3-1-11: this week we looked at the teachings of the Watch Tower and Bible Tract Society, better known as the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Pastor’s Class Notes

Background:

• Official name: the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society
• Starts as a religion of protest; embodies the zeitgeist of the time.
• Adventist millennial teachings; fond of date-setting for the return of Christ
• Populist movement: anti big business & big government
• Also anti the institutional church, in particular the Roman Catholic Church.
• Satan’s “3 great allies”: church, government, & business (see Tucker, 118).

Charles Taze Russell:

• Founder; very controversial figure.  Begins really as a personality cult.  Said, “Scripture would remain dark” apart from his writings (Manteufel, 67).
• Born in Pittsburgh in 1852 to strict Presbyterian parents.  Acquired a sizeable fortune with his father in the clothing business.
• Interest in religion, stumbles into a religious hall one evening where he was first exposed to the Adventist teachings.  Studies with followers of Miller, but more of a leader than follower, so in 1879, he initiates his own publication, Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence.
• Originally tolerant of other religious views, but in 1890’s he strongly urged his followers to study only his teachings.  Movement grows by attraction to his personality (see Tucker, 120).
• Marriage to Maria Ackley: originally she was his strongest supporter, identifies him as the “faithful and wise servant” of Matthew 24:45.  But they had trouble: before they were married, they agreed not to consummate the marriage or live together.  He had no interest in a physical relationship, wanted to live a celibate life.
• Russell requests a separation, based on his “incompatibility” with Maria.  She was his editor, and was “continually harassing” Russell “with suggestions of alterations of [his] writings” and wanted to publish her own views uncensored.  She reverses her stance on Matthew 24 (see Tucker, 121).  Ends up calling him an “arrogant tyrant” publically; he goes into her house and takes all of her stuff, she responds with a lawsuit (Tucker, 121).
• Other charges: illicit relations with opposite sex, including his adopted daughter and hired maid. See Jellyfish quote on Tucker, 122 & Washington Post’s response.
• Also “Miracle Wheat” scandal (Tucker, 122).
• Theology: Unitarian, denial of Christ’s divinity (not original; Arian).  Eschatology most unique, though continues in the vein of Adventism.
• Crucial dates: 1874 the invisible return of Christ; 1914 the new crucial prophetic date to watch for.  Based on calculations from Daniel; this year turned out to be quite eventful (see Tucker, 123 on WWI).  This date begins “Christ’s active rulership… selecting as the Watch Tower organization as his official channel…” (Tucker, 124).

Joseph Rutherford:

• Russell’s successor; power struggle & dissension ensues.  Even a physical brawl between he and an opponent!  Brings  a new style to the movement, many leave and form splinter groups (125).
• Public anti-war stance (critical of Russell’s support)
• “Theocratic Government” biggest contribution.  No longer personality driven; uses organizational strategy and fear tactics to make the JW’s a tightly structured order controlled from the top down (note shift to institutionalism, one of Russell’s criticisms!).  Many comparisons between “good old days” and life under Rutherford made.
• Personal life: alcoholic, vulgar language, attends nude burlesque shows, lived a lavish lifestyle.
• Doctrinal differences with Russell: downplays 1874 in favor of 1914 and promotes 1925 as the “completion of all things”, this is the date set for Armageddon.  Date taken seriously, leads to a new “great disappointment” (1844).  Watch Tower publically denounces the error (Tucker, 128).
• New prophecy of 1975; made in 1966 after a six-year slump of baptisms (membership ploy).  It worked!  Based on a supposed one hundred year miscalculation in the date of 1874.  Encouraged people to abandon their jobs and homes in full-time JW outreach (called “Pioneer service”).
• After this disappointment, nearly 30,000 were expelled from the movement, called “defellowshipping”.  Never admit errors; always re-interpret the events.
• High-profile defellowshipping case of Raymond Franz (see Tucker, 132).
• One example of admitted failure (Tucker, 140).  WWIII, Armageddon, long overdue by many calculations.

Do’s & Don’ts:

• Strict moral code essential for membership.  See list on page 129.
• Cannot salute the flag (Rutherford, 1935).
• Cannot receive blood transfusions (references on Tucker, 133—134).  Have been some public, controversial cases.
• Engaged in constant litigation; more than any other religion have helped produce a sizable list of precedents related to the 14th Amendment (freedom of speech/religion).

Organizational structure:

• Top down; Bethel headquarters in Brooklyn a major publisher.  Produce The Watchtower magazine 2x a month.  Name: like watchmen on a tower, which is how OT prophets are described (Jer 6:17; Ezek 3:17).  Reminds us of Isaiah 56:10: “Israel’s watchmen are blind, they all lack knowledge.”  Need for true watchmen!
• Kingdom halls used exclusively for church activities; exclusively lay-led (no trained/paid clergy).  See one former JW member’s quote on what happens in the meetings on page 137.
• Women cannot have leadership roles.

Distinctive doctrines:

• Believe they are interpreting the Bible faithfully, before the “orthodox corruption” in the 3rd & 4th centuries.
• Cult: exclusivist quality.  Claim to be the “only pure religion.” 
• Denial of the Trinity and divinity of Christ (Arianism), de-emphasize atonement, bodily resurrection; see quotes, 139.
• Reject concept of the “three-headed god”; Jesus is Michael the archangel; HS another name for the power of God.  Son transformed into a human being at conception, back into a spiritual being at his death.
• Annihilation; reject concept of hell (141).
• 144,000 saved; “other sheep” are less secure.  Saved by deeds.

New World Translation:

• Original translation (no authors or translators identified), reflects strong doctrinal bias.  First published in 1950, not considered reliable by any Greek or NT scholars.  Translate key passages in such a way as to give credibility to their own cause.  See Eph 6:4 example on page 142.

Door-to-Door Outreach:

• Minimum of 1 hour a month required to be active; 10 hours a month to be in good standing.  Much growth in Mexico, Brazil, and Italy (surprising, with their anti-Catholic emphasis!).

Myths: (145)

• They never give up their religion
• They know their bibles well

Challenging the Watch Tower:

• New World Translation’s internal inconsistencies
• False date-setting for Christ’s return
• Watch Tower authority
• Painful defellowshipping
• Loss of life over refused blood transfusion
• Many book available that have been written by ex-JW’s.
• A challenge for us to know our faith!

For more on the Jehovah’s Witnesses, see “Another Gospel” by Ruth A. Tucker (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1989).