Tag Archives: Governing Body

Did the Watchtower Really Claim to be a Prophet?

Did the Watchtower Really Claim to be a Prophet?

I remember it well. I was sitting in the ornate kingdom hall in Ridgefield, New Jersey, in 1977. Plush movie-theatre-style seats, ornate black wrought-iron chandeliers, and a stone-floor foyer that inspired whispering. During one talk from the platform, we were told that Jehovah’s Witnesses were the modern-day Ezekiel class. Later, as we studied the Watchtower, we heard references to the Jeremiah class. Years afterward, I also heard the organization identify itself as the John class.  I was a newly baptized Jehovah’s Witness, fully indoctrinated, and didn’t think much of it. The Governing Body heard from God and told us what they learned. We were a class of people, a prophet sounding out the warning to a dying world. Or so I thought.

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What Happens in a JW Bible Study?

What Is a JW Bible Study?

If you have ever studied with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you may be familiar with their idea of a “Bible study”, which is not a Bible study at all but rather a study of a Watchtower publication. Which is actually more of a study of how the Watchtower Organization interprets the Bible.

I recall being offered a free home Bible study by JWs back in the 1970s. The first thing they did was try to introduce their book. I said no, because the JW had offered to answer all my Bible questions. That was the purpose of the visit. So, I pulled out my list. A list of 80 questions based on Genesis and questions I had. I refused to study their little blue book, The Truth that Leads to Eternal Life, until she answered my questions. In those days, JWs were more willing to answer questions than they are today. Today, if you tried that, they would, in all likelihood, tell you they aren’t here to argue, they are looking for “sheep-like ones” (meaning people who will not object or raise too many questions to what’s being taught).

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