(Investigator 91, 2003 July)
"Channeling is the New Age word for spiritualism or mediumship in which a spirit, control, or guide…speaks through a chosen medium." (H Edwards, A Skeptic’s Guide to the New Age, p. 77)
By this definition of channeling, the Jehovah’s
Witness Leaders who invent the JW doctrines can be considered channelers.
They—as we’ll see from the quotes below—channel i.e. transmit "influence"
and "divine truths" from dead people of their religion to the living:
Hence our dear Pastor, now in glory, is without
doubt manifesting a keen interest in the harvest work, and is permitted
by the Lord to exercise some strong influence thereupon.
(Watch Tower Reprints 1917 November 1, p.
6161)
Charles Russell...is the servant of the church so constituted by the Lord… Therefore we should expect the Lord to teach us through him. (Watch Tower Reprints 1918 February 15, p. 6212)
This suggests that resurrected ones of the
24-elder group [those of the 144,000 in heaven] may be involved in the
communicating of divine truths today.
(Revelation Its Grand Climax At Hand! 1988,
125)
God’s visible organization today also received
theocratic guidance and direction. At the headquarters of Jehovah’s Witnesses
in Brooklyn, New York, there is a governing body of older Christian men
from various parts of the earth who give needed oversight to the worldwide
activities of God’s people. This governing body is made up of members of
the "the faithful slave." It serves as a spokesman for that faithful "slave."
(You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth
1989, 195)
[Since most of the alleged 144,000 who compose
the "slave" are dead and supposedly in heaven, being a "spokesman" for
the "slave" implies information transfer by the 144,000 in heaven to the
governing body.]
Thus, Ezekiel well pictures the anointed remnant of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1919. God’s heavenly organization got in touch with the anointed remnant in that year. (w1991 3/15 11)
JWs regard the dead as "unconscious", existing only in the memory of God. JWs believe that the "saints" (limited to 144,000) go to heaven when they die. Until about 1930 they taught that this resurrection to heaven started in 1878. Around 1930 they altered the starting date for going to heaven from 1878 to 1918.
Therefore, in 1917 when the deceased Pastor Russell "manifest[ed] a keen interest in the harvest work, and…exercise[d] some strong influence" he was actually non-existent.
Thousands JW teachings were revised during the 20th century. (Investigator 85 pp. 31-36) Some teachings, such as whether or not the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will live again, flip-flopped back and forth three, four or more times. (Investigator 31 p. 38) Yet, JWs believe it all comes from God and even from the dead in Heaven!
When JWs revise or discard their "divine
truths" by hundreds, yet also claim to be influenced by the dead, what
do we make of it? Their own Bible translation raises a sinister scenario: