Mistakes and Errors By Jehovah's Witnesses --- What Do They Mean?

The emotional down-pull of mistakes can be burdensome and drain us of motivation...

Mistakes and Errors by Jehovah's Witnesses: What Should They Mean For You And I?

Acknowledgement:

When navigating the world wide web, it is never too outre to find many websites delineating and analyzing an abundance of erroneous, fallacious, self-contradictory, or simply frivolous statements contained in the Watchtower publications. But what is the underlying import of these errors? What do they mean for you and me? What do they teach us? Do they teach us that Jehovah's Witnesses are not God's spirit-directed people?

Maintaining a Proper Perspective:

In order to have a correct understanding of others, sometimes we have to put ourselves in their shoes, we have to feel as they feel. This is especially important in the field of psychiatry. No one would return and visit an uninterested, disconnected, unsympathetic therapist for help would they? So often the Watchtower editors are portrayed in such a negative fashion, with a negative connotation, that we often forget that the persons who wrote these publications are humans just like us. Who of us has not felt the emotional drainage and frustration caused by our own committing a mistake? Has someone ever brought up something you've done in the past time and time again, just to belittle or hurt you? Now imagine if someone wrote down and recited to you every day every mistake you've ever made. Could there be anything more insensitive and perhaps depressing than being reminded of how wrong we are all the time? Finally, imagine that you were called to read and interpret Revelation, Daniel, and Ezekiel. How many mistakes do you think you should be allowed to make before you finally got it right? 

Double Standard?: 

Many freely, openly, and proudly expose past errors and blunders made in the Watchtower publications. They are certainly entitled to do so and should be allowed to express their own opinion. But what would happen if we composed a list of every scientific and medical misconception, error, or mistake ever made? Such a list would be immensely long, undoubtedly far longer than every error contained in the Watchtower publications. How often is it that scientists and medical personnel are derided, mocked, and reminded of all the errors and incorrect conclusions they've drawn, even when they stated it as scientific fact? A measure of leniency and forbearance is extended to the scientific community, because it is only reasonable and logical that they should make mistakes, and lots of them. This leniency, in the eyes of many, is not extend to Jehovah's Witnesses, though. Why?

What About All Those Wrong Dates?:

It is often stated that Jehovah's Witnesses shouldn't be allowed to commit so many mistakes because they claimed to be God's channel and his people. In fact, it is claimed that they proudly and perhaps arrogantly acted as "prophets" by making predictions that never came to fruition. Is this really the case?

December 15, 1896 Watchtower states: "Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible, or on a par with the holy Scriptures. The most we claim or have ever claimed for our teachings is that they are what we believe to be harmonious interpretations of the divine Word, in harmony with the spirit of the truth."

Regarding 1914: The January 1, 1908 WT stated: "We are not prophesying; we are merely giving our surmises . . . We do not even aver that there is no mistake in our interpretation of prophecy and our calculations of chronology. We have merely laid these before you, leaving it for each to exercise his own faith or doubt in respect to them."

Regarding 1925: The January 1, 1925 WT stated: "The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year.

Regarding 1975:  The October 15, 1966 WT stated: "What about the year 1975? What is it going to mean, dear friends?’ asked Brother Franz. ‘Does it mean that Armageddon is going to be finished, with Satan bound, by 1975? It could! It could! All things are possible with God. Does it mean that Babylon the Great is going to go down by 1975? It could. Does it mean that the attack of Gog of Magog is going to be made on Jehovah’s witnesses to wipe them out, then Gog himself will be put out of action? It could. But we are not saying. All things are possible with God. But we are not saying. And don’t any of you be specific in saying anything that is going to happen between now and 1975.."

You see the Watchtower has made several bold and definitive statements regarding its conclusions about what should transpire on certain dates, but it also qualified those statements with caution. The Watchtower in every decade since its initial printing has maintained that it is not infallible, and is subject to error! Do these statements sound like false prophecies to you? 

What Does The Bible Say About Wrong Teachings?:

So often we are so caught up in and distracted by arguments against/for the Watchtower, we forget to examine the Bible and see what it has to say about this matter. Is it possible to be led by God's holy spirit and make numerous mistakes? Yes!

1 Samuel 16:13 says of David when anointed as king: "the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward." (NAS)

 But David committed murder, performed an illegal census that killed thousands of Israelites, would have killed Nabal if it hadn't been for the intervention of Abigail, committed adultery and had Bathsheba's husband purposely put in death's path, and committed a number of other great sins. A person can be led by Jehovah's spirit, but not FOLLOW it's direction. 
Recall the old saying "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink..."

The books of Daniel, Malachi, Zechariah, and Revelation all foretell a refining/cleansing of God's people. It is interesting how Daniel 12 makes a clear connection between refining and knowledge in verses 8-10 "8 Now as for me, I heard, but I could not understand; so that I said: “O my lord, what will be the final part of these things?” 9 And he went on to say: “Go, Daniel, because the words are made secret and sealed up until the time of [the] end. 10 Many will cleanse themselves and whiten themselves and will be refined. And the wicked ones will certainly act wickedly, and no wicked ones at all will understand; but the ones having insight will understand.

In Revelation a similar thing is foretold in "The Lord's day" regarding the seven congregations. Jesus lists one by one the things wrong doctrinally with these congregations:

""you have left the love you had at first...."

you have there those holding fast the teaching of Ba´laam, ... to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit fornication...."
"you, also, have those holding fast the teaching of the sect of Nic·o·la´us likewise..."
"you tolerate that woman Jez´e·bel, ... and she teaches and misleads my slaves to commit fornication and to eat things sacrificed to idols...."
"I know your deeds, that you have the name that you are alive, but you are dead...."
"I have not found your deeds fully performed before my God...."

Now could the Watchtower's errors/mistakes reasonably be equivocated with the conditions described here? Many would say: It is impossible for these congregations to be Jesus' disciples when they have so many things wrong. But that is the exact opposite of what the Bible says. Verses 12 and 13 tell us that Jesus walks among these congregations. 

And then we have Jesus' words to every congregation: "Let the one who has an ear hear what the spirit says to the congregations."

Jesus tells them to repent, buy gold refined by fire and to shed their old outer garments in favor of new ones. A similar sentiment is echoed in Zechariah 3:3 "Now as for Joshua, he happened to be clothed in befouled garments and standing before the angel. 4 Then he answered and said to those standing before him: “Remove the befouled garments from upon him.” And he went on to say to him: “See, I have caused your error to pass away from upon you.." 

Further corroborating evidence that knowledge would be progressive and continuous and not simply instantaneously correct and static, can be found in the early Christian epistles.

2 Corinthians 13:11 "Finally, brothers, continue to rejoice, to be readjusted, to be comforted, to think in agreement

2 Peter 1:5 "Yes, for this very reason, by YOUR contributing in response all earnest effort, supply to YOUR faith virtue, to [YOUR] virtue knowledge.."

Colossians 1:9, 10 "That is also why we, from the day we heard [of it], have not ceased praying for YOU and asking that YOU may be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension, 10 in order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing [him] as YOU go on bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the accurate knowledge of God.."

Ephesians 4:11-13 "And he gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelizers, some as shepherds and teachers, 12 with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, 13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ.."

Now even the first century Christians who spoke in tongues and were given knowledge miraculously still had to work to 'attain' and to 'increase in accurate knowledge'. The Bible explains in no uncertain terms that God's people would fall again into apostasy and would have to be refined and cleansed of befouled garments and would have things wrong. In view of this solid scriptural evidence, should you be stumbled by past Watchtower errors?

Consider All The Things JW's Have Right:

The mistakes and errors JW's have made are so often palpated and emphasized that we tend to only examine one side of the story. We are so busy considering what they had wrong, we forget what Jehovah's Witnesses have right and it's significance. Most Christians would agree that there is nothing more important than getting to know Jehovah and his Son Jesus and having a relationship with them. However, a person cannot maintain a relationship with someone based on false information. Could a person claim they know you well if they believe misconceptions and untruths about your character? Likewise, with the copious amount of unscriptural practices that befell Christianity after the first century, it has been increasingly difficult to truly know who God is. This can be largely attributed to the removal of God's name, which thus creates many obscure and confusing passages since both Jesus and God are referred to as "Lord" and "God" only. God's name has long been dismissed as of little importance and of zero import. Without a doubt, Jehovah's Witnesses, by means of their publications, preaching, and bible translation work have made God's name known far more than any other Christian group. JW's have also long proclaimed the pagan doctrines of the Trinity, hellfire, purgatory, immortality of the soul, reincarnation, and the unscriptural traditions of saint reverance, Mary worship, and Pope authority to all be at odds with what the Bible really teaches. Could anything be more pleasing to God than accurate knowledge about himself, his Son, his purposes, and the sanctification of his holy name?

So after examining all the scriptures, evidence, and using an unbiased reasoning ability, what do these errors signify to you? Should you conclude that Jehovah's Witnesses cannot possibly be God's organization of servants because of all the mistakes they've made? The conclusion is always left with the reader.