What Makes Captives of a Concept Different?
The usual way of thinking is that if Jehovah's Witnesses can be shown that what they believe about the Bible is not true then they will realize that what they believe about the Watchtower Society is not true. But Captives of a Concept does not use this approach.
For one thing, it is usually very difficult to try to out-prove what the Bible does or doesn't teach to anyone - especially when dealing with Jehovah's Witnesses. And the average Witness is much more prepared to discuss the Bible's teachings then the average non-Witness.
But there is an even more fundamental reason why the book does not try to prove that what Jehovah's Witnesses believe about the Bible isn't true. It is because what they believe about the Bible is not the problem. That's not what causes their captivity. It is what they believe about the Watchtower Society that does it. And that belief blocks most of them from being able to notice that what they believe about the Bible may not be true.
In most cases they need to first come to realize that what they believe about the Watchtower Society is not true (or at least to begin to have serious doubts) before they can allow themselves to consider that what they believe about the Bible may not be true.
Even so, the book still does not use the Bible to prove that what Jehovah's Witnesses believe about the Watchtower Society is not true. It uses the Watchtower Society itself to prove that what they believe about the Watchtower Society is not true.
For example, the 48 former Watchtower teachings that are briefly considered in Chapter 3 are not compared with what the Bible teaches. It is not necessary to try to prove that any of them were false because the Society already admits that they were all false.* Rather, they are compared with the Society's own interpretation of the most important Scripture in Watchtower theology - Matthew 24:45-47.
This is something that Witnesses have never done.** If they had done it they would not now be Jehovah's Witnesses because when this is done it becomes evident that what they have been misled to believe about the Watchtower Society is not true. And it is when they can prove this to themselves that they will be able to release themselves from the illusionary concept that has been holding them captive.
Captives of a Concept offers some suggestions that may help some kinds of Witnesses begin to notice the above comparison while keeping in mind that God is going to have to help them get the sense of what it means. - See 2 Timothy 2:25.
* They just don't happen to use the word "false" to refer to them. See Chapter 7, "No False Teachings or Prophecies - Why Not?"
** See Chapter 5, "The One Mistake All Jehovah's Witnesses Have Made."
