Well, yes it is!
And there is a particular reason why that is so difficult. Moreover, orthodox Christians often don't realise or don't have a clear picture of this gigantic obstacle between them and Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) when talking with them.
Actually, the JWs hold a false but determinate assumption; for them it is a bedrock truth but is a lie. Hence, to lay the groundwork for a successful* meeting with them we need to know the nature of this fantastic illusion JWs accept, sometimes, without fully knowing it.
The JWs' Fantasy
JWs are held in thrall to an oppressive fabrication of their second leader's fertile imagination.
They seriously imagine the Watch Tower Tract and Bible Society (WTS) to be Jehovah God's only legitimate and trustworthy organisation on earth. All orthodox Christian groups are viewed as corrupted, unreliable and not to be trusted.
Furthermore, the WTS is held to be the only means by which God speaks Truth through its group** leadership (now centred in New York). Doctrinal teaching and obligatory moral codes are given to JWs from the WTS' Governing Body.
Knowing this fact implies that the way of speaking with JWs traditionally where we try to show that the way they interpret certain scriptures is not correct. Now I don't say it can't be a way of bringing light to a JW's heart but the limitations of this methods must be realised in view of this larger illusory context.
For whatever we might say, for the JWs to whom we are speaking. it is the speech of those who haven't heard and studied the words of the Governing Body of the WTS.
Of course, we must always keep in mind that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to open the hearts and eyes of those blinded by sin. Without the drawing power of the crucified-resurrected Christ, nothing will be achieved of value for the Kingdom of God. Winning an argument can never be the primary object.
Nevertheless, one writer whose work I have read but not yet studied fully has a promising method for working with the situation.
Next time, I will attempt to present a vulnerability of the JW's position vis a vis the WTS and how that weakness can be used in a robust testimony to the grace of God.
*I should say at the outset that we ought to treat Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) with kindness and grace. I must also confess that I haven't always done this and have on many occasions got myself into a defensive stance that has not helped things. Such actions only reinforce JWs in their rigid adherence to the Watchtower Society's teachings. Nevertheless, we need to be well-prepared otherwise, their trained patter, will overwhelm us.
**The first three leaderships were vested in single men beginning with Charles Russell then Joseph Rutherford and finally Nathan H. Knorr (1905-1977). After that, a Governing Body has become the definitive leadership.
And there is a particular reason why that is so difficult. Moreover, orthodox Christians often don't realise or don't have a clear picture of this gigantic obstacle between them and Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) when talking with them.
Actually, the JWs hold a false but determinate assumption; for them it is a bedrock truth but is a lie. Hence, to lay the groundwork for a successful* meeting with them we need to know the nature of this fantastic illusion JWs accept, sometimes, without fully knowing it.
The JWs' Fantasy
JWs are held in thrall to an oppressive fabrication of their second leader's fertile imagination.
They seriously imagine the Watch Tower Tract and Bible Society (WTS) to be Jehovah God's only legitimate and trustworthy organisation on earth. All orthodox Christian groups are viewed as corrupted, unreliable and not to be trusted.
Furthermore, the WTS is held to be the only means by which God speaks Truth through its group** leadership (now centred in New York). Doctrinal teaching and obligatory moral codes are given to JWs from the WTS' Governing Body.
Knowing this fact implies that the way of speaking with JWs traditionally where we try to show that the way they interpret certain scriptures is not correct. Now I don't say it can't be a way of bringing light to a JW's heart but the limitations of this methods must be realised in view of this larger illusory context.
For whatever we might say, for the JWs to whom we are speaking. it is the speech of those who haven't heard and studied the words of the Governing Body of the WTS.
Of course, we must always keep in mind that it is the work of the Holy Spirit to open the hearts and eyes of those blinded by sin. Without the drawing power of the crucified-resurrected Christ, nothing will be achieved of value for the Kingdom of God. Winning an argument can never be the primary object.
Nevertheless, one writer whose work I have read but not yet studied fully has a promising method for working with the situation.
Next time, I will attempt to present a vulnerability of the JW's position vis a vis the WTS and how that weakness can be used in a robust testimony to the grace of God.
*I should say at the outset that we ought to treat Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) with kindness and grace. I must also confess that I haven't always done this and have on many occasions got myself into a defensive stance that has not helped things. Such actions only reinforce JWs in their rigid adherence to the Watchtower Society's teachings. Nevertheless, we need to be well-prepared otherwise, their trained patter, will overwhelm us.
**The first three leaderships were vested in single men beginning with Charles Russell then Joseph Rutherford and finally Nathan H. Knorr (1905-1977). After that, a Governing Body has become the definitive leadership.
Comments