Another Look At The Watchtower Society

This morning I want to lead you in a study, howbeit different study, of the Jehovah's Witnesses. I don’t want to simply fill your heads with some lifeless facts and figures on this infamous cult, rather I want to make the errors of the group very apparent to everyone here. I want to present my material in such a way so as to emphasize the staggering human toll that follows in the wake of this dread organization.

As I begin this study, I want to take a few minutes and acquaint you with the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Almost everyone knows of their aggressive door-to-door proselytizing. The Jehovah’s Witnesses also exercises rigid control over their members as we will see later in this morning’s message. Through this control, the Society builds a wall of isolation between Jehovah's Witnesses and the rest of society.

The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society boldly claims to be the only organization God is using today to teach His truth and speak for Him. The Watchtower, February 15, 1983, p. 12 notes: "Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." According to the Watchtower, all non-Jehovah's Witnesses will be destroyed at Armageddon, an event of divine judgment that they claim is just around the corner.

In 1997, official Watchtower figures claimed nearly 5.6 million members in 232 counties. Nearly 1 million of those members live in the United States.

The January 1986 Watchtower revealed that in 1985, the height of the Watchtower printing boom, "Jehovah's Witnesses placed nearly 39 million Bibles, books, and booklets in the field, as well as more than 300 million magazines." We are talking big business and tons of money here saints!

Having said that, I want to now draw for you a picture of the human cost of being a JEHOVAH’S WITNESS

Several things really stand out here. First, I want to emphasize the prohibitions that are placed on these people. I have two handouts for you in this regard. The one is appropriately called “A Return To Bondage.” The other one is simply titled, “Become a Jehovah's Witness And You Can't...” I want to briefly review a few of the points now. You can read the rest of the material on your own later. (See attachment)

As you can see from these two lists, children especially pay a high price for being a part of the sect. 

Let me point out several things here: Jehovah’s Witness children generally are somewhat isolated, insulated and withdrawn due to their family involvement with the organization. They oftentimes are forced to sit through long meetings and conferences and are taken door-to-door to promote the organization. As you could also see, they are discouraged from advancing to higher education, or being involved in sports and extracurricular activities. This can be seen as a form of “restrictive abuse.”

I want you to also notice these statements drawn from various Watchtower Society publications. I find them to be somewhat disturbing:

·         "All children of Adam need correction, and at times firm discipline requires the rod, in the administration of pain…At times, a parent will need to speak to the child by the administration of pain."

·         Perhaps the most telling is a chapter from Disciplining Children for Life, a "parenting guide" for Jehovah's Witnesses. The section is meant to instruct children on why it is okay for mommy and daddy to spank them. It describes how animal mothers discipline their young.

·         For example: A mother tiger "took the youngster's whole head in her mouth, squeezed and shook it, while the startled baby whimpered."

·         A concealed fawn, if it dares move, will "get a spanking from sharp mother hooves."

·         A bear gave her cub "a good wallop with her paw and sent it rolling."

·         Abusive animal mother of the year awards must go to a mother koala, who turns her babies over her knee "and spanks them on their bottoms for minutes on end with the flat of her hand, during which time their screams are soul-rending. "

Another aspect of abuse comes from the organization’s refusal to receive blood trans-fusions. (overhead transparency) I have here a copy of the ghoulish cover of the May 22, 1994 issue of Awake! As you can see, the cover is filled with the faces of what the magazine calls, “Youths Who Put God First.” Actually, these are the faces of young people who died because the organization refused to allow them to receive a blood transfusion. Jerry Bergman, Ph.D. estimates that up to 6,750 Jehovah's Witnesses die every year as a result of the Watchtower Society forbidding them to receive blood transfusions. Notice with me this news account from the London Daily Telegraph, dated February 5, 1993: “Jehovah's Witness Bleeds To Death After Giving Birth”

A JEHOVAH'S witness bled to death after the birth of her second child because religious principles prevented her from having a transfusion. Mrs. Yvonne Leighton, 28, and her husband, Gordon, had signed forms refusing hospital staff permission to give her blood.

Doctors had to stand by helplessly as she hemorrhaged during a simple operation for new mothers, 10 days after her son was born. She died over a protracted period of several hours as Mr. Leighton and other relatives waited by her bedside at Sunderland General Hospital.

A hospital spokesman said: "She was conscious for most of the time, but she refused to have a transfusion. She was given blood alternatives, but when you are suffering that much, you need blood. She was prepared to do anything but have a blood transfusion." Her fellow Jehovah's Witnesses were so anxious to ensure that the hospital staff complied with her wishes that a legal representative was sent to the hospital to ensure the transfusion was not carried out.

The hospital spokesman added: "It was heartbreaking, not only for the woman's family, but for the doctors and nurses."

Mr. Leighton's brother said last night: "The whole family is very distressed. We are all Jehovah's Witnesses. My brother has been comforted by ministers of the church since his wife died."

Mr. Leighton was being comforted by relatives at this home in Washington. One said: "Gordon has just lost his wife, he's been left to look after a tiny baby on his own. He is totally distraught. He doesn't know what to do. His life has been shattered."

Mr. Ray Varty, a Jehovah's Witness, and a close friend of Mr. and Mrs. Leighton, said last night, "She was a very loving woman who will be deeply missed."

Jehovah's Witnesses are forbidden to allow any form of human or animal blood into their bodies. A spokesman at their London headquarters said last night that the Bible "repeatedly instructs people not to take blood into their body." "It's not that we decline medical treatment. We believe strongly in medicine. We don't have a death wish."

Mrs. Leighton, who also has a six‑year‑old daughter, Rachel, went into the hospital on Wednesday for the operation known as dilation and curettage. It involves scrapping away the fining of the womb and is commonly carried out to treat or diagnose the cause of heavy menstrual bleeding.

The hospital spokesman said: "It's very simple and done every day. The consequences of not having a blood transfusion were explained to her and her family on three occasions." "The anesthetist was continually trying to get her to change her mind. The medical team were

distraught. "A full medical team were present throughout her treatment and all possible steps were taken to save her bearing in mind the wishes of her and her family.

"It is a very difficult situation for medical staff. But if they were to give the transfusion they would have been breaking the law and open to a charge of criminal assault."

"We offer our sympathy to the family, but this incident will stay with the staff for the rest of their lives."

The Watchtower argues: "In a hospital, when a patient cannot eat through his mouth, he is fed intravenously. Now, would a person who never put blood in his mouth but who accepted blood by transfusion really be obeying the command to 'keep abstaining from blood?' (Acts 15:29)?" (Reasoning, p.73).

The handout on bondage also contains this quote from the Watchtower: "Similarly, God's command to 'abstain from blood' rules out ingesting it by the mouth as well as through injections into the veins. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that the divine law was not to be ignored even during an emergency that could threaten life. Many of God's approved servants have been willing to face dangers and even death rather than violate Scriptural principles and their integrity to Jehovah." Watchtower, 6/15/78, p.24.

As you can see, the prohibitions that these people place on each other are not only mean and cruel, they are also life threatening as well.

Next, I want to share with you portions of several letters that I have received lately. I think you will find them more than a little interesting:

The first one comes from a 77-year-old lady by the name of Diane Gholson. She is a widow and she lives in Florida. Diane was a Jehovah's Witness for 44 years before she saw the light and left the organization. Today she works in a counter-cult ministry. She has also been very instrumental in helping my sister Trudy during her transition out of the Watchtower Society. I have invited her to be a part of a cult-awareness weekend that I am planning for the Spring of next year. Diane writes:

Dear Mike:

Trudy is very special to me even though we have only met thru via e-mail, regular letters, and telephone. Like me, all she ever wanted was to serve God but got led down the garden path.
Her testimony that I printed in a newsletter that I do for xJWs and Christians has brought much response, in fact one man who very recently left the WT said it was practically identical to his story, except that he had been a WT slave 35 years. Every JW has experienced much unnecessary trauma.  Life is hard enough without all the added rules
What a coincidence that your church is near the Janesville Assembly Hall. We spent a lot of weekends there, in fact as we were in the security business in Rock Falls, IL. we donated and installed their security system.  We gave many talks at their assemblies there.
When we were in the WT I wrote our Baptist relatives at the end of 1974 to please come into the organization as I did not want them to be destroyed at Armageddon during 1975. They really did not know how to answer me but they intensified their prayers and by 79-80 we were out!  It took us a bit longer to become Christians simply because we had been taught not to trust churches. My husband often said God didn't give up on us, so there is hope for many others.
The Lord surely has richly blessed us and helped us use Watchtower training to bring others out of the Devil's lair.
We had a share in the making of the film Witnesses of Jehovah and the first place we showed it was at an Assembly of God Church in Rock Falls, IL.  It is the best inoculation against the Watchtower Disease that I know of.
The ministry has been very rewarding and I have many more friends, real brothers and sisters, than I ever had in the Kingdom Hall.  I better quit, I am just bursting with excitement. Getting them out of the WT is not enough, they have to be led to the Lord and sad to say many are so burned they never find the way, Jesus.
Will be happy to work with you in lifting up Jesus who has been demoted to a god by JWs
One final comment. Our music director also has an evangelism class and every week he teaches how it should be done and then the group goes door to door. Last week they called on 4 JWs, who would not talk with them. Maybe those JWs will remember this much, that they are not the only ones going door to door, as they often like to say that is the sign of the true church. It is a revolving door, in spite of all the publicity people still join the WT but for every-one going in, statistics now show 3 are going out. PTL!

Another note to my sister Trudy from Mrs. Gholson:

Hi Trudy:
Just before I left for the picnic I had a phone call from a fellow that I helped get free of the WT.  He wanted me to tell you that your testimony was ditto, ditto, ditto like his except that he had given 35 yrs. He had pioneered etc and he and his mother made an irrevocable trust for the estates they had together and he was very disturbed about that because the trust was for the WT. So I told him to get a good attorney and he said "but the trust is irrevocable and we made it that way on purpose." I said the fact that you live in a state that allows anything to be broken is helpful and sure enough he has sold the property and everything else is now in his name and he moved to another state to get away from the Watchtower. I can't give his name or details as he does not want to be found but he wanted you to know how much your
testimony meant to him. I tell you he made my day.

Now a letter that was written to my sister from a lady named Shirley:

Friends, the thing that I want you to take from these letters is a sense that these folks can be rescued from the grip of the Watchtower Organization – even after 44 years! I also wanted you to hear first hand just how lost these people feel as Jehovah's Witnesses and of the awful fear and bondage that they labor under. The Bible says that the Lord is not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance – that includes Jehovah's Witnesses. We must attempt to reach them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus loves them; we must feel with them, for them, and love them too.

I want to now give you seven Important reasons why the Jehovah's Witnesses are wrong

When an organization like the Watchtower Society claims to be the only true religion and the sole source of correct Bible teaching, we must carefully examine its beliefs. If its doctrines are true, they will be found in and verified by the Bible. Then too, their teachings will be consistent and unchanging year after year.

Jehovah's Witnesses, quite simply,  deny or twist many of the Bible's basic teachings, and their beliefs conflict with those held by established Christians down through the centuries. Consider the following comparisons: (I am going to only mention some of my points here as they were adequately dealt with last Summer in our Summer Sunday school series on the cults. However, I do want to spend a few extra minutes on two my final two issues here.)

1.         The Nature of God -- The Watchtower Society denies the Trinity and teaches that such a belief is inspired by Satan.

2.         Jesus Christ -- The Watchtower denies the deity of Jesus Christ and teaches that Jesus is a created being. He first existed as Michael the archangel then later was born as a perfect man. Now in heaven he is again known as Michael the archangel.

Who wants to be a millionaire? A Baptist church in Waukegan, Michigan (Overhead Transparency) is offering a $1,000,000 reward to any Jehovah’s Witness who can find one Scripture that says that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. So far, the money has gone unclaimed.

3.         Salvation -- The Watchtower teaches that they must earn their salvation; salvation depends on one's works and to coming to “Jehovah's organization for salvation."

4.         The Spirit & Eternal Punishment -- The Jehovah's Witnesses deny eternal punishment and teach that man does not have a spirit that survives the death of the body. Witnesses believe that death ends all conscious existence. Hell refers to the grave, and those who are ultimately judged by God will be annihilated and simply cease to exist.

5.         The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ -- The Jehovah's Witnesses simply state that “The man Jesus is dead, only His spirit arose.”

6.         False Prophesy (We will now take a few extra moments of these final two points.) The Bible warns us that many false prophets will come claiming to speak for God. Thankfully, it also provides a practical test for identifying false prophets.

Deuteronomy 18:21-22 notes, “You may say to yourselves, 'How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?' If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him.” This issue of false prophesy is one of the main reasons why so many people today are leaving the Watchtower Organization.

For instance, the Watchtower prophesied that the end of the world as we presently know it was to take place in 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925 and 1975. They used these predictions to intimidate their followers.

I want to again allude to a letter. This one was send by my sister to the leaders of the Kingdom Hall where she and her family had attended. This was her letter of resignation. I want to read a portion of it to you:

“I feel that I must tell you the reason why I chose to leave the organization after being a part of it for 25 years. I had been brought up to believe in an unchanging all powerful and loving God. I have always believed the Bible to be the word of God. I still believe that to be true. This Bible was and still is, the foundation for my faith, and it is this very same Bible that I must look to for the answers that I need to attain my salvation, and learn how to have a personal relationship with God. For 25 years, I failed to realize this very important truth. I had let the Watchtower Society convince me that they were the only way that I might attain salvation. I looked to them and I let them do my thinking for me. In doing so, I lost my freedom and the joy of serving a loving God. Looking back, I now realize that I was serving an organization, and not God at all.

In 1973 1 studied from a book called, The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life. One of the chapters in the book says that it is wise to examine one's religion. I find it quite ironic that the Watchtower Society advises people coming into the organization to examine the religion that they are in, then when one becomes a Jehovah's Witness, if they choose to examine the organization and the religion known as Jehovah's Witnesses, the person is in danger of being labeled as apostate and disfellowshipping. Why do you suppose that is?

For 25 years I did not examine the background of the organization and I kept my mouth shut and closed my eyes and turned my head when I saw changes being made within the organ-ization. In 1973 and 1974 we were told that Armageddon would come in the year 1975. I know what you are thinking! The Society did not actually say that Armageddon was coming in that year! They did STRONGLY suggest it though. It was so strongly suggested by the Society that many brothers sold their homes and many maxxed out their credit cards thinking that they would never have to pay them off. We know that 1975 came and went and Armageddon did not come with it.”

False prophesy!

7.         the Bible -- The Watchtower teaches that the Bible can only be interpreted by the Watch-tower Society, and no individual can learn the truth apart from them.

Likewise they claim to be Jehovah's organization and God's only channel of spiritual instruction for today. They stress that the Bible is an "organizational book" and cannot be understood by individuals, no matter how sincere they are. The Bible on the other hand declares in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (King James Version), “All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is]  profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

The Jehovah's Witnesses are then required to trust their eternal destinies to an organization that during its brief time in existence has accumulated a woeful history of doctrinal contradictions and flip-flops.

Consider the following flip-flops concerning the resurrection of the wicked men of Sodom:

·         Watchtower, July 1879 p.8 says the men of Sodom WILL be resurrected.

·         Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p.338 says the men of Sodom will NOT be resurrected.

·         Watchtower, Aug. 1, 1965 p.479 says they WILL be resurrected

·         Watchtower, June 1, 1988 p.31 says they will NOT be resurrected.

·         Live Forever Book, early edition p. 179 says they WILL be resurrected

·         Live Forever Book, later editions p. 179 says they will NOT be resurrected

·         Insight book, Vol. 2 p., 985 says they WILL be resurrected.

·         Revelation book, p. 273 says they will NOT be resurrected.

Then again, look at the changes in interpretation concerning the word 'Lord' in Romans 10:12-16:

^·          1903 - 'Lord' refers to Jesus.

^·          1940 - 'Lord' refers to Jehovah.

^·          1978 - 'Lord' refers to Jesus.

^·          1980 - 'Lord' refers to Jehovah.

In 1975 the Watchtower taught that the man who sows the seed in the parable of the mustard seed (Matthew 13) is Satan. Later that same year the Watchtower Society taught that this sower was Jesus.

A similar incident occurred in 1978, when the Watchtower identified the "Alpha and Omega" of Revelation 22:12-13 as Jehovah (that is, God the Father), and then five weeks later taught these verses referred to Jesus.

I grant you that every denomination makes changes in certain areas of teaching – for instance, matters of conviction -- from time to time. I have no problem with that. However, no Christian denomination requires the people of that denomination to exclusively depend upon the writings of the group for their spiritual nurture. No doubt some of you have never read The Pentecostal Evangel one time in your life. That is, by the way, our denomination weekly magazine. While you would be blessed by it, I would never in a million years require that you read it in place of the Bible; that you would believe and practice it over the Word of God. And yet the Jehovah's Witnesses do exactly that with their publications. That is what makes these flip-flops so dangerous and important!

Having said that, I want to make an observation about their so-called Bible known as The New World Translation (hold copy up for the people to see). This is, without a doubt, the single worse translation of Holy Scripture that is marketed today, in my opinion. 

The Jehovah's Witnesses claim that when The New World Translation was released in the 1950s, it had been translated and approved by competent scholars. However, it is important to note that the committee responsible for the translation was kept anonymous, undoubtedly to cover up their complete lack of scholarly qualifications. It was later revealed that none of the men who worked on the translation project had any formal training in biblical languages, except for Frederick Franz. He was chairman of the committee and had studied Greek for only two years at the University of Cincinnati without graduating, and was only self-taught in Hebrew.

The New World Translation blatantly alters many verses that show the errors of Watchtower teaching. The single best example of this is John 1:1, which clearly declares Jesus' deity – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”  On the other hand, the Jehovah's Witnesses deny the deity of Christ, so The New World Translation changes the phrase “the Word was God” to the phrase, “the Word was a god.” (Note the little g in god.)

Another example is found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah. Jehovah God is speaking in

Zechariah 12:10. He says, “they shall look upon me whom they have pierced”, an obvious prophetic reference to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Recognizing that Jesus' fulfillment of this prophecy would mean that he is Jehovah God, the Watchtower Society has changed this verse in The New World Translation to read "they will certainly look to the One whom they pierced," thus eliminating another reference to the deity of Jesus Christ.

The Watchtower Society has made similar changes to many other verses of Scripture creating the illusion that the Bible supports its erroneous doctrines.

I find it amazing that a careful analysis of numerous books, pamphlets and magazines turned out by the Watchtower Publishers, reveals that only a small percentage of the Bible is used  -- a mere 6 1/2% of the Scripture is quoted, leaving untouched the rest of the Word of God.

In closing, I do not mean to ridicule or belittle individual Jehovah's Witnesses; they are generally sincere, dedicated people. In one sense they are more like lost sheep than ravenous wolves, for they have been deceived by an organization with a history of false prophecies and false doctrines.

Jehovah's Witnesses truly believe that if they leave the Watchtower Society they will be destroyed at Armageddon. They need our love and compassion. Our desire for them, as for everyone else, is that they come to a true knowledge of what the Bible teaches, and the understanding that salvation is God's gift to us.

I love this quote from my sister. This is clipped from a recent e-mail that she sent to me:

“I truly believe that my church has made going door to door a little more difficult in Kenton. I believe that there will be less magazines placed by the JWs and less money given to them in the town of Kenton. If we have warned the congregation of the dangers of the Watchtower and also made the door to door work a little more difficult for the JWs, then we have accomplished a great deal.”

Wouldn’t that be a worthwhile goal for us at New Life Assembly of God too?

I want to now return to my sister Trudy’s letter of resignation from the Watchtower Organization: 

“I am happy now and each day brings me new rewards. Freedom has a whole new meaning for me now. I am able to think for myself now. I like that. I am now a member of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Kenton and have made many new friends who love me unconditionally. The God I serve is trustworthy and unchanging and I know I can always have confidence in Him and His word.

I will say that I have not turned my back on you or any of the friends within the organization. I only wish the best for each and everyone of you. My door will always have its welcome mat out for you. I have turned my back upon the Watchtower organization though, and will never again be part of it's false prophesies and ever changing beliefs and doctrines. I will continue on in my efforts to serve an unchanging and loving God in the allotted time that I have left in this life. My prayer life has improved so much since I left the organization and I feel like I have found a real friend in God. My family has been supportive of me and I have found the love of all my relatives that was lost to me for so many years because of the Watchtower organization. I thank God for that. Last Sunday two of my children were in church with me. My husband has been to church twice and has shown his love and support for me. He still is confused and has lost confidence in the organization. I think that someday he will be completely free from the organization too. I am looking forward to that day.

I will pray for you and hope that you will find the real truth that leads to eternal life as I have done.”

Praise God. Please bow your heads. Let’s pray.

(See the following attachments) 

A return to bondage

BEING A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS WILL AFFECT YOUR CHILDREN

Self-defense courses: Karate, judo or other martial arts is a violent measure and would bring you under the judgment of the elders. Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock, 1981, p.150.

Playing chess: The real danger of playing chess is it's military nature, the equivalent of the maneuvers enacted by little boys with toy soldiers. Awake!, 3/22/73, pp.12-14.

Cheerleading and being the Homecoming Queen: Cheerleaders lead people into "frenzied cheering ... hero worship ... glorifying humans." School and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1983, pp.23-24. Never become a homecoming queen! This would 'set up womanhood upon a pedestal." Watchtower, 6/15/64, p.381.

Little league baseball: The Watchtower Society agrees with the psychologist who says little league baseball should be avoided, too competitive. Your Youth-Getting the Best Out of it, 1976, p.118.

Zoos: Zoos are cruel punishment and a prison to animate. You would not want to go gawk at the animals. Watchtower, 11/15/49, p.349; Awake!, 5/8/73, p.18.

Celebrating Christmas: "We all need to face up to the fact that Christmas and its music are not from Jehovah, the God of truth. Then what is their source? ...Satan the Devil." Watchtower, 12/15/83, p.7.

extra-curricular activities: Listen! "it is expected" that you will have no extra-curricular activities outside of the Watchtower. Such activity is a "danger" and "worldly". Organized to Accomplish Our Ministry, 1983, p.133.

Non team competition you can play includes hiking, handball, badminton, and pitching horseshoes." Your youth-getting the best out of it, 1976, p.123.

In addition, The Watchtower forbids children from acknowledging or participating in any of the following:

·         Birthdays,

·         Easter,

·         Halloween,

·         All Saints Day,

·         New Years,

·         Valentines Day,

·         May Day,

·         Mother's Day (equals Mother worship),

·         National holidays,

·         Organized sports,

·         School clubs and plays,

·         Blood drives,

·         School elections,

·         Singing the National Anthem,

·         and Saluting the Flag.

(School and Jehovah’s Witnesses, 1983, pp.13-25)

BEING A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS WILL AFFECT YOUR FAMILY

Shunning: This cruel policy dictates that if someone leaves the Watchtower Society, Jehovah’s Witnesses must "quit mixing in company" and "never receive him into your home or say a greeting to him." Jehovah’s Witnesses are instructed to HATE former members and cannot show pity to them, even if they are family! Jehovah’s Witnesses can't even pray for a disfellowshipped person. Watchtower, 11/1/94, p.21, 4/15/91, p.30, 10/1/93, p.19, 6/15/71, p. 383.

Children should get away from disfellowshipped parents as soon as they are old enough to leave. Watchtower, 11/15/52, p.703.

If a child of someone is disfellowshipped from the Kingdom Hall, the parent is to refuse to listen to the child's reason. Organization for Kingdom-Preaching and Disciple-Making, 1972, p.173.

Disfellowshipped children, legally of age will be kicked out of the home. Watchtower, 11/15/52, p.703.

"If a Jehovah’s Witness joins another religion, an announcement is made to the congregation to stop associating with him." Watchtower, 10/15/86, p.31.

If someone used to be a Jehovah's Witness, "We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme - active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest." Watchtower, 10/1/52, p.599.  They are to be hated "in the sense of avoiding them as we would poison or a poisonous snake." Watchtower, 6/15/80, p.8. "In order to hate what is bad a Christian must hate the person." Watchtower, 7/15/61, p.420.

A disfellowshipped relative who does not live in the same home, contact with him is also kept to what is absolutely necessary... even curtailed completely if at all possible. Watchtower, 7/15/63, p.443

Association with non-Jehovah’s Witnesses family and friends: Don't associate with outsiders (non-Jehovah’s Witnesses). You are too busy for that! Watchtower, 2/1/74, p.93.

Remember, you are to have "no association" with non-Jehovah's Witness friends or relatives. If they are honest and moral, that still does not make any difference. Watchtower, 2/15/60, pp.112-113.

Attending weddings and funerals of "non-Jehovah’s Witnesses friends and family", allowed but STRONGLY discouraged! Watchtower, 12/15/74, pp.766-767, 3/15/70

pp.191-192.

BEING A JEHOVAH’S WITNESS WILL AFFECT YOUR health

Psychiatrists: Treatment allowed but STRONGLY discouraged! Watchtower, 9/1/96, pp. 30-31.

No Blood Transfusions: Jehovah’s Witnesses will choose death rather than accept blood. The Watchtower equates receiving a transfusion to eating blood, which is forbidden. Watchtower, 1/15/97, p.21.

The Watchtower has even encouraged children to pull out the injecting device and to destroy the blood bag. Watchtower, 6/15/91, p.31.

"Similarly, God's command to 'abstain from blood' rules out ingesting it by the mouth as well as through injections into the veins. Furthermore, the Bible makes it clear that the divine law was not to be ignored even during an emergency that could threaten life. (1 Sam. 14:31-35) Many of God's approved servants have been willing to face dangers and even death rather than violate Scriptural principles and their integrity to Jehovah." Watchtower, 6/15/78, p.24.

. . . "So their everlasting destiny is tied up in their faithfulness to Jehovah. This includes their being obedient to what he says about blood." Watchtower, 6/15/78, p.24.

The Watchtower likewise restricts pets from receiving transfusions. Watchtower, 2/15/64, p. 127.  If a cat eats mouse blood naturally, why can't it have a blood transfusion?