“Aren’t the churches
worse than the Watchtower?”

This is a question that often troubles Jehovah’s Witnesses who think of leaving the organization. And it remains an obstacle to many exJWs—so much so that they remain totally isolated or seek fellowship only with other former Witnesses.

There are several contributing factors: (1) Witnesses spend years reading and listening to the Watchtower Society's repeated attacks on other churches. (2) The secular news media often present religion in a negative light. (3) Most who leave the JW organization still hold to at least some of the doctrinal viewpoints that they learned as Witnesses, and so what is taught in other churches may appear wrong to them. (4) There really are many problems in Christian churches. And (5) Some churches are actually cultic groups as bad as, or worse than, the Watchtower.

The Society loves to contrast itself with “the churches”. It paints them with a broad brush, so that all church members are held guilty along with the cleric who shook hands with Hitler, the fanatic who bombed an abortion clinic, and the clergyman who seduced a child. Witnesses who have been trained to look at everything outside the organization as “the world” easily make the mental connection, and lump together all non-Witnesses who claim the name Christian.

"us against them"

This is a tactic typical of exclusivist religious groups. The “us against them” argument helps promote unity among Mormons, among ‘Moonies’, and within the ranks of many other cult groups. They all point to the problems in other groups as confirmation that theirs is the one chosen by God.

So, when certain unscrupulous TV evangelists resort to questionable money-raising schemes, or fall victim to the lure of wealth, power, drugs, and sex, the Watch- tower Society has a heyday, and its followers are further cemented in their belief that all other religious organizations are of the devil.

If the choice were simply between the Watchtower and “the churches,” it is understandable why some sincere people might choose the Watchtower. But that is not the real choice. Becoming a Christian is not a matter of joining a church. It is a matter of entering into a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Those who claim to be in this relationship form congregations or churches. But Jesus warned that there would be “tares” or “weeds” (imitation Christians) growing among the “wheat”—until “the end of this world”. (Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Phillips) And, in fufillment of the Lord's prophecy we see congregations bearing his name today overgrown with such weeds.

The Apostle Paul's letters reveal that, as early as the First Century, imitation Christians were found in the churches, as well as immature new Christians who were easily misled. Among the perils of his journeys from church to church, Paul listed “danger from false brothers.” (2 Cor. 11:26 NIV) And Jesus' messages through John to the seven churches in Asia Minor show that whole churches were in line for rebuke. (Rev. 1:4 through 3:22) Yet, these were congregations Christ recognized as belonging to Him.

We should not be surprised, then, to find that there are churches today that need to hear the same message Jesus sent to the church in Ephesus: “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” (Rev. 2:4 RSV) Likewise, there are churches today that ought to be scolded with words as strong as those Paul wrote to the church in Galatia: “O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth…?” (Gal. 3:1 New King James)
And there are modern churches that teach Bible doctrine but that tolerate sexual immorality and therefore need to hear the counsel written to the church in Thyatira: “I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and beguile My servants to commit sexual immorality…” (Rev. 2:20 NKJ)

Moreover, there are many modern churches in the same condition as the congregation in Laodicea: “…because you are luke-warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of My mouth…‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’” (Rev. 3:16,22 NKJ)

Were these troubled churches part of "Babylon the Great"?

Does this mean that such churches today are ‘of the devil’ and part of “Babylon the Great”? Well, were the churches in Ephesus, Galatia, Thyatira, and Laodicea ‘of the devil’? Were they part of “Babylon the Great”? No! Those churches in Asia Minor belonged to Christ—in spite of their serious problems. So, their modern counterparts may also be genuine Christian churches, although in a similarly sad state.

Many individuals in such churches, including many in positions of leadership, may be “weeds” sown amongst the “wheat” by the “enemy” Satan. Why hasn’t Christ uprooted and removed them, if the churches belong to Him? In the parable He answered, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” (Matt. 13:30 NIV)

Some churches today contain mostly “weeds”, some have a high percentage of “wheat”, and others are a mixed-bag. But none can truly state, as the Watchtower has claimed, that the end-time separation has resulted in their organization being the sole gathering-place for “wheat.”

Where can salvation be found?

So, persons leaving the Watchtower should not expect to be saved by joining ‘the right church’ or finding ‘God’s real earthly organization’. Sharing Christian fellowship and worshiping together are important, but this saying is also true: “Being found in a church does not mean you are a Christian, any more than being found in a barn means you are a cow.”

What will make you a Christian? Scripture answers: “. . . you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. . . . For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”. (Romans 8:9-16 NKJ)

It is just as Jesus described: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’” (John 3:5-7 KJV

This happens in your life when you personally receive Christ as your Savior and your Lord: “However, as many as did receive him, to them he gave authority to become God's children, because they were excercising faith in his name; and they were born, not from blood or from a fleshly will or from man's will, but from God.” (John 1:12,13 New World)

Jesus says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.” (Rev. 3:20 NKJ) Will you open the door of your heart to Jesus? If you do, you will be re-born and will find that “because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Gal. 4:6 NKJ)

Joining the one true Church

Once in this spiritual relationship with God, you are automatically a member of the one true Church, “the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven”. (Heb. 12:23 NIV)

Choosing a group of fellow believers to fellowship with—whether inside or outside of a “church” building—is a matter of secondary importance. As your new Father by adoption, God will lead you into a fellowship where you can learn from others by observing both their good conduct and their errors—and where you can offer encouragement to others through your expressions of faith.

The main difference that an ex-Witness will find is this: JWs depend on the organization as their “channel of communication” with God (The Watchtower, 12/1/81, p. 27), while Christians place their personal relationship with God ahead of any organizational involvement.

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