All the material about theology of Jehovah’s Witnesses below is
divided into small logical chapters and each chapter ends with a
question which you should ask adept of Jehovah’s Witnesses during the
debate about theology of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Chapter #1: The author of the New Testament
The dogmas of Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Catholic religion
is false, and this is the reason why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not
recognize the Pope.
However, Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize the Apostle Peter. Jehovah’s
Witnesses claim that the religion of the apostle Peter was right.
We will remind that the Roman Catholic Church began with the Apostle
Peter. The apostle Peter was the first bishop of Rome (later the title
was renamed “the Pope”). The apostle Peter ordained and left Linus as
his successor, thus Linus was the second Pope. Pope Linus ordained and
left Anacletus as his successor. Thus Anacletus was the third Pope. And
so on.
A chronological list of the popes is given below.
Because Jehovah’s Witnesses recognize the first Pope Peter, but do not
recognize the current Pope, the obvious conclusion follows that at some
point in time Satan took possession of the Pope and directed the
Catholic Church into a false direction, and from that moment in time
the Catholic religion became false.
Using the dogmas of Jehovah’s Witnesses, let’s examine in more detail
the question: in what year did the Catholic religion become false?
In year 325, the First Council of Nicaea was held at which the
Catholic Church proclaimed the dogma that Jesus is God, proclaimed the
dogma of the Trinity, and proclaimed the dates of Easter/Christmas
holidays.
Because Jehovah's Witnesses do not recognize that Jesus is God and do
not recognize the Trinity, and do not recognize the Easter/Christmas
holidays, it follows quite clearly from the dogmas of Jehovah's
Witnesses that in year 325 Satan had already fully conquered the
Catholic Church.
The First Council of Nicaea
(/naɪˈsiːə/; Greek: Νίκαια [ˈnikεa]) was a council of Christian bishops
convened in the Bithynian city of Nicaea (now İznik, Turkey) by the
Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325.
This ecumenical council was the first effort to attain consensus in the
Church through an assembly representing all of Christendom. Hosius of
Corduba, who was probably one of the papal legates, may have presided
over its deliberations.
Its main accomplishments were settlement of the Christological issue of
the divine nature of God the Son and his relationship to God the
Father, the construction of the first part of the Nicene Creed,
establishing uniform observance of the date of Easter, and promulgation
of early canon law.
<...>
Agenda and procedure
The agenda of the synod included:
1. The Arian question regarding the relationship between God the Father
and the Son (not only in his incarnate form as Jesus, but also in his
nature before the creation of the world); i.e., are the Father and Son
one in divine purpose only or also one in being?
2. The date of celebration of Pascha/Easter
3. The Meletian schism
4. Various matters of church discipline, which resulted in twenty canons
(1) Organizational structure of the Church: focused on the
ordering of the episcopacy
(2) Dignity standards for the clergy: issues of ordination at
all levels and of suitability of behavior and background for clergy
(3) Reconciliation of the lapsed: establishing norms for public
repentance and penance
(4) Readmission to the Church of heretics and schismatics:
including issues of when reordination and/or rebaptism were to be
required
(5) Liturgical practice: including the place of deacons, and the
practice of standing at prayer during liturgy
The Christian doctrine of the
Trinity (Latin: Trinitas, lit. 'triad', from Latin: trinus "threefold")
holds that God is one God, but three coeternal consubstantial persons
or hypostases—the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy
Spirit—as "one God in three Divine persons". The three persons are
distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature" (homoousios). In
this context, a "nature" is what one is, whereas a "person" is who one
is. Sometimes differing views are referred to as nontrinitarian.
Trinitarianism contrasts with positions such as Binitarianism (one
deity in two persons, or two deities) and Monarchianism (no plurality
of persons within God), of which Modalistic Monarchianism (one deity
revealed in three modes) and Unitarianism (one deity in one person) are
subsets.
<...>
First Council of Nicaea (325)
<...>
The Confession of the First Council of Nicaea, the Nicene Creed, said
little about the Holy Spirit. At the First Council of Nicea (325) all
attention was focused on the relationship between the Father and the
Son, without making any similar statement about the Holy Spirit:
<...>
First Council of Constantinople (381)
Later, at the First Council of Constantinople (381), the Nicene Creed
would be expanded, known as Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, by saying
that the Holy Spirit is worshiped and glorified together with the
Father and the Son (συμπροσκυνούμενον καὶ συνδοξαζόμενον), suggesting
that he was also consubstantial with them: We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven
and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds
(æons), Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being
of one substance with the Father; (...) And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord
and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father
and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the
prophets (...). — Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed.
The doctrine of the divinity and personality of the Holy Spirit was
developed by Athanasius in the last decades of his life. He defended
and refined the Nicene formula. By the end of the 4th century, under
the leadership of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of
Nazianzus (the Cappadocian Fathers), the doctrine had reached
substantially its current form.
Wikipedia
Now let’s examine the question: in which year the New Testament was
written? In which year the books of the New Testament were canonized?
Who were the judges who decided which books should be canonized and
which books should be declared apocrypha and destroyed? Who were these
people who canonized the books of the New Testament, and in which year
the canonization took place?
The content of the New Testament was canonized by the Roman
Catholic Church in year 382 in the Council of Rome, i.e. 60 years after
the First Council of Nicaea, at which Satan proclaimed false religious
dogmas.
By the year 382, many different gospels and many different books about
the teachings of Jesus were roaming the Christian world, and all of
them contradicted each other.
Therefore, in year 382 it was decided to clean up the mess – several
books were selected for canonization, and the remaining books were
declared apocryphal and destroyed..
And this canonization was carried out by the Catholic Church in Rome in
382.
As we already have found out above, according to the dogmas of
Jehovah’s Witnesses, at least from the year 325, the Satan was
certainly ruling the Catholic Church.
In other words, according to the dogmas of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the
servants of Satan gathered in Rome in year 382, and namely the Satan
designated which books should be included in the New Testament and
which books should be declared apocryphal and destroyed.
In other words, according to the dogmas of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the
Satan is the author of the New Testament.
The canon of the New Testament is the set of books Christians regard as
divinely inspired and constituting the New Testament of the Christian
Bible. For most, it is an agreed-upon list of twenty-seven books that
includes the Canonical Gospels, Acts, letters of the Apostles, and
Revelation. The books of the canon of the New Testament were written
before 120 AD.
For the Orthodox, the recognition of these writings as authoritative
was formalized in the Second Council of Trullan of 692. The Catholic
Church provided a conciliar definition of its Biblical canon in 382 at
the (local) Council of Rome (based upon the Decretum Gelasianum of
uncertain authorship)) as well as at the Council of Trent of 1545,
reaffirming the Canons of Florence of 1442 and North African Councils
(Hippo and Carthage) of 393–419. For the Church of England, it was made
dogmatic on the Thirty-Nine Articles of 1563; for Calvinism, on the
Westminster Confession of Faith of 1647.
The Council of Rome was a meeting of Catholic Church officials and
theologians which took place in 382 under the authority of Pope Damasus
I, the current bishop of Rome. It was one of the fourth century
councils that "gave a complete list of the canonical books of both the
Old Testament and the New Testament."
Wikipedia
New Testament consists of four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Luke and Mark had never seen living Jesus, the gospels of Luke and Mark
were written based on the narrations of Pharisee Saul-Paul, who himself
had never seen living Jesus too. Luke and Mark were the disciples of
Pharisee Saul-Paul.
Unlike Luke and Mark, Matthew and John were the true apostles of Jesus.
Matthew and John accompanied Jesus in his travels while Jesus was
alive. Which means that gospels of Matthew and John are much more
reliable source of information than gospels of Luke and Mark.
The first appointed (by Jesus) apostle was Andrew (a.k.a. “the
First-called Andrew”).
18 While walking by the Sea of
Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew
his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.
21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of
Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father,
mending their nets, and he called them.
22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.
16 Passing alongside the Sea of
Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net
into the sea, for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become
fishers of men.”
18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and
John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets.
Andrew the Apostle (Greek:
Ἀνδρέας, Andreas; from the early 1st century – mid to late 1st century
AD), also known as Saint Andrew and called in the Orthodox tradition
Prōtoklētos (Πρωτόκλητος) or the First-called, was a Christian Apostle
and the brother of Saint Peter.
Wikipedia
Apostle Andrew and other true apostles of Jesus wrote gospels.
However the gospel of Andrew and gospels of other apostles are not
present in the New Testament. Why these gospels are not present in New
Testament? Because of the simple reason – Christian Church declared
that these gospels are apocrypha.
Let’s raise a simple question: who has better knowledge about the
teachings of Jesus – “the First-called Andrew”, who was together
with Jesus from the very first day, or Luke/Mark, who has not seen
Jesus alive?
Jesus had twelve apostles. Every
apostle wrote his gospel. Thus it should be eleven gospels (twelve
apostles minus apostle Jude), however New Testament contains only two
gospels written by true apostles of Jesus.
The Decree of Pope Gelasius on
Canonical and Noncanonical Books (A.D. 496)
Decretum Gelasianum: De Libris Recipiendis et Non Recipiendis
Migne: PL 59.157-164
CONCILIORUM SUB GELASIO HABITORUM RELATIO.
CONCILIUM ROMANUM I.
Quo a septuaginta episcopis libri sacri et authentici ab apocryphis
sunt discreti, sub Gelasio, anno Domini 494 Asterio atque Praesidio
consulibus.
<...>
V.
Notitia librorum apocryphorum qui non recipiuntur.
In primis Ariminensem synodum a Constantio Caesare Constantini Augusti
filio congregatam, mediante Tauro praefecto [al. praetorio] ex tunc et
nunc et usque in aeternum confitemur esse damnatam.
Item Itinerarium nomine Petri apostoli, quod appellatur sancti
Clementis libri [decem, al. novem], octo, apocryphum. Actus nomine Andreae apostoli,
apocryphi. Actus nomine Thomae apostoli, libri 10
apocryphi. Actus nomine Petri apostoli, apocryphi. Actus nomine Philippi apostoli,
apocryphi.
Evangelium nomine Thaddaei, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Matthiae, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Petri apostoli, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Jacobi Minoris, apocryphum.
Evangelium nomine Barnabae, apocryphum.
Evangelium [al. Evangelia] nomine Thomae quo [al. quibus] utuntur
Manichaei, apocryphum [al. apocr.]. Evangelium [al. Evangelia] nomine
Bartholomaei apostoli, apocryphum [al. apocrypha].
Evangelium nomine Andreae apostoli, apocryphum.
Evangelia quae falsavit Lucianus, apocrypha.
Liber de infantia Salvatoris, apocryphus.
Evangelia quae falsavit Esitius [al. Hesychius et Isicius], apocrypha.
Liber de Nativitate [al. Infantia] Salvatoris, et de Maria et
obstetrice [al. addit. ejus], apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Pastoris, apocryphus.
Libri omnes quos fecit Leucius [al. Lucius] discipulus diaboli,
apocryphi.
Liber qui appellatur Fundamentum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Thesaurus, apocryphus.
Liber de filiabus Adae geneseos, apocryphus.
Centimetrum de Christo, Virgilianis compaginatum versibus, apocryphum.
Liber qui appellatur Actus Teclae et Pauli apostoli, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Nepotis, apocryphus.
Liber Proverbiorum qui ab haereticis conscriptus et sancti Sixti [al.
Xysti] nomine praenotatus est, apocryphus.
Revelatio quae appellatur Pauli apostoli, apocrypha. Revelatio quae appellatur Thomae
apostoli, apocrypha.
Revelatio quae appellatur S. Stephani, apocrypha.
Liber qui appellatur Transitus, id est Assumptio sanctae Mariae,
apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Adae, apocryphus.
Liber Ogiae nomine gigantis, qui ab haereticis cum dracone post
diluvium pugnasse fingitur, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Testamentum Job, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Origenis, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia sancti Cypriani, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Poenitentia Jamnae et Mambrae, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Sortes sanctorum apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Laus [al. Lusus] apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber qui appellatur Canones apostolorum, apocryphus.
Liber Physiologus, qui ab haereticis conscriptus est, et B. Ambrosii
nomine signatus [al. praenotatus], apocryphus.
Historia Eusebii Pamphili, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tertulliani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Lactantii [al. Firmiani], apocrypha.
Opuscula Africani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Postumiani et Galli, apocrypha.
Opuscula Montani, Priscillae et Maximillae, apocrypha.
Opuscula omnia Fausti Manichaei, apocrypha.
Opuscula Commodiani, apocrypha.
Opuscula alterius Clementis Alexandrini, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tatii [al. Tharsi seu Tascii] Cypriani, apocrypha.
Opuscula Arnobii, apocrypha.
Opuscula Tychonii, apocrypha.
Opuscula Cassiani [al. Cassionis] presbyteri Galliarum, apocrypha.
Opuscula Victorini Pictaviensis [al. Petabionensis], apocrypha.
Opuscula Fausti Regensis Galliarum, apocrypha.
Opuscula Frumentii Caeci, apocrypha.
Epistola Jesu ad Abagarum [al. Abgarum] regem, apocrypha.
Epistola Abagari [al. Abgari] ad Jesum, apocrypha.
Passio Quirici [al. Cyrici] et Julitae, apocrypha.
Passio Georgii, apocrypha.
Scriptura quae appellatur contradictio [al. interdictio] Salomonis,
apocrypha.
Phylacteria omnia, quae non angelorum (ut illi confingunt), sed
daemonum magis arte [al. nominibus] conscripta sunt, apocrypha.
<...>
CONCILIUM ROMANUM SIVE DECRETUM De libris recipiendis et non
recipiendis a Gelasio papa cum episcopis anno circiter 496 habitum.
Christian Resources
Question #1: According to the dogmas of Jehovah’s Witnesses,
the author of the New Testament is Satan. How can we trust the book
written by Satan?
Chapter #2: Son of God
Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus is not God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that Jesus is the son of God.
Is Jesus God?
<...>
What the bible says
The
Bible does not portray Jesus as being Almighty God or equal to God. On
the contrary, it clearly teaches that Jesus is inferior to God. For
example, the Bible records Jesus’ own words: “The Father is greater
than I am.” (John 14:28) The Bible also says: “No man has seen God at
any time.” (John 1:18) Jesus cannot be God because many people did in
fact see Jesus.
Jesus’ early followers did not claim that he was God. For example, the
Gospel writer John said concerning the things he recorded: “These have
been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son
of God.”—John 20:31.
Awake! December 2013
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.
Jesus Never Claimed to Be God
The Bible’s position is clear. Not only is Almighty God, Jehovah, a
personality separate from Jesus but He is at all times his superior.
Jesus is always presented as separate and lesser, a humble servant of
God. That is why the Bible plainly says that “the head of the Christ is
God” in the same way that “the head of every man is the Christ.” (1
Corinthians 11:3) And this is why Jesus himself said: “The Father is
greater than I.”—John 14:28, RS, Catholic edition.
The fact is that Jesus is not God and never claimed to be.
ti pp. 16-20 Is God Always
Superior to Jesus?
Watchtower online library
Let’s analyze this statement more closely.
Question: Who is the son of the elephant? Answer: elephant.
Question: Who is the son of the horse? Answer: horse.
Question: Who is the son of the dog? Answer: dog.
Question: Who is the son of the cat? Answer: cat.
And so on.
Question #2: If the son of the elephant is elephant, and the
son of the horse is horse, and the son of the dog is dog, and the son
of the cat is cat, then who is the son of God?
Chapter #3: Fulfillment of predictions
“Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania” claimed in its
publications that Armageddon will happen in 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918,
1925, 1975, but none of these prophecies came true.
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society publications have made a series of
predictions about Christ's Second Coming and the advent of God's
Kingdom, each of which has gone unfulfilled. Almost all the predictions
for 1878, 1881, 1914, 1918 and 1925 were later reinterpreted as a
confirmation of the eschatological framework of the Bible Student
movement and Jehovah's Witnesses, with many of the predicted events
viewed as having taken place invisibly. Further expectations were held
for the arrival of Armageddon in 1975, but resulted in a later apology
to members from the society's leadership.
Wikipedia
The God Yahweh/Jehovah said very clearly in the Bible: if the
prophecy is not fulfilled then such prophet is a false prophet (Deuteronomy
18:20-22), which means that “Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of
Pennsylvania” is a false prophet according to the Bible.
20 But the prophet who presumes
to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or
who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’
21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the
Lord has not spoken?’—
22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not
come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken;
the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.
Bible. Deuteronomy 18:20-22
Question #3: How can we trust “Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society of Pennsylvania” if its prophecies were not fulfilled? How can
we trust a false prophet?
Chapter #4: United Nations
Dogmas of Jehovah's Witnesses claim that the Satan leads the United
Nations (UN), and during the Battle of Armageddon, the Satan will
control his army of demons via the United Nations (UN).
11. What is the “scarlet-colored
wild beast,” and how is it involved in the outworking of God’s will
concerning Babylon the Great?
11 Jehovah will destroy “the great prostitute” by means of “the ten
horns” of “a scarlet-colored wild beast.” That figurative wild
beast represents the United Nations. The ten horns represent the
current political powers supporting that organization. At God’s
appointed time, those political powers will turn on symbolic Babylon.
They “will make her devastated and naked” by plundering her wealth and
exposing her wickedness. (Rev. 17:3, 16) That swift destruction—as if
in one day—will come as a shock to those who supported her. After all,
she has long boasted: “I sit as queen, and I am not a widow, and I will
never see mourning.”—Rev. 18:7, 8.
The Watchtower — Study Edition.
September 2019. Study article 36
6. Who or what will carry out
the attack against “Babylon the Great”?
6 Who or what will carry out the attack against “Babylon the Great”? A
“wild beast” with “ten horns.” The book of Revelation indicates that
this wild beast refers to the United Nations (UN). The ten horns
represent all present political powers that support this
“scarlet-colored wild beast.” (Rev. 17:3, 5, 11, 12) How devastating
will the attack be? The nations of the UN will plunder the prostitute’s
wealth, devour her, and “completely burn her.”—Read Revelation 17:16.
kr chap. 21 pp. 222-230God’s
Kingdom Removes Its Enemies
Watchtower online library
In February 1992, the Watchtower Society voluntarily joined the
United Nations (UN) and remained there until October 2001.
Jehovah's Witnesses'
interactions with the United Nations
In February 1992, Jehovah's Witnesses' New York corporation,
the Watchtower Society, was granted association as a non-governmental
organisation (NGO) of the United Nations Department of Public
Information (UN/DPI). The Watchtower Society requested termination
of the association in October 2001, and the DPI disassociated the NGO
on 9
October after the matter was reported in The Guardian. A UN/DPI letter
dated March 4, 2004, states, "The principal purpose of association of
non-governmental organizations with the United Nations Department of
Public Information is the redissemination of information in order to
increase public understanding of the principles, activities and
achievements of the United Nations and its Agencies." The letter
explained that "[b]y accepting association with DPI, the organization
agreed to meet criteria for association, including support and respect
of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and commitment
and means to conduct effective information programmes with its
constituents and to a broader audience about UN activities." The
official site further notes that association with the UN/DPI "does not
constitute their incorporation into the United Nations system, nor does
it entitle associated organizations or their staff to any kind of
privileges, immunities or special status."
Jehovah's Witnesses have appealed to the United Nations Human Rights
Committee about sanctions against their members' activities. Between
April 2013 and early April 2016, Jehovah's Witnesses submitted 48
appeals to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, complaining that
punishments for sharing faith violate the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights.
Watchtower's United Nations
Association
In 1992, the Watchtower became an Associate NGO with the United
Nations. This was despite spending decades condemning the UN as the
scarlet coloured wild beast of Revelation. As a result, many Jehovah's
Witnesses severed ties with the Watchtower for what they consider a
hypocritical and dishonest chapter of the religion's history.
In 1991, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York applied to
be a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Associate Member of the United
Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI). This is the closest
relationship an NGO can form with the United Nations. The application
was renewed annually and is a matter of public record.
Watchtower remained an Associate Member until a few days after
knowledge of this involvement became public through the release of
breaking news in The Guardian on 8th October 2001.
12. Since the Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible, what
questions arise?
12 The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible.
Therefore, it
can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction. In
fact,
the Watch Tower Publications Index includes the heading “Beliefs
Clarified,” which lists adjustments in our Scriptural understanding
since 1870. Of course, Jesus did not tell us that his faithful slave
would produce perfect spiritual food. So how can we answer Jesus’
question: “Who really is the faithful and discreet slave?” (Matt.
24:45) What evidence is there that the Governing Body is filling that
role? Let us consider the same three factors that directed the
governing body in the first century.
The Watchtower—Study Edition.
Page 26
February 2017
Question #5: Can we trust the Governing Body who claims that
since February 2017 he is
neither inspired nor infallible and who
claims that he can make errors?
Prior to 1951
Baptism as a Christian in any religion, provided by full water
immersion.
(What Pastor Russell Said pp.35,36)
1955 to 1985
Baptised by Watchtower Representative.
To Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
1985 to 2019
Baptised by Watchtower Representative.
To Father, Son and the spirit-directed Organization Watchtower 1985 Jun 1 p.30
2019 onwards
Baptised by Watchtower Representative.
To Father and Son. Announcements and Reminders, May 2019
Changing Baptismal Questions
On the day of baptism, the candidate is required to answer two
questions publicly. The following traces these changes.
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1944 Feb 1
p.44:
(1)
Have you recognized yourself as a sinner and needing salvation from
Jehovah God? and have you acknowledged that this salvation proceeds
from Him and through his Ransomer Christ Jesus?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for
redemption,
have you consecrated yourself unreservedly to do the will of God
henceforth as that will is revealed to you through Christ Jesus and
through God's Word as His holy spirit makes it plain?"
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1956 Jul 1
p.407:
(1) Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who
needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation
proceeds from him the Father through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for
salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his
will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and
through the Bible under the enlightenment of the holy spirit?"
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1966 Aug 1
p.465:
(1) Have you recognized yourself before Jehovah God as a sinner who
needs salvation, and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation
proceeds from him, the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for
salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to do his
will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ and
through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy spirit?
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1970 May 15
p.309:
(1) Have you recognized yourself as a sinner and needing salvation from
Jehovah God? And have you acknowledged that this salvation proceeds
from him and through his ransomer, Christ Jesus?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for
redemption have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to Jehovah God, to
do his will henceforth as that will is revealed to you through Christ
Jesus and through God's Word as his holy spirit makes it plain?
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1973 May 1
p.280:
(1) Have you repented of your sins and turned around, recognizing
yourself before Jehovah God as a condemned sinner who needs salvation,
and have you acknowledged to him that this salvation proceeds from him,
the Father, through his Son Jesus Christ?
(2) On the basis of this faith in God and in his provision for
salvation, have you dedicated yourself unreservedly to God to
do his will henceforth as he reveals it to you through Jesus Christ
and through the Bible under the enlightening power of the holy
spirit?
Baptismal questions from the Watchtower 1985 Jun 1
p.30:
(1) On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of
your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
(2) Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as
one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's
spirit-directed organization?
Baptismal questions from “Announcements and Reminders”
May
2019
(section FOR THE ELDERS ONLY).
3. Baptism Questions: The two baptism questions that are reviewed with
candidates at the time of their concluding discussion with the elders
and that are included at the end of each baptism talk outline have been
changed as follows:
(1) “Have you repented of your sins, dedicated
yourself to Jehovah, and accepted his way of salvation through Jesus
Christ?”
(2) “Do you understand that your baptism identifies you as one
of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with Jehovah’s organization?”
The new questions will be used starting with the baptism talks at
assemblies and conventions beginning the week of May 13, 2019.
Elders should update the two questions on page 209 in their copies of Organized
to Do Jehovah’s Will.
Facts About Jehovah's Witnesses
Question #6: Can we trust the organization that (starting from
May 2019) is no longer led by the Holy Spirit?
Chapter #7: Sources of income for the Organization
“National Center for Charitable Statistics” publishes public reports
about the financial activities of all US-registered tax-exempt
organizations, including religious organizations.
Let's take a closer look at the revenue sources of the “Watch Tower
Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania”.
About
Welcome to the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS) open
data platform.
Designed as a portal for nonprofit practitioners, researchers, and
policymakers to download and explore data, this is the home for all
NCCS publications.
<...>
This website aims to “elevate the debate” around nonprofit data by
making NCCS code and analysis transparent, reproducible, and accessible
to all users.
The National Center for
Charitable Statistics (NCCS) is a clearing house of data on the U.S.
nonprofit sector. The National Center for Charitable Statistics builds
national, state, and regional databases and develops standards for
reporting on the activities of all tax-exempt organizations.
Urban Institute, National Center
for Charitable Statistics. ([Year]). Internal Revenue Service, Exempt
Organizations Business Master File. [Data files].
Henrietta M Riley Trust
33B006006 FBO
Watch Tower Bible
PO Box 75000, Detroit, MI 48275-7874
Tax-Exempt Since Dec. 1970
EIN: 38-6043103
Nonprofit Tax Code Designation: 501(c)(3)
Defined as: Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious,
educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public
safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition
(as long as it doesn’t provide athletic facilities or equipment), or
the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.
Donations to this organization are tax deductible.
Year 2002
Form 990. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.
For the 2002 calendar year, or tax year period beginning May 1, 2002
and ending Apr 30, 2003
Page 1
Name of organization:
H. V. Riley TR for Watch Tower Bible
<...>
Page 2
What is the organization’s primary exempt purpose?
Support Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
Year 2014
Return of Private Foundation or Section 4947(a)(1) Trust Treated as
Private Foundation
For calendar year 2014, or tax year beginning 05- 01-2014 , and ending
04-30-2015
<...>
Page 1
Name of foundation:
Riley Henrietta Trustee UW
Altria Group, Inc. (previously
known as Philip Morris Companies, Inc.) is an American
corporation and
one of the world's largest producers and marketers of tobacco,
cigarettes and related products. It operates worldwide and is
headquartered in Henrico County, Virginia, just outside the city of
Richmond.
Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris USA (producer of Marlboro
cigarettes), John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company,
Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine
Estates. Altria also maintains large minority stakes in Belgium-based
brewer ABInBev, the Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group, and the
e-cigarette maker JUUL Labs. It is a component of the S&P 500 and
was a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average from 1985 to 2008,
dropping due to spin-offs of Kraft Foods Inc. in 2007 and Philip Morris
International in 2008.
Cardinal Health, Inc. is an
American multinational health care services company, and the 14th
highest revenue generating company in the United States. Its
headquarters are based in Dublin, Ohio and Dublin, Ireland (EMEA). The
company specializes in distribution of pharmaceuticals and medical
products, serving more than 100,000 locations. The company also
manufactures medical and surgical products, including gloves, surgical
apparel and fluid management products. In addition, it operates the
largest network of radiopharmacies in the U.S. Cardinal Health provides
medical products to over 75 percent of hospitals in the United States.
Product description
This plasma thawer is designed for use in blood banks and laboratories
where it is required to thaw up to four units of Fresh Frozen Plasma
(FFP) or Cryoprecipitated AHF or Plasma Frozen within 24 hours after
Phlebotomy (PF24) for future infusion into a patient. It offers both
controlled temperature and agitation to thaw various volumes of plasma
via two independently controlled baskets that accommodate up to two
plasma bags per basket. The digital microprocessor control offers rapid
temperature recovery and optimal temperature stability to reduce the
time required to thaw multiple bags. The easy-to-program user interface
allows multiple time options for thawing various-sized bags. Upon
completion of a timed cycle, the baskets will automatically raise from
the bath. Advanced safety features will notify the user of unsafe
conditions and raise the baskets upon alarm activation. Designed to
meet FDA standards for safety and performance in plasma thawing.
Certified to applicable UL and CSA standards – 60601-1 and 61010-1.
Disposable overwrap protection bags (available separately) provide
security and protection from contamination. FDA cleared.
The Boeing Company (/ˈboʊɪŋ/) is
an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and
sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications
equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing
and product support services. Boeing is among the largest global
aerospace manufacturers; it is the fifth-largest defense contractor in
the world based on 2017 revenue, and is the largest exporter in the
United States by dollar value. Boeing stock is included in the Dow
Jones Industrial Average. Boeing is incorporated in Delaware.
General Dynamics Corporation
(GD) is an American aerospace and defense corporation. As of 2019, it
was the fifth-largest defense contractor in the United States, and the
sixth-largest in the world, by sales. The company ranked No. 92 in the
2019 Fortune 500 list of the largest United States corporations by
total revenue. It is headquartered in Reston, Fairfax County, Virginia.
Formed in 1954 with the merger of submarine manufacturer Electric Boat
and aircraft manufacturer Canadair, it evolved through multiple mergers
and divestitures and changed markedly in the post–Cold War era of
defense consolidation. General Dynamics' former Fort Worth Division,
which manufactured the F-16 Fighting Falcon, was sold to the
Lockheed
Corporation in 1993, but GD re-entered the airframe business in 1999
with its purchase of business jet manufacturer Gulfstream Aerospace.
Lockheed Martin Corporation is
an American global aerospace, defense, security and advanced
technologies company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the
merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It
is headquartered in North Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington, D.C.,
area. Lockheed Martin employs approximately 100,000 people worldwide as
of December 2017.
Lockheed Martin is one of the largest companies in the aerospace,
defense, security, and technologies industry. It is the world's largest
defense contractor based on revenue for fiscal year 2014. In 2013, 78%
of Lockheed Martin's revenues came from military sales; it topped the
list of US federal government contractors and received nearly 10% of
the funds paid out by the Pentagon. In 2009 US government contracts
accounted for $38.4 billion (85%), foreign government contracts $5.8
billion (13%), and commercial and other contracts for $900 million (2%).
Lockheed Martin operates in four business segments: Aeronautics,
Missiles and Fire Control, Rotary and Mission Systems, and Space
Systems. The company has received the Collier Trophy six times,
including in 2001 for being part of developing the X-35/F-35B LiftFan
Propulsion System, and most recently in 2006 for leading the team that
developed the F-22 Raptor fighter jet. Lockheed Martin is
currently
developing the F-35 Lightning II and leads the international
supply
chain, leads the team for the development and implementation of
technology solutions for the new USAF Space Fence (AFSSS replacement),
and is the primary contractor for the development of the Orion command
module. The company also invests in healthcare systems, renewable
energy systems, intelligent energy distribution and compact nuclear
fusion.
Northrop Grumman Corporation
(NYSE: NOC) is an American global aerospace and defense
technology
company. With over 85,000 employees and an annual revenue in excess of
$30 billion, it is one of the world's largest weapons manufacturers and
military technology providers. The firm ranks number 118 on the 2018
Fortune 500 list of America's largest corporations.
Northrop Grumman and its industry partners have won the Collier Trophy
eight times, most recently for developing the X-47B, the first-ever
unmanned, autonomous air system operating from an aircraft carrier. In
2004, Scaled Composites, a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman, won the
Collier Trophy for the SpaceShipOne which was successful developed for
the first privately financed, built, and flown space vehicle. Northrop
Grumman currently leads the development of B-21 Raider, a long-range,
stealth strategic bomber capable of delivering conventional and
thermonuclear weapons; it will replace Northrop's own B-2 Spirit,
the
only known stealth bomber in the world.
Wikipedia
Question #7: Can we trust the organization that receives income
from the production of tobacco, the production of military vehicles
(aircraft, missiles, etc.), the production of equipment for blood
transfusion, etc.?
Charles Taze Russell (February
16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), or Pastor Russell, was an American
Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and
founder of what is now known as the Bible Student movement. After his
death, Jehovah's Witnesses and numerous independent Bible Student
groups developed from this base.
<...>
He was buried in United Cemetery, Pittsburgh. The gravesite is marked
by a headstone; nearby stands a 7-foot-tall (2.1 m) pyramid memorial
erected by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1921.
Pyramid memorial near Russell's gravesite in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
About JWfacts
JWfacts makes it as simple as possible to determine if Jehovah's
Witnesses have “the truth.”
Since its 1879 inception, Watchtower has preached “the End” will be
soon, originally predicting it would occur in 1914, then 1925, and
“within our twentieth century.” This claim was subsequently adjusted to
say the Great Tribulation will be very shortly, culminating in billions
of humans being killed at God's war of Armageddon.
This site concentrates on three areas:
With a history of significant errors and changes, can God be directing
the Watchtower Society?
Is the Watchtower honest when quoting secular sources and presenting
its history?
Are current Watchtower doctrine and practices justified Biblically?
Raymond Victor Franz (May 8,
1922 –
June 2, 2010) was a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses
from October 20, 1971 until his removal on May 22, 1980, and served at
the organization's world headquarters for fifteen years, from 1965
until 1980. Franz stated the request for his resignation and his
subsequent disfellowshipping resulted from allegations of apostasy.
Following his removal, Franz wrote two books that related his personal
experiences with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society and his views
on Jehovah's Witnesses teachings.
Franz, Raymond (2002). Crisis of Conscience. Commentary Press. ISBN
0-914675-23-0.
Crisis of Conscience is a
biographical
book by Raymond Franz, a former member of the Governing Body of
Jehovah's Witnesses, written in 1983, three years after his expulsion
from the Jehovah's Witnesses religion. The book is a major study and
exposé of the internal workings of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract
Society during the 1960s and 1970s. The book was updated and revised
four times, with the final revisions made in 2004. It was translated
into Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish and
Swedish.
Franz spent 43 years as a Jehovah's Witness, serving as a full-time
preacher in the United States and a missionary in Puerto Rico and the
Dominican Republic. In 1965 he became a member of the religion's
headquarters staff in Brooklyn, New York, where he was assigned to help
research and write the Bible encyclopedia Aid to Bible Understanding
and in 1971 appointed as a member of the religion's Governing Body. He
left the Governing Body in 1980 after a high-level inquiry was launched
into allegations that several headquarters staff including Franz were
spreading "wrong teachings". He moved to Alabama where he took up farm
laboring work and was expelled from the religion in November 1981 for
breaching an edict that Witnesses shun individuals who have formally
resigned from the religion.
His expulsion was reported by Time magazine in February 1982. Franz
claimed he declined repeated requests over the next two years for
further media interviews about the workings of the Watch Tower Society,
but in 1983 decided to end his silence after a number of Watchtower
articles criticised the motives, character and conduct of former
Witnesses who conscientiously disagreed with the organization. One
article described dissidents as being "like ... Satan," "independent,
faultfinding," "stubborn," "reviling," "haughty," "apostate" and
"lawless".
Franz claimed that many Jehovah's Witnesses who choose to leave because
they cannot "honestly agree with all the organization's teachings or
policies" are subsequently disfellowshipped, or formally expelled, and
shunned as "apostates". He wrote that he hoped his book might prompt
Witnesses to consider the conscientious stand of defectors with a more
open mind. He hoped that a discussion of deliberations and decisions of
the Governing Body during his term would illustrate fundamental
problems and serious issues within the organization: "They demonstrate
the extremes to which 'loyalty to an organization' can lead, how it is
that basically kind, well-intentioned persons can be led to make
decisions and take actions that are both unkind and unjust, even cruel."
The book provided an abject view of Watch Tower Society leadership and
its requirements of members, gave Franz's perspective on failed
expectations among the Witness community that Armageddon would take
place in 1975 and his views on fundamental Witness teachings on the
significance of 1914 and continued expectations of Armageddon. It also
gave his account of the events surrounding his expulsion from the
religion. Former Witness James Penton, who included the book in the
bibliography of his 1985 history of the Witness movement, described the
book as "remarkably informative" and "thoroughly documented" and noted
it was "written more in a tone of sadness than of anger". English
sociologist Andrew Holden described the book as one of the most
compelling biographical works on defection from Jehovah's Witnesses.
С 2011 года объединённый проект
«Свидетели Иеговы: Некуда Идти» информирует об опасностях от
деятельности общества сторожевой башни (США) на территории России и
других стран.
Решением верховного суда РФ "Управленческий Центр Свидетелей Иеговы"
признан экстремистской организацией
Свидетели Иеговы – международная корпорация, созданная в США. На
территории России и Украины получила распространение в 1940-х годах на
волне присоединения к СССР западных областей. С начала 2000-х годов
происходит отток активных членов Общества Сторожевой Башни (ОСБ). На
сегодняшний день в нашей стране более 70 тысяч человек уже покинули его
ряды, и чем больше таких людей, тем очевиднее непреложная истина.
Руководству ОСБ становится всё труднее убедить людей в том, что их
деятельность не представляет никакой опасности, поскольку в основе
лежит непререкаемое послушание власти лидерам данной организации.
Идея создать этот канал
появилась спонтанно, т.к. я сам 18 лет будучи Свидетелем Иеговы, думал,
что являюсь истинным поклонником Бога. 5.08.2017 года после
апелляционного слушания (так это называется у Свидетелей Иеговы) меня
исключили из Собрания за отступничество и распространение сектанства.
Это верно, что я не мог молчать, видя нечестность и авторитарность этой
организации. Одна из целей канала: Достучаться до сердец простодушных и
обманутых рядовых членов этой организации (поскольку с учениями ее я
знаком очень хорошо) ложными идеями и обещаниями, которые порочат Бога.
Основная цель канала: Достичь понимания истины путем обсуждения не
только Библии, но и древних исторических письмен. Так как я считаю, что
ни одна легенда не может беспочвенно родиться в наших головах, а нам
придется все это связать в один "сноп".
