Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 70
That the Watchtower specifically teaches their followers to lie as the word is normally used
in English is illustrated by their discussion about when Abraham told Sarah to ―hide the fact‖
that she was his wife (Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1956, p. 78). The Watchtower notes that years
later when Abraham was in the Philistine country of Gerar, Abraham repeated the lie about
Sarah, blatantly claiming that his wife ―is my sister.‖ This, the Watchtower Society
concludes, is not lying because Abraham represented Sarah as his sister for a laudable
reason, namely:
to prevent violent controversy over his wife. Sarah recognized Abraham as
her Lord and agreed to the arrangement, willing to take the consequences …
She was willing to do her part to preserve the life of Jehovah‘s prophet … But
critics ...view Abraham wholly as a lying, prevaricating, weakling coward.
(Feb. 1, 1956, p. 79)
Ironically, this example that the Watchtower Society uses to justify lying backfired because
of lying. The Pharaoh, thinking Sarah was Abraham‘s unmarried sister, took her for his
wife, causing a plague on ―Pharaoh and his house.‖ When Pharaoh found out about
Abraham‘s lie and returned Abraham‘s wife, he protested to Abraham, stating that what
happened would have been prevented if only Abraham had told the truth (Gen. 12:10-20).
Thus, instead of being an example that justifies lying, this scriptural example actually
condemns lying by showing that it can seriously backfire. Abraham also lied about his wife
to Abimelech and as a result nearly caused him a disaster (Genesis 20). The latest
discussion appeared in the Feb. 8, 2000 Awake!, which, under the title ―Cautious as
Serpents,‖ notes:
Of course, being truthful does not mean that we are obligated to divulge all
information to anyone who asks it of us. ―Do not give what is holy to dogs,
neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never ...turn around
and rip you open,‖ warned Jesus, at Matthew 7:6. For example, individuals
with wicked intent may have no right to know certain things. Christians
understand that they are living in a hostile world. Thus, Jesus advised his
disciples to be ―cautious as serpents‖ while remaining ―innocent as doves.‖
(Matthew 10:16 John 15:19) Jesus did not always disclose the full truth,
especially when revealing all the facts could have brought unnecessary harm
to himself or his disciples. Still, even at such times, he did not lie. Instead,
he chose either to say nothing or to divert the conversation in another
direction.–Matthew 15:1-6 21:23-27 John 7:3-10 (Feb. 8, 2000, p. 21).
The Watchtower Society claims that they condemn direct lying and advocate only hiding the
truth. But their using Abraham‘s case as an example to emulate in situations where doing
so can protect the Watchtower indicates that they in fact advocate direct lying. Reed
comments on this doctrine:
By instructing Witness kids to testify in court to say the opposite of what they
are really taught to believe, the Watchtower Society requires them to engage
in a form of double-talk that most people would consider lying. And unless the
youngsters are to consciously see themselves as liars, they must also engage
in doublethink, the mental gymnastics described in George Orwell‘s novel …
where people are forced by a totalitarian society to be conscious of complete
truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies. (1996, pp. 230-231)
Yet another example shows that the application of the doctrine involves open lying:
While doing this research ...I met a woman who showed me a scar on her
upper arm that she said was caused by an acid burn. She explained that
bribing a doctor to produce a scar on a child‘s arm that mimicked the scar left
That the Watchtower specifically teaches their followers to lie as the word is normally used
in English is illustrated by their discussion about when Abraham told Sarah to ―hide the fact‖
that she was his wife (Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1956, p. 78). The Watchtower notes that years
later when Abraham was in the Philistine country of Gerar, Abraham repeated the lie about
Sarah, blatantly claiming that his wife ―is my sister.‖ This, the Watchtower Society
concludes, is not lying because Abraham represented Sarah as his sister for a laudable
reason, namely:
to prevent violent controversy over his wife. Sarah recognized Abraham as
her Lord and agreed to the arrangement, willing to take the consequences …
She was willing to do her part to preserve the life of Jehovah‘s prophet … But
critics ...view Abraham wholly as a lying, prevaricating, weakling coward.
(Feb. 1, 1956, p. 79)
Ironically, this example that the Watchtower Society uses to justify lying backfired because
of lying. The Pharaoh, thinking Sarah was Abraham‘s unmarried sister, took her for his
wife, causing a plague on ―Pharaoh and his house.‖ When Pharaoh found out about
Abraham‘s lie and returned Abraham‘s wife, he protested to Abraham, stating that what
happened would have been prevented if only Abraham had told the truth (Gen. 12:10-20).
Thus, instead of being an example that justifies lying, this scriptural example actually
condemns lying by showing that it can seriously backfire. Abraham also lied about his wife
to Abimelech and as a result nearly caused him a disaster (Genesis 20). The latest
discussion appeared in the Feb. 8, 2000 Awake!, which, under the title ―Cautious as
Serpents,‖ notes:
Of course, being truthful does not mean that we are obligated to divulge all
information to anyone who asks it of us. ―Do not give what is holy to dogs,
neither throw your pearls before swine, that they may never ...turn around
and rip you open,‖ warned Jesus, at Matthew 7:6. For example, individuals
with wicked intent may have no right to know certain things. Christians
understand that they are living in a hostile world. Thus, Jesus advised his
disciples to be ―cautious as serpents‖ while remaining ―innocent as doves.‖
(Matthew 10:16 John 15:19) Jesus did not always disclose the full truth,
especially when revealing all the facts could have brought unnecessary harm
to himself or his disciples. Still, even at such times, he did not lie. Instead,
he chose either to say nothing or to divert the conversation in another
direction.–Matthew 15:1-6 21:23-27 John 7:3-10 (Feb. 8, 2000, p. 21).
The Watchtower Society claims that they condemn direct lying and advocate only hiding the
truth. But their using Abraham‘s case as an example to emulate in situations where doing
so can protect the Watchtower indicates that they in fact advocate direct lying. Reed
comments on this doctrine:
By instructing Witness kids to testify in court to say the opposite of what they
are really taught to believe, the Watchtower Society requires them to engage
in a form of double-talk that most people would consider lying. And unless the
youngsters are to consciously see themselves as liars, they must also engage
in doublethink, the mental gymnastics described in George Orwell‘s novel …
where people are forced by a totalitarian society to be conscious of complete
truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies. (1996, pp. 230-231)
Yet another example shows that the application of the doctrine involves open lying:
While doing this research ...I met a woman who showed me a scar on her
upper arm that she said was caused by an acid burn. She explained that
bribing a doctor to produce a scar on a child‘s arm that mimicked the scar left
