ARE EX WATCHTOWER MEMBERS "WICKED APOSTATES"? 

ARE THEY TRULY "HATERS OF JEHOVAH GOD"?

The dictionary defines the word, "apostate," as "one who is no longer a member of, or any longer loyal to, an organization, group, religion or club."  But to a Jehovah's Witness...to one who loves Jehovah God and who is loyal to "His" organization...the very word "apostate" brings about immediate and deep feelings of repugnance, loathing, and, yes, even hatred. But why is this so? 

For a Jehovah's Witness to see an ex member that they may have once called "brother," one they may have once walked side-by-side in the door-to-door ministry with, as now "not one of them," they now see that same "brother" as one who has "turned their back on Jehovah God," as someone "worse than the wicked" that are "of the world" of Satan the devil (which is anyone not currently a member of the Watchtower Organization).

The ex member of the Watchtower who refuses to come back to "THE Truth" (or back to believing and being faithful to the Watchtower Doctrine) is seen as "The dog (that) has returned to its own vomit, and the sow that was bathed to rolling in the mire." (2 Petep 2: 22)  In other words, Jehovah's Witnesses are taught to believe that anyone who "was once washed clean" by "coming to an 'accurate knowledge' of the truth" when they joined The Watchtower Organization, but who has now since turned "back to The World," has not only "left THE Truth," but they are seen as now having knowingly turned back to "Satan's World." 

It may be of interest to examine what God's own Word has to say about apostates.

At 2 Thessalonians 1: 8 we read, "...those who do not know God and those who do not obey the good news about our Lord Jesus.  These very ones will undergo the judicial punishment of everlasting destruction..."; and chapter 2: 3 reads, "Let no one seduce you in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first..." (NWT)

At Hebrews 6: 4 we read, "For it is impossible as regards those who have once for all been enlightened...and who have tasted the fine word of God...but who have fallen away, to revive them again to repentance..." (NWT)

At 1 Timothy 4: 1 we read, "...in later periods of time some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to misleading inspired utterances and teachings of demons." (NWT)

The Watchtower's invaluable tool, "Aid to Bible Understanding," published in 1971, notes on page 91 under the paragraph heading, "Apostasy From Christianity":

"An apostasy among professed Christians was foretold by the apostle Paul...he specifically mentioned certain apostates...Among the varied causes of apostasy set forth were: lack of faith, lack of endurance," etc.  And further on we read, "As foretold with apostate Israelites, destruction is likewise foretold for apostates from the Christian congregation. (2 Peter 2: 1; Hebrew 6: 4-8)." (NWT)

Interestingly, however, the "Aid Book" goes on to add that during the time of the Roman Empire, "professed Christians were at times induced to deny their Christian discipleship, and those who did so were required to signify their apostasy by making an incense offering before some pagan god or by openly blaspheming the name of Christ.

"It is evident that there is a distinction between a 'falling' due to weakness and the 'falling away' that constitutes apostasy.  The latter implies a definite and willful withdrawal from the path of righteousness.  Whatever its apparent basis, whether intellectual, moral or spiritual, it constitutes a rebellion against God, and a rejection of His Word of truth."

As we can see just from these quotes straight from the Watchtower's own Bible, the New World Translation, and from their publication, "Aid to Bible Understanding," it is understandable why Jehovah's Witnesses so easily see ex members...apostates...the way that they do. But there is more...

The Watchtower Organization has been quite adamant over the years in reiterating to the rank and file just how "evil" and "wicked" an apostate is, adding that if one is loyal to Jehovah God, that one would have "the proper view" of an unrepentant, disfellowshipped member; of one who has simply "turned their back on Jehovah." 

In order to cement this point, please read the following paragraph quote from the Watchtower Organization's own Watchtower Magazine dated September 15, 1981.

On page twenty-nine of the Watchtower, under the heading, "Disfellowshipped," paragraph 15 reads as follows:

"Regarding them, the psalmist said:  'Do I not hate those who are intensely hating you, O Jehovah, and do I not feel a loathing for those revolting against you?  With a complete hatred I do hate them.  They have become to me real enemies.' (Psalms 139: 21, 22)

The Watchtower now comments on Psalms 139: 21,22:

"It was because they intensely hated Jehovah that David looked on them with abhorrence.  Apostates are included among those who show their hatred of Jehovah by revoulting against him. 

"Apostasy is, in reality, a rebellion against Jehovah.  Some apostates profess to know and serve God, but they reject teachings or requirements set out in his Word. Others claim to believe the Bible, but they reject Jehovah's organization and actively try to hinder its work.  When they deliberately choose such badness after knowing what is right, when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of their makeup, then a Christian must hate (in the Biblical sense of the word) those who have inseparable attached themselves to the badness. 

"True Christians share Jehovah's feelings toward such apostates; they are not curious about apostate ideas.  On the contrary, they 'feel a loathing' toward those who have made themselves God's enemies, but they leave it to Jehovah to execute vengeance. Job 13: 16; Romans 12; 19; 2 John 9, 10"

If we carefully read through this paragraph again, (which I have broken up for easier readability) we can begin to clearly see how very cleverly the Watchtower uses two scriptures from the Old Testament, (where King David is talking of "Jehovah's enemies"), to shrewdly take the reader in a direction that makes it appear that anyone who is no longer faithful to the Watchtower Organization is somehow, now, an "enemy of Jehovah," "rebellious" against Jehovah; and that in "rejecting" the Watchtower, they have "deliberately" chosen "badness," and that "when the bad becomes so ingrained that it is an inseparable part of their makeup," then the Jehovah's Witness (referred to as a "Christian") is now supposed to HATE them...and the Watchtower managed to accomplish this entire line of thought (twisted straight from just TWO scriptures in God's Holy Word) in just one paragraph!!

If one is willing to look again at the scriptures that speak of "apostasy," and that speak of those who have "disowned the faith," we can see that these scriptures are not speaking of those who belong to any future organization, such as the Watchtower, but are referring to, instead, Christians; those who have come to believe the "Good News about the Christ." (Romans 15: 19) (NWT)

Truly, it cannot be any "deliberately chosen badness" to choose to follow Jesus Christ instead of any organization of "man" that does not support His teachings.

At John 8: 12 Jesus says, "I am the light of the world, He that follows me will by no means walk in darkness, but will possess the light of life."  Verses 31, 32, and 36 read: "If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.  Therefore if the Son sets you free, you will be actually free." (NWT)

Jehovah's Witnesses are not taught the truth about Jesus, or about who He really is, or about what Jehovah God's Plan of Salvation is through Jesus Christ, but rather, in order to enslave their members and to maintain tight control over them, the Watchtower tells their followers outright lies about the Christian faith, and about those members that abandoned the Watchtower for Christ, calling them "wicked apostates," and "haters of Jehovah," deserving of "vengenance," intimating that any Jehovah's Witness who might listen to them is close to becoming, too, "an enemy of Jehovah"!!

It is hoped that anyone who wishes to know what God's Word actually teaches, and what Jesus actually has to say to all of us, will be willing to check out any teaching by any religion against God's own Holy Word, the Bible, as the Beroean's in Paul's day did as shown at Acts 17: 11, "...for they received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so" (referring to the teachings of Jesus).

And please note that the Watchtower's own 1968 publication, "The Truth That Leads To Eternal Life," gives the sensible advice that one would be "wise" to "examine" their religon; devoting an entire chapter to explaining just why it is "wise" to do so. 

And I agree.