10 Years revealing secrets because there is no excuse for secrecy in religion (w1997 June 1) – Dan 2:47; Matt 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 12:2; Acts 4:19. 20.
10 Years revealing secrets because there is no excuse for secrecy in religion (w1997 June 1) – Dan 2:47; Matt 10:26; Mark 4:22; Luke 12:2; Acts 4:19. 20.
Written by Lester Somrah and published on December 25, 2022
This symposium features five (5) wreckers that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe threaten peace: Inappropriate Boasting, Envy, Dishonesty, Harmful Gossip and Uncontrolled Anger.
Each presentation starts with Biblical examples, followed by a reenactment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in social settings displaying one peace wrecker, and finally doctrinal advice on avoiding it.
In the public talk outline “Conducting Ourselves Honestly At All Times”, Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that:
What basically is needed by Christians is love of honesty and desire to be honest at all times (yp 214-15)
Hebrews 13: 18 indicates this, saying: “We wish to conduct ourselves honestly”
If Christian lacks heart desire to be honest, could fail under test
The heart motivation is there, helping conscience and mind to choose honest course
[We] Are helped to develop honesty from heart by knowing that in this way we imitate God, not Satan
Untruth and dishonesty originate with Satan (Joh 8:44)
Acting dishonestly-on job, at school, within family-means imitating Satan
Our God Jehovah is unquestionably a God of truth and honesty (Read Psalm 31:5)
He hates lying, perjury, and false scales (Pr 6:16-19; 20:23; it-2 874 16, 7)
One of the references for the above public lecture, The Watchtower, November 15, 1986 p. 11 par. 8, states:
It has been said that ‘honesty is the best policy,’ meaning that honesty brings practical results. But for Christians, the matter goes beyond that. For them, honesty is the only policy. As servants of Jehovah, they are obligated not to imitate this condemned world’s dishonesty—not for any reason. Instead, they must carry on all their activities in harmony with God’s laws. And his laws have not changed in this regard.
During the presentation Dishonesty of this symposium, Gajus Glockentin said:
“…Emily .. she painted an incomplete picture. Our brothers and sisters deserve the truth. But Emily didn’t relay that, did she? She was dishonest, something that can have a damaging effect, as we will see later. Jehovah wants us to put away this peace wrecker, dishonesty. He wants us to always be truthful, even in small matters.”
However, there is a caveat to this pristine picture of honesty that Gajus Glockentin does not state or mention – its called the Rahab principle derived from the deceitful behavior of the Bible character Rahab. The Rahab principle describes the religious practice of Jehovah’s Witnesses to misrepresent the truth, withhold truthful information, willfully and knowingly provide misleading information, especially to/form government officials, courts of law and the general public.
Below are a few recent examples of the Rahab principle in action. These examples are by no means exhaustive:
“That I think would seem to be quite presumptuous to say that we are the only spokesperson that God is using. The scriptures clearly show that someone can act in harmony with God’s spirit in giving comfort and help in the congregations, but if I could just clarify a little, going back to Matthew 24, clearly, Jesus said that in the last days ‐ and Jehovah’s Witnesses believe these are the last days ‐ there would be a slave, a group of persons who would have responsibility to care for the spiritual food. So in that respect, we view ourselves as trying to fulfil that role.”
The full transcript of Jackson’s testimony can be downloaded here and for further analysis of his statement, please watch “A Jehovah’s Witness Insists Geoffrey Jackson Did Not Lie to Commission”.
According to their handbook issued to new members, Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will (2015 edition):
“When it is necessary to disfellowship an unrepentant wrongdoer from the congregation, a brief announcement is made, stating: “[Name of person] is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.” There is no need to elaborate. This will alert faithful members of the congregation to stop associating with that person. (1 Cor. 5:11)” – p. 141-142
“What action does the congregation take when a person in its midst proves to be an unrepentant violator of God’s commandments? Responses should be based on “But now I am writing you to stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man…..1 Cor. 5:9-13.” – Interview Questions for persons wishing to be baptized, Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will (2015 edition), p. 193
“If an announcement is made that someone is no longer one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, how should we treat him? Responses should be based on the following scriptures:-
- “Stop keeping company with anyone called a brother who is sexually immoral or a greedy person or an idolater or a reviler or a drunkard or an extortioner, not even eating with such a man.”—1 Cor. 5:11.
- “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him.”—2 John 10. – Interview Questions for persons wishing to be baptized, Organized to Do Jehovah’s Will (2021 edition), p. 200
However, in their responses to the State Administrator in Norway regarding their lose of state funding from 2021, Jehovah’s Witnesses deliberately withheld the above references. Instead Jehovah’s Witnesses attempted to mislead the State Administrator and provide disinformation about their religious practice of shunning, stating:
It is therefore both unreasonable and very offensive to imply that believers do not act of their own free will when they choose to limit the friendship with former believers who now show so clearly that they disagree with their values and way of life……..those who belong to the congregation make a personal and free choice as to how they choose to spend their time with family and friends.
Jehovah’s Witnesses never informed their members, in any of their publications, that its their “personal and free choice” regarding their individual treatment of disfellowshipped persons. Instead, local congregation elders are instructed in paragraph 17 of Chapter 12 of the “Shepherd the Flock of God” (April 2022 edition), to expel any Jehovah’s Witness who continue to be friends and associate, with another disfellowshiped and expelled Jehovah’s Witness. This is a very clear example of Jehovah’s Witnesses “conducting themselves honestly at all times”, brazenly misrepresenting the truth and providing disinformation to government officials.
This four-part symposium discussed four ways in which Jehovah’s Witnesses believe peace can be restored and not wrecked: By Not Quickly Taking Offense, By Apologizing, By Forgiving Freely and By Using Our Gift of Speech Wisely.
Each presentation follows the same format as the preceding symposium “Put Away” Peace Wreckers; and begin with Biblical examples, followed by a reenactment of Jehovah’s Witnesses in social settings pursuing peace, and finally religious advice on implementing each of the four (4) ways to pursue peace.
In the part “‘Seek Peace and Pursue It’ . . . By Apologizing”, Ralph Walls makes the following statements:
No matter how we phrase it, it can be difficult to apologize. Why is that so challenging? There are many reasons: We may fear confrontation, blame, or rejection. Perhaps we feel embarrassed, and we’re too proud to apologize.
Even if we think the other person is being unreasonable, we apologize. Why is it so important to do so? Because that is what makes our worship to Jehovah acceptable.
If we find ourselves in a situation where we have offended a fellow worshiper, we want to apply Jesus’ counsel [Matthew chapter 5, verses 23, 24 – Make peace with your brother before bringing a gift to the altar]. We want to take the initiative to approach our brother or sister. We may need to acknowledge their hurt feelings. We may also need to ask, “What can I do to make amends?” Often a sincere apology is all that is needed.
The principle is clear. Peace among fellow believers is more important than proving who is right and who is wrong. Keeping this in mind makes it easier to apologize for a wrong that someone thinks we’ve committed against him or her. A heartfelt apology can open the way to a constructive conversation. It can minimize problems and restore peace.
In the table below are a list of false hopes, false prophecies and conspiracy theories of Jehovah’s Witnesses that have and continue to misled many persons. Jehovah’s Witnesses have never issued any “heartfelt apology” for these false prophecies because they “fear confrontation, blame, or rejection”, that can result in an exodus of Jehovah’s Witnesses leaving their religion. In this regard, Jehovah’s Witnesses failed to pursue peace.
|
Year |
Details – False Prophecy in Bold Red |
|
1876 |
Russell adopted the belief promulgated by some Adventist preachers that Jesus' parousia, or presence, had begun in 1874 and that the gathering of the little flock preliminary to the grand climax was already in progress. he calculated the harvest would extend only to 1878, at which time the gathered saints would be translated into spirit form.( N.H. Barbour & C.T. Russell, Three Worlds and the Harvest of This World, Rochester, NY, 1877, pg 36-48, 124.) |
|
1889 |
"The battle of the great day of God Almighty, which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership is already commenced." (Time is at Hand, p.101) |
|
1917 |
"In the year 1918, WHEN GOD DESTROYS THE CHURCHES WHOLESALE AND THE CHURCH MEMBERS BY THE MILLIONS, it shall be that any escape shall come to the works of Russell…" "World War I will close about October 1, 1917." (Finished Mystery, p. 485, 268). |
|
1918 |
"We may confidently expect that 1925 will make the return of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, then the condition of human perfection." (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, p. 89). |
|
1929 |
"The Scriptural proof is that the second presence of Jesus began in 1874." (Prophecy, p.65). |
|
1966 |
"1975 (in early autumn) will be the end of the 6th 1,000-year day of man's existence. It would not be by mere chance or accident but would be according to the loving purpose of Jehovah God for the reign of Jesus Christ to run parallel with the seventh millennium of man's existence." (Everlasting Life in Freedom, p.30). |
|
1966 |
"Six thousand years from man's creation will end in 1975, and the seventh period of a thousand years of human history will begin in the fall of 1975 C.E." (Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God, p. 29). |
|
1968 |
"The battle of Armageddon will be all over by the autumn of 1975. It may involve only a difference of weeks or months, but not years." (Why Are You Looking Forward to 1975, Watchtower 8/15/68). |
Source: False Prophecies by WatchTower
For each of the false prophecies and conspiracy theories above, Jehovah’s Witnesses issued no apology to fellow members, most of whom made great personal sacrifices, in the hope that the “end of this world” would occur on the predicted year. An example of this is in the years leading up to 1975. When the “end” of the world did not happen as falsely predicted in 1975, many Jehovah’s Witnesses who made great personal sacrifices were left out in the cold and dark. Some were able to restart/reboot their lives whilst others were no so fortunate.
Jehovah’s Witnesses never accepted any responsibility for the failure of its 1975 prediction nor issued an explicit apology for “setting up individual Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses instead blamed the individual Witness for deceiving themselves and misinterpreting the scriptures, in both issues of The Watchtower, July 15, 1976 and March 15, 1980:
“But it is not advisable for us to set our sights on a certain date, neglecting everyday things we would ordinarily care for as Christians, such as things that we and our families really need. We may be forgetting that, when the “day” comes, it will not change the principle that Christians must at all times take care of all their responsibilities. If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” (Bold mines) – The Watchtower, July 15, 1976, p. 441 par. 15 A Solid Basis for Confidence
“In its issue of July 15, 1976, The Watchtower, commenting on the inadvisability of setting our sights on a certain date, stated: “If anyone has been disappointed through not following this line of thought, he should now concentrate on adjusting his viewpoint, seeing that it was not the word of God that failed or deceived him and brought disappointment, but that his own understanding was based on wrong premises.” In saying “anyone,” The Watchtower included all disappointed ones of Jehovah’s Witnesses, hence including persons having to do with the publication of the information that contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.” (Bold mines) – The Watchtower, March 15, 1980, pp. 17-18 par. 6 Choosing the Best Way of Life
Jehovah’s Witnesses nonetheless attempted an apology in the The Watchtower, March 15, 1980. However this was a less than half-hearted and unsatisfactory apology as it did not accept any responsibility for promoting 1975 and went on a rant in subsequent paragraphs to blame individual Witnesses:
“With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God, and its comments as to how appropriate it would be for the millennial reign of Christ to parallel the seventh millennium of man’s existence, considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. There were statements made then, and thereafter, stressing that this was only a possibility. Unfortunately, however, along with such cautionary information, there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated.” (Bold mines) – The Watchtower, March 15, 1980, pp. 17 par. 5 Choosing the Best Way of Life
Jehovah’s Witnesses have never issued any “heartfelt apology” for these false prophecies and conspiracy theories. They “fear confrontation, blame, or rejection”, that can result in an exodus of Jehovah’s Witnesses leaving their religion. Jehovah’s Witnesses continue to find it extremely difficult to apologize for misleading thousands of individuals. In this regard, Jehovah’s Witnesses have failed to “pursue peace”.
This is 45 minute lecture in which David Splane, a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, attempt to exert significant control and undue influence over the behavior of Jehovah’s Witnesses in private personal matters.
The BITE Model is the gold standard for defining cults and was developed by Dr. Steven Hassan. It is based on the previous scholarly work by the following individuals, all of whom were involved in researching communist brainwashing:
BITE is an acronym that stands for Behavior Control, Information Control, Thought Control and Emotional Control. Further information on the BITE model can be found on Freedom of Mind Resource Center.
Behavior Control. “The ultimate goal of behavior control is to instill dependency on and obedience to the group, its ideology, and its leadership. All major life decisions must be approved or dictated by the group. A member who does not first get permission for major decisions faces punishment. Individualism is discouraged and putting the group first is mandatory. Rigid rules and regulations are mandated and enforced. Thoughts, feelings, and activities—of self or others—must be reported to superiors.” – Responding to Authoritarian Cults and Extreme Exploitations: A New Framework to Evaluate Undue Influence by Steven Hassan, PhD, Thomas G. Gutheil, MD, Mansi J. Shah, MA
This lecture by David Splane contains evidence of Behavior Control. The following are some aspects of personal life (including but not limited to) of individual Jehovah’s Witnesses that David Splane wants to exercise “undue influence” and control of an individual’s behavior:
David Splane explains that the seven (7) scenarios above requires “difficult decisions”. Such decisions must follow the following “mandatory rules and regulations”:
By making the statements:
‘How did he come to that conclusion? Did he follow the four steps we just mentioned? Did he do research to learn what makes Jehovah happy? Did he think about how others might be affected? Did he ask for counsel? And did he meditate prayerfully on his decision? Or is he just following his feelings?’ Following your feelings isn’t the same as following a Bible-trained conscience.
“I’m going to repeat that. Following your feelings is not the same as following a Bible-trained conscience. Our conscience needs to be trained in harmony with Scriptural principles”,
David Splane has planted doubts in the minds of listening Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding any decision they make which lies in the grey area in which Jehovah’s Witnesses are free to exercise their own free will and personal choice. David Splane has suppressed individual thought and critical thinking. This is a clear example of Jehovah’s Witnesses exercising “undue influence” and unnecessary behavior control.
Lester Somrah writes about the beliefs and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses on his social media platforms and was baptized as a member in 1998.
The eyes of Jehovah are everywhere, watching both the bad and the good – Proverbs 15:3
