The literature and discourses delivered to Jehovah's Witnesses and distributed by them have consistently and thoroughly bashed, insulted and attacked other religious faiths. Especially, this has been the case with the information pushed out from the Watchtower Society regarding Catholicism.
"Fear has a great hold on the people. People are afraid of what their neighbors, their friends, relatives and clergy might think if they were even so much as to read the Bible on their own. For centuries the clergy have dominated their lives, told them what they can read, what they should believe and do. To ask a sound religious question is a demonstration of lack of faith in God and the church, according to the clergy. As a result, the Irish people do very little independent thinking. They are victims of the clergy and fear; but freedom is in sight." [Watchtower, August 1, 1958, p. 460, 'Dawns a New Era for the Irish'].
"There was also the dreadful Inquisition. It was a system for spying out those who did not believe everything the Roman Catholic Church taught and yet were supposed to be Catholics." [From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, 1958, p. 167].
Respecting the above publication quotes, the organization as usual has come across as hypocritical. A brief review of some additional Watchtower Society publications demonstrates exactly how controlling and fear mongering the organization is to its members.
"As we study the Bible we learn that Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way. And just as in the first century there was only one true Christian organization, so today Jehovah is using only one organization. (Ephesians 4:4, 5; Matthew 24:45-47) Yet there are some who point out that the organization has had to make adjustments before, and so they argue: "This shows that we have to make up our own mind on what to believe." This is independent thinking. Why is it so dangerous? Such thinking is an evidence of pride. And the Bible says: "Pride is before a crash, and a haughty spirit before stumbling." (Proverbs 16:18) If we get to thinking that we know better than the organization, we should ask ourselves: "Where did we learn Bible truth in the first place? Would we know the way of the truth if it had not been for guidance from the organization? Really, can we get along without the direction of God's organization?" No, we cannot! -Compare Acts 15:2, 28, 29; 16:4, 5." [Watchtower, January 15, 1983, page 27, paragraphs 19 & 20, "Armed for the Fight Against Wicked Spirits"]
In the world, there is a tendency to reject leadership. As one lecturer said: "The rising education level has improved the talent pool such that followers have become so critical that they are almost impossible to lead." But a spirit of independent thinking does not prevail in God's organization, and we have sound reasons for confidence in the men taking the lead among us. - [Watchtower, September 15, 1989, page 23, paragraph 13, "Be Obedient to Those Taking the Lead"]
"How could one become guilty of partaking of the table of demons in our day? By serving the interests of anything opposed to Jehovah. The table of demons includes all demonic propaganda, which is designed to mislead and to turn us away from Jehovah. Who would want to feed his heart and mind on such poison?" [Watchtower, July 1, 1994, page 9].
"First, since “oneness” is to be observed, a mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and “the faithful and discreet slave.” By regularly taking in the spiritual food provided “at the proper time”—through Christian publications, meetings, assemblies, and conventions—we can be sure that we maintain “oneness” with fellow Christians in faith and knowledge.—Matthew 24:45." [Watchtower, August 1, 2001 Issue, Page 14, Paragraph 8]
If we were to base statements with the same reasoning the Watchtower Society utilized towards the Catholic faith coupled with the facts on the organization's teachings, this is how the opening Watchtower comments would read:
"Fear has a great hold on the Witnesses. Witnesses are afraid of what their neighbors, their friends, relatives and Watchtower Society leaders might think if they were even so much as to read the Bible on their own. For over a century the Watchtower Society leaders have dominated their lives, told them what they can read, what they should believe and do. To ask a sound religious question is a demonstration of lack of faith in God and the organization, according to the Watchtower Society leaders. As a result, Jehovah's Witnesses do very little independent thinking. They are victims of the Watchtower Society leaders and fear; but freedom is in sight."
If you are one of Jehovah's Witnesses, is freedom in sight for you? It should be, just keep seeking knowledge and information. Do the research and discover the truth of the matters.
