The first part of this article discusses the situation among Jehovah’s Witnesses before the Governing Body was created in 1971.
The focus was on the text of the Bible and not on the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Each Witness was admonished to study the Bible to develop a personal faith that he or she could defend with the Bible. Each Witness was also admonished to make decisions about their daily lives on the basis of their own conscience, not on the opinions of the leaders.
Inside the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, there was Christian Freedom, and the leaders did not claim any form of divine inspiration.
The second part discusses the situation among Jehovah’s Witnesses after the Governing Body was instituted in 1971,
After this institution, some laws and rules were made. But it was first in the 21st century that the members of the Governing Body gave all power over the doctrines, the Kingdom Halls, and the money to themselves.
The focus was now on the Governing Body as “God’s channel of communication” rather than on the Word of God. The article shows how the members of the Governing Body both directly and indirectly claimed to be inspired by God and how the Christian freedom that existed in the 20th century no longer existed.
When a student in primary school wants to learn botany, he cannot just go into a field, pick different flowers, study these flowers, and learn the basics of botany. The student depends on books about botany and on a teacher who can guide him through a program that studies the different aspects of botany.
In a similar way, a person cannot just read the Bible, and voila, know the purpose of God. To understand the details of the Bible, a person depends on teachers who know Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, who understand the cultural background of Bible times, and who know world history. And most importantly, he is dependent on teachers who have an intimate knowledge of the whole Bible and who know which passages relate to one another and discuss the same subjects.
The apostle Paul confirms this in Romans 10:13-17:
13 For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.” 14 However, how will they call on him in whom they have not put faith? How, in turn, will they put faith in him of whom they have not heard? How, in turn, will they hear without someone to preach? 15 How, in turn, will they preach unless they have been sent forth? Just as it is written: “How comely are the feet of those who declare good news of good things!”
16 Nevertheless, they did not all obey the good news. For Isaiah says: “Jehovah, who put faith in the thing heard from us?” 17 So faith follows the thing heard. In turn the thing heard is through the word about Christ.
The main point in these verses is that understanding and faith come when someone preaches to and teaches other persons.
In several articles, I have argued that Jehovah’s Witnesses are the people of God, the only true religion, in spite of the fact that the leaders in recent years have introduced some false teachings and false procedures.
The important question is: As far as understanding the Bible is concerned, can we trust the teaching of the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses? This question must be broken into two questions because the quality of the leaders’ teaching has been very different in the 20th and 21st centuries.
THE POSITION OF THE LEADERS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND THEIR TEACHING IN THE 20th CENTURY
Students in primary school will never question their teachers’ teaching because the curriculum consists of basic knowledge on which everyone agrees. Students in high school are also taught basic scientific knowledge. But some students will question different tenets of what they learn.
I became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the year 1961, and how did my friends and I view our teachers who were connected with the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society? Or even more important: How would our teachers want us to view them? The members of the congregation taught persons who were interested in the Bible, like me. And the members of the congregations were taught elders and by the magazine The Watchtower and by other literature.
How should we view this literature? This question was raised in The Watchtower of May 15, 1951, page 320:
Would one of Jehovah’s Witnesses be wise to say he accepts as from the Lord and true each issue of The Watchtower even before he opens it? Or should he say it is provided by the “faithful and discreet slave” but he will prove everything in it before accepting it?—L. P., Montana.
The following answer was given:
If the heavenly Father would not give a stone or serpent or scorpion to a child who asked for bread or fish or an egg from him, and if The Watchtower is a gift from Jehovah through Christ by the “faithful and discreet slave”, are we to take each issue of The Watchtower into our hands as if we were going to be bruised by a stone or bitten by a serpent or stung by a scorpion? (Matt. 7:7-11; Luke 11:9-13, NW) Are we to be doubtful and suspicious about each succeeding issue
The Beroeans first “received the word with the greatest readiness of mind”, and then they went to “carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so”. (Acts 17:11, NW) So we should receive The Watchtower as an instrument that is always endeavoring to bring us the truth, if our past experience with it warrants that, and then, not in a combative spirit, we should Beroean-like prove by the Scriptures what it says. That is what we want you to do, that you may be convinced and make these things your very own.
This was the way my friends and I viewed the Watchtower literature. Our experience was that it contained truths from the Bible. And we expected that it would continue to do so. But time and again, we were admonished to make the things that were written our own by “carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so,” as the Christians in Beroea did.
H. Knorr became president of the Watchtower Society in 1942, and he began a program to ensure that all Witnesses had a personal faith and could defend it with the Bible. In his account of his life as a Jehovah’s Witness for several decades, A.H. Macmillan made an interesting observation about how N.H. Knorr viewed unity:
Have you ever noticed how different ministers, representing the same religious organization, teach somewhat different ideas on the same subject? Conferences within their church systems are continually trying to iron out these differences, yet they persist. Knorr believed that not only should all Christians be ministers, but all should teach in exact unity of thought. Would this be possible without making “parrots” of them? Knorr believed it could be, and set out to do it…(some brothers in) the organization were recognized as accomplished speakers…But Knorr wanted everyone in the organization to be “ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”
Now the training program began in earnest. In April of 1943 special schools were organized in every congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses which became a regular part of congregational activity. These schools provided for an intensified course in public Bible speaking. All male persons attending the meetings were invited to enroll, since training was to be voluntary, and most did. Each week an instruction talk on some feature of public speaking, composition, grammar and related subjects was considered and, later, the Bible itself was discussed from every aspect. Then three student talks were given by those enrolled, each taking his turn. They spoke on assigned Bible topics and then were given counsel for improvement by the one in charge of the school. These schools, called Theocratic Ministry Schools, are still a vital part of the program of each congregation, and as new male persons become associated they are encouraged to participate.[1]
I benefited greatly from this program, and that I was admonished and taught to do interactive Bible study. Interactive Bible study means that I, myself, should have a great part in my teaching by doing deep Bible study on my own. In my book My Beloved Religion —And the Governing Body, pages 319-328, I show in detail how I was taught to do interactive study.
The basic principle of the Watchtower Society, expressed by Knorr, that all Witnesses should be Bible students and have a personal faith, was applied throughout the whole organization in the decades following World War II. This principle was also applied to personal decisions each one had to make. This is seen in The Watchtower 15, 1951, page 574. The following question was raised:
What should be the Christian’s position regarding work in defense plants, serving on juries, selling Christmas cards or trees, etc?—Composite question based on many inquiries.
The answer was:
The Watchtower Society is organized for the purpose of preaching the good news of the Kingdom in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all nations, and it encourages and aids all to have a part in that work, freely advising as to the most effective procedures. As to other forms of activity or work the Society has no specific recommendation to make. To draw up rules for all the possible situations relative to secular work would embark us upon the compilation of a voluminous, Talmudlike set of regulations, seeking to make all the fine distinctions as to when and when not certain work becomes objectionable…
So let each one accept his own responsibility and answer to his own conscience, not criticizing others or being criticized by them, when individual consciences allow different decisions on the same matter. We should not be “judged by another person’s conscience”. “Who are you to judge the house servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls.”—Rom. 14:4; 1 Cor. 10:29, NW.
The great teaching program started by N.H. Knorr and the answers to the two quoted questions express the importance of Christian freedom for all. Persons associated with the Watchtower Society functioned in the same way as primary school teachers. They used their competence in biblical studies to teach all the Witnesses. But each Witness was admonished to study the Bible to ensure that what he or she was taught was based on it. And in connection with decisions in their daily lives, the teachers would neither make decisions for them nor influence their decisions. But each Witness had to follow his or her conscience, and no one had the right to criticize his or her decisions.
This situation of Christian freedom for each person within the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses persisted for three decades. I give two examples below:
The Watchtower of October 1, 1972, 590, says:
10 Jehovah God expects us to use our faculties of intelligence, our knowledge, understanding and judgment, and to do conscientiously what our faith points us to do. God does not place us under the conscience of some other human in such matters. We must each make our own decision in harmony with conscience—conscience molded by God’s Word. We must also take the consequences of our own decisions, not expect someone else to make the decision and bear that responsibility for us.
11 It would therefore be wrong in such matters to try to extract from someone else, from a body of elders or from the governing body of the Christian congregation, some rule or regulation that ‘draws the line’ on matters. Where God’s Word does not itself ‘draw the line,’ no human has the right to add to that Word by doing so. God in his wisdom allows us to show what we are in the “secret person of the heart,” and the decisions we make in such personal cases may reveal this. True, we may err at times without wrong motive, and God, who reads our hearts, can discern this.
The Watchtower of December 1, 1977, page 723, says:
22 The Pharisees used the tyranny of authority when officers sent out to arrest Jesus returned without him because they were impressed with Jesus’ teaching. “You have not been misled also, have you?” the Pharisees asked. “Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he? But this crowd that does not know the Law are accursed people.” The Pharisees did not use reason, but declared that wise people rejected Jesus, only the stupid listened to him.—John 7:45-49.
23 When we advise others we should use reason and scriptures, not demanding compliance because of a position we might have. (Phil. 4:5) We should be like Paul, who did not use his position as an apostle to pressure people. Instead, he commended them for checking to see whether his teaching was based on the Bible. “They received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind, carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so. Therefore many of them became believers.”—Acts 17:11, 12.
24 The Devil used Scripture when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, and Jesus used scriptures to refute him. Both used scriptures, but with this difference: Satan misapplied them, but Jesus used them properly. (Matt. 4:1-10) We should never twist texts to serve our own purpose, as Satan did. Let us make sure that God is saying what we say that he is saying!
The main points of these quotations are:
- Each Christian should make decisions of his or her conscience, not based on the views of the elders or the members of the Governing Body.
- Where God’s Word does not itself ‘draw the line,’ no human has the right to add to that Word by doing so.
- Elders must use reason and scripture, not demand compliance because of the position they hold.
For three decades after World War II, the focus was on the text of the Bible and not on the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses.The slogan was: “Where God’s Word does not itself ‘draw the line,’ no human has the right to add to that Word by doing so.”Each Witness was admonished to study the Bible to develop a personal faith that he or she could defend this faith with the Bible.Each Witness was also admonished to make decisions about their daily lives on the basis of their own conscience, not on the basis of the opinions of the leaders.Inside the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, there was Christian Freedom. |
The theme of this study is: “The Governing Body and divine inspiration.” The Governing Body was created in 1971, and most of the time when the texts that are quoted above were written, there was no Governing Body.
But what can we say about the leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses who were associated with the Watchtower Society before the Governing Body was created? Is there any trace of a claim of divine inspiration? Absolutely not! These men kept themselves in the background, and there was full Christian freedom for individual Witnesses.
[1]. A.H. Macmillan, Faith on the March (1956), pages 169, 170.
THE POSITION OF THE LEADERS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND THEIR TEACHING IN THE 21st CENTURY
The elder arrangement, which was a blessing, was instituted in the year 1972. I was circuit overseer at that time, and all circuit and district overseers received a letter stating that we were now traveling pioneers with no responsibility for the congregations in our circuit. We should visit the congregations, but only give advice if we were asked for advice. The body of elders in each congregation now had full responsibility for everything that happened within the congregation, and they were, to a great extent, independent of the Governing Body.
The circuit overseers were liaisons between the Watchtower Society and the congregations. When all power was taken from them, the Governing Body had given away almost all its power over the congregations. However, in the year 1976, the Governing Body started to take some power away from the bodies of elders. But this proceeded slowly, and it was first in the 21st century that the Governing Body had managed to take all power away from the bodies of elders.
Today, the members of the Governing Body have all power over the doctrines, the Kingdom Halls, and the money. The elders have little power, and the organization has become autocratic and dictatorial.
THE ACTIONS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY IN THE 21st CENTURY
The Governing Body was instituted in 1971. How shall we view the position of the members of the Governing Body compared with the position of the previous leaders? As we see in countries where one person becomes a dictatorial leader, democratic freedom is gradually taken away, and similarly, the members of the Governing Body slowly began to take away the Christian freedom of individual Witnesses. I use the word “slowly” because, during the 20th century, most of the Christian freedom that existed before the Governing Body was instituted remained. It was first in the 21st century that the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses became dictatorial.
Contrary to the situation before 1971, when the leaders did not impose extrabiblical rules that all Witnesses had to follow, but each person followed his or her conscience, the members of the Governing Body began imposing laws and rules. I mention four rules that put some Witnesses in harm’s way.
- The prohibition against the use of coagulation Factor VIII for hemophiliacs. (1972-1975).
- Disfellowshipping persons who use tobacco. (1973-2026).
- Prohibition against the use of methadone. (1973-2013).
- Sexual immorality (porneia) can occur between married partners. (1973-1978).
A hemophiliac can experience internal bleeding. If he does not receive Factor VIII, he can experience extreme pain or even die. Tobacco is not mentioned in the Bible, and disfellowshipping because of the use of tobacco is a human commandment. Disfellowshipping may put a person in harm’s way because total isolation may lead to depression and, in rare cases, even to suicide, and families are broken up.
The 40-year-long prohibition of methadone has prevented drug addicts from coming clean from their addiction, and it has caused the early death of a great number of addicts and of those who have managed to quit their addiction. I have personally seen the death of one person who had come clean but was not allowed to use methadone.
The viewpoint of the members of the Governing Body that oral and anal sex and other lewd actions between married couples were porneia led to dissolving marriages for unbiblical reasons and the disfellowshipping of Witnesses because of sexual relations with their marriage mates. Thousands of men, women, and children were suffering.
In addition to these four rules, a few others were introduced in the 20th century that had little influence on ordinary Witnesses. But in the 21st century, many laws and rules that negatively affected ordinary Witnesses were enacted.
However, our focus is not on all these unbiblical laws and rules but on the claim of the members of the Governing Body to be inspired by God.
THE ACTIONS AND WORDS OF THE MEMBERS OF THE GOVERNING BODY INDICATE THEIR CLAIM OF DIVINE INSPIRATION
I have shown how the members of the Governing Body began making rules for the Witnesses, thereby overriding their consciences. But the rules made in the 20th century were relatively few. However, it was first in the 21st century that the members of the Governing Body gave all power to themselves and started to rule over the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses as dictators.
In connection with this situation, the question of inspiration from God became pertinent. Since World War II, the leaders of the Watchtower Society have served as teachers. The focus was not on persons but on the Bible and on the individual consciences. In the 21st century, the focus has been on the members of the Governing Body and their decisions, and individual consciences have, to a great extent, been overridden.
I will now examine the question of divine inspiration among the members of the Governing Body.
The Watchtower of February 2017, page 26, says:
12 The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in doctrinal matters or in organizational direction.
In my article, “Analysis of the evidence used to show that the Governing Body is ‘the faithful and discreet slave’,” I argue that this disclaimer is an alibi for the members of the Governing Body to be able to change their interpretations of various subjects without being held accountable for these changes — because they are not inspired. When a new interpretation is published, it is the truth, even though the previous interpretation was also considered the truth. And there is no problem here, because the members of the Governing Body are not inspired by God.
However, the claim of the members of the Governing Body that they are not inspired by God is false!
In what follows, I will show that the words denying inspiration are false, and that their actions and writings show that they, often without saying it openly, claim to be inspired by God.
In my article, “God’s channel of communication — the difference between inspiration and direction,” I show that “inspiration” means that a person receives information directly from God. But “direction” means that God maneuvers a situation in a particular way, and because of this, his servants draw the right conclusion from what they see.
The Watchtower of February 2022, page 4, says:
7 We no doubt wholeheartedly agree that Jehovah always does what is right. The challenge for us, however, might be to trust in his human representatives. We might wonder whether those with a measure of authority in Jehovah’s organization really act according to Jehovah’s direction or their own. That could have been the thinking of some who lived in Bible times…The plain truth is that we cannot say that we trust in Jehovah if we do not trust in his earthly representatives—those whom Jehovah trusts.
8 Today Jehovah leads the earthly part of his organization by means of “the faithful and discreet slave.” (Matt. 24:45) Like the first-century governing body, this slave oversees God’s people worldwide and gives direction to congregation elders.
15As the end of this system of things draws near, we need to trust in Jehovah’s way of doing things as never before. Why? During the great tribulation, we may receive instructions that seem strange, impractical, or illogical. Of course, Jehovah will not speak to us personally. He will likely provide direction through his appointed representatives. That will hardly be the time to second-guess the direction or to view it with skepticism, wondering, ‘Is this really coming from Jehovah, or are the responsible brothers acting on their own?’ How will you fare during that crucial time in human history? The answer might be indicated by how you view theocratic direction now. If you trust the direction we receive today and readily obey, you will likely do the same during the great tribulation.—Luke 16:10. (The word “now” is in bold script in the original)
Can we see the difference between the words quoted above and the words I quoted from the Watchtower of 1951 and 1972? The focus of The Watchtower before the Governing Body was created in 1971 was on the Bible and on the consciences of the Witnesses. The focus in the quoted words is not on the Bible or on consciences, but on the 11 members of the Governing Body. We must believe what they say! This is even expressed in the way an oath is expressed (brown script): “I swear with this one or that”; “I take God as a witness.” The article takes Jehovah as a witness: He trusts in these 11 men. If we trust in Jehovah, we must trust in these 11 men.
What is even more important than the focus on 11 men instead of on the Bible is the direct claim of inspiration. Where do we find this claim? In the text in red script. What should Jehovah’s Witnesses do when the great tribulation comes? The members of the Governing Body will give instructions on what to do, and some of these instructions may seem “strange, impractical, or illogical.” From where will the members of the Governing Body receive these instructions? There is only one possibility: that they receive these instructions directly by inspiration, since the text says they do not come from humans.
The last part of the quotation maneuvers the situation of inspiration in the great tribulation to the present time by the words: “The answer might be indicated by how you view theocratic direction now.” If the instructions the Governing Body will give in the great tribulation come from Jehovah by inspiration, then the instructions the members of the Governing Body give today must also come from Jehovah by inspiration.
The words about “strange, impractical, or illogical” instructions in the great tribulation are a direct claim of divine inspiration. The words about how you view theocratic direction now” are an indirect claim of divine inspiration. If the words of the members of the Governing Body in the great tribulation are inspired, their words now must also be inspired. |
As a support of my words that the members of the Governing Body indirectly claim divine inspiration today, I make two quotations. First, I quote The Watchtower of July 15, 2010, page 23:
10 When the time comes to clarify a spiritual matter in our day, holy spirit helps responsible representatives of “the faithful and discreet slave” at world headquarters to discern deep truths that were not previously understood. (Matt. 24:45; 1 Cor. 2:13) The Governing Body as a whole considers adjusted explanations. (Acts 15:6) What they learn, they publish for the benefit of all. (Matt. 10:27) As time goes on, further clarifications may be needed, and these too are honestly explained.
The words “holy spirit helps” can refer to divine inspiration, when God directly gives information that was previously not understood. Or the words can refer to divine direction, when God maneuvers a situation in a particular way, and his servants draw the right conclusion from this situation.
Jeffrey Winder is one of the 11 members of the Governing Body. In January 2024, he gave a video presentation entitled “How does the light get brighter?” on JW Broadcasting. His words in this presentation show that the phrase “holy spirit helps” in The Watchtower of July 15, 2010, refers to divine inspiration and not to direction.[1]
In this presentation, Winder quoted from the July 15, 2010, article and said that the Governing Body is not inspired by God and can err in doctrinal and organizational matters. But on several occasions, he made claims indicating that the members of the Governing Body are inspired by God. Below I quote a few of these sayings:
To whom does Jehovah reveal clarified understanding?
It is very clear how Spiritual truth, new understanding, is communicated from heaven to earth by means of the holy spirit through the channel of the faithful and discreet slave.
Jehovah reveals clarified understanding at his time when it is needed and when it will help us to carry out his will.
With this thorough process under prayer, and when there is unanimous support, the brothers see this as Jehovah’s direction.
The words “does Jehovah reveal,” and “communicated from heaven” can only be interpreted as direct communication from Jehovah to his servants on earth, and this is the same as divine inspiration.
The last quoted words say that when all the 11 men vote and agree, they know that their understanding comes from Jehovah. This also implies inspiration, because it is Jehovah who causes them to agree, thereby allowing the new interpretation to be published.
What then is the situation on the ground? The majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses have so strong faith in the members of the Governing Body that they accept everything they say and do without question. This unified belief is not based on the Bible but on the writings of the Governing Body, which have repeatedly stated that the Governing Body is God’s channel of communication and that we must have absolute faith in this channel.
The extreme loyalty of the majority of Witnesses to the Governing Body was expressed by Kenneth Flodin, who was the overseer of the Bethel Home at Watchtower Farms, in his presentation “Jesus’ yoke is kindly” at JW broadcasting April 24, 2023:
The Governing Body could be likened to the voice of Jesus, the head of the congregation. So, when we willingly submit to the faithful slave, we are automatically submitting to Jesus’ authority and direction.
It is difficult to express a higher veneration for the members of the Governing Body than to compare them with the voice of Jesus. This is also an indirect way of saying that the members of the Governing Body are inspired by God.
A dramatic claim by the members of the Governing Body is found in The Watchtower of July 15, 2013, page 21:
10 Who, then, is the faithful and discreet slave? In keeping with Jesus’ pattern of feeding many through the hands of a few, that slave is made up of a small group of anointed brothers who are directly involved in preparing and dispensing spiritual food during Christ’s presence. (Italics in the original) Throughout the last days, the anointed brothers who make up the faithful slave have served together at headquarters. In recent decades, that slave has been closely identified with the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Note, however, that the word “slave” in Jesus’ illustration is singular, indicating that this is a composite slave. The decisions of the Governing Body are thus made collectively.
Think of what is really claimed in this quotation. In Malaki 4:5, a prophecy states that the prophet Elijah will come in the future. According to Matthew 11:13, 14, Jesus says that John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy. In Matthew 24:35-48, Jesus speaks of “the faithful and discreet” slave who will come. The members of the Governing Body take these words as a prophecy that they fulfill.
Just think of this: The 11 men of the Governing Body, whose names are known and who are regularly seen on JW broadcasting, claim that they are mentioned in the Bible. And not only that. But what they write and publish is also mentioned in the Bible — as “food at the proper time” — which comes from God. This is again an indirect way of claiming divine inspiration. Persons who are mentioned in the Bible, and whose work is mentioned, must be inspired by God.
The discussion in this section has shown a clear contrast. The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses between World War II and 1971 kept themselves in the background. Their focus was on the text of the Bible, and they instituted a program by which each Witness would establish his own faith and be able to defend his faith. The leaders never wrote anything that could be viewed as a direct or indirect claim of divine inspiration.
The members of the Governing Body in the 21st century have placed themselves in the foreground by claiming that they are God’s channel of communication. And the faith of individual Witnesses comes through the writings of the members of the Governing Body. They have denied that they are inspired by God. But at the same time, they have both claimed, directly and indirectly, that they are inspired by God.
| The members of the Governing Body have on several occasions denied that they are inspired by God. At the same time, they have claimed, directly and indirectly, to be inspired by God.
DIRECT CLAIMS OF INSPIRATION 1) The “strange, impractical, or illogical” instructions coming from the Governing Body in the great tribulation. (The Watchtower of February 2022) 2) Jehovah “reveals a clarified understanding at his time when it is needed.” (Winder January 2024) 3) Spiritual truth, new understanding, is communicated from heaven to earth by means of the holy spirit through the channel of the faithful and discreet slave. (Winder January 2024) INDIRECT CLAIMS OF INSPIRATION 1) We must view the direction from the Governing Body today as the inspired direction they will give in the great tribulation. (The Watchtower of February 2022) 2) “The Governing Body could be likened to the voice of Jesus.” (Flodin April 2023) 3) The 11 men of the Governing Body are mentioned by Jesus in the Bible. Their writings are also mentioned by Jesus as coming from God.
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CONCLUSION
In the writings of the members of the Governing Body, we often find contradictions. One text says something, and another text says the opposite. This article has pointed out an important contradiction. The members of the Governing Body claim that they are not inspired by God. But at the same time, they claim directly or indirectly that they are inspired.
There are two important points in this article:
The leaders of Jehovah’s Witnesses before 1971 kept themselves in the background. They never claimed to be inspired by God. Their focus was on the text of the Bible and on helping all Witnesses build a personal faith in God. And the Witnesses had Christian freedom.
The members of the Governing Body in the 21st century have kept themselves in the foreground. They have claimed inspiration from God, directly and indirectly. Their focus has been on themselves, on their position as “God’s channel of communication.” They demand obedience by all Witnesses in all things and that their interpretations are accepted. The Christian freedom that existed in the 20th century no longer exists.
[1]. https://www.jw.org/en/library/videos/#en/mediaitems/VODPgmEvtAnnMtg/pub-jwb-108_9_VIDEO
