Meleti Vivlon
Applying the Two-Witness Rule Equitably
The two-witness rule (see De 17:6; 19:15; Mt 18:16; 1 Tim 5:19) was intended to protect the Israelites from being convicted based on false accusations. It was never intended to shield a criminal rapist from justice. Under the law of Moses, there were provisions to...Child Sexual Abuse Policies of JW.org – 2018
DISCLAIMER: There are many sites on the internet that do nothing but bash the Governing Body and the Organization. I get emails and comments all the time expressing appreciation that our sites are not of that type. Yet, it can be a fine line to walk at times. Some...Bias, Poor Translation, or Better Insight?
One of our readers sent me an e-mail recently asking an interesting question: Hello, I am interested in a discussion on Acts 11:13-14 where Peter is recounting the events of his meeting with Cornelius. In verse 13b & 14 Peter is quoting the angel’s words to...
December, 2017 Monthly Broadcast
This broadcast is part 1 of the graduation ceremony for the 143rd Gilead class. Gilead used to be an accredited school in New York State, but this is no longer the case. Samuel Herd of the Governing Body opened the sessions by speaking of Jehovah as our Grand...
Anthony Morris III: Jehovah Blesses Obedience
In this latest video, Anthony Morris III is not really talking about obedience to Jehovah, but rather, obedience to the Governing Body. He claims that if we obey the Governing Body, Jehovah will bless us. That means that Jehovah approves of the decisions coming down...
“Joel Dellinger: Cooperation Builds Unity (Luke 2:41)”
There is a video on JW.org titled “Joel Dellinger: Cooperation Builds Unity (Luke 2:41)” The theme text reads: “Now his parents were accustomed to go from year to year to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover.” (Lu 2:41) I fail to see what that has to do with...
Theocratic Warfare or Just Plain Lying?
This week we are treated to two videos from distinct sources that are linked by a common element: Deception. Sincere lovers of truth are bound to find what follows to be deeply disturbing, although there will be some who will justify it as what the Organization calls...October 2017 Broadcast
Witnesses are taught to believe that the food they get from those claiming to be the Lord’s Faithful and Discreet Slave constitutes a “banquet of well-oiled dishes”. They are led to believe that this nutritional bounty is unparalleled in the modern world and are...“Jehovah Has Always Had An Organization.”
“Jehovah has always had an organization, so we have to remain in it, and wait on Jehovah to fix anything that needs to be changed.” Many of us have encountered some variation on this line of reasoning. It comes when the friends or family members we are speaking to...New Post on Bible Study Forum
We’ve just released a new post on the Bible Study Forum site: “Salvation, Part 6: Armageddon”.Salvation, Part 6: Armageddon
[To view the previous article in this series see: The Children of God] What is Armageddon? Who dies are Armageddon? What happens to those who die at Armageddon? Recently, I was having dinner with some good friends who had also invited another couple for me to get to...On the Road
I will be travelling by car from Chicago down to the deserts of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico from Sep 24 to October 11. It’s a sort of clear-my-head road trip following all that’s happened over the past year. It should take me through Iowa,...2017-09-01 Letter to the BOE in Australia
A new policy letter dated September 1, 2017 covering child abuse in the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses has just been released to the Bodies of Elders in Australia. At the time of this writing, we do not yet know if this letter represents a worldwide policy...Fake News
One has to be very careful what one accepts as true in these days of social media news. While the term “fake news” is often misapplied due to the tweets of one particular man, there is a lot of real “fake news” out there. Sometimes, a...The Two-Witness Rule under the Microscope
[A special thanks goes out to contributing writer, Tadua, whose research and reasoning are the basis for this article.] In all likelihood, only a minority of Jehovah’s Witnesses have viewed the proceedings that took place over the past couple of years in Australia....Checking the Source
This week Witnesses start to study the July issue of the Watchtower Study Edition. A while ago, we published a review of a secondary article in this issue which you can view below. However, something just came to light which has taught me to be more careful in...I’m Not Worthy
“Keep doing this in remembrance of me.” – Luke 22:19 It was at the memorial of 2013 that I first obeyed those words of my Lord Jesus Christ. My late-wife declined to partake that first year, because she did not feel worthy. I have come to see that this is a common...Should We Obey the Governing Body
One of our readers drew my attention to a blog article which I think reflects the reasoning of most Jehovah’s Witnesses. The article begins by drawing a parallel between the self-declared ‘non-inspired, fallible’ Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses and other groups...Stop the Presses!
Stop the presses! The Organization has just admitted that the Other Sheep doctrine is unscriptural. Okay, to be fair, they don’t know they’ve admitted this yet, but they have. To understand what they’ve done, we have to understand the basis for the...Trouw Article: Among the Jehovah’s, the Group Comes before the Individual
This third article from the Trouw Dutch daily newspaper is written in the form of an interview. You can read the original here. Among the Jehovah’s, the Group Comes before the Individual The way Jehovah’s Witnesses handle abuse is traumatic for the victims, according...Trouw Article: A Paradise for Pedophiles
This is a translation of the July 22, 2017 article in Trouw, a Dutch newspaper, which is one in a series of articles reporting on the way Jehovah’s Witnesses handle child sexual abuse. Click here to see the original article. A Paradise for Pedophiles The way...Trouw Article: “Elders Are Investigators, Judges, and Psychologists”
This is a translation of the July 21, 2017 article in Trouw, a major Dutch newspaper, concerning what is expected of Jehovah’s Witnesses elders when handling cases of child sexual abuse. This is the first of a series of articles exposing the poor way that the...Using God’s Name: What Does It Prove?
A friend who is going through a difficult time right now, because of loving and sticking to the truth in the Bible instead of blindly accepting the teachings of men, was asked by one of his elders to explain his decision to stop attending meetings. In the course of...New Article on BP Bible Study Forum
I’ve just published a thought-provoking new article on the BP – Bible Study Forum (a separate site) by a new contributing author, Eleasar. It was a toss-up as to whether to publish on this site or the Bible Study forum. This site is very JW-centric and...
JW Jingoism
In the July, 2017 broadcast on tv.jw.org, the organization appears to be defending itself against attacks made by internet sites. For example, they now feel the need to try to prove there is a scriptural basis for calling themselves “The Organization”. They also...Granted to Understand the Sacred Secrets of the Kingdom
Under the category, “Reasoning with Jehovah’s Witnesses”, we are slowly trying to build up a knowledge base that Christians can utilize to—one hopes—reach the heart of our JW friends and family. Sadly, in my own experience, I’ve found a...The Lord Is Knocking
[This little gem came out at our last weekly on-line meeting. I just had to share.] “. . .Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and take the evening meal with him and he with me.” (Re...New Look and Spanish Site Launch
As you can see, we’ve changed the look of the Beroean Pickets – JW.org Reviewer site. The sister site, Beroean Pickets – Bible Study Forum, has experienced a similar facelift. The idea was to make both sites easier to navigate across all devices,...Are We in the Last Days?
This forum is for the study of the Bible, free from the influence of any particular religious system of belief. Nevertheless, the power of indoctrination as practiced by the various Christian denominations is so pervasive that it cannot be ignored altogether,...
Watchtower Music Videos
You may recall this image taken from the July, 2016 Watchtower Study Edition, p. 7. You can find our review of that particular study article here. The theme of the article was “Why Must We ‘Keep on the Watch?’” At the time, this reviewer felt that the new rule...New “Our Salvation” Article Posted!
Part 5 of the Our Salvation Series has been posted on Beroean Bible Study forum. If you would like to read the article, click here. If you would like to be notified of future articles, visit the Beroean Bible Study site and enter your e-mail address under the Get...Salvation, Part 5: The Children of God
What role do the Children of God play in the salvation of Mankind? What is the “one-chance doctrine” of salvation and why is it taught so extensively? Does God truly give every human an equal opportunity to be saved?
A Fairy Godmother Religion
I’ve been thinking about the theme of this year’s Regional Convention: Don’t Give Up! It’s an oddly prosaic theme, don’t you think? What is its purpose? That brought to mind a recent discussion with a close friend who asked what congregation I was now attending....A Letter to a Fleshly Brother
Roger is one of the regular readers/commentors. He shared a letter with me that he wrote to his fleshly brother to try to help him reason. I felt the arguments were so well made that we could all benefit from reading it, and he kindly agreed to let me share it with...Does the NWT Live Up to Its Own Standards?
[This article is contributed by Apollos and Alex Rover] The Watchtower acknowledges that it’s very important to not insert human opinions nor hide the thought of original writings. Literalness. Unlike paraphrased translations, the New World Translation renders words...Video: “Russian Supreme Court Renders Unjust Decision!”
The day after the Russia Supreme Court announced a ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses, JW Broadcasting came out with this video, obviously prepared well in advance. When explaining what the ban means, Stephen Lett of the Governing Body did not speak of the tribulation this...Winning the Battle for Your Mind
On page 27 of the July, 2017 Study Edition of The Watchtower, there is an article intended ostensibly to help Jehovah’s Witnesses resist the influence of satanic propaganda. From the title, “Winning the Battle for Your Mind”, one would naturally assume that the...Commenting Guidelines
I would like to take this opportunity to share helpful reminder to all, including myself. We have a brief FAQ on commenting guidelines. Perhaps some clarification might be helpful. We have come from an organization in which men love to Lord it over other men, and...The Spirit Bears Witness – How?
To me, one of the greatest sins of the leadership of the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the doctrine of the Other Sheep. The reason I believe this is that they are instructing millions of Christ’s followers to disobey their Lord. Jesus said:...ARC Duplicity
On the 10th of this month, the Australia Royal Commission held Case 54 which was a review of the responses of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Commission’s findings. The representatives from the Australia branch swore on the Bible “to tell the truth, the...Identifying the True Religion — Neutrality: Addendum
There have been a number of thought provoking comments on the previous article in this series. I’d like to address some of the points raised there. In addition, I entertained some childhood friends the other night and chose to address the elephant in the room....Identifying the True Religion – Neutrality
When reasoning in a potentially adversarial environment, the best tactic is to ask questions. We see Jesus using this method over and over with great success. In short, to get your point across: ASK, DON’T TELL. Witnesses are trained to accept instruction from...Identifying the True Religion
Jehovah’s Witnesses are trained to be calm, reasonable and respectful in their public preaching work. Even when they meet with name calling, anger, dismissive responses, or just the plain old door-slammed-in-the-face, they strive to maintain a dignified demeanor....Salvation, Part 4: All in the Family
The previous article dealt with the two rival seeds that contend with one another throughout time until the culmination of the salvation of humankind. We are now in the fourth installment of this series and yet we’ve never actually stopped to ask the question:...New Article on the BP Study Forum
If you are only subscribed to this site, Beroean Pickets – JW.org Reviewer, you may be missing out on the Bible research articles that we publish on the sister forum, Beroean Pickets – Bible Study Forum. For instance, we’ve just released the fourth...What is a Lie?
In the November broadcast, the Governing Body provides us with a useful set of criteria for identifying lies and liars. How do they measure up to their own standard?
Who are the 24 Elders of Revelation?
[A tip of the hat to Yehorakam for bringing this understanding to my attention.] First, is the number 24, literal or symbolic? Let’s assume it’s symbolic for a moment. (This is only for the sake of argument as there is no way to know for sure whether the number is...Dealing with Sinners – Part 2
In the previous article on this topic, we analyzed how the principles Jesus revealed to us at Matthew 18:15-17 can be used to deal with sin within the Christian Congregation. The law of the Christ is a law based on love. It cannot be codified, but must be fluid,...Adopted!
I was raised a Jehovah’s Witness. I’m approaching seventy now, and during the years of my life, I’ve worked in two Bethels, had a lead role in a number of special Bethel projects, served as a “need greater” in two Spanish-speaking countries, given talks at...Making Our Time Count
Why do the friends and family we preach to often misjudge us? Why do they assign false motives to our efforts to share the truth of God’s word with them?
Salvation, Part 3: The Seed
Who is the woman of Genesis 3:15? How did God put enmity between her and Satan? Why did he prophesy the creation of two lines of offspring and who are these?
Do You Think You Know more than the Governing Body?
How would you answer the question: Do you think you know more than the Governing Body?
Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Special?
How can we preach to Jehovah’s Witnesses so as to overcome false teaching and prejudice? This article offers some small counsel in this regard.
Replacing Christ – August 2016 Broadcast
Why does the Organization continue to minimize Jesus role, even to the point of omitting him from a drawing showing the channel of communication between God and men?
Beware of Deceit!
There’s a time-honored technique which evildoers use to shift the focus off their own wicked deeds when they come under attack for wrongdoing. Come see how it is being used!
Salvation by Organization
What did Paul really mean by “the flesh” when he said at Romans 8:6 that “setting the mind on the flesh means death”?
Should You Report Field Service?
As one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, are you disobeying God by turning in your monthly field service report? Let us see what the Bible has to say. Laying Out the Problem When a person wants to become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he must first—even before baptism—start...Trials and Tribulations
What is the Great Tribulation? Why was the tribulation of 70 CE the worst of all time? What tribulation is Matthew 24:29 pointing to?
Salvation, Part 2: Paradise Lost
In this second article in the “Our Salvation” series, we go back to the beginning to understand what was lost and thereby get an idea of what salvation includes.
The Rise and Fall of JW.org
Is there reason to believe that the events of 1878, 1925, and 1975 are about to be repeated? Is there cause for concern?
Salvation, Part 1: A Non-Scriptural Premise
This first article in the “Our Salvation” series examines if there is a non-Biblical basis to believe in the salvation of humankind.
Benefiting from the 2016 Regional Convention
The Organization seems to be preparing the congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses for some drastic changes in the direction of our preaching. Will this become a reality? If so, what effect will it have on the “kings of the earth”.
An Appeal for Prayer
The power of prayer is something we recognize and when many pray for someone in need, our Father takes note. Thus, we find appeals like Colossians 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:25 and 2 Thessalonians 3:1 where the community of brothers and sisters is asked to pray. There...Passover Meal vs. Lord’s Evening Meal
The account of Jesus trial and death gives us clear indication of when we should be commemorating the Lord’s Evening Meal.
Abiding In Christ
What did Jesus mean when he told us to “abide in him”?
They’re Doing It Again
The Organization is resurrecting a technique to engender loyalty and a false sense of urgency in the flock. Older readers are sure to experience a sense of déjà vu.
A Barren Tree
A change in policy is introduced in the May, 2016 Watchtower. The implications are far reaching if one knows where to look.
Registering Your Username
A few users are reporting an inability to log on to the Bible Study Forum. The reason is that they are under the impression that it’s a part of this Beroean Pickets site. It is in a thematic sense, but technically, they are two different sites, totally...Evidence of Bias in the NWT
Anthony Morris III unwittingly provides clear proof of bias in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Review of the 2016 Special Talk
This phrase from the 2016 Special Talk outline is more appropriate than might first appear to be the case: “Our situation is similar to that of the nation of Israel when about to enter the Promised Land.”
Marketing the New World
Is the hope that Jehovah’s Witnesses preach from door to door a Scriptural reality, or have we all been taken in by a great piece of marketing propaganda?
My 2016 Memorial
I had the joy to participate in an online commemoration of the memorial of Christ’s death on Tuesday, March 22rd with 22 others living in four different countries.[i] I know that many of you chose to partake on the 23rd at your local Kingdom hall. Still others have...A Century-Old Warning!
Could a warning given to Protestants over 130 years ago be applicable to Jehovah’s Witnesses today? One would hardly think so, yet the reality is likely to shock you.
Limping on Two Opinions
This week’s CLAM Book Study makes some ironic application to Elijah’s words. We will see what happens when the application is turned inward.
Dealing with Sinners – Part 1
Everything Jesus had to say about dealing with sinners within the congregation is encapsulated in Matthew 18:15-17. How can we apply those principles in the modern congregation?
Mocking God
Is the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses guilty of institution civil disobedience?
Two New Posts
For those who have not yet subscribed to beroeans.net and have therefore not received notifications, there are two new articles on the site. Use the Power of Your Tongue for Good BBC: UK JWs Accused of Destroying Documents...BBC: UK JWs Accused of Destroying Documents
Is the UK branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses guilty of a crime by destroying documents which the court has ordered be preserved?
Beroean Pickets — JW.org Reviewer Launched!
Effective immediately, the category “Watchtower Commentor” will be discontinued on this site. A new site has been launched with the sole purpose of publishing all future review articles of publications and broadcasts emanating from JW.org. Take me to the...February 2016 JW.org Broadcast
Sinning Against the Spirit In this month’s TV Broadcast on tv.jw.org, the speaker, Ken Flodine, discusses how we can grieve God’s spirit. Before explaining what it means to grieve the holy spirit, he explains what it does not mean. This takes him into a discussion of...Jehovah, the God of Communication
[From ws15/12 for Feb. 1-7] “Please listen, and I will speak.”—Job 42:4 This week’s study discusses the role language and translation have played in bringing the Bible to us. It sets the stage for next week’s study which discusses the many virtues the...Bethel Layoffs Damage Control
February 1, 2016 is upon us. This is the deadline for the worldwide downsizing of Bethel families. Reports are that the family is being reduced by 25%, which means thousands of Bethelites are frantically looking for work. Many of these are in their 50s and 60s. ...WT Study: One Hundred Years under Kingdom Rulership
[From ws15/11 for Jan. 25-31] “May the God of peace . . . equip you with every good thing to do his will.”— He 13:20, 21 This entire article is based on the premise that Jesus has been ruling over the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1914. For a Scriptural...Re 20:5 – When Do the Rest of the Dead Come to Life?
I have just posted a new topic on the BP Research Forum of Discuss the Truth. You can view it at this link: When do the rest of the dead come to life? The purpose of the BP Research Forum is to get input from our community on topics that may be controversial, with a...New Discussion Forum
From time to time, debates begin in our commenting section on important Bible teachings. Often, those commenting have a personal view that is valid and scripturally based. Other times, the viewpoint turns out to originate from the thinking of men. Sometimes, the...WT Study: Do You “Love Your Neighbor as Yourself”?
[From ws15/11 for Jan. 18-24] “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” – Mt 22:39. Paragraph 7 of this week’s study opens with this sentence: “Although a husband is the head of his wife, the Bible instructs him to ‘assign her honor.’” Would it not be more...“This Generation” – Tying Up Loose Ends
Who is Jesus referring to at Matthew 24:33? Does the great tribulation of Matthew 24:21 have a secondary fulfillment In our previous article, This Generation – A Modern-Day Fulfillment, we found that the only conclusion that was consistent with the evidence was that...WT Study: Jehovah Is the God of Love
[From ws15/11 for Jan. 11-17] “God is love.” – 1 John 4:8, 16 What a wonderful theme. We should have half a dozen Watchtowers every year on this theme alone. But we must take what we can get. In paragraph 2, we are reminded Jehovah has appointed Jesus to judge the...Confessing Christ
From time to time there have been those who have used the commenting feature of Beroean Pickets to promote the idea that we must take a public stand and renounce our association with the Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They will cite scriptures like...The Other Sheep Are God’s Children Too
After the resurrection of Lazarus, the machinations of the Jewish leaders moved into high gear. “What are we to do, because this man performs many signs? 48 If we let him alone this way, they will all put faith in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our...Walking by Faith – In Men
This week in the Service Meeting (I can still call it that, at least for the next couple of weeks.) we are being asked to comment on the hour-long video Walking by Faith, Not by Sight. The production values are quite respectable and the acting is not bad either. It...The Watchtower Makes Its Submission to the Royal Commission
[All unattributed references in this document is following the format (P. n par. n.n) refer to the WT Submissions document under discussion.] The Senior Counsel Assisting the Australia Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse recently...An Open Letter
We have been greatly encouraged by the heartfelt outpouring of support that came as a result of the recent article, “Our Commenting Policy.” I had only wanted to reassure everyone that we were not about to change that which we had worked so hard to achieve. If...Our Commenting Policy
We have been getting emails from regular readers concerned that our forum might be degenerating into just another JW bashing site, or that an unfriendly environment might be surfacing. These are valid concerns. When I began this site back in 2011, I was unsure about...WT Study: How Can We Show that We Love Jehovah?
[From ws15/09 for Nov 23-29] “We love, because he first Loved us.” – John 4:19 I almost passed on reviewing this week’s Watchtower Study article since there is nothing new there. It’s just the same old, same old. Then something changed my mind. I opened the JW Library...WT Study: In What Ways Does Jehovah Love Us?
[From ws15/09 for Nov 16-22] “See what sort of love the Father has given us!” – 1 John 3:1 Before we begin our review, let’s do a little experiment. If you have the Watchtower Library on CD-ROM, open it and double-click on “All Publications” in the left panel. Below...WT Study: “Stand Firm in the Faith”
[From ws15/09 for Nov 9-15] “Stand Firm in the faith,…grow mighty.” – 1Co 16:13 For a change of pace, I thought it might be fun and educational to treat this WT review like a Watchtower study. Feel free to use the comment section to answer the questions. Additionally,...When Speculation Becomes Fact
We have just begun to study the Imitate Their Faith book in the congregation Bible Study which is part of our midweek meeting. I admit I haven’t read it, but my wife has and says it makes for a nice, easy read. It takes the form of Bible stories rather than a Bible...WT Study: Is Your Conscience a Reliable Guide?
[From ws15/09 for Nov 1-7] “The objective of this instruction is love out of a clean heart and out of a good conscience.” – 1 Tim. 1:5 This study asks us whether our own conscience is a reliable guide. One would presume that by studying this article, we will be able...Read this in your Language:
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