What evidence is there that the Watch Tower Society claims you cannot understand the Bible by just reading it?

Surely you do not need an organisation to tell you what to believe? Is it true that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the only people who can understand the Bible because God communicates only through them?

This is one area in which Jehovah’s Witnesses have never changed or needed “new light”. They have consistently claimed to be God’s sole channel of communication from some time shortly after 1918 and the evidence of this is contained in their own literature, presented below.

1939 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses (page 85): ‘It should be expected that the Lord would have a means of communicating to his people on the earth, and he has clearly shown that the magazine called The Watchtower is used for that purpose.’

1 February 1952 Watchtower (pages 79 and 80): ‘The truths we are to publish are the ones provided through the discreet slave organisation, not some personal opinions contrary to what the slave has provided as timely food… We should meekly go along with the Lord’s theocratic organisation and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave’s provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord’s visible organisation and not be so foolish as to pit against Jehovah’s channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings.’

Qualified to be Ministers 1967 (page 156): ‘Since the Watchtower assists in understanding the Bible, its study is imperative. Private study of the magazine is essential… If we have love for Jehovah and for the organisation of his people, we shall not be suspicious, but shall, as the Bible says, ‘believe all things’, all the things that the Watchtower brings out.’

15 February 1967 Watchtower: ‘Would not a failure to respond from direction from God through his organisation really indicate a rejection of divine rulership?’

1 October 1967 Watchtower: ‘Thus the Bible is an organisational book, and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organisation, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible. For this reason, the Bible cannot be properly understood without Jehovah’s visible organisation.’

1 July 1973 Watchtower: ‘Only this organisation functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.’

15 February 1981 Watchtower (page 19): ‘We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the scriptural guidance we need outside the ‘faithful and discreet slave’ organisation.’

15 August 1981 Watchtower: ‘From time to time there have arisen from the ranks of Jehovah’s people those who, like the original Satan, have developed an independent fault finding attitude. They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But strangely, through such ‘Bible reading’ they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines.’

1 December 1990 Watchtower (page 19): ‘This includes being loyal to ‘the faithful and discreet slave’ (Matthew 24:45-47). Let us face the facts that no matter how much Bible reading we have done, we would never have learned the truth on our own. We would not have discovered the truth regarding Jehovah… the difference between God’s organisation and Satan’s…’

1 October 1994 Watchtower (page 8): ‘All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the greatly diversified wisdom of God can become known only through Jehovah’s channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave.’

1 August 2001 Watchtower (page 14): ‘A mature Christian… does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbour private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and ‘the faithful and discreet slave.’ By regularly taking in the spiritual food provided ‘at the proper time’ through Christian publications, meetings, assemblies and conventions we can be sure that we maintain ‘oneness’ with fellow Christians in faith and knowledge.’

So, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses it is not possible to understand the Bible unless you belong to their organisation, study their literature and unquestioningly accept everything the Governing Body, or the self-appointed ‘faithful and discreet slave’ tells you. This is because they believe that since 1918 Jesus chose their organisation as his sole channel of communication.

They are entitled to their beliefs and their opinions. However, there is nothing in my Bible that says the truth of God’s Word can only be understood by clinging to an organisation. Personally, I prefer to cling to Christ Jesus.

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