Circular reasoning is a common fallacy that all thinking people occasionally fall prey to, including Jehovah’s Witnesses. Nobody always thinks in circles; many times we all think clearly and in a straight line.
I want to stress this because I do not want what follows to be misconstrued as an insult to the intelligence of Jehovah’s Witnesses. While they are just as susceptible as anyone else to the fallacy of circular reasoning, they are also just as capable of clear and critical thinking, just as the rest of us are.
Keeping this in mind, however, I do want to point out an area in which Jehovah’s Witnesses think more in a circle than in a straight line.
Jehovah’s Witnesses accept the authority of the Governing Body of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society because they believe in its inerrant (and unique) interpretation of a parable of Jesus (twisted into a prophetic parable about the Governing Body), found at Matthew 24:45-47:
"Who really is the faithful and discreet slave whom his master appointed over his domestics, to give them their food at the proper time? Happy is that slave if his master on coming finds him doing so! Truly I say to you, he will appoint him over all his belongings." (New World Translation of the Bible; Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
The Governing Body claims that - collectively - it itself is "the faithful and discreet slave...appointed over" Jehovah's Witnesses, which it further claims gives it the authority to interpret the Bible. And Jehovah’s Witnesses accept the Governing Body’s authority to interpret the meaning of that parable because they accept the 'divinely-appointed' authority of the Governing Body to interpret it.
No clearer example of the logical fallacy of circular reasoning in the thinking of Jehovah’s Witnesses can be found.
Think logically about it!
THE APOSTATE
Look closely! Cracks in the Walls of the Watchtower - Table of Contents