Don Quixote is a well-known fictional character created by 16th-century Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes in his classic novel by that name. In that novel, Don Quixote fills his mind with legends and fables about brave knights in glittering armor coming to the rescue of damsels in distress. Soon he begins to believe that he too is a noble knight. In one famous episode, he attacks a group of windmills that he sees as a band of dangerous giants. Convinced in his own mind that he is serving God’s interests by killing those giants, he ends up totally humiliated.
Don Quixote, of course, is only make-believe, but being deceived is seldom a laughing matter. Think, for example, about the alcoholic who believes that he can drink all he wants, only to end up ruining his health and wrecking his family life. Or consider the unfortunate soul suffering from anorexia who thinks that she is well-nourished and healthy but actually is slowly starving herself to death.
Could any of us fall into the trap of being deceived? Sadly, the answer is yes. In truth, all of us are susceptible to such danger. And that includes the possibility of being deceived about our cherished religious beliefs—with potentially catastrophic consequences. Why is that so? How can you guard against being deceived?
The Dangers of Being Deceived
To deceive, says one dictionary, means “to cause to accept as true or valid what is false or invalid.” It also implies “imposing a false idea or belief that causes ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness.” The basic idea of the word, along with such other words as “mislead” and “delude,” is to lead someone astray by underhanded means. Surely, a person who is not aware that he or she is being kept in a state of “ignorance, bewilderment, or helplessness” by deliberate misinformation is in serious danger.
The really sad fact is that very often the person who is deceived or deluded tends to hold on to his belief in spite of strong evidence proving otherwise. Perhaps he gets so emotionally attached to his belief that he simply shuts his eyes and closes his ears to any evidence that might challenge it.
Are We in Danger?
‘Is it not an exaggeration to say that all of us are in danger of being deceived with regard to our religious beliefs?’ you might ask. No, it is not. This is because Satan the Devil, whom Jesus called “the father of the lie,” is bent on deceiving and deluding all of us. (John 8:44) Satan is also described in the Bible as “the god of this system of things.” He has “blinded the minds” of millions of people throughout history. (2 Corinthians 4:4) Even now, he is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.”—Revelation 12:9.
Satan began deceiving mankind at the very start of human history. For example, he deceived Eve into believing that she was not subject to the laws of her Creator and that she could “be like God, knowing good and bad,” that is, deciding for herself what was good and what was bad. (Genesis 3:1-5) That was the first great deception, for even though humans were given the freedom to choose what they would do, they were not created with the ability to determine for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Only God himself, as Creator and Sovereign, has that right and authority. (Jeremiah 10:23; Revelation 4:11) What a delusion to believe that the right to choose between good and bad means the right to determine what is good and what is bad! Unfortunately, we imperfect humans easily fall into that trap.
Could It Happen to You?
Your cherished religious beliefs may have existed for centuries, perhaps having been passed down from generation to generation. That, however, does not necessarily mean that they are true. Why not? Well, the Bible record shows that soon after the death of Christ’s apostles, deceitful men arose in the Christian congregation and taught “twisted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” (Acts 20:29, 30) They very skillfully misled people “with persuasive arguments” as well as “through the philosophy and empty deception according to the tradition of men.”—Colossians 2:4, 8.
Are things any different today? Not really, for the apostle Paul warned that things would get worse in “the last days,” the time in which we are now living. “Wicked men and impostors will advance from bad to worse,” he wrote, “misleading and being misled [or, “deluding others and deluding themselves,” Phillips].”—2 Timothy 3:1, 13.
It is therefore the course of wisdom to take seriously the warning given by the apostle Paul: “Consequently let him that thinks he is standing beware that he does not fall.” (1 Corinthians 10:12) Paul, of course, was speaking about one’s standing before God. In fact, to think that Satan could never deceive you is, in itself, a great delusion. Absolutely no one is immune to Satan’s “crafty acts.” (Ephesians 6:11, footnote) That is why the apostle expressed his fear regarding his fellow Christians that “somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by its cunning, [their] minds might be corrupted away from the sincerity and the chastity that are due the Christ.”—2 Corinthians 11:3.
How Can You Guard Against Being Deceived?
So how can you guard against being deceived by Satan? How can you make sure that you “worship [God] with spirit and truth”? (John 4:24) Use what Jehovah God has given you. First of all, he has given you intellectual capacity so that you can distinguish truth from falsehood. (1 John 5:20) He has also made it possible for you to identify Satan’s designs. (2 Corinthians 2:11) In fact, he has given you everything you need to counteract Satan’s attempts to mislead you.—Proverbs 3:1-6; Ephesians 6:10-18.
Most important, God has provided you with an infallible means with which to protect yourself. What is that? The same one that the apostle Paul encouraged his companion Timothy to rely on when it came to matters of religious faith. After giving the warning about “wicked men and impostors,” the apostle Paul told Timothy to resist them by basing everything he believed on “the holy writings”—that is, on God’s holy Word, the Bible.—2 Timothy 3:15.
Of course, some may say that anyone who believes in God and accepts the Bible as His inspired Word is misguided. In reality, though, the misguided ones are those who stubbornly ignore all the evidence that proves the existence of a Creator and that the Bible is truly God’s inspired Word.—Romans 1:18-25; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
Rather than being deceived by what is “falsely called ‘knowledge,’” use God’s Word to establish the truth. (1 Timothy 6:20, 21) Be like the noble-minded men and women whom the apostle Paul preached to in Beroea. They “received the word with the greatest eagerness of mind.” Not only were they keenly believing what the apostle Paul taught them but they were also “carefully examining the Scriptures daily as to whether these things were so.”—Acts 17:11.
You have nothing to fear from examining your beliefs in this way. In fact, the Bible encourages you to “make sure of all things” before accepting them as true. (1 Thessalonians 5:21) Toward the end of the first century C.E., the apostle John urged his fellow Christians: “Beloved ones, do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) Yes, even though a certain religious teaching seems to be “inspired”—or to come from God—it is still the course of wisdom to examine the Scriptures to make sure before accepting it as true.—John 8:31, 32.
The foregoing was quoted directly from the September 1, 2010 issue of the Watchtower. Certainly the need, in today’s world, for persons to protect themselves from falling victim to misinformation can not be overstated. This is a recurring theme presented in the society’s literature. However, witnesses are never encouraged to apply the principles to information that they receive from the Watchtower society itself. They are told that they can safely trust it as the only source of divine guidance in the world. In fact, such critical examination of the teachings from the “faithful and discreet slave”, even in the light of the Bible, is discouraged as a sign of lack of faith and disloyalty to Jehovah.
In fact, the following warning appeared in the July 2017 issue of the Watchtower in an article entitled “Winning the Battle for Your Mind”:
“A soldier whose loyalty to his leader is weakened will not fight well. So propagandists attempt to break bonds of confidence and trust between a soldier and his commander. They may use such propaganda as: “You cannot trust your leaders!” and “Do not let them lead you into disaster!” To add weight to these attacks, they may cleverly exploit any mistakes those leaders might make. Satan does this. He never gives up trying to undermine your confidence in the leadership that Jehovah has provided.
Your defense? Be determined to stick to Jehovah’s organization and loyally support the leadership he provides—no matter what imperfections may surface. (1 Thess. 5:12, 13) Do not be “quickly shaken from your reason” when faced with what appear to be damaging attacks by apostates or other such deceivers of the mind—however plausible their charges may seem. (2 Thess. 2:2; Titus 1:10) Follow the advice given to the young man Timothy. Stick to the truth you learned, and remember where you learned it. (2 Tim. 3:14, 15) Surely there is ample evidence to show that you can trust the channel that Jehovah has used for nearly a hundred years now to lead us in the way of the truth.”—Matt. 24:45-47; Heb. 13:7, 17. (The Watchtower July 2017 study edition pgs. 29-30)
Clearly there is a double standard here. Every other religious source is to be scrutinized except their organization, even if others are able to point out legitimate failures. But can a person that acts hypocritically be trusted?
Why, then, do you look at the straw in your brother’s eye but do not notice the rafter in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Allow me to remove the straw from your eye,’ when look! a rafter is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the rafter from your own eye, and then you will see clearly how to remove the straw from your brother’s eye. Matthew 7:3-5
What did Jesus say would result from putting trust in such men?
Let them be. Blind guides is what they are. If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 15:14
The above quoted September 2010 Watchtower pointed out a serious danger:
“The really sad fact is that very often the person who is deceived or deluded tends to hold on to his belief in spite of strong evidence proving otherwise. Perhaps he gets so emotionally attached to his belief that he simply shuts his eyes and closes his ears to any evidence that might challenge it.”
The following video illustrates this very fact:
Whether you follow the advice of someone that is deliberately lying to you or one who truly believes he is acting in your best interests, if the information is false the danger is the same. It might not affect your standing before God but if it could mean possible danger to your health or life is it worth the risk? You may want to review the article “Should You Refuse a Blood Transfusion?“