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Index of Watchtower Errors 1879 to 1989

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This book organizes quotations from Watchtower literature both by categories and in historical order. The quotes concern both false prophecies by the Watchtower and its reversals on many of its doctrines through the years.

My favorite example of how the Watchtower has reversed itself of it teachings is on page 116:

The men of Sodom will be resurrected. WT 7/1879, p.8

The men of Sodom will not be resurrected. WT 6/1/1952, p. 479.

The men of Sodom will be resurrected. WT 8/1/1965, p. 479

The men of Sodom will not be resurrected. WT 6/1/1988, p.31.

The men of Sodom will be resurrected. "Live Forever," earlier editions, p.179.

The men of Sodom will not be resurrected. "Live Forever," later editions, p.179.

The men of Sodom will be resurrected. "Insight, Vol.2, p. 985.

The men of Sodom will not be resurrected. "Revelation," p. 273.

It's interesting to note that the last two books were both published in the same year, 1988. And this is not a minor issue as whether the Sodomites will be resurrected or not has a bearing on whether a JW's departed, non-JW loved ones will be resurrected or not.

Since the Watchtower claims to be "God's Channel of Communication" and a "Prophet" as Reed documents in this book, these false prophecies and reversals on doctrines are very damaging to the Watchtower. If the Watchtower was truly what it claimed to be it should infallible. But these quotes clearly show that it is not.

In addition, it is very sad that many JWs have struggled extensively due to some doctrines that were later changed. For instance, the teaching that vaccinations were wrong forced many JWs to find creative ways to get around their schools' requirement that their children be vaccinated. But since the Watchtower has now rescinded this directive, this means previous generations of JWs suffered needlessly. Could the same happen in regards to blood transfusions in the future?

However, JWs are conditioned by the Watchtower not to view anything that appears critical of the Watchtower. So to get a JW to actually consider the information in this book, one would have to attain the cited books themselves or write out the quotes and their sources on a separate sheet of paper and give that to the JW.

Also, pointing out the false prophecies and reversals of doctrines of the Watchtower is only one way to deal with JWs. Another way is to address the doctrines of the Watchtower. And Reed has other books that look at what the Scriptures have to say about Watchtower teachings. And there are three chapters on the Trinity and one on various other Watchtower teachings in my book "Scripture Workbook: For Personal Bible Study and Teaching the Bible."

So get this book by Reed to prepare yourself to address this area of the Watchtower, and get one of Reed's other books or my "Scripture Workbook" to prepare yourself for Biblical discussions.

This book will give you a remarkable look into their history. Jehovah's Witnesses themselves are not allowed to read "apostate" material (anything not approved by the JW organization) so you will only distance your self from a JW by showing this book to them. Aside from the introduction and apendix, the book is made entirely of quotes and paraphrases directly from the Watchtower and other JW literature. Their own past convicts them of serious error. The best thing to do is write down some of the references within so they can look it up for themselves at their local Kingdom Hall. The first part of this book is a chronological listing of "errors" in the Watchtower and Awake!. Some of the listings aren't errors but they contradict things said later on.

My favorite error is: from a Watchtower published in the first decaded of the 1900s.

It says that White couples that live in China will produce Chinese children due to the effects of the soil and climate. (!) This from the "mouthpeice of God". I'm sure they would agree now that it was an error, but how can God be in error?

The second half of the book is a listing by subjects and in this section quotes from all JW publications are included as well (not just Awake and Watchtowers).

This book is a must for anyone interested in witnessing to the "Witnesses".

Written by a former full-time minister, elder, and presiding overseer of Jehovah's Witnesses; David Reed has compiled a valuable tool to aid those wishing to reach these lost souls otherwise trapped in this, a most deceptive cult.

His book is a compilation of massive contradictions published by an organization that claims to be infallible through a direct "channel" from God Himself -- the author and editor of 'Watchtower' publications. Among the more insightful data collected through this divine endeavor are these, two of my favorites:

"Rev. William Draper, once black, is now white in answer to prayer." (Watchtower Magazine 10/1/1900, p..2707)

"White people living in China eventually produce Chinese offspring -- without intermarrying -- due to the influence of soil and climate." (Watchtower Magazine 7/15/1902, p.3043)

Okay, with a track record like that you've got to know they're "SERIOUS."

This book is made up entirely of JW quotes from authoritative works, especially the Watchtower magazines. If you are doing research and want to look some things up, this work is very handy. It would not be a good book just to pick up and read, but it does offer a variety of quotes on everything from the predictions of Christ's return to blood, birthdays, and salvation. I like having the quotes...yet I only wish there was a way to see these quotes in their context (photocopies?). Also, some quotes were not in quotation marks, making me wonder if some of them were paraphrases rather than word-for-word quotes. But otherwise, a good resource to keep on hand.

In May of 1943, at the New York Supreme Court, former Watchtower attorney Olin Moyle, successfully sued The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society for slander. While under oath, the then President of the WTBTS, Nathan Knorr, testified that the JW magazine (The Watchtower) is presented to the public as "God's Word...without qualification." (Court Transcript, Moyle vs. WTBTS, p.1474) In the same case, Frederick Franz, who succeeded Knorr as President of the WTBTS, testified that "Jehovah God" was the Editor of the Watchtower magazine "since its inception." (Court Transcript, pp.795, 866)

In addition, The Watchtower magazine claims to be the ONLY channel through which God communicates His truth to the world. (WT, 4/1/1919, p.6414; WT, 1/15/1917, p.6033) Emphasizing that it does not interpret what God's truth is, but merely puts in writing the truth that God delivers to the world through them, and only them! (WT, 1 July, 1943, p.203; WT11/1/1931, p.327; WT, 1/1/ 1994, p.6) Fortunately, God gives us a few tests to apply to anyone making claims as radical as the WTBTS and The Watchtower magazine.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22 and 13:1-4 give two tests for distinguishing between genuine Prophets of God and False Prophets. (1) If one prophesies in God's name and what they predict does not come to pass - they are a False Prophet. (2) If they're prediction does come to pass, BUT they teach you to follow after false gods - they are a False Prophet. Thus, recognizing False Prophets is achieved by simply applying these tests to the teachings ans prophecies of the WTBTS.

Tragically, everything they have ever predicted has FAILED to come to pass. "Judge" Rutherford (2nd leader of WTBTS) wrote a booklet in 1920 entitled "Millions Now Living Will Never Die." On pp.89-90 Rutherford predicted that in 1925 Old Testament Saints and those listed in the New Testament book of Hebrews chapter 11 would return bodily to live once again on the earth to rule over the New Kingdom of God they would inaugerate, stating, "...Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews chapter eleven, to the condition of human perfection." Needless to say, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are still dead and did not return in 1925.

"Judge" Rutherford taught that in 1914, 1918, and 1925 all governments of the world would be removed and God's Kingdom would replace them as the governing body. (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.2, early editions, pp.76-78; 98-99; Studies in the Scriptures, Vol.7. p.62; WT, 7/15/1924, p.211)When each year came and went without fulfilling Rutherford's prediction, he had the temerity to write in his book "Vindication" that "God's faithful people" (NOT Rutherford himself) made false predictions that did not come true, stating, "God's faithful people on the earth emphasized the importance of the dates 1914 and 1918 and 1925. They had much to say about these dates and what would come to pass, BUT ALL THEY PREDICTED DID NOT COME TO PASS." (Vindication, Vol.1, p.146) Furthermore, in his book "Light," he wrote that making false predictions is proof positive that someone is a FALSE PROPHET, Rutherford stating, "...their prophecies to date have not come to pass; and that alone is strong evidence that they are false prophets." (Light, Vol.2, p.47) However, regarding all the previous false predictions he made in the official publications of the WTBTS, Rutherford conspicuously failed to apply this standard to himself! Such egregious false predictions, followed by equally egregious cover-ups, rewritings of history, ans misleading statements are common throughout the writings published by the WTBTS. Their entire history is characterized by one false prediction after another.

In addition, doctrines taught by WTBTS leaders as truth received from God, is contradicted by later leaders. Even though every leader involved claims to merely relay truth received from God. For instance, the founder of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Charles Taze Russell, taught for years that the Great Pyramid in Gizeh was designed, engineered, and supervised by God in its construction. In addition, he claimed that by deciphering its dimensions and passage-ways, one could unlock deep secret doctrines taught in the Bible. So much so that Russell called the Great Pyramid in Gizeh "The Bible in Stone." (WT, 3/15/1911, p.4790) In direct contradiction to Russell, the next JW leader, "Judge" Rutherford, taught that the Great Pyramid in Gizeh was not from God but instead was directly designed by Satan himself saying it was Satan's Bible, and not God's stone witness." In the same article, after some detailed explanation of some the Pyramid's dimensions, Rutherford states that, "If the above calculations are correct, then such is further corroborative proof that the Devil himself superintended the building of the pyramid if Gizeh." (WT, Nov.15, 1928, p.344)

Given the events above, it is abundantly clear that the Jehovah's Witnesses organization (WTBTS) is not the ONLY CHANNEL of truth used by God to communicate to the world. In reality, it is a FALSE PROPHET. Anyone can read and study the Watchtower Magazines from 1879 to the present and discover for themselves how deceptive thay have been to their followers.

This book catalogues the false predictions and contradictory doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses (WTBTS) from a former JW Elder.

Other recommendations on www.Amazon.com (1) Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse by Daivid A. Reed (2) Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Doctrinal Changes and Prophetics Speculation - What Does the Record Show? by Edmund Gruss (3) Reasoning from the Scriptures with Jehovah's Witnesses by Ron Rhodes (4) 20 Questions Jehovah's Witnesses Cannot Answer by Dr. Charles Love.

Many Jehovah's Witnesses arrogantly scoff at any claim of there being proof that the Watchtower has lied to their members, or that they teach "twisted truth," or that they have proven themselves to be a "false prophet" more than once, nor do faithful Watchtower members believe that the fact that the Watchtower's own history of their switching back and forth on their teachings...recycling "Old Light" to now become "New Light," only to again become "Old Light," this being explained away as being "New Understanding"...is good enough evidence of the aforementioned.

The Watchtower Faithful are taught to "defend the Mother," that is, when it is obvious that the Watchtower is simply flat-out WRONG, and the leaders then excuse themselves to their flock by "humbly admitting" that "they are only imperfect men" who "make mistakes." One can't help but wonder that if this is indeed so, then why is it that each and every member must faithfully believe what they are taught by the Watchtower, humbly obey the Watchtower, and loyally follow the Watchtower without question...or else... And why is it that if a member decides to leave, he or she must be now SHUNNED by their family and so-called "friends" in the Watchtower; now forever being branded as a "wicked apostate," condemned by Jehovah God, and that to have anything to do with this person is to risk being "destroyed" by Jehovah for associating with one who has "turned their back on Jehovah."

This book, "Index of WATCHTOWER ERRORS" allows the Watchtower's own publications to speak for themselves. Can any Jehovah's Witness read Watchtower literature and call it "apostate literature,"? or, "lies from Satan?"

Wonderful how this book uses the watchtowers own hand writing to expose their bad history and how they had distorted Gods word.Hope David Reed updates this book to the present.The UN,child molestation and etc

In late XIX Century, a then famous american called P. T. Basrnum told:"A fool borns every minute, in the World".The watchtower is a despicable american cult, who gets money from fools.
This book is about the enormous mistakes maden by watchtower, between 1879 and 1989.About this subject, this book is excellent.Why I won't give 5 stars for this book?Because this book covers until 1989 year.We are in 2007 and since 1989, watchtower made terribles failures again.
Even so, about watchtower's errors, no other book I know is so good as this book.I hate all cults and watchtower is among the worst of them.

This book is a must own for any library. It is a great referance tool for dealing with Watchtower lies. You don't really have to read it through. Just go get it for referance.

According to the author, David A. Reed, one of the best ways of convincing a Jehovah's Witness that the Watchtower Society is not God's mouthpiece as it boasts, is to show them some of the countless contradictions, doctrinal changes, false prophecies and absurdities printed in their past publications and presented as "the truth".
Personally, I believe that the Bible and the help from the Holy Spirit are sufficient to open the Jehovah's Witnesses' eyes and lead them to Christ, but if you opt for Mr. Reed's strategy, then this book will be absolutely necessary for you to find just the right quotes necessary to answer the Witness' arguments and prove your point.
This little book is an extensive list of the doctrinal mistakes printed in Watchtower's publications from 1879 to 1989, organized both chronologically and subject by subject.
Unfortunately, if you quote an old Watchtower statement off the top of your head, they will probably accuse you of lying; if you show them photocopies, they will likely believe that you have tampered with them. You will need to get the originals.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses have expressed their doubt about this list, openly stating that the quotations are false; I have an extensive collection of Watchtower publications, and I can assure skeptics that all the quotations in this book are authentic.
I recommend this book to those who like a systematic way to share the truth with the Jehovah's Witnesses.
However, this book, as helpful as it is, will not be enough when witnessing; remember to pray fervently because only God can free cultists from spiritual bondage.