"It is important to understand
that in most Bible-based cults,
although the member is
aggressively taught doctrine, it is
not the doctrine that holds him
in the group. It is the sense that
the group is God's true people, a
feeling cultivated by techniques
of mind control. Thus, to engage
the cult member in a Biblical
argument or discussion is often
futile." Stephen Hassan Releasing
the Bonds p.145
A Witness will commonly claim
that they alone have the truth
because they alone understand
Bible doctrine correctly, and
hence only they worship
Jehovah. The end product of
such reasoning is that they solely
are worthy of salvation. However,
as the above quote from Steven
Hassan identifies, it is not the
doctrine that holds the members
in the religion, but rather more
fundamental underlying
concepts. This can be seen from
the fact that when key doctrines
changed over the decades the
majority of members remained
part of the group. Furthermore,
almost none of Watchtower
doctrine or practices are unique.
Similar religions can be found
that share a majority of doctrine
and moral standards preached
by the Watchtower Society.
This section covers core concepts
that form the basis to why a
Witness is a Witness. Arguing
doctrine will rarely convince a
Jehovah's Witness the religion is
wrong whilst they hold to these
concepts. There are a number of
rhetorical fallacies within these
beliefs that must be identified for
any discussion with a Witness to
be effective. Otherwise, a range
of thought stopping responses
arise, such as:
The Governing Body are directed
by Jehovah, and you must not
question Jehovah
God must be using an
organization and there is none
(that I know of) that is better
than the Watchtower Society
The Bible said mistakes would be
clarified over time
For this reason, the articles in
this section should be pondered
as a starting point prior to
reading the rest of the site. This
does however present a chicken
or egg quandary; a person
cannot fully comprehend the
core concepts without an
understanding of the history and
doctrinal errors of the
Watchtower Society, but cannot
appreciate the full significance of
the history and doctrine without
identifying the flaws behind the
core concepts.

Salvation only for
Jehovah's Witnesses
The Watchtower teaches that at
Armageddon only Jehovah's
Witnesses will survive and
billions of people will be eternally
destroyed. It is common for a
Witness to claim that is not the
case, but this article contains
numerous Watchtower quotes
making such statements. It then
goes on to explain why such a
teaching it not at all realistic.
Directed by Holy Spirit
The Governing Body claim to
under Jehovah's direction by
means of his holy spirit. The
logical conclusion is that what
they teach should be accurate;
yet numerous changes show this
is not the case. The Governing
Body's defence is that they are
actively directed by holy spirit -
but not inspired. Strange, since in
such context the definition of
inspired is to be directed by holy
spirit. This article brings
clarification to the confusion.
Light gets Brighter
Previous errors should indicate
that Watchtower doctrine is not
being relayed from Jehovah,
through the Slave class. However,
the Governing Body dispel such a
conclusion by saying historical
errors in Watchtower doctrine
were foretold by a phrase in
Proverbs that the "light gets
brighter". This is a highly
successful concept in preventing
a Witness questioning
Watchtower teachings. This
article shows how this Scripture
is misapplied and also that
Watchtower doctrine does not
get brighter, but changes and
flip-flops.
Organization - Essential for
Salvation?
Organization is not a word that
appears in the Bible, yet the
Watchtower constantly refers to
belonging to an organization as
essential for a person's salvation;
the Watchtower Organization.
This article shows that for the
majority of Bible history, there
was no organization to belong
to, and when there was, servants
of God regularly operated
outside of or against God's
Organization.
Faithful & Discreet Slave
The defining concept to being a
Jehovah's Witness is not worship
of Jehovah, but rather following
the "faithful and discreet slave".
Though defined as Anointed
Christians, in practice the
Governing Body represents the
Slave class. No satisfactory
evidence exists to show God
actively directs the Watchtower
Governing Body, but by drawing
on the parable of the Slave,
Watchtower leaders demand all-
encompassing power over their
followers, with tragic
consequences.

The Watchtower Society teaches
that since Jehovah's Witnesses
alone have God's backing and
are the only ones that worship
the true God, shortly they alone
will survive Armageddon.
"Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those
of the anointed remnant and the
"great crowd," as a united
organization under the
protection of the Supreme
Organizer, have any Scriptural
hope of surviving the impending
end of this doomed system
dominated by Satan the Devil."
Watchtower 1989 Sep 1 p.19
"Similarly, Jehovah is using only
one organization today to
accomplish his will. To receive
everlasting life in the earthly
Paradise we must identify that
organization and serve God as
part of it." Watchtower 1983 Feb
15 p.12
"Is it presumptuous of Jehovah's
Witnesses to point out that they
alone have God's backing?
Actually, no more so than when
the Israelites in Egypt claimed to
have God's backing in spite of
the Egyptians' belief, or when the
first-century Christians claimed to
have God's backing to the
exclusion of Jewish religionists."
Watchtower 2001 Jun 1 p.16
"During the final period of the
ancient world that perished in
the Flood, Noah was a faithful
preacher of righteousness. (2
Peter 2:5) In these last days of
the present system of things,
Jehovahs people are making
known Gods righteous standards
and are declaring good news
about the possibility of surviving
into the new world. (2 Peter
3:9-13) Just as Noah and his
God-fearing family were
preserved in the ark, survival of
individuals today depends on
their faith and their loyal
association with the earthly part
of Jehovahs universal
organization ." Watchtower 2006
May 15 p.22 "Are You Prepared
for Survival?"
The Watchtower goes as far as to
state that there are billions in line
for destruction.
"There are billions of people who
do not know Jehovah. Many of
them in ignorance practice
things that God's Word shows to
be wicked. If they persist in this
course, they will be among those
who perish during the great
tribulation." Watchtower 1993
Oct 1 p.19
The billions slaughtered at
Armageddon loose any hope of a
resurrection; theirs is said to be
an everlasting destruction.
"Yes, the destruction of the gross
sinners in those cities was
eternal, as will be the destruction
of the wicked at the end of the
present system of things."
Watchtower 1990 Apr 15 p.20
"The majority of people living
today will probably be alive when
Armageddon breaks out, and
there are no resurrection hopes
for those that are destroyed
then." Kingdom Ministry 1968
Mar p.4
Rarely does the Watchtower
make such audacious
statements; rather the
destruction of non-witnesses is
conveyed (with unwavering
regularity) by means of a number
of more subtle concepts. The
quotes that follow identify the
preposterous claim that
following the Bible is not enough
for salvation, neither are belief in
Jesus Ransom or living a moral
life. Only submission to Jehovah's
Watchtower Organization results
in life. All Christians are
considered members of
Christendom and in line for
destruction.
It needs to be noted that some
individual Witnesses have
internalised that salvation is not
the exclusive domain of
Jehovah's Witnesses. My father, a
circuit overseer, was one of
these. Others salve their
conscience and sense of justice
by saying that many will flock to
God's Organization just before
the end. The following quotes
show that the Watchtower does
not support such ideas, but
distinctly teaches only its
followers will be saved.
Quotes and Watchtower
Reasoning
Association with Jehovah's
Organization
Association with Jehovah's
organization - the Watchtower
Society - is presented as essential
for salvation.
"If we stop actively supporting
Jehovah's work, then we start
following Satan. There is no
middle ground." Watchtower
2011 Jul 15 p.18
"But Jehovah's servants already
belong to the only organization
that will survive the end of this
wicked system of things."
Watchtower 2007 Dec 15 p.14
"But if we were to draw away
from Jehovah's organization,
there would be no place else to
go for salvation and true joy."
Watchtower 1993 Sep 15 p.22
"Only Christian witnesses of
Jehovah who successfully pass
this test will survive and come
forth like fire-refined gold for
God's use in his precious new
order." Watchtower 1985 Mar 1
p.14
"And while now the witness yet
includes the invitation to come to
Jehovahs organization for
salvation , the time no doubt will
come when the message takes
on a harder tone, like a "great
war cry."" Watchtower 1981 Nov
15 p.21
"But Jehovah God has also
provided his visible organization,
his "faithful and discreet slave",
made up of spirit-anointed ones,
to help Christians in all nations to
understand and apply properly
the Bible in their lives. Unless we
are in touch with this channel of
communication that God is using,
we will not progress along the
road to life, no matter how much
Bible reading we do ."
Watchtower 1981 Nov 15 p.27
"This great crowd is part of the
only truly united multinational
organization on earth today.
They do not cry out that they
owe salvation to the holy spirit,
for they are not servants of a
trinitarian god. In some 200
geographical territories around
the earth, they are at one in
calling upon the name of Jehovah
as they speak the one pure
language of truth. (Zephaniah
3:9) Properly, they publicly
acknowledge that their salvation
comes from Jehovah, the God of
salvation, through Jesus Christ,
His Chief Agent of salvation.-
Psalm 3:8; Hebrews 2:10. Modern
technology has helped to make
the loud voice of the united great
crowd sound even louder. No
other religious group on earth
has need of publishing Bible
study aids in more than 200
languages, since no other group
is interested in reaching all
peoples of earth with one united
message." Revelation pp.122-123
"They must appreciate that
identifying themselves with
Jehovahs organization is
essential to their salvation."
Kingdom Ministry 1990 Nov p.1
"Direct Interest Progressively on
Bible Studies: The primary
purpose of a Bible study is to
teach the truth of God's Word. It
should also build in the student
an appreciation for Jehovahs
organization and make him
aware of the vital need to
become part of it. ... The weekly
Bible study should include
instruction that will help students
appreciate the organization and
take advantage of provisions for
their salvation. Take a few
minutes each week to relate or
describe something about the
organization and how it
functions. You can find helpful
talking points in the November 1,
1984, Watchtower. The
brochures Jehovahs Witnesses in
the Twentieth Century and
Jehovahs Witnesses Unitedly
Doing God's Will Worldwide
discuss major facets of the
organization and how they may
benefit us. Arranging for Bible
students to view the video
Jehovah's WitnessesThe
Organization Behind the Name
will let them see for themselves
what it is accomplishing."
Kingdom Ministry 1993 Apr p.3
To be considered part of that
Organization requires reporting
as an active publisher for the
Watchtower Society.
"As this spiritual warfare
advanced, those serving with
Jehovah's organization were
refreshed by continuing flashes
of Bible understanding, and their
numbers grew until, in 1938, as
many as 50,769 reported
Kingdom service during an
international testimony period."
Watchtower 1984 Jan 1 p.11
"Those who will form the nucleus
of the "new earth", a new earthly
society of rightly disposed
people, are being gathered
during these last days. They are
already nearly seven million
strong, in at least 235 lands and
in some 100,000 congregations.
These millions have been
learning the righteous and just
ways of Jehovah, and as a result,
worldwide they enjoy a unity
that is cemented by Christian
love. Their unity is the most
pronounced and enduring in the
history of the world, a unity
exceeding anything experienced
by Satan's subjects." Watchtower
2007 Aug 15 p.26
"Moreover, the attendance at the
Memorial of Jesus Christs death
last year indicates that some ten
million people who are not
Witnesses of Jehovah were
sufficiently interested in the
good news to attend this
important commemoration."
Kingdom Ministry 2008 Feb p.6
Children
Children are considered to share
in the sins of their parents, so
babies will die at Armageddon if
their parents are considered
unworthy of salvation.
"What will happen to young
children at Armageddon? The
Bible does not directly answer
that question, and we are not the
judges. However, the Bible does
show that God views the young
children of true Christians as
"holy." (1 Cor. 7:14) It also reveals
that in times past when God
destroyed the wicked he likewise
destroyed their little ones ."
Reasoning from the Scriptures
pp.47-48
"Children are affected by the
course of their parents, and
parents are warned that their
iniquity is visited on their
offspring unto the third and
fourth generation. (Ex. 20:5, 6)
Parents are commanded to
instruct their children in God's
way, and if in these last days
parents refuse to heed the divine
instruction and warning they
bring destruction upon
themselves and their small
children at Armageddon . (Deut.
6:6, 7; Eph. 6:4) According to
justice God can leave such
children dead , for, as Ezekiel
showed, all die in their iniquity."
Watchtower 1950 Nov 15 p.463
Questions From Readers
"By all the evidences this system
of things is hastening to its final
confrontation with the God of
justice at Armageddon. Parents
and children who fail to gain the
"mark on their foreheads," that
is, an adequate appreciation of
God's moral standard, are sure to
suffer. Parents will be held
accountable for their children,
and children will suffer for the
failure of their parents."
Watchtower 1968 Feb 1
pp.83-84

You are an apostate. Be-careful, cause you may be sinning against the holy spirit.

THE LIGHT GETS BRIGHTER

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 one
of Jehovah's Witnesses it barely
raises a grimace. How can this
be? Because changes and
failures are immediately
dismissed in the mind of a
Jehovah's Witness 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.
““The path of the righteous ones
is like the bright light that is
getting lighter and lighter until
the day is firmly established,”
states Proverbs 4:18. Yes, Jesus’
leadership is progressive, not
stagnant. Another way to
cooperate with Christ’s
“brothers” is to have a positive
attitude toward any refinements
in our understanding of
Scriptural truths as published by
“the faithful and discreet slave.””
Watchtower 2011 May 15 p.27
“Regarding progressive spiritual
enlightenment, Proverbs 4:18
has proved true. It says: “The
path of the righteous ones is like
the bright light that is getting
lighter and lighter until the day is
firmly established.” How thankful
we are for the progressive
spiritual enlightenment we have
experienced!” Watchtower 2001
Jan 15 p.18
“IT IS proof of divine wisdom
that, in keeping with Proverbs
4:18, the revealing of spiritual
truths has taken place gradually
by means of flashes of light. In
the preceding article, we saw
how this text was fulfilled in
apostolic times. If the large body
of Scriptural truth had been
revealed all at once, it would have
been both blinding and
confusing—much like the effect
of coming out of a dark cave into
brilliant sunlight. Moreover,
gradually revealed truth
strengthens the faith of
Christians in a continuous way. It
makes ever brighter their hope
and ever clearer the pathway
they are to tread.” Watchtower
1995 May 15 p.15
The Watchtower interprets the
word "light" in Proverbs 4 as
referring to Watchtower
"doctrinal" understanding, yet
this is simply done as
justification for prior error.
Aspects to consider are:
What is the intended meaning of
Proverbs 4:18?
Is Watchtower doctrine getting
brighter or changing?
Would Jehovah direct a religion
to promote falsehood?
Proverbs 4:18
For thousands of years, people
have understood Proverbs
chapter 4 to be discussing
behaviour, as is easily identifiable
when reading the entire chapter
in context. The verses
surrounding 18 state:
"… the wicked do not sleep
unless they do badness. … The
way of the wicked ones is like
the gloom; they have not known
at what they keep stumbling …
listen to the discipline of a father
… keep my commandments …
safeguard your heart."
Christian writers explain:
"What is clear from Proverbs is
that the reader can choose to
either seek wisdom or live a life
of folly. (Prov
4:14-19)" (thisischurch.com/
christianinfo/proverbs.htm 25
Mar 2005)
Proverbs 4:18 was not intended
to be prophetic indication that
God gradually reveals truth to the
Watchtower Society. Rather than
extract a sentence, when taken
in entirety the context of
Proverbs chapter 4 is a
comparison of behaviour
between good and bad people,
not the dispensing of doctrinal
truth through an organization.
From the outset, it can be seen
that using this Scripture to
discuss doctrinal errors and
changes is without basis.
Brighter or Changed
Proverbs 4 identifies that
righteous people fare better than
the wicked, and not prophetic of
the Watchtower Society.
However, let us entertain the idea
that within this passage there is
the prophetic foreshadowing
that God progressively reveals
truth to his people during 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.