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Authority and accountability · Claim record

In March 1986 The Watchtower described the reasoning 'if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test' as a way some 'have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt', and said reading 'the literature of a known apostate' would be like 'inviting this enemy of true worship right into our home'.

Claim ID claim-authority-1986-do-not-read-apostate-literatureConcerns 15 March 1986Explicit statement
Explicit statement · 15 March 1986 Verified

In March 1986 The Watchtower described the reasoning 'if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test' as a way some 'have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt', and said reading 'the literature of a known apostate' would be like 'inviting this enemy of true worship right into our home'. The Watchtower, 15 March 1986

Show the evidence (1 source)
Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “‘Do Not Be Quickly Shaken From Your Reason’”

15 March 1986 · pp.10-15 · par. 7 (p. 12); par. 10 (p. 13) · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

“You may even reason: ‘It won’t affect me; I’m too strong in the truth. And, besides, if we have the truth, we have nothing to fear. The truth will stand the test.’ In thinking this way, some have fed their minds upon apostate reasoning and have fallen prey to serious questioning and doubt. [par. 7] … If, out of curiosity, we were to read the literature of a known apostate, would that not be the same as inviting this enemy of true worship right into our home [par. 10]”

Section headed 'Have No Dealings With Apostates'. The article treats 'the truth will stand the test' as a dangerous line of reasoning.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened the WOL document; page markers confirm p. 12 (par. 7) and p. 13 (par. 10). The brief's paraphrase ('we must test… whether the truth is being taught') is not exact; the verified wording is above.

Corroborated by. src-w-2011-0715-heed-clear-warnings

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-w-1986-0315-not-quickly-shaken

Claim page

A direct link to this claim is https://jwtruth.org/evidence/claim-authority-1986-do-not-read-apostate-literature/. Every source above opens the original document or the best available copy. If you believe the wording, date or context is wrong, report an error.