I Was Once a Jehovah's Witness — David Bercot — Ep. 057

David Bercot shares his journey away from being a Jehovah's Witnesses, and towards the Anabaptists. He shares why he left the group, but also points out some of their strong points. Towards the end, Bercot gives a few pointers on how to interact well with a Jehovah's Witness.

This is the 57th episode of Anabaptist Perspectives, a podcast, blog, and YouTube channel that examines various aspects of conservative Anabaptist life and thought.

The views expressed by our guests are solely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Anabaptist Perspectives or Wellspring Mennonite Church.

[bacomiric]

I left JWs two years ago since i learned that Acts 4:10-12 teaches that Jesus' name is the only one under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.
Not WT, only Jesus.
That was enough for me.

[pinkdiscomosh]

This was wonderfully helpful. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve spent wrestling with JW on doctrine and felt like it never went anywhere of benefit. This was encouraging.

[jimbarton]

Nice to see, David, that you landed on your feet, enjoying a productive life.

[breebroman]

I studied with the J.W. once upon a time...40 years ago.. But, they had doctrine that opposed the word of God.. The Holy Bible so i never became one..They also didnt believe Jesus didnt die on a tree... I do believe that.. They were pleasant.. Agape love indeed! If they come now! Im pleasant.. They tell me, I know the Bible well.. And depart..
Praise God for your transformation.. God truely blesses his chosen.. Sis, bree..
Amen

[michelebowman]

I relate so much to this. I never became Baptized as Jehovahs Witness but I did study with them formally for 2 years and informally for nearly 6 or so. This explains my thoughts. This was why I have spent so many years researching different Faith's.

[Ekklesiajourney]

I started reading your books many years ago. Your method of reading the anti nicene books I began to follow. I didn’t find it as the Rosetta Stone to my library of spiritual knowledge. I came to see that the spirit of Christ not what another man or group of men have said in history. We are told that Christ would lead his disciples directly. The need to be illuminated is the work of Christ himself in the heart. As Jesus said.

John 5:39. Ye search the scriptures in them ye think ye have eternal life and they are they which testify of me and ye will not come to me. Titus3:5.



Not by works of righteousness that we have done but according to his mercy the washing of REGENERATION and renewing of the Holy Spirit…. This is the path of all who seek God and find him. T

[Sirach]

His books are in print. I am a Bible Student and we still publish the Studies in the Scriptures and study them.

[nchrt]

My friend was severely hurt from the Jehovah witness family and he hates anything to do with God or Jesus Christ, I talk to him still and pray for him, if you could pray for him too that would be great. He cursed me when I said I will pray for him.

[DonaldJamesParker]

I encountered this video because I searched on David Bercot on google. I'm writing a novel called Heresy Hunters and I have the hero in the story read Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up and discuss it with his girl friend.

[rintakahashi]

We don't know enough about the Montanists to say that they're wrong, they just got thrown out and most of their own stuff got wiped out, all we have are what their enemies said about them.

[brandib]

Very good video. Very informative. I was wondering what books did Dr. David Bercot read once he left the church? I am in the processes of leaving a church that is apart of the Charismatic movement. I would love to read the books to get a historical context of the bible.

[TwilightSouljer]

1 John 5:19
We know that we are from God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

[johncolage]

D ONE TRUE RELIGON

It is only logical that there would be one true religion. This is in harmony with the fact that the true God is a God, "not of disorder, but of peace." (1 Corinthians 14:33) The Bible says that actually there is only "one faith." (Ephesians 4:5) Who, then, are the ones who form the body of true worshippers today?

We do not hesitate to say that they are Jehovah's Witnesses.

[jamesjourneyman]

Excellent interview on both sides. There’s a lot I can talk about here but I’ll touch on just two things that somewhat tie together; the conversion rate and what happens upon departure from the JW belief system.
I submit that the high conversion rate into the JW’s in the US is largely from childhood indoctrination. Many children of JW’s are getting baptized into the religion yearly as young as eight. Plus there are those who were indoctrinated as children and leave for let’s call it hormonal reasons prior to getting baptized but eventually make their way back because they exist outside of the religion with an underlying fear of Armageddon and belief that they have left THE TRUTH. Therefore many adults in the US who are getting baptized have a JW background. The coercion put on JW children is somewhat subtle, while often direct but always constant and laced with fear tactics. I will slightly (key word being slightly) disagree with your guest in saying that MOST that come out become atheist or agnostic because they’ve been hurt. Assuming he means hurt in the way of shunning, being treated in an unloving way, maligned and the like as he was describing, my experience (JW for 43 years, recently withdrawing my support) is that although some do become atheist and agnostic, this is by and large because of the “hurt” they have experienced spiritually, meaning that the mental programming is so powerful in that religion that the members are learning that they have the only truth and simultaneously learning that all other religions do not, and are under the devil. Consequently upon departure, there commences the tremendous untangling of both sides of that in order to move on. Many JW’s that leave end up standing in one place, so to speak, lost, afraid and unsure of where to go next, by design mind you; as if they have to “go” somewhere in the first place. Still it feels to me (if I had hard data to the contrary I will look at it) that most who come out of the JW belief system especially for doctrinal reasons, do move into another christian belief system, still fully believing in the ransom provision of Christ. -Blessings

[nchrt]

Did back in the reformation, did a bunch of anabaptist get martyred? Like a whole village or something I could be wrong but it’s seems I remember a group not going with the new way were brutally murdered.

[vaughnlonganecker]

It's no wonder that he has unbiblical view of what he calls "Evangelical church" as he calls it, JW is not "Evangelical".

[caleb]

So although surprisingly not mentioned, I assume you're now Trinitarian? And you obviously still hold to works based righteousness which would be a third similarity... Would be nice if doctrinal changes were addressed beside 2 kingdom

[dantoinettetaylor]

You forgot about their claim to the NEW LIGHT doctrine their unfortunate interpretation of Proverbs 14:8 which is their excuse for their errors in that they are constantly getting "new light" on whatever belief they had and this gives them licence to abandon doctrines and prophesies that turn out to be false. So sad! Anyone interested can Google Jehovah's Witnesses and their "new light" doctrine

[philipbuckley]

the take away, from this example of the JWs is that the Evangetical Church does exactly the same thing, by takng a verse and changing its

[Benjamin-jorf]

I recently found out the beginning of this interview is not true. David Bercot was not a Jehovah's Witness until he became Anabaptist, he was an Jehovah's Witness until he became Anglican ordained priest. I'd love to see some videos on David talking about him coming out of the Anglican church the same way he talks so much about the jws.