The Sunday morning session of the 2021 “Powerful By Faith” Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses contains a symposium entitled: “Imitate Women of Strong Faith”. The sixth talk in the series by governing body helper Leonard Myers (The Phoenician Woman) contained a video discouraging witnesses from exercising critical thinking by presenting a scene of a newly interested person’s avoidance of listening to any information critical of the organization. The following is a critique of that video.
Cleary the critical information was deliberately portrayed in a bad light as coming from enemies of Jehovah’s Witnesses that apparently had no good motives. On the other hand, witnesses are well known for criticizing other religions. They often justify this by appealing to the example of Jesus Christ.
For example note what this Awake article has to say:
…ask yourself: Why did Jesus publicly criticize religious men who claimed to serve the same God he preached? Was his motive bad? Not at all. Though he was mild-tempered and kind, his love for righteousness and his desire to aid honest-hearted persons moved him to criticize those who were teaching or acting contrary to God’s revealed will.—Matt. 11:28-30; Heb. 1:9.
Also, Jesus’ frank comments could help persons. For example, what if, in learning to use a dangerous machine, you kept making a serious error. Would you not be benefited if someone corrected you before you hurt or killed yourself or others? Accordingly, Jews hearing Jesus’ truthful criticism could be helped on the way to God’s approval and salvation.
Was it only Christ who could properly make such comments? No, for the Bible shows clearly that Jesus’ disciples also called attention to religious error. For example, read Stephen’s bold denunciation of the Jewish leaders. (Acts 7:51-54) And note that the apostle Paul branded the Athenian worship of idols as “ignorance.” (Acts 17:29, 30) Further, out of love for truth these first-century Christians exposed deviations from true Christianity by ones professing to be Christians.—1 Tim. 1:19, 20; 2 Tim. 2:16-19.
What, though, if you had lived then and Jesus’ followers criticized the religion of your friends and relatives? As now, it would have been easy to take offense. Still, we cannot deny that the disciples’ comments—critical though they were—were right, and they are included in God’s Word. As with Jesus, the motive behind the criticism was good. So the disciples were being Christian—not unchristian—in pointing out religious error.
Consequently, is it unchristian today to offer Bible-based comments about another’s religion? The Scriptural answer must be No. True, criticism that reveals faults in the teachings or practices of someone’s religion might at first seem severe. Yet, how should one react? Not like those who became violently enraged over Stephen’s criticism. Rather, note the fine reaction of some Athenians who heard Paul’s comments. They accepted the Bible truth and became believers, to their eternal benefit.—Compare Acts 17:11, 12.
Far from being rejected as unchristian, then, criticism based on God’s Word should be carefully considered, for it can bring real benefits. (Awake November 22, 1974 pg. 27)
However, when it comes to criticism of their own religion it is viewed by them as unchristian and should be rejected. Did the website that the co-worker offered to share in the video offer criticism that was based on God’s word? Cleverly, the viewer was not allowed to know what the criticism was. It was automatically assumed as being invalid and unjustified.
Is this fair, honest and objective? Or does it seem rather cultish?
What do you think?