The New and Improved 80 Questions!

An RCL Exclusive!

A visitor reported finding the following in the trash container outside of Bethel. It appears to be a printer’s proof of a yet-to-be-released revision to the Organization book, with a new set of baptism questions (the infamous “80 questions” that baptismal candidates must answer before a group of elders). It is designated as the Elder’s Administration Guide with Answers. I have faithfully transcribed it here, but I hid the answers under links so that you can take a shot at answering the questions before looking at the answers (some of which may surprise you). Unfortunately, we don’t have the full set of 80. If anyone out there can dig up the missing pages I will publish them here. Otherwise, if you have any suggestions for new questions I’m sure the Society would be glad to have our input, so feel free to post them here.

Question 1. Is “Jehovah” the correct name of God?

Answer

Question 2. Does the name “Jehovah” or the Tetragrammaton appear anywhere in the Greek Scriptures?

Answer

Question 3. What is the punishment God metes out for adding to or taking away from the words of his law?

Answer

Question 4. Since “Jesus set the example of how to worship” is it appropriate for Christians to address God by name when Jesus never referred to him by name, but always referred to him as “father”?

Answer

Question 5. Prior to eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve did not know right from wrong. Was it fair to punish them for doing something they couldn’t know was wrong?

Answer

Question 6. How many of each animal did Noah bring onto the ark, and how long did he have in which to collect them?

Answer

Question 7. Who slew the giant Goliath?

Answer

Question 8. Identify the source for the 607 BCE date of Jerusalem’s destruction.

Answer

Question 9. Name the three nights between Friday evening and Sunday morning.

Answer

Question 10. What color was Jesus’ robe?

Answer

Question 11. Challenge Question: Since God’s inspired word states that “the son shall not bear the sin of the father” why was the Ransom Sacrifice needed?

Answer

Question 12. Since the Bible records instances of God forgiving sins without the shedding of blood, why was the ransom sacrifice needed?

Answer

Question 13. God cares about every sparrow, yet he instituted a massive system of animal sacrifices when he knew that such sacrifices would not induce him to forgiveness. Explain.

Answer

Question 14. Why did God choose Abraham and bless his children, when Abraham had married his half-sister (which God told Moses was a sin worthy of a curse)?

Answer

Question 15. If a woman is raped and she fails to scream, is she guilty of fornication?

Answer

Question 16. What organization has “abolished hatred”?

Answer

Question 17. Who are the “mentally diseased” wicked ones that Jehovah’s people are required to hate?

Answer

Question 18. Vocabulary Definition: What is “a stack of bones and a hank of hair”?

Answer

Question 19. What would Rutherford be disfellowshipped for today?

Answer

Question 20. What was the fulfillment of the Great Plagues of Revelation?

Answer

Question 21. Heritage Question: What was the name of Rutherford’s second mistress?

Answer

Question 22. Name one of the “magical arts” most prevalent in today’s world.

Answer

Question 23. Vocabulary Definition: What did the faithful and discreet slave identify as “filthy pus that never saved a life”?

Answer

Question 24. Since blood transfusions are “a matter of personal conscience” does that mean there are no consequences for accepting one?

Answer

Question 25. Since the Bible’s prohibition on blood stems from the command to pour an animal’s blood on the ground, why are Jehovah’s people permitted transfusions of cow’s blood?

Answer

Question 26. Heritage Question: What did the “faithful and discreet slave” identify as “cannibalism” and “against God’s law”?

Answer

Question 27. Follow-up Question: How did the above “faithful and discreet” ruling affect certain individuals?

Answer

Question 28. Witnesses who accepted organ transplants during the time when the society said they were against God’s law, and who later died: will they be resurrected?

Answer

Question 29. If the above Witnesses didn’t die, were they accepted back into the organization with open arms and an apology once the ruling changed?

Answer

Question 30. How were those who lost loved ones recompensed after the organ-transplant ruling was changed?

Answer

Question 31. What is a cult?

Answer

Question 32. Witnesses who needed organ transplants but who died obeying the Society’s pronouncement that transplants were against God’s law are praised for “putting the kingdom first”. Since we now know that this wasn’t really a law of God’s kingdom, what did they really put first?

Answer

Question 33. Are Jehovah’s Witnesses a cult?

Answer

Question 34. Since our Lord said that “nothing that enters into a man can defile him,” how does a blood transfusion defile a Christian?

Answer

Question 35. Inferring Biblical Principles: When accused of breaking the Sabbath law, Jesus referred to David’s breaking the law when he and his starving men ate the sacred showbread. And Jesus concluded: “The law was made for man, not man for the law.” What principle does this suggest to you?

Answer

Question 36. Follow-up Question: If an unbeliever then asked you to follow the above Bible Principle and save your son or daughter’s life by giving them life-saving blood, how would you reply?

Answer

Question 37. Inferring Society Principles: Why is it okay to take a siesta but not to celebrate a birthday?

Answer

Question 38. What institution is the Image of the Wild Beast?

Answer

Question 39. What is the fate of that institution and its members?

Answer

Question 40. Name the most important former associate-member of the United Nations.

Answer

Question 41. Who is God’s prophet in modern times?

Answer

Question 42. Challenge Question: Since we were “more certain” of our prophecy concerning the resurrection of the “Ancient Worthies” in 1925 than we were about 1914, and since the 1925 prophecy proved false, what does that say about 1914?

Answer

Question 43. What is the definition of a false prophet?

Answer

Question 44. Is the society a false prophet?

(Answer missing along with questions 45-80. But if you’ve come this far you can answer this question yourself.)


9 thoughts on “The New and Improved 80 Questions!”

  1. Truly a work of art. So sadly true. How many lives lost following the arbitrary laws of this cult!

  2. Q 10 I had to check, not because I didn’t believe you but because I needed to prove to myself again what a complete doofus I had been for many years. The Insight book gives this explanation: Christ’s Cloak. The color of the cloak with which Jesus Christ was clothed on the day of his execution has caused some persons to argue that a discrepancy exists in the Bible record with reference to this garment. Matthew said that the soldiers “draped him with a scarlet cloak” (Mt 27:28), while Mark and John say that it was purple. (Mr 15:17; Joh 19:2) However, instead of being a discrepancy, such a variation in describing the garment’s color merely gives evidence of the individuality of the Gospel writers and the fact that they were not in collusion. Matthew described the cloak as it appeared to him, that is, according to his evaluation of color, and he emphasized the garment’s red hue. John and Mark subdued the red tint, calling it purple. “Purple” can be applied to any color having components of both blue and red. So, Mark and John agree with Matthew that the garment was red to some extent. Of course, background and light reflection could have given it different casts. A body of water varies in color at different times, depending upon the particular color of the sky and the reflection of light at a given time. So, when such factors are considered, it is seen that the Gospel writers were not in conflict in describing the color of the cloak that mocking Roman soldiers clothed Christ with on the last day of his human life.

    1. I had always heard that you could prove black is white by argument, but I’d never seen anyone dishonest enough to actually attempt it until I started reading the WT publications. They “prove” that scarlet is purple here, but if you substitute these colors with “black” and “white” it works just as well. They are truly masters of the con game — oops, I mean “slaves”.

Comments are closed.