A - Apostasy

Recognizable Questions What exactly does apostasy mean? Is doubting a teaching already apostasy? Are you an apostate if you no longer believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses are God’s organization? Is leaving the organization the same as leaving Jehovah? When does criticism or a different belief become apostasy? And who ultimately decides whether someone is apostate? What does apostasy mean? In general religious terms, apostasy means that someone abandons or rejects a faith or belief they previously held. Among Jehovah’s Witnesses, the term has a more specific and more serious religious meaning. In Jehovah’s Witness publications, apostasy is described as turning away from true worship, leaving it, or rebelling against Jehovah. The term can refer to consciously rejecting fundamental beliefs and to promoting views that Jehovah’s Witnesses consider contrary to Bible truth. In the JW context, apostasy therefore means more than simply having questions or doubting something . Doubt is not the same as apostasy A Jehovah’s Witness may have questions about a Bible explanation, a changed teaching, events in the organization’s history, or a decision by the Governing Body. That does not automatically make someone an apostate. There is a difference between: “I don’t understand this explanation.” “I doubt whether this explanation is correct.” “I no longer believe this explanation is correct.” “I am trying to convince others that the organization’s teaching is wrong.” Within Jehovah’s Witnesses, these situations may be judged differently. That is why it is important not to automatically treat doubt, research, a change in belief, and actively expressing views considered apostate within the organization as the same thing. What does “leaving the truth” mean? To understand apostasy within Jehovah’s Witnesses, the expression “the truth” is also important. When a JW says: “He left the truth,” this usually means more than that someone no longer interprets a particular Bible verse the same way. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they have found the true Christian religion and that Jehovah uses a visible organization. As a result, faith in Jehovah, Bible truth, and trust in his organization are closely connected within the faith. Someone who leaves may describe the same event differently: “I examined what I believed and came to a different conclusion.” The same process can therefore be described from the inside as apostasy , while the person who leaves experiences it as a change in belief . Is leaving the organization the same as leaving Jehovah? Not necessarily from the perspective of the person who leaves. A former JW may say, for example: “I still believe in Jehovah and the Bible, but no longer believe that Jehovah’s Witnesses are exclusively his organization.” Another person loses both trust in the organization and faith in God. Yet another joins a different Christian church. And someone else no longer knows what they believe for a long time. Within Jehovah’s Witness teaching, this is more complicated, because loyalty to Jehovah is strongly linked to his supposed visible organization. That is why “he left Jehovah’s Witnesses” does not provide enough information to know what someone really believes about Jehovah, Jesus, or the Bible. What if you disagree with the Governing Body? Jehovah’s Witnesses assign the Governing Body a special spiritual responsibility. According to current teaching, it forms the “faithful and discreet slave” that provides spiritual food. At the same time, the organization has itself published that the Governing Body is not inspired and not infallible . According to its own publications, it can make mistakes in doctrinal explanation or organizational direction. That means that having a question or disagreement does not automatically prove that someone is turning against Jehovah. However, within the faith there is an important difference between personally having questions and actively promoting views that are fundamentally at odds with Jehovah’s Witness teaching . That is why context matters. Apostasy and information Jehovah’s Witnesses are explicitly warned about information from people who are regarded within the organization as apostates. Official study material advises members not to read, watch, listen to, or distribute material from apostates. From the faith perspective of Jehovah’s Witnesses, the reason is spiritual protection: apostate information can, according to them, damage a person’s faith and relationship with Jehovah. An active JW may therefore think: ‘Why would I look at information from someone who is deliberately trying to pull me away from Jehovah?’ A doubting or former JW may respond with another question: ‘How can I judge whether his claims are false if I don’t examine for myself what they are based on?’ Those two perspectives help explain why information from former members can be such a sensitive subject. Not all critical information is automatically true Just because someone is critical of Jehovah’s Witnesses does not make their information automatically reliable. A former JW can be mistaken. A website may use outdated information. A video may take a statement out of context. A personal story may describe a real experience without that experience being representative of every JW. Independent research therefore does not simply mean switching authorities. Not: ‘ JW.org says it, so it must be true.’ But also not: ‘An ex-JW says it, so it must be true.’ A more useful question is: ‘What is the original source, and can I verify the claim myself?’ When is someone considered apostate? This is difficult to sum up in a single sentence, because not every doubt about the faith or differing thought carries the same meaning. Within Jehovah’s Witness religious rules, certain forms of apostasy can eventually lead to congregational action, especially when someone knowingly rejects core doctrines and continues promoting dissenting beliefs. That means there is an important difference between what someone thinks in their head and what someone openly teaches or tries to spread . A person who is doubting and doing research is therefore not automatically in the same situation as someone who is actively trying to turn congregation members against the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Apostasy and removal Apostasy can within Jehovah’s Witnesses be one reason why someone is eventually removed from the congregation . But not everyone who is removed is an apostate. Someone may be removed, for example, because of sexual conduct the organization considers a serious sin, drunkenness, or some other serious transgression in which, according to the elders, no repentance is shown. Conversely, someone may have all kinds of doubts without being removed. The terms apostasy and removal should therefore not be used as synonyms. Why does the word carry so much weight? For someone outside Jehovah’s Witnesses, apostasy may sound like a formal word for changing religion. Within the JW community, it can feel much more serious. It may be associated with spiritual danger, disloyalty to Jehovah, deception, and trying to lead others away from the truth. As a result, someone who is beginning to have serious doubts may not only think: ‘What if this isn’t true?’ but also: ‘What if it’s wrong of me to even be investigating this?’ Those are two different questions. The first is about truth . The second is about the freedom someone feels to search for that truth . Who decides what apostasy is? The doctrinal boundaries are ultimately determined by what Jehovah’s Witnesses officially teach as Bible truth. When a concrete situation arises within a congregation, elders may have to assess what someone believes, says, or does, and how that relates to the organization’s religious standards. It is important to distinguish between two kinds of assessment here. Elders can assess whether someone’s statements or conduct fall under apostasy according to Jehovah’s Witness standards. But according to the Bible, ultimately only Jehovah can fully know the heart . That means an organizational assessment of someone’s religious standing is not necessarily the same as full knowledge of a person’s motives, conscience, or personal relationship with God. Can someone not see themselves as apostate at all? Yes. Someone can be considered apostate by others and reject that label entirely themselves. For example, they might say: ‘I haven’t left Jehovah. I just no longer believe that the Governing Body speaks on his behalf.’ Or: ‘I’m not against Jehovah’s Witnesses. I’m only explaining why I no longer believe.’ An active JW may judge those same statements differently from within his religious framework. That is why, in this context, the question ‘apostate according to whom?’ is especially relevant. A label doesn’t tell the whole story Former Jehovah’s Witnesses are not a homogeneous group. Some still believe in Jehovah. Some remain Christian. Some become atheist or agnostic. Some actively campaign against the organization. Others mainly want to move on with their lives and hardly ever talk about Jehovah’s Witnesses. That is why the word apostate or apostasy never automatically tells the whole story. The reverse is also true. A former JW who refers to every active Jehovah’s Witness as nothing but indoctrinated also reduces a person to a single explanation. A religious label can say something about someone’s position. It does not automatically say who someone is. For reflection What belief has someone actually left? Have they left Jehovah, the organization, or do they distinguish between the two themselves? Are they still doubting, or have they already reached a different conclusion? Are they researching information, or actively trying to persuade others? Do I know their own reasons, or only what others say about them? Can I examine a claim without first having to decide whether the person making it is trustworthy or ‘apostate’? If my faith is true, what should careful examination be able to show about it? In conclusion Apostasy is a serious religious concept among Jehovah’s Witnesses. It does not simply mean that someone has questions, doubts, or no longer attends meetings. It refers to turning away from what is regarded within the community as true worship and can, depending on belief and conduct, have serious religious consequences. At the same time, two people may describe the same change in belief in completely different ways. Where one sees apostasy , another may speak of research, freedom of conscience, or a changed belief . So alongside ‘Is this person an apostate?’ , a perhaps more informative question is: ‘What does this person actually believe, what have they examined, and how did they reach their conclusion?’ Sources JW.org - How to Remain in God’s Love? - Endnote 18: Apostasy JW.org - Happy Forever!, lesson 58 - Remain loyal to Jehovah JW.org - Can Someone Choose to Stop Being One of Jehovah’s Witnesses? JW.org - publications on apostasy and information from apostates The Watchtower - February 2017 - Who Is Leading God’s People Today? Watchtower Online Library - Apostasy New World Translation - Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 2 John 9-11; 1 Samuel 16:7 See also in the A-Z Glossary of Jehovah’s Witnesses A - Apostate - Who is considered an apostate among Jehovah’s Witnesses? B - Governing Body - What role does the Governing Body have? D - The truth - What do JWs mean when they speak of ‘the truth’? J - Jehovah’s organization - What is meant by this expression? V - Disfellowshipping - What does it mean when someone is removed from the congregation?