Questioning the Authority of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

• Jehovah’s Witnesses are conditioned to accept without questioning the authority of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. When witnessing to a Jehovah’s Witness here are a few helpful questions you can ask them…
• The Watchtower organization claims there have always been faithful Jehovah’s Witnesses. If this claim is true, who were the faithful witnesses immediately preceding your founder, Charles Russell? In fact, can you give me the names of any faithful witnesses between the first century Church and Russell?
• The Watchtower organization today claims they were chosen by Jesus in 1919 to be Jehovah’s representatives on earth because they were the only organization teaching the world the truth. Are you aware that the Watchtower organization in 1919 taught that Armageddon had occurred in 1914; that the end would come in 1925; that Jesus should be worshipped, as well as Jehovah; that the Great Crowd was a Heavenly class; that birthdays and Christmas were acceptable celebrations; and that the faithful and discreet slave was Charles Russell?
• Were the Watchtower Society teachings of 1919 the truth? If not, did thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses die in error? If the Watchtower’s teachings have changed in the past, how can you be sure that what you’re being taught today is the truth? Are you afraid that you too might die in error?
• Would you be disfellowshipped today for holding to the Watchtower Society’s teachings of 1919? Would a Jehovah’s Witness from 1919 have been disfellowshipped for holding to the Watchtower’s teachings of today?
• Are you aware that the Watchtower organization declared for many years that Armageddon would occur in 1975? How can you trust an organization that has so often been wrong in their teachings?
• According to Deuteronomy 18:21-22, how can a person recognize a false prophet?

For more helpful guidance on witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses, please check out Dr. Carlson’s lecture, Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Trinity, available in CD or MP3 in our online store.

Follow CMI on X at @jasoncarlsoncmi.