Jehovah’s Witnesses claim to be the only group to have truth revealed to them by Jehovah. In this case, why do they require ongoing changes in doctrine? Does truth really change? A key premise of this site is that constant changes in doctrine and failed predictions are a clear indication that Jehovah does not direct the Watchtower Society. For the external observer this is the logical conclusion, yet for a Jehovah’s Witness it barely raises a grimace. How can this be? Because changes and failures are immediately dismissed by the thought stopping concept:

“The Bible tells us the light would get brighter.”

Addressing the flawed logic of this claim is required to render the information contained within this site effective.

The main justification from the Watchtower for changed doctrine is Proverbs 4:18:

“But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day is firmly established.”

To interpret “light” as referring to Watchtower “doctrinal” understanding is simply justification for prior error. Aspects to consider are:

•Is Watchtower doctrine getting brighter or changing?
•Watchtower Justification for Error
•What is the intended meaning of Proverbs 4:18?
Would Jehovah direct a religion to promote falsehood?

Brighter light is used to explain why previous doctrine was wrong. It is never presented as showing that current doctrine is likely to also be wrong. Yet that is the result if the Brighter light justification is applied to current truth.

Brighter or Changed

Proverbs 4 is discussing that righteous people fare better than the wicked. But let us entertain the idea that this Scripture contains a prophetic meaning that Jehovah would progressively reveal truth to his people at the time of the end. This concept cannot apply to Watchtower history, as Watchtower doctrine has not refined but changed. Consider whether the following change is really a matter of doctrinal light getting lighter:

Imagine being the Witness parent of a child that needed a kidney transplant in 1970. Although the Awake! 1949 Dec. 22 had described transplants as “wonders of modern surgery” in 1967 God revealed that transplants were wrong in his eyes. The Watchtower 1967 Nov. 15 pp.702-704 stated that being now “enlightened by God’s word” God’s people understood that transplants are against divine principles and cannibalistic. The parents must sincerely have believed they were putting Jehovah first when watching their child die, refusing them the opportunity of possible survival through a transplant. How would that parent feel on reading the Watchtower 1980 Mar. 15 p.31 – “There is no Biblical command pointedly forbidding the taking in of other human tissue . It is a matter for personal decision.” The enlightenment of 1967 had proved to be dark, harmful and in need of later correction, a regressive doctrine that resulted in the unnecessary death of members.

When a doctrine changes and then reverts back to the original position, this is not evidence of light getting brighter, it is evidence of a lack of Holy Spirit directing the Governing Body. Russell eloquently wrote the following truism:

“If we were following a man undoubtedly it would be different with us; undoubtedly one human idea would contradict another and that which was light one or two or six years ago would be regarded as darkness now; But with God there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning, and so it is with truth; any knowledge or light coming from God must be like its author. A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth. “New Light” never extinguishes older “light” but adds to it.” Zion’s Watch Tower 1881 Feb pp.3, 188

The concept of light becoming brighter implies that previous doctrine was correct, but incomplete. The Watchtower Society has promoted many significant doctrines that were later discarded as incorrect. Others have changed back and forth, even reverting to their original position, in each case contradicting a former truth.

It has regularly been the case that Watchtower doctrine is not illuminated but eclipsed. It was not increasing light that dictated:

In the 1950′s that Jesus was no longer to be worshipped; it was a fundamental teaching that was (or currently is) wrong

Failed date prophecies

Pyramids were prophetic of 1914
Superior Authorities were Goverments – God – Governments
The numerous changes to the meaning of the generation
These were not clarifications – these were wrong teachings. How many wrong teachings did God allow to become part of the Bible canon? Now compare that with how many wrong teachings are contained within the Watchtower over less then 150 years. Ongoing reversal of doctrine can only indicate God is not involved in these new flashes of light that later turn out to be falsehoods.

The Governing Body members have changed constantly over more than a century. New light, particularly when it is contradictory light, is just new opinions from new Governing Body members.

When is it truth?

This concept is applicable to any Christian religion similar to the Witnesses, such as Christadelphians and Church of God. Both of these have a doctrinal structure almost identical to Jehovah’s Witnesses. It has equal application to Seventh-day Adventists, who started concurrently with the Witnesses from the same basic teachings of Miller. Seventh-day Adventists preach and grow at the same rate. A person raised in any of these religions is equally convinced that the “light getting brighter” will clarify things wrong with their religion.

The Church of God uses the same “new light” reasoning, as shown in an experience of a member:

“Mr. Herbert W. Armstrong still took what seemed to me a less than candid approach. He called our Divorce & Remarriage change “new light,” “new truth” which God has (finally) shown us. In other words, he subtly blamed our doctrinal error on God.” (ex-sda.com 2 May 2006)

The following Watchtower article about the Catholic Church is equally applicable to the Watchtower Society.

“”Tell me,” he asked, “how can I have confidence in anything? How can I believe in the Bible, in God, or have faith? Just ten years ago we Catholics had the absolute truth, we put all our faith in this. Now the pope and our priests are telling us this is not the way to believe any more, but we are to believe ‘new things.’ How do I know the ‘new things’ will be the truth in five years?”” Awake! 1970 Apr 22 p.8

What the Bible Says

The Bible explains that the meaning of some truths were not to be understood until a later time. Nevertheless, this does not allow for Jehovah directing his people with falsehood.

John 16:13 “However, when that one arrives, the spirit of the truth, he will guide YOU into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own impulse, but what things he hears he will speak, and he will declare to YOU the things coming.”

At John 16:13, Jesus was referring to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus did not refer to partial or incorrect truth; the Spirit would reveal truth, including “things coming”. As discussed in the section on dates , the Watchtower Society has had a 100% failure rate in predicting things “coming”.

Daniel 12:4, 10 “And as for you, O Daniel, make secret the words and seal up the book, until the time of [the] end. Many will rove about, and the [true] knowledge will become abundant… Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.”

Though Daniel did not understand what he wrote, he did not make false interpretations. The Society’s interpretation of Daniel has changed constantly with explanations that were applied to the 1800′s now applied to the 1900′s. Despite this, the Organization insists that God only enlightens them to interpret these Scriptures accurately.

Rather than indicate that doctrine would get brighter or change, the Bible warns against anyone that promotes false doctrine.

1 John 4:1 “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.”

Galatians 1:8, 9 “But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to that which you received, let him be accursed.”