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The Witchtower 09/2010 1
THE
S E P T E M BE R 1 , 2 0 1 0
Exposing Jehovah’s Witnesses
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The Witchtower Downloadable in 194 countries
3 The Resurrection – A Strong Hope
4 Become More Effective in the Field Ministry
6 Bearing Children in a Dangerous World
12 Scriptural Questions Answered (2)
16 The Greek Gods and Jehovah
This publication is provided as part of a worldwide
mocking work not supported by voluntary donations.
This magazine is downloadable from 194 countries.
Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, An-
gola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austral-
ia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados,Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Peo-
ple's Republic of China, Republic of China, Colombia,
Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of
Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus,
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torial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland,
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lawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands,
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Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Ni-
ger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Pan-
ama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philip-
pines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia,
Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, SaintVincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino,
São Tomé and Pr ncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal,
Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra Leone,
Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands,
Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Su-
riname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Ta
jikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, The Bahamas, The
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sia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda,
Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom,
United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan,
Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen
Zambia, Zimbabwe
Do you want further information? Do
not write to Jehovah’s Witnesses, but
visit:
http://www.jehovahs-witness.net
http://svhelden.gmxhome.de/e
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“ Everything Jehovah has made for his purpose, yes, even the wicked one .” – Proverbs 16:4
The resurrection is a central element of
Christian doctrine. The apostle Paul knew: “Ifthe dead are not to be raised up … we [Chris-
tians] are of all men most to be pitied.” (1 Corin-
thians 15:16, 19) Who will be resurrected, when,
and why?
Paul pointed out “that there is going to be a
resurrection of both the righteous and the un-
righteous.” (Acts 24:15) Among “the righteous”
there will be “faithful men and women of old …
[and] those righteous other sheep who died
faithful to Jehovah in modern times. Likely, all
such integrity keepers will be resurrected early
in Jesus‟ Millennial Reign.” – Revelation – Its
Grand Climax at Hand! , page 297.
That means that for some time after Arma-
geddon, only the Jehovah‟s Witnesses who sur-
vived or died before Armageddon along with the
faithful ones of old will live on earth. For the
resurrected ones “death will be no more,” and
throughout the earth there will neither “mourn-
ing nor outcry nor pain be anymore.” – Revela-
tion 21:4.
These paradiselike conditions will not persist
though. Wise Solomon wrote “that everything
that the true God makes, it will prove to be to
time indefinite.” (Ecclesiastes 3:14) And “every-
thing Jehovah has made for his purpose, yes,
even the wicked one.” (Proverbs 16:4) Hence the
earth cannot remain without wicked ones forev-
er, but “even the wicked one” must “prove to be
to time indefinite.” Accordingly the book Revela-
tion – Its Grand Climax at Hand! continues toexplain: “Who, though, are „the unrighteous‟
mentioned at Acts 24:15? These would include
the great masses of mankind who have died
throughout history.” (page 297) These people –
among them murderers, predators, extortionists
and other criminals – have paid for their sins
with Adamic death and will eventually be resur-
rected. – Romans 6:23.
Then, at the latest, peace will be gone in th
new world, since the resurrected ones will “persist with the same personality and ways tha
they had before their death.” (The Watchtower
August 15, 1989, page 6) It is possible that res
urrected murderers will immediately start t
murder other resurrected ones, so that Jehovah
will have to resurrect them again at anothe
location – that may explain why the resurrec
tion will take thousand years.
In his wisdom Jehovah foresaw this deve
opment; regarding „mourning and outcry an
pain‟ he foretold: “The former things havpassed away … Look! I am making all [these
things new.” (Revelation 21:4, 5) In actual fact
the resurrected villains will help to fulfill Jeho
vah‟s purpose by bringing „mourning, outcry an
pain‟ back to earth.
When the thousand years are over, Jehovah
will perform a last resurrection to round off hi
purpose. The book Light explains “that God ma
preserve Satan‟s body during the thousan
years … and then at the end of that period o
time awaken Satan out of death and resuscitathis body … What could be the purpose of bring
ing Satan out of death? … That he would brin
to life the Devil who had been dead for a thou
sand years; and that for a purpose … Now, be
ing awakened, he would know that he is a liar.
– volume II, pages 207, 208.
Of course, with his death even the devil wi
have paid for his sins. Still, he will be punishe
after his resurrection: “His penalty will be, whe
he comes forth from the tomb in the Times o
Restitution, that he will have to read the Seven Volumes of SCRIPTURE STUDIES.” – The Finishe
Mystery, 1918 edition, page 338.
Then at the latest, the “restoration of a
things” will be complete. (Acts 3:21) The right
eous and the unrighteous, the devil, mourning
outcry, pain and every other creation will prais
God by their existence. Are we not looking for
ward to that time?
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In the resurrection will Solomon remember the names of all 700 of his wives and 300 concubines?
During his lifetime Solomon was “wiser than any other man … and he could speak three thousand pro v
erbs, and his songs came to be a thousand and five.” (1 Kings 4:31, 32) When Solomon could remembe
3000 proverbs and 1005 songs, it surely wouldn‟t be difficult for him to remember 1000 names. Furthermore
maybe some women in his time didn‟t even have a name, like “the wife of Lot” or “the wife of Noah and the
three wives of his sons.” (Luke 17:32; Genesis 7:13) Maybe Solomon called some of his wives simply “wife o
Solomon.”
Solomon “loved many foreign wives … Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian and Hittite women.
(1 Kings 11:1) Based on his life experience, he gave other men the wise counsel: “Rejoice with the wife o
your youth … Why should you … embrace the bosom of a foreign woman?” – Proverbs 5:18, 20.
Jesus showed that the resurrected ones will not marry anyway, but will simply live together with whom
they want. (Mark 12:25; see The Witchtower , January 2009, page 13) Hence it won‟t be too important if Solo
mon can remember every single name or not. Still, during his earthly reign he served as a prototype of “the
Greater Solomon, Jesus Christ.” – The Watchtower , July 1, 1999, page 31.
Jesus has not only 1000 wives but a “bride composed of 144,000 men and women.” (The Watchtowe
February 1, 1975, page 88) Just as Solomon‟s wives, these come “out of all nations.” ( Isaiah’s Prophecy – Ligh
for All Mankind , volume II, page 409) As Solomon had “seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundreconcubines,” we can conclude that only 100,800 anointed ones will be appointed as princes. (1 Kings 11:3
The remaining 43,200 anointed ones form the concubine class; their ass ignment will be to make Jesus‟ lif
pleasant.
ECOME MORE EFFECTIVE
IN THE FIELD MINISTRY
“Let … [the people] not sleep on as the rest do!” (1 Thessalonians 5:6)
In our time, the house-to-house ministry is
often not too successful. When the publishers
drive to their assignments early in the morn-ing, many people are still asleep and do not
open the door; others are busy in their garden
of farmyard and do not even notice that they
miss a lifesaving visit. For this reason, the
Governing Body will implement a new ar-
rangement that was already announced in the
July 15, 2008 Watchtower.
There we read: “What developments are ye
in store for the preaching work? The siege o
Jericho, recorded in the book of Joshua, provides an illustration … Jehovah told Joshua …
[to] „march round the city seven times and th
priests should blow the horns … And it mus
occur that when they sound with the horn …
the wall of the city must fall down flat‟ … It i
possible that there will be a similar expansion
of our preaching activity.” – pages 6, 7.
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Honking
Most of us drive with their cars into the ter-
ritory, so we have our horns with us. Referring
to Joshua‟s strategy, we should drive round the
territory seven times, honking with our car
horns, before we start our witnessing. If we
have multiple cars, all should take part.
Particularly early in the morning, this is a
very effective method to catch attention. We
could even start our ministry one or two hours
earlier without encountering too many sleeping
homeowners.
If the territory is large, we could repeat the
honking tour in every street. This way we can
find people who may have fallen asleep again
after our original honking and now “sleep on as
the rest do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:6) Of course wedo not expect the walls to fall down, as hap-
pened in Joshua‟s day. But in a transferred
sense that will be the case – more people will
open their doors, so that their walls cannot
protect them from the good news anymore.
Before we start our ministry, we should wake up the
homeowners by driving honking round the territory
If we honk the homeowners out of their sleep, they will likely
refuse the kingdom message – then Jehovah will have reason
to kill them and there will be more space in paradise for us
Destruction
At the siege of Jericho, not the inhabitant
salvation had priority but their annihilation
Only “Rahab the prostitute” stayed alive
likely because the Israelite warriors still want
ed to call on her services. (Joshua 6:24, 25
Likewise, Jehovah does not plan to save al
humans of today; otherwise there wouldn‟t b
enough space for his worshippers in paradise
Rather he wants to “make an exterminationindeed a terrible one, of all the inhabitants o
the earth.” – Zephaniah 1:18.
To give Jehovah reason to annihilate th
people in our territory, we must bring them th
good news. Startling the people out of thei
sleep early in the morning and then instantl
bringing them the kingdom message is a per
fect approach to achieve this goal – the peopl
get the opportunity to choose Jehovah, but it i
extremely unlikely that someone will do so inthat situation. This way, Jehovah‟s purpos
can be fulfilled, and paradise “earth [will] hav
space enough to accommodate all” remainin
people. – Awake! , January 22, 1971, page 31.
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“T hey did not leave children behind, but died.” – Luke 20:31.
Even back in Biblical times, women bore
children. (Genesis 4:1, 17, 18, 20; 5:3, 6, 9, 12,
15, 19, 21, 25, 28, 32) But only because some-
thing is widespread, it must not necessarily be
right. What does the Bible say about the ques-
tion whether women should bear children? And
if someone has children, how should he bring
them up?
Evidence suggests bearing children is ac-
ceptable to God. After all, he himself instructed
Adam and Eve: “Be fruitful and become many.”
(Genesis 1:28) This is a divine commandment.Some Christians even believe that everyone
who is capable is obliged to follow this instruc-
tion, even if he is not married.
Who Are Qualified as Mothers?
Granted, “f ornication can … result in an
unwanted pregnancy.” (The Watchtower, Octo-
ber 1, 1971, page 594) But considering the
command from Genesis 1:28, it would indeed
be a sin not to want pregnancy. According to a
Xinhua report from 1997, “most youths usecontraceptives.” Such “fornicators … will [not]
inherit God‟s kingdom.” – 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10.
The apostle Paul who warned about this
form of fornication knew that increase is im-
portant for the congregation‟s existence. That‟s
why he wrote: “Therefore I desire the younger
widows … to bear children.” (1 Timothy 5:14)
To the present day, the lion‟s share of the
worldwide increase is produced in this way.
Do you offer your
child as “a sacrifice
of praise” to Jehovah?
Family Life That Tires the HeartGod instructed Abraham: “Take, please
your son … and make a trip to the land of Mo
riah and there offer him up as a burnt offerin
on one of the mountains.” (Genesis 22:2) O
course, Christians today do not offer their chil
dren “as a burnt offering” but rather as “a sac
rifice of praise.” (Hebrews 13:15) Instead o
going into the ministry themselves, they repor
the Bible Study with their children and sen
these into the house-to-house ministry. – Ou
Kingdom Ministry, September 2008, page 3.
Certainly Jehovah‟s Witnesses do not offe
their children “on [any]one of the mountains
but on “the mountain of the house of Jehovah
(2 Chronicles 33:15) They withhold from them
“education beyond what is required by law
(The Watchtower, December 1, 1996, page 19
That their children walk “upon the mountain
… bringing good news” is important to them, no
that they get reasonable vocational training
– Isaiah 52:7.
The sociologist “spacedrummer” wrote in comment to the TV program Panorama: “Wha
do you think how many people get children onl
for the child benefit?” Even though thi
shouldn‟t be the major reason for Christia
women to bear children, God‟s word clearly say
that “money is for a protection.” (Ecclesiaste
7:12) Indeed, generous donations can help
Christian to gain the elder‟s approval, for exam
ple when he is heading for a judicial committee.
Father, Mother and Child –
Are They Part of a Trinity?Wise King Solomon mentioned another rea
son why it is good to have children: “Two ar
better than one … If two lie down together
they also will certainly get warm; but how can
just one keep warm? … And a threefold cor
cannot quickly be torn in two. Better is a need
but wise child than an old but stupid” husband
– Ecclesiastes 4:9, 11-13.
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In fact, “a threefold cord” – a family with a
child – “cannot quickly be torn in two.” The
Awake! issue of December 8, 1997 describes the
experience of many Jehovah‟s Witnesses: “Un-
happily married parents usually stayed togeth-
er for the sake of the children.” (page 3) And
even if a couple gets separated, they usually
continue to have some contact with each otherbecause of the children.
According to The Times, “women always feel
colder than men.” (November 8, 2008) But in
most cases, a child stays with its mother after
a divorce, and so the two “will certainly get
warm.” Likely that was the reason why a per-
son in Jesus‟ parable said: “My young children
are with me in bed.” – Luke 11:7.
Pregnancy – Proper and Improper
There are, however, few passages in God‟s
word that discourage from getting pregnant.
Jesus said, for example: “Woe to the pregnant
women and those suckling a baby!” (Matthew
24:19) But did he really want to say that preg-
nancy is something bad? He also said: “Woe to
you who are rich ... Woe to you who are well fed
... Woe to you who laugh!” (Luke 6:24, 25, NIV )
And it is not bad to be rich, well fed or laugh-
ing, is it?
The Prophet Jeremiah commented similar
on the issue of childbearing when he men-
tioned the following persons in the same
breath: “The blind and the lame, the pregnant
woman and the one giving birth, all together.”
(Jeremiah 31:8) And the psalmist mentioned
someone “that is pregnant with what is hurt-
ful.” (Psalm 7:14) And in fact children are hurt-
ful; the expert “Haribo” wrote in the publica-
tion Simsforum: “Children break everything.”
Children are related
to pagan ceremonies
Many couples stay together for the sake of the children
Some Christians argue that Children ar
linked to pagan ceremonies. Moses wrote re
garding the Canaanites: “Their sons and thei
daughters they regularly burn in the fire t
their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:31) Hence child
bearing is closely connected to demon worship.
The psalmist brought up another detai
that is sometimes mentioned to show tha
Christian women should not have children
“Like arrows in the hand of a mighty man, s
are the sons of youth.” (Psalm 127:7) Arrow
are arms, and “true Christians … do not arm
themselves.” ( Awake! , September 22, 1995
page 14) Admittedly, children are no litera
arms made of metal but “weapons” of flesh an
blood. However, “true Christians are no part o
the world; therefore, they do not resort to car
nal weapons.” – Our Kingdom Ministry, De
cember 1994, page 6.
Do You Share God’s
View of Mate Selection?
If a Christian woman decides to have
child, she needs a mate. It is true, 1941 J. F
Rutherford directed a speech especially to chil
dren and youths from 5 to 18 years of age. H
told them to wait until Abraham, Isaac an
Jacob would be resurrected, since these faithfu
men could help them find an appropriate mate
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As we know today, though, these men will
only rise after Armageddon. But then “neither
… outcry nor pain [will] be anymore” – so there
will be no births anymore. (Revelation 21:4)
Does that mean that a Christian woman
should look for a partner by herself?
No. The reference work Your Youth – Get-
ting the Best out of It advises young people: “Ifyou live where dating and courtship are ac-
cepted as normal, the absence of these customs
in certain lands may seem hard to understand.
But people living in those lands may be equally
puzzled by the customs where you live. They
may view dating and courtship as unwise, or
even somewhat offensive. A girl from India
explained to a well-known Western marriage
counselor: „How would we be able to judge the
character of a boy we met and got friendly
with? We are young and inexperienced… It‟s
so important that the man I marry should be
the right one. I could so easily make a mistake
if I had to find him for myself. ‟”
Since Abraham and the other faithful of old
are not available, we could ask our parents, our
grandparents, an elder or the mayor to choose
an appropriate partner for us. If you live in a
country where it is forbidden to have someone
else select a mate for you, you‟ll have to do it by
yourself, if you want or not. But in that case you
should heed the advice from the book Young
People Bask in Their Success: “We should al-ways be aware of the fact that it comes down to
appearance. In ancient Israel, it was only re-
quired to bring the mandatory sacrifices; the
attitude did not matter. Likewise, characteris-
tics only play a minor role in a relationship.
Rather, appearance, bodily charms and appro-
priate dress are really important.” – page 6, see
also box on page 10.
The faithful men
of old could give
good advice for
finding a mate
A myopic man
can hardly be
distracted by
“the desire of
the eyes”
Do You Have the Evangelizing Smell?
Though the Bible is no guidebook for mat
selection, it gives some precious hints wha
worshippers of God should watch out for when
looking for a mate. For example, it says of mos
faithful men of old that they had large flocks o
sheep, goats and cattle. Also in that time therwas no shower and no antiperspirant. We sure
ly can imagine that one could recognize such
faithful men from afar by their smell. Likewis
Christian women of our day should select
partner that can be smelled from a distance.
Something that has destroyed many rela
tionships is “the desire of the eyes.” (1 John
2:16) We can prevent this danger by choosing
mate with poor eyesight. A Christian woman
should ask for an attestation by the ophthal
mologist to make sure that her potential matis immune against “the desire of the eyes.”
Wise Solomon warned: “A report that i
good makes the bones fat.” (Proverbs 15:30
And a fat man is not suitable if you want t
have children. According to Dr. Kamau Kinyen
je, “being overweight can cause hormona
changes that lead to male infertility.” (Sunda
Nation, July 20, 2010) So be careful not t
choose a man with a good field service report.
Children – From What Source? According to Awake! magazine, “som
youths seemingly do not grasp the connection
between sex and pregnancy.” (October 8, 2004
page 5) Indeed, some women think that when
they want to have a child, they only have t
live together with a man, attend the congrega
tion meetings and have a share in the preach
ing work.
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But a Christian woman who wants to be-
come pregnant should by all means heed the
counsel given in the March 2007 Awake! issue:
“Sex is no casual matter to Jehovah God; nei-
ther should it be to you.” (page 29) A couple in
Germany that was raised in a Christian fun-
damentalist organization wanted to have chil-
dren, but they did not get any for a long time.Finally in 2004, after eight years, they contacted
a doctor who suggested giving sex a try. Shortly
thereafter, the woman became pregnant.
Happy Though Pregnant – How Can It Be?
When a Christian woman is pregnant, she
must watch out for certain dangers and avoid
them. The prophet Isaiah provides a hint re-
garding what could cause harm to the child. He
reports of someone who “came into the house of
Jehovah.” (Isaiah 37:1) What were the conse-quences? “This day is a day of distress … and
there is no power to give birth.” (Isaiah 37:3)
Hence pregnant woman should give “the house
of Jehovah” – depicting the modern Kingdom
Halls of Jehovah‟s witnesses – a wide berth.
The mother‟s diet is also of great im-
portance for the well-being of the unborn child.
Jehovah says to women worshipping him: “Y ou
will certainly become pregnant … And now
watch yourself, please, and do not drink wine
or intoxicating liquor, and do not eat anythingunclean.” (Judges 13:3, 4) We must consider
though that the Mosaic Law has been nailed to
the torture stake together with Jesus. (Colos-
sians 2:14) The command “do not drink wine”
has been replaced by “the law of the Christ”
that makes winedrinking the obligation of
every Christian. – Galatians 6:2; 1 Timothy
6:23; John 15:1.
Maintain Your Confidence
Firm to the Birth
The instruction „not to eat anything un-
clean‟ is still valid, however, since Paul wrote:
“God called us, not with allowance for unclean-
ness.” (1 Timothy 4:7) The animals that Chris-
tians may eat under no circumstances include
“the pig … It is unclean for you. You [pregnant
ones] must not eat any of their flesh.” – Leviti-
cus 11:7, 8.
The women are not the only ones who mus
be on the guard against unclean animals. Thei
mates too must heed the following advice: “ An
the hare … she is unclean unto you.” (Leviticu
11:6, ASV ) Interestingly “the hare” is called
“she,” so the statement must refer to a symboli
„hare‟ or a so-called “bunny” – according to Th
Urban Dictionary “a likeable female who is cutand sort of dumb,” often pictured in men‟s mag
azines. If a man would be concerned with such
material, he would be at risk of leaving his mat
even before the birth of his child.
Birth – A Time of Fear or Hope?
In fact, a man has the right to leave his ma
te, but only after the birth of his child. Th
psalmist wrote: “Sons are an inheritance.
(Psalm 127:3) And “within six weeks afte
gaining knowledge of the inheritance, the heican relinquish the inheritance.” (Wikipedia
German edition) Within this time, the fathe
can decide to leave his son to the mother and
go his own way. If he chooses to relinquish hi
inheritance, it is said regarding the children
“They are not his children.” – Deuteronom
32:5.
But usually the fathers decide to stay with
their sons. That‟s why an angel said regarding
woman giving birth to a son: “Y ou will have jo
and great gladness, and many will rejoice ovehis birth.” (Lukas 1:14) However, even back i
Biblical times it could happen that someon
“proved to have, not sons, but daughters
(Joshua 17:3) In such a case, how much tim
does the father have to decide whether he want
to stay with his daughter and the mother?
The Bible doesn‟t say that directly, but i
provides an important hint: “When a woma
gives birth to a boy, she will be unclean for sev
en days ... Then she must stay at home for 3
days … When a woman gives birth to a girl, shwill be unclean … for two weeks. Then she mus
stay at home for 66 days.” (Leviticus 12:1-5
GWT ) The uncleanness after a son‟s birth laste
40 days – almost six weeks. Shortly after tha
period, the father had to make his decision. W
can conclude that the same applied to the birt
of a daughter; that means that in such a cas
the father has twelve weeks to decide.
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Besides, in ancient Israel no unclean person
was allowed to “come into the congregation of
Jehovah.” (Deuteronomy 23:1, 2) Hence parents
are not allowed to enter a Kingdom Hall within
six resp. twelve weeks after a birth.
Parents – Are You Feeding
With the Right Materials?
The apostle Paul told his spiritual children:
“I fed you milk, not something to eat.” (1 Corin-
thians 3:2) Accordingly parents have the obli-
gation to feed their children milk. They have to
be careful though, for God said to a child of
god-fearing parents: “ You will drink milk from
other nations.” – Isaiah 60:16, GWT .
Due to international food labeling regula-
tions it is relatively easy to recognize and avoid
domestic milk when shopping. Only foreigndairy goods are suitable for children of Jeho-
vah‟s worshippers.
Children’s Screaming – When Will It End?
According to Awake! magazine, “babies cry
for more reasons than being hungry.” (April 8,
1976, page 5) One of this “reasons” was men-
tioned by the prophet Isaiah: “There is an out-
cry … for lack of wine.” (Isaiah 24:11, ESV ) As
already mentioned, every Christian – regard-
less of his age – is obliged to drink wine.(1 Timothy 5:23) That‟s why Jehovah instructs
parents: “Buy wine and milk!” (Isaiah 55:1)
The Shulammite‟s boyfriend remembered his
carefree childhood and related: “I have drunk
my wine along with my milk.” – Song of Solo-
mon 5:1.
A visit at the
Kingdom Hallcan have a
traumatizing
effect on chil-
dren
Never allow
religious
magazines
to delude your
children!
The book Sing Praises to Jehovah says re
garding children: “They are gifts from God; h
says: „Use the rod.‟” (song 164) When should
Christian “use the rod?” A report, not appear
ing in The Buffalo News, demonstrated tha
the presence of magazines with even mild reli
gious content in the home could lower th
thinking ability of children and endangethem. Such laxity would run counter to think
ing for oneself. Parents should instruct thei
children to stay clear of anyone who offers t
show them religious magazines and to repor
these incidents to them promptly.” (compar
The Watchtower, September 15, 1984, page 21
Thus parents should immediately use “the ro
of discipline” if their children secretly start t
read the Watchtower. – Proverbs 22:15.
An Uneducated Congregation Under the“Faithful and Discreet Slave’s” Leadership
After some years, Christian parents wi
wonder what kind of education would be suita
ble for their child. According to the February 1
2006 Watchtower, “a balanced education” ha
four objectives: “(1) to read well, (2) to writ
clearly, (3) to develop mentally and morally
and (4) to acquire the practical training neede
for day-to-day living.” – page 10.
If your child can fluently read a Watchtowe
paragraph and can clearly fill in the field ser
vice report slip, you don‟t have to worry abou
the first two items. Besides, the congregation
meetings are the best place to “develop menta
ly and morally.” In actual fact, many a chil
can say: “I have more understanding than th
elders.” (Psalm 119:100, NIV ) But what abou
“practical training needed for day-to-day liv
ing?”
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According to the October 1, 1998 Watchtow-
er “the normal theocratic routine” of a Chris-
tian is “sharing in the ministry, attending the
meetings … [and] studying the Bible.” (page
30) Hence the only school that is suitable for
children of true Christians is the Theocratic
Ministry School. With good reason Our King-
dom Ministry said that Christians “are receiv-ing the best training available” in their meet-
ings. – August 1996, page 2.
Deliverance from a World of Education
If you live in a country where the law re-
quires attending a secular school, you must limit
your child‟s “secular education … [to] what is
required by law.” (The Watchtower, December 1,
1996, page 19) Though “not everyone who goes
to university loses his Christian faith or dies of a
drug overdose,” such education “can become avalueless thing.” – The Watchtower, July 15,
1982, page 14; April 15, 2008, page 4.
School is the place to learn the facts of life
A career as full-time
minister does not
require a study at
a university
Many parents think that they would hav
to explain the facts of life to their children. Bu
according to the book The Secret of Famil
Happiness, as Christian parents you shoul
“not review with your son or daughter the sec
tion „Sex and Morals‟ in the book Question
Young People Ask – Answers That Work.” (pag
68) The brochure School and Jehovah’s Wit
nesses rather points out that “many schools ar
… providing explicit education in sexual mat
ters.” (page 27) This may cause disconcertmen
to you as a loving father or mother, but re
member that you must “not be the one to de
cide just when you want your child to learn
about sex, pregnancy and abortion.” ( Awake
March 22, 1978, page 20)
Upbringing a child is a lengthy project
When it is finalized – that is, when the chil
leaves either the Christian congregation or th
parents‟ home or both – God will speak regard
ing the parents: “Let them rest from their la
bors.” (Revelation 14:13) Then they can „ente
into God‟s rest‟ and “get a firm hold on the rea
life.” – Hebrews 4:10; 1 Timothy 6:19.
FROM OUR READERS: Ac-
cording to the July issue, God
allows birds and other animals to
steal food from humans. But
according to the October 15,
1993 Watchtower , the new world
will be “a world without thieves.”
Will the principle “Let the stealer
steal no more” from Ephesians
4:28 apply to animals too?
The animals have not sinned;
hence they are not imperfect
and therefore they will not
become perfect in paradise.
Birds, however, will get another
food assignment, that is, the
corpses of apostates. (Revela-
tion 19:17, 21) But, as the pic-
tures prove, other animals will
continue to steal fruits or shoes.
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SCRIPTURAL QUESTIONS ANSWERED (2)
Should we switch the light on at the Kingdom
Hall?
Jehovah‟s Witnesses have done so in the
past, but now it is time to examine this ques-
tion again in the light of the Bible. Where does
the light that is emitted by lamps originate?
The apostle Paul wrote: “Satan himself keeps
transforming himself into … light.” (2 Corin-
thians 11:14) Light bulbs, fluorescent tubes
and other lamps are “luminaries of Satan‟s
earthly system.” (Revelation – Its Grand Cli-
max at Hand! , page 110) As true Christians we
must keep away from such counterfeit lights.
How should the Kingdom Hall be illumi-
nated then? As Jesus foretold, “the righteousones will shine as brightly as the sun.” (Mat-
thew 13:43) Daniel too prophesied: “The ones
having insight will shine.” (Daniel 12:3) In the
Kingdom Hall we should be confident that “the
righteous ones” and “the ones having insight”
will shine bright enough, so that everyone can
see.
What if this is not the case? If the Kingdom
Hall remains dark, obviously there is no one
present whom Jehovah considers “righteous” or
“having insight.” For such a situation thereshould always be matches handy in the King-
dom Hall, so that the publishers can ignite the
elders‟ suits and so make them shine. This way
the elders can be “shining as illuminators” and
light up the Kingdom Hall. – Philippians 2:15.
Who are the “wolves” whom Paul warned
about?
Paul advised the Christians of his time: I
know that after my going away oppressive
wolves will enter in among you and will not
treat the flock with tenderness, and from
among you yourselves men will rise and speak
twisted things.” (Acts 20:29, 30) Whom did he
refer to?
These “wolves” try to disguise themselves,
of course. But wolves feed on sheep; hence we
can recognize the “wolves” by the fact that the
chase sheep. The apostle John gives us a vita
hint for their identification: “The hundred an
forty-four thousand … are the ones that kee
following the Lamb.” – Revelation 14:3, 4.
So the “oppressive wolves” who “spea
twisted things” are the anointed Jehovah‟
Witnesses, a remnant of which is still living on
earth, forming the “faithful and discreet slave
– Matthew 24:45.
Which road leads to paradise, the broad road
or the narrow road?
Jesus said: “Broad and spacious is the roa
leading off into destruction, and many are th
ones going in through it; whereas narrow is th
gate and cramped the road leading off int
life.” (Matthew 7:13, 14) On the face of it, i
seems to be easier to walk on the broad road.
But is it really so? Notice that “the broa
road … is filled with so many millions, wherea
the narrow ... [road] has so few thereon.” (Th
Watchtower, March 1, 1971, page 143) Actuall
there are only about seven million Jehovah‟Witnesses on the „narrow road‟ while roughl
seven billion people are walking on the „broa
road.‟
If the „broad road‟ is around 10 times a
broad as the „narrow road,‟ but roughly a thou
sand times as many people are walking on it, i
is inevitable that it is a hundred times a
cramped. That means that in actual fact it i
the „broad road‟ that is “cramped” and “leadin
off into life.”
The „broad road‟ is the „cramped road‟
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Should Christians fast?
In Biblical times Fasting was “fitting in the
face of great danger, when in sore need of di-
vine guidance, while enduring tests and meet-
ing temptations, or when studying, meditating,
or concentrating on God‟s purposes.” (Insight
on the Scriptures, volume I, page 811) Without
doubt, true Christians today are “studying,meditating” and “concentrating on God‟s pur-
pose” too. Also they are in “great danger” of
falling for false teachers. Hence fasting is defi-
nitely indicated for Christians of today.
Which kinds of fasts are acceptable to God?
Fasting is “abstaining from some or all food.”
(Wikipedia) However, since we are no more
under the Law Covenant, we should not fast
literally but spiritually. As a start we could
„abstain from some food,‟ for example from “the
solid spiritual food presented in the Watchtow-
er Study.” – Our Kingdom Ministry, March
1994, page 1.
Even better, though, would be “abstaining
from … all food,” that is, from all “the spiritual
food provided by „the faithful and discreet
slave.‟” (The Watchtower, September 15, 2005,
page 20) Soon the cobwebs will be blown away
and you will recognize that you have been mis-
led for years. Not for nothing, God stated
through his prophet Isaiah: “This is the kind of
fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly
imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who
work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and
remove the chains that bind people.” (Isaiah
58:6, NLT ) Indeed, through spiritual fasting,
people “who are wrongly imprisoned” by Jeho-
vah‟s Witnesses and „work for them‟ in the so-
called “preaching work” can be freed!
When will God carry out his purpose, and to
what extent can we hope for his support to-
day?
The Bible answers these questions quite
unequivocal. The prophet Amos said: “The Lord
Jehovah doth nothing.” (Amos 3:7, YLT ) Hence
it is futile to trust in his support. Does that
mean that we should simply wait until God‟
Kingdom comes? That is not advisable too, fo
Jesus explained: “The kingdom of God does no
come.” (Luke 17:20, NIV ) So, rather than ex
pecting help from God, we should take ou
future in our own hands.
Will there be homosexuality in paradise?
Admittedly, Paul wrote that “men who li
with men … will [not] inherit God‟s kingdom
(1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) But obviously the ban
on homosexuality is only a consequence of hu
man imperfection since God‟s original purpos
did not involve women at all. Whenever th
creation account mentions “the man” it doe
always refer to Adam. (Genesis 2:16) Not unti
later did Jehovah decide “to build … a woman.
(Genesis 2:18, 22) But even after that, he didnot call Adam and Eve the “two humans” bu
“the man [“human”, German translation] an
his wife.” – Genesis 2:25.
In Paradise, however, the original cond
tions that prevailed in the Garden of Eden wil
be restored. Accordingly the Watchtower ex
plains: “Continuing his description of the situa
tion that would exist during his future pres
ence, Jesus tells his disciples: „In that nigh
two men [“males”, German translation] will bin one bed.‟” (June 15, 1989, page 9) So homo
sexuality will be quite normal in paradise.
Under Jesus‟ rule “two men will be in one bed”
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Don’t the unfulfilled prophecies of Jehovah’s
Witnesses prove that they are not guided by
God?
The opposite is true. God explained through
Moses: “In case a prophet … arises in your
midst and does give you a sign or a portent,
and the sign or the portent does come true of
which he spoke to you … you must not listen tothe words of that prophet … That prophet …
should be put to death … Y ou must clear out
what is evil from your midst.” – Deuteronomy
13:1-5.
If the „signs‟ given by Jehovah‟s Witnesses
would have come true – if Armageddon would
have come 1914 or 1975 or if Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob would have risen 1925 – then every
Christian would have had the sacred obligation
to stone those responsible. But as their prophe-cies were not fulfilled, they rank among the
great prophets of the Bible whose prophecies
were not fulfilled too – to this day the lion does
not eat straw, the thrones of David and Solo-
mon do not exist anymore, and “the day of
Jehovah” that had been “near” already 3000
years ago has still not come. – Isaiah 11:7; 2
Samuel 7:16; 1 Chronicles 17:14; Joel 1:15.
Indeed, the non-occurring of their prophe-
cies definitely proves that Jehovah‟s Witnessesare guided by God. That‟s why we are obliged
to have “confidence in „the faithful and discreet
slave‟ … as well as in those from among them
who form the Governing Body.” – The Watch-
tower, August 15, 1998, page 12.
Should Christians take photographs?
Some believe that photographing is not for
Christians. They mention the Ten Command-
ments that clearly say: “ You must not make …
[an] image … like anything that is in the heav-
ens above or that is on the earth underneath or
that is in the waters under the earth.” (Exodus
20:4) They also point out that cameras are
often used for perverse purposes, such as pho-
tographing naked humans or buildings of false
religion.
However, we are no more under the Mosai
Law, and “where the spirit of Jehovah is, ther
is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) Accordingl
every Christian must make his own decision
regarding photographing, carefully considerin
the Biblical principles presented here.
But even if a Christian decides that he can
reconcile photographing with his Bible-traineconscience, he should abstain from a facilit
that is often used by worldly photographers
the flash. Flashes have always been connecte
to false deities. The god Zeus is called “Th
Lightninger,” and the Greek poet Nonnu
praised him: “Do thou in battle lift thy light
ning-flash.” Even the false god Baal is “depict
ed with a raised arm, hurling flashes.” (Wik
ipedia, German edition) Flashes are also asso
ciated with Jupiter, Thor and other false gods
hence they have no place in a Christian‟s cam
era.
Most modern cameras though are equippe
with a flash from the start. A Christian ownin
such a device would constantly be tempted t
utilize this feature. But in surplus outlets an
other shops suitable for Christians, camera
without flash can be found sometimes. If w
decide to take photos, with such a device w
would be on the safe side.
The demon-god Baal used flashes
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Are there other organizations that are pro-
tected by God?
There can be no doubt that the Watchtower
organization is protected by God. The book
Draw Close to Jehovah explains: “The ruler of
this world would like nothing more than to
eliminate true worship … Some of the most
powerful governments on earth have bannedour preaching work and have tried to wipe us
out completely. Yet, Jehovah‟s people have
remained firm and have continued to preach
without letup! Why have mighty nations been
unable to put a stop to the activity of this rela-
tively small … group of Christians? Because
Jehovah has shielded us with his powerful
wings!” – page 73.
However, the same applies to the Sicilian
Mafia and its offshoots. There can be no doubtthat „the rulers of this world would like nothing
more than to eliminate‟ the Mafia. Not only
“some of the most powerful governments on
earth” but practically all governments have
“banned” the Mafia and „have tried to wipe it
out completely.‟ Yet the Mafia „has remained
firm‟ and has continued its criminal activities
without letup! Why have mighty nations been
unable to put a stop to the activity of this rela-
tively small group of criminals? Apparently for
the same reason – because Jehovah has shield-ed them with his powerful wings.
How can Christians avoid premarital sex?
Many Christians believe that “premarital
sex … is a serious sin against God.” ( Awake! ,
December 8, 1995, page 12) How can we guard
against this sin? Paul provided a simple yet
ingenious advice: “It is a good thing for a per-
son not to get married … A man … is wise if hedoes not get married.” – 1 Corinthians 7:26, 37,
NLB.
Someone who will never enter into mar-
riage cannot have “ premarital sex.” No wonder
Jesus disciples said: “It's not worth getting
married!” (Matthew 19:10, ISV ) And they were
right. Rather than getting into “servitude” by
marriage, Christians should heed the apostl
John‟s advice: “Let us not love with words …
but with actions.” (1 Corinthians 7:15; 1 John
3:18) True, “the man who gets married doe
well, but the man who does not get married
does better.” – 1 Corinthians 7:38, NLB.
Where is the center of false worship today?
Some think that the center of false worshi
would be in Rome, in Lourdes or in Mecca. Bu
the Watchtower says regarding Amos‟ time
“Bethel was a center of false worship.” (Febru
ary 15, 1980, page 31) A later issue pointe
out: “Apostates preferred to go up to Bethe
and Gilgal, centers of idol worship, there t
offer sacrifices to false gods.” – April 1, 1989
page 23.
Hence the “centers of idol worship” wher
the “apostates” gathered were “Bethel an
Gilgal.” Gilgal doesn‟t exist anymore, bu
Bethels can be found anywhere on the globe
The largest one is in Brooklyn, and smalle
Bethels exist in most countries. These place
are the modern “centers of idol worship” be
cause the people there “offer sacrifices” to th
“faithful and discreet slave” and other “fals
gods.” (Matthew 24:45) Accordingly Jehovah
advises us through Amos: “Don't search for m
at Bethel … Bethel will come to nothing – Amos 5:5, GWT .
“Bethel was a center of false worship”
(The Watchtower , February 15, 1980)
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The Greek Gods are noted for their immoral conduct. “The gods and goddesses … were themselves d e
picted in Greek mythology as practicing every immoral and criminal act known to humans … Among th
detestable practices attributed to certain deities are … lying, thievery, drunkenness, and murder. Those wh
incurred the disfavor of a god or goddess are depicted as being punished in a most cruel manner.” – Insigh
on the Scriptures , volume I, pages 210, 978.
Where did the Greek Gods have these attributes from? The great philosopher Aristotle said that “men …
imagine, not only the forms of the Gods, but their ways of life to be like their own.” (Politics , Book One, Par
Two) “The immorality of the gods served to justify man‟s wrongdoing.” (Insight on the Scriptures , volume
page 979) So, the Greeks created the gods in their own image and attributed to them features that they
themselves had.
However, even Greeks are men, and “God proceeded to create the man in his image, in God‟s image h
created him.” (Genesis 1:27) Consequently the Greeks were created in God‟s image too. That means that th
character attributes of the Greek gods do not only resemble those of their human inventors but also those
of God.
Indeed, as the Bible shows, Jehovah too
practiced “every … criminal act known to hu-
mans.” He lied to Abraham, David, Solomon and
others, and he commissioned an angel to fool
King Ahab. (Genesis 13:14-16; Acts 7:2-6;
1 Chronicles 17:14; 1 Kings 22:20-22; compare
The Witchtower , October 2009, page 15) Heassigned his people to loot the Egyptians and
the Canaanites. (Exodus 3:22; Deuteronomy
6:10, 11) At least once he was drunk, and on
several occasions he forced his people to mur-
der innocent children. (Psalm 78:65; Joshua 6:21;
1 Samuel 15:3) Whoever „incurred his disfavor‟
was swallowed by the earth, slain by hailstones
or eaten up by dogs or worms. – Numbers
16:32; Joshua 10:11; 2 Kings 9:35-37; Acts 12:23.
Therefore we can ascertain beyond doubt:
The Greek gods were created in the Greeks‟
image, and the Greeks were created in God‟s
image. Accordingly Zeus, Hermes, Dionysus and
the other Greek gods actually reflect the fea-
tures of Jehovah, the creator of men and Greeks. Dionysus and the other Greek Gods reflected Jehovah‟s features