Was Jesus killed or not?

By now every Witness in the entire assembly hall had heard about my search for the truth concerning the Quran. The image of the Quran that has been created in every Christian and also in the Witnesses is one of great ignorance, simplicity, foolishness, and whatever worse things one can imagine; for them, all this could only come from “believing in the Quran.” Those who had come from a Muslim society, though their numbers were terrifyingly few, regarded this religion to which they had formerly belonged, and therefore the Quran, as though it were a disgrace they had been born with, stemming from an ignorance and lack of knowledge left behind in the past. They also looked down with contempt upon people who believed in the Quran or who searched for the truth about it, as “pitiful fools,” and they imagined that by doing so they were exalting themselves. They pick up this feeling from those people who pass themselves off as Christians. Surely a Christian would experience the very same things living among Muslims. As for me, I still did not know, I was undecided, but I was not at all ashamed of investigating the truth. Many people may do this hypocritically, only for show, as though they were investigating, as though they valued it. None of these people concerned me in the least, nor were they any of my business. I was searching for the truth first of all on my own behalf, for myself. While some, out of shame, did not even want to bring up these subjects, still others brought them up especially in order to mock.

I saw myself as still at the very beginning of the road. In my own eyes I was worthless compared to the Witnesses caught up in this intense program. Their zeal, their meetings, their conventions, and the way they went out to preach to everyone with the Holy Scriptures in their hands, gave me the impression that they must surely be very knowledgeable and experienced. By this I mean knowledge about God. There were people who had been Witnesses for years. And these people had come from Islam. But when I spoke with them, I could only be astonished. Not one of them had any proper knowledge, nor any sincerity on this subject. In fact they did not much want even to know, or even to talk, about these things. For them this subject was closed, left in the past, buried in the deepest depths of the earth, as it were. They were also uncomfortable with my coming forward in this way. Perhaps, unlike them, I was investigating, reading, thinking, and debating. The part of me that most disturbed them above all was that I was doing all of this from the heart; without any self-interest, without becoming a fanatic and taking sides, freely and in liberty. But according to them, I was going down the road of my own thickheadedness!

One of those who saw this sincerity of mine suggested that I speak with the circuit overseer. The person they mentioned happened to be staying that very week as a guest in their home, and they said he “would help make a plan for a meeting.” Because they look upon people who defend the Quran in this way as “hopeless cases.” They do not even want to waste time with them. So evidently they had come to believe in my sincerity. I too was very glad at this approach of his. This man and his wife were both Turkish. As I mentioned in earlier chapters, this friend was the husband of that woman who had tried to explain to me the meaning of the word “Muslim,” and who, on the road to becoming a Witness, had helped me understand the “adornments” mentioned in the Quran as though they were the sexual organs. One good thing about them was that they were not like the other Witnesses, like the other German brothers in the faith who were stingy, self-interested, always thinking about what they could get out of you. There were very few such people among them. The others lived off the backs of these people. I was very pleased about this meeting arrangement. All right, I said, now I would surely learn the truth. Because up until now I had never spoken with anyone who knew and understood the Quran. There were many people who thought they knew the Quran, but there was no one who understood it or wanted to understand it. The day and the time were arranged. On that day we would go to the meeting, and at the end of the meeting we would speak with this circuit overseer who was staying in this brother’s home. The overseer too was a German husband and wife who knew Turkish. And they knew Turkish very well.

For now let me set this subject aside and speak a little about these overseers among the Witnesses. As I said, the Witnesses do not, as in the Catholic Church, identify themselves with words derived from Latin and Greek. For instance, the word “Catholic” actually means universal. Or “Pastor” means shepherd. And “Cardinal” means high, superior. The word whose Latin is “Bishop” is “Episkopos” in Greek; we call this “Piskopos,” and its meaning is “nazır” in Ottoman Turkish and “gözetmen” (overseer) in modern Turkish. The Witnesses’ difference in these religious titles is only that they are in the spoken language of that country. If I say that I only recently learned all this, it would be no lie at all. This is also one point on which the Witnesses come out terribly against the Catholic churches or the Protestant churches. They argue that by giving themselves such ranks, these churches oppose the teaching of Jesus. In the verse they refer to, Jesus had said this:

But you are not to be called Rabbi (teacher), for one is your teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth your father, for one is your Father, the heavenly (celestial) Father (God). Neither be called leaders, for one is your Leader, the Christ. But the greatest one among you must be your minister. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Matthew 23:8-12

With these verses Jesus clearly said, do not give yourselves such ranks. People, however, because of the ambition they possess, love to use ranks in order to impose pressure and fear. Especially if these ranks are not understood. Many people and religions also interpret this verse differently. For example, the Baptists—the Turkish for that is “vaftizciler.” They do not call their children’s parents “mother” and “father.” We have such neighbors sitting across from us. The children call their parents by their given names. For instance, if the father’s name is Ahmet, that three-year-old child does not say “father” but instead of “father” says “Ahmet.” Because according to them the word “father” is only one of God’s titles! A church official who read my book over the internet stressed that “there is no such thing among the Baptists.” I say again, it may be so, and I say that perhaps this family simply applies this custom as it sees fit! What else can I say.

Words like overseer, watcher, elder, apostle appear in the Gospel too, but unlike the others, they did not turn these words into titles. What does this mean? That is, what does it mean that there are such names but no title? Jesus’ words are actually very clear, because He is not dwelling on the words. The meaning of this “you are all brothers” is both spiritual and, in a sense, literal—not superficial. Jesus is plainly saying, let no one among you exalt himself over another, or make himself a lord or a ruler. Whatever I use to exalt myself, whether that thing be a word or clothing like a turban or a robe, with that thing by which I exalt myself I have taken a title for myself. This is something God and Jesus do not want from people. Again Jesus says, does one of you want to be great? “let him be your minister.” (Matthew 23:9-12, Luke 22:24-27) Titles, names, and ranks depend on how they are used. If they are used to crush, to dominate, to be a ruler—which is how titles are used in every religion and organization—it is exactly this that Jesus opposed. Because the religious people of Jesus’ time also ruled over the people in this way. They had even received these ranks from God. Jesus knew these problems very well. That is why He told the Jews and everyone, “do not call anyone Rabbi (teacher).” It is not that Jesus had an allergy to the word “teacher.” Jesus was against the pressures, the cruelty, the tortures lying behind this word, and whatever else there was that was far from God. Among the Witnesses there is an order of those below and those above, those from the top and those from the bottom. This rarely appears in their publications. In those publications you see, as with the visits of the pope, a smiling face and a waving hand toward people. When you get inside them, you understand—and they make you understand—in a very short time that this is not how it is. They make you feel who is from the bottom and who is from the top. In short, let us not always understand what we read superficially. In the Gospel it says: “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Let us value spiritual things, and in this way our understanding will also increase.

There is no end to counting how many more abnormalities there are in these religions. Which of them shall we speak of? As if I know the most correct version of everything? Absolutely not. But if I set about pressuring people, if I say “I am the most correct, there is none other besides me,” then the abnormality has already begun. In the name of God, the prophets said, against the societies to which they were sent, things that would not at all please those societies. Those people did not do this on their own behalf, or from some assumption, from empty feelings. God spoke openly with those people and commanded them to speak. They did not exalt themselves over that society; on the contrary, they lowered themselves and served.

Again, without scattering the subject, let me return to these overseers of the Witnesses. These overseers are chosen with great care from among the Witnesses. The greatest first quality expected of them is loyalty to the Witnesses’ governing body in America. Only after that do they choose from among themselves the one who can do this work best. They even have schools for this work. The overseer candidate goes to that school too. This overseer then travels around within the assigned circuit or district and generally visits the same congregation (assembly hall) every six months. He stays there a week to ten days and then goes to another congregation. They call that week the “service week.” During that week they go out preaching as much as possible. That is, during that week a greater liveliness comes into the congregation’s going door to door. All of this too must always conform to the bylaws of that governing body. If there have been any who attempted to step outside this line, their elders report it to the overseer. In fact, they report everything. This can even include how a man sleeps with his wife. If they have crossed the line in that relationship, that’s it. For instance, in relations with her husband the woman performed oral sex. Forgive me, but how they see who-knows-what parts of these people, who tells them, I still do not know. They hear it, they know it, and if necessary that family is expelled from among them, or just the man is expelled. If they repent and will not do it again, that is another matter!

While reading this book of mine, keep a lemon or something beside you. Cologne will do too. You may need to sniff it now and then for your nausea. Perhaps you will also break down laughing. Just in case, keep your handkerchief in your pocket, you never know!

Of course, such subjects do not always come up during the overseer’s visit. Surely not every blockhead goes and tells such things to those elders. In my opinion this kind of filth comes from the women in the congregation, but never mind. Perhaps in this way they take revenge on their husbands. The less a Witness applies these absurd rules of theirs, the more it becomes a protection for them. This protection happens unknowingly, naturally. But if a person takes their rules seriously, believing with all their heart that God is with these things, and sets about obeying them in everything and doing whatever is said, then without realizing it they can, over time, fall into great problems and spiritual crises—it is not even far-fetched for them to end up in the madhouse, or the hospital, and finally even in suicide. Such people make those changes—which they force upon themselves under the pressure of the organization—believing that God wants it. That is exactly when the problems begin. Why is it that in France the Witnesses are at the very top of the charts in suicide cases compared to other religions? As I said, the greatest protection for those who do not fall into this state comes precisely from their not fully complying with what is commanded. On this matter some among them develop methods like an acrobat. They will not comply with those rules exactly, but they will make it look as though they are complying. Most manage the situation by performing such acrobatics. As though it isn’t known? Everyone knows it, but the only one who does not know this situation is that acrobat himself, or he does not want to know it. Since this is how these things are everywhere, it is no different among the Witnesses. Obeying human commands only harms the human being, and, whatever the style of governance, it always has. The Witnesses cover up these suicide cases because they are a very great disgrace to them. In fact, if that person has no Witness family in the congregation, no one even goes to their funeral. Going to the funeral of a person who has done this thing used to be, for all of them, a sin and forbidden. Now they avoid frightening the other members and have relaxed it. And they can shamelessly say, “God is not pleased with those who commit suicide.” How did those people come to this state? Who caused it? Because some filth of their own would come out of the matter, not one of them even wants to know. With these explanations I have tried to show and explain how a religion is organized, and, in this organization, the overseer’s duty a little from this angle too.

Anyway, my brother and I went to that meeting. At that time I had read the Quran from beginning to end only once. My mother had given me this Osman Nebioğlu translation of the Quran when I returned from military service. I love this Quran most of all. Into the translation of this Quran none of the nonsense of the many Muslims—no commentary, no explanation, and the like—has crept. Perhaps every Quran is the same, but into most of them so many explanations and false interpretations are inserted next to the verses that in this way the true meaning of the Quran is corrupted. You immediately recognize those places where commentary is written. Either it is written in bold letters, or it appears in parentheses. Or it is in a smaller, different kind of typeface. That is, it does not appear in the original Quran. Some of these explanations are helpful, but most are pure fabrication. This is why I have loved the Osman Nebioğlu translation so much. This man leaves all understanding and interpretation to the reader. There are so many religions, orders, sects, and groups with so many interpretations about these subjects that which understanding is one to insert into the Quran as the correct one? And does interpretation, understanding, even belong inside the Quran? Do that in some other book, magazine, wherever, but not in the Quran. I believe that—though their numbers are few—those people did this work with good intentions, seeing it as something useful for getting their own beliefs and ideas accepted. I say it is not right, but only that. And it is unnecessary and meaningless. In my book “Is Muhammad the last of the prophets?” I will briefly touch on how, in Atatürk’s time, Mehmet Akif gathered together all the leading figures of the Muslim world in order to interpret the Quran, and how in the end they dispersed with the decision, “we could not do this work; God did not give us this understanding.”

Now let us come to that appointment of mine with the overseer. After the meeting we took the overseer along and went to that house in our brother’s car. A gentlemanly man. His way of speaking and all pleased me very much. You know how they say “he is someone who knows how to conduct himself”—exactly such a person. Most of these overseers were like this. This one, however, had taken his work a bit more seriously. And these were exactly the qualities I was looking for. I was very excited that he would show me the truth of the matter. I felt great respect, love, and even admiration for him. Not only for this overseer, but for everyone who does their work well and is of course talented. In the car he sat in the back next to me. Yet we had reserved the front of the car for him. This is a man I would embrace and kiss—I am so full of love, but I say to myself, what if it is improper. And now we have met for a serious matter, “drop the silliness, pull yourself together,” I was saying inside. Surely they had told him a great deal about me too. That is why he was sitting next to me, so that there would be some closeness. He tried to get to know us with general questions. It was only a fifteen-minute drive anyway. Anyway, we arrived at the house. Schmid, the owners of the house—that husband and wife—me, my wife, and the brother. In the room there were a few more people I cannot recall. They had been waiting for us. After we sat down the overseer took out a huge file. I was just staring. The inside of this file was full only of criticisms of the Quran. Later this file came into my hands too. A German Jehovah’s Witness had prepared this file about the Quran. “Whatever happened to this man?” I asked. They had expelled him from among them for other reasons. I do not know what he had done, but they were still using the criticisms of the Quran of the very man they disparaged!

The overseer rummaged through the pages of that huge file and immediately found what he was looking for. I had no preparation at all on these subjects. I had only read the Quran and the Holy Scriptures, that was all. But what I saw here would later encourage me to be prepared. I asked permission, “may I go to the washroom?” I was only going to wash my hands. There, while I was alone:

I prayed, saying: “My God, who am I to defend the Quran, or to debate about these books in front of these men? All I want is to know and understand the truth. I beg You, if the things they are going to say are true, let them be proven right and let me understand; but if they are wrong, help me so that I may tell and explain to them the truth, Your will.”

The overseer said to me: “Do you think the Holy Scriptures are the word of God?” “Yes,” I said. “Well, are there things written in it that are wrong, that could be mistaken?” he asked. It was a broad question, but I wanted to get straight to the point, so that he would understand: “I believe in the Holy Scriptures down to the dot and the comma,” I said. He said: “That is, if this book is from God, and the Quran is also from God, they should not write things that contradict each other, they should be in harmony with each other, isn’t that so?” What he said was correct, “yes,” I said. Again he said, “Laws may change from time to time, but events that have happened do not change, isn’t that so?” And seeing that I did not fully understand what he meant, he explained. “If in one place it is written for a person that he died, but in another book it says no, he did not die, is this not a contradiction?” “Yes, you’re right, brother,” I said. “Then let us first open the Holy Scriptures,” he said, and he opened the book of Matthew in the Gospel. There it spoke of Jesus being nailed to the cross and killed. All those Apostles in the first four books of the Gospel also speak of Jesus being killed—this is the subject of the entire Gospel and it is a fact. Otherwise the reason for Jesus’ coming to the earth would have no meaning. I did not object at all, and we read these verses. For instance, it was written in John 19:28-33, in Luke 23:33-46, in Matthew 27:45-56, and in many other places that Jesus died, was killed. “Now let us open the Quran too,” he said. We opened the Surah An-Nisa, that is, the 4th Surah, verse 157, and he began to read.

And it is their saying, “we killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the Messenger of God.” But they did not kill him nor did they hang him. Rather they supposed so. In truth those who disagree about this are also in doubt. They have no knowledge about it. They only follow their suppositions. In reality they could not kill him. Rather God raised him up to Himself.

The above verses are written in the form without commentary. He, however, read them in the form written with commentary. Because the Muslim world interprets and believes, based on this verse—and only on this verse—that “they did not kill Jesus; supposing someone else to be him, they killed that other person in his place.” Supposedly by this they also mean to protect God, saying “God would not permit such evil to be done to His prophet.” When the overseer read the verse with this interpretation I mentioned, I said, “brother, it does not say such a thing here.” And when the others joined me and said that the passages read did not appear in the Quran but were commentary—which the overseer knew far better than any of us—without any objection he said, “all right,” and read the form written in the Quran without commentary, exactly as I wrote above. What he meant was clear. When everywhere in the Gospel it is written that Jesus was killed, why does it say here in the Quran that he was not killed? Inside myself I read the verse one or two more times. There was actually something the verse wanted to convey; it was as if it had been written to arouse doubt. It said openly neither that he was killed nor that he was not killed. It said “they follow their suppositions.”

I was not much satisfied. And I said: “Brother, here it is speaking of supposing, because the Jews, not believing in Jesus, supposed that they had killed him, that is, that they had eternally annihilated him,” I said. I also gave an example, saying “for instance.” “I spoke of an eyewitness who would testify in court against someone. But that person, in order to kill the eyewitness, strikes him on the head with something hard and flees. Very sure of himself, he says, ‘there, now I am rid of this witness.’ But at the next court session that witness comes to court with his head bandaged. When his friend, who asks ‘weren’t you rid of him?’, that person says, ‘amazing, I had supposed he was dead.’” It is like that. Here the dictionary meaning of the word “to suppose” is:

1. In the sense of, while accepting the possibility that something is or is not the case, believing more strongly that it could be so. 2. To seem like, to assume: Example: He supposed this action of mine to be something arising entirely from emotion. 3. To think that something or someone is… Example: “When Doctor Sevim first saw the patient, she had supposed he was not conscious.” “When she came out of the cinema, supposing him to be her husband, she took another’s arm by mistake.” (Turkish Language Institution)

At the time, of course, I had not explained the dictionary meanings of this word. Moreover, I did not even know whether the word to suppose appeared in the original text of the Quran. But even if the many translations I read were translated under the influence of interpretation, it appears either as “to imagine” or as “they supposed.” One truth is that when a person reads this verse they may not understand for certain what happened. As I keep saying, in my opinion these are nothing but acrobatics. If, when we interpret a book, the interpretation we make is in harmony with the whole book, then perhaps we can say we have understood correctly. I say perhaps, because even though the interpretation we make about some subjects may seem to fit with the other verses, to say for certain “this is this” is sometimes really difficult. In this verse too, was Jesus killed or not killed? The Gospel says for certain that he was killed. What does the Quran really say on this matter? Is there only this one verse that sheds light on this subject? Thank goodness, that is not the case. Here I will write verses from the Quran about whether Jesus was killed or not. You decide whether Jesus died or not, and whether the Quran is in harmony with the Gospel or not. Jesus says to God:

I told them only what You commanded me. I said, “Worship God, my God and your God,” and I was a witness over them as long as I remained among them; but after You took my soul and separated me from them, You remained the watcher over them. And You are the witness of all things. Al-Maida, 5:117

What does it mean here for the soul of someone living to be taken? This too may still seem doubtful to Muslims. With this verse they say, “Jesus’ soul was taken up to heaven before he died.” Yes, Jesus went up to heaven alive, but this does not mean that he had not died beforehand. There is another verse; let us see what you will say to this. In the Surah Maryam, verse 33, speaking of Jesus, it is written as follows:

“Peace is upon me the day I was born, the day I die, and the day I am raised up alive,” says Jesus the Messiah in the Quran (19:33).

At that time, having read the Quran only a few times, I could not know the locations of these verses by heart. They did not even come to my mind. Because I had not read the Quran under the influence of the teaching of this side or that side. But such debates and acrobatics would drive me to read the Quran a great deal, indeed a great, great deal.

In that debate I said, “I understand that this word ‘to suppose’ cannot be a proof that a thing did or did not happen,” and I continued: “It is clear that this verse gives an explanation in a way that would be a warning to the Jews. Because they really do believe that someone named Jesus came, and that they killed him as an impostor who declared himself the Messiah,” and I opened the Matthew section of the Gospel. At the end of Matthew, starting from 28:2, after Jesus was killed and placed in a cave, so that his disciples would not steal Jesus’ body and then say he had risen, the religious leaders of the Jews place guards at the mouth of the cave. Because while Jesus was alive, he had foretold that he would be killed and would rise on the third day. For the Jewish religious people, however, these words were nothing but a fraud. Now let us read those verses from their place.

Late on the Sabbath day, as it was growing light toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the grave. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and coming, rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning; his garment was white as snow. From fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was nailed to the cross. He is not here; for he has risen (been raised), as he said” …verse 11… While they were going, behold, some of the guard soldiers came into the city; they reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. After they had gathered with the elders and taken counsel, they gave the soldiers much money and said: “Say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were sleeping.’ And if this reaches the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and free you from care.” So they took the money and did as they were taught; and this saying has been spread among the Jews down to this very day. Matthew 28:1-6 and 11-15

In short, among the Jews it was said: “Jesus did not rise and he died; but his disciples stole him from the grave and spread the word that he had risen.” Thereupon the Quran openly stresses to the Jews that the Messiah they had awaited for hundreds of years was Jesus, and it also relates that they tried to kill him, to annihilate him forever, but did not succeed. And is it not a very fine warning to the Jews that this was stressed not only by Jesus’ disciples of that time, but that centuries later, in Arabia, someone with not the slightest connection, near or far, to Judaism—Muhammad—as a prophet, and by the revelation he received from God, emphasized these truths? Have not God’s prophets always come precisely to warn people, to steer them from wrong to right? I said to that overseer: “In my opinion these verses want to convey this.”

We did not talk much; that was all of it. He had no time and had to go, so we got up. As we were heading toward the door he asked me one more question, which I still have not forgotten: “Could you be mistaken in your belief in the Quran?” he said. After thinking briefly, I said, “yes, I could be mistaken.” Laughing, he said, “Then there is still hope.” Even though he had not put forward any reason that satisfied me at all, I still said, “I could be mistaken.” Perhaps I was blind and could not see, unperceiving and could not understand. Is that not possible? I always believe that every kind of evil lies within me. If I do not know it, I think that perhaps over time I will become aware of it.

Was it really because the overseer had no time that we could not talk that day? It could be; as I said, these men are not going to set aside their whole week’s plan for me. As for the Quran not being able to be from God—was this the only subject written in that huge file? As I said, later a Witness showed me that file in the car. “I cannot give it to you, but look at it in the car as much as you like now,” he said. There were many things that seemed logical—both the false teachings and practices of the Muslims, and word-acrobatics done through such criticisms. But by now I was very determined about one thing. I would read the Quran again and again, and I would also draw up, over both the Quran and the Holy Scriptures, an index-like list of subjects in alphabetical order so that I could easily find what was written where. You can find these entries I prepared back then at the end of my book. I did this not only so that I could debate better with the Witnesses, but also, much of the time, so that it would be easier when speaking with people who say they are Muslim. Even though this is not entirely possible, I actually wanted to prepare that index with people of every society, every religion, in mind. I was reading and researching the Quran in this way, and at the same time the Holy Scriptures as well. I counted until I had read each of them ten times. But then, when I reached seventeen or eighteen, I could not count anymore; I forgot how many times I had read them. My memory is not that good either. And in my opinion these numbers are of no importance anyway. Even now the simplest verses and subjects come to my mind, but I cannot find their locations. Or I have difficulty finding them. With the CDs beautifully prepared over the Holy Scriptures by the Witnesses and in other translations, searching on the computer becomes easy for me. There is a Quran CD too. They have made the program so abnormal. And this is supposedly the best one I have. Actually, if I say it is an Arabic language course, that would be more accurate. They have inserted every fabrication into it rather than the Quran. Never mind, even that is enough for me. But these conveniences only began to appear a full fifteen years after those researches of mine. I could not even understand the Turkish of the Holy Scriptures of that time. It was written in the old Turkish left over from the 1920s. Later I translated all the incomprehensible foreign words of the entire Holy Scriptures. And I did this only in my own book. Unfortunately it was of no use to anyone but me. To those who had complaints on this matter I offered: “Take the places I translated and write them in your book,” but all of them regarded even taking this ready-made copy as too much work! Or they could not bring themselves, out of pride, to take this from me and accept it. Now, thank goodness, they have brought out a new translation of the Holy Scriptures. It is more easily understood. I do not know whether it is habit, but the spirit of the old translation is not there. I am not saying by this that there are necessarily many errors and such, but there are mistakes, even if insignificant. Sometimes, even though there is more illuminating information, I could not find the spirit of that old book in this new translation.

Let me give an example. The subject occurs in the book of Samuel, concerning Eli, who was the High Priest of that time. (1 Samuel 4:18) In the old translation, the place that read of Eli, “he was aged (that is, grown old) and heavy,” these people translated as “old and fat.” He is old and he is heavy—not every heavy person is fat. He is tall, he is big-boned, and moreover his aged body feels heavy to him. Anyway, there are such insignificant places like this. A worthless error, but it leaves a wrong impression in a person. The Holy Scriptures already give the impression that such a man was not the type to be constantly eating as High Priest. And these people also fast often. I still cannot understand why they translated that place as “fat.” In translations in other languages there is no such absurdity. Apart from this, they have translated the whole book in a different style. Perhaps the Turkish words forced them into this situation, it could be, I do not know. As I said, alongside this there are also fine places that shed light on the subject in the very opposite way compared to the old translation. Heavens! By no means do I mean to say by these things that “the Holy Scriptures have been corrupted” or the like. Many people are of this opinion, and this saying immediately serves their purposes too. Such people are terrifyingly knowledgeable expert critics and reviewers about this book which they have not troubled themselves to read even once from beginning to end! Moreover, every book that is translated surely undergoes change. Whether this be the Quran or the Holy Scriptures. What is important is the meanings of the words that occur there.

During the overseer’s visit to that circuit on the weekend, which was his last—because these people also change circuits every three years—he had said to me: “Who knows, when I come again you will have become a baptized Witness.” Even though inside myself I sensed that this was very difficult, so as not to hurt him I said, “perhaps you are right, brother.” Actually they were very gentlemanly people. Even though they serve at the wrong door, and even though I find most of what they do to be wrong, this does not change the value of some of them. If only they had used the talents and the zeal they possess in the cause of God’s truths—sincerely, fearlessly, and according to the freedom God has given us. They have both made themselves slaves to people and strive to make others slaves too. All this striving of theirs is very far from God’s commandments and principles. Like many people, each of them is the most correct in his own eyes. I said like every person, but the difference between people who are active in religions like this and other ordinary people is very great. The ordinary person at least sets out thinking that he may have made a mistake, that he could make one; but these people do not accept any mistake of their own. In talk, while speaking, they accept a general sinfulness with false humility, but in practice, no. They are only very afraid of one another. Among themselves they grit their teeth while listening to their own mistakes. But they do not care in the least about anyone who is from the outside, whoever it may be. Inside themselves they let pass the thought: “Whatever happens, I am always superior to this one, and God loves me much more than this one,” and that is exactly what they believe. Yet inside that very book they carry night and day, the exact opposite of these behaviors is demanded. In this book I may appear to be tearing the Witnesses to the ground. Yet in the fifteen to twenty years I was among them, I loved these people and believed in many of their things. Just as I never said a single bad word about them on the outside, I always spoke to draw people to them. In this matter I too was no different from them. It is only after long years that a person understands that the truths are very different. I always said about them, “They are like this because of their not knowing,” and I looked at things with good intentions. In the same way there are millions of members among them who have this point of view. They are patient, thinking that many of these things will get even better over time. Such thoughts, too, they only keep hidden inside. Even if they are husband and wife, they cannot speak of these subjects with each other. As I keep saying, because they are terrified of one another. In fact, unfortunately, the greatest enemy comes from within a person’s own home. In Matthew 10:34-36 Jesus the Messiah gives voice to this truth. Only let us not forget this. With such words Jesus did not drive people to enmity, but rather he prophesied truths, things that would come to pass. Bitter, but true. In those verses it is written as follows:

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth! I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a son against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. A man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'

Whoever loves his mother or his father more than he loves me is not worthy of me. Whoever loves his son or his daughter more than he loves me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever saves his life will lose it. And whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. “Whoever receives you receives me. And whoever receives me receives the One who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. Whoever receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.

And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these lowly ones because he is my disciple, truly I tell you, he will by no means lose his reward." Matthew 10:34-42