09. The Watchtower Society Versus The Selective Service System
CHAPTER NINE THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY VERSUS THE SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM
SETTING FORTH the stand Jehovah’s Witnesses take against the Armed Forces, The Watchtower magazine of February 1, 1951 says on page 77: “They [Jehovah’s Witnesses] tell officials of the government that they conscientiously object to serving in any military establishment or any civilian arrangement that substitutes for military service.”
We now quote a booklet bearing the title UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SELECTIVE SERVICE SYSTEM. MEMORANDUM IN REFERENCE TO THE CLASSIFICATION OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES UNDER THE ACT AND REGULATIONS (SUBMITTED TO THE PRESIDENTIAL APPEAL BOARD AND MAJOR GENERAL LEWIS B. HERSHEY, DIRECTOR OF SELECTIVE SERVICE, NOVEMBER, 1950). This was issued only to Jehovah’s Witnesses who needed counsel from the Society regarding their draft classification. Beginning on page five of the Memorandum, we read:
More than 70,000,000 people in the United States do not belong to any religious organization. Many other millions do not attend any church, although they nominally belong to one of the religious organizations. These non-churchgoers are not heathen . . . It is just as important to have primitive ministers and evangelists going from door to door to maintain the morale of these millions as it is to preserve the morale of those who attend some orthodox religious organiza- tion’s church services. . . . Accordingly, these millions would starve for want of spiritual food were it not for Jehovah’s Witnesses . . .
Take note that the above material was prepared specifically for the Selective Service System’s Board of Appeal. They would probably be inclined to accept what the Memorandum contains as truth. The Watchtower Society has led them to believe wrongly that Jehovah’s Witnesses are “maintaining the morale” of millions of people. This is indeed humorous. These millions probably would be happier if Jehovah’s Witnesses would not bother them. Now note this interesting reading found on page six:
It is not necessary to know theology, philosophy, art, science and ancient classic languages to preach the gospel. One is not required to wear a distinctive garb, live in a parsonage, ride in an expensive automobile, have a costly edifice in which to preach, and command a high salary, to qualify as a minister of God. The above is said in an effort to conceal their own regimentation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Note the remark that it is not necessary for a minister to live in a “parsonage.” A parsonage is another name for a house when occupied by a minister. Pray tell, where would it be best for him to live, if not in a house? At the bottom of page 6, this Memorandum explains what “qualifies” a Jehovah’s Witness as a minister. We read: “The work done by such a minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses cannot be done by a lay worker. . . . Persons not ministers, except those preparing for the ministry, are not authorized to engage in such preaching activity.” Here is the truth: The Watchtower Society issues no “authorization” to any Jehovah’s Witness to preach, regardless of what is his stage of learning. Further, the Society does permit unbaptized (hence undedicated-not yet ordained) Witnesses to go from door to door and to speak from the platform in the Kingdom Hall.
Note the expression used, “preparing for the ministry.” If they are thus preparing, how does it come about that this preparation never ends? A person preparing for something eventually reaches the place where the preparatory stage ends and he begins what he prepared to do. But not so with Jehovah’s Witnesses. Even when they are “ordained” (baptized by immersion), the “preparation” does not end. Some have been “preparing” for thirty or forty years, or longer. Actually, there is no preparation period.
Newcomers in the organization are started off as quickly as possible-after a few week’s study sometimes. What “ministry” could they possibly be preparing for? The majority of them do nothing more than sell books and give short speeches in the Kingdom Hall. The only exception is the student body of the school where prospective missionaries are sent to train. This school is called Gilead and is located in New York State.
It is intended to appear to the Selective Service System that these students are going through a systematic study and training, preparing themselves for a standard ministry. Nothing could be further from the truth. They feel secure organizationally, however, because none from among them will tell the truth about their status. No Jehovah’s Witness would dare to breathe a word of truth about this lest the Government withdraw the military exemption privileges.
Page 7 reads: “The clergy of the orthodox religions have their church buildings and edifices. Members of their congregations come there to hear them preach. Members of the congregation are not authorized or ordained to preach.” To which we reply: Neither are Jehovah’s Witnesses. They have no prescribed system of learning, and their academic standards are so far below that of any other “system” as to be practically valueless. There is no such thing as a progressive study among Jehovah’s Witnesses. They are taught the same things over and over again in a constant cycle of repetition. The Watchtower Society tells the Witnesses that they are the only ones doing their particular type of work and cannot be compared with any others. But what they tell the Government is another thing. Quoting the Memorandum, page 7: The Society of Jesus (Jesuits) is an illustration of a society of ministers. Each member is an ordained priest.
. . . In various other missionary societies, the Baptist Home Missionary Society, and other missionary societies of the orthodox religious denominations, each missionary and evangelist is a minister. . . . Indeed, such missionary societies operate on THE SAME PRINCIPLE AS DO JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES. Each of such missionary evangelists goes from place to place, FROM HOUSE TO HOUSE . . . (Emphasis mine).
Yet Jehovah’s Witnesses are told that they cannot be compared with any others. But notice please: The comparison given therein, of Jehovah’s Witnesses with the Jesuits, etc., is a decided error. No Jehovah’s Witness in his lifetime devotes himself to serious study and preparation as one going into the Catholic priesthood.
Recall how the Watchtower publications say that all de-nominations are of the Devil? Look now at this, found on page 8 of the Memorandum:
Since Jehovah’s Witnesses are A RECOGNIZED RELIGIOUS DENOMINATION, it must be admitted that they are entitled to have some ministers. It is for Jehovah’s Witnesses to decide who their ministers are. . . . IT HAS BEEN SEEN THAT JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES PREACH IN THE SAME WAY THAT THE ORTHODOX CLERGY PREACH (Emphasis mine). The above is a ridiculous paradox. Claiming first that all denominations are of the Devil, they then choose to be one of them, for purposes of expediency. So it is only fair that they like others have some ministers. But they are all considered ministers. For legal reasons they must be ministers to minister to all the other ministers. Do they, as ministers, choose who their ministers shall be? Any Jehovah’s Witness knows this is not so. How can they decide who their ministers are to be when they have no ministers? They themselves are all ministers! Therefore they do not decide who their ministers are to be, or do they decide that they themselves are to be their own ministers? If they decide who their ministers are to be (as the Memorandum claims), and they themselves are the ministers, then they have chosen themselves. On page 6 we read: “Each of Jehovah’s Witnesses is a minister.” How can they therefore choose their ministers? How can it be said that “it is only fair that they have some ministers”? None of these “ministers” will recognize “minister” as clergy different from laity. How could one be their “minister” then, when there is no laity? On page 8 the Memorandum says: “There is no laity among Jehovah’s Witnesses.”
Why do they thus deceive the Government? Because they believe that all earthly Governments are of the Devil, and they have no guilt of conscience about lying to “the Devil’s organization.” Thus, casting principles aside, anything goes, as long as it accomplishes their expedient purpose. In any Kingdom Hall you may enter, you will probably hear it said that Jehovah’s Witnesses in no way resemble the clergy. They proudly boast that there is no comparison and that they are far above the clergy. Compare that statement with the statement that Jehovah’s Witnesses “preach in the same way that the orthodox clergy preach.” Of course they do not really mean all they say, but it keeps members from being drafted into the Armed Forces.
They also preach in the Kingdom Halls that no other religious group preaches from door to door except Jehovah’s Witnesses. Yet, in the Memorandum on page 8 they admit that others do. On page 9 is another questionable statement:
If he [the Jehovah’s Witness] has satisfactorily completed a course of study in the Bible and Bible helps prescribed by the governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and has established his qualifications, that should be sufficient and conclusive upon the executive branch and judicial branch of the Government.
What qualifications? Up until 1957 this writer, while in the organization, never experienced what they here prescribe. But it was easy to get a 4-D classification (U.S. Government armed forces draft exemption) and later become a pioneer, servant, etc! The truth of the matter is, if a member studies for a few weeks and then decides he would like to preach from door to door, no one generally stops him. Often he is never examined as to what he believes nor how well he can explain the Watchtower doctrine. He may become baptized whenever it suits him. He is then considered “ordained.” So to be “qualified,” all he has to do is be willing to preach anything The Watchtower Society gives him to preach.
You may test this sometime for yourself. Whenever two Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your house together, one will most likely be “training” the other. Start to ask questions of the one who is not saying much, if anything, and see who gives the answers. You will see that the “training” is not so much on doctrine as it is in methods of approaching and convincing the householder.
Standing before the Government The Watchtower Society claims representation as a recognized denomination, claiming that they carry out their work in the same manner as others do. But before the Witnesses themselves, the Society’s talk changes and they no longer resemble anything in Christendom. All these people and religions that they have likened themselves to in the Memorandum are unlike Jehovah’s Witnesses in their other writings.
Now we will consider the way they represent their methods of preaching to the Government. On page 9 we read: “Indeed the literature is offered on a contribution basis.” This is not true. There is a set price for every book, and the “contribution” must cover that price. The Witness may give literature away if he cares to, but he must pay The Watchtower Society for all of it. He gets nothing free from them. On the same page, they state regarding the Seventh-Day Adventists:
They are not ordained as are Jehovah’s Witnesses. They merely sell books. They do not conduct home Bible studies. They do not make revisits; they do not preach before congregations; they do not conduct baptismal ceremonies; they do not participate in the burial of the dead; they do not perform other ceremonies; all of which are performed by Jehovah’s Witnesses . . .
Again, this is not true!
Most Jehovah’s Witnesses do not engage in the above-described activities. Many of them make revisits, but comparatively few conduct studies. Only a few preach (lecture) before the congregation. Only those specially assigned give burial discourses, perform marriages, etc. As for “baptismal ceremonies,” there is no such thing in the local congregation. These discourses are given at assemblies, not locally. There is usually no more than one selected from a congregation to give funeral discourses and/or perform marriages. So, again they misrepresent themselves before the Government of the United States.
Now on page 11, under “Training and Ordination”:
He must first be a student preparing himself for the ministry before he undertakes to act as an ordained minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses. . . . While Jehovah’s Witnesses of today do not attend any theological seminary or religious university in preparing for their ministry, neither did Christ Jesus. . . . The main textbook is the Bible. Other books and courses of instruction, free of all erroneous traditions and false dogmas, are provided. . . . Considerable time must be spent by the student preparing for the ministry before he becomes equipped to enter the ministry.
It all sounds quite orthodox to hear them tell it in the Memorandum. But what they say therein and what they practice are two different things. Naturally they are against seminaries and universities! Knowledge is a dangerous thing for a Jehovah’s Witness! The Watchtower Society must guard against any real knowledge of free thought among the Witnesses. If they begin to think for themselves, they will soon find themselves thinking contrary to the rest of the organization. If Witnesses found out about the truth as taught in some schools, they would begin to wonder about the soundness of their organization. In order to keep members under tight control, the Society can allow for no other source of “truth” other than from their own organization. On page 13 of the Memorandum they appear to recognize some “fellow worshippers” whom they condemn elsewhere in their literature: “Many groups, such as the Society of Friends, Disciples of Christ, Plymouth Brethren and Jehovah’s Witnesses do not recognize any human right of ordination. They recognize the ordination as coming only from Almighty God Jehovah.” Here again they include themselves with these groups for expediency. Apparently, they are willing to classify themselves as part of what they call “the Devil’s organization” if it will serve their purpose of avoiding serving in a nation’s Armed Forces. Take note of this comparison found on page 18: “An organization operated on a theocratic basis like Jehovah’s Witnesses or on a hierarchical basis like the Roman Catholic Church must have the privilege of assigning its ministers. . . .”
One who has been in their organization and worked with it for years can only pity those who believe what is said in this Memorandum. The Government officials, members of the Selective Service System, the Presidential Appeal Board, etc., are not aware of the Watchtower system and how it really operates. They innocently believe what they are told by The Watchtower Society. But if they would send an incognito observer from Secret Service to go through the steps of becoming a Jehovah’s Witness he would soon realize how the government had been tricked.
They would be enlightened if the authorities would investigate the secret files of the New York headquarters or the Kingdom Halls (Jehovah’s Witnesses generally do not know that certain files are kept from them and from the Government). The intraorganizational correspondence would unveil the real workings and methods of The Watchtower organization.
Note the following Catholic authority quoted by The Watchtower Society to bolster their case before the government. In the literature distributed to the public they criticize and ridicule Catholics. But here, in the Memorandum, Catholic authority is quoted as if he were speaking for the Witnesses. Page 19 reads:
Immunity from military service is inseparable from the right of a people to religious liberty. It is not a privilege conceded unfairly to the ministers of religion as a class. In respecting the immunity of the clergy from military service the state recognizes the right of the people at all times to practice their religion and to have available for that purpose the ministrations of their priests (Right Reverend Monsignor Michael J. Ready, General Secretary of the National Catholic Welfare Conference, Washington, D.C.).
Here they quote an authority and it would appear that the Witnesses want to be thought of as equal to priests of the Catholic Church. Monsignor Ready was defending the right of the CLERGY to military exemption-NOT Jehovah’s Witnesses. Of course, in the Memorandum, they are trying I make it appear as if they are equal to the clergy, or the same as the clergy. But if a speaker in Kingdom Hall were to draw this comparison, it would make Jehovah’s Witnesses shudder. On page 22 they quote a Jesuit priest for expediency. Then, before the public, these same men are held up to ridicule as members of “the Devil’s organization.” Such is the hypocritical method employed by The Watchtower Society to advance their activities. On page 30, under “Full-Time Ministers in the Field,” v, read: “The circuit servants are full-time, ordained ministers. They perform duties in behalf of the Society VERY SIMILAR TO THOSE PERFORMED BY THE BISHOP OF AN ORTHODOX CHURCH (Emphasis mine). From the platform of the Kingdom Hall it is repeated time and time again that Jehovah’s Witnesses, including circuit servants, are different from the clergy. This difference, they believe, is what makes them Christians.
Now observe this statement, found on page 33: “The orthodox church-sustained clergy do not spend any more time in their preaching activities yet they do not sustain themselves by secular work as do these ministers.” The truth is that the average clergyman spends much more time pursuing his duties than the average Jehovah’s Witness spends in his work. Jehovah’s Witnesses speak of what they know not. They have withdrawn from the churches and the clergy to criticize and to mock. But they themselves remain mostly in darkness as to real Biblical Christianity. They have willfully blinded themselves to the truth. Their scorn of the clergy is based on their failure to find the facts. On page 34 we find a quotation that is disgusting, since it is applied by the Watchtower to the work of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We read: “The first formal and greatly effective organization of lay preaching as a system, and as a recognized branch of church effort, took place under John Wesley at an early period of that great religious movement known as the revival of the 18th century.” Their quoting this item is simply to strengthen their case. Think of comparing themselves with the Wesleyan movement! They are as far as can be removed from what was done by the Wesleyan movement.
Trying to appear orthodox and yet giving reasons why a “minister” of theirs has to have a secular job, we read on page 35: “The mere fact that a poor preacher of a financially weak congregation is required to perform secular work during the week to support himself in the ministry does not bar him from claiming the exemption as a minister of religion. . . .” This is supposed to excuse Jehovah’s Witnesses for being full-time secular workers when they claim draft exemption rights as full-time ministers.
They like to appear as defenders of freedom in order to put on a good “front” before the Government. Yet, it is only their own freedom which they are interested in protecting. On page 44 we read: “They fight for freedom on the home front of the nations of this world. [What other nations are there?] They fight to defend and legally establish the good news [their term for the heresy they preach] before courts, officials, administrative boards and other agencies of governments.” Here is a clear statement of what they are fighting for. It is their right to preach their own message. What it amounts to is they fight the Government on the home front, in order to evade serving in the Armed Forces.
Another contradiction is found in Golden Age magazine of August 25, 1926 on page 765 under “Bible Questions and Answers”:
QUESTION: If the nation wherein a Christian resides should be at war with another nation, and the enemy entered my house and attacked my mother, what should I do as a Christian? ANSWER: DO exactly the same as you would do if the same thing happened in your home in a time of peace. . . . You would try to prevent it, by persuasion, and by putting yourself in her place, and by appealing to the law; BUT YOU WOULD NOT COMMIT MURDER (Emphasis mine).
Now the Memorandum, page 43:
Jehovah’s Witnesses are justified in KILLING a person that breaks into their home if it is necessary to repel the assault (Emphasis mine).
Now we arrive at a crucial point in this discussion. What we are about to uncover will be denied by Jehovah’s Witnesses as is expected. They do not want anyone outside of their organization to know this. It is supposed to be knowledge shared only by those within the confines of The New World Society. Page 47 reads:
They do not teach others of Jehovah’s Witnesses or people who are not to refuse to support the armed forces or volunteer for service. It would be wrong to do so. . . . They do not, in fact, tell each other what to do or not to do. Each Witness of Jehovah decides by himself alone what course he shall take. His decision as to whether to render to God what is God’s is dictated by his individual understanding of the law of God in the Word of Jehovah, the Bible. His decision is formed not by the written word of the Society or any person among Jehovah’s Witnesses. That is what the Government is told. The Society is too smart to put in writing instructions they give Witnesses on this subject.
They know what would happen if government officials ever laid their hands on it. The truth is, no Jehovah’s Witness is allowed to have an “individual under-standing” of the Bible. It is strictly forbidden in their organization. They bring pressure on individuals in order to force them to refuse service in the nation’s defense system.
If a servant (there are seven in each congregation, plus subordinates) or a pioneer should enter the Armed Forces, he is removed from his position, from the organization itself, and looked upon as an unbeliever. Does this give the individual personal choice in the matter? This writer, when a Jehovah’s Witness, once wrote to the Society pressing for an answer to the question: What does the Society say about individuals who enter the service, or take a civilian job in place of military service? An answer came, addressed to the congregation servant. The letter went into the Kingdom Hall private file to which the Witnesses are denied access for a very obvious reason. The letter stated that such individuals are considered “immature” (weak in the faith), and are not to be allowed to represent the Society or perform works as Jehovah’s Witnesses. It is stated that such persons would, for all practical purposes, be considered outsiders. Letters like this are kept secret from the government.
If any reader should doubt what is being said here, he may ask any Jehovah’s Witness what happens to one of them who decides to join the Armed Services. Group-pressure is used to steer the Witness into line and into organizational thinking. He is free to join the service, of course. But he will be removed from the organization if he does. He can make up his own mind on the matter which is called “freedom of choice!” But if he joins up, he will be removed from what he is led to believe is God’s organization. Do you see how they have deceived the Government? The writer has personally known young men who, when faced with being drafted, quickly joined the “theocratic ministry school,” so they could tell the draft board that they were studying for the “ministry.”
One such young man was not even qualified to minister from door to door alone for lack of knowledge. Yet he claimed exemption under the ministerial status. He knew almost nothing about the Bible or the Watchtower teachings. He was in the organization because of family ties. Yet he is tolerated as a member in good standing. Such is a Watchtower “minister.” Yes, “preparing for the ministry” is the line used by many young men, some of whom merely are associated with the Watchtower organization, in order to get a draft board exemption. On page 47 the Memorandum says:
They believe it is within the province of a nation to arm itself and resist attack or invasion. It is admitted that the Government has the authority to take all reasonable, necessary and constitutional measures to gear the nation for war and so lubricate the war machinery as to keep it working effectively.
Here they say it is all right for a nation to arm itself for the defense of its citizens, who include Jehovah’s Witnesses. So they are not against a nation which defends them in the event of an attack. They sanction war machinery when it is used by the nation to defend them. The nation may “resist attack or invasion,” that is, others in the nation besides Jehovah’s Witnesses may do this. The nation has their permission and approval to defend them, but they, themselves, will not participate in the military defense. In other words, the nation has the right to protect its Jehovah’s Witness citizens against enemy attack. But for Witnesses to do this would be for them unscriptural. But it is very well for others in the nation to rush to their defense. The others are not Jehovah’s Witnesses and therefore may be unscriptural and defend the nation, and at the same time defend Witnesses. When the Witnesses are in trouble, they depend on the army and the police, because the army and the police not being Jehovah’s Witnesses can kill in defense of the Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses could not kill in defense of the police, but it is well if the police kill in defense of Jehovah’s Witnesses. As has already been said, any Jehovah’s Witness deciding for himself to enter the Armed Forces is immediately removed from the organization, not disfellowshiped, but just dropped from the rolls. So it is true-they may decide for themselves to enter the service, but they will not be Witnesses any longer if they do. In order for a Jehovah’s Witness to remain in good standing within the organization, he had better stay out of the service or any substitute for it. If he does accept work as a conscientious objector (or enter the service), it may bar him from ever becoming a part of the organization again officially.
They have lied to the Government from whom they get their exemption. They have deceived the officials to whom they give mock respect. They have dishonored the flag they refuse to salute. They have tried to appear in this Memorandum as part of the clergy whom they hate. They have tried to appear as part of religions they despise. Thus they “fight” for “freedom” to deceive the Government in order to avoid service obligations.
How do they get their new members to obey? From the start they criticize churches and the clergy. Then they tell these new converts that during a war, a person of one faith kills another person belonging to the same faith. They then show how Jehovah’s Witnesses do not engage in war. Thus, Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only peaceful people on earth.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are not really ministers. The reader should be aware of that by now. They are at best salesmen of their heretic religion. If any of them claim to be ministers when at your door, ask them in what capacity do they serve in their “church”-not in the “ministerial fellowship” at the Kingdom Hall, but in their own church. Ask them when services are held. If you ask when they have worship services, it will be interesting indeed, for they have no worship services among themselves at any time. You will see he has no church, no pulpit, no following.
Ask any of these “ministers” if they are allowed to attend seminary, and see what they say. Ask if they study systematic theology under professional clerics. Ask the “minister” if they have taken or are taking courses in homiletics (composition and delivery of sermons); hermeneutics (the science of interpretation); apologetics (defense and proofs of Christianity); eschatology (study of future things); Soteriology (the branch of theological science concerning salvation by Jesus Christ); church history, etc. You will quickly find out that they will not even know what you are talking about.
If they try to use a few Greek words, which is their favorite trick, ask them where they studied Greek and for how many years. Ask them what theological works they have studied or read and what commentaries they regularly refer to. If they try to give you a certain meaning for a word in Greek or Hebrew, ask them what lexicon or grammar they base their conclusion on. That will usually end the matter. By probing them thus you will see that they know little but what the Watchtower organization has put in their heads. There are a few exceptions, of course, but they are few and far between, and even they do not know much about what they are saying.
If they say these things you refer to are unnecessary and the Bible alone is sufficient, they are merely trying to escape from your difficult questions. Ask them why they need the Watchtower books they are using. Then try to find out why they use the unscholarly method of jumping from text to text and quoting these Scriptures out of context. Get them to read the Bible without doing so and they will begin to see that they are in gross error. A Jehovah’s Witness will wear a Government uniform if it’s the right kind. He can wear a mail- man’s uniform, for example, but not a military one (However, this is only true if he became a mailman before becoming a J. W.)! During a war they will work in war plants and collect large salaries from steady jobs. They will manufacture the munitions and weapons, but they cannot take a substitute job for military service, like working in a hospital. They are against holding political office, voting and serving on juries.
They will never aid in any charitable relief work, nor contribute to the Civilian Defense. They will not permit their children to salute the flag. Thus, their children grow up in an atmosphere of suspicion and hatred. They are taught that no authority is equal to that of The Watchtower Society. Thus, they despise church and pastor. They have a superior attitude about them, believing themselves to be better than others. Yet, they are generally the most useless citizens of any community.
What can one do about all this? What is worth doing? The concluding chapter will answer these questions.