WTS and the Worship of Jesus
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Here is something else that may be useful to discuss with your friend.  
According to the 1950, 1961, and 1970 NWT, Hebrews 1:6 should be rendered,
"But when He again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he 
says: 'And let all God's angels worship him'".   

This verse directs all of God's angels to worship Jesus.  This may sound 
strange indeed to the ears of someone whose experience with the WTS only 
goes back a few years, since the revised NWT from 1985 substitutes the 
words "do obeisance to" rather than "worship", thereby depriving Jesus of 
the worship commanded in the earlier editions of the NWT.  

The idea of worshipping Jesus is foreign to JWs today, but it is in line 
with the teachings of the Society at an earlier time. 

The Faithful and Discreet Slave, Charles Taze Russell, says of this in 
the Nov 1879 WT, "His position is contrasted with men and angels, as he 
is Lord of both, having 'all power in heaven and earth'. Hence it is 
said, 'Let all of the angels of God worship him' [that must included 
Michael, the chief angel, hence Michael is not the Son of God] and the 
reason is, because he has 'by inheritance obtained a more excellent name 
than they."   (Note: The bracketed remarks are part of the original 
article.) 

The Watchtower of Oct 15, 1945 says of worshipping Jesus, "Since Jehovah 
God now reigns as King by means of his capital organization Zion, then 
whosoever would worship him must also bow down to Jehovah's Chief One in 
that organization, namely Christ Jesus, his co-regent on the throne of 
The Theocracy."   

However, The Feb 15, 1983 WT p18 has a box at the top of the page with 
the heading, Obeisance or Worship, and states, "In Hebrews 1:6 the Greek 
word proskyneo may mean; 1. Rendering respectful obeisance, as 'bowing 
down' to Jesus as the one whom Jehovah God has honored and glorified. 2. 
Worshipping Jehovah God thorugh or by means of his chief representative, 
his Son Jesus. They go on to state in paragraph 11, "The context suggests 
that this means that even the angels render homage to Jesus as God's 
chief representative and exalted Son. They appreciate that he has been 
'crowned with glory and honor' and given authority over the inhabited 
earth to come." In the footnotes at the bottom of the page, it is stated 
that according to the Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament (Bauer, 
Arndt, Gingrich) that the word proskyneo was 'used to designate the 
custom of prostating oneself before a person and kissing his feet, the 
hem of his garment, the ground.' They go on to say that "It may also 
signify 'worship', which is how some bibles read at Hebrews 1:6.

If that is the correct sense here, it evidently means a relative worship, 
a worship of Jehovah God directed through his glorified Son." 

But, in Make Sure of All Things, p249, one heading reads, "Bowing in 
worship before men and even angels forbidden", and quotes Acts 10:25 
where Cornelius did obeisance to Peter and also Rev 22:8-9 where an angel 
refuses worship. This was for the purpose of showing the relative worship 
of God through saints and Mary to be idolatry. (Bjoyful notes  that Jesus 
never refused anyone's worship)  

Another item of interest is the Charter of the WTS, dated Feb 27, 1945, of
which I have a copy.  Under article Seven item II.  "The PURPOSE of this
Society are; 'To act as the servant of and the legal world wide agency for
that body of persons known as Jehovah's Witnesses..................AND FOR
THE PUBLIC CHRISTIAN WORSHIP OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND CHRIST JESUS......."  
Under article Nine the statement is made,  "A member may be expelled for 
cause upon willfully violating any of these bylaws, reasonable rules, or 
ordinances of the Society, or upon becoming OUT OF HARMONY WITH ANY OF 
THE SOCIETY'S PURPOSES..." 

So according to the Society's charter, a person could be DF'd for 
becoming out of harmony with the Society's purpose of promoting public 
worship of Jesus.  Since ALL of the Jehovah's Witnesses, including the 
governing body, became OUT OF HARMONY with the Society's purpose of 
promoting public worship of Jesus, this would create quite a pickle if 
DFing procedures were to be instituted against all offenders. 

Interestingly, the 1969 Yearbook quotes the Second article of the Charter 
in its entirety until it gets to the portion about worshipping Christ 
Jesus, where an elipses is judiciously employed to make the portion read, 
*** "and for public Christian worship of Almighty God....", *** 
conveniently editing an inconvenient reminder of the former REQUIRED 
belief that it was most proper and necessary to worship Jesus.   

Another point of interest to me concerning acceptable worship...The 
12/15/61 WT p748 states, "Jesus Christ is the Foundation Cornerstone,  
and all true followers anointed with God's spirit are the superstructure 
built upon him to form a living house in which God can dwell by His 
spirit...It is through the agency of this living temple that all mankind 
must henceforth render acceptable worship to God." 

Let's think about this for a moment... What about the Catholics 
worshipping God through Mary, which as so roundly condemned by JWs as 
idolatry in the first degree?  Wouldn't this be idolatry too?  Since Mary 
surely would have been one of the anointed (even in JW theology), how 
would such a directive differ IN ANY WAY from Catholic teaching regarding 
worshipping God through Mary and the other saints?  Wouldn't this be THE 
SAME THING, only adding modern day anointed to the equation?  In one 
sense it is WORSE, since Mary and the other early Christians surely never 
truly directed anyone to worship them.  Yet this is the governing body 
saying that we must all worship through the governing body and the other 
anointed. 

Shalom!

dan livingston of the jesus-witnesses list