I’m a Christian, but my brother is a Jehovah’s Witnesses. He started studying when he was about 19years old. That was 21 years ago. Recently, we started an open dialogue about our beliefs. It is frustrating at times. He seems so happy and sincere. I feel like he might be saved but just in this controlling organization. He seems to have an answer for everything. I love my brother but some of the things he says are ridiculous. I thought I knew my brother, but I had never really asked him about his faith. Now, I’m not sure I know my brother after all. I’m not sure how to help him. I’ve quoted John 14:6 about Jesus being “the Truth” and the only One we are to go through to get to God, but I don’t think he let himself really hear what that verse is saying. Do you have any suggestions on what I can say to get through to my brother?

OUR RESPONSE:

Dear Christian friend,

You are experiencing firsthand the mental programming of Watchtower indoctrination. The average Jehovah’s Witnesses spends at least five hours per week studying Watchtower literature and discussing how to counter the Scriptural arguments of non-Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is why sharing clear verses like John 14:6 seems not to affect your brother. He has been taught that the Watchtower organization is “the Truth” and that it has been commissioned to act as God’s spiritual “channel of communication” to mankind, so all Scripture must pass through the grid of Watchtower interpretation. Therefore, when you show your brother a verse that disagrees with something he has been taught, he has been conditioned to twist the Scripture to fit with Watchtower doctrine. With this kind of devotion, it is little wonder that your brother seems to have “an answer” for everything. For 21 years, he has been studying 5 hours a week to counter Christian arguments!

It may seem hopeless, but there are ways to break through the grip of Watchtower indoctrination that your brother has embraced. The first thing we would recommend that you study is the article we have posted on our website, “How To Witness Effectively to Jehovah’s Witnesses – Breaking the Watchtower Barrier.” This article will equip you with key questions to ask to get your brother to start thinking for himself, instead of strictly parroting what he has been programmed to say to certain arguments. Other resources we recommend that will help you communicate in a way that will penetrates Jehovah’s Witness programming are as follows:

Free Online Resources:

Questions for Jehovah’s Witnesses
Christian Witnessing Business Cards for Jehovah’s Witnesses (www.4jehovah.org)
What Does God Require? – Biblical Answers to Questions Jehovah’s Witnesses Ask (www.4jehovah.org)
Audio Message: A Few Effective Methods in Witnessing to Jehovah’s Witnesses
How to Discuss the Deity of Jesus Christ with Jehovah’s Witnesses
DVD Seminar: JW Questions: Answering Questions Your Jehovah’s Witness Friends Ask

Resource to Purchase:

Reasoning from the Scriptures With Jehovah’s Witnesses

One final word of caution as you approach your Jehovah’s Witness brother. When he became a Jehovah’s Witness, he was told that Satan would use his family and friends to try to get him to leave “God’s organization.” Because you are a family member, you will need to be especially cautious in the way you ask questions and present information critical of the Watchtower organization. We DO NOT recommend that you mention that you are reading literature critical of the Watchtower, nor do we recommend that you try to get him to study these resources with you. If he specifically asks you “where” you are getting your information, simply reply that you were “given” this information on Jehovah’s Witnesses and you are asking him these questions because you want to make sure that what you are reading about Jehovah’s Witnesses is true. This way, you are not the “enemy” attacking him with “anti-Jehovah’s Witness literature,” but just a “victim” whom he can “help” sort out the truth about what you have learned about Jehovah’s Witnesses.

For more information see:

How can I reach my Jehovah’s Witness Sister?
What can I say to my Jehovah’s Witness friend?