Apostasy!

The position taken by the JWs on Apostasy is an interesting one. Especially when considering their past statements over the years. At one time, there was no fear of having their doctrines examined by anyone, in fact they extended an open invitation to all. But then things changed. In this section, I will share quotes made from the JWs from past articles. I will examine the definition of Apostasy and how the wording changes with the JWs definition. And I will examine whether the word Apostasy was used in the bible the way the JWs use it in their nwt.

There was a time when the JWs were confident about their views/doctrines. They supported those that examined things closely. Here are a few quotes from past literature that show this.

"We should prove by the Word of God whether the things found in the Watchtower are from man or from the Lord."  wt/5/1/1934, p.131

"The Watchtower invites careful and critical examination of its contents in light of the scriptures." wt 8/15/1950, p.263

"It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false." wt 11/15/1963, p.688

"The best method of proof is to put a prophecy to the test of time and circumstances." wt 3/1/1965, p.151

"Contrary to what some may think, it is not unkind and unloving to lay bare falsehood and corruption." wt 3/1/1966, p.132

"Examine the evidence. Reasonable persons want to examine both sides of a matter. That is how one arrives at the truth." a 10/22/1973, p.6

Those are only a few of many statements over the years that basically said it was okay to dig deep for the real truth. And if you found something, you should make it known. One thing that was rarely brought up was warnings of Apostasy. But this all changed in the mid to late 1970s.

The failure of the year 1975 caused many members to leave the JWs. And the ones that remained began to raise eyebrows at what was being taught. Over the next few years, an internal witch hunt among the WT Society would see many long time members, loyal servants of the JWs, get excommunicated. Why? Apostasy!!!  Ah yes, apparently now, it was considered Apostasy to question the doctrines of the JWs. Some of these individuals would go on to write books that closely examined these doctrines in question. Some knew the inner workings of the WTS (watchtower society), and shared this with the public. One man was asked to prove the 607/1914 date was correct by someone he was studying with. He promised that he would research the topic. Seven years later, he came to the conclusion that the dates were wrong. Since it was encouraged to bring any evidence of a mistake to the table, this person prepared a treatise with all of the information he had found. And for his honesty and wanting to help clarify an obvious mistake made by the WTS, he was disfellowshipped for Apostasy.

So a major change happened during this time. The once proud religion that wanted people to examine their teachings suddenly became aggressive towards anyone that did this, especially if it was one of their own. The word Apostasy began showing up in their literature. Here are a few quotes from various articles.

Have No Dealings With Apostates
7 Now, what will you do if you are confronted with apostate teachings, —subtle reasonings —claiming that what you believe as one of Jehovah's Witnesses is not the truth? For example, what will you do if you receive a letter or some literature, open it, and see right away that it is from an apostate? Will curiosity cause you to read it, just to see what he has to say? You may even reason: 'It won't affect me; I'm too strong in the truth. And, besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.' In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt. (Compare James 1:5-8.) So remember the warning at 1 Corinthians 10:12: "Let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall."
8 With loving help from caring brothers, some having doubts sown by apostates have recovered after a period of spiritual turmoil and trauma. But this pain could have been avoided. At Proverbs 11:9 we are told: "By his mouth the one who is an apostate brings his fellowman to ruin, but by knowledge are the righteous rescued." Jude told fellow Christians to "continue showing mercy to some that have doubts; save them by snatching them out of the fire." (Jude 22, 23) Paul advised the overseer Timothy to instruct "with mildness those not favorably disposed; as perhaps God may give them repentance leading to an accurate knowledge of truth, and they may come back to their proper senses out from the snare of the Devil, seeing that they have been caught alive by him for the will of that one."—2 Timothy 2:25, 26.      Watchtower 1986 March 15 pp.10-15 'Do Not Be Quickly Shaken From Your Reason'

Watchtower 1982 April 1 p. 27 Survival or Destruction at the "Great Tribulation"Now, the Bible definitely shows that some end up in the symbolic Gehenna before the 1,000-year Judgment Day begins. Jesus told the unrepentant scribes and Pharisees that they and their Gentile proselytes were 'subjects for Gehenna' or, literally, 'sons of Gehenna.' (Matthew 23:15, 33-35; see also John 9:39-41; 15:22-24.) If even a proselyte of the Pharisees became a subject for Gehenna 'twice as much so as themselves,' how much more so Judas Iscariot, who made a heinous deal with them to betray God's Son! Jesus implied this when he called Judas "the son of destruction." (John 17:12) Similarly, unrepentant apostates go, at death, not to Sheol, or Hades, but to Gehenna. (Hebrews 6:4-8; 2 Peter 2:1) The same is true of dedicated Christians who persist in willful sin or those who "shrink back." (Hebrews 10:26-31, 38, 39) These are merely examples to show that some, even in "this system of things," have committed the sin for which there is no forgiveness, not even in the system of things "to come." (Matthew 12:31, 32; compare 1 John 5:16.) They will, therefore, not be resurrected.     

Watchtower 1985 July 15 p.31 "Such ones [apostates] willfully abandoning the Christian congregation thereby become part of the 'antichrist.' (1 John 2:18, 19)"     

Watchtower 1992 July 15 pp.12-13 Christ Hated Lawlessness-Do You? "The obligation to hate lawlessness also applies to all activity by apostates. Our attitude toward apostates should be that of David, who declared: "Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you."

  Watchtower 1994 July 1 p.12 "For one thing, some of the apostate literature presents falsehoods by means of "smooth talk" and "counterfeit words." (Romans 16:17, 18; 2 Peter 2:3) What would you expect from the table of demons? ... Those who have continued to feed at Satan's spiritual table, the table of demons, will be forced to attend a literal meal, no, not as partakers, but as the main course-to their destruction!"

 Watchtower 1993 November 1 p.19 "True Christians share Jehovah's feelings toward such apostates; they are not curious about apostate ideas. On the contrary, they "feel a loathing" toward those who have made themselves God's enemies, but they leave it to Jehovah to execute vengeance."

 Watchtower 2000 May 1 p.10 "Some apostates are increasingly using various forms of mass communication, including the Internet, to spread false information about Jehovah's Witnesses."

  Watchtower 2004 Feb 15 p.28"It would be a mistake to think that you need to listen to apostates or to read their writings to refute their arguments. Their twisted, poisonous reasoning can cause spiritual harm and can contaminate your faith like rapidly spreading gangrene. (2 Timothy 2:16, 17) Rather, imitate God's response to apostates. Job said of Jehovah: "Before him no apostate will come in." - Job 13:16."     

Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 p.11 "Apostates “quietly” bring their ideas into the congregation, like criminals who secretly bring things into a country. Apostates use “counterfeit words.” This means that they say things that make their false ideas sound true, like criminals who make false documents look real. They try to get as many people as possible to believe their “deceptive teachings.” Peter also said that they like twisting the Scriptures. They explain Bible verses in the wrong way to make others believe their ideas. (2 Peter 2:1, 3, 13; 3:16) Apostates do not care about us. If we follow them, we will leave the road to everlasting life.
... The Bible says that apostates are mentally diseased and that they use their teachings to make others think like them. (1 Timothy 6:3, 4) Jehovah is like that good doctor. He clearly tells us to stay away from false teachers. We must always be determined to follow his warning.
What must we do to avoid false teachers? We do not speak to them or invite them into our houses. We also do not read their books, watch them on television, read what they write on the Internet, or add our own comments about what they write on the Internet. Why are we so determined to avoid them? First of all, it is because we love “the God of truth.” So we do not want to listen to false teachings that go against the truth in God’s Word."

Examining the Scriptures Daily 2011 Aug 18 p.83 "Satan was the first creature to turn apostate. Modern-day apostates display characteristics similar to those of the Devil. Their mind may be poisoned by a critical attitude toward individuals in the congregations, Christian elders, or the Governing Body. Some apostates oppose the use of the divine name, Jehovah. They are not interested in learning about Jehovah or in serving him. Like their father, Satan, apostates target people of integrity. (John 8:44) No wonder servants of Jehovah avoid all contact with them!"


Can you see how the attitude changed from the first quotes I posted to these ones about Apostates? Members were once encouraged to examine everything. Now they are told to avoid anything or anyone that raises questions about their doctrines, or the people that write them. The language has become very strong and bitter. Satan was the first Apostate? Apostates are mentally diseased? Apostates are like criminals? Wow....Really? Because a person finds something questionable about one of the doctrines taught by the JWs, and they want to ask about it, they can look forward to receiving this barrage of insults. By questioning them at all, not only are you just like Satan, you are also mentally diseased and are just like a criminal.


And although it was rarely brought up before the 1970s, there was this chilling quote from the 11-15-52 watchtower.

" Being limited by the laws of the worldly nation in which we live and also by the laws of God through Jesus Christ, we can take action against apostates only to a certain extent, that is, consistent with both sets of laws. The law of the land and God’s law through Christ forbid us to kill apostates, even though they be members of our own flesh-and-blood family relationship. However, God’s law requires us to recognize their being disfellowshiped from his congregation, and this despite the fact that the law of the land in which we live requires us under some natural obligation to live with and have dealings with such apostates under the same roof."
Whoa now. Let's go back to what it means to be an Apostate. Here is the definition from a common dictionary.  "One who abandon's one's religious faith, a political party, one's principles, or a cause."

A person can be guilty of Apostasy simply by leaving a religion. But now, notice the JWs definition of an Apostate.

"Persons who deliberately spread (stubbornly hold to and speak about) teachings contrary to Bible truth as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses are apostates." Pay Attention to Yourself and to All the Flock p.94

This isn't just simply leaving their religion. This is stating that if a person speaks out against a bible truth AS TAUGHT BY THE JWS, they are considered an Apostate. So what if they are teaching a false view and you see it? Well, you better not bring it up or you will be guilty of Apostasy under their definition.

This is all about control. They have built up a wall of defense, and are quick to blast anyone that approaches it. There no longer is the attitude to examine everything to find the real truth. They impose fear tactics by describing Apostates as assisting Satan, being unworthy of a resurrection, to be avoided, loathed and hated, referring to former Witnesses that speak out against the Watchtower Society or its doctrine. Oh, and let's not forget that they are mentally diseased.

Interestingly enough, a quote from their own literature shows just how hypocritical they are.

Awake June 22, 2000  'The Manipulation of Information'

"Some people insult those who disagree with them by questioning character or motives instead of focusing on the facts. Name-calling slaps a negative, easy-to-remember label onto a person, a group, or an idea. The name-caller hopes that the label will stick. If people reject the person or the idea on the basis of the negative label instead of weighing the evidence for themselves, the name-caller’s strategy has worked."

By slapping the Apostate label on anyone that even questions their teachings, they hope that their current members will reject anything that person brings forth as factual evidence without even examining what is there.





They have even gone to the trouble of putting the word Apostate in the bible, where it never existed in the first place. These are the verses where the NWT uses the word apostate: Job 8:13, 13:16, 17:8, 20:5, 27:8, 34:30, 36:13, Psalms 35:16, Prov. 11:9, and Isa. 10:6. The Hebrew word used in all of these verses is חנף "chanef" which actually means godless, hypocrite, wicked, or evil doer. If you look up those verses in any other Bible translation, none use the word apostate. Let's test this out, shall we??? 

Job 8:13--Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so perishes the hope of the godless. NIV

If we cross reference this with other bibles, most use the word godless or hypocrite. Feel free to examine this yourself. Here are the rest of the ones listed.

Job 13:16--Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless man would dare come before him!

Job 17:8--Upright men are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly.

Job 20:5--that the mirth of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

Job 27:8--For what hope has the godless when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

Job 34:30--to keep a godless man from ruling, from laying snares for the people.

Job 36:13--"The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.

Psalms 35:16--Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me.

Proverbs 11:9--With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape.

Isaiah 10:6--I send him against a godless nation, I dispatch him against a people who anger me, to seize loot and snatch plunder, and to trample them down like mud in the streets.

Godless is not the same as being an Apostate. A godless person does not recognize or worship a god. For them, no god exists, so why worship a non-existing deity?

A Hypocrite is not the same as an Apostate either. Hypocrites pretend to be something that they are not. A hypocrite would not turn against their religion. They would continue on, posing as a member even though they did not share the same beliefs. Ironically, by forcing current members of the JW community to stay silent, many of them fall into this category should they question the doctrines, yet refuse to speak out against them. They do not want to be branded an Apostate an get cut off from associating with their families and loved ones.

The truth should be able to stand on its own merits. So why should a person be threatened from examining all the evidence in order to find the truth? Why do the JWs not allow current members to ask questions about doctrines without asking them if they have been studying Apostate literature? What are they afraid of? If God is backing them, guiding them along with His holy spirit, wouldn't that have an effect on those interested in wanting to learn as much as possible? Those seeking the truth about God? 

Simple answer to all of those questions. The JWs have been proven wrong. Their doctrines are false. And the fact that they threaten their current members with Apostasy so a person won't want to examine the evidence shows that they KNOW this. And that is very pathetic.