The Watchtower Society describes itself as "the only organization on earth that understands the 'deep things of God'" and "the true Christian organization".
The Watchtower Society has always maintained that it alone is the only Christian faith. All other groups claiming to be Christians are simply part of the false religions of the world destined to be destroyed by God. They are not worthy to be called "Christian." Thus, the Society has alleged:
. . . Also, in the year 1918, when God destroys ["begins to destroy," in 1926 edition] the churches wholesale and the church members by millions, it shall be that any that escape shall come to the works of Pastor Russell to learn the meaning of the downfall of "Christianity." (Charles Taze Russell, The Finished Mystery [Studies in the Scriptures, vol. 7], Brooklyn: Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, 1917 [1917 edition], p. 485.)
The Watchtower Society describes itself as "the only organization on earth that understands the 'deep things of God'" and "the true Christian organization" (The Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402). It asks, "[I]f you were asked to identify those who are truly worthy to bear the name 'Christian' today, using the guidelines established by Jesus himself, could you honestly select any of Christendom's churches?" (Awake! February 22, 1975, p. 23). In a description of its members it maintains that "There are people, worshipers of the true God, Jehovah, to whom you can flee. Millions have fled. Known as Jehovah's Witnesses, they make up an international Christian brotherhood. . . . Before baptism, all of these had completed a spiritually stimulating course of Bible study, enabling them to make a personal, well-founded decision to resign from all former attachment to any other religion" (Awake! November 8, 1996, p. 9).
It is obvious that the Watchtower Society considers itself to be the only Christian group and its membership the only people who can truly be called Christians. Catholics and Protestants are part of "modern-day Christendom. False to its claim to being the realm of true Christianity, Christendom has fallen victim to Babylonish religion. . . .Christendom will go down into destruction with it" The Watchtower, October 1, 1982, p. 27).
For over one hundred years the Watchtower Society has held to the position that only its members are Christians. But, to protect its financial holdings in France the Watchtower Society indulged in hypocrisy. In an open letter addressed to the President of France, appearing as a full page advertisement in The New York Times (July 5, 1998, Section 4, p. 12 WK), the "Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses" sought outside support for their protest against being taxed. Under the title FRANCE MOVES TO TAX RELIGION! They claim that "French tax administrators have jeopardized basic human rights by imposing a punitive 60 percent tax on the third-largest Christian religion in France. If the tax laws can be used to suppress one religion in France, then many religions and nonprofit organizations are at risk."
Whatever the legal merits of its objections may be are not our concern here. There is another issue. If the Jehovah's Witnesses are the self-proclaimed "third-largest Christian religion in France" what do they consider are the other two Christian religions? Are they referring to Catholics or Protestants? The Watchtower Society never refers to Catholics or Protestants as being "Christian religions," but only calls them by what the Society considers a derogatory term, "Christendom."
For the love of money, however, the Watchtower Society has hypocritically by-passed one of its central doctrines: that it alone is the only Christian religion. It has attempted to fool those outside the organization unaware of its deviousness. By its teachings, the Society has already fooled its members.