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Authority and accountability · Claim record

In January 1983 The Watchtower, under the heading 'Avoid Independent Thinking', said Satan 'promoted independent thinking' and that such thinking is manifested 'by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization'.

Claim ID claim-authority-1983-independent-thinking-called-satanicConcerns 15 January 1983Explicit statement
Explicit statement · 15 January 1983 Verified

In January 1983 The Watchtower, under the heading 'Avoid Independent Thinking', said Satan 'promoted independent thinking' and that such thinking is manifested 'by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization'. The Watchtower, 15 January 1983

Show the evidence (1 source)
Primary JW publication Verified

The Watchtower, “Exposing the Devil’s Subtle Designs”

15 January 1983 · pp.18-22 · par. 20-21 (p. 22), section headed 'Avoid Independent Thinking' · Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania

“From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God’s way of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. … How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God’s visible organization.”

Paragraph 21 gives the example of questioning warnings about music and discos; the section is headed 'Avoid Independent Thinking'.

Official source

Provenance and verification note

Confidence note. Opened the WOL document; page marker places both paragraphs on p. 22 (the brief cited p. 22 — correct).

Corroborated by. src-w-1983-0115-armed-for-the-fight

Accessed. 19 September 2026 · Source ID. src-w-1983-0115-exposing-devils-subtle-designs

Claim page

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