While I was in the midst of my “home Bible study,” I also attended some Watchtower study sessions at the local Kingdom Hall. What was studied wasn’t the Bible itself but articles from The Watchtower magazine. Like the study book, they consisted of Watchtower teachings with brief scripture quotations or citations references interspersed as if they taught and emphasized exactly what The Watchtower was saying. (p. 21)

A study conductor read the article aloud paragraph by paragraph and then asked the study questions from the article. Jehovah’s Witnesses would be called on, and the only acceptable replies were answers that either parroted the points in the paragraph or gave examples of why those points were correct. (pp. 21-22)

An early lesson in the “home Bible study” book advised the reader to expect opposition to his “examining the Scriptures” and urged him to seek God’s approval rather than man’s by continuing the study. Rather than giving biblical answers to Watchtower teachings, my Christian friends simply told me that the Watchtower religion is a cult and advised me to end the study. Those warnings didn’t help; they only seemed like personal attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses by people who offered no substantive answers. (pp. 22-23)

Although I never became a Jehovah’s Witness, I started to think like them and saw that the one underlying idea that governs the life of a Jehovah’s Witness is this: Jehovah God works through one and only one organization today—the Watchtower Society. Devotion to that concept is what makes a person a Jehovah’s Witness. This organizational mindset dominates every aspect of their minds, hearts, and lives. (pp. 23-24)

Because of repeated training of the type described above, loyal Jehovah’s Witnesses are convinced of the following “truths”:

1. The Watchtower organization is God’s sole channel of communication to mankind today.
2. Only the “faithful and discreet slave” (Matthew 24:45-47), the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, can properly interpret the Bible.
3. The Watchtower religion is “the truth,” and the Watchtower organization is the only path to salvation because it is the only religion that truly adheres to the Bible.
4. All religious organizations other than the Watchtower are false and satanic.
5. Life is a loyalty and endurance test. In order to gain everlasting life, they must remain loyal to Jehovah and his organization and endure faithful until the end.
6. True servants of Jehovah can expect to be persecuted, especially since the end of the current wicked system of things is so near.

How do Witnesses come to have this organizational mindset? If they were raised in that religion, it’s all they know. If they converted from a different religion or from no religion, they were taught these things through the home study and Kingdom Hall instructional processes previously described. In addition, they are surrounded by other Jehovah’s Witnesses, all of whom believe the same things they do. (pp. 24-25)

Study Questions

1. Describe a Kingdom Hall Watchtower study process (pp. 21-22)

2. Jehovah’s Witnesses hope to conduct a similar “home Bible study” with you in order to lead you step-by-step into “the truth.” This doesn’t seem like indoctrination to them. It just seems like a normal learning process.

• What are the risks if you let your time with Jehovah’s Witnesses proceed in this fashion?
• Why is it important for you to get Jehovah’s Witnesses out of their prepared presentations?

3. Based on Dave’s experience (pp. 21-23), if you know someone who is already going through this type of “home Bible study” with Jehovah’s Witnesses:

• Why is it important for you to talk with them?
• Why is it usually counterproductive just to tell them, “The Watchtower is a cult. Don’t have anything to do with them?” (pp. 22-23)
• Why is it counterproductive to tell them that the Witnesses are trying to indoctrinate them?
• Why is it important for you to take whatever time is necessary in order to offer them biblical answers to Watchtower teachings?