You can lead an ignorant person to a library, but you can’t make him read a book.

I do not fault anyone for lack of education or knowledge., We cannot know everything.  However, we can always be willing to learn; willing to examine new facts, and consider differing points of view.  Refusal to challenge our own assumptions, to reevaluate what we think we know is willful ignorance.   

An abundance of information exists to support the idea that Jehovah’s Witnesses do not teach “the truth.”  As noted in an earlier post, I did my earliest research on the Watchtower at the public library.  The dozen or so volumes available to me proved sufficient to convince me to leave the religion.  That was in 1988.  Today the internet provides more information than anyone can absorb.  Typing “Jehovah’s Witnesses” into Bing produced nearly three million results.  “Jehovah’s Witnesses errors” produced 945,000.  While doing my library research, I constantly watched over my shoulder in irrational fear of discovery.  An internet search takes place in the privacy of one’s own home. 

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society elevates willful ignorance to a moral and educational virtue by discouraging such searches. My own experience provides an excellent example.

In 1979, the Watchtower magazine printed two statements on the nature of Jesus’ relationship to His disciples.  The first, a short “Questions from Readers” comment in the April 1st edition stated, “Jesus is the ‘mediator’ only for anointed Christians.”  The November 15^th issue carried a seven-page study article “Benefiting from ‘One Mediator Between God And Men’ that elaborated on this theme.  According to this article the “great crowd” of nonanointed Jehovah’s Witnesses benefit from Jesus’ role as mediator by associating with the anointed class.

At the time, I did not appreciate the full implications of these articles.  In fact, I don’t remember studying them at all.  I did not grasp the significance of this information until I began my independent research eleven years later.  So for ten years, I lived in willful ignorance of my own religions true teachings. Contrary to published Watchtower doctrine, I believed Jesus was my mediator with God. 

I’m not alone in this.  A few years ago, two Jehovah’s Witnesses knocked on my door.  From their age and manner, I believe they were Elders.  I told them that as a Christian, I could not believe a religion that taught that Jesus was only the mediator for a small group of people.  They told me the Watchtower did not teach that.  My response “when did that change?” confused them.  I told them to look up the 1979 articles and come see me again.  They never came back.

For many years, I lived in willful ignorance of the history and teachings of my religion.  Breaking free of that ignorance took time, hard work, and a willingness to challenge my own assumptions.  Some people, caught up in high-control groups seem unable make the effort.  Some people eventually do break loose from the bonds that hold their minds.  Having made the journey, I will encourage them whenever possible. 

A note about future posts. This post started as an analysis of information from this year’s District Convention Program, the content of which got me to thinking about willful ignorance.  I intend to launch a detailed review of the Convention program.  Stay tuned!