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Campus Life, July/August 2001
The Big Lie?
As a Jehovah's Witness, I believed Christians had it all wrong …
By Steve Berg as told to Chris Lutes
As I walked into the youth room, I felt my stomach churn and my mouth go dry. I knew I shouldn't be in this church. … or any church. But I had to be there, even if it meant doing something my own religion (not to mention my mom) said was wrong.
I needed to point these misguided Christians to the real truth.
When my friend Brad and I entered the room, I saw about 30 kids. A couple of them were playing Ping-Pong, others were parked in front of a video game, but most were just talking and joking around. Brad pointed toward Bob, the youth pastor. I swallowed hard and headed straight for him. As I looked into his eyes, I blurted out, "How can you believe in the Trinity? Nowhere in the Bible does it say Jesus is God!"
I didn't mean to sound rude. I just felt that he should know how wrong he was.
As the goofy grin on his face softened into a caring smile, he asked, "Are you a Jehovah's Witness?"
I stammered, "H-h-ow did you know?"
"Well, you know, Jehovah's Witnesses have a problem with the Trinity . …"
A Three-Headed Monster
I had more than a problem with the Trinity. As a committed Jehovah's Witness (JW), my mother had taught me that the Trinity was a big lie. When I was around 8 years old, I remember hearing her call the Trinity a "three-headed-monster god." It was quite a frightening image to a kid!
I was also scared when Mom read me a book about Armageddon—the great, final disaster that would destroy all evil and bring "Paradise" on Earth. I was spellbound by the book's pictures of terrified people being swallowed by earthquakes and swept away by floods. If I wasn't a good JW, that's what would happen to me.
The book was published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which develops doctrines and rules for the JW religion. The Watchtower also published the New World Translation of the Bible—the only translation JWs are allowed to read.
The Watchtower had many strict rules. And if we didn't follow them, we wouldn't have a chance at getting into Paradise. As far as religious writings went, we could only read Watchtower publications. We were supposed to regularly attend meetings at a Kingdom Hall (which is sort of like going to church, but it's not a church). And we were supposed to go door to door, telling others what we believed was the truth about Jehovah, the word all JWs use for God.
Why Believe This Stuff?
When I became a teenager, I was trying hard to be a good JW. After all, my good works would determine whether or not I would make it into Paradise.
I read the whole New World Translation (NWT). I went to almost every meeting at the Kingdom Hall. But I was too shy for the door-to-door stuff. Unfortunately, I knew I was a long way from Paradise.
I also began having doubts. What made my religion true? What about other religions, like Buddhism and Islam? I asked a lot of questions of an older JW, and she answered them all. But I still had so many questions.
I wondered about the Bible, too. Why should I believe it? What made it true? When my sophomore English teacher assigned a term paper on the topic of my choice, I immediately knew I wanted to research something that would answer these questions. Before the assignment was made, I'd heard about the Dead Sea Scrolls—ancient manuscripts that were supposed to help prove the Bible was a reliable historical document. I decided to do my paper on these ancient writings.
Unfortunately, I was reading the wrong translation of the Bible. Although I didn't know it at the time, I later learned that the NWT is full of all kinds of errors and untruths—all put there by the Watchtower people to support the beliefs of the JW religion. But while I was doing my research, I never thought to question whether or not the NWT was the correct English translation of the Bible's Hebrew and Greek languages. I thought if my research into the scrolls proved the original manuscripts were true, it would prove that the NWT Bible was true. And my research did convince me that the Dead Sea Scrolls were worth believing.
I was almost convinced that the JW religion was the truth. Still, I felt that before I could completely believe, I had to do one more thing: I had to convince one person that my religion was the one and only true religion. If I could do that, I promised Jehovah I'd become the best Witness ever.
Were Christians Really Evil?
I thought I'd found that person in Brad, a guy in my gym class who was different from most guys. I was lousy at sports, and most guys picked on me when I messed up. Not Brad. When I made a mistake, he'd say, "That's OK, Steve. Keep trying!"
Brad and I started hanging out. I'd go to his house, and we'd order a pizza and watch a movie. And we always ended up talking religion. I tried to convince him that what I believed was true. But Brad had his own "agenda." As a committed Christian, he wanted me to come around to his way of thinking. Neither of us was budging.
Then one day Brad asked, "Hey, Steve, want to visit my youth group?"
I had no idea what a youth group was. Kingdom Hall had nothing like it. Brad said it was just a bunch of kids at church who had fun and studied the Bible. He said they had a cool adult leader named "Pastor Bob."
This is my chance! I thought. Not only will I convert Brad, but Pastor Bob and the whole youth group, too! Jehovah was going to answer my prayer in a much bigger way than I'd imagined!
But there was a major problem. JWs weren't supposed to enter a church. Mom taught me that church was an evil, demonic place. While I never admitted it, I thought that kind of thinking was extremely narrow-minded. If the truth was on my side (and I believed it was), what did I have to fear? So I took Brad up on his invitation—without telling my mom, of course.
When I entered the youth room that night, I let Pastor Bob have it. And that's when he stunned me with what seemed like an ability to read minds.
I stayed around for the meeting. Afterward, Bob gave me a couple of books to read. I took them and, later that evening as I flipped through the books, I read that they labeled my religion a "cult." I'd never heard anybody say that about JWs before. I'd always thought cults were bizarre religions where the leader brainwashed followers into committing mass suicide. You know, really crazy stuff. That certainly didn't apply to my faith!
Although I was offended by these books, I was still interested in their perspective on non-Christian religions—especially my own. I read them from cover to cover. I also quit reading the NWT of the Bible, and started reading a King James Version instead.
I also began meeting with Pastor Bob—secretly, of course. He knew the Bible so well. We'd get together over soft drinks and pizza to talk. And argue. Well, mostly I argued. Bob listened a lot. When he did speak, he'd point to the Bible to carefully explain what Christianity was all about. Before long, I began to think that maybe Christianity's Jesus wasn't just one ugly face on a three-headed-monster god.
But I still had doubts—and fears. I was worried about hurting my mom. I knew she'd be devastated if I changed religions. I also knew she suspected something. One day I found a note from her on top of the Christian books on my bed. The note said: "Get these apostate books out of this house!"
Mom wasn't the only one concerned. After seeing me with some of Bob's "anti-cult" books, a JW girl at school gave me this note: "I am also tempted to read those kinds of books. But be careful. We can be led astray by reading something as simple as a newspaper article." I couldn't believe her reasoning. I thought, If the Jehovah's Witness religion is true, then it shouldn't fall apart when criticized.
Not Afraid of the Truth
At the end of my junior year in high school, Brad gave me a new Bible, a Today's English translation. He said it was much easier to read than the King James Version I'd been reading.
That summer, as I read the Gospels, I was amazed at what I discovered about Jesus. It was like my eyes were opening up for the first time. This great teacher became more than just somebody I studied. He became a real, living human being.
He also became much bigger than just the most powerful angel Jehovah ever created—which is what the JW religion taught. I became convinced Jesus really was God in the flesh. And by believing in Jesus, by trusting him to forgive all my sins, I could receive eternal life as a free gift. If I chose to believe in Christ, I would definitely go to heaven. No more fears of being swallowed up in an Armageddon earthquake!
Even though I believed all this in my head, it was hard to fully accept it in my heart. I didn't want to hurt and disappoint Mom, because I loved her so much. But after a few weeks of personal struggle, I could no longer deny the truth. I asked Jesus Christ, the second person of the Trinity, to become my Lord and Savior.
When I told Mom, she was devastated. Our relationship became very strained, and at one point, she said she felt I was no longer her son. It hurt so much. Still, I knew I'd done the right thing.
Still Amazed
A lot has taken place since I became a Christian. I graduated from high school and attended a Christian college. Guess who my roommate was? Brad!
And my relationship with Mom, while still tense, has gradually gotten better. I know she loves me even though she doesn't agree with my beliefs.
It's amazing how God worked things out, and the people and circumstances he used to bring me to himself. Even while I was a JW, he gave me a desire to seek the truth—and not accept any religion blindly.
I hope I never take my faith for granted or fear anybody who tries to refute Christianity. If Christianity is true—and I know it is—it can stand up under any attack. It sure stood up under mine!
Steve recently completed a graduate program at Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois, where he studied church history and philosophy.
Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
Click here for reprint information on Campus Life.
July/August 2001, Vol. 60, No. 1, Page 40
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