The governing body of Jehovah’s Witnesses likes to act like they’re super humble about their mistakes in understanding the Bible. But at their annual meeting in October 2023, Governing Body member, Jeffrey Winder, said that they get new insights straight from God. So, they think there’s no need to say sorry for the times they told their members to follow directions that ended up being wrong. It kinda shifts the blame onto God for anyone who got hurt by that.
They don’t outright say it’s God’s fault, though. They do acknowledge that they’re not perfect and sometimes misinterpret God’s guidance. That sounds nice and all, but they never really tackle the fact that they’ve often spoken out of turn when God didn’t actually tell them to. That’s something they should definitely apologize for. (Deuteronomy 18:20)
What exactly did Winder say? Well, after a few symposiums introducing new light, he asked the audience a series of questions.
“How exactly does Jehovah reveal clarified understanding of the scriptures new light in modern times when the governing body is meeting together as the faithful and discrete slave?
“How does it work? How exactly does the light get brighter? How does Jehovah use that arrangement to clarify our understanding?”
He then proceeds to answer those questions:
“Proverbs 4:18, “But the path of the righteous is like the bright morning light that grows brighter and brighter until full daylight.” So the Bible here uses the illustration of daylight. And what does that teach us? Well, the Watchtower said, “These words aptly apply to the way in which Jehovah reveals his purpose to his people gradually.
“But even still, it is released and made known at a pace that we can absorb, that we can handle, and that we can use. And we thank Jehovah for that.
“So this is what we know from the scriptures and from our own experience as well uh about how the light gets brighter in modern times. It comes about by means of the Holy Spirit through his channel of the faithful and discreet slave. He reveals it gradually and at a time that it is needed.
“Well, knowing this, then we are not embarrassed about adjustments that are made. Nor is an apology needed for not getting it exactly right previously. We understand this is how Jehovah operates. He reveals matters gradually when it is needed.”
“No is an apology is needed.”
That’s exactly what Geoffrey Winder, Take a moment to truly reflect on that statement and allow it to sink in deeply.
“No apology is needed.”
It’s not about simply saying, “we’re sorry, but it’s complicated.” It’s not about offering a vague statement like, “we owe you an explanation.” And it’s certainly not about acknowledging that “we understand people were hurt.” No, none of that is necessary or relevant in this situation.
They instructed you to abstain from blood, despite the potential consequences. No blood transfusions, whether it’s yours or someone elses blood.
According to online sources
“While a precise, cumulative number of Jehovah’s Witnesses who have died from
refusing blood transfusions is not definitively tracked or publicly available as an
exact historical count, estimates suggest that approximately 1,000 individuals
within the faith die annually due to this refusal.”
Another source claims an average of 3600 Witnesses need a life saving blood transfusion every year. Of that 3600, 1 to 2,000 die every year.
And yet, in the eyes of Governing Body, they don’t owe you or your family anything. No apology is needed for killing your loved ones.
They advised you against pursuing a college education, suggesting that it wasn’t the right path for you. Again, they don’t owe you an apology for that misguided counsel.
They cautioned young ones that the end was imminent, implying they should refrain from getting married and having children. Those same young ones are now elderly, no spouses. No children to look after them in their old age, and for that they owe them nothing, not even an apology.
They told you to sever ties with your “unbelieving” siblings and other family members, urging you to distance yourself from those relationships. In their view, they don’t owe you an apology for that advice either.
You know, according to their own official policy, which they’ve made clear to everyone, they really don’t owe you anything at all, and honestly, that’s not going to change, no matter what goes happens.
Take a second to really think about that. Just pause and let it sink in. They actually said it out loud, without a hint of hesitation or regret.
And here’s the kicker that should really get under your skin: they framed this whole thing as being humble. They say they’re “neither inspired nor infallible,” right? How generous of them to admit that. But if you look closer, you’ll see what that admission really does, because…
It’s not true humility. It’s more like a shield against responsibility. It’s like they’ve got a ready-made excuse for any future mistakes they might make, and they’ll make them. Their mantra becomes, “We never claimed to be perfect.” This isn’t about morals; it’s a smart move to dodge any accountability for their actions or words.
And the worst part? It actually works. It works really well because Geoffrey Winder locks you in a cell first and then hands you the key, all while calling it freedom. This kind of manipulation gives you a false sense of being free, leaving you feeling stuck but somehow convinced you can break free.
- You know, when a teaching shifts and brings us new insights, it’s like a bright ray of light lighting up our way. We really should take a moment to thank Jehovah for that guidance.
- Now, if a teaching turns out to be wrong, there’s no need to say sorry; the folks who shared it did so with the best intentions and what they knew at the time.
- If you’re starting to question a teaching now, it might be a good idea to remember not to get ahead of the chariot. Sometimes, it’s better to just take a step back and sit down for a bit of reflection.
- And if you ever doubted a teaching that’s been updated or changed, it would’ve been smart to just hang tight and wait for more clarity. Again, sitting down and thinking it through a little more can really help.
- If you’re wondering why the chariot seems to be changing direction so often, your best bet is to pitch in positively by shoveling the coal, helping to keep the journey on track.
Now, what do I mean by “shoveling the coal”? It’s a reference to Governing Body Helper, Edward Aljian’s talk “A problem and a solution” given at the 155th Gilead graduation. In his talk he says:
“Let’s review, if we ever have a problem understanding an adjustment to a Theocratic arrangement we also have a solution, Philippians 3:16, “be patient, walk orderly and stay busy in our Theocratic routine.”
I don’t know what translation he’s using, but that’s not what Philippians 3:16 says, but I digress. He goes to say:
“Now I would like to conclude by illustrating that last point, the value of staying busy in our Theocratic routine, because it is the solution, not just to what we’re talking about right now, it is the solution to several situations in life. Now the illustration is one that I heard several years ago at a Gilead graduation program. How about that, one of your instructors told us about the old steamboats that used coal for fuel, so upstairs you had the captain and the crew, downstairs you have these men busy shoveling coal into the ship’s boiler, now imagine one of these workers puts his shovel down and he approaches a coworker and says ‘hey, did I just detect the ship starting to make a left turn? That does not seem right to me, seems that at this point of the trip we should be moving straight forward not changing direction. I wonder if the captain really knows what he’s doing? You know what? I’m going to go upstairs and have a word with the captain.’ Now at this point the speaker stopped describing the scene, he just leaned forward, close to the microphone and he simply said ‘shovel the coal’.”
That’s the actual content of it. A worker on a steamship notices the captain is steering wrong and wants to ask about it, and what’s the punchline, delivered to a Gilead graduating class? Men and women about to be sent to manage other people’s lives? Is “shut up and shovel”. That’s it. That’s the moral. Don’t think. Don’t ask. Don’t go upstairs. Shovel. I think a better illustration would be to substitute coal for manure.
Now, read that illustration again. And tell me with a straight face that it’s not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard from a stage. They’re basically saying your job is to just ignore when they mess up. And they’re saying this while, funny enough, being wrong themselves. Yet, there you are, nodding along like it makes total sense.
Then David Splane gets up to give the education talk, and honestly, it’s a real piece of work. He starts with, “It’s a personal decision,” flashing this gentle smile that just screams trust, and then he goes on to lay out exactly what decision a faithful person is supposed to make. Every testimony he shares comes from someone who chose not to go, and every warning is aimed at those who even think about going. Every Bible verse he throws out is carefully picked to back up just one side of the argument. And then, at the very end, he just washes his hands of the whole thing: “personal decision.”
Now, take a second to look around your hall. Check out the sixty-five-year-old sister still cleaning houses because she spent her twenties pioneering, all because she was promised the system would end any minute now. Think about the brother in his fifties living in a trailer, stuck there because he was convinced that picking up a trade would be enough, and now, thanks to how hard it’s been on his body, his back just can’t hold up anymore.
Think about those kids who were gently nudged away from going to college and now find themselves stuck in a loop—hanging out with the same crowd, working the same job, living in the same town, and basically leading the same life over and over. This situation is all because of the choices made by the guys up on stage, who said that these were personal choices made by the individuals themselves.
And what about those guys? The ones who made those big decisions? They’re chilling at Bethel, enjoying three meals a day, full healthcare, a nice roof over their heads, and sometimes even a car with a driver. And their kids? Oh wait—there aren’t any kids because they were told not to have any, and hey, at least they stuck to that advice.
But even without kids, they’ve got everything else anyone could want. They’re completely oblivious to the financial struggles that come from the advice they gave you, living lives free from the weight that their guidance has put on others.
And remember, no apology is needed.
So, Gerrit Lösch steps up and casually mentions, almost like an afterthought, that your blood is actually fine now. He suggests you should keep it, give it back, and that it’s really about your conscience. Apparently, it always was. It just took us a few decades to catch onto this big change. You know who didn’t get to hear that important update? The people you loved the most. Real, living people. Their names are stuck in your mind, and their funerals were real moments of sorrow. The choices they made were based on the old rules, which turned out to be pretty flawed. What was that phrase Winder used? Oh right, “not getting it exactly right back then.”
Not getting it exactly right.
Think about it: someone’s mother, someone’s child, someone’s husband—gone forever because the rules weren’t spot on. And hey, no need for an apology for this slip-up.
If a hospital messed up and caused deaths for forty years because of a faulty protocol, only to later say something vague like “we’ve refined our understanding,” you’d definitely sue them. You’d rally protests, and you wouldn’t let your family near that hospital again. Yet, because this info is wrapped in scripture and shared by a nice older guy in a suit, here you are in a Kingdom Hall, taking it in as spiritual food.
Now, I really want you to think about this— and I mean really think, not in a way where you already know the easy answer: what would the Governing Body have to do, specifically, for you to decide they’re not what they say they are? What’s the line they’d have to cross? Be clear about it. Write it down. Because I can tell you right now, every single thing on your list? They’ve already done it.
- Wrong dates.
- Wrong doctrines.
- Wrong medical advice.
- Wrong handling of CSA.
- Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. And every time, the same sentence. No apology is needed. New light. Jehovah’s timing. Shovel the coal.
Hey, so here’s the thing: there’s no line. That’s the whole point. The system is set up so carefully that a line just can’t exist. If you happen to see one, then guess what? YOU are the issue. If you’re brave enough to point it out, then YOU’RE labeled an apostate. And if you decide to walk away because of that line, well, YOUR family will cut off communication, and those guys who drew the line? They won’t lose a thing. NOTHING.
The Bereans got praised for checking the apostles against scripture, not the other way around. Seriously, read that again to let it sink in. The whole modern Watchtower setup is basically built on flipping that important verse upside down, and Winder’s talk is just a formal nod to that flip. The holy spirit comes down and flows through this chosen channel, which then tells you what scripture means for you. You just take that interpretation without a second thought. You don’t check it. And definitely don’t check the channel against the experiences of those it’s hurt, because, as we all know, no apology is needed, right?
I’m not trying to be mean or anything. I’m sharing this because I’ve been where you are now. I used to clap for that sentence too, and it took me a long time to really get what I was applauding. I was cheering for a group of guys who were basically saying upfront that they wouldn’t owe me anything, no matter what they did that affected my life. And I foolishly thought that was loving guidance.
You’ve got the choice to stick around, and that’s totally your call—no one can take that away from you. But hey, I really want to encourage you not to stay just because you haven’t taken a good look at what’s going on. Take a second to think about that sentence. Who’s it really protecting, and who’s getting left out in the cold? Think about the people—both in a literal sense and metaphorically—that this sentence is built on, the lives and stories that get overshadowed because of it.
Once you’ve done that, I want you to ask yourself one last, important question. Is your hesitation to do something about this because it hasn’t hit you personally? Just remember, the next correction is coming up fast, probably sooner than you think. It always does. There will be new insights, maybe any day now, bringing to light something that’s been hidden. Will you be one of those who pays the price for this oversight?
And when that moment comes—when the very thing you defended so fiercely at the door, the issue that cost you a friend, the reason you turned your child away—gets quietly taken back during a Tuesday broadcast, will you finally find the guts to speak the truth?
Absolutely! An apology isn’t just needed; it’s crucial! Because it is. It always has been. The fact that they managed to convince you otherwise, and that you chose to go along with it, is the heart of the whole story.
And btw, No apologies needed for this presentation!!!