Fading, Faking and Lying as an Unbelieving Jehovah’s Witness: A Moral Criticism

I want to use this post to examine a purely moral problem that pops up occasionally in discussions. Let’s take a quote from an internet forum as an example. After a long and hateful tirade on the evils of Jehovah’s Witnesses and their teachings, a Mr. Jordan ends with this line:

“I am a Ministerial Servant and lifelong JW, though I am only staying in so that I don't lose my family.” - Jordan

Do you notice the immediate problem here? Here is a man, who is trying to convince us of the truth of his own position while tearing down the truths held by his opponents. Here is a man launching moral condemnation at Jehovah’s Witnesses with no holding back. Here is a man trying to take the righteous high ground. But what does his last line really show him to be?

Nothing less than a moral coward. A hypocrite to end all hypocrites. A man who tries to pluck straws out of the eyes of Jehovah’s Witnesses while forgetting the rafter in his own eye.

Let me explain with a pair of stories:

There was recently a young man living in the Fiji islands. As the young man was sitting under a tree meditating, he was approached by one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The two had a long conversation, and by the end the young man was deeply interested in what these Witnesses had to teach. He returned to his home island and, excitedly, tried to tell his friends and family and neighbors about these wonderful new teachings, but they would have none of it. Witness teachings were contradictory to official church teachings of the village, and could not be tolerated. His friends quickly abandoned him, his family cut ties with him, and his neighbors even set fire to his crops. But the young man never relented in publicly declaring what he thought to be true, even in the face of loss and persecution. He kept pursuing truth openly and in whatever way he could, even crossing miles of open sea every week just to attend Witness meetings and learn more. He placed a very high value on truth and was not afraid to sacrifice for it.

I myself chose to pursue Witness teachings in my late teens. It brought a lot of tears and grief. My own parents turned violent against me and threatened to throw me out on the street. My grandparents turned against me and wrote me out of their will entirely. My grandfather, who was my childhood hero and best friend, went to his grave declaring disappointment in me. I had to watch my own mother break down in tears in front of me, begging me to stop my association with these people, and it felt like a knife through the heart. But I did not ever quit pursuing what I felt to be the truth just because of the fear of losing relationships. I was willing to sacrifice if it came down to it, because to me it meant intellectual integrity and the attainment of ultimately higher ends.

And if I ever come to disagree with the Witnesses enough that it merits a break, then I would not hesitation to break with them, even if it meant loss of more relationships. There are no regrets as long as one stays consistent with one's own values, and truth ought to be one of man’s very highest values.

Even the 1st century Christians understood this lesson well. Jesus himself said

"17 Be on YOUR guard against men; for they will deliver YOU up to local courts, and they will scourge YOU in their synagogues. 18 Why, YOU will be haled before governors and kings for my sake, for a witness to them and the nations. 19 However, when they deliver YOU up, do not become anxious about how or what YOU are to speak; for what YOU are to speak will be given YOU in that hour; 20 for the ones speaking are not just YOU, but it is the spirit of YOUR Father that speaks by YOU. 21 Further, brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child, and children will rise up against parents and will have them put to death. 22 And YOU will be objects of hatred by all people on account of my name; but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved."

The original disciples of Christ understood that they would lose much and suffer greatly if they chose to pursue what they felt to be the truth, and yet they made the choice anyways. They never hesitated to speak publicly and openly defend their beliefs. They were true examples of courage and conviction, even if one doesn't agree with Christian theology.

Now let's go back to our original quote, where we have Mr. “I hate everything that Witnesses teach yet I still pretend to be a Witness” Jordan.

Mr. Jordan keeps himself shoulders deep in what he clearly considers to be lies. He considers Witness teachings immoral, unloving, evil, a rebellion against nature itself, and yet there he is, King of Hypocrites, still pretending to be one of them and publicly associating with them.

I myself would never, under any circumstances, publicly pretend to hold values that I secretly detest, solely for the sake of maintaining relationships. It would be utter hypocrisy and moral cowardice, a violation of integrity. It would be outright lying to and deceiving those whom I sought to maintain relationships with, drawing them to myself on false pretenses and with a false face. It would be an outright rejection of truth as a value.

These types of people try to tear others down and argue truth while they themselves, through their actions, show that they despise truth and place no value on it. They try to turn Witnesses away from their faith while they themselves are too cowardly to walk away or declare their opinions in the open. In my humble opinion, ones like Mr. Jordan deserve no respect and no attention from anyone, Witness or non-Witness.