Is The Governing Body Committing Blasphemy?

I wrote this article a few years ago.  I think, in light of some of what they are saying at the Regional Conventions, it is worth putting out here again.  From what I've heard so far, the GB still has a problem telling the difference between themselves and God.

The Primary Doctrine

     A typical listing of the basic beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses (or their corporation, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society) is a laundry list of doctrinal matters: they do not believe in the Trinity, or Hellfire, they do believe in the coming destruction of wicked mankind, etc.  (For example see http://www.religionfacts.com/jehovahs_witnesses/beliefs.htm) This author believes the central belief of the Witnesses, the core of their religion, does not appear on such listings.

That belief is faith that the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses is God’s representative on Earth, and holds final authority over His people.

This chart, published in the December 15, 1971 Watchtower, is a clear expression of how the Watchtower Organization views itself.

God commands from the top, Jesus heads the Christian Church, and appoints the “Faithful and Discreet Slave,” of which the Governing Body is a part (now changed, see below)

The idea of a class of people called the Faithful and Discreet Slave (F&DS) is a convenient fiction for the Watchtower Society.  According to Watchtower doctrine, since Pentecost there have been 144,000 members of this class, selected and anointed by Jehovah to take charge of all his Earthly possessions.  Currently there are about 8,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses claiming membership in this class.

For decades the Watchtower taught the primacy of the F&DS in the Earthly hierarchy of Jehovah’s organization.  The Governing Body was their instrument or administrative committee.  For example: “Today, that ‘slave’ is represented by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses." (The Watchtower, May 1, 1992, pg. 31).    

The members of the Faithful and Discreet Slave Class have never met, or even communicated, as a body.  The Faithful and Discreet Slave never appointed the members of the Governing Body.  Until recently, the Watchtower did not want to reveal the concentration of power in a small group of men, or in the early days, one man. Therefore, it stated that Jehovah had given the F&DS class all authority.   

In the last few years, the Watchtower has de-emphasized the authority of the Faithful and Discreet Slave. Unfortunately, the change has served only to concentrate power in the hands of Watchtower headquarters.  For example the June 15, 2009 Watchtower states:

“Christians who have truly received this anointing do not demand special attention. They do not believe that their being of the anointed gives them special insight beyond what even some experienced members of the great crowd may have.”

In other words, only the Governing Body, or its selected representatives, speak for God.

This idea came into full force in the last few years. The April 15, 2013 Watchtower published this illustration, erasing the Faithful and Discreet Slave. The Governing Body now reports directly to God, who tells them what to tell everybody else. Interestingly, Jesus does not appear in this illustration at all, unless He’s one of the angels hovering on the margin. The July 2013 study edition of the Watchtower Magazine makes it clear, the Governing Body and the Faithful and Discreet Slave are one and the same. This change serves to place the Governing Body as the sole representative of God on Earth.

Extent of the Governing Body’s authority

A few quotes from Watchtower publications will serve to show how the Organization views itself.

Note: the following are representative of a large body of information.  The Last Popes of the Watchtower, a compilation of statements from Watchtower literature contains thirty pages of quotes on the subjects “God’s Channel of Communication” “Jehovah’s Visible Organization” and “Jehovah’s Prophet”. A few samples follow.

We must consider the Watchtower Organization to understand the Bible:

 “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. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organization in mind.”  The Watchtower, October 1, 1967, p. 587

The Organization will teach you everything you need to know:

“But in Jehovah's organization it is not necessary to spend a lot of time and energy in research, for there are brothers in the organization who are assigned to do that very thing, to help you who do not have so much time for this, these preparing the good material in The Watchtower and other publications of the Society.”  Watchtower 1967 June 1

The Organization provides Salvation:

And while now the witness yet includes the invitation to come to Jehovah's organization for salvation...”

Watchtower 1981 November 15 p.21

We must obey it:

“What, can we say, is the basic principle underlying the

movement of Jehovah's living organization? It can be expressed in one word: OBEDIENCE.” Watchtower 1967 June 1

In 1985, the Watchtower solidified its place in the believer’s life by changing the questions it asked baptism candidates prior to immersion.  Baptism as a Jehovah’s Witness requires one to answer the following question affirmatively.

“Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization?”

We now ask this question:

Does this structure have any basis in Scripture?

The Watchtower booklet “Should You Believe in the
Trinity” makes this statement in support of its claim the Trinity is a false doctrine. “The New Encyclopedia Britannica observes: ‘Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament.’”  (page 6)

A keyword search on www.biblegateway.com reveals the terms “Governing Body” and “Organization” do not appear once in twenty-five different English language translations of the Bible.  More significantly, the terms do not appear in the Watchtower’s own New World Translation.

Do Jehovah’s Witnesses accept that their central doctrine has no basis in scripture?  Obviously not.

The Watchtower cites the Jerusalem council described in the fifteenth chapter of Acts as evidence for a first century Governing Body.  According to the Watchtower, when a controversy over circumcision of gentile converts arose, the council decided on the correct course of action.

In fact, exactly the opposite happened.  Paul and Barnabas reported their preaching tour and explained that uncircumcised gentiles received the Holy Spirit.  Clearly, God did not require circumcision of Christians, as taught by Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  The elders in Jerusalem recognized this and changed their teaching accordingly.

In modern terms, this is equivalent to a pair of circuit overseers reporting an error to the Governing Body – and having the correction accepted.

No other Biblical references to any council in Jerusalem or anywhere else exist, no other central body exercised authority over the Church.  The meeting the Watchtower uses to justify the Governing Body’s existence was a one-off to decide this particular issue, not a pattern for the future.   

Additionally, the Bible describes qualifications for episkopoi (Elders) and diakonoi (Ministerial Servants) at 1 Timothy 3:1-12.  The Bible contains no similar qualifications for members of a Governing Body, or a means for selecting them.  Although the New Testament instructs Elders and Ministers in church administration, we find no instructions for a Governing Body.

Given the importance of the Governing Body – we can’t understand scripture, or achieve salvation without obeying its every dictate – one reasonably expects some instructions on its functions. The Bible maintains similar silence regarding a “Faithful and Discreet Slave.”

Abuse of scriptural support

Close examination of the Watchtower’s use of scripture to support its position reveals a disturbing trend.

I cannot find a scriptural source for the Watchtower’s assertion that we can’t understand the Bible without the Watchtower.  The Watchtower justifies this with circular reasoning: God is organized, therefore we are His organization; supporting this view by applying scriptures about God and Jesus to itself.

A favorite verse about obedience is Acts 5:29 in which Peter tells the Jewish leaders “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.”  Watchtower literature turns this verse on its head, Jehovah’s Witnesses must obey a group of men, the Governing Body, over the dictates of their own consciences, or personal understanding of Scripture. The Watchtower Organization turns a scripture about obeying God into a commandment to obey the Watchtower.

The Bible is clear that salvation proceeds from faith, not membership in an Organization. (Romans 10:9,13  Ephesians 2:5,8)  Yet the Watchtower insists that only by following the Watchtower can one be saved. 

The Bible explicitly shows that God will be our teacher: “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.”  John 14:26

Another favorite scripture of the Watchtower’s is John 6:68.  For example: "Furthermore, suppose a person was to separate himself from Jehovah's people. Where could he go? Is he not faced with the same issue that confronted Jesus" apostles when he asked them if they also wanted to leave him? The apostle Peter rightly replied: ‘Lord, whom shall we go away to? You have sayings of everlasting life.’" John 6:68 

Watchtower 1988 March 15

Although Peter speaks of Jesus, the Watchtower cites this verse as a demand for loyalty to an Earthly organization.

For millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses who do not profess to be of the anointed “Faithful and Discreet Slave” Jesus is NOT their mediator.  “So in this strict Biblical sense Jesus is the "mediator" only for anointed Christians…The "great crowd" of "other sheep" that is forming today is not in that new covenant. However, by their associating with the "little flock" of those yet in that covenant they come under benefits that flow from that new covenant.”  Watchtower 1979 April 1 p.31 Questions from Readers

The examples above are a small sample of the numerous instances in which the Watchtower applies scriptures speaking of God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit to itself.

Is the Governing Body committing Blasphemy?

“Blasphemy includes the act of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of God, or ascribing these to another person or thing” Insight on the Scriptures P339

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses exercises complete authority over its followers.  It teaches them, they must obey it, they are dependent on it for understanding and salvation, attributes and prerogatives of God.  By its own definition the Governing Body commits blasphemy by usurping the authority of God. 

The Bible warns against such conduct. “I know  that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among YOU and will not treat the flock with tenderness, and from among YOU yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.”  Acts 20:29-30 NWT

Jesus also warns, “Look out that YOU are not misled; for many will come on the basis of my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The due time has approached.’ Do not go after them” Luke 21:8 NWT

Is this not precisely what the Watchtower organization is doing? Demanding that we obey them as God’s personal representatives, while proclaiming (falsely) that the end is here?

People, believing they are learning God’s will for them from the Watchtower and arrange their lives accordingly. Here are two examples of the Watchtower’s leadership.

"If you are a young person, you also need to face the fact that you will never grow old in this present system of things. Why not? Because all the evidence in fulfillment of Bible prophecy indicates that this corrupt system is due to end in a few years."

“Therefore, as a young person, you will never fulfill any career that this system offers. If you are in high school and think about a college education, it means at least four, perhaps even six or eight years to graduate into a specialized career. But where will this system of things be by that time? It will be well on the way toward its finish, if not actually gone!"

Those words appeared in the May 22, 1969 Awake magazine, about two weeks before this author graduated from high school.  I am now retired. 

The May 22, 1994 Awake applauded children and their parents who accepted the Governing Body’s prohibition on blood transfusions.  The cover of that issue featured pictures of many children who gave their lives in pursuit of perfection in following the Watchtower Society’s medical advice.

So, following the lead of the Governing Body leads to poor choices in education, career, and health care. Does this reflect Godly wisdom?

I believe we have free will for a purpose, that we find our own path to God, or if we wish, not to take any path at all.  Any time we surrender our free will to someone – anyone – we give up a part of that God-given right, and gift, to be ourselves.

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses has made subtracting that gift from the lives of others its mission.  By accepting the dictates of the Governing Body, by adhering to the central doctrine of Watchtowerism, Jehovah’s Witnesses diminish their own lives.

I hope that my words on this subject will, in some way, lead Jehovah’s Witnesses to question their allegiance to a human organization in place of a relationship with God founded on truth and freedom.

 

A personal comment: Having accused the Governing Body of blasphemy, I feel a need to tread lightly about my own qualifications on the subject.  I am college educated in English and Business, and worked as an accountant. I have, however, been an avid student of the Bible for a long time. As a result of that interest I joined the Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1973, shortly after graduating from college. I stopped attending meetings in 1988, and disassociated from the religion in 1989. I continue to study and write on the subject of non-mainstream religions.

I am therefore (at most) an interested and informed theological amateur.  The foregoing is personal opinion, “food for thought,” not a professional analysis of scripture.

I make no pretense of speaking for God, or acting in His stead.  

Why the Watchtower’s Light Bulb Keeps Burning Out

Those who study the Watchtower organization know that it constantly updates its doctrines, replacing “old light” with “new light.”  The Watchtower uses a misinterpretation of Proverbs 4:18 to support the idea that it constantly receives new information from God, which supplants previously held interpretations.[1] The Watchtower never admits an error, it just introduces new understanding, even if it represents a reversal of the previous position. Today I will discuss what I believe are the root causes of this constantly changing understanding of the Bible.

The Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses claims to be God’s sole channel of communication to humanity. They seem to believe they must answer every question, and they can never be wrong. We’ve never seen the words “we don’t know” in a Watchtower publication. Clearly, this attitude is a recipe for trouble. The lack of a clear, consistent method of interpreting scripture compounds these problems.

Hermeneutics is the science of textural analysis, using grammar, intended audience, genre, and literary devices to discover what a writer meant.[2] Theologians applying these principals to the Bible also take into account what other scriptures say. The result is exegesis, extracting an interpretation of a verse.[3]

We never heard these terms as Witnesses for a simple reason, the Watchtower does not want individual witnesses drawing their own interpretations, and will not train them to do so. My wife once asked an elder how we knew the Watchtower’s view on a particular scripture was correct. He said (paraphrased) “Don’t be concerned about figuring it out for yourself. We have wise men at Bethel who have discernment from Jehovah to interpret scripture so we could just accept it.” In other words, don’t ask questions.

So the Watchtower always knows what the Bible means, except when it doesn’t. This is where the doctrine of “new light,” or progressive revelation enters the picture. According to the Watchtower, Jehovah corrects information by providing new understanding to the Governing Body. It cites Proverbs 4:18 “But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day,” to support this teaching. However, mainstream Bible scholars agree that this verse refers to individual growth, not a cover story for institutional error.[4]

There are two reasons the Watchtower needs the doctrine of “new light.” The first is simply sloppy writing and editing. As a well-known example, the Watchtower has flip-flopped numerous times on the resurrection of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sometimes they will be resurrected, sometimes not.  This seems to depend on the point the organization wants to make.  Because the Watchtower follows no consistent rules of hermeneutics, it can make the relevant verses say whatever they need them to say.  Furthermore, the author either doesn’t see a need to check his work against previous statements, or just doesn’t bother.

Secondly, when “old light” is clearly wrong discovering “new light” becomes imperative. This is apparent when viewing the Society’s history of false predictions about the future.

For example, the Watchtower had to redefine the word generation several times. When I became a Witness in the early Seventies, I learned that Armageddon would occur within the lifespan of the generation alive in 1914. I understood that this meant people old enough to understand world events in that year. Later, as those people died out, this became people merely alive in 1914. In 1995 it became people living in a historical period, in 2008 Witnesses learned the “generation” included all the anointed, dating all the way back to Jesus’ time.

The April 15th, 2010 Watchtower introduced the “overlapping generation” concept:

“What does this explanation mean to us? Although we cannot measure the exact length of “this generation,”we do well to keep in mind several things about the word generation: It usually refers to people of varying ages whose lives overlap during a particular time period; it is not excessively long; and it has an end. (Ex. 1:6) How, then, are we to understand Jesus’ words about “this generation”? He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed who were on hand when the sign began to become evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation.” (Emphasis added)

Note that this last explanation starts with its own definition of “generation” and offers no evidence to back up its statement about what Jesus “evidently meant.”  The writer engages in no hermeneutics at all, there is no presentation of any reason to believe this interpretation. The writer simply asserts what he wants the verse to mean.[5]

This leads us to a third Greek word, eisegesis. Where exegesis means to extract the meaning of a text, eisegesis means imposing one’s own biases and preconceived ideas on a text.[6] This is common in Watchtower writings. The above quotation regarding the overlapping generation is a good example. Instead of letting Jesus words speak for themselves, the author must find a way to fit them into the idea that the generation started in 1914.

My early Bible study with Witnesses (I joined as an adult) frequently consisted of learning how to explain a scripture that, on plain reading, refuted Watchtower doctrine. The internet provides many examples.[7]

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s stated purpose is “religious, educational, and charitable, in particular, to preach and teach the gospel of God’s Kingdom under Christ Jesus.”[8]  When the Watchtower continually changes its teachings, is its work “educational?” Unless and until the Watchtower incorporates the principles of good textual analysis, Jehovah’s Witnesses must constantly learn new teachings on old subjects, the old burned out bulb will always need replacement.   

[1] http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/light-gets-brighter.php

[2] http://www.theopedia.com/interpretation-of-the-bible

[3] http://www.theopedia.com/exegesis

[4] http://biblehub.com/commentaries/proverbs/4-18.ht

[5] http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/generation.php

[6] http://www.theopedia.com/eisegesis

[7] For example:  http://mmoutreachinc.com/jehovahs_witnesses/jw_twisting.html

[8] https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/watchtower-society/