To: The XXXXX Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses C/o XXX XXXX (Presiding Overseer) XXX XXX XXX Scotland XXX From: XXX XXXX XXX XXX XXX Scotland XXX 6th January 2002 Dear friends, These past six months, or so, have proved interesting times. They have provided to be times of highs and deep lows, for me. To start with the encouraging, the Holy Spirit anointed me in June of last year, thus I would lay the claim of being a Spirit anointed and filled Christian. This has had a profound effect on my life as the scriptures have opened up. God’s word now reads to me as a letter from my heavenly Father and portions of scripture, that I thought (and had been taught) didn’t apply to me, now have meaning. My relationship with my dear Father has changed significantly. I thought I had a good relationship and yet now I know that it was but a shadow of the real thing (Rom.8:15,16). Further, I had neither fully appreciated the need for, nor had, a relationship with my Lord and King Jesus Christ. I had thought it sufficient to acknowledge the role He had in the Father’s purposes, as well as the sin-atoning value of His sacrifice. Now I know that much, much more is involved. Jesus Christ isn’t just a created thing, a piece in a cosmic game of chess. Jesus is my Liege, my Head, my husbandly owner, my King, or as Thomas put it “My Lord and my God!”. I have been humbled by the immensity of His sacrifice, and further, by the free gift that He bestows on fleshly beings. I have been brought to tears over the fact that He would call me “brother”, when I have spent a life so removed from Him. To serve His interests, wherever and however that might be, is my chief aim, that I might glorify Him (Joh.13:32; 17:5). I always wondered how I might kiss the Son (Ps.2:12) and now I have my answer. Neither can I hold to Arian doctrines, since my Lord has revealed Himself to be far more that I had ever imagined, or been taught. Previous to this experience I had regularly prayed, and at times felt that I had my prayers answered. During this last period I have become a “man of prayer”, praying regularly throughout each and every day. I have come to realise that prayer really is a two-way street, and that God truly is a hearer of prayer. I have become insatiable for the word of God, reading hours every night in a variety of translations, cross- comparing and examining the Greek text underlining difficult passages. Yet this was not for the purpose of self-aggrandisement, nor knowledge for its own sake, but I found myself literally driven to it by the action of the Holy Spirit. Previously it was with a serious study regimen, but now I have a focus that has brought forth truth (Joh.5:39,40; 14:6). I probably need not elaborate on the fact that there was a certain comfort zone in trying to retain my old beliefs. That wasn’t to be, however, as the Spirit and the word of God overturned “the deeply entrenched things” in my life (Heb.4:12; 2Cor.10:4,5). One of the next issues, that raised itself in my awareness, was with regard to the Greek text itself. I found that many of the texts that I found myself reading read one way in one translation, and differently in another, especially with reference to my Lord. I became uneasy in the Spirit, and this was exacerbated when I read the underlying Greek. I quickly came to realise that the translators of the New World Translation appeared to have taken liberties with the text, weaving in subtle doctrinal based renderings. Just one example being the word translated “temple”, for which there are two words. The temple area ----- Page 2 ----- (Hieron) included the temple sanctuary and it’s environs of the courtyards, and the very temple sanctuary itself (naos) which comprised of the Most Holy, Holy, and Porch. Jesus cleared the money-changers out of the courtyards (hieron) which are correctly rendered as the temple, but more appropriately the temple area. That, too, was where He would preach, and His disciples after Him. Judas threw the silver monies into the sanctuary (naos). This may appear academic, and yet the Watchtower seems outrightly deceptive in placing the Great Crowd of Rev.7:15 as working in the Outer Courtyard, when it can be clearly seen in the Kingdom Interlinear Translation (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society), of the Westcott and Hort Greek texts, that Temple Sanctuary (Naos) is used here. This is of serious import to a Spirit filled Christian (2Cor.6:16), and should be for all those Jehovah’s Witnesses that believe they will be of this Great Crowd class. It’s nothing short of miraculous how something can be presented as fact that is tenuous, at best. This examination of God’s word in English and Greek was the beginning of a road of painful discovery, as I realised that the Watchtower Society appears to be very clever in its use of language and deception to bend concepts and references to support its current “light”. This is to say nothing of the changes back and forth, written off as increasing “light”, but proving more like a strobe. Did not Charles Taze Russell declare that “A new view of truth never can contradict a former truth.”? Is the Spirit leading a merry dance (1Joh.4:1)? Ignatius, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, etc. as well as the church historian Eusebius shed a completely different light on the early Christian history that the Watchtower portrays. Selective quotations are often used to make these writers appear to support Watchtower doctrines, when often reading these letters in context can show that the author held a completely different view. This is scholastic dishonesty, to my way of thinking. More recently has been the issue of the United Nations. How is it possible that the Watchtower magazine can continue to outrightly condemn it as the image of the Wild beast (Rev.13:14), yet its companion magazine “Awake!” has been printing positive comments and disseminating information about it. Could it be that they have had to submit copies of articles to the UN, to remain affiliated to it as a Non Government Organisation (NGO), which they had remained for around a decade, until exposed in October of 2001? The Guardian newspaper had a couple of articles exposing this hypocrisy. The library card idea was hilarious. Finally, need I go into the debacle of a more personal situation that has developed in the local congregation? Not only has there been a history of a real lack of love in the way that a number of individuals have been dealt with, my own family members included, but it is generally acknowledged that there is precious little “hiding place from the wind” (Isa.32:1,2). This situation has been merely icing on the cake, that proves that there is less brotherly love but something more like camaraderie, less unity and more conformity, less Christian love and more fear (1Joh.4:16-19). It is time that some learn to respect individuals, and their personal dignity, rather than applying a batch of man-made rules and erroneous interpretations (Matt.12:7;24:48-51, and similar from chapter 25). That would be truly Christ-like, but then there certainly appears to be a dearth of true Christian love and compassion. These are but a few issues, and a few rhetorical questions. How many more anointed Christians must leave before you get the message (Rev.18:4), or is the intent to keep the statistics down? No doubt you will apply Rom.16:17,18 to me (erroneously, since I have done nothing of the sort), but I would suggest you look a little closer to home, first. It is with little regret that I must announce that I can no longer conscientiously remain a member of the XXXX Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor any of it’s associated bodies (i.e. Jehovah’s Witnesses per se, International Bible Students Association, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Great Britain et al), and I disassociate myself from these. I truly love the individual members but the organisation is, to my mind, corrupt and doctrinally flawed. I may well be shunned by lifelong friends, due to your rules, but in truth Christ is greater gain (Eph.1:3-7). Yours truly, XXX XXXX. cc. Circuit Overseer (XXXX No.X Circuit), Watch tower Bible and Tract Society of Great Britain, Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses (New York).