Do mainstream Christian clergy ever convert to Jehovah's Witness theology?

Question

Has this ever happened? My guess is no, Jehovah's Witnesses would not be able to convince any reasonably educated (i.e. M. Div.), mainstream Christian clergyperson of the "Truth" of Jehovah's Witness theology.

Surprise me.

NMB, if you know of three, then you must be more specific as to who these people are. There should be plenty of documentation available. They should be highly visible if they are that willing to say their MDivs were worthless. The WBTS should be trumpeting this with much fanfare.

Answer 1

Probably. I personally don't know every clergy person, nor do I know every Witness and neither do you, so unless someone out of the handfull or so Witnesses on Y!A knows of this happenning, you probably won't find out. But you can always keep asking and searching.

Answer 2

Christian soldier sent his answer to me. Why do you delete his answeres? Don't we all have freedom of speech?

There was a question somewhere about people how well people were versed in the Bible before becomming a JW. I can't find the link now but quite a few considerd themselves to be well versed in the Scriptures and were deceived by the watchtower...also those who just picked up a Bible for the first time were also deceived by the watchtower. Obviously if they were will versed in Scripture to begin with then they wouldn't be JW's in the first place. People who say they are Christian and then go to being a JW, Mormon, Muslim...etc were never really Christian in the first place. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. 1 John 2:19 In doing so they are on the broad way to the lake of fire. They need the gospel. “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matt. 7:13-14 BTW, JW's don't have the "truth." Only Jesus has that. Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Answer 3

Consider yourself surprised. I know of three who are now Jehovah's Witnesses. One was a Methodist minister, one a Baptist and the other a Catholic priest.

"NMB, if you know of three, then you must be more specific as to who these people are.
Why? What gives me the right to identify people in such an anonymous place?
What would that accomplish?


"They should be highly visible" And this would be because ? Who they are isn't important to me, what they think of their"degree" is up to them.

" The WBTS should be trumpeting this with much fanfare."

Once again why? Why would that be important?

Answer 4

Yes, it's true. Mainsteam Christian clergy men and women have become Christian Witnesses of Jehovah. Even Jews have become Christian Witnesses of Jehovah.

I found your qualification of "reasonably educated (i.e. M. Div.)" quite curious. You feel, then, that the only persons who can understand and/or teach God's word the Bible must be "reasonably" educated with a degree in divinity from a seminary. It is understandable that you feel this way. You are not alone. Many felt this way even in the first century. The religious leaders looked down upon the disciples of Christ; referring to them (insultingly) as "am haarets" and poo-pooing their teaching and their learning because they had not been educated at the rabinnical schools. So I can understand why this continues to go on in modern times.

Hannah J Paul

Answer 5

Yes, people from all walks of life have become Jehovah's Witnesses. Even Catholic Priests and Nuns. Even the present Popes cousin is a Witness.

Answer 6

At the time I was baptized, one of my fellow baptizees (?) had learned what the Bible really teaches so converted from being a Baptist preacher to be a preacher of truth, one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Answer 7

There are Over 100,000 JW in Italy. Mostly Broke Free from the Shackles of the Roman Catholic Church. Same For People In South America.

Answer 8

That is interesting Attention Hot.

I personally think that the WTB&TS needs a second witness to these claims.
Is not a second witness needed?

Perhaps these converted by Raymond Franz the WT expatriate, that served for years in the areas you mentioned, who has written books and articles exposing the heretical and phony inner workings of the WTB&TS.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Franz

or maybe he just set it in motion and now regrets participating in the cult like recruitment and practices of the WTB&TS. http://www.dtl.org/cults/subject/jws.htm

Answer 9

Here is one reason why:

Matthew 15:7-9 (KJV) Jehovah speaking through Esaias:
7
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8
This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9
"""""But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.""""""

2Thess 2:11
For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false,(NAS)
or
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:(KJV)

People want to believe.
But why does God Almighty send this?

2 Thess 2:
7
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way.
8
And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.
9
The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders,
10
and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. (RSV)

They want to believe a lie. They want to follow pretty pictures built in the mind.
They love their earthly life and want to continue it in a "paradise".

What was said about this?

John 12:
25
He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

Remember:
"In order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his (Satan's) schemes." - 2 Corinthians 2:11

Joy - jj

Answer 10

The publications of Jehovah's Witnesses occasionally mention some experience where a clergyman embraced bible truth as taught by Jehovah's Witnesses.

The 1987 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses mentions an Evangelical pastor in Guatemala and a Protestant pastor in Haiti, both of whom had become Jehovah's Witnesses.

The 1994 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses included some comments from Diego Scotland, a former Pentecostal pastor from Dominica.

The 1997 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses related the interesting experience of Pierre Awhanto, the founder of the Sacred Heart Church in Nigeria. With 21 congregations, 2700 adherents, and twenty-eight pastors, Awhanto was well respected as a Christian leader. He, in turn, respected Jehovah's Witnesses and began studying their publications in 1964. In 1991, Awhanto finally severed his ties with the church he founded and became a baptized Witness himself. Eight of his 21 churches are now Kingdom Halls of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.ca/e/20020101/article_01.htm