Do you believe that anyone, anywhere, who just had a Bible and no other literature could understand the Bible and be saved?
Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to read the Bible on their own. Even from the earliest days of its existence the Watchtower Society made bold claims about its own publications. To begin with, Charles Russell, the founder of what is known today as the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, had this to say about his self-authored volumes of Scripture Studies:
"The volumes are the Bible in an arranged form. That is to say, they are not merely commentson the Bible, but they are practically the Bible itself...if anyone lays the SCRIPTURE STUDIES aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone,...our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness. On the other hand, if he had merely read the SCRIPTURE STUDIES with the references, and had not read a page of the Bible, he would be in the light at the end of the two years." WT 9-15-10 p.298
From that time forward, other similar statements were found within the pages of the Society's literature, such as:
"A Christian needs Jehovah's theocratic organization in order to understand the Bible." WT 6-15-51 p.375
"The Bible is an organization book and belongs to the Christian organization as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah's visible organization in mind." WT 10-1-67 p.587
"Jehovah God caused the Bible to be written in such a way that one needs to come in touch with His human channel before one can fully and accurately understand it...we cannot find the scriptural guidance we need outside the "faithful and discreet slave" organization." WT 2-15-81 pp. 17,19
"They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago." WT 8-15-81 pp.28,29
My Comment:
What a left-handed admission! If you read the Bible for yourself, you do NOT reach the
same conclusions that the Witnesses teach!
"...no personal Bible reading and interpretation..."WT 6-1-85 p.20
"Let us face the fact that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own." WT 12-1-90 p.19
"Of course help is needed. It is unlikely that someone who simply reads the Bible without taking advantage of divinely provided aids could discern the light. That is why Jehovah God has provided "the faithful and discreet slave," foretold in Matthew 24:45-47. Today that "slave" is represented by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses." WT 5-1-92 p.31
**But the Bible says:
I John 2:27 - "The Holy Spirit indwells you and teaches you...the anointing which you have received from him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you..."
The Society says:
"Come to Jehovah's organization for salvation." WT 11-15-81 p.21"Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his 'faithful and discreet slave,'...unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do." WT 12-1-81 p.27
"To receive everlasting life in the earthly paradise, we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." WT 2-15-83 p.12
"Bible students...must appreciate that identifying themselves with Jehovah's organization is essential to their salvation." Our Kingdom Ministry, November, 1990
Jesus nowhere in the Bible preached the need to join any kind of "organized" group through which to obtain salvation and eternal life. Instead, He said:
John 5:39,40 - "Come to ME for eternal life." [emphasis mine]
John 10 28 - "I give eternal life." [not a church or an organization]
John 14:6 - "I" am the way, the truth, and the life..."
But the Watchtower says:
"PUT FAITH IN A VICTORIOUS ORGANIZATION" WT 3/1/79 p.12
Since they must come to it for salvation, the organization becomes, in effect, the Savior for Jehovah's Witnesses. And since they must give it unquestioning obedience, the organization becomes their Lord. This borders on idolatry. In fact, the Watchtower has acknowledged in the past that an organization can actually become an object of idolatrous worship by its followers:
"If one renders obedient service to someone or something, whether willingly or under compulsion, looking up to such, as possessing a position of superior rulership and great authority, then that one can scripturally be said to be a worshipper." - WT 9-1-61 p.525
"...idolatrous worshiper of a man-made organization." WT 12-1-71 p.723
The Watchtower's founder and first president, Charles Russell, however, saw the danger of putting faith in an organization, and he warned against it in early issues of the same magazine that now promotes it. One such quote:
"Beware of organization. It is wholly unnecessary. The Bible rules will be the only rules you will need. Do not seek to bind others' consciences, and do not permit others to bind yours. Believe and obey so far as you can understand God's Word." Zion's Watchtower, Sept. 15, 1895, p.216
The Bible itself also warns against putting trust in an earthly organization:
"This is what Jehovah has said: "cursed is the able bodied man who puts his trust in earthling man and actually makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from Jehovah himself." Jeremiah 17:5
God has always had a people, not a tightly knit organization resembling a business. God
should not be expected to work through or recognize such institutions as if they are his "representatives." The Israelites in the
wilderness were the closest God's people have ever come to being an "organization," as this was God's will at that time. Yet Adam,
Enoch, Noah, Job, and the "prophets" were not "organized." Even the early church was far from being tightly organized.
The records of the early Apostolic Church reveal that they were worlds apart from being a regimented, well-oiled machine. Unity came from their spirits being united by a love for Christ.
We all long and search for the ideal Christian community; we esteem the New Testament church
as our foundation and its fellowship as the goal for our community life. But we frequently forget that the New Testament church was
constantly beset with doctrinal, behavioral, even social problems. The Corinthians, for example, tolerated sexual aberration,
misunderstood the resurrection of the dead, and misused the gifts of the Spirit, and some even got drunk at Communion services.
The Galatians misrepresented the gospel and turned to legalism for a time. The church in Colosse mixed Christian teachings with
heathen world-views.