Before answering the question of “Who’s Watching The Watchtower?”, we must first know a little bit about the history and present state of this organization. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has it’s international headquarters based in Brooklyn New York. This is the head office of the Jehovah’s Witness organization which produces literally billions of Watchtower and Awake magazines (1) and books teaching the organization’s (per)version of the Bible called The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.The Jehovah’s Witness movement began in 1884 when Charles Taze Russell began publishing The Watch Tower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom and founded Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society, now known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. Charles Russell departed from orthodoxy by denying the existence of hell, the Trinity and the Deity of Christ. With only a seventh grade education and no Bible College or Seminary training he knew “the truth” better than anyone else!

After Russell’s death in 1916, a Missouri lawyer named Joseph Franklin Rutherford took over the presidency of the organization. It was he who named the members “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Now with a lawyer who members called “Judge Rutherford” in charge, they “for sure” knew that they had “the truth.” There were two more presidents after Rutherford before the organization adopted the Governing Body form of management which it has today. Not surprisingly, the names of the Governing Body are kept secret, even from their own members. This is explained by telling the members that they are humble men who wish no credit for themselves but want all the glory to go to Jehovah. You will not even find any names of authors in their books and magazines for the same reason. Of course what they are really doing is protecting themselves from taking blame for setting so many false dates for the end of the world with 1975 being the most recent (although they never put it in print, leaders have pointed to the year 2000 in meetings and since that has passed, it is now speculated to be 2005 or 2035).

In all the years since Russell founded the movement, succeeding leaders have held to Russell’s unorthodox beliefs and continued to add to them. Refusing blood transfusions, denying birthdays and holidays, and replacing the cross with a “torture stake,” were all added after Russell’s death.

So, what else do they believe? Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, the first “thing” Jehovah created. They believe that all religions except their own are of Satan, and your Pastor is under the Devil’s control. And all Jehovah’s Witnesses today believe that when Christ failed to show up in 1914 He must have come — invisibly — of course. (2)

So What’s To Watch?

Right now there are just over six and half million active Jehovah’s Witnesses in the world which make up just over ninety-five thousand congregations. Canada is home to just over one hundred thousand Jehovah’s Witnesses. For a time in the late nineties it seemed that the numbers of Jehovah’s Witnesses were declining or at least remaining stagnant especially in North America but as a result of the worldwide fear of terrorism spawned by the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11, 2001, we have seen a marked increase, estimated at 3%, in converts to the Watchtower in North America since that fateful day. Canada saw just over two thousand new converts baptised into the Watchtower in 2002. (3)

Now let’s consider just one new convert to the Watchtower. Let us consider that it is safe to assume that this one person has two parents and possibly two siblings. So now we have four people who now all of a sudden have a relative in the Watchtower. Let’s also consider that this one new convert also has two, possibly four, but we’ll just say two living grandparents. So now we have six people who all of a sudden have a relative in the Watchtower. Add now to this number two Aunts, two Uncles and six cousins. Now we have a total of sixteen people who now all of a sudden have a relative in the Watchtower. Let’s just stop there and let alone the many other relatives and friends we could name. Sixteen times two thousand equals thirty-two thousand people who now all of a sudden have a relative in the Watchtower and this is only in Canada. This number may seem insignificant compared to our country’s population but it most certainly is not insignificant if you happen to be one of those new thirty-two thousand people related to someone in the Watchtower.

Consider this. We now have thirty-two thousand people who have a relative who will not accept blood transfusions, celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving or any other holiday that these families formally enjoyed together. Not only this but if any of these thirty-two thousand relatives express any concern over the new convert’s choice of religion, they will be labeled “an apostate” and shunned and ignored by this new convert. Not only is this new convert bowing to a false God and in danger of eternal damnation, but now this person’s friends and relatives must suffer a loss as well. If we think of all the relatives we have, even some who may not yet know the Lord, we would do well to keep in mind that at any time we could become just like one of those thirty-two thousand and all of a sudden have a relative in the Watchtower.

This is why it is so important to educate ourselves and others about the lies and deception of the Watchtower organization. We need to heed Peter’s words in 1 Peter 3:15, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

So Who Is Watching The Watchtower?

This past October I attended the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of The Witnesses Now For Jesus Convention at Blue Mountain Christian Retreat nestled in the scenic mountains of southern Pennsylvania. This event is hosted by Personal Freedom Outreach (www.pfo.org) founded by M. Kurt Goedelman in 1975. Bill Cetnar was the Pennsylvania Director of PFO and host of this convention from it’s beginnings in 1979 until his passing in 1991. Since his passing, his wife Joan Cetnar has picked up where he left off and continues to host this convention. Bill and Joan were both Jehovah’s Witnesses before coming to Christ.

This convention has seen a growth from one hundred attendees in 1979 to some times up to three hundred to the present. Most attendees are former Jehovah’s Witnesses who have now become Christians but many are still Jehovah’s Witnesses in their hearts and minds even though they may have been disfellowshipped or disassociated themselves from the organization. This convention and the ministries which participate exist for just these kinds of lost sheep.

So besides PFO, who are these other ministries? One such ministry that is co-directed by Rev. Rafael Martinez is called Tennessee Valley Bible Students Association, a countercult outreach based in Tennessee (4). Rev. Martinez shared with those of us in attendance some of the shocking and disturbing testimonies of former JWs who were sexually abused as children by high ranking officials of the Watchtower and when they tried to speak out about it, they were disfellowshipped. There are literally hundreds of these cases with more coming out daily. Some of these stories have been exposed on national television networks such as the BBC, the CBC and CNN. There are several large class action lawsuits pending against the Watchtower in this regard. (5)

Silent Lambs is an organization set up by Bill Bowen to expose the Watchtower’s policies which protect pedophiles and further damage the victims of abuse. Although Silent Lambs is not a Christian organization, many Christians like Rev. Martinez have assisted Silent Lambs in exposing the errors of the Watchtower and in so doing have brought many former JWs to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Another such ministry that is watching the Watchtower is Midwestern Christian Outreach presided by Don Veinot in Illinois. Don and his wife Joy have shared a burden for those trapped in cults for many years and ten years ago they began a telephone line with recorded messages to reach out to JWs. Since then they have included a number of other phone lines and publish a quarterly Journal and numerous tracts and tapes to equip Christians to reach out to the cults.(6)

We also heard from Carol Hartman, a missionary to Russia for CFAR (7) directed by Paul Carden out of California. Carol Hartman had gone to the Ukraine to share apologetics materials with pastors there in their own language so that they would be equipped to protect their congregations from error and reach out to the JWs there as well. CFAR is also sending missionaries to Mozambique since many Pastors there are not Seminary trained and many were found who had Watchtower magazines on their pulpits to supplement their teaching! The need is great in these countries and CFAR is the only apologetics ministry dedicated to sending missionaries to equip these countries to reach out to JWs and others.

Of course I would be remiss if I did not include Canada’s own Keith and Lorri MacGregor of MacGregor Ministries Outreach Society (8) from Nelson BC.. Keith and Lorri have been in full time active ministry for over twenty five years reaching out to cultists and equipping Christians with the best mail order materials for reaching out to JWs and others who are trapped in various cult groups. Although MacGregor Ministries is based in Canada, because of the internet and mail order ministry, they reach and equip thousands around the world. They have recently teamed up with Richard and Cheryl Schatz who are based in Edmonton. Richard and his wife direct Media Ministries (9) and are producing video and DVD materials in English and also in other languages in cooperation with CFAR.

Lorri MacGregor was an active Jehovah’s Witness for fifteen years before leaving the Watchtower and accepting Christ. (10) Many of the speakers at this convention are former JWs who have come to Christ through the testimonies and witness of these folks in ministry and have followed their example by beginning their own ministries or joining existing ones to reach the lost in the Watchtower and other cults. (11)

So who’s watching the Watchtower? Lots of folks! And of course our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and God the Father are watching with grieved hearts and a love for the lost. May we, through the Holy Spirit and God’s Word, also have a heart for the lost and be equipped to reach those whom He has chosen. Will you be a “watcher” too? Contact MacGregor Ministries and find out how you too can be a missionary to the mission field at your doorstep.

David Upton
January 2004

Notes:
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1. The count for magazines published by the Watchtower as of October 22, 2003 was clocked at 2,173,893,600 according to the counter found at Real Time Gospel Clock

2. All of these unorthodox teachings of the Watchtower and many more have been documented with references being found at MacGregor Ministries

3. Statistics for the year 2002 can be found at http://www.jwic/stat.htm

4. Rev. Rafael Martinez, P.O. Box 5595, Cleveland, TN 37320 USA, email: Damianxray@aol.com web site: SpiritWatch.org

5. These stories can be found at Silentlambs.org .

6. L.L. (Don) Veinot can be reached by writing to Midwest Christian Outreach, Inc., P.O. Box 455, Lombard, IL. 60148 USA. or email Info@midwestoutreach.org web site: MidwestOutreach.org

7. Centers For Apologetics Research, TheCenters.org Directed by Paul Carden, CFAR, P.O. Box 1196, San Jaun Capistrano, CA 92693 USA

8. MacGregorMinistries.org
MacGregor Ministries, Box 294, Nelson, BC., V1L-5P9, CANADA

9. JWinfoline.com and MMoutreach.org

10. Listen to Lorri MacGregor’s testimony at www.jwinfoline.com/Page/audio

11. There are too many to list here. Check out all the ministry links at the MacGregor’s web site. (see note #8).

It’s a quiet Saturday morning and Mr. Wilson has just finished breakfast and is going to sit in his favourite chair to read the daily newspaper when the door bell rings. “Well, who could that be? No one ever rings this early on a Saturday morning,” Mr. Wilson thinks to himself. When he answers the door, he is greeted by two well dressed and groomed young men. “Good morning sir. My name is Elder So-and-So and this is my associate Elder What’s-his-name. We hope we’re not disturbing you?” is the formal greeting.Mr. Wilson is really annoyed but since the young men are so polite, he doesn’t want to show it. He recognizes them as Mormon missionaries since they are wearing prominently displayed name tags with the names “Elder So-and-So” and “Elder What’s-his-name” with “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” engraved on them. He recalls seeing a commercial on TV offering “The Book of Mormon, another Testament of Jesus Christ free of charge” to anyone who called the toll free number. He remembers how watching that commercial showing Jesus walking through the streets greeting people reminded him of his own days in church, that is before his wife died suddenly leaving him with no reason to go to church anymore. He had warm and fuzzy feelings watching that commercial and almost called the toll free number but then decided, “What’s the point? Mrs. Wilson isn’t here to go to church with me anymore.” So with these thoughts in mind he politely replies, “Not at all. I was just going to read the paper when you fellows rang. What can I do for you?”

“We are visiting your neighborhood today with a very short, it’s only nine minutes long, video that we’d like to show you if you can spare the time.”

“Oh sure,” replies Mr. Wilson, “Why not? Come on in and make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you a cup of coffee? It’s freshly brewed?”

“No thank you,” is the polite response. Mormons abstain from coffee and anything else containing caffeine. Meanwhile, Mr. Wilson proceeds to get himself a cup of coffee and joins the visitors in the family room. The visitors proceed to show Mr. Wilson the video and as they view it and discuss it afterwards, Mr. Wilson is convinced that these men were sent by God to bring him back to church because he is so filled with emotion and memories of his days with his wife at church. He agrees to attend the local Mormon Chapel the next morning and in only a few months, he is a full fledged baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The most disturbing part of this picture is that Mr. Wilson once attended a Baptist church with his wife and considered himself a Baptist. Sadly, he thought all churches were the same and was not prepared for the message that the Mormon missionaries brought him. This is not to say that Baptists are easy prey, because Mormons will target Christians of any denomination, but it should be sufficient to say that we need to “…be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you …” (1 Peter 3:15 KJV).

It is important for us to realize that the Mormon church now has some 60,000+ full-time missionaries, more than all the evangelical Protestant missionaries combined (44,000+). The Mormons have a saying that “Every week we baptize a Baptist church,” which means that every seven days, several hundred people who were formerly Baptists are rebaptized into the Mormon church. The Mormons make approximately 310,000 converts each year (about 850 per day).[1]

It is also important for us to note that the Mormon church currently boasts more than eleven million members and statisticians project that there will be 267 million Mormons in the world by 2080 should our Lord tarry.[2] With these numbers in mind we should recall our Lord’s words to Jonah, “…should I not spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11 KJV). If our Lord is concerned about the repentance and saving of some 120,000 Ninevites and even their cattle, should we not also be concerned for the millions who bow to the god of Mormonism?

A Brief History

First of all, we as Christians need to have at least some background knowledge of how this church began. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was officially organized in 1830 by Joseph Smith, now considered the first Mormon prophet. The name “Mormon” was a term given to the Church because of their adherence to the Book of Mormon, an alleged record of Jewish civilizations that supposedly flourished on the American continent from 600 BC to 421 AD.

The Book of Mormon teaches that Jesus bodily appeared to the remnant of Jews in America - the American Indians - after his resurrection in Israel. The fact that there is absolutely no historical, archaeological or anthropological evidence to support the claims of the Book of Mormon does not deter Mormons from their religion.

Smith claimed that the Heavenly Father and his Son Jesus appeared in 1820 in New York State, USA and told him that all churches were corrupt and that their creeds were an abomination to God. He was, not surprisingly, told to not join any of them! Smith also claimed that an angel called Moroni appeared to him numerous times in 1823 and told him he could find an ancient record of lost Jewish civilizations written on gold plates, buried in a hillside in New York State.

Smith, using magical spectacles, translated the plates into King James English and published it as the Book of Mormon in 1830. He organized his church in Missouri, the supposed location of the coming “New Jerusalem”, where he was later murdered by a lynch mob. The remaining Mormons, after a brief schism, migrated to Utah where they founded Salt Lake City, which today houses the headquarters of the LDS church.[3]

It is important to understand that the Book of Mormon (hereon BoM) does not teach Mormon doctrine. Mormon missionaries have no intention of teaching you Mormon ideology until after they have convinced you to join their church. They will appeal only to the BoM and the King James Version (hereon KJV) of the Bible for references, but mostly they will attempt to appeal to your emotions. For us to be prepared for witnessing to the Mormon missionary at our door, we must look to other publications of The Mormon church to find out what they really believe. Besides the BoM, they also have two other books which they revere as scripture. These are The Pearl of Great Price (hereon PGP) and Doctrines and Covenants (hereon D&C). There is also a very popular text book written by a Mormon authority named Bruce R. McConkie called Mormon Doctrine (hereon M.D.). Although this volume is not considered scripture by Mormons it is recognized to be an authoritative and accurate record of what Mormons teach and believe. We must look to these, as the Mormons do, to see what they believe and then compare this to what God teaches in his Word the Holy Bible which is the only source that we need.

What Mormons Believe

The Mormons believe that God the Father was once a man just like us, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s the Son also,” (D&C 130:22). The Bible teaches us that “God is a Spirit,” (KJV John 4:24); “God is not a man.” (KJV Numbers 23:19). All Bible references hereon will be KJV only.

The Mormons believe that there is more than one God, “These three [Father, Son and Holy Ghost] are the only Gods we worship. But in addition there is an infinite number of holy personages, drawn from worlds without number, who … are gods” (M.D., p. 576-577). The Bible teaches, “I am he; before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Isaiah 43:10).

The Mormons teach that not only was God the Father once a man like us but that he was born like us in the natural mortal way through sexual relations and is therefore not eternal, “We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea” (M.D., p. 321). The Bible tells us however that, “The eternal God is thy refuge” (Deuteronomy 33:27). It stands to reason then that if God the Father is not eternal than neither is God the Son in Mormon ideology, “Christ, the First-born, was the mightiest of all the spirit children of the Father” (M.D., p. 590). The Mormons teach that Jesus had many brothers and sisters who were also born by natural means as he was. Of course the Bible tells us that Jesus’, “..goings forth have been … from everlasting” (Micah 5:2).

As we can see by these few examples of Mormon teachings, the God of Mormonism is not the God of the Bible. Of course this is not surprising since Mormons have very little respect for the Bible anyway even though they also use the KJV and publish it as well. Bruce R. McConkie’s words echo those of many in other cults, “Ignorant translators, careless subscribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed many errors - many plain and precious things were deleted, in consequence of which error and falsehood poured into the various churches.” (M.D. p. 82). This is the defense they give for offering the BoM, PGP, D&C, and many other works as “scripture.” The Bible is not sufficient for them even though, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

From these fundamental heresies it is not surprising that they so willingly accept other bizarre aberrant teachings such as polygamy,[4] baptism for the dead and the wearing of “sacred temple garments” and secret temple ceremonies. They also say that among Jesus’ siblings, Lucifer is his first brother.5 Despite these bizarre doctrines, the Mormon church continues to grow and receives mass media credence as a branch of Christianity! Their commercials are shown during Billy Graham Crusade broadcasts and the well known television personality Larry King on CNN has personally interviewed the LDS president on his show! Of course Larry King is currently married to a Mormon woman so that should not come as a surprise. However, when the reality of what the Mormon church teaches is brought to light, Christians will no longer be such easy targets for the missionaries at the door.

Witnessing to Mormons

The most important thing a Christian can and must do before ever attempting to witness to a Mormon is to pray. Pray for guidance and protection for yourself and pray for the Mormon missionaries at your door for their salvation. Remember always that Christ died for them. If they catch you at the door unprepared, as they usually do, ask them if they could return at a predetermined time. This way you will be able to pray and prepare yourself before they come again.

Now that you are expecting them, make sure that you pray before they arrive. Another helpful thing you can do to prepare for their visit is to make sure that you have a number of Christian study books such as a concordance, Bible dictionary, Bible atlas, etc.. out in plain view in whatever room you plan on meeting them in. Most of them have never seen these types of study aids before. I’ll never forget the look on one missionaries face when he saw a New Testament Interlinear Translation and a Strong’s Concordance for the very first time! He was truly amazed since he believed that their own Bible dictionary which he offered me was the “most comprehensive Bible reference tool available on the planet!” Always use a KJV Bible only when witnessing to Mormons. Many well meaning Christians will use other translations thinking that the Mormons will be impressed with a more modern, easier to read translation. They will not be impressed although they may smile and say, “Isn’t that interesting” But they are only being polite and have really not been impressed at all. Since the KJV is published by the Mormon church it is the only one they will consider authoritative.

When you greet them, invite them to join you in prayer before you begin your meeting with them. The Mormons may wish to lead you in prayer, but it is not proper for a Christian to bow his head and join in a prayer to their false “Heavenly Father.” The Mormons are usually agreeable to you leading in prayer, so do so knowing that our God will hear you. Once you have prayed, the missionaries will want to offer you their presentation. This may be a video presentation or they may show you some picture book describing Jesus’ alleged visit to the Americas or they may just offer you their own personal testimony telling you about their “burning in the bosom” experience that proved to them that the BoM was true.

Christians should always be polite but remain noncommittal while the Mormons go through their presentation. Just say “please go on” if they attempt to make you agree. At the end of their presentation, they may attempt to offer you a BoM with marked passages for you to consider and pray about whether it is true or not, explaining that your “bosom will burn” if you do this. Believe it or not, this is how most people embrace Mormonism.

Thank the missionaries for their offer to leave the BoM in your home, but ask them, “Don’t you believe that the BoM has a familiar spirit?” They will usually answer yes. If they are uncertain, tell them to ask their bishop or refer to “A Marvelous Work and a Wonder,” pages 67 and 68 (another Mormon publication). This is not surprising given the fact that many passages in the BoM are plagiarized right out of the KJV.6 Tell them that since the BoM has a familiar spirit, you must decline to have it in your home due to Leviticus 19:31. Invite them to read this in their own Bible which is always a KJV, “Regard not them that have familiar spirits; neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them; I am the Lord your God.”

Explain to them that “familiar spirits” are always of the devil and never from God, and since by their own admission their BoM has a “familiar spirit,” you do not wish to disobey the Bible and defile your home. If they remain, share your testimony. Share your experience of being personally “born again” in Christ, and pray after they leave that the Holy Spirit will convict them. Remember also that many of the young Mormon missionaries do not fully understand their own doctrine and are not well versed in the Bible. Most of them come from a long line of Mormon families, many of them dating back to the founding of the LDS church. Don’t expect any missionary at your door to convert right then and there because of your witness to them. That is very unlikely to ever happen. What does happen however is that the Holy Spirit will water the seeds you have planted and our Lord will take it from there. Consider your witness to them as only a link in a chain of events that will, Lord willing, bring that soul to a saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ .
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Brief Bio. info
David Upton attends Westmount Park Church (Associated Gospel) and has been researching and teaching Christians about various cult groups for the last 15 years. He is currently serving as Senior Director of Apologetic Response Ministries a ministry dedicated to equipping the body of Christ with the best materials for reaching those trapped in cults for Christ. He lives in Toronto with his wife Heather and son Caleb. He can be reached by writing via email address ApologeticResponse@rogers.com
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NOTES:
1. According to Eric Pement on “Open Line” on WMBI (90.1 FM Moody Bible’s station) on Friday, Jan. 24, 2003, check http://www. mbn.org
2. According to Christianity Today, June 15, 1998
3. Please note: This account by Joseph Smith is included in every copy of The Book of Mormon.
4. Polygamy is “officially” banned by the LDS church and illegal in the United States and Canada, however, many splinter “orthodox Mormon” groups continue to practice it with full knowledge of the LDS church and government authorities with only very few charges ever being laid. The reasons are many but mostly because the official LDS church has not removed this teaching from their “scriptures” and most splinter groups are very large and wealthy and contribute greatly to the local economies of the areas they inhabit, so authorities turn a blind eye.
5. For more information on these “deep doctrines” as the Mormons call them, visit MacGregor Ministries From there, you can find links to other ministries with much more information on Mormonism.
6. Ed Decker, a former Temple Mormon, states that “hundreds of quotations from both the Old and New Testaments” have been plagiarized and cites several examples (The God Makers, by Ed Decker & Dave Hunt, Harvest House, 1984 pp. 112 & 113).