Captives of a Concept (Anatomy of an Illusion)

"You'll never get sick. You will never grow old. And you will never die." Although the above words come from the movie "Cocoon," they could have come from the Watchtower Society because this is the same thing they have been proclaiming for decades as part of "the Creator's promise of a peaceful and secure new world that is about to replace the present wicked, lawless system of things."* This very appealing prospect attracts many people to begin to study the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses. It then sustains them as they eagerly wait for the fulfillment of this promise. But during the course of their study they get drawn into an illusionary concept involving the Watchtower organization that gradually takes over their decision-making process and even their conscience without them realizing it. It happens because of a mistake that everyone makes before they decide to become a Jehovah's Witness. Captives of a Concept identifies both the concept and the mistake that causes people to become captives of it. The book also offers a few suggestions about how to help Jehovah's Witnesses correct their mistake and teach themselves the truth about their religion. The book is designed to help the reader understand the illusionary concept mentioned by Raymond Franz on page 296 of his Crisis of Conscience, which holds Jehovah's Witnesses (and even their Governing Body) captive by dominating and controlling how they think and act. It explains how the leadership has been able to keep themselves (apparently) and millions of Jehovah's Witnesses convinced that "the Watchtower Society is God's organization" no matter what the Bible says or what went on in the organization's history.