“Take it up with God!” were the words in response to a question by a reporter to one of the members of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This was after an international convention only a few years ago. Such is the arrogance in the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is a faith system that, at this period of time in mankind’s history, asserts themselves as only those whom are worthy enough to accept the mantle of Christianity.
It is an elitist tone that condemns all those not of their religious ilk. It condemns them to an eternal fate of damnation at the hands of God. And, according to their understanding of scripture, this damnation will happen very soon. This is the message preached by Jehovah’s Witnesses since their inception, more than 100 years ago.
Make no mistake: despite the nice clothes and seemingly ‘Christian’ demeanor, the message of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a simple one – either you accept their brand of Christianity or, in the very near future, you can expect an eternal death for yourself and your children.
Forget their history. It has been a trail of death and disappointment stretching back over 100 years. Hundreds of thousands have paid the price of an allegiance to a theology that never came true. It’s a theology that millions today share, and yet they can expect the same fate 30 years hence. And in thirty years from now, what can one expect? One should expect to have Jehovah’s Witnesses still spouting the same message with the same results.
Yesterday, while enjoying some tea, two very young Jehovah’s Witnesses – and quite possibly dating for marriage – purchased some coffee. Sitting down at a table somewhat distant from mine, the spotted and recognize me as someone who now speaks out against their faith. This is a faith that I had loved being a member for more than 40 years. A look of disdain and dread that darkened their faces said it all.
Now, what would I say to these two young people, were I given the opportunity to do so? I think it may be expressed like so:
“I was a young man once. I had a rich life in front of me. I had accepted a ‘bible study’ from two members of your faith. Those men are dead now, along with hundreds of thousands of others. They believed that their leaders were speaking for God; that the time was short; that deliverance was ‘right around the corner’. Failure to accept the watchtower as God’s spokesperson was, in effect, an eternal death sentence, for everyone. This included the sick, the challenged, the starving, the poor, and the unborn babies. The seriousness of conviction to the world was a choice between life and death.
“I am almost 65 year of age. I stopped associating four years ago and disassociated myself from this religion approximately 3 years ago. Many that I knew over the years died believing. Many walked away or slowly stopped practicing. They did this so as to reclaim what was left of their lives. Many suffered for want of children to care for them in their old age. And many of my aging friends were simply abandoned, left to die alone in nursing homes, and the like.
“Nothing that you can say today is new to me. I have heard it all before. And 30 years from now, when the two of you are entering the last chapter of your lives, what then? How will you react when you see your friends and family growing old and dying? Will there be more ‘new light’ to explain the delay? Even now, jw.org is pressing for a declaration of war on this world. This is not a ‘war’ in the military sense. It is one that says salvation is in the hands of the ‘governing body‘ of Jehovah’s Witnesses. All those who refuse to accept this ‘divine’ message can expect to be eternally destroyed at God’s hands. This is nothing new. I have heard it all before.
“The only thing here that is ‘sifting’ is the rhetoric that remains the same.
“Your faith hasn’t ‘saved’ anyone. Not a single person has received the promise of everlasting life in your 100 year plus history. Your ‘governing body’ exists only because there are no ‘anointed’ who were born prior to 1935 exist today qualified to ‘lead’. And when those leaders die, their replacements will set new levels for qualification. They may say those born in 1945, 1955, 1965, and so on. And quite possibly, they will use the new ‘Overlapping Generations‘ teaching to justify their ‘qualifications’.
“There is no evidence that Jehovah God is directing any of this work. There is no evidence that Jehovah’s Witnesses are fulfilling the scripture at [the_tooltip text=”Matthew 24:14″ tooltip=”And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” background=”333″ color=”fff”]. If Jehovah was directing the work then everyone on this planet would be receiving the ‘message’. But the reality is very clear: It is impossible for anyone to fulfill [the_tooltip text=”Matthew 24:14″ tooltip=”And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” background=”333″ color=”fff”] today, let alone Jehovah’s Witnesses. After all, Jehovah’s Witnesses are a small insignificant sect that in no way has the impact of First Century Christianity. And this is more true now in a time of greater significance.
“If anyone is fulfilling [the_tooltip text=”Matthew 24:14″ tooltip=”And this good news of the Kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.” background=”333″ color=”fff”], it is the evangelical wing of mainstream Christianity. They have greater numbers in lands where the faith is outlawed or under ban. There are more persons in prisons today professing a love for God than Jehovah’s Witnesses. The numbers persecuted is probably hundreds of times that of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I realize that nothing I have said will mean much to you. I understand that your conviction at present is one of ’till death do us part’. And you are right. You will die as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. You will be disappointed like the hundreds of thousands before you. You will be no closer to God’s grace and salvation than you are now. Millions will join you in death. In your religion and in your conviction, you will join the trail of others before you. That is a trail of death, stretching back over 130 years.
You might not be happy to see me as one who speaks out as I do. But I too was young once, having the same conviction and hope that you have today. When I look at you, I see me as I was more than 40 years ago. And 40 years hence, when I have passed this life; you will be me. And you will have the same choice to make: to either reclaim what is left of a ‘wasted life’, or stubbornly die loyal to the fallacy of mistaken conviction.
The choice is yours.
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses today, as in the past, suffer from an arrogance of conviction. They have an elitist philosophy wrapped in a religious context. They celebrate the tragedies of this life in the belief that their deliverance is near. Jehovah’s Witnesses are not ‘warm and fuzzy’. Quite the contrary. An honest examination of how they treat one another, and how they view those outside their ‘bubble of faith’, paints an entirely different picture than the ‘image’ they strive to present.
I was saddened by the ‘wasted youth’ that sat a few tables distant from me yesterday. They are beholding to an ideology that will ultimately end in death. I can only hope that others will see the folly of their convictions. And I hope dearly that they decide to make the most of this life. One should let their eternal salvation rest with the only One who is qualified to do so … God.