrines and traditional teachings.

For example, the use of the name “Jehovah” has been rejected by scholars who claim the name is only one of many names for God, while at the same time admit that it is the proper name of God.
Jesus made every attempt to make His Father’s name known and told his followers to “… keep His name holy”. (Mat.6:9,10) That is the first line of the “Lord’s Prayer.”

The doctrine of the Trinity dishonors God by distorting the truth of the Bible. Many references admit the doctrine is not found in the Bible. For example:

The New Encyclopedia Britannica:
(1976, Macromedia, Vol. x, p.126)
(Also 1985, Macromedia, Vol. 11,p.928)
“Neither the word trinity or the explicit doctrine as such appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and His followers intend to contradict the “Schema” in the Old Testament (Deut). The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. By the end the end of the 4th century the doctrine took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”

The New Catholic Encyclopedia:
(1967, Vol. xiv, p.299)
“The formulation of one God in three persons was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated .. prior to the end of the 4th century …. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”

The Story of Civilization Part III: page 595 (Will Durant)
“Christianity did not destroy paganism; it adopted it. From Egypt came the ideas of a divine trinity.”

This is an example of the research I have done on this and many other topics that I was taught to believe as truth, but shamefully falls far from what the Bible really teaches.

But getting back to your editorial, I feel you have missed so much from your Bible study that you do not understand the meaning of the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached for over three years of his ministry. What is the Kingdom? Where is the Kingdom? Who will be there? Compare (Dan. 2:44) (Psalm 37:11,29)

You see Mr. Davis, there are only two organization in the entire universe, Jehovah’s and Satan’s. Gen. 3:15 explains this enmity between both seeds. Satan controls the entire inhabited earth and is misleading the nations. Satan controls governments and religions in order to keep them from learning or want to learn the truth about Jehovah, his Son Jesus and the Kingdom.

Well I can ramble on about these things but I will let you comment about your understanding of these things. It is a pleasure to speak with you and I apologize again for any misunderstanding.

Sincerely,
SM

Freddy Davis
Dear SM,
Thank you for taking the time to clear that up for me. I was fairly certain that was the case, but didn’t want to go off on any tangents that would have been incorrect.

I understand why you think that I have missed much from my Bible study, but at this point I must disagree with your conclusion. I have done quite a bit of study of the Bible, and I have also done quite a bit of research about how different groups interpret the Bible.

As regards the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, there are many things I find troubling as I look at your doctrine. You have specifically mentioned a couple of them yourself – the doctrine of the trinity and the immortality of the soul. Your assertions and the unreliable references you recommended notwithstanding, the Bible clearly teaches both of these things.

Of course, we could banter back and forth all day about the interpretation of various scriptures and the doctrines they represent. As interesting as that might be, there are a couple of bigger factors that discredit the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in my mind.

First is the problem of false prophesies. Deut. 18:21-22 clearly teaches that a true prophesy from God, spoken by his prophet, will come true. The Watchtower has, over the years, claimed to be the prophet of God and has made prophesies about the end of the world – for instance in 1925. There was a great build-up to this by the Watchtower for several years in advance. When that prophesy did not come true, a new interpretation was created to allow for it to be a spiritual rather than physical fulfillment. To me, this is rather disingenuous and points to a false religion. This is only one example of this prophesy problem. Others can be cited.

A second problem is that Jehovah’s Witnesses often claim that they use the Bible alone as their authority. But this simply is not true. In fact, The Watchtower has had numerous articles over the years which have stated that a person cannot come to the truth by reading the Bible alone. A person needs the Watchtower and Scripture Studies to know the truth. This is because these sources are supposedly the prophetic interpretation that comes from God (which also points back to the prophesy problem). However, I can’t think of any reason why the biblical interpretation of the men who write the Watchtower should be any more authoritative than my own study or that of others who have devoted their lives to understanding the Bible. Their only claim of authority comes from themselves.

I have many more problems with Jehovah’s Witness doctrine than just these, but I am not sure that there is any need to go further. If the source cannot be trusted, the conclusions are also not trustworthy.

I do, though, want to thank you for taking the time to write. If you, yourself, are interested in further exploring what the Bible says about itself rather than what the Watchtower Society says it says, I would be delighted to be your guide.

Have a terrific day,
Freddy

SM
Dear Mr. Davis,
Thank you for your honest reply. I understand the reasons for having such a negative view of Jehovah’s organization. I am aware of several incidents over the past hundred years that seemed to have a negative impact on the “authority” and “validity” of the WT. I can honestly say I have investigated these incidents and found many misunderstandings between what the WT said or did and what the opposition reported. I can only offer you my honest reply that after serious questions were asked, I was satisfied with the answers. May I also add that before my decision to be baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, I asked the same if not more questions concerning “true worship” and scriptural backing to their beliefs.

It is my opinion that opposition (to any organization) is usually from a source dedicated to promoting their own interests.

To compare the WT with other “Christian” organizations, one must honestly recognize a complete and “radical” (if I may use that word) difference in the organization and their members.

Let’s just leave the Bible alone for a moment and look at what I mean.
1. JW’s are dedicated in their worship – meetings and witnessing are one of the main reasons many people chose not to look further. They are always dressed in suit and ties and dresses, when other churches are attended by shorts, tees and sneakers. Does this really make a difference? I think it says a lot about a casual or serious attitude toward worship.
2. History can testify the difference between Churches of Christendom and JW’s when asked to take part in the bloodshed of other human beings, whatever the reason. Some may say that if Hitler was not stopped we would all be speaking German now. Well who did the Germans worship? They were attending the same churches of Christendom as the British and the Americans and other allied forces. So why did they fight each other? Because the churches remained silent and did nothing. Meanwhile JW’s were being jailed and persecuted in every country for not participating. In many countries they still are.
3. As a world wide organization they have a true brotherhood and they are recognized for the love they have for each other. This is not evident in the churches of Christendom.

Now as far as the Bible is concerned. Just following the simple Bible teaching, the churches of Christendom fail to listen and obey even the clearest laws. So many repeat the words of the “Lord’s Prayer” yet never think about what the words mean. “… Hallowed be thy name” – who is keeping God’s name holy in all the earth? Not Christendom! They took the name of God out of the Bible.

Or the basic ten commandments – do not lie, steal, kill, the clergy class is more guilty of these than the members. No Mr. Davis, there is no comparison.

The teachings of the WT are the same as the Bible. I tried to give you an example of what secular references say about the trinity, but you called them “unreliable references”. I really do not know what to say. I am sure Mr. Durant, the publishers of the Encyclopedia Britannica, and the Catholic Church would be interested in your criticism.

I do not know what your source of information is about what the WT said in years past, but I am certain they never said “.. that a person cannot come to the truth by reading the Bible alone.”

Yes, the Society warns about the danger of apostate teachings influencing someone to draw them away from the truth with deception and outright lies, which is what I am suspecting is the source of your information. I say this from experience.

May I ask you a question? Does the organization you are associated with claim to be the only true religion? If not, why go there? If so how do you prove it? Does your “church” accept all “Christian churches” as part of a whole despite the arguments and differences in their teachings?

Tell me what organization on this earth represents the only true God and the only true religion. Just give it to me straight, no song and dance, and how the Bible supports your decision. Now it can’t be any of the churches in “Christendom”, because they all serve two masters. I would be very interested in your answer. In the meantime I will continue to listen to Jehovah God and obey the teachings of His son Jesus, with the hope of living forever in the Kingdom that will soon rule over this earth.

As the Bible says, the nations shall walk in the name of their gods, but as for me and my household, we shall walk in the name of Jehovah.

I wish you well Mr. Davis. Thank you for writing.
SM.

Freddy Davis
SM,
Thank you again for touching base back with me. I certainly have no reason to doubt the sincerity of the JWs nor the devotion which they bring to their worship. But, as I am sure you will agree, sincerity and devotion are not criteria that can be used to determine truth.

I also have no doubt that you have investigated for yourself the things you said you investigated about the JWs and sincerely arrived at the conclusions you did. As for me, my investigation has brought me to a different conclusion. And there is no need to be condescending towards me simply because there have been people who call themselves Christians in the past (and even in the present) who have not measured up the standards that God put forth. I am not unaware of many of the internal struggles within the JW organization itself with cases of child and spouse abuse as well as other problems. I know there are bad apples in every barrel, but it is no more valid for you to use that as reason for saying the Christian faith is not true than for me to say that about the JWs. The reasons for our faith being truth or not are not based on those criteria.

Your use of Nazi Germany as an illustration of Christian teachings not being the truth also does not hold much water. You are certainly right that in general the Christian churches of Nazi Germany were not faithful in the way they should have been during that time (though there were many Christians who did oppose Hitler and did put their lives on the line to oppose the regime as much as they could). But that, in itself, does not prove the truth or untruth of the Gospel which they espoused. Right belief and right action don’t always go together the way they should. Even Jesus told his disciples to follow the teachings of the Pharisees about God but not imitate their actions because of that very reason. Also, Nazi doctrine was not a Christian doctrine, and Hitler persecuted Christians, as well as Jews and others.

Love and brotherhood are also not a necessary measure of truth. The Islamic terrorists who are diligently trying to wipe out all vestiges of Western culture have a great deal of love for their understanding of God and have a great fraternity of love and brotherhood among one another. This certainly does not point to their belief being truth.

Also, the claim by an organization to be the true religion is not a measure of truth. There are cults and religions all over the world which make that claim, just as the JWs do. They can’t all be true because they literally have contradictory beliefs.

Your idea that a single organization contains the whole of truth is also not necessarily a valid point. It is not an organization which represents the truth. God is the truth and he represents himself. And the fact that there are various groups of Bible believing Christians who have organized themselves into different organizations does not detract from the truth that salvation is in Jesus Christ, not in an organization.

You make a big mistake lumping all Christian organizations into the same boat. That would not be unlike me lumping the JWs into the same boat as the Mormons, The Way International, Unity, and The Children of God. You wouldn’t consider that right and I don’t consider your approach right. And your use of secular authorities are not valid (at least the ones you quoted) because the information that you wrote simply does not represent a doctrine that I consider Christian. Your approach is not invalid because it is a secular authority, but because the scholarship is bogus. If you want to criticize my theology, you need to do a better job of knowing what it is.

You were interested in my sources concerning JW’s teaching about the Bible. Let me give you some direct quotes.

“Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own. We would not have discovered the truth regarding Jehovah, his purposes and attributes, the meaning and importance of his name, the Kingdom, Jesus’ ransom, the difference between God’s organization and Satan’s, nor why God has permitted wickedness.” (Watchtower 12/1/1990, page 19)

“Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible.” (The Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967. p. 587.)

“Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.” (The Watchtower; July 1, 1973, pp. 402.)

“All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the “greatly diversified wisdom of God” can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.” (The Watchtower; 10/1/1994; p. 8.)

I don’t dispute that JW derives its teachings from the Bible. My point is that the particular interpretation that JW makes regarding the Bible is not based on good scholarship and thus they come to many wrong conclusions on teachings such as the Trinity, the understanding of the nature of the human soul, and others. And I do not accept that JW is the only valid (or even a valid) biblical interpreter. Why should I? I think they get it wrong.

I recognize that you trust JW to lead you correctly down the path to eternal life. I am not willing to put that kind of trust in any organization. I read and study the Bible (God’s revelation of himself to mankind) and I interact in a personal relationship with God. I certainly do worship with a congregation of like minded people, but my relationship with God is not dependent upon that, and I would never claim infallibility for my church or my denomination the way you do. Truth is truth, regardless of who is being faithful and who is not.

I know this does not get at all of the misconceptions that JWs have about the Christian faith, but I hope this clears up some of the misunderstandings you may have. Thank you for your time and effort.

God bless. Hope you have a terrific day.
Freddy

SM
What is Truth?

These words were asked by a very famous political figure in response to a condemned prisoner. (John 18:37,38). The prisoner stood firm in his defense of the truth, saying that it was his purpose for being born, “to bear witness to the truth.” Then he drew a line in the sand and said, “.. everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice.” The politician reasoned in his heart that he could not pass judgment on a man based on his beliefs alone. The prisoner was not guilty of a crime. But the truth was not the issue. The politician’s concern was in the interest of his political career and keeping peace among the people. The prisoner was sentenced to death.

The man, Jesus, spoke on several occasions about the “truth” which he bore witness. He said of his Father “your word is truth.” This was important to him because he said his Father sent him forth and that every word he spoke was not his own but the Father’s who taught him. He also said that his Father, who he claimed to be God, is looking for those who will worship him with spirit and truth.. The truth was to be found in the man called Jesus who taught his followers the will of his God and Father. He also expressed the importance of this truth because, the truth would set them free. Free? From what? From the false teachings and religious oppression by the clergy and the ruling class. This distinction was made evident when Jesus clearly told the religious leaders that they were following the “father of the lie”. He said, “I tell you the truth, you do not believe me.” What did Jesus tell them? That he was sent by God! (John 8:42-46)

But they insisted that Jesus was saying that he was “equal” to God. Not God but equal to God. This is the charge that they used to put him to death. Blasphemy! Calling himself a King and being equal to God! Were they right? NO! They killed an innocent man. They did not want to hear the truth. They were sentenced to death much worse than the prisoner. (John 19:11)

The “truth” Jesus came to bear witness to, has not changed. These accounts were recorded for our benefit so the “truth” would not be totally obscured. Jesus and his followers warned about men who would lead believers away from the truth, and those who did not want to accept the truth would appoint their own leaders to “tickle” their ears with what they wanted to hear. Has this happened? Yes! Very many times since the death of the last Apostles down to our day.

Where is this “truth” today? If God is looking for people to worship him with “truth” could it really be left up to each man’s interpretation or imagination of what God requires? This could not be possible because God is not a God of confusion but of peace. (1Cor.14:33) Was there ever a time when there was only one God and one true religion? Yes. In the garden until the flood, then again from the flood to the tower of Babel. After that man (influenced by Satan) has created thousands of false religions that do not have the truth. But the nation of Israel, was the only true religion serving the only true God. Although they had the truth and God on their side they left him for their own selfish reasons and accepted the lies of the nations. Did their actions change the truth? No. God’s will can not be turned back. That is why God gave up on the nation of Israel and turned to the entire world, looking for those who want to worship in truth and obey Jesus His son and King.

Jesus appointed a class he referred to as “the faithful slave” who would be responsible for his earthly possessions. They would also be responsible for directing the only true worshippers and feeding them spiritually. The only people on the earth today to claim the title of this faithful slave are the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Mat. 24:45)

So Mr. Davis, I can only say that since your “.. relationship with God is not dependent upon worship with a congregation of like minded people”, and that you interact with God in a personal relationship only, then truth can be whatever you want it to be. But I can not for the life of me understand why you have copies of the WT all the way back to 1967. The direct quotes from this publication tells me you are not being truthful with me. Or whatever your definition of truthful may be. If you can accept what you are being taught or told to believe by those who belong to the father of the lie, then that is your choice. But if there is one true God, and that God wants one truth, one way of worship, then there must be one organized “religion” or “congregation of worshipers” to represent that true worship, then Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only one claiming to be do just that. (In the same way the nation of Israel were the only true religion) It is only through the true Christian congregation, not individual thinkers or politicians or clergy class, or power and money hungry wolves among the sheep, that God’s will can be done on Earth as it is in heaven. I know you don’t agree, but it was fun telling you the truth.

Good Bye Mr. Davis.
SM

Freddy Davis
SM,

To say I am a little disappointed in you would be an understatement. I really had a higher expectation of propriety from you than what you have spouted forth. Your insults and accusations certainly do not fit with the image that JW tries to project to the world. Is this the way you treat everyone who dares challenge what you believe?

I don’t have any idea what you are talking about with your insinuation that I have been dishonest with you. Remember, you wrote to me first, and your sole purpose has been to witness to me. The fact that I have been able to dispute your position and answer back with quotations from your own source authority is nothing more than good scholarship. I certainly don’t have even one copy of WT. So tell me, sir, how have I been untruthful to you?

I find one particular statement of yours very interesting. You said, “If you can accept what you are being taught or told to believe by those who belong to the father of the lie, then that is your choice.” Yet if anyone is accepting what you are being taught or told to believe it is you. I don’t have any organization telling me the only true way to interpret the Bible. You are the only one who falls into that category.

There is one thing, though, that I would like to clear up with you. I am sure that this misconception is the standard line of WT teaching and that you have heard it many times over the years. As a Christian, I do not make up the interpretations of scripture that I follow. (The only people who do that are people who make up their own religious doctrine – people like Charles Taze Russell. Where do you think he got his interpretation from?)

Your idea that anyone who interprets the Bible on their on is somehow making up their own truth is completely off base. It shows a total lack of understanding of the means of Biblical interpretation. There are principles of interpretation that anyone must follow if they want to find out what the text of any book means. I have studied and follow these principles of interpretation. And that is what other Christians do, as well. And since we are all looking at the same text, we come to pretty much the same conclusion. The fact is, it is no different, in principle, than what the people at WT do. Only you have a small group at headquarters who do all the interpreting and tell everyone else what to believe. The main difference is that they have a predetermined set of doctrines that they try to fit the Bible into rather than simply reading the text and interpreting what is there. That is the reason they put out the statements in WT (the ones I quoted back to you) that people can be led into error by reading the Bible on their own. Some of the doctrines they assert simply do not follow logically from a direct reading of the text.

I certainly don’t mind discussing these things with you, but I will not be bullied by unsubstantiated assertions from a source that you are unable to verify in an objective manner. I gave you my reasons for not trusting WT and you have not addressed any of those except to insult me. I am certainly glad that you had fun doing it. At least it was good for one of us.

Best to you,
Freddy

After this last post, I never heard again from SM. My only conclusion is that I hit a nerve, and that he was unable to adequately respond to my questions. It is quite unlikely that I changed his mind about his beliefs, but it is at this point, it is necessary to keep in mind that, as a single individual witness, I am not the only one who interacts in his life. Ultimately, the Holy Spirit must work in his life, and he must respond to the Spirit’s prompting. In this situation, I was simply one preparing the ground or sowing the seed.

© 2006 Freddy Davis