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20 Questions Jehovah's Witnesses Cannot Answer

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I really enjoyed this book. You know, asking the "witnesses" the "hard questions" will make them vanish like a morning mist under the sun.

I was an active witness for more than 40 years. (I was "raised" in "the truth.") I did not just wake up one morning and say to hell with it. It was a long process for me. And it started when the Society changed the definition of the word "generation." For almost a hundred years, and all of my 40 plus years, they said from every platform and hundreds if not thousands of times in print that "the generation of 1914" would not pass away before the end came. At first (look it up yourself) they said a person born in 1895 would not pass. Then as they got old they said 1900....then 1910....then you just had to be BORN in 1914. THEN when most if not all of those were dead, in 1995 they changed the meaning of the word "generation" to something completely different.

This was just ONE of the MANY things they did and were doing that was wrong. They have made many false prophesies including the 1975 fiasco, I know, I was there. They have also made "bedroom laws" and try to regulate how a husband and wife make love to each other....and in the past have disfellowshiped for doing it the "wrong" way. I could go on and on, but I know most will just think I'm an "apostate" and do not care to hear any of this. - I used to be the exact same way, so I can't blame you. I just like to sometimes try to open peoples eyes a little faster than it took to get mine open.

The book 1984 could have been written with the JW's in mind. JW's are just SO Orwellian it is not funny. And the reason why you guys can't see this is right in the book...."They can't rebel until they become conscience, and they can't become conscience until they rebel." Yup, you guys can't think for yourselves, much less use any critical thinking skills. You all depend on the Society to tell you daylight is day, and darkness is night.

I will close with this....since I left "the truth," I have never been happier. I no longer feel like 12 MEN in Brooklyn are trying to micro-manage my life. I live a normal and moral life that now includes wearing a cross, giving blood, voting, celebrating birthdays, smoking fine 20 dollar cigars once or twice a month (with 18 year old scotch,) supporting our troops, training at Gunsite, and making love to my wife the way I see fit. The bottom line is that I'm free for the first time in my life, and I'm loving it.

I wish all the JW's well. Some people are always content inside the wire. May the chains of your oppressors weigh lightly on you.

P.S. ... You JW's really need to read "Crisis of Conscience."

Oh dear, what a disappointment this book turned out to be. As an ex-jw (3rd generation JW until over 40 years old) I read the other reviews regarding this book and was encouraged by them to buy the book. Indeed, I am in the process of writing a book on JWs myself and was looking forward to another perspective.

What I now realise after reading it is that it is merely a vehicle of the author to push 'Jesus' and born-again Christianity. Now, of course, the author has every right to write about his experiences and his conversion from being a long-time JW to a full blown born again Christian, but sometimes the writing is a little over the top, to say the least.

For example, (as the complete answer to Question 13: How can you gain life in God's New Order if you are Condemned?) the author writes: "Lord Jesus, help us to see your grace and mercy. Bring all truth seekers into your family!! Especially bless those older Witnesses who have been misled. Lead them to you Jesus!"

Sorry but this is drivel unless it is being read out at a prayer meeting for the benefit of other fellow believers. What JW would even consider this as a question they cannot answer?

This illustrates where my problem with the book lies....the 20 Questions that Jehovah's Witnesses Cannot Answer are actually 20 fairly inane and repetitve questions that are only of interest if you want to move on to a different branch of Christianity.

Some examples are:
Question 2: Where specifically does the Bible say: "The Great Crowd will live on the earth."
(fair question as far as it goes)

Question 3: So do Jehovah's Witnesses teach a lie that the Great Crowd will live on the earth?
(just a progression from the last question rather than a new question)

Question 4: Why does the Watchtower Society say that the Great Crowd will live on the earth, when Revelation 19:1 says that the Great Crowd is in Heaven?
(again, okay as a progression from the previous point but hardly qualifies as a separate question)

....and so on.

The author does briefly touch on the history of the JWs as well as some inconsistencies in the JW belief system. Some of the 20 Questions may cause some head scratching by a JW. Unfortunately, most JWs will just look at them as a differing religious interpretations and dismiss them out of hand as the ramblings of a fundementalist Christian.

So if you want a book that will encourage you in finding 'Jesus', then it is fine. But if you want to ask really troubling questions of JWs, then I think it falls short.

However, I would recommend the following 2 books nailing a couple of serious issues for JWs:
"Captives of a Concept" by Don Cameron ISBN 1-4116-2210-3
"The Gentile Times Reconsidered" by Carl Olof Jonsson ISBN 0-914675-06-0

The Jehovah's Witnesses organization (The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)has claimed in its own writings 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) Furthermore, it has described itself as a "Prophet-like" group that 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, 7/1/1943, p.203; WT, 11/1/1931, p.327; WT, 10/1/1994, p.6) Considering these claims to posses the exclusive ability to communicate God's truth, the Jehovah's Witnesses must succeed in passing the highest Biblical scrutiny.

Deut. 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 one prophesies in God's name and the prediction does come to pass, BUT they teach you to follow false gods - they are a False Prophet. Thus, recognizing False Prophets is achieved by simply applying these tests to the teachings and prophecies of the WTBTS to determine if the claims it makes about itself hold up to Biblical and reasonable scrutiny. If they are THE ONLY TRUE "Prophet" of God, then everything they have ever predicted should have come to pass.

Tragically, everything they have ever predicted has FAILED to come to pass. "Judge" Rutherford (the second leader of the WTBTS) wrote a booklet in 1920 entitled Millions Now Living Will Never Die. On pp.89-90 Rutherford predicted that in 1925 some Old Testament Saints and those listed in the New Testament book of Hebrews chapter 11 would return bodily to live once again on earth to rule over the New Kingdom 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 1924, 1918, and 1925 all governments of the world would be removed and god's Kingdom would replace them as the governing body (Studies In Scripture Vol.2, early editions, pp.76-78; 98-99; Studies in scripture 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 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, Rutherford conspicuously failed to apply this standard to himself regarding all the previous false predictions he has made in the official publications of the WTBTS! Such egregious false predictions, followed by equally egregious cover-ups, re-writings of history, and 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 WTBS leaders as truth received from God, is contradicted by later leaders. Even though every leader involved claims to merely relay the 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. He claimed that by 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 "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 was not from God but instead was directly designed by Satan himself saying it was "Satan's Bible, and not God's stone of witness." (WT, 11/15/1928, 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, they are False Prophets. They demonstrably and repeatedly fail the tests of a True Prophet of God. Anyone can read and study the WTBTS publications from 1879 to present and discover for themselves how deceptive that have been to their followers.

This book exposes the false predictions and contradictory doctrine of the Jehovah's Witnesses from an insider's point of view. This book will help anyone walk through the abundance of false and misleading statements held by the JW's in a simple and easy to follow manner.

in addition to this book, I highly recommend these others: (1) The Index of Watchtower Errors by David A. Reed (2) Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse by David A. Reed (3) Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Doctrinal Changes and Prophetic Speculation - What does the Record Show? by Edmund C. Gruss (4) Reasoning From The Scriptures with Jehovah's Witnesses by Ron Rhodes. All of these are available from www.amazon.com

The titel:20 Questions Jehova`s Wittnesses Cannot Ansver, gives impression that the Autor of this book knows what he is writing about and the answers he gives are the only right one you can and must accept becouse the other site is totaly wrong in what for them is the center of their belives,the fact that they do live their lives in the way they belive is of no account for the autor tough they who claim the right understanding do not the same.
The questions and the answers are very important or crucial to every man and woman interested in religion.
So the reaction to it,Yes.
But it takes more to know what the scripture teach than to relay on a man and his answers to 20 questions,in fact we are confronted whit the utermost important question:was J.Christ the son of God or was He the God himself.
To answer that question of all questions is very,very dificult in face of diferent opinions;some are in favour and some against it.
The Jehova's witnesses are against it.
The autor makes some valid points but he fails in giving a true and relayable account of the movement started whit Ch.T.Russell,in fact he is ill informed abut it.
He joins the main stream christian critics in more than one point,but to say Watch Tower is a false prophet is something I cannt agry whit,let me exsplain it:the Watchtower prophesies not it only explains prophesies and gives posible times of its fullfilment that is very diferent to outer a new prophesie.It is true in the time past there were so many failure in anouncment of át the corner'fullfilment of so great prophecies.
It is true Watchtower is not direct inspired and so I'm not and the autor of this book is also not.
To the credit of the autor I must say the `predictions of the Watchtower'allways ended in Failure and caused much disapoitment and harm.
Is that the only point that does matter?
It's true the first generation of christian have expected J.Ch. were coming in theirs days and not 2000 yaers later,Jehova's Witnesses are expecting second coming of Jesus in their days but the difference is they name dates,and that is not acceptable for me and for any one who believes in what Jesus said about it.
S.Kowalski

This book is a very easy read. It is thought provoking and at the same time humourously written. Once you pick it up you won't be able to put it down until you have read it from cover to cover.It presents a well-thought out critical analysis of the central beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses. It is a must read for anyone thinking of joining this group or of breaking free from its bondage.

I am becoming a JW and I think books like this are interesting. Contrary to the statements made in other reviews, I'm not going to get any sort of 'disciplinary action' for reading this.

It is true that in the past, the Society has made some weird, false predictions. It is also true that we don't accept blood transfusions based on various scriptures, but we accept minor blood fractions, plasma volume expanders etc. that are a suitable substitute for a full transfusion. But I have only been studying the Bible with the Witnesses for a couple months and I was able to easily answer all the questions in this book. If you don't agree with our beliefs, rather than trying to stump us with books like this, it's much easier to just say 'I'm not interested'.. it means no more return visits to annoy you.

About disfellowshipping... Let's say you have a birthday party. Nowhere in the Bible does it say "You can't celebrate birthdays." But the 2 examples of such celebrations were those of opposers of God (both in the OT). So if the elders find out about it, they might talk to you after a meeting, but you'll only get disfellowshipped if you show a "strong, unrepentant attitude" towards the organization. The only things you get disfellowshipped for right off the bat is committing adultery or drunkenness, because the Bible portrays these as serious sins. Anything else they'll just talk to you. The Society has realized in the last 20 years or so that it's not their problem if you're off celebrating birthdays etc. but rather between you and God. Disfellowshipping is to "keep the faith clean".

Next, when Witnesses refer to "God's organization", they're not talking about the Watchtower Society. They're talking about the organized preaching work that so annoyed the author of this book. (I was confused about that for a while.)

Finally, I'd just like to say that if Catholics, Protestants, or other Trinitarian groups were determined preachers of their faith like JWs, there would be a LOT of questions that they couldn't answer.

May the undeserved kindness of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

The Bible : ( New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures)...PROVERBS 16: 6 " By Loving-kindness and trueness ERROR is atoned for , and in the fear of Jehovah one turns away from bad."

This book will help anyone who reads it. It is an easy read and you won't be disappointed. I've shared it with others and they all love it too. The questions will help you or someone you know that might be thinking about joining JW's. Very informative and interesting.

This book contains an impassioned appeal to Jehovah's Witnesses to study the Bible and believe in Christ. Some excellent points are made, and the book can be read in very few hours, but this is unfortunately not a well-written book. Various points are repeated in different parts of the book, which would be better - and considerably shorter - if these repetitions were edited out.

There are constant references to Bible passages, which is of course totally appropriate, given the subject matter, but unfortunately on many occasions the Bible reference is not given, and in some cases Bible quotations are not even given in quotation marks and so may not be recognized by some readers as even being from the Bible. See for example p.70, last paragraph, which says (without quotation marks), "our citizenship is in heaven". (This is in fact from Philippians 3:20.)

The constant punctuation errors, especially with commas and apostrophes, and occasional spelling errors were also a distraction to the present reviewer. Of course, they may not even be spotted by some readers, or these errors may not bother them. However, in my opinion these problems detract from the book and should have been eliminated by a good proof-reader.

The book essentially tries to do two things:
1) to tell the author's personal story of his years as a Jehovah's Witness, and how and why he left.
This is a good story that in my opinion is worth reading.

2) to present the twenty questions referred to in the title.
There are a number of problems with this aspect of the book:
a) The personal story is mixed with the questions. Some readers may view this as a strength. I found it to be a weakness, as the inclusion in this section of highly emotive and even emotional descriptions detracted from the rational consideration of the questions.
b) The presentation of some of the questions is at points muddled. For instance, information relevant to one question is in fact presented under a different question.
c) Some of the questions are not sufficiently differentiated from some of the other questions.
d) In fact some of the most telling points made elsewhere in the book are not converted into suitable questions. For instance, scattered throughout the book are references to the new doctrine that was introduced in 1935: henceforth, new people who became Jehovah's Witnesses would not be part of the "anointed class", which the Organisation had limited to 144,000. New members would be part of the "non-anointed Great Crowd". This distinction is fundamental to the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the author says (p.43) "the date 1935 is not in the Bible", but fails to convert this information to the format that he has stated for his book: questions that Jehovah's Witnesses cannot answer.

I wanted to like this book, but was disappointed. Those looking for a personal testimony told with conviction and emotion may enjoy it or be helped by it. Those looking for a serious, well-presented discussion of the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses would helped more by two of David A Reed's books, "Answering Jehovah's Witnesses Subject by Subject" and "Jehovah's Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse". This book obviously suits some people. It did not suit my intellectual, academic and theological approach to the subject matter. It might suit those who seek a less rigorously-intellectual treatment.

I think these conversations are interesting. I sense a lot of bitterness and question where "Truth" protrudes. 1st of all you have these books written for a specific group of people to discredit their beliefs by some man, yet you criticize The Group for publishing material written by some men. At the very least you would have to be honest and say what you are doing is hypocritical (You are doing the same thing you hate them for). "Never argue with fools because from distance you can't tell who is who!" 2nd The very fact that you feel this is the platform for you to educate people on lies about the Bible makes me question, "WHAT IS BEING TAUGHT AT YOUR CHURCH?" Your people cannot be learning anything there because they wouldn't need your book to tell them about JW's. They should already know the truth and where to go to direct someone FROM THE BIBLE who is off course. 3rd I question your motives. Aquilla and Priscila did not go about correcting Apollos like this. They did so out of LOVE. This Book is NOT motivated in Love. JW's are not ENTIRELY wrong. Just like Apollos was not ENTIRELY wrong. So I ask you GREAT CHRISTIAN! ARE YOU TRYING TO GAIN A BROTHER? OR JEHOVAH GAVE YOU THE RESPONSIBILITY TO KILL/ CONDEMN BEFORE THE APPOINTED TIME? JESUS DIDN'T EVEN DO THIS TO THE DEMONS WHEN ON EARTH! YOU ARE EXPOSING YOURSELF AND STRENGTHENING REAL TRUTH SEEKERS FAITH!

The problem is all the division that people like you keep making. You and I both know where that originates from. We both believe the Bible is the Word of Jehovah. (Or do we?) Because if you and I do, then you and I are TRUTH seekers. I can not fault you for that nor can you fault me. We even know where the TRUTH is stored (The Bible). Look at how many things we have in common already. But here's where we go astray...

Riddle Me This...
If I gave you the Autobiography of Malcolm X to read. And if the version that I gave you totally removed Malcolm X's name from the entire book...And then I started distributing these books wide spread. What Would You Say? How would that effect his story? Would that show any honor to the person in which the book is written about? What would happen? I tell you one thing that would happen... The Nation of Islam would be marching up to congress... People would be complaining to Obama, and I would at the least get sued.
How is it that you are OK with Jehovah's name being removed from the Bible Over 6500 times. According to the NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA this is the most used name in the ENTIRE Bible. Now for you truth seekers this should strike a chord with you. And this is what I don't get for you Trinity believers...If God Is indeed a Trinity...How do you except that fact that One of your Godhead name's has been removed from your Bible over 6000 times? The most out of all the Godheads. I would think that would be unacceptable if anyone's name is removed from the Bible ESPECIALLY ONE OF THE GODHEAD'S. AGAIN ARE YOU REALLY A TRUTH SEEKER OR ARE YOU HERE TO TEAR DOWN??

RIDDLE ME THIS... THIS IS TAKE FROM THE NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA ON THE TRINITY (HOW WOULD YOU EXPLAIN?)

The Blessed Trinity

This article is divided as follows:

* Dogma of the Trinity
* Proof of the doctrine from Scripture
* Proof of the doctrine from Tradition
* The Trinity as a mystery
* The doctrine as interpreted in Greek theology
* The doctrine as interpreted in Latin theology

The dogma of the Trinity

The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion -- the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another.

Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: "the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God." In this Trinity of Persons the Son is begotten of the Father by an eternal generation, and the Holy Spirit proceeds by an eternal procession from the Father and the Son. Yet, notwithstanding this difference as to origin, the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. This, the Church teaches, is the revelation regarding God's nature which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came upon earth to deliver to the world: and which she proposes to man as the foundation of her whole dogmatic system.

LATER CONTROVERSY
(This is the 1st point of Controversy)
That the Son even as regards His Divine Nature is inferior and not equal to the Father;
(This is the Argument of Celsus Against the Trinity)
And Origen (Against Celsus VIII.15) says: "We declare that the Son is not mightier than the Father, but inferior to Him. And this belief we ground on the saying of Jesus Himself: "The Father who sent me is greater than I."
(Here is The Catholic Rebuttal)
Now in regard to these passages it must be borne in mind that there are two ways of considering the Trinity. We may view the Three Persons insofar as they are equally possessed of the Divine Nature or we may consider the Son and the Spirit as deriving from the Father, Who is the sole source of Godhead, and from Whom They receive all They have and are.

(Two ways of considering the Trinity...When is there two ways to view the Truth?) I thought Truths are absolute and lies have variations. And good sense tells me the latter explanation does NOT make the 3 equal to each other.

TRINITY AS A MYSTERY (NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA)
The Vatican Council has explained the meaning to be attributed to the term mystery in theology. It lays down that a mystery is a truth which we are not merely incapable of discovering apart from Divine Revelation, but which, even when revealed, remains "hidden by the veil of faith and enveloped, so to speak, by a kind of darkness" (Constitution, "De fide. cath.", iv). In other words, our understanding of it remains only partial, even after we have accepted it as part of the Divine message. The Vatican Council further defined that the Christian Faith contains mysteries strictly so called (can. 4). All theologians admit that the doctrine of the Trinity is of the number of these. Indeed, of all revealed truths this is the most impenetrable to reason. St. Jerome says, in a well-known phrase: "The true profession of the mystery of the Trinity is to own that we do not comprehend it"

THIS JUST SAID EVEN WITH DIVINE INTERVENTION I'M STILL NOT GOING TO UNDERSTAND THE TRINITY. THIS GOES AGAINST EVERY BIBLE VERSE I HAVE EVER READ TO UNDERSTAND HOW THE WILL OF GOD OPERATES. 2 TIM 3:16,17 JOHN 4:22-24, AMOS 3:7 MATTHEW 11:25-30

I GUESS THE POINT OF MY STORY IS... WE ALL HAVE SOME LEARNING TO DO.
ONE THING I WILL SAY ABOUT THOSE WITNESSES OF JEHOVAH IS THAT THEY READ THEIR BIBLES. LET'S PUT DOWN THESE BOOKS AND PICK UP OUR BIBLES AND GET TO READING AND ASKING JEHOVAH FOR HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO HELP US GET THE SENSE OF HIS WORD AND PUT OUR OWN THOUGHTS TO REST AND ALLOW HIM TO GUIDE OUR MINDS AND HEARTS. MATTHEW 7:7 KEEP ASKING, KEEP KNOCKING, KEEP SEEKING.