Watchtower Bible and Tract Society

QUESTION: What is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society?

ANSWER:

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (also known as the Jehovah's Witnesses) was founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell. After studying Christianity and many Eastern religions, he designed his own religion. He believed the Trinity, the Deity of Christ, and Hell to be illogical. The word "faith" has never been mentioned in any of his teachings. He found himself in and out of court many times and has been accused of lying under oath.

After Russell's death in 1916. Joseph F. Rutherford replaced him as President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Rutherford replaced many of Russell's writings with his own interpretations. Under his theocratic control, he adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1942, Rutherford died and Nathan Knorr took over as president. During Knorr's presidency, the society produced the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures in 1961. When Knorr died in 1977, Frederick W. Franz carried on Knorr's reign and ideas. Upon his death in 1992, the current president Milton G. Henschel began his service.

Today there are over two million members of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (also called the Jehovah's Witnesses). They all claim there interpretations of the Bible are directly from God. While president, F. W. Franz stated, "They passed to the Holy Spirit who invisibly communicates with Jehovah's Witnesses." In reading this statement, we can see that Watchtower Bible and Tract Society believes that their organization speaks for God through revelations.

They claim to follow the Bible, but they misuse the scriptures and quote text out of context. They have many publications that contradict the Holy Bible - The Watchtower, Awake, Let God Be True, The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures, Studies in the Scriptures and many more.

Jehovah's Witnesses have repeatedly announced the return of Jesus Christ and the end of the world. When that date passes without Jesus returning, they set a new date. Because of these predictions which took place in 1887, 1875, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975 and 1989, their numbers have increased.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe only 140,000 believers will go to heaven and reign with Jehovah God. The rest of the faithful Jehovah's Witnesses will live forever on paradise Earth. The 144,000 will be determined by membership in the Watchtower organization and their efforts of spreading the word door to door. The non-members will be destroyed by Jehovah and cease to exist. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society once taught that Jehovah God lives on a planet called Alcoyne in the constellation of Pleiades.

Jehovah's Witnesses should act on the advice of the Watchtower: "We need to examine, not only what we personally believe, but what is taught by any religious organization with which we may be associated. Are its teaching in full harmony with God's Word, or are they based on the traditions of man? If we are lovers of the Truth, there is nothing to fear from such an examination" (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, 1968, p. 13).