Awake article from 1990: Five Common Fallacies​—Don’t Be Fooled by Them!

[Kosonen]

I had to go back 28 years to find that good article on how not to be fooled by false statments or doctrines. The article does not make a single reference to the Govering Body. Instead it can be used to examine the truthfulness of the Governing Body and their teachings, to sort out which of their doctrines and statments are worthy of confidence. And the material can be applied here on this forum also because we share our different opinions here.

I would say that the article in itself is very well written, and I could surely not manage to write my self a such article.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/101990365#h=1:0-33:132

Five Common Fallacies—Don’t Be Fooled by Them!

"LET no man deceive you with empty words.”* This advice was given nearly 2,000 years ago and still rings as true as ever. Today, we are bombarded with persuasive voices: movie stars peddling cosmetics, politicians promoting policies, salesmen pushing products, clergymen expounding doctrine. All too often the persuasive voices prove to be deceptive—little more than empty words. Yet, people in general are easily mislead by them.

Often this is because people fail to distinguish truth from fallacy. Students of logic use the word “fallacy” to describe any departure from the path of sound reasoning. Simply stated, a fallacy is a misleading or unsound argument, one in which the conclusion does not follow from preceding statements, or premises. Fallacies may, nevertheless, be powerfully persuasive because they often make a strong appeal to the emotions—not to reason.

A key to avoiding deception is knowing the workings of fallacy. Let us therefore take a look at five common ones, with a view to sharpening our God-given “power of reason.”—Romans 12:1.

FALLACY NUMBER 1

Attacking the Person This type of fallacy attempts to disprove or discredit a perfectly valid argument or statement by making an irrelevant attack on the person presenting it.

Consider an example from the Bible. Jesus Christ once endeavored to enlighten others regarding his coming death and resurrection. These were new and difficult concepts for his listeners. But rather than weigh the merits of Jesus’ teachings, some attacked Jesus himself, saying: “He has a demon and is mad. Why do you listen to him?”—John 10:20; compare Acts 26:24, 25.

How easy it is to label someone “stupid,” “crazy,” or “uninformed” when he or she says something we don’t want to hear. A similar tactic is to attack the person with a subtle dose of innuendo. Typical examples of this are: “If you really understood the matter, you wouldn’t have that point of view” or, “You only believe that because you’re told to believe it.”

But while personal attacks, subtle and not so subtle, may intimidate and persuade, never do they disprove what has been said. So be alert to this fallacy!

FALLACY NUMBER 2

Appealing to Authority This form of verbal intimidation is accomplished by invoking the testimonials of so-called experts or famous people. Of course, for advice it is only natural to look to people who know more about something than we do. But not all appeals to authority are based on sound reasoning.

Suppose your doctor tells you: “You have malaria.” You reply: “How do you know, doctor?” How unreasonable it would be for him to say: “Look, I am a doctor. I know far more about these things than you do. Take my word for it, you have malaria.” While his diagnosis is likely correct, reasoning that you have malaria simply because he says so is fallacious. It would be far more advantageous for him to discuss the facts: your symptoms, blood-test results, and so forth.

Another example of an intimidating appeal to authority is described at John 7:32-49. There we learn that police officers were sent to arrest Jesus Christ. They were so impressed by his teaching, however, that rather than arrest him, they told their superiors: “Never has another man spoken like this.” In reply, Jesus’ enemies said: “You have not been misled also, have you? Not one of the rulers or of the Pharisees has put faith in him, has he?” Note that no attempt was made to refute Jesus’ teaching. Rather, the Jewish leaders appealed to their own authority as “experts” in the Law of Moses as the reason to disregard whatever Jesus said.

Interestingly, clergymen today are known to resort to similar tactics when unable to prove from the Bible such teachings as the Trinity, the immortality of the soul, and hellfire.

Invalid appeals to authority also abound in advertising, where celebrities commonly give testimonials in fields far removed from their area of expertise. A successful golfer encourages you to buy a photocopying machine. A professional football player promotes refrigerators. An Olympic gymnast recommends a certain breakfast cereal. Many do not stop and think that such “authorities” probably know little or nothing about the products they peddle.

Realize, too, that even legitimate experts—like everyone else—may be biased. A highly credentialed researcher may claim that smoking tobacco is harmless. But if he or she is employed by the tobacco industry, is not such “expert” testimony suspect?

FALLACY NUMBER 3

‘Join the Crowd’ Here the appeal is to popular emotions, prejudices, and beliefs. People generally like to conform. We tend to shrink at the thought of speaking out against prevailing opinions. This tendency to view the majority opinion as automatically correct is used with potent effect in the ‘join-the-crowd’ fallacy.

For example, an advertisement in a popular U.S. magazine showed a number of smiling people, each enjoying a glass of rum. Accompanying the picture was the slogan: “It’s What’s Happening. All across America, people are switching to . . . rum.” This is a blatant appeal to ‘join the crowd.’

But while others may think or do something, does that mean you should? Besides, popular opinion just isn’t a reliable barometer of truth. Over the centuries all kinds of ideas have been popularly accepted, only to be proved wrong later. Yet, the ‘join-the-crowd’ fallacy persists. The rallying cry, ‘Everybody is doing it!’ moves people to take drugs, commit adultery, steal from employers, and cheat on taxes.

The fact is, everybody doesn’t do those things. And even if they did, that would be no reason for you to do so. The advice given at Exodus 23:2 thus serves as a good general rule of conduct: “You must not follow after the crowd for evil ends.”

FALLACY NUMBER 4

Either/Or Reasoning This fallacy reduces what may be a wide range of options to only two. For example, a person may be told: ‘Either you accept a blood transfusion or you will die.’ Jehovah’s Witnesses often run into such reasoning because of their Bible-based decision to ‘abstain from blood’ in any form. (Acts 15:29) The weakness of this line of reasoning? It excludes other valid possibilities. The facts show that there are alternative treatments, and most operations can be performed successfully without blood. Skilled doctors often operate with a minimal loss of blood. Another possibility is the use of nonblood fluids, plasma volume expanders.* Furthermore, many have taken blood transfusions and died. By the same token, many have refused blood and lived. The hole in the either/or reasoning is thus a gaping one.

So when presented with either/or reasoning, ask yourself, ‘Are there really only two possible choices? Might there be others?’

FALLACY NUMBER 5

Oversimplification Here a statement or argument ignores relevant considerations, oversimplifying what may be a complex issue.

Granted, there is nothing wrong in simplifying a complicated subject—good teachers do it all the time. But sometimes a matter is simplified to the point of distorting truth. For example, you may read: ‘Rapid population growth is the cause of poverty in developing countries.’ There’s an element of truth in that, but it ignores other important considerations, such as political mismanagement, commercial exploitation, and weather patterns.

Oversimplification has resulted in many misunderstandings when it comes to God’s Word, the Bible. Consider, for example, the account at Acts 16:30, 31. There a jailer asked a question about salvation. Paul answered: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will get saved.” Many have concluded from this that simple mental acceptance of Jesus is therefore all that is required for salvation!

This is an oversimplification. True, belief in Jesus as our Ransomer is essential. But it is also necessary to believe what Jesus taught and commanded, to acquire a full understanding of Bible truths. This is shown by the fact that Paul and Silas subsequently “spoke the word of Jehovah to [the jailer] together with all those in his house.” (Acts 16:32) Salvation also involves obedience. Paul later showed this when he wrote that Jesus “became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those obeying him.”—Hebrews 5:9.

An ancient proverb says: “Anyone inexperienced puts faith in every word, but the shrewd one considers his steps.” (Proverbs 14:15) So don’t fall for fallacies. Learn to differentiate between legitimate attacks on what is said and cheap attacks on personalities. Don’t be fooled by invalid appeals to “authority,” urgings to ‘join the crowd’, either/or reasoning, or gross oversimplifications—especially when something as vital as religious truth is involved. Check all the facts, or as the Bible puts it, “make sure of all things.”—

[Kosonen]

28 years back and around that time I was baptized and I grew up with that mentality, that you can demand scriptural evidence and logic reasoning for all JW doctrines. At that time I was satisfied with all the explanations, because I did not know the Bible so well. 

The year I was baptized there was for example such advise speaking against blind trust towards theocratic authority: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1988247#h=1:0-30:49

“Test the Inspired Expressions”

What about the authority in the Christian congregation? Since those in responsible positions are appointed by the operation of the holy spirit and they base their counsel and admonition on the Word of God, we can be sure that obeying duly appointed authority in the Christian congregation is appropriate. (Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17) But it does not mean that we obey such authority without giving due consideration to what is being said. Why?

The apostle John offered this counsel: “Do not believe every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God.” (1 John 4:1) This does not mean that we should be suspicious of everything others tell us. Rather, we bear in mind Paul’s words at Galatians 1:8: “Even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed.”

Is the information before us different from what we have been taught through “the faithful and discreet slave”? Is the person spreading that message speaking to honor the name of Jehovah, or is he trying to exalt himself? Is the information in harmony with the overall teachings of the Bible? These are questions that will help us in ‘testing’ anything that may sound questionable. We are admonished to “make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine.”—Matthew 24:45; 1 Thessalonians 5:21.

(...........)

The Wisest Choice

Jehovah does not expect us to show blind credulity. He does not want from us the kind of obedience that a trainer gets from a beast with a bridle or a whip. That is why he told David: “Do not make yourselves like a horse or mule without understanding, whose spiritedness is to be curbed even by bridle or halter.” (Psalm 32:9) Rather, Jehovah has endowed us with thinking ability and discernment so that, based on understanding, we can choose to obey him.

(End of quote)

And articles like this made the impression that the GB and the JW leadership lives as they teach. Like the last statements in the first article.

"Don’t be fooled by invalid appeals to “authority,” urgings to ‘join the crowd’, either/or reasoning, or gross oversimplifications—especially when something as vital as religious truth is involved. Check all the facts, or as the Bible puts it, “make sure of all things.”—

But now the GB does not encourage us to examine their claims or doctrines. Instead they claim that Jehovah and Jesus trust them, so should we. Every body could claim that God and Jesus is on their side, and require to be trusted. Here is the famous article that blatantly announces that we should trust the Governing Body. That breaks totally away from the previous mindset that was promoted not to blindly trust even theochratic authority.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2009123#h=5:0-26:554

 "Should not individual members of the anointed and the “other sheep” trust the slave appointed over them? There are many reasons why the slave class deserves our trust. Two outstanding reasons are: (1) Jehovah trusts the slave class. (2) Jesus also trusts the slave. Let us examine the evidence that both Jehovah God and Jesus Christ have complete confidence in the faithful and discreet slave."

And the evidence they provide is that the organization has grown to its current greatness and that members preach and that they publish publications about biblical matters.

That I would call Fallacy number 5: OVERSIMPLIFICATION

It does not answer any questions we could have concerning specific teachings of the GB.

I would claim that in some key aspects the "light" has gone darker instead of brighter the past 30 years. That is really sad.

 

[Kosonen]

Here is again an article that was directed to members of other religions, but today every JW should learn from this article and apply it on themselves.

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2002240#h=1:0-9:112

Should Faith Be Based on Reason?

“There are too many ‘religious’ people who become religious precisely to avoid having to think,” writes the dean of a theological seminary in the United States. “They simply want to accept everything ‘on faith,’” he adds.

THE implication is that most people who profess religious faith give little thought to why they believe what they do or to whether there is a reasonable basis for their faith. [My take on that: Today nearly everybody, circuit overseers, bethel brothers, elders etc believe just because the Governing Body says so. No discussions needed or allowed] It is no wonder that religion has become a topic that many are reluctant to talk about.

Regrettably, such practices as using religious images and repeating prayers by rote also discourage reasoning. These practices, along with impressive architecture, elaborate stained-glass windows, and captivating music, more or less define the extent of the religious experience of millions. Though some churches claim that their faith is based on the Bible, their message of ‘believe in Jesus and you will be saved’ makes light of serious Bible study. Others turn to preaching a social or political gospel. What is the result of all of this?

Concerning the situation in North America, one religion writer said: “Christianity . . . tends to be superficial, [and] its adherents are poorly educated in the faith.” A pollster even went so far as to describe the United States as “a nation of biblical illiterates.” To be fair, these observations would also be true of other countries where so-called Christianity prevails. Many non-Christian religions likewise discourage reasoning and instead emphasize chants, ritualistic prayers, and various forms of meditation that involve mysticism, rather than logical, constructive thinking.

Yet, in their everyday life, the same people who give little thought to the accuracy or truthfulness of their religious beliefs often think other matters through very carefully. Does it not strike you as odd that the person who does extensive research just to buy a car—which one day will end up on the scrap heap—would say regarding his religion, ‘If it was good enough for my parents, it’s good enough for me’?

If we are truly interested in pleasing God, should we not consider seriously the accuracy of what we believe about him? The apostle Paul spoke of certain religious people of his day who had “a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge.” (Romans 10:2) Such ones could be compared to a hired painter who works hard to paint a house but uses the wrong colors because he fails to listen to the owner’s instructions. The painter may be pleased with his work, but would it be acceptable to the owner?

What is acceptable to God regarding true worship? The Bible answers: “This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.” (1 Timothy 2:3, 4) Some may feel that it is impossible to find such knowledge among the many religions of today. But think—if it is God’s will that people should come to an accurate knowledge of truth, would he unfairly conceal it from them? Not according to the Bible, which says: “If you search for [God], he will let himself be found by you.”—1 Chronicles 28:9.

How does God make himself known to those who sincerely search for him? The next article will provide the answer.

[Kosonen]

In my teenage I remember that we were often urged to read Psalms 146:3,4 in the ministry:

Ps146:3  Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, who cannot bring salvation. 4  His spirit goes out, he returns to the ground; On that very day his thoughts perish.

That kind of mentality stuck in to my mind. So why should we trust the Governing Body? I would only trust the scriptures they show me, but not them as persons or as group of persons. Everything can happen to persons. The Bible is full of such examples. 

And then at the meetings Proverbs 3:5 was a often repeated scripture:

5  Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, And do not rely on your own understanding.

Yes that I learnt, Trust in Jehovah.

So it has not at all sounded right when the Governing Body has departed from that mindset and begun to require that we trust them just because they say so.

Jesus did not say: 'A Governing Body so and so is the Faithful and Discreet slave'. But he asked who really is the faithful and discreet slave?

It is a question. It is not an answer.

And every anointed has the potential to be a faithful and discreet slave giving well timed spiritual food. When I said that to my local elders 10 years ago it was finished for me in the congregation. The elders said there is no need to discuss any more with me. 

They did not want to understand the true meaning of Matthew 24:45.

Actually when the WT still taught that the Faithful and Discreet Slave is composed of all the anointed, I took the chance and wrote them that I am an anointed and as the WT teaches I am a part of the Faithful and Discreet Slave and therefore I should have part in preparing spiritual food. Guess what? After that they changed the doctrine and decided that the Faithful And Discreet Slave can only be the Governing Body itself. That was not honest!