Questions and Responses – Website | Corrections

“I am concerned that this web site comes with learning [what] Babylon the Great and apostates are saying.
“You say that all religious communities who say they are Christians must work together. And you say that all Christians will go to heaven.
“Is that correct?”

To the author, we thank you for taking the time to post your comments. We do understand your concern. Hopefully, by our response, we can alleviate some of it. We will respond to each aspect of your comment.

“I am concerned that this web site comes with learning [what] Babylon the Great and apostates are saying.”

Actually, this website comes with learning what the Bible says, especially the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The Watchtower publications provide sufficient information about what “Babylon the Great” and “apostates” are saying. We are focusing on the Christ.

“You say that all religious communities who say they are Christians must work together.”

We do not say that they must work together. We are simply of the opinion that if we focus on our commonalities, we will be much more effective in the disciple-making work. It is hard to make disciples of people whom we condemn as false Christians or apostates.

Remember, Jehovah’s Witnesses used to celebrate Christmas and birthdays, and even had smoking breaks during our conventions! In fact, many of the things we now say are a part of “Babylon the Great” were practiced by Jehovah’s Witnesses! Shall we say that we were apostates or false Christians back then? No. We were serving to the best of our ability. And by our study and prayer, we came to an enlightened understanding. Can we not offer the same patience to others? Jesus told us that “the measure that you are measuring out, they will measure out to you.” (Matthew 7:2) Let us at least utilize a fair measuring rod. That is the hope of this website.

And solely for the purpose of showing you how this attitude can have a good effect, we will share with you that over half of the comments we get with respect to this website that are words of encouragement and appreciation come from non-Witnesses. In fact, we have heard from a few Christian pastors who say they have a new and favorable opinion of Jehovah’s Witnesses and are electing to use portions of this site in their church curricula. That is a fine witness! All praise to the Father!

“And you say that all Christians will go to heaven. Is that correct?”

No, that is not correct. We do not say that all Christians will go to heaven. Instead, we say that the Bible teaches that all Christians have the heavenly hope. (See “Observing the Oneness of the Faith.”) Whether we will attain to the hope is dependent upon the effort we exert in imitating the Christ and doing the work he set out for us to do.

We know that the information in this website is in some ways rather bold. But we try very hard to make sure that what we present is in harmony with the teachings of the Christ – who himself was a rather bold teacher. And if we are shown that the things we present are not correct, we will be swift about making the correction.

We encourage you to continue your perusal of the site and please feel free to post your future comment and concerns.

♦ Does the Governing Body approve of this website?

On March 13, 2012, we received the following comment:

“The Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses give spiritual food to God's people today. Do The Governing Body approve this web page?”

To the author, thank you for your inquiry. However, it would be inappropriate for us to answer the question. The Governing Body is the only party who can provide you with a satisfactory and accurate answer. We know they are aware of this website, so we suggest you direct your question to them.

In the meantime, we would direct you to an experience of the Apostle John who was faced with a similar dilemma, as recorded in Mark and Luke.

“John said to him: ‘Teacher, we saw a certain man expelling demons by the use of your name and we tried to prevent him, because he was not accompanying us.’ But Jesus said: ‘Do not try to prevent him, for there is no one that will do a powerful work on the basis of my name that will quickly be able to revile me; for he that is not against us is for us.” – Mark 9:38-40

“In response John said: ‘Instructor, we saw a certain man expelling demons by the use of your name and we tried to prevent him, because he is not following with us.’ But Jesus said to him: ‘Do not you men try to prevent [him], for he that is not against you is for you.” – Luke 9:49-50

We believe that a fair appraisal of this website will reveal that the information here is “for” Jehovah’s Witnesses, not “against” them. We are working to build up the congregation, not tear it down. Further, a fair appraisal will also reveal that this website in harmony with the Christ and his teachings – it is “for” Christ, not “against” him.

Everything here is supported by scripture and sound reasoning. And we solicit the input of any and all persons who believe that we have misstated some information. Under those circumstances, we will either provide a scriptural explanation for our position or we will make a swift correction.

Yes, the Governing Body has elected to be the spokesman for the ‘faithful and discrete slave who is giving the domestics their food at the proper time.’ (Matthew 24:45) But that does not preclude the individual among that body from providing spiritual food to their brothers. Look around you. Do you not see the friends giving spiritual food in their community? Do you not see elders encouraging other elders? Do you not see pioneers encouraging other pioneers? Do you not see older married sisters encouraging younger married sisters? It would be odd if they were required to get the approval of the Governing Body before they can offer spiritual assistance to their fellow believers. Why would it be any different for the body of anointed Christians? As you may know, the anointed Body of Christ are scattered abroad. So, we find that the most effective way to reach them is through an international website.

We cannot imagine that the Governing Body would discourage anointed Christians from encouraging one another. We suspect they will respond to you in harmony with what is presented here. But we do not know for sure. If you make the inquiry to them and they provide a response, please let us know so that we can follow up with them if necessary.

To any member of the Governing Body who is reading this response, please feel free to contact us at your convenience. And if anyone wishes to contact us in confidence, please let us know that you want the inquiry to be confidential, and provide an email address so we can respond privately.

♦ Who are you? Does it matter that I have a learning disability?

On April 28, 2012, we received the following inquiries:

“What is your name? Are you male or female? It really doesn’t matter as long as you love Jehovah and keep encouraging your brothers and sister. I think Jehovah would approve even if the society doesn’t think you should if Jehovah feels the need he will provide. I loved reading your sites there really upbuilding and very Biblical. So please keep inciting to fine works and love dear brothers. I will probably still ask questions in the future. I still have much to learn. I have been in the truth for long time but have a learning disability and it takes me a little time to get the sense of things. Thank you so much for your love and patience with me. Agape Much...Jehovah is our helper.”

To the author, as always, thank you for your inquires. Occasionally we receive emails such as yours questioning who we are and the authority for what we do. Please see below, Response March 11, 2012, Response March 13, 2012, Response March 14, 2012 and Response March 17, 2012.

While we are associated with the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, we are not members of the Writing Department or the Bethel family. We are anointed brothers who feel we have a scriptural obligation to provide spiritual assistance to one another to the extent we are able. And since our anointing is what we know best, we chose to engage in this aspect of our ministry by means of an international website. We could tell you our names, but of what value would that be to you? The Society does not tell us the names of the brothers who write the Watchtower articles and publications. Does the fact that we do not know their names detract from the message? No. It simply is not relevant.

As such, we urge you to focus on the message not the messenger. If the message is not scriptural, discard it. But if you discard sound scriptural messages because you do not know the messenger, be careful that you do not miss the undeserved kindness of the Father. We will tell you, however, that our group consists of both male and female. I hope this explanation suffices.

You mentioned that you have a learning disability. Please know that your standing with the Father has nothing to do with your intellectual capacity. Each of us differs in our abilities and talents, but the possibilities for spiritual progress to the Father are equal to all. Our spiritual growth is achieved quite independently of all social, intellectual and material differences.

You might enjoy the article on our site about James and Judas Alpheus, the Alpheus Twins* – the twin brothers who were apostles of Jesus. They were referred to as simple men who did not understand much of what Jesus taught. Yet they were honored to be chosen among the 12. When Jesus referred to “the least of these my brothers,” he was specifically referring to these two men.

In fact, we encourage you to read about all of The Twelve Apostles.* They all had different personalities, yet they were each acceptable to the Christ. Only one of the 12 was lost – Judas Iscariot. But Jesus did not reject Judas. Judas rejected Jesus. These stories demonstrate the great love, patience and mercy the Father has toward all of us, no matter what personal issues we are dealing with.

It is not so much our ability that the Father looks at. It is our intentions, our motives, our desire to love Him and imitate Him in our relations with our brothers. Our spiritual growth is not so much accomplished by what we do, but by what we strive to do. The Father remembers we are dust. (Psalms 103:14) Recall that the good news of the Kingdom is especially for those among us who are aware of our own weaknesses:

“Jehovah’s spirit is upon me, because he anointed me to declare good news to the poor, he sent me forth to preach a release to the captives and a recovery of sight to the blind, to send the crushed ones away with a release, to preach Jehovah’s acceptable year.” – Luke 4:18-19

Having said this, we will also say that we appreciate your kind words and emails you have sent us over these past few weeks. You seem to us to be a loving sister who is striving to be the best you can be. We believe you demonstrate the power of Jesus’ message that we are ALL children of God. Once a person realizes that truth, their life is instantly transformed and they earnestly do all they can to make that calling of sonship sure. (2 Peter 1:10) Thereafter, they truly put forth the effort to become better people – better wives, husbands, fathers, mothers, children, brothers, sisters, employers and employees.

Through your transformation, others will be drawn to the Father. You will be acting as an Ambassador of the Kingdom, Substituting for Christ by revealing the Father in your own life. This type of transformation is the goal of this site for all of our brothers and sisters.

So, keep the faith and “keep proving what you yourselves are.” (2 Corinthians 13:5) We wish you the very best.

*These articles have been removed from the site.

♦ Correction to article “ A Turning of the Shadow”

On November 12, 2012, we received the following comments and inquiries:

“Hello. In your letter No. 3 - A Turning of the Shadow, you quote Jeremiah 31:33-33 and in reference to the scripture point about a "new covenant you state: "Notice this new covenant would be with the houses of Levi (the priestly tribe) and Judah (the kingly tribe) ? a covenant of king-priests ? a royal priesthood!" I don't see any reference to the house of Levi in this scripture. The reference is to the "house of Israel and with the house of Judah". I understand this to be a reference to the ten tribe Kingdom and the two tribe Kingdom of Judah and Benjamin, but without an explicit reference to Benjamin. I've always seen this as a reference to a new national covenant so to speak - albeit a spiritual nation. While the Kingdom was divided by man - Jeroboam, it was Jehovah who constituted them a nation for the purpose of them being such. For my understanding, can you please explain why you say it is a reference to the tribe of Levi and Judah? Thank you in advance.”

To the author, we thank you for bringing that error to our attention. We reviewed the section you are referring to and, you are correct. It is clear that the scripture at Jeremiah 31:31-33 does refer to the ‘house of Israel and the house of Levi’ not the ‘house of Judah and the house of Levi.’ As such, we removed the sentence:

“Notice this new covenant would be with the houses of Levi (the priestly tribe) and Judah (the kingly tribe) – a covenant of king-priests – a royal priesthood!”

And we changed the sentence toward the end of the page from:

“Jehovah promised to make a New Covenant with the houses of Israel and Judah that would bring about the promised Holy Nation and Royal Priesthood.”

so that it now reads:

“Jehovah promised to make a New Covenant with the houses of Israel and Judah that would bring about a people who would serve from the heart and not based on law. “

Again, thank you. We appreciate it when our visitor's fact check what we write. Please keep up the good work and feel free to write us in the event you discover any other passages that you believe are in error.

♦ Why is our identity obscure?

On December 4, 2012, we received the following comment:

“I find it troubling that your identity is obscure. I am not anointed and don't currently attend meetings. But I'm not afraid of people knowing who I am. I suspect we are still in the age of darkness. "True love throws fear outside."”

To the author, thank you for your email. Though you did not ask us a question, we feel it would be helpful to those who visit our site for us to respond to your comment both privately and publicly.

You mention that you are troubled that our ‘identity is obscure.’ We wonder what it is you want to know about us. If we published our names, our race, our gender, our national affiliation, even our home address, would that change the content of the articles on our site? Would that change the content of our message? No. The only purpose it would serve is to placate those who are looking to examine the messengers rather than the message. We want to avoid that folly and so we omit our personal identification from the site, though our local elders, circuit servant, and many of our friends know who we are.

Our site is not intended to be a social gathering place where we exchange personal information. It is designed as a source of uplifting spiritual information where we share ideas.

For example, you identify yourself by name. Yet, that tells us nothing. What says the most about you is your message – that you are not anointed and do not attend meetings. To Jehovah’s Witnesses, and ex-Witnesses, that means you do not believe you are a son of God. Our site was established to help all people recognize their true relationship to the Father, namely as sons and daughters with the heavenly hope. (Galatians 3:26; Romans 8:16-17; Philippians 3:14-15)

If you have not understood our message or have trouble believing that you are indeed ‘anointed’ (though you have not realized or accepted it yet), please write us again and we will be happy to respond.

♦ Does the Watchtower reply to your letters?

On February 24, 2013, we received the following inquiry:

“Hi! I just wonder: Does the Watchtower reply to your letters?”

To the author, thank you for visiting the site. You raise a question that many others also raise. The short answer is, no. Neither the Governing Body nor any of its official representatives have responded to any of our letters. And we do not expect them to. We make ourselves available to them if they wish to respond directly to us, but the most effective way they can and should respond is through their own literature. Nevertheless, so far they have chosen to remain silent in their literature as well.

We want you to know that our ministry is having a significant impact on the organization worldwide. We have been informed that more than a quarter of a million people in over 101 countries are being positively affected by our ministry. Therefore, the Governing Body or its representatives have a duty to inform the local brothers and sisters of any danger our site poses, if they believe it does. To date, they have remained silent.

We are told the reason for the silence is because they have not decided how to respond. We believe they are unable to effectively oppose what we write. And if they were to write something in opposition to our site, they are likely afraid that such comments will simply inspire even more of our brothers and sisters to visit the site. Some wonder why we have not been disfellowshipped. We believe that is because even though we are frank and direct, we conduct ourselves with respect and in total reliance on the Bible and in imitation of the apostles who found themselves in opposition to the leaders of the synagogues.

It appears that the Governing Body is in a difficult situation, but they are not. If they openly confess that every one of Christ’s followers has the heavenly hope, there will be peace, and peace in abundance. And there will be tremendous excitement, and growth in the organization such as has not yet been known. The difficulty only remains as long as they continue to resist the original, authentic, plain and open teachings of Christ.

Those with insight know that the letters we send to the Society are as much for the local brothers and sisters as they are for the Governing Body. Our organization has become so mesmerized by the Governing Body and its literature that they have forgotten that the organization belongs to them, not the Governing Body.

Without the local brothers and sisters, there is no organization and nothing to organize. When we wake up as a people, the Governing Body will have to respond. Right now, the tail is wagging the dog. That must change. The brothers must take back their own faith. Our open letters are designed to effect that change. We hope you understand.

And we hope you read more than the Open Letters on our site. There is an abundance of spiritual information, solidly based on the Bible. We are not simply seeking to change the Governing Body’s teachings. We are seeking to uplift the dignity of our local brothers and sisters, such that if the Governing Body stubbornly refuses to make the adjustment to the true hope for all, then those who leave will leave, not as victims, but as victors.

♦ Visitor ask a few questions about the authors’ status in the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

“I've been a [Jehovah’s Witness] all my life (30+ years). I'm an inactive [Jehovah’s Witness] that got really disappointed with the "new" light. That encouraged me to look and look and look for answers and every time I found something, I was more disappointed.

I've been reading some of your articles and I have to say I'm really impressed with them. But I do have my doubts/concerns about the teachings. Please check the following questions I have for you. I hope you answer them for me, because I'm really LOST right now. This is even affecting my marriage. So please, I beg you to answer them. You do not have to publish them in your site. [Then the brother lists his questions, most of which we will address individually below.] Hope you answer my email. I really need answers. I'm about to disassociate myself.”

To the author, thank you for your email. Usually, we answer questions such as yours privately, but we have come to understand that there are many brothers and sisters with similar concerns who have not mustered the courage to email us with their questions. So, with the exception of the one that we believe is very personal, we will answer your questions one at a time in this response.

First, we want you to know that you are not alone. The power play of the Governing Body with their so-called ‘new light’ is having the opposite effect of what was intended. Instead of corralling the sheep, it is scattering them. Like you, it has opened the door to a new and sincere search for real truth outside the confines of the organization. Many are finding their way to the plain and open teachings of Jesus. When they do, their spirit becomes agitated and restless. A true warring begins to take place between the flesh and the spirit. They are faced with a precipice moment when they must decide to whom they belong. This is your current struggle.

Most of your questions appear to be about us and who we are. But, in reality, they are more about yourself and what you should do. They reveal your struggle and confirm that you already know what to do, though perhaps not how. With that in mind, let us begin.

1. You say you are "local brothers." But many who have questioned the Watchtower before have been disfellowshipped as apostates. How are you still a "member"? Are you or not a [Jehovah’s Witness (“JWs”)]? Are you active? Disfellowshipped? Disassociated?

We are ‘local brothers’ in that we are not a part of the Governing Body or the Bethel Family. Nor are we disfellowshipped or disassociated. But we do not participate in the field service arrangements with the congregation, so we would be considered ‘inactive,’ though it is quite clear that we are very active in the ministry of Christ.

2. You also say that JWs are preaching the wrong message... the wrong Kingdom. If you are still active or a member of JW, do you still go and preach the "good news"? How do you get away with your teachings when you are in the field?

As we mentioned above, we do not participate in the door-to-door ministry with the congregation and we certainly do not preach what we consider to be ‘the wrong message.’ That would be hypocritical, weak and selfish. How can we know the truth, but teach the lie? We are certain neither the Christ nor the Father would be too pleased with us if we did.

3. If you are still an active member, and you know the "spiritual food" we are getting at the kingdom hall and magazines is not correct, do you still go to the meetings? How can you seat there for 90+ mins, knowing it is not entirely the truth?

We are not active according to the definition by the organization and we have ceased attending meetings for a few reasons. One, because of our ministry, we believe we would be too much of a distraction to the congregation. Two, as you allude to, subjecting ourselves to what is taught from the platform would grieve our spirit far too much. Three, we do not have family ties that could cloud our judgment or extort our allegiance. And four, we believe we can do a far better service to our association in this ministry, coupled with personal association outside of congregational arrangements. We maintain a good working relationship with all. We stopped converting and started conversing. Neither do we browbeat our brothers for remaining behind, for not yet having the courage to stand up, or for their temporary visual impairment. We also keep the door open to our Body of Elders and our Circuit Overseer who keep in touch with us.

At the same time, we recognize that many of our brothers and sisters are able to continue in relative association for the purpose of helping their family and friends who remain. You may have read the emails from the growing number of Elders and Circuit Overseers who are stepping down from their positions of oversight. (See Kingdom Update - June 2013 and Emails From Our Visitors.) But instead of leaving the organization, they are remaining behind, as one former Circuit Overseer recently stated, ‘as life rafts to help others get safely to shore.’ But all of this has a lifespan. If the Governing Body continues to stubbornly reject the plain and open teachings, or implements more offensive ideology, we suspect that many, if not all, of these brothers, will move on.

In the past, while we have provided this information in private emails, we have refrained from making public our decisions in this regard because it is important that each of us comes to our own conclusions and makes our own decision. We are not seeking followers. And we have learned over the years that premature departure can be more devastating than staying behind. One need only look at the trail of devastation of those who fled but had no where to go, or who picked up the ministry of the ancient Hebrew prophets rather than the ministry of Jesus, or even worse. (See Converting Pauls to Sauls.)

One of our goals is to empower our brothers so that they can leave as victors, not victims, which would surely occur if they have not build up sufficient spiritual strength to stand alone if necessary. We elect to make this known publicly now because we believe we have built up an adequate storehouse of spiritual encouragement to sustain our brothers during a necessary flight to safety as the time we have allotted for the Governing Body to subject themselves to the plain and open teachings of the Christ is dwindling and will soon come to a close.

4. I agree that the [Governing Body] is going beyond what is written by declaring themselves "God channel". It reminds me of the pharisees, adding rules. Are they overstepping as well with all the rules about celebrating holidays/birthdays, military service, blood, vote, etc? Do you consider that a matter of conscience or not?

We view many of their rules as overstepping their boundaries. But you do not need us to tell you which ones. Consider the Governing Body’s reasoning and then apply knowledge of the plain and open teachings and spiritual discernment and you can figure out which ones. In essence, put on the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) Those that are conscience matters will be revealed by your own conscience.

5. It is known by others that the Watchtower has prophesied the end several times and failed. It is in our own literature. Isn't that consider a false prophet? Didn't Jesus warn us about this?

You do not need us to answer these questions for you. You already know the answer.

6. I will love to believe all your precious teaching, but someone in another blog said that The Little Known Twelve came straight from the Book of Urantia. I checked it myself and it is true. Why? Why are you using such information? I thought you were basing everything from the Bible. Confused here.

Brother, we do not want you ‘to believe all of our teachings.’ We are not seeking a following nor are we looking to become a new governing body over our brothers. If you believe what is published on our site, believe because you are convinced, not because we say so. That applies not only to us, but to all sources of information that have a bearing on your eternal salvation.

As for the article, The Little Known Twelve, we removed that article from our site back in March 2013. We are no longer ‘using such information.’ We published it under a section entitled Dramatic Presentations and expressly stated that it is not presented as dogma, but as an interesting diversion. Personally, we found it very interesting and encouraging. So did many others. But we also saw that some stumbled over it. They continued bound to the spiritually-stifling and fear-inducing idea that everything outside of the Bible is somehow demonic. So, for the sake of their consciences, we deleted the article. Its presence or lack of presence on our site does not at all effect our ministry. But even with its presence, that does not change the fact that all of the articles published as teaching articles (that is, not in the Dramatic Presentations section or titled “Contemplations”), are based squarely on the Bible. A review of the articles themselves reveal this fact. We hope we have cleared up your confusion.

Now that you have our answers, we hope you will use the information wisely. We are not the masters over anyone’s faith. We are brothers and fellow workers with you. Whatever decision you make, first count the cost and then act boldly, yet discreetly, and in full faith of the Father’s approval, protection and guidance. That applies to whether you stay or go. Sadly, one does not seem to realize that he is imprisoned and institutionalized until he attempts to leave. You are having an awakening of sorts. Act in a way that does not destroy your faith or unnecessarily destroys your relationships with others. And we will be praying with you.

♦ Are we a breakaway group? Are these new scrolls?

On September 6, 2013, we received the following inquiry:

“Hello, could you tell me if you are a breakaway from the organization or are these just new scrolls now being understood, thank you.”

To the author, thank you for your email and for visiting our site. We suspect others have asked one or two of these questions, so we respond privately and publicly.

You asked: “Could you tell me if you are a breakaway from the organization.” No, we are not a breakaway group, nor are we encouraging such. We are simply working to uplift the spiritual conversation worldwide among all followers of Christ Jesus by showing from the Bible that we are all sons of God and heirs to the kingdom of the heavens.

“You are all, in fact, sons of God through your faith in Christ Jesus.” – Galatians 3:26

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery causing fear again, but you received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which spirit we cry out: “Abba, Father!” The spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are God’s children. If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together.” – Romans 8:15-17

We were tutored by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society for over 30 years. Thus, we have a special fondness for the worldwide association of Jehovah’s Witnesses, though we recognize that their message is a bit off track. But we do not believe the solution lies in leaving the organization or forming a new sect, and we are definitely not seeking followers after ourselves. It is our hope that when our brothers realize their true relationship with Jehovah, they will be spiritually built up so that they can be bright lights to others in the congregation as sons of God, not slaves to men.

You asked: “Are these just new scrolls now being understood.” You will notice that the support for every article on our site is the Bible. Our thinking is that before our generation is ready for any new scrolls, we must first understand the old one. So much of Christ’s original teachings have been submerged under so much manmade dogma that Christianity as a whole has lost its way. There is a need to return to the authentic, actual, plain and open teachings of Jesus. Once the superfluous baggage of the ideas of man are stripped away from Christ’s teachings, perhaps then our generation will be ready for new scrolls.

We hope we have sufficiently responded to your questions. However, if you have any other comments or questions about any of the information on our site, please do not hesitate to write us again.

♦ How did we know the details of the experience in Nairobi in Gaining Perspective?

On October 3, 2013, we received the following inquiry:

“Hey brothers quick question...I hope I do not offend but I read the article about the brother and sister out in Nairobi [Gaining Perspective], and I was just wondering--how did you guys know what they said? Forgive me as I was very moved by the article, however I adhere in the counsel in 1 John about testing the inspired expression and making sure of all things (can’t remember the scripture). If any offense is taken please forgive me.”

To the author, thank you for your email. No offense taken. We understand why you would want to know how we came to know about this experience, and we suspect others may have the same question. After all, this is a ministry conducted by just two individuals who are located in California. So, it is natural to wonder how we could know something that happened thousands of miles away in Africa in such detail.

But we want you to know that though there are only two of us who write and publish the articles on this site, this ministry is having a positive effect worldwide. As you may know, we do not seek a following. So, many people who hear the plain and open teachings of Jesus as promoted on this site voluntarily and independently take up the ministry and spread the message in their communities. And when they are so inclined, they report to us their experiences, knowing that we will respect their privacy and confidentiality in all matters. As such, we get information from people all over the world telling us about the development of the plain and open teachings in their communities. This includes the Jehovah’s Witness community, other Christian communities, and non-Christian communities, including the Israeli, Buddhist and Islamic communities. Some of this information is sensitive and not suitable for publication, but some of it we can publish, such as the experience of the couple in Nairobi.

We also want you to know that what we reported in the article Gaining Perspective was not an ‘inspired expression’ as referred to in scripture:

“Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God, because many false prophets have gone forth into the world.” – 1 John 4:1

What we published is a direct report we received from someone who was at the scene, but who was not harmed. There were others present, as we report in the article, including Christians, Muslims and those of other faiths, who witnessed the account and survived to tell the tale. And the account is quietly spoken about in the surrounding Christian community, but more so in the Islamic community where there is less fear of reprisal. Though we do not currently have any report that this account has caused a conversion of any Muslim to the brotherhood of Jesus, we are told that this couple’s courage is viewed by them as a noteworthy act. We certainly agree. That is why we published the report.

This couple made a courageous stand in a dangerous situation, in the direct face of religious terrorists. They, by their actions, challenge the faith of those who reside in so-called “Christian” nations who have freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and who exist in favorable season. It certainly puts the current harassment within the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses into perspective and shows them that they can endure whatever is thrust upon them with dignity, self-respect and with their faith intact.

And finally, we have absolute confidence in the source of this particular report, and we suspect that in time, it will become more widely known.

♦ Visitor offers a correction to Question and Response 10/3/13.

On October 23, 2013, we received the following correction from a visitor:

“You said in your recent answer on the couple killed: "This couple made a courageous stand in a dangerous war torn country where Christians are persecuted and greatly outnumbered, and in the direct face of religious terrorists."
“This information is factually wrong. The country in which the incident took place (Kenya) is not "war torn", nor are Christians "persecuted and greatly outnumbered..." This was a terrorist act in a country where all faiths are free to worship in any manner that they please.
“Please do check your facts carefully before publishing them. Many of us who read this website lay a lot of premium on your credibility and erroneous assertions as those above may erode that trust.
“May our God bless you.”

To the author, thank you for your email. You are correct. We have deleted those phrases from the subject Question and Response, 10/3/13.

We want to emphasize that the error was on our part in our commentary on the importance of the couple’s stand. It is not a reflection of the credibility of the source who provided the information to us.

We hope that by making this swift correction, we will continue to earn your trust.

♦ Who writes and reviews the articles on this site? Isn’t this the feeding of many through the hands of a few?

On November 20, 2013, we received the following comments and inquiries:

“Hello, I read some of your articles. But I have one question. Who writes all this articles and who is doing all the research? Where's your headquarter or office? How can only two individuals have such an insight in the scriptures? Does there articles are going through an review from others? Please feel free to answer this question publicly.
Is this not "feeding many through a hands of few"? For me, at least there are too few who feed the many. Feel free to discuss this on your homepage publicly. “

To the author, thank you for your emails. We are happy to respond to your inquiries publicly as you wish.

You asked: Who writes all this articles and who is doing all the research? Where's your headquarter or office? All of the articles, and responses to emails, both publicly and privately, are researched and written by two individuals – an evenly yoked pair, a man and a woman, husband and wife – following the leadings of the Spirit of Truth. We have limited resources so we work out of our home in California.

You asked: How can only two individuals have such an insight in the scriptures? First, we sincerely appreciate that you characterize our writings as insightful. But the real honor goes to the Father, the Christ and his Spirit of Truth. That is a primary reason why our identities remain relatively anonymous. It is an absolute truth that when one ‘keeps on asking, seeking and knocking,’ for spirit direction with the right motive, it will be abundantly supplied. Perhaps that is what you discern.

For our part, we have been tutored by, and in associated with, Jehovah’s Witnesses most of our lives for the better portion of 5 decades, during which time, we took to heart the admonition to ‘Read the Bible Daily.’ This regular, consistent work, along with fervent prayerful appeals have led us to the ministry we are currently engaged in, the ministry you are now inquiring about.

Yes, there are two of us. But remember Charles Taze Russell was a solo act. And so was Paul, who was only occasionally in the company of Barnabas and/or Timothy. We recall these words of the Apostle Paul:

“For you see his calling of you, brothers, that there are not many wise in a fleshly way, not many powerful, not many of noble birth, but God chose the foolish things of the world to put the wise men to shame; and God chose the weak things of the world to put the strong things to shame; and God chose the insignificant things of the world and the things looked down on, the things that are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast in the sight of God. But it is due to him that you are in union with Christ Jesus, who has become to us wisdom from God, also righteousness and sanctification and release by ransom, so that it may be just as it is written: “The one who boasts, let him boast in Jehovah.” – 1 Corinthians 1:26-31

One must always look to the proficient Spirt of Truth, for he is the true guide the spiritual compass of mankind’s sojourn in the flesh and beyond. It should also be acknowledged that all who question the ability of the Spirit of Truth to actually conduct a ministry in the exact same fashion as the physical Jesus, would be the same who would doubt his words if they had been present in his very company. Faith follows the thing heard due to the spirit unity of self and the indwelling spirit in conjunction with and ever tied to the spirit of the our Lord and Master Son, Christ Jesus. (Roman 8:16) So what is occurring on our website is merely a natural outcome of the work of the Spirit of Truth as promised by our Lord:

“I still have many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them now. However, when that one comes, the spirit of the truth, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak of his own initiative, but what he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things to come. That one will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and will declare it to you. All the things that the Father has are mine. That is why I said he receives from what is mine and declares it to you.” – John 16:12-15

We hope you do not stumble at our small number and lowly station.

You asked: Does these articles are going through an review from others? Otherwise it is only there opinion what they're writing about. As we write the articles, we are led along by spirit. When they are complete, we feel a sense of completion and after prayerful contemplation, then we publish them. No, they do not get reviewed by any other human prior to their publication, but we regularly ask those who read the articles to review them for corrections, comments or suggestions.

We wonder how valuable it would be to have the articles reviewed by others. Take for example the writings coming out of the Writing Department of the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society. We are often told that they go through tremendous scrutiny and that the Governing Body will often ‘sit on’ certain articles until they can all agree on the contents. We are told that these matters remain in a pending file until the contents are agreed by all. Yet, look at what is being produced by them. Error after error. Non-scriptural doctrines. Jewish proselytizing and anti-Christian ideas. Fear mongering, judging and condemnation. And self-promoting and self-aggrandizing propaganda. Clearly, a review process is not helping them.

You will also note that all of what we write is supported by Bible scriptures, so, unless we specify otherwise, the articles we publish are not our opinions. They are the opinions of the Bible writers whom we quote, though we sometimes state matters in a more modern vernacular and with a more modern application. Hence, the plain and open teachings. No hidden agenda. No need for intellectual degrees of higher learning. Just the simple message of our Lord of salvation for our modern day.

But assuming that these are merely the opinions of just two persons, if you find the opinions in err, please write us and point out the error. We are quick to make any corrections that are needed.

Finally, you ask: Is this not "feeding many through a hands of few"? For me, at least there are too few who feed the many. Yes, we are feeding many through our few hands, but we are not exclusive, nor do we present ourselves as exclusive. Man only has two hands. Whenever we do a work, it is done with those two hands. But we are constantly begging for more workers in the field. In fact, thousands of our readers have picked up the ministry and are carrying it out into their congregations and communities with great results and without reporting in for approval, direction, or guidance. See The Powerful Message of Sonship, What Prevents Me? Go About Doing Good, Defending Our Living Hope and Emails From Our Visitors.

Unlike the Governing Body, we do not block any others, so we are not taking a position of superiority or dominance. The field is wide open, and we welcome as many as possible to have a share in it. This site is just one of many sources who are feeding the plain and open teachings of Jesus. We take this ministry seriously and with all humility because we know where the source of our understanding comes from.

In conclusion, brother, think about what this ministry has accomplished in less than two years. See Kingdom Update - November 2012 and Kingdom Update - June 2013. Since that report, even more exciting things are happening. We often think of this scripture:

“For who has despised the day of small beginnings?”– Zechariah 4:10

If you have any other questions with respect to our ministry or any of the information on our site, please do not hesitate to write us again. We are happy to respond.

♦ Over whom do the ‘kings-priests’ rule?

On April 11, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“So am I correct in understanding that the kingdom of the heavens is the spiritual realm where God resides and where a family of humans united in Christ have begun to live after Jesus ascended to heaven? And am I also correct in saying that some of them will sit on thrones and rule with Christ as kings-priests? Over what or whom do they rule? The rest of this family will be priests for what reason? For whom do they officiate?”

To the author, thank you for your email and your patience in receiving a response.

The Kingdom of the Heavens is the entire heavenly realm where the Father, Christ Jesus, and an unnumerable host of celestial beings reside. It includes the stars, planets, galaxies, etc. In fact, Earth itself, as one of the planets, is also a part of the Kingdom of the Heavens.

However, on Earth, there is also the kingdom or realm of mankind that does not recognize that we are a part of the heavenly kingdom or under the authority of the Father and Christ Jesus. They are either under the belief that earth and life on it is an isolated accident, or they are under the authority of the confused and uninformed religious leaders. So, although Earth is a part of the heavenly kingdom, most of mankind is under the authority of darkness and do not see themselves as citizens of the Kingdom of the Heavens. (Colossians 1:13)

They look at this earthly life as all there is and do whatever they can to preserve their lives on it. It is not until they individually reach the realization of their true relationship to God and submit to the governance of the heavenly kingdom that they have the opportunity to leave this planet and travel through the heavenly universe where they will ultimately reach the actual presence of the Father. That is the purposed and intended destiny of mankind ‘since the founding of the world.’ (Ephesians 1:3-5) We wrote about this in The Kingdom of the Heavens and Foreordained From the Founding of the World.

However, regarding the king-priest issue, we believe this is an appropriate time to emphasize that we do not hold ourselves out as authorities on the Bible. We are learning and being guided by the Spirit of Truth, along with the rest of our brothers worldwide. Like our brothers among Jehovah’s Witnesses, we, too, are coming out from under the influence of the Governing Body and have been gradually shaking off their erroneous teachings.

When we first began this ministry in January 2012, we wrote about the king-priest issue in the series, The Royal Priesthood and the Holy Nation. At that time, we held the Watchtower belief that there are two covenants and that there would be 144,000 kings and priests. We have since learned, by our own due diligence and looking at the contexts of the scriptures with our own eyes with the help of the Spirit of Truth, that it is not true. There is only one covenant and the 144,000 are not said to be kings and priests. We corrected ourselves in the article The Great Crowd of Partakers.

By our own actions, we unwittingly demonstrated the error of trying to explain the good news by means of prophesy. However, we have not removed the Royal Priesthood series from the website because it serves as a record of our own journey to the ‘plain and open teachings’ and, aside from these misunderstandings, the material is overall very effective in helping wean Jehovah’s Witnesses off of the old wine and into the fresh new wine Jesus brought. We might say it is a ‘tutor’ of sorts that leads our brothers to the Christ (as it led us), at which time, the ‘tutor’ can be set aside. So, a reading of that series might provide you with some answers or directions to answers. We suggest you take what is helpful and what bears witness with your own spirit, and feel free to disregard the rest.

♦ Visitor intends to report us to the Governing Body if we do not close down this website and stop publishing Bible-based material.

On August 2, 2014, we completed the following email exchange that we want to share with our audience:

“Dear brother and sister, It is to my regret I must tell you that at one convention 2 years ago, it was specifically said that NO brother or sister should make a website in addition to jw.org. Also the brother said that making bible based publications independently would be wrong. Some suggest that because the Faithful Slave has not contacted them, it must be alright to keep it up. Well that is not the case as it has already been mentioned at such assemblies in recent years. It is an act of apostasy. The very fact you're subtly trying to confuse individuals with the hope of heavenly life will cause people to make a serious decision- partaking of the emblems at the memorial. As you know, if anyone partakes of the emblems and is not of the anointed, Jehovah will judge that individual according to that deed.
“If you were in my congregation, you would be disfellowshipped quite quickly. I've dealt with individuals who falsely believe they are of the anointed. In fact, I once thought I was anointed. But I came to realise I suffered from anxiety and THAT is what made me believe that in the first place!
“Do you trust in the Faithful Slave? In fact, does the fact that the change in understanding of who the Slave is make you feel like a 'lesser one'? Well actually all of Jehovah's Witnesses are lesser ones. You don't need this site. Where is the ministry? If you are ambassadors of God, you'd be working closely with the Organization. The two last articles in our current study Watchtowers are excellent.
“Do not think I am attacking your faith. I just had to speak out because I know your situation and you need to tell your elders about this site. If you don't, I will have to report it to the Governing Body."

Before responding to this email, we wrote back to the brother:

"Dear Brother, Thank you for visiting our site. However, before we respond, we want to be sure this is not a hoax. Or a joke. Is this sincerely how you feel?"

In response, we received this email from the brother:

“This is no hoax, I am a real person. I'm not actually one of your brothers, I should've reworded my email. I am an active witness of Jehovah. The best web site is jw.org
I wish that you do not reply to this email with a refute. The case is closed and I wish you respect my privacy.”

To the author, thank you for visiting our site and sending your email. We will respect your request that we not refute your comments to your email address. However, we have notified you that we have posted your email and our response on our site in the event you visit again, and for the benefit of those who might share you views or know persons who do.

As a preliminary matter, when you wrote to us, you referred to us as ‘Brothers.’ That is why we referred to you as ‘Brother’ when we responded. However, according to your request, we will refrain from doing so. We shall address you as ‘Sir.’

So, Sir, we notice that the authority for your position that we should not have a website or publish Bible-based material independent from the Watchtower Society is an unknown talk by an unknown brother at an unknown convention on an unknown date, during an unknown year. We would think that counsel that made such an impression on you to the point where you feel free to judge us as apostates would have a little more meat, a little more teeth, and be much more memorable. Something such as a scripture from the Bible, perhaps?

Unless, of course, it is your practice to accept as ‘the word of God’ anything that any brother says from any platform on any district convention hosted by the Watchtower Society. If that is the case, then you are not following the counsel from the Apostle John:

“Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired statement, but test the inspired statements to see whether they originate with God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” – 1 John 4:1

Sir, have you tested the validity of a statement that no one should have a website other than jw.org? Have you tested the validity of the statement that no one should publish Bible-based material independent of the Watchtower Society? Of course not. No such authority exists! Thus, your judgment that we are apostates or doing an act of apostasy is a burden you will have to carry alone, one that you alone will have to answer for.

You further wrote: “The very fact you're subtly trying to confuse individuals with the hope of heavenly life will cause people to make a serious decision- partaking of the emblems at the memorial. As you know, if anyone partakes of the emblems and is not of the anointed, Jehovah will judge that individual according to that deed.” No, Sir, we do not ‘know’ that. What we ‘know’ is what Jesus said:

“So Jesus said to them: “Most truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in yourselves. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has everlasting life, and I will resurrect him on the last day; for my flesh is true food and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I in union with him.” – John 6:53-56

According to Jesus, only those who partake of the emblems have life, will gain a resurrection and are in union with him. All others would be these folks:

“Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of the heavens, but only the one doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens will. Many will say to me in that day: ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many powerful works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them: ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’” –Matthew 7:21-23

Next, you wrote: “If you were in my congregation, you would be disfellowshipped quite quickly. I've dealt with individuals who falsely believe they are of the anointed. In fact, I once thought I was anointed. But I came to realise I suffered from anxiety and THAT is what made me believe that in the first place!” What a shame! The Spirit bore witness with you and you rejected it! Don’t you know, Sir, that when one is faithfully undergoing trials, that is when they are closest to the Father, that is when their hope is confirmed:

“Though I walk in the valley of deep shadow, I fear no harm, For you are with me; Your rod and your staff reassure me.” – Psalms 23:4

“Happy is the man who keeps on enduring trial, because on becoming approved he will receive the crown of life, which Jehovah promised to those who continue loving Him.” – James 1:12

Sir, it is while suffering from trials that the Spirit draws closer to you than at any other time. And how awful that because you rejected the Spirit, you feel the need to persecute, judge and disfellowship those to faithfully do accept the Spirit’s witness! You are on very dangerous ground, Sir. If you don’t believe us, then look at what ‘the Slave’ has written in the June 15, 2009 issue of the Watchtower magazine, page 22, paragraph 15:

“On the other hand, how should other Christians view a person who claims to have received this anointing and begins to partake of the emblems at the Memorial? He or she should not be judged. The matter is between this person and Jehovah. (Rom. 14:12)

You are on dangerous ground from both the Spirit and the Governing Body! Watch out that it is not you who is disfellowshipped!

Then you wrote: “Do you trust in the Faithful Slave? In fact, does the fact that the change in understanding of who the Slave is make you feel like a 'lesser one'? Well actually all of Jehovah's Witnesses are lesser ones. You don't need this site. Where is the ministry? If you are ambassadors of God, you'd be working closely with the Organization. The two last articles in our current study Watchtowers are excellent.” Do we trust in ‘the Faithful Slave?’ Notice this scripture:

“Do not put your trust in princes Nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation. His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish.” – Psalms 146:3-4

That is the position every God-oriented, Christ-following, Spirit-directed person should take. And it is the position we take.

Further, the Governing Body’s change in who ‘the Slave’ is does not concern us one bit. If they want to take on the role of playing ‘masters over the faith of Jehovah’s Witnesses,’ that will be their burden they will have to carry. As for us, we feel as did Peter:

“In answer Peter and the other apostles said: “We must obey God as ruler rather than men.” – Acts 5:29

You asked, “Where is our ministry?” THIS is our ministry! This website. The one you visited. The one you corresponded with. And for the record, we are not ambassadors of God. We are ambassadors for Christ. That is why we promote the plain and open teachings of Jesus Christ and encourage our brothers, and 'sirs,' to confess union with Christ. We would like to work closely with the Watchtower Organization, but they are not ambassadors for Christ. They promote the ‘old wine’ of the Hebrew scriptures. But we do hold out hope that they will see their error and then we can all work closely together.

Finally, you wrote: “Do not think I am attacking your faith. I just had to speak out because I know your situation and you need to tell your elders about this site. If you don't, I will have to report it to the Governing Body." Your disapproval of us is not an attack on our faith. Our faith is quite outside the realm of human approval. But we do wonder if you see your hypocrisy here. You are on this site. You are reading the articles enough to know our position on partaking. You have violated what you believe to be ‘the word of God’ by visiting a non jw.org site. So, perhaps it is you who needs to be reported to your body of elders and the Governing Body.

As for us, our elders know what we are doing. They know our names and our addresses. So does our Circuit Overseer. And from what we have been told, so does the Governing Body. In fact, it seems the Governing Body reads this website more closely than the average visitor. And yet here we are and here we will stay.

Notwithstanding these matters, we encourage you to contact the Governing Body and mention our site. They need to know that more and more brothers, and 'sirs,' are visiting us. They need to know that more and more ‘sirs’ such as yourself are indulging in a form of idolatry and worship of men that is reprehensible. They need to know that more and more ‘sirs’ such as yourself have become cowards as respect the Spirit and are afraid to ‘take life’s waters free.’ They need to know that they are feeding, breeding and churning out ‘dead soldiers walking.’

Your call or letter to the Governing Body might encourage them to make an open statement about our website and the Bible-based material we independently and freely publish so that the entire organization will know where they stand. We can tell you that millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses are waiting for their open response. So, please do not hesitate!

We will pray for you, Sir, and hope that should the Spirit mercifully bear witness with your Spirit again, that you will favorably respond.

♦ (1) Is our only grievance with JW.org the two-tiered Christian Hope? (2) Are we seeking to reform the organization or start a new religion? (3) Why did we demand the Governing Body acknowledge our site?

On August 29, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“[I have] a couple of other questions.
“1.) Is your only grievance with JW.ORG over the two-tiered Christian hope?
“2.) I saw that you have a sister site called the Christ Experiment. My understanding was that you still believe in JW.ORG and are hoping for reform. The Christ Experiment site seems like a very big step away from JW.ORG and maybe a toe in the pool of forming your own religion, or movement. Do I have it wrong?
"The maybe a general comment: I saw from your questions from readers that someone wondered why you would demand the [Governing Body] acknowledge your site. I also read your response. Perhaps arrogant is too strong of a word to use, but I would ask you to be cautious. I also don't know about you signing your letters as the two witnesses. If you really feel like you are the two witnesses of Revelation I would encourage you to step back and really consider that course. Wishing the best for you and hoping to continue our conversation at your convenience.”

To the author, thank you for your email. We are happy to respond.

You asked: Is your only grievance with JW.ORG over the two-tiered Christian hope?

Our ministry is only concerned with salvation issues – matters that prevent a person from gaining personality survival after death of the physical body. Doctrines and misunderstandings about various facts do not concern us greatly. As Paul wrote at 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, what matters is having the right foundation. What we build on that foundation will be tested by fire and if what we build does not survive, we can still be saved. We wrote about this in the article Fitly United in the Same Mind.

So, there is patience for our doctrinal errors such as ‘is God a trinity,’ ‘is there a Hell,’ ‘should we celebrate holidays,’ etc. In each of these instances, whatever the truth is about those matters does not prevent us from survival. Whereas failing to have faith in Jesus as ‘the way, the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6), failure to follow in his footsteps (Matthew 16:24), failure to ‘eat and drink of him’ (John 6:53), failure to follow his way dealing with one another (John 13:35), these things can prevent our survival. The two-tiered hope requires millions of Jehovah’s Witnesses to reject eating and drinking of the Christ, to reject the heavenly abodes he prepared for us (John 14:2), and to reject confessing union with him as his brothers. (Matthew 10:32-33) This is fatal and that is why this issue is our primary grievance.

However, keep in mind that once a person understands the true hope and his true relationship with the Father and Christ Jesus, many other matters take care of themselves. There is a domino effect that automatically and organically cures many of the doctrinal and policy errors of the Watchtower Society. This is being demonstrated now in congregations where a large number of Jehovah’s Witnesses accept sonship and reject the death dealing earthly hope. In the article Defending Our Living Hope, we highlighted one particular congregation in Reno, Nevada where practically the entire body of Elders, the Circuit Overseer and the District Overseer and the majority of publishers accept the heavenly hope and the dramatic changes that positively affected the overall spirit and affairs of the congregation.

You also stated: I saw that you have a sister site called the Christ Experiment. My understanding was that you still believe in JW.ORG and are hoping for reform. The Christ Experiment site seems like a very big step away from JW.ORG and maybe a toe in the pool of forming your own religion, or movement. Do I have it wrong?

We do not believe in JW.ORG or the Watchtower Society. In fact, we do not believe in any particular religious organization. Jesus said that the time had come where the Father was not concerning Himself with which religious ‘mountain’ we worship in. The key was that we worship the Father with spirit and truth. (John 4:21-24) Our faith and hope is in the individuals in the organization, so our efforts are designed to reach the individual.

Nevertheless, we must recognize and acknowledge that the Governing Body continues to have a strong hold in the faith of millions. So a ministry that can effect change in the Governing Body, or reveal them as misguided in a way that Jehovah’s Witnesses can accept and respond to, is the quickest and most efficient way to awaken the individual.

As for The Christ Experiment site, it is indeed a step away from traditional Christianity. It is an adventure into possibilities, and it is not for the faint of heart. Thus, many Christians are not quite ready for it, which we openly admit. And we have only begun developing that site. We intend to progressively propose bolder and bolder possibilities in an effort to get our brothers and sisters of all denominations to think outside the box that formalized and crystallized Christianity exists in.

And, no, we are not forming our own religion. We are proposing the idea that we do not need authoritative religions. We need Christians to develop spirituality and then practice their spirituality in association with one another. We explain this in more detail in the article A True Christian Fellowship.

And you commented: I saw from your questions from readers that someone wondered why you would demand the [Governing Body] acknowledge your site. I also read your response. Perhaps arrogant is too strong of a word to use, but I would ask you to be cautious.

As for the question from reader August 2, 2014, we did not demand that the Governing Body acknowledge our site. The reader advised that he would report us to the Governing Body if we did not abandon our website. We simply let him know that we have no problem with him reporting us to the Governing Body, in fact we welcome it. Our ministry is to all men, including the men of the Governing Body. And as a matter of fact, they are already well aware of our site and read it quite regularly. And we understand that they know who we are and how to locate us. This is surprising to many who visit our site because of the fear that has been instilled into them by various talks and articles. So our response was intended to dismantle any assumption that we are afraid of the Governing Body.

Some may characterize our response as arrogance, but we see it as confidence. We boldly and faithfully stand with Christ and promote HIS teachings and ministry. We are not unsure of our hope, and we do not doubt his promises. We are doing what Paul counseled at Galatians 6:1 to readjust those who are taking a false step. And we do our best to do so with mildness and deep respect. (1 Peter 3:15) If you have a chance to read the Open Letters we have written to the Governing Body, you may discern that.

We hope these responses satisfactorily answer your questions. But if you continue to have questions, please do not hesitate to write us again. And we, likewise, wish you the very best.

♦ Why don’t I hear about the numbers of Elders and traveling overseers stepping down on other blogs and why do you have such a low count of activity on your site?

On September 23, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“Hi Brothers/sisters. I write with mixed emotions. First I felt this was something special for I have been searching for years. Baptized a [Jehovah’s Witness] in 1983, still attending but not believing it is truth anymore. 1995 was my turning point with change of generation teaching. From there I read Studies in Scriptures and thought “hmmmm is this the truth?” From there Restoration Fellowship. I studied that for 2-3 years but felt that did nothing for me. So back to [Jehovah’s Witnesses] "apostate" sites i.e, Perimeno, E-watchman, and JWStruggle was last one.
“Someone posted on there about anointedjw.org. That was about two years ago. I have enjoyed your articles, I think about sonship all the time but not convinced that you are telling the "whole" story. Why do I say this? Well you claim to have millions of "followers" (not the correct word). With all the ones stepping down, Elders, [Circuit and District Overseers] Pioneers, Bethelites, etc., there should really be a buzz thru the fellowship and others blogs. But I see nothing, only a few comments a year or so ago. Why do you have such a low count of activity on your website to support your claims. Any info can be found on the web. I have searched yours and others. With such wonderful articles there must be an explanation. Please help me with this. I pray for truth thank you!?”

To the author, thank you for your email. We are glad you are visiting our site and enjoying the articles. But it appears you are letting numbers effect your faith. If you find what we write to be accurate, to speak to your spirit, to help you develop your relationship with God and Christ Jesus, then what does it matter who else responds? We are encouraging our brothers to have the type of faith that allows them to stand on their own with one mediator, Christ Jesus, whether there are others standing with them or not. We are trying to teach religious self-governance as Jesus taught. When one is overly concerned about how many people believe as they believe, they are not being wholesouled to God. This is something we would like you to think about. In the meantime, we will respond to your comments about the millions of ‘followers,’ and the idea that we have ‘a low count of activity on our website.’

First, we can tell you that of the over 11 million sons we know about (and rapidly growing) who have taken up the ‘plain and open teachings of Jesus’ in the past 2-1/2 years, only about 1.8 million are from the Jehovah’s Witness community. Our reports about Elders and other Overseers who have stepped down are accurate. But it is possible that you are not associated with congregations where this is occurring, or the congregations are not publishing the true reasons why these men are stepping down. We can tell you that the shift in the way the organization is dealing with Circuit and District Overseers is a direct result of the dwindling numbers of these men who no longer agree to follow the unsound directives of ‘the Slave.’

As for other blogs who do not mention our site, this should not surprise you. As we state, our Mission is to “uplift the spiritual conversation worldwide by re-introducing and expounding on the original, actual, authentic, plain and open teachings of Jesus Christ.” Many ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses sites are not interested in finding spiritual solutions to the problems in the Watchtower organization. Most just want it to be destroyed with little concern about the millions still inside. Some have become either self-appointed prophets in the likeness of Jeremiah or other Hebrew prophets who feel they are called upon to call down evil on the organization as a whole, or have become atheists and agnostics who find a website like ours that focuses on the plain and open teachings of Jesus as deluded. Mentioning our site only sparks interest in it and drives visitors to us. That is not what many of these websites want to happen. And so you will find silence about us for the most part. Though we can tell you that many visitors to those sites, and in fact some of the authors of those sites, are on our Email Alert list and receive regular updates on what we are doing.

Some ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses sites are upset with us because we do not allow them to utilize our site as a medium to publish their own ideas. We explain that we are not a social blog, we are an information site with a Mission. And so, yes, we do control the content. We do not open our site up for foolish ad hominem attacks. We notice that one brother who had a very nice site opened it up for others and in a short time, his site was completely dominated by the strange prophetic ideas of others and the well-intentioned site has been completely usurped. We don’t want that to happen to our site. As we said, we have a Mission and an objective. But we do not interfere with others who are organizing against the Watchtower organization. We believe there is a large field under cultivation and any who wish can pick a spot.

Another factor you may not realize is that our ministry is not only conducted in cyberspace. We also conduct a personal ministry ‘in real life,’ though for health reasons, we are temporarily limited in how much we can do in that manner at this time. And there are thousands of people, even millions, who do not have internet access but who obtain our articles and information by printouts that are duplicated and passed around. You would be surprised at the numbers of large and small religious organization who use our articles in their own ministry. You would be surprised at how the information on our site is penetrating the jungles on the African and Australian continents, in Israel and the Middle East, in India, even in certain refugee camps. Of course, for the sake of safety and privacy, we cannot reveal the names of those organizations or the locations of the groups or refugee camps. Even with our discretion, we have learned that some have been attacked, even killed, as a result of standing for Christ based on what they learned from our website.

We suspect you are obtaining your information about the number of visitors to our site from independent internet tracking sites. Surely you must know that those sites are only estimating and only have limited information, especially when the websites they are seeking to analyze do not provide any inside information. And you may notice that the stats vary from provider to provider. We have seen some of the stats about our website and we find them amusing, but we have no desire to correct them. That is not our concern. We are only concerned with publishing the plain and open teachings of Jesus, and yes, we are having a great deal of success.

This, dear brother, is the explanation for the limited information you have received to date about the activity of our ministry and our website. If you have decided to participate in the ministry of reconciling man to God as their Father, and you find yourself in a area where there are few openly confessing sons of God, then you have a ministry! You have a work to do. So in leaving the things behind, stretch forward to the things ahead. (Philippians 3:13) Be a part of the solution. Honor the Son and let not his ministry have been in vain. Let people know the glorious good news that this life is only the beginning of a glorious heavenly career. You are correct that we have no ‘followers’ so you are under no obligation to report your activities to us or gain our approval. Just be about the Father’s business and He will give the reward.

And if we can be of any assistance to you in this regard, please do not hesitate to ask.

♦ Why did you change your policy about naming names? Has that scared the overseers who send you emails?

On October 22, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“Dear AnointedJW, I have been following with interest the events regarding Apostasy in Fenway Congregation. I have a question for you. Since so few past/present Circuit Overseers, District Overseers and elders who profess to be faith sons of God have responded to this outrage, might this be due to their fear you might reveal their identities by printing their names as you have done with those elders in the Fenway Congregation? Why have you departed from your previous position of maintaining anonymity? Thank you.”

To the author, thank you for your email. First let us state unequivocally that we WILL NOT reveal the names, email addresses or any contact information for ANY of our visitors unless they expressly request it AND we feel it will serve some beneficial purpose.

The only reason we published the names of the elders in the congregations in Massachusetts is because they are persecuting the brothers of Christ and the children of God and have thus far gotten away with it with impunity. The organization happily announces the full names of those whom they feel are disapproved by Jehovah. And the elders who serve on those committees make sure to leak details about the reasons for those determinations by way of a “local needs” talk or their own gossiping in their congregation and in congregations round about.

So, we believe if these men could no longer cloak their activities and were somehow held accountable for their Anti-Christ behavior, perhaps it will give other elders pause before they so grossly disregard the scriptures and disrespect the Father and His Christ. And it will notify others in those and nearby congregations that the elders are not looking out for their best interests but are idolizing the Governing Body and their convoluted ‘understandings and doctrines. These are the only reasons we publish their names.

You will note that we intentionally and expressly refrained from publishing the name of our brother who was subjected to these machinations. There is no need to publish his name because he is of no threat to the salvation of anyone in his midst. This cannot be said about the so-called elders who wrongly judged him.

Therefore, it continues to be our practice and our policy to keep private the names, and any contact information, of our brothers, sisters, visitors, and audience, even those who oppose what we do who have the courage to reveal their names and pseudonyms. This can be verified by a review of our site and no good purpose would be served to change this policy beyond the reasons we have set forth above. We hope this answers your question about revealing names.

As to the other matter, one reason we have not published recent emails from our brothers who support this ministry is because the emails were private and personal. The other reason is because those who take up the ministry of the plain and open teachings of Jesus have no obligation to report to us what they are doing. They are out being about the Father’s business and are not the type to sit at computers for any length of time blogging and such. We are quite content with that. But when we do receive reports that are suitable for publications, we will be certain to post them.

Thank you again for your email and if you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to write us.

♦ 10/24/14 | Visitor complains that our site is full of hate and vitriol.

On October 24, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“All I have to say is WOW!! I have NEVER visited a website with this much hate and vitriol on display in my life!! Shame on you! I think I will take my reading pleasure elsewhere.”

To the author, thank you for your email. Although it is possible that you will not read this response, it does give us an opportunity to address this concern publicly.

Your conclusion indicates a couple of things: (1) that you have not visited many Jehovah’s Witness related websites; or (2) that you are a first-time visitor to our site and not familiar with our ministry. You probably read one or two recent articles and formed your conclusion based on that. And it is true that, due to recent events by certain bodies of elders and the absolute disdain the Governing Body shows for the Christ, we have been bold and outspoken in our righteous indignation of those men and their harmful acts. However, a fair review of the body of work on our site reveals that we have been fair and open-minded with the Governing Body and that we sincerely care about the brothers and sisters in the Watchtower organization.

Look at it this way. If an out-of-towner was visiting Jerusalem for the first time on the day Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, they would likely form an opinion that he was spiteful, violent and out of control. They would be far from correct. They were not privy to the many, many months Jesus appealed to the Sanhedrin to turn their hearts to the Father and take their worship seriously and not as a means for financial gain. They had not heard his pleas that they lessen the burdens on the flock in their care. They had not seen his loving ministry toward the suffering people. In the same way, a person who visits our site once or twice and looks only at the provocative articles will misjudge us.

While it is absolutely true that we are disgusted with the stubbornness and rebelliousness of the Governing Body and the idolatry of many in the Watchtower organization, it is also true that we are not just complaining and bellyaching like many ‘Jehovah’s Witness related sites.’ We are coming to the table with real solutions, and by far the majority of those who read our articles are becoming more loving and are drawing closer to the Father and Christ Jesus as a result.

As our articles and letters show, we are not afraid of the Governing Body and we do not hold them in any greater esteem than any other person on earth. We speak to them as equals, as brothers who are misleading and being misled. We are loathe to think that another generation of Jehovah’s Witnesses will carry on their fatal message to reject the Christ and the heavenly hope, and drag millions to their destruction. Enough is enough. And this is especially reprehensible because the Governing Body KNOWS what they are teaching is error, but pampering their greed, selfishness, and cowardice is more important to them than the lives and the very salvation of the millions who follow them.

We understand that a few members of the Governing Body are simply waiting for their own death as their way out of the situation, with the intent to leave their errors to be corrected by future generations, if ever. That is not acceptable. So we are doing all that we can to effect change now, or in the alternative, expose the fatal flaws to wake up our brothers and sisters among Jehovah’s Witnesses so they can leave as victors, not as victims of a cold hearted organization. If the Governing Body is content to dive into ‘the pit,’ fine. But there is no need to take 8 million people with them.

And no, we are not content to ‘wait on Jehovah’ as we explain in the article “Waiting On Jehovah.” Jehovah has already spoken through his Son, Christ Jesus. All we are doing is amplifying Jesus’ plain and open teachings and following the advice of the Apostle Paul to attempt to readjust those who have turned aside from his true teachings.

Of course, no one is obligated to visit our site. We are all free will creatures who have the responsibility to work out our own salvation. Nevertheless, we hope you return and give our website a fair review. But if not, we wish you the very best in your obvious search for truth outside of the Watchtower organization.

♦ Do the writer of the website have special insight?

On December 6, 2014, we received the following comment and inquiry:

“We both know the [Governing Body] does not have special insight and has a big problem with dogmatism. Dogmatism means stating things in a way as though they were 100 factual although the evidence is unclear. The writers of this website have stated their beliefs in no uncertain terms. Question: Do the writers of this website have special insight? We both know the writings of Jesus and the Apostles were not clear about everything (no disrespect). Why should I trust the writers’ interpretations (estimations) on unclear Bible subjects on this website.”

To the author, thank you for your email. Please know that we do not ask our visitors to trust our writings. Nor do we hold ourselves out as the authority that everyone must listen to in order to be saved. We only ask our visitors to consider what we write and then put them to the test in their own lives to see if they ring true to them. And we know that not everything we write rings true to everyone who reads them. And that’s fine with us.

Finding truth is a personal experience. You cannot find truth by piggybacking on the faith of others, not even on the faith of the Bible writers. What the apostles and other Bible writers wrote was their experience of truth. They firmly believed what they wrote and so they wrote it with conviction, ‘not as scribes.’ But those who read their writings are getting second-hand truth, also called hearsay. Each reader must test those inspired expressions for themselves (1 John 4:1) and prove to themselves whether these matters are true. (Acts 17:11) It is the same with the writings on our website and any other website, including the Watchtower website and its publications.

People who freely accept the writings of others without testing them out first are the easiest people to mislead. They are followers of men (the writers), not followers of truth (Christ Jesus). We hope to develop in our readers critical thinking so they can be followers of truth.

Do we have special insight? That depends on what you view as special. We believe we have insight which is why we publish this website. If we didn’t think so – if we didn’t think we had something special to share – we wouldn’t do this. But the value of our insight is determined by the reader. If you find it has value, then we suppose it would be specially insightful to you. If not, it wouldn’t be. We have no dog in that race. We are not the masters over your faith.

We are simply following Jesus’ request that we ‘teach the things he commanded.’ (Matthew 28:9-20), his plain and open teachings. We are trying to uplift the spiritual conversation about Jesus, the Father and the heavens. We do not engage in prophetic interpretations, nor do we dogmatically impose our personal views on others. We are engaged in the ‘ministry of reconciliation’ as ‘ambassadors substituting for Christ.’ (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) And we respect our limitations and the free will of others.

And we write with conviction because we firmly believe what we write. We have tested these matters out for ourselves and they are truth to us. Whether others find these matters to be truth rests in their own experience. We simply write what we write and we leave it on the table for others to chew on or not.

We believe if you approach our writings and the writings of others in this way, you should have no fear of being misled. If you trust the Spirit of Truth to guide you (John 16:13), then through prayer and critical thinking, using your powers of perception (Hebrews 5:14), you will know truth and the truth will set you free from following men. (John 8:32)

We don’t want to belabor this topic as we have written about this subject many times on our website, such as Question and Response 11/20/13, and Receiving Truth under the subheading “Obtaining First Hand Religion.” But if you after reading these references, you continue to have questions, please feel free to write us again.

♦ Visitor finds our website disturbing

On December 27, 2014, we received the following comment:

“I have visited your website for the first time, and I must say that what I have seen so far is quite disturbing. If I hated an organization as much as you seem to hate Jehovah's Witnesses, I would simply leave it and find another one to my liking. That is what a reasonable person would do.”

To the author, we do not hate Jehovah’s Witnesses, as any of our regular visitors well know. But your statement that this is your first visit to our site is, to put it mildly, disingenuous. You visit us every single day and have sent us “anonymous” emails several times a week for the past two months. If you dislike our website so much, why visit?

Do you not know that you are under no obligation to visit a website that you find so distasteful? May we suggest that you take your own counsel and find another website to your liking, because, as you say “that is what a reasonable person would do.” Even if you do not view us as reasonable, surely you consider yourself reasonable. So be true to yourself. Don’t be a hypocrite.

♦ Visitor who had lost faith in God questions the growth as stated in Kingdom Update - December 2014.

On December 31, 2014, we received the following detailed comment and question which we are happy to respond to. We present the entire email:

“I'm a reader of your website since end of 2012. I followed with great interest many of your articles and I check almost daily if something is new. I was a witness [for 28 years]. I pioneered and served in various positions. We were close to attending Gilead, but decided to have children instead. In 1980, I was disfellowshiped due to not accepting the [Faithful and Discreet Slave] anymore.

“In the years after 1980 I became a very active ex-witness, trying to help our former brothers to recognize the errors I found, but my own family became even more convinced as a result. I joined an evangelical group for about 10 years, became more critical, lost my faith in the Bible as God's word and finally my faith in the God the Bible represents.

“In the 2nd part of 2012, I had the desire to see what's going on with [Jehovah's Witnesses] because [my family] are still in the organization. For many years I had no interest in religion – became an agnostic – but through your articles my hope was nourished that something is going on which finally could change the organization and I could be reunited, at least with my family. I agree with a lot of your articles, which show that Jesus needs to be the center of our faith. I never commented any of your articles, but I'm thankful for the work you have done during this period. Particularly I'm thankful, that I found on your pages for the first time a reference to the Urantia Book. I have read it meanwhile from beginning to the end and I'm reading it again. It simply overwhelmed me and since reading it, I can believe again in God. There is so much to detect and as my memory fails now often (I'm 72), I will have to read it often. I'm reading daily in it and marvel about the information presented there and I tend to believe it.

“On the other side there is something which fuels my scepticism. In your Kingdom Update December 2014 you speak of the tremendous increase from April 2014 to now (from 8.7 to 27 million) which simply ignites my doubts, because that sound unbelievable. I remember that you once answered a similar question [Question and Response 2/12/14] but the answer for me was not satisfying. On what do you base such information? It would take even for an organization like the [Watchtower Bible & Tract Society] a department of people to add up all the figures which would come in from various sources and different parts of the world. I would appreciate if you could provide a satisfying and understandable answer - no details are required for it.

“Does the figure include the figures from another group or religious organization and how then do you decide which ones should or can be included? How do you get the information? I don't expect any details, but a general, open and understandable answer. Or is it that you personally have - or believe to have - contact with some of the celestial beings? Sometimes your wording rings like that.

“Personally I think that your statement of these figures rather discourages as it will fuel doubts, especially if you don't explain how you can say that. So, I should appreciate very much a satisfying clarification, as I'm considering helping you to translate your articles into German. I'm looking forward to your answer and wish you further success in your wonderful work. With kind regards.”

To the author, we want to thank you for your email. We suspect there are many others who have followed, and are following your faith journey, and many others who share your concern about the numbers reported in the Kingdom Update – December 2014, and on other articles on this website. We are awed at the numbers as well, but we assure you they are accurate as we will explain below.

First, we want to acknowledge that many, many of our brothers who were mistreated and mislead by various religious groups and who have consequently turned away from God have found their way back to faith and back to the Father and Christ Jesus by means of The Urantia Book. What happens is that the hard to understand Bible stories, and the way many of its teachers and adherents behave make it hard for intelligent, reasonable and thoughtful people in these modern times to believe there is a wise, loving, and caring God. But, in our experience, The Urantia Book, which we call “The Teacher’s Guide to the Bible,” explains many of those hard to believe stories by adding context and background which appeals to reason, logic, intelligence, and known scientific facts. And in so doing, it makes the Bible understandable and acceptable to the modern mind, and thereby builds and rebuilds faith. But we know that the vast majority of Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses would stumble at the book. That is why we limit what we publish on this website to what was actually presented in, and supported by, the Bible. More advanced concepts and the examination of extra-Biblical writings such as The Urantia Book are reserved for our sister site www.TheChristExperiment.org. We hope you continue visiting that website and sharing your thoughts. Now to your question.

You are right that it would take a very large army of men to count each person who claims to be a son of God, and there would always a question of whether the person is truly a son of God or just an imposter or a ‘wanna-be.’ While we do have a means of tracking visitors to our site, those reports do not identify who is a looky-loo and who is an actual son. So, there must be more to it.

Jesus once said: “When the son of man arrives, will he really find the faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) But faith in what? Faith in the Father; faith in Jesus; faith in the Spirit of Truth; faith in Holy Spirit; faith in the angelic army whose purpose is to serve man; faith in one another; faith in personality survival after death of the mortal body; and things like these. Like those in the 1st century, a large portion of our society is ‘a faithless generation.’ In an effort to change that, we published articles such as “Faith in Unseen Realities” and “Walking By Faith.” We showed that angels are active today and very much concerned about continuing and completing the ministry Jesus began in the 1st century. As they did back then, angels continue to guide and direct his ministry. And yes, dear brother, they can count. (Matthew 10:30) Does this stumble you? “What, therefore, if you should see the Son of man ascending to where he was before?” (John 6:32)

We hesitate to speak too much on this matter because we want people to focus on the message, not the messengers. Numbers signifying growth in the sons of God are encouraging, especially among a people who are convinced that the world is increasingly Godless and going ‘straight to Armageddon.’ But it is the plain and open teachings of Jesus that build faith and lead to peace to salvation.

The bottom line is that you can doubt the numbers if you choose to – they are only good for counting. But do not lose sight of the more important things. As some would say ‘Do not throw out the baby with the bath water.’ If what you find on this website is encouraging and if you are moved to assist us in continuing Jesus’ authentic ministry, we welcome you and any others who want to help us spread his ‘plain and open teachings.’ We especially need translators.

So, reflect on what we have written and let us know if you still wish to help us.

The Inquirer’s Reply: 1/1/15 - Dear brothers, Thank your very much for your really fast and kind answer, which I appreciate and accept - it didn't stumble me, somehow I even expected it - but certain doubts will remain for the time being. You are right, there are more important things than numbers. Your message and the articles on your site bears the spirit of truth, which I can't deny, so I'm still willing to help you in translating your articles.

♦ Visitor complains that we are trying to invent a new religion.

On May 12, 2015, we received the following inquiry:

Regarding our recent article, The Bride of Christ, she cites to Hosea 2:1-5, and then writes: So Israel also was not God's "wife"? When you started you were updating a thing or two for Bethel. Now you are inventing your own religion, like a thousand "updates". WHY in their right minds would Bethel even listen now and just scrap EVERYTHING for such endless devolution? Why did you ever even appeal to them as reasonable persons? You guys just deconstruct farther every month we check up on your progress of stumbling into a pit. You are now there. Well done...What’s next?”

To the author, thank you for your email. We are glad to see that more and more Jehovah’s Witnesses are openly disobeying the Governing Body’s unreasonable and insidious prohibition against visiting other websites and stifling them from obeying Jesus' command to ‘keep on seeking, knocking, and asking’ for truth. (Matthew 7:7-8)

Please note that the article you are writing about, The Bride of Christ, makes no mention of God’s wife or Jehovah’s relationship with ancient Israel. That is not a subject we have ever written about. We steer away from the “old wine” that was fulfilled (Matthew 5:17), ended (Romans 10:4), obsolete (Hebrews 8:13), and blinding (2 Corinthians 3:14-15), and we put our focus on the “new wine” as Jesus indicated. (Mark 2:22) Nevertheless, Jehovah’s relationship with an imperfect, rebellious, earthly people is quite a different matter than the Son of God, Jesus Christ, having a perfect, chaste bride who, by all references, is in heaven.

In this ministry, we always keep in mind that Jesus is the truth. (John 14:6) Once a person correctly understands their relationship with Jesus, all other matters become easy to discern. It is our opinion, and continues to be our opinion, that if the Governing Body would humble themselves and recognize that all their brothers are sons of God and brothers of Christ Jesus, as Jesus repeatedly stated, all of the other errors the Governing Body teaches would be easily seen and could be corrected without a great deal of effort and, certainly without the need for others, such as us, to expose them. Truth is the natural outflow from the Spirit of Truth that helps those who put Jesus’ teachings front and center. (John 16:12-15)

It is so unfortunate that the Watchtower Society has gotten so much wrong for so long, as many active, inactive and former Jehovah’s Witnesses well know. Their constant changes and flip-flops in their own teachings demonstrates that they are not being led by spirit. They are being led by the foolishness of physical people who are hopelessly trying to understand the mind of God which is impossible:

“But a physical man does not accept the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know them, because they are examined spiritually. However, the spiritual man examines all things, but he himself is not examined by any man. For “who has come to know the mind of Jehovah, so that he may instruct him?” But we do have the mind of Christ.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14-16

By the Governing Body’s continued refusal to follow the plain teachings of Jesus, which man can understand, they will continue to dig themselves, and those who follow them, deeper and deeper into the pit. (Matthew 15:14) We do not believe they can course correct until they clearly understand and teach Jesus true role in the Christian congregation and the true relationship each of us has with Jesus and the Father, and then subject themselves to that truth. As long as they divide the congregation into two camps – the ‘anointed remnant’ and the ‘other sheep’ – they will continue on a path to confusion and destruction as Jesus explained when he said ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand.’ (Mark 3:24-25)

That is why our efforts were primarily designed to get the Governing Body to acknowledge the absolute need for oneness in the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses:

“One body there is, and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” – Ephesians 4:4-6

But since they have not responded to our kind yet direct efforts, we are doing our part in carrying on Jesus’ ministry of reconciliation without them. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) We are doing what they should be doing – directing the entire congregation to follow Christ (Matthew 10:38), to teach the things Jesus taught (Matthew 28:19-20), to be baptized into Christ’s death (Romans 6:3), and to pursue the upward call – the heavenly hope. (Philippians 3:14-15) This is not a new religion. This is a return to the original religion of Jesus. And we are having tremendous success in waking up many thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses, and millions of non-Witnesses, to their true relationship with the Father so they can receive their spiritual adoption and rightful inheritance. (Matthew 25:34; Romans 8:17)

Many tell us they are happier than they have ever been in their spiritual life — old ones feeling young again, young ones gaining a spiritual maturity far beyond their years. So even though you may not approve of our method, we are clearly doing something right, so we will, of course, continue. Accordingly, without any sarcasm intended, that is what’s next.

♦ Visitor suggests correction to article "Is The Good News From God?"

On February 21, 2016, we received the following inquiry:

“Brothers: Beautiful Brochure! [The Good News from God Poster] You continue, however, to re-cycle some old myths, such as that the 66 Bible Books are not much more than human effort. Since this viewpoint is popular today, I understand your position, albeit erroneous. But you really owe to yourself, and your readers, to check the facts about the myth that the 325 Council of Nicea even discussed, much less settled the Bible canon. This is 100% myth, with no supporting facts! History seems to indicate it was Voltare who apparently first floated this fiction. Please do a little research for yourself. The evidence shows the Old Testament Canon was closed circa 400 BCE, and the New Testament Canon closed by around 100 CE. But to continually re-cycle known myths, such as the 325 Council even discussing the Bible Canon, does not help your case, nor does it edify anyone. "We did not follow cleverly contrived myths." (2 Pt. 1:16)”

To the author, thank you for your email. We did some further research, and we see your point. Accordingly, we deleted the reference to the Council of Nicaea from the article since it appears their role was more in codifying teachings, not canonizing the New Testament. Thank you again.

As to your representation that to us “the 66 Bible Books are not much more than human effort,” we must disagree. We firmly believe the 66 books of the Bible were inspired by the writers’ understanding of God, by the holy spirit and, with regard to the New Testament writings, by the Spirit of Truth. But we do not believe any of the books are the infallible word of God. Neither, by the way, did the Apostle Paul. He wrote this about the Old Testament:

“Since we have such a hope, we are using great freeness of speech, and not doing what Moses did when he would put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel might not gaze intently at the end of what was to be done away with. But their minds were dulled. For to this present day, the same veil remains unlifted when the old covenant is read, because it is taken away only by means of Christ. In fact, to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies upon their hearts. But when one turns to Jehovah, the veil is taken away. Now Jehovah is the Spirit, and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:12-17

If the writings of Moses were infallible, why do they dull the mind and blind the heart?

“If, then, perfection was attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for it was a feature of the Law that was given to the people), what further need would there be for another priest to arise who is said to be in the manner of Melchizedek and not in the manner of Aaron? . . . So, then, the former commandment is set aside because it is weak and ineffective. For the Law made nothing perfect, but the introduction of a better hope did, through which we are drawing near to God.” – Hebrews 7:11, 18-19

If the ‘former commandment’ was infallible, why wasn’t it able to bring about perfection? And why was it set aside as weak and ineffective? Infallibility is perfection. Completeness. Eternally true and unchangeable. One cannot improve on perfection. Yet time and time again, Paul writes that the old covenant, the ‘former commandment,’ and the writings of Moses, required improvement and were ‘near to vanishing away.’

“If that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second. For he does find fault with the people when he says: “‘Look! The days are coming,’ says Jehovah, ‘when I will make with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah a new covenant. It will not be like the covenant that I made with their forefathers on the day I took hold of their hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they did not remain in my covenant, so I stopped caring for them,’ says Jehovah. . . . In his saying “a new covenant,” he has made the former one obsolete. Now what is obsolete and growing old is near to vanishing away.” – Hebrews 8:7-9, 13

Based on these writings, it is clear that the Apostle Paul, and those who believed his writings, did not hold the view that the Bible is the infallible word of God. Yes, he did write:

“All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

But he never wrote that all scripture is “infallible.” No Bible writer ever wrote such a thing. Jesus referred to Old Testament stories in order to teach important lessons, but he was not affirming those stories as absolute truth anymore that Paul was confirming the absolute truth of the ‘unknown God’ when speaking to the men of Athens. (Acts 17:16-31) He was using information that was familiar to them, information that had meaning to them, in order to teach greater, more perfect things. And yes, the Bible is beneficial for teaching and reproving, and so we use it for that purpose, all the while knowing that Jesus is the one and only infallible ‘word of God.’ (See John 1:1-3, 14.) Seeking infallibility in anything else is unwise.

That is our view. We have learned from our past communications with you that you do believe the entire Bible to be the infallible word of God, and the only writing approved by God, so we will not belabor this point any further. At the very worst, you have only limited your spiritual world. You have not excluded yourself from it. And for that we can be thankful and will continue to view you as our brother in faith. How you view us is up to you.

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