Ten Major Changes to the Watchtower Blood Doctrine Since 1945
"Keep abstaining from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from what is strangled, and from sexual immorality." — Acts 15:29
For Jehovah's Witnesses, these words form the foundation of one of the organization's most distinctive teachings: the refusal of blood transfusions.
Read moreActs 15, Blood Transfusions, and a Question Every Jehovah's Witness Should Ask
Few biblical passages have had a greater impact on modern medical decisions than Acts 15:28–29. For Jehovah's Witnesses, these verses are understood to prohibit not only eating blood but also accepting blood transfusions. As a result, many Witnesses have declined transfusions based on their understanding of this passage.
Read moreAntitypes — What the Bible Actually Teaches
One of the most fascinating features of the Bible is the use of “types” and “antitypes.”
In Scripture, a type is a person, event, object, or institution that foreshadows a greater future reality — the antitype.
The New Testament writers occasionally identified these prophetic patterns directly, especially when explaining how Jesus fulfilled the Hebrew Scriptures.
The important point, however, is this: the Bible itself identifies only a limited number of antitypes. Problems begin when interpreters move beyond what Scripture actually says and start assigning hidden prophetic meanings to nearly every detail in the Bible.
Read moreWatchtower Removed the Scaffolding — The Building Still Stands
For decades, Jehovah’s Witnesses were taught to see hidden prophetic patterns throughout the Bible. Nearly every major Old Testament account could become a “type” pointing to a larger “antitype” in modern times. These prophetic parallels were not treated as interesting possibilities — they were presented as evidence that Jehovah’s Witnesses occupied a central role in God’s purpose.
Read more“Yeah, but…” — The Sound of Scripture Being Overruled
Whenever you read a scripture that plainly says something, and the first response you hear from another person—perhaps even another Jehovah’s Witness—is, “Yeah, but…,” that should tell you something important.
Read moreEverything You Need to Know About “Overlapping Generations”
In 2014, David Splane of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses released a video attempting to explain why Jehovah’s Witnesses still claim we are living in “the last days.”
Read moreFrom Martin Luther to 1914: How Centuries of Upheaval Led to a Prophetic Date
The year 1914 is one of the most important dates in the theology of Jehovah’s Witnesses. According to their teaching, 1914 marked the beginning of Christ’s invisible heavenly reign and the start of the “last days.” To many people, that doctrine can seem like it appeared suddenly from a complicated Bible calculation. But historically, the road to 1914 stretches back through centuries of religious upheaval, political revolution, social anxiety, and prophetic interpretation.
Read moreRediscovering the Bible Beyond the Watchtower
Back in the 1960s, many Jehovah’s Witnesses vividly remember the release of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. It came as a compact green hardcover Bible, and at the time it was presented as a major advancement because it used what was considered more modern English. Comparisons were often made with the King James Version, especially with archaic words such as “shambles,” which in older English referred to a meat market.
The Christian Path to Freedom and Truth
If you have come to realize the freedom promised in the Bible—the freedom of the Christian, the freedom from the bondage of religious law, and the freedom to worship Jehovah through Jesus Christ alone—then you are already standing at the beginning of a difficult road.
The Myth of the Trinity
The doctrine of the Trinity—regardless of how it is explained, or which organization teaches it—rests on a false premise.