1Steven Hassan, Combatting Mind Control (Rochester, Vermont: Park Street Press, 1988), 7.

2Ibid., 7, 55.

3Ibid., 59.

4With some cult groups isolation can be literal. In other words, the member is physically removed from his original environment and forced to live a communal-style life with other cult members. However, in many cults, the isolation is psychological. This means that the cult member is mentally and emotionally isolated from contact with the outside world. He will frequently refuse to watch television, read a newspaper, or listen to any critical information about his group.

5Hassan, Combatting Mind Control,

61. 6Robert B. Cialdini, Influence (New York: William Morrow & Co., 1984), 212.

7Stanley Milgram, Obedience to Authority (New York: Harper & Row, 1974), xii.

8Cialdini, Influence, 170, 172.

9Hassan, Combatting Mind Control, 14.

10Ibid., 82.

11Ibid., 80.

12Ibid., 64.

13Ibid., 45.

14The Watchtower, February 15, 1994, 4.

15No one can deny that Jesus and His disciples were falsely accused, but that does not mean that this is true of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Many cults cite evidence of their group being persecuted or criticized, and in the process, identify themselves with Jesus and the early church. However, the mere fact that opposition exists neither proves nor disproves the charges against them. Each accusation must be carefully examined to determine if it has any basis in fact or not.

16This is a classic example of what is known as a “straw man” argument. The Watchtower sets up a fake “straw man”–the non-sensical description of Jehovah’s Witnesses that the Russian official first heard–and then easily knocks down that straw man. This is done to create the impression that all opposing arguments can be easily refuted in the same way. In reality, however, the organization conveniently ignores the problems that have basis in fact and for which it has no answers.

17The same can be said of countless other groups that are labeled as “cults.” Of utmost importance is determining whether the group is truly studying the Bible or merely twisting the Scriptures (see 2 Pet 3:16).

18Secretiveness is not an issue that cult researchers regard as significant in judging the danger-level of a cult group.

19Jehovah’s Witnesses certainly do not fit into the category of a small fringe cult, but this does not rule out the possibility that they may be a large major cult.

20It will be demonstrated that this is a misrepresentation of the facts.

21The truth of this statement will be examined in the light of evidence from Watchtower publications.

22The Watchtower, February 15, 1994, 6.

23Ibid., 6.

24Perhaps the most amazing aspect of “double-think” lies in the fact that cult members fail to recognize the contradiction involved.

25The Governing Body is the ruling council for Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide. In recent years its membership has varied from ten to eighteen men.

26The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, 197.

27The Nations Shall Know that I am Jehovah (New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1971), 70, 292.

28The Watchtower, June 15, 1964, 365.

29The Watchtower, June 1, 1982, 17.

30The Watchtower, December 1, 1981, 27.

31The Watchtower, June 1, 1993, 21.

32The Watchtower, March 15, 1969, 172.

33The Watchtower, June 1, 1967, 337.

34The Watchtower, June 15, 1957, 370.

35The Watchtower, February 15, 1976, 124.

36Raymond Franz, In Search of Christian Freedom (Atlanta: Commentary Press, 1991), 421

37You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York), 237.

38The Watchtower, August 1, 1980, 19. “Apostate” is a term that refers to a former Witness who now denies Watchtower doctrine. It is also often used to describe anyone who opposes the Watchtower organization. In either case, the opposer is viewed as someone worse than a prostitute, murderer, or child abuser. “Apostate” is the most derogatory term in a Jehovah’s Witness’s vocabulary.

39The Watchtower, October 1, 1952, 599.

40The Watchtower, March 1, 1983, 25.

41The Watchtower, June 15, 1980, 8.

42The Watchtower, July 1, 1963, 411-413.

43The Watchtower, October 1, 1952, 599. Psalm 139: 21-22 is often quoted as Scriptural support for this line of reasoning. However, Jesus Christ taught, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matt 5:44).

4The Watchtower, January 1, 1983, 31. It should be noted that the children, not the parents who shun the children, are the ones who are to carry the blame for the problems that result.

45Awake!, November 22, 1984, 3. See also The Watch-tower, January 15, 1989, 3-7.

46Awake!, November 22, 1984, 4.

47The Watchtower, March 15, 1986, 20.

48The Watchtower, December 15, 1984, 19. The Scriptures listed are applied to any who oppose the Watchtower organization.

49The Watchtower, May 1, 1984, 31.

50The Watchtower, March 15, 1986, 17.

51Matt 7:3-5.

52The Watchtower, March 1, 1983, 25.

53The Watchtower, January 15, 1983, 27.

54The Watchtower, February 1, 1996, 23-24. Possible sources of doubts listed are: pride, wrong thinking, apostate ideas, and worldly philosophy. There is no justifiable excuse for doubting the organization.

55The Watchtower, February 1, 1952, 80.

56The Watchtower, April 1, 1994, 32.

57The Watchtower, February 1, 1952, 80.

58The Watchtower, May 1, 1957, 274.

59John 6:68.

60The Watchtower, September 15, 1993, 22.

61The Watchtower, July 15, 1996, 20.

62The Watchtower, December 1, 1981, 27. In Watchtower doctrine, “Babylon the Great” refers to the “world empire of false religion” comprised of all non-Jehovah’s Witness religious organizations and their members.

63You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth (New York: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1982), 255.

64See John 14:23, 15:4-5, Romans 8:15-17, Galatians 2:20, Philippians 4:13 and other Scriptures.

65See Philippians 1:10, Ephesians 4:17.

66See Romans 14:1-6.

67See John 16:13.

68Matt 28:20.