I want everyone to know that the reason this website exists is because of the love I have for Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you have viewed the content of this site, you may find that hard to believe; however, please read on and allow me to explain. In my 35 years as a Jehovah’s Witness, I met hundreds of wonderful people and developed close friendships with many of you. I know that Jehovah’s Witnesses are good, hardworking, and conscientious people whose goal is to serve Jehovah in the manner He prescribes. Jehovah’s Witnesses spend much of their time going from house to house to reach others with the kingdom message. I know that house-to-house work is not easy. It was not for me, but we do it to save our neighbors from the destruction in the last days of this system of things. I have a profound respect for the dedication and sincerity of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Why do I have a website that features Jehovah’s Witnesses’ failed prophecies and teaching errors?
During the 35 years I was a Jehovah’s Witness, I never doubted that I was a part of the one true religion. I truly believed that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society were God’s spokesman. I was a very active Jehovah’s Witness. After being baptized, I became a ministerial servant and later an elder. I served as a book study conductor, a full-time pioneer on the hospital visitation committee, and the Theocratic Ministry School overseer for over 17 years. I spoke at assemblies, performed weddings, performed funerals, presided over the memorial service, delivered special talks, served on countless judicial committees, and gave a public talk nearly every month during the 20 years I was an Elder. My entire life revolved around “the truth.” I never looked beyond the Society for answers to Bible questions. I accepted without question everything the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught as “the truth.”
Due to health problems, my 95-year-old grandmother moved in with our family in the early 1990s and needed 24-hour care. The added responsibility of caring for my grandmother decreased my meeting attendance and field service time. In time I had to give up my duties as a book study conductor; later, I had to resign as a Theocratic Ministry School overseer and eventually my appointment as an elder.
With less responsibility in the congregation and more responsibility at home, I began to spend less time at the Kingdom Hall. During my evenings at home with my grandmother, I did a lot of personal Bible reading. The more Bible reading I did, the more I began to question the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I remembered the thought in the Paradise book:
“How should you feel if proof is given that what you believe is wrong? For example, say that you were in a car, traveling for the first time to a certain place. You have a road map, but you have not taken the time to check it carefully. Someone has told you the road to take. You trust him, sincerely believing that the way he has directed you is correct. But suppose it is not. What if someone points out the error? What if he, by referring to your map, shows that you are on the wrong road? Would pride or stubbornness prevent you from admitting that you are on the wrong road? Well, if you learn from an examination of your Bible that you are traveling the wrong religious road, be willing to change. Avoid the broad road to destruction; get on the narrow road to life!”
I had used this example so many times in my preaching work as a Jehovah’s Witness to get others to examine their religion. How could I be honest with Jehovah and myself if I were not applying the advice given by the Faithful and Discreet Slave? I decided to examine the road map I had followed all these years and began researching. I started with some of the older publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society that I had in my library but never read. Much to my amazement, I began to see the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in a different light. I was amazed to learn about Beth Sarim, an expensive mansion that Jehovah’s Witnesses built in 1929 for the soon-to-return-princes and was deeded to David, Gideon, Barak, Samson, and others. During the Great Depression, Judge Rutherford used this mansion as a summer home. See Beth Sarim. Jehovah’s Witnesses were adamant about the end coming in 1881, 1914, 1915, 1918, and 1925. Publishers sold their homes, quit their jobs, or took other life-changing measures to prepare for the end in those years, just as I did and saw many others did in 1975. I was astonished at the number of failed prophecies I discovered. The more research I did, the more failed predictions I found. I have listed some of them on this website under Failed Prophecies. My study of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society’s literature made me doubt that they were the Faithful and Discreet Slave mentioned in Matthew chapter 24.
Discovering this information was alarming, but even more disturbing was when the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Jehovah’s “Faithful and Discreet Slave,” referred to these past teachings in publications such as The Proclaimers book. They glossed over and misrepresented many of those teachings. I felt that was neither faithful nor discreet.
My confidence in the teachings of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society had been severely shaken, which motivated me to investigate the New World Translation. I did not want to rely on the interpretations of others, so I enrolled in a New Testament Greek class. I completed two semesters with a B average. I completed most of the third semester but could not finish due to health problems. I do not pretend to be a Greek scholar by any means, but I learned enough Greek grammar to see that there was no way John 1:1 could be translated the way the New World Translation committee did. Translating John 1:1 to say that Jesus is “a god” violates basic Greek grammar rules. Also, if John 1:1 is translated to say that Jesus is “a God,” He must be a true God and could not be a false god. This conflicts with John 17:3, which says Jehovah is the “only true God.” I discovered other scriptures where the translators of the New World Translation had added, omitted, or changed words to hide the Deity of Jesus. See New World Translation Errors.
After much prayer and deliberation, I wrote a letter to my local congregation informing them that I no longer considered myself a Jehovah’s Witness. Reflecting on my discoveries, I realized that had my grandmother not moved in with our family, I might never have had the time to do the personal Bible reading that opened my eyes to the truth. Because the Bible reading and research I did were so time-consuming, keeping up with my congregation responsibilities prevented me from doing this research earlier.
If you are an active Jehovah’s Witness, your time to research the road map you are following is limited and discouraged. I have put vital information on this website should you decide to “refer to your road map,” as I did. I encourage you to explore the information on this website prayerfully and with an open mind, in addition to the many other websites about Jehovah’s Witnesses. See Related Links. If the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is indeed Jehovah’s Faithful and Discreet Slave, they should be able to stand up to the closest scrutiny. Jehovah’s Word holds up under the closest examination, and so should His faithful slave.
I understand if you are hesitant to read material about Jehovah’s Witnesses published by anyone other than the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. I encourage you to prayerfully read the Bible’s book of John, in a popular translation other than the New World Translation, with an open mind and to understand the identity of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I pray your efforts to find the truth are successful.
Email me at cal@towerwatch.com with your comments, good or bad I would love to hear from you.