Introduction To JW Beliefs & Practices

[Olde Tymer]

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● Col 1:15 . . He is the firstborn of all creation

The Greek word translated "firstborn" in that verse is prototokos, which never
means created first; no, it always means born first. The correct Greek word for
created first is protoktistos.

* John Que and Jan Doe Witness probably don't know the difference between
prototokos and protoktistos; and no doubt would care little about it anyway. To
some; born first and created first are pretty much synonymous.

The thing to note is that "firstborn" doesn't always refer to birth order. The term
also refers to supremacy, and as such is transferable, viz: it's possible to
circumvent an elder and give his advantages to a younger, e.g. Ishmael to Isaac
(Gen 20:11-12) Esau to Jacob (Gen 25:23) Reuben to Joseph (Gen 49:3-4, 1Chr
5:1) Manasseh to Ephraim (Gen 48:13-14) and David to Jesus. (Ps 110:1, Matt
22:42-45)

NOTE: The transfer of supremacy from David to Jesus is highly irregular because in
their case it was from father to son instead of sibling to sibling.

Also: the rank of firstborn isn't limited to family circles. For example the people of
Israel are God's firstborn among the world's nations (Ex 4:22) and David is/was God's
firstborn among the world's heads of State. (Ps 89:20-27)

In the beginning, Adam was the ranking man over all the Earth (Gen 1:26-28) but
he has since been replaced by someone better. (Dan 7:13-14, John 3:35, 1Cor
15:27, and Phil 2:8-11, Heb 1:1-2)

* It can be easily proven that Jesus is one of Adam's paternal descendants so this
again is a father superseded by a son instead of by a sibling. Well at least Jesus is a
son that Adam can be proud of instead of so many of his sons that are a disgrace.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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Below is the text of Col 1:16-17 quoted verbatim from the Watchtower Society's
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures ©1969.

"Because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon
the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are
thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All [other] things have been
created through him and for him. Also, he is before all [other] things and by means
of him all [other] things were made to exist."

The word "other" is in brackets to alert Bible readers that it's not in the Greek
manuscript; viz: the Society's translators took the liberty to pencil it in; which gives
the impression that God's son was His first creation; and thereafter, the Son
created everything else.

NOTE: I heard it from a JW that the Society's translators added "other" because
that's what Col 1:16-17 means to say even though it doesn't say so in writing. In
other words; that portion of the Society's Bible is an interpretation rather than a
translation.

One day, a pair of Watchtower missionaries came to my door consisting of an
experienced worker and a neophyte. I immediately began subjecting the
inexperienced Witness to a line of questioning that homed in on the Society's rather
dishonest habit of embellishing the Bible in order to reinforce its line of thinking.

I had him read the Society's text of Col 1:16-17 and then pointed out that the word
"other" is in brackets to alert him to the fact that "other" is not in the Greek
manuscript. The experienced worker corroborated my statement.

I then proceeded to have the inexperienced Witness read the passage sans "other".
It comes out like this:

"By means of him all things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the
things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or
lordships or governments or authorities. All things have been created through him
and for him. Also, he is before all things and by means of him all things were made
to exist."

The young man's eyes really lit up; and he actually grinned with delight to discover
that Col 1:16-17 reveals something quite different than what he was led to believe.

Had I pressed the attack; I would've pointed out that the Society is inconsistent.
They really should've penciled "other" into John 1:3 to make it read like this:

"All [other] things came into existence through him, and apart from him not even
one [other] thing came into existence."

NOTE: The 1984 revised version of the New World Translation omits brackets
around the word "other" in Col 1:16-17. However, it's readily seen from the
Watchtower Society's Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures
©1969 that "other" is nowhere to be found in the Greek text. Caveat Lector.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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FAQ: Why do conventional Christians insist it is necessary to believe Jesus' crucified
dead body was restored to life?

REPLY: None of the Old Testament sacrifices were restored to life. Their bodies all
remained deceased, and some of them were even used for food. So it's logical to
expect that Jesus' body would remain deceased.

However; one difficulty in that respect is consistency. Every resurrection recorded
in the Bible-- both the New Testament and the Old --restored people's dead body to
life: Jonah's too, which is especially important because Jesus related his own
experiences to Jonah's.

But there is another matter of far more consequence to consider.

● Rom 4:25 . . He was delivered up for the sake of our trespasses, and was raised
up for the sake of declaring us righteous.

The first half of that verse speaks of Isa 53:6

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and
The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

However, though Jesus' crucifixion satisfies retribution for people's sins, the people
remain guilty; similar to when speeders pay a fine for going too fast. Their payment
satisfies retribution for speeding, but the broken law stays on the books. In other
words: a paid fine clears no one of the crime.

● 1Cor 15:17 . . If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still
in your sins.

Were Jesus' body to remain dead, people's sins would remain on the books as a
criminal record with which they would be confronted later on down the line at Rev
20:11-15. In other words: forgiveness obtained via the death of a sacrifice is
merely a reprieve, viz: a dead sacrifice allows God to forgive but doesn't allow Him
to forget. (Ex 34:6-7)

The second half of Rom 4:25 speaks of righteousness: translated from the Greek
word dikaiosis (dik-ah'-yo-sis) which means acquittal; defined as an adjudication of
innocence due to a lack of sufficient evidence to convict.

In other words; it's by means of Christ's physical resurrection that people can get
themselves cleared of all wrongs so that on the books it can be as though they've
never been anything but 100% innocent.

● Rom 8:33-34 . . Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones? God is the
one who declares them righteous. Who is he that will condemn? Christ Jesus is the
one who died, yes, rather the one who was raised up from the dead, who is on the
right hand of God, who also pleads for us.

* Were I the Devil, I would make it my mission in life to invalidate Christ's physical
resurrection because by means of its acceptance sinners have the opportunity to
obtain an acquittal. Failure to believe his crucified dead body was restored to life
will result in their loss of the one God-given opportunity to wipe the books; and
thus they'll remain on a direct path to the wrong side of things.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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FAQ: 1Cor 15:50 says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Wouldn't that fact alone preclude the possibility of Christ's crucified dead body
restored to life and taken to Heaven?

REPLY: Yes.

FAQ: Well then; how is it that conventional Christians insists his crucified body is up
there?

REPLY: Because there's more to the story.

Sometime in the future, the chemical composition of the bodies of the folks unified
with Christ will undergo a miraculous transformation during their rise in the air to
assemble with him. Their bodies will go from corruptible and mortal to incorruptible
and immortal. (1Cor 15:51-53 & 1Thess 4:13-17)

I should think there exists sufficient reason to believe Jesus' crucified body
underwent the very same process during his own rise in the air per Dan 7:13-14 &
Acts 1:9-11. In other words; his original body is no longer a normal human body,
rather; now it's a superhuman body.

● Phil 3:20-21 . . As for us, our citizenship exists in the heavens, from which place
also we are eagerly waiting for a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will refashion
our humiliated body to be conformed to his glorious body according to the
operation of the power that he has, even to subject all things to himself.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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The Watchtower Society translates Ps 45:6 like this:

"God is your throne to time indefinite, even forever"

And translates Heb 1:8 like this:

"But with reference to the Son: God is your throne forever and ever"

However, when we look up the Greek text of Heb 1:8 in the Kingdom Interlinear
Translation of the Greek Scriptures ©1969, we quickly discover that "God is your
throne" is incorrect. It literally says: "The throne of you the God"

A Watchtower Society missionary explained to me that "God is your throne" is an
editorial insert to help folks understand that the Son's throne is established with the
power of God rather than the power of men (John 18:36). In other words: "God is
your throne" is an interpretation rather than a translation. Ouch!

FAQ: The conventional translations of Ps 45:6 and Heb 1:8 has one God speaking
to another God. Does that make sense to you?

REPLY: That kind of reasoning has been a fatal flaw in the Society's theology ever
since the days of Charles Taze Russell and Joseph F. Rutherford; viz: much of the
Society's theology is based upon what makes sense to it rather than what the Bible
reveals to it.

POSIT: If you read it as "God is your throne" then it's sensible and consistent.

REPLY: Sensible to whom? The Watchtower Society and its minions? Consistent
with what? The Watchtower Society's theology? And besides, "God is your throne"
isn't even a valid translation, rather, it's an interpretation, i.e. it says what the
Society thinks Ps 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ought to say rather than what those verses
actually say.

I once asked a missionary how he knew for himself that the Society's theology was
reliable. He answered: "They go by the Bible and everything they say makes
sense." Well; a large percentage of conventional Christianity goes by the Bible, and
much of what it says makes sense too.

Bottom line: the missionary couldn't really be certain whether the Society is
reliable: he was courageously assuming the Governing Body knows what it's talking
about whereas the Society itself issued a caveat in the Feb 2017 Watchtower-Study
Edition; paragraph 12, under the heading; "Who is leading God's People today?"
which reads like this:

"The Governing Body is neither inspired nor infallible. Therefore, it can err in
doctrinal matters or in organizational direction. In fact, the Watch Tower
Publications Index includes the heading “Beliefs Clarified,” which lists adjustments
in our Scriptural understanding since 1870. Of course, Jesus did not tell us that his
faithful slave would produce perfect spiritual food."

NOTE: On June 28, 2024, The US Supreme Court overturned a long held opinion
so-called the Chevron Deference Doctrine, which was basically an argument from
authority, i.e. a logical fallacy which supposes that someone's position, or their
credential, makes their views more important and/or more likely to be correct than
the views of lesser folks.

In a nutshell; just because someone is high up on the "expert" totem pole does not
eo ipso make them right. Caveat Lector.
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[Olde Tymer]

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According to the Watchtower Society: the resurrection of the dead, spoken of in
the fifteenth chapter of 1Corinthians, is not talking about re-energizing a corpse
in order to bring it back to life. No, because according to their way of thinking; if
someone's corpse were returned to life, its owner would be barred from the
kingdom of God.

● 1Cor 15:50 . . .This I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit God’s
kingdom,

But human remains are likened to seeds (1Cor 15:35-53) which would be quite
useless were they to be thrown away. On the contrary; the seeds have to be kept
on hand so they can undergo a transformation suitable for the kingdom.

FAQ: How can a corpse be returned to life that's been obliterated by a bomb, or
eaten and digested by beasts, or cremated, or rotted away due to lack of
embalming? Jesus' body was easy to restore to life because it was still intact.
(Ps 16:8-10, Acts 2:25-32)

REPLY: Lazarus' body was in a state of putrefaction (John 11:39) i.e. it was no
longer in its original condition when Jesus put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Not everyone sleeping in the dust per Dan 12:2 is doing so as a corpse. In
time, left to nature, everyone's body decomposes enough to disappear altogether.
But regardless of how someone's body is disposed, destroyed and/or disintegrated;
it can be rebuilt from scratch just as easily as Adam's body was built from scratch
in the beginning.

FAQ: Supposing some of the atoms that made my body go into making another
person's body after mine is dead and dissolved back to dust? How will God fully
restore both our bodies to life seeing as how He will have need of the atoms of each
of us to do so?

REPLY: The chemical constitution of the various natural atoms listed on the periodic
table are identical; it's not as if they're snowflakes; viz: if God needs some carbon
atoms to reconstruct your body, He could utilize carbon atoms from a Sequoia
cactus and they would work just fine without the slightest need for adjustment
because every carbon atom on earth is a precise duplicate of every other carbon
atom on earth; viz: all carbon atoms are just one kind of carbon atom, i.e. the
carbon atoms in your body are not unique.

So it isn't necessary for God to locate all your original carbon atoms in order to
reconstruct your original body; He just needs carbon atoms; and they are very
plentiful in nature: same with other kinds of atoms, e.g. iron, calcium, phosphorus,
sodium, hydrogen, nitrogen, etc.

FAQ: Was Jesus' crucified dead body resurrected in a glorified form, or as it was
before the cross?

REPLY: Jesus predicted his body would be restored-- he didn't predict it would be
replaced, improved, and/or renovated. (John 2:18-22)

FAQ: But wasn't his resurrected body able to do things that his normal body never
did; like pass thru closed doors and to suddenly appear and disappear?

REPLY: If Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego could walk thru fire in a normal body,
then I should think it not all that difficult for Jesus to pass thru walls in a normal
body.

And if Philip could be instantly transported in a normal body, they for sure Jesus
could too.

The properties of one's body do not determine what God can do with it, or cannot
do, viz: when analyzing miracles, I suggest we avoid differentiating between the
possible and the impossible. (cf. Luke 1:34-37)
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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● 1Thess 4:16a . . For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud
command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God

The only archangel named in the New Testament is Michael (Jude 9) However,
according to Daniel 10:13 there's more than one archangel so I think it would be a
mistake to insist the archangel's voice in 1Thess 4:16 is Michael's.

The trumpet call of God is possibly relative to Rev 1:10-18. (cf. 1Cor 15:52)

● 1Thess 4:16b . . and the dead in Christ shall rise first.

That incident is sometimes omitted from dramatized versions of the event.

I've no doubt the world over will be awestruck and very badly shaken by the
number of dead folks coming back to life seemingly out of thin air. We're talking
about nigh unto 2,000 years of Christians from every era since the days of Christ.
That's a significant number.

● 1Thess 4:17 . . .Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together
with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,

That scene would be easier to picture were the Earth flat, but the globe is a huge
sphere. So when those folks are taken up into the sky, I suspect they will form a
sort of human Oort Cloud all 'round the world at first.

Their exact rendezvous location with the Lord is a bit of a mystery. It's been
suggested they'll actually pass up thru the clouds and their assembly with the Lord
"in the air" will take place above them.

FAQ: What if there are no clouds in some areas?

REPLY: I think we can expect adequate high altitude weather conditions for that
one special day; it is after all a miraculous event. (cf. Mark 4:37-41)

NOTE: Various members of the Watchtower Society have made predictions relative
to Christ's return and been mistaken every time, e.g. 1878, 1871, 1914, 1918,
1925, and 1975. That's very serious because those errors indicate some of the
theologians in the Watchtower Society have been acting on their own rather than in
concert with God. Well; I really think the haulers of water and the hewers of wood
(a.k.a. the great crowd) ought to question just how deep the rabbit hole goes.

* Folks left behind will very likely find themselves in immediate danger as wide
spread chaos, confusion, fear, and calamity are happy hunting grounds for
insurrection, looters, vandalism, hoarders, financial panic, and violent riots.
_

 

[Quintus5]

Those are very, very disturbing questions; especially for Jehovah's Witnesses
because they believe the angel Michael's life force was transferred to Mary's womb
so he could exist as a human being without losing the essence of his identity; and
then when his human existence passed away on the cross, Michael's life force was
transferred back so he could pick up where he left off as an angel. Were I a JW, the
Watchtower Society's thoughts about life force would make me very nervous.
_

~
● Acts 1:1-3 . .The first account, O Theophilus, I composed about all the things
Jesus started both to do and to teach, until the day that he was taken up, after he
had given commandment through holy spirit to the apostles whom he chose. To
these also by many positive proofs he showed himself alive after he had suffered.

The Watchtower Society's version of those "positive proofs" is interesting.

In order to show his friends that their savior was back from death, the arch angel
Michael is alleged to have materialized a human body that was in all respects just
as physical, and just as functional, as a real human body.

However: the predicted new world order is on track to be governed not by angels,
rather, by humans (Heb 2:5-8) A materialized human-- a.k.a. an avatar --isn't
really human; it's an artificial theophany.

Now the way I see it: If Michael is to govern the new world order, then he will have
to undergo death all over again and his life force re-transferred back to his human
remains, thus restoring his human body to life. That way Michael could be Jesus again
instead of an angel in disguise.
_

I'm sorry. My jaw dropped when I read this. This is something else! What do they do about an empty tomb? So Michael is given godlike status--when? The Lord said unto my Lord, and how does an angel have the power to forgive sins?

 

[Olde Tymer]

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What do they do about an empty tomb?

It is their opinion that Jesus' crucified dead body is still dead, and his remains are
squirreled away on Earth somewhere in a condition and a location known only to God.

The basis for their opinion is given in the April 15, 1963 edition of the Watchtower
magazine, p237, where it's stated:

"If Jesus were to take his body of flesh, blood, and bones to heaven and enjoy them
there, what would this mean? It would mean that there would be no resurrection of the
dead for anybody. Why not? Because Jesus would be taking his sacrifice off God's
altar."

There is a really, really big flaw in the Society's theology; to wit: Jesus died on earth but
his death was utilized for sanctification in Heaven. (Heb 9:18-24 & Heb 13:10)

In addition: none of the Levitical sacrifices were required to remain on the Altar; and in
point of fact, certain portions of them were utilized as food for the priests; and other
parts were taken "outside the camp" to be incinerated. (Lev 4:12, Lev 4:21, Lev 16:27,
Heb 13:11)

Food For The Priests
_

 

[Quintus5]

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It is their opinion that Jesus' crucified dead body is still dead, and his remains are
squirreled away on Earth somewhere in a condition and a location known only to God.

The basis for their opinion is given in the April 15, 1963 edition of the Watchtower
magazine, p237, where it's stated:

"If Jesus were to take his body of flesh, blood, and bones to heaven and enjoy them
there, what would this mean? It would mean that there would be no resurrection of the
dead for anybody. Why not? Because Jesus would be taking his sacrifice off God's
altar."

There is a really, really big flaw in the Society's theology; to wit: Jesus died on earth but
his death was utilized for sanctification in Heaven. (Heb 9:18-24 & Heb 13:10)

In addition: none of the Levitical sacrifices were required to remain on the Altar; and in
point of fact, certain portions of them were utilized as food for the priests; and other
parts were taken "outside the camp" to be incinerated. (Lev 4:12, Lev 4:21, Lev 16:27,
Heb 13:11)

Food For The Priests
_

Wow. I did not know this. I wonder how they explain "He is not here, for He is risen? Sounds like they made up some stuff.. Thanks for posting this.

 

[Olde Tymer]

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I wonder how they explain "He is not here, for He is risen?

According to Watchtower theology, Jesus was a deceased arch angel in a temporary
human form. In other words: in their theology, the pronoun "He" in Luke 24:6
pertains to the arch angel's resurrection rather than his human form's resurrection.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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● John 1:14 . . So the Word became flesh and resided among us, and we had a
view of his glory, a glory such as belongs to an only-begotten son from a father;
and he was full of undeserved kindness and truth. (NWT ©1984)

The Greek word from which "undeserved kindness" was derived is cháritos; which
itself is derived from cháris.

"undeserved kindness" isn't a translation of cháris/cháritos; rather, it's the
Watchtower Society's own opinion of what they think those words ought to mean.
The literal meaning is "graciousness".

John Que and Jane Doe Witness are being deprived of viewing some very pleasant
characteristics of the only-begotten Son's personality by interpreting cháris to mean
undeserved kindness because graciousness says some wonderful things about not
only the flesh that the Word became; but also about the Father from whom the
Word came.

Webster's defines "graciousness" as; kind, courteous, inclined to good will,
generous, charitable, merciful, altruistic, compassionate, thoughtful, cordial,
affable, genial, sociable, cheerful, warm, sensitive, considerate, and tactful.

Cordial stresses warmth and heartiness

Affable implies easy to approach, and readiness to respond pleasantly to
conversation or requests or proposals

Genial stresses cheerfulness and even joviality

Sociable suggests a genuine liking for the companionship of others

Generous is characterized by a noble or forbearing spirit; viz: magnanimous, kindly,
and liberal in giving

Charitable means full of love for, and goodwill toward, others; viz: benevolent,
tolerant, and lenient.

Altruistic means unselfish regard for, or devotion to, the welfare of others; viz: a
desire to be of service to others for no other reason than it just feels good to do so.

Compassionate pertains to a sympathetic awareness of others' distress combined
with a desire to alleviate it.

Tactful indicates a keen sense of what to do, or say, in order to maintain good
relations with others in order to resolve and/or avoid unnecessary conflict.

Here's a couple of passages from the NWT where the Society's translation
committee had the academic decency to let cháris/cháritos speak for themselves
instead of butting in to tell people what they think those words ought to mean.

"Keep on teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, praises to God,
spiritual songs with graciousness" (Col 3:16)

"Let your utterance be always with graciousness." (Col 4:6)

NOTE: The Watchtower Society's insinuation that the only-begotten son is somehow
undeserving of kindness is of course 110% false. Worthiness is the very core of Christ's
being. (Dan 7:13-14, Phil 2:8-11, Rev 5:1-14, Rev 19:11)
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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● Ecc 12:7 . . .The dust returns to the earth just as it happened to be, and the
spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it.

The question is: What does the true God do with people's spirits after He has them
back in custody?

● Heb 12:22-23 . . But you have approached a Mount Zion and a city of the living
God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of angels, in general assembly, and the
congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the
Judge of all, and the spiritual lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect.

"spiritual lives" isn't a translation, rather, it's an interpretation of the Greek word
pneúmasi, which is a mite ambiguous. One of its meanings pertains to spirit
existence-- i.e. spirit beings --and is so translated in something like thirty-two
verses in common Bibles.

NOTE: The Watchtower Society isn't consistent with its interpretation of pneúmasi.
For example at Rev 16:13-14 they say it means inspired expressions, and at 1Pet
3:19 they say it means spirits; i.e. non-physical sentient beings.

* The afterlife is something about which I personally understand very little.
However, it's readily seen from Isaiah 14:4-20 and Luke 16:19-31 that folks on the
other side are conscious, sentient, and recognizable; plus, they exhibit human
characteristics, e.g. Abraham has a bosom, Lazarus has a finger, and the rich man
has a tongue. From all appearances, people over there appear fully human. Exactly
how that is, I don't really know. That world over there is obviously very different
than the world with which I am familiar over here.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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● John 5:39 . . You are searching the Scriptures, because you think that by means
of them you will have everlasting life.

That's still going on to this day, viz: there are rabbis actually believing they obtain
everlasting life academically, i.e. from study. The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that
way too; and they get that from John 17:3 which says:

"This means everlasting life: their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God,
and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (NWT ©1984)

The common understanding of life pertains to the nature of something's existence.
For example in the beginning God created two kinds of life: sentient life and non
sentient life, i.e. flora and fauna. Neither of those kinds life are everlasting; which
can be defined as "perpetual" for example Psalm 90:1-2 which says:

"O Jehovah, you yourself have proved to be a real dwelling for us during generation
after generation. Before the mountains themselves were born, or you proceeded to
bring forth as with labor pains the earth and the productive land: even from time
indefinite to time indefinite you are God."

In other words: God always was, He always is, and He always shall be.

In reality, the reason Jesus endows his followers with eternal life is because created
life alone is inadequate, viz: its limitations prevent people from accepting God's
thoughts the way He wants them accepted, i.e. peoples' natural "ears" are a barrier
to effective communication between man and God. (1Cor 2:11-16)
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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FAQ: Why does the Watchtower Society translate the second Greek word theós per
John 1:1 as a deity in lower case instead of upper case?

REPLY: The Watchtower Society's translation is based upon a self-imposed rule of
grammar, to wit:

When theós is modified by the definite article "ho" the Society translates it in upper
case, viz: in the Society's theological thinking; ho theós pertains to the one true God,
while theós alone is somewhat flexible; for example John 1:18 and John 20:17 where
the Society translates theós in upper case though it be not modified by ho.

However, according to Dr. Archibald T. Robertson's "Grammar Of The Greek New
Testament", page 767: in regards to nouns in the predicate; the article is not
essential to speech. In other words: when theόs is in the predicate, ho can be
either used, or not used, without making any real difference.

So then; a translator's decision whether to capitalize the second theόs in John 1:1
or not to capitalize it, is entirely arbitrary rather than dictated by a strict rule of
Greek grammar.

Of course the Society prefers that the Word be a lower case deity because that
spelling is agreeable with their version of his status; whereas most conventional
Christians prefer the upper case because that spelling is agreeable with their
version of the Word's status; whereas according to Robertson, either spelling is
acceptable.

For that reason I do not recommend arguing with JWs over the spelling in John 1:1
seeing as how the grammatical ground they stand on is just as solid as ours.

However; the very fact that the Society recognizes the Word as a theόs in any case
is problematic because there is no middle classification of deities in the Bible
between the true and the false; just as there is no middle between fools and wise,
nor good and evil, nor righteous and unrighteous. So then, if the Word isn't the one
true deity, then he is by default a false deity right along with all the other fakes per
1Cor 8:5.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

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Whereas conventional Christianity recognizes but two classes of deity-- the true
and the false, the authentic and the imitation, the actual and the artificial --the
Watchtower Society took the liberty to create a middle category called "mighty
ones" which is a sort of neutral field where qualifying personages exist as deities
without violating the very first Commandment. For example:

"I myself have said: You are gods" (Ps 82:6)

The gods referred to in that passage are human; which everybody should know
are only imitation deities rather than the genuine article (Gen 3:22) so in order
to avoid stigmatizing humans as false gods, the Society classifies them as mighty
ones.

This gets kind of humorous when we plug "mighty one" into various locations. For
example:

"In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a
mighty one." (John 1:1)

And another:

"No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten mighty one who is in the
bosom position with the Father is the one that has explained him." (John 1:18)

The "mighty one" category was an invention of necessity. In other words: without
it, the Society would be forced to classify the only-begotten (John 1:18) and the
Word (John 1:1) as a false god seeing as how Deut 6:4, John 17:3, and 1Cor 8:4-6
testify that there is only one true deity.

JW POSIT: Jesus verified the authority of Ps 82:6 in a discussion recorded at John
10:34-36. If the word of God cannot be nullified, then those gods have to be real
gods.

REPLY: Oh; they're real alright: real imitations because according to Deut 6:4, John
17:3, and 1Cor 8:4-6 there is only one true god. Therefore the gods in Ps 82 are
artificial gods. Plus; true gods don't die; viz: they're immortal, impervious to death.
The gods in Psalm 82 were neither.

"Surely you will die just as men do" (Ps 82:7)

So then, what does all this say about the Word of John 1:1? Well; if the Word is
only a mighty one, as the Watchtower Society alleges; then he's an artificial god--
i.e. a false god --and in reality his deity is no more divine than a totem pole or a
statue of Ganesha.

JW POSIT: If true gods are immortal, then Jesus is not a true god because he died
on the cross-- the centurion pronounced him. (Mark 15:43-45)

REPLY: That's an excellent point; but let's be very sure we know what we're talking
about when we speak of Jesus because that name identifies the Word's flesh per
John 1:14

FAQ: Seeing as the Word's flesh was born of a woman who came into existence
hundreds of years after Abraham, then how could Jesus honestly say he existed
before Abraham?

REPLY: The Word's flesh was a theophany, so Jesus could speak as either the
creator or as one of the creator's creations. i.e. the Word was speaking relative to
himself as the creator when his creation Jesus spoke of Abraham per John 8:58.

* Now right there is something that the Watchtower Society has thus far found
impossible to accept, to wit: the Word is able to exist as a spirit being and a
physical being simultaneously.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

.
FAQ: Why does the Watchtower Society's Bible capitalize God in John 20:28 when
that spelling contradicts their opposition to Jesus as a deity?

REPLY: It is a Watchtower Society rule of grammar that capitalization is required
when the Greek word theós is modified by the article ho.

However, I don't recommend making an issue of capitalization in this particular
case because skilled Witnesses can easily dodge that bullet. Instead, focus the
attention upon Thomas' possessive pronoun because he not only addressed Jesus
as a deity; but also addressed him as "my" deity. In point of fact, the Society's
Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures ©1969 renders Thomas'
statement like this:

"The Lord of me and the God of me."

Now if Thomas was a Jew; then his association with Jehovah was governed by the
covenant that Moses' people entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy. The very first of the covenant's ten commandments forbids Jews
to have more than one deity.

By saying nothing to Thomas about addressing someone other than Jehovah as his
deity, Jesus would've been in violation right along with Thomas because the Jews'
covenant required him to protest.

● Lev 19:17 . .You should by all means reprove your associate, that you may not
bear sin along with him.

Now if Jesus was the Lord of me and the God of me for Thomas, then why isn't
Jesus the Lord of me and the God of me for the Watchtower Society?
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

.
● John 20:17 . . Be on your way to my brothers and say to them: I am ascending
to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.

FAQ: If Jesus is God, as conventional Christians claim, then how is he speaking of
my God? Are there two Gods-- one a junior and the other his senior?

REPLY: The "my God" that Jesus spoke of is every man's senior.

The Word is in the unique position of being able to speak for himself as the flesh
per John 1:14, and as the creator per John 1:1-3, i.e. Jesus was, and still is, the
ultimate theophany in that Jehovah's human forms in the Old Testament had no
genealogy, whereas the Word's human form does; all the way back to Adam, viz:
the label "son of man" when applied to the Word's flesh isn't a figure of speech,
rather, it's an actual description.
_

 

[Olde Tymer]

.
Unless conventional Christians have undergone specialized training, it's not a good
idea to engage in debate with Watchtower missionaries as I can just about
guarantee that their experienced workers are better at debating us than we are
them. Should it be decided to go head to head with Jehovah's Witnesses, here's
some useful tips.

01) It's best to use their Bibles. So round up a copy of the Watchtower Society's
New World Translation of the Bible & their Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the
Greek Scriptures. Sometimes these are available in thrift stores like Good Will and
Salvation Army. Both are available online from amazon dot com.

For some useful insights into a variety of Watchtower Society teachings, the little
brown book titled Reasoning From The Scriptures is a must-have. It's available
online too. Be sure to get the Watchtower Society's version instead of another book
by the same name published by a different agency.

02) Do not let these people get personal with you. You must never ever assume
they are your friends because first and foremost their primary interest is in making
you a life-long slave to the Watchtower Society. You can be courteous and you can
be civil, but it's highly recommended that you not let them into your life.

03) Do not accept their literature. They will want to come back later and discuss it
with you; thus taking control of both your thinking and the meeting.

04) Don't let them get too far into their spiel, but at the first opportunity begin
introducing your own questions; thus denying them total control of the
conversation.

05) Do not quarrel. (cf. 2Tim 2:24-26)

06) Avoid trivial issues like birthdays, Easter, Christmas, Christmas trees, the
design and construction of the cross, saluting the flag, service in the military, etc.
etc. There are much bigger fish to fry than those.

07) Make them listen and pay attention to what you say even if you have to repeat
yourself to do it, or clap your hands, snap your fingers, or raise your voice. Do not
let them digress, change the subject, go off on a tangent, nor get distracted and/or
turn their attention elsewhere while you're speaking. If they start digging through
their bags, shuffling papers, tinkering with their tablets, or looking up a reference;
call them on it because there is no use in speaking to them when their minds are
elsewhere engaged.

08) Do not permit them to interrupt you and/or talk out of turn. Politely, but firmly,
insist that they hold their peace until you've said your piece.

09) Do not permit them to evade and/or circumvent difficult questions. They
sometimes say that they will have to confer with someone more knowledgeable.
When they do that, the meeting is over. Thank them politely for their time and then
ask them to leave and not return till they have the information. Never let them stay
and start a new topic.

10) Do not react and/or respond to ad hominems, which can be defined as a logical
fallacy in which an argument is rebutted by attacking the character, motive,
qualifications and/or other attribute of the person making the argument, or persons
associated with the argument, rather than attacking the substance of the argument
itself.

June 28, 2024, the US Supreme Court overturned a long held opinion so-called the
Chevron Deference Doctrine, which was basically an argument from authority, i.e. a
logical fallacy which supposes that someone's position, or their credential, makes
their views more important and/or more likely to be correct than the views of lesser
folks.

In a nutshell; just because someone is high up on the "expert" totem pole does not
eo ipso make them right. So don't let JWs get away with discrediting either you or
your sources as a means to refute your information. (cf. John 9:34)

11) These people undergo hour upon hour of training to refute conventional
Christianity, so it's very important to show them the Bible not only in ways they've
already seen, but also in ways they've never imagined.

12) Take advantage of the internet, especially YouTube's collection of lectures and
discussions relative to Watchtower Society beliefs and practices.
_

 

[Keiw1]

.
FAQ: Why does the Watchtower Society's Bible capitalize God in John 20:28 when
that spelling contradicts their opposition to Jesus as a deity?

REPLY: It is a Watchtower Society rule of grammar that capitalization is required
when the Greek word theós is modified by the article ho.

However, I don't recommend making an issue of capitalization in this particular
case because skilled Witnesses can easily dodge that bullet. Instead, focus the
attention upon Thomas' possessive pronoun because he not only addressed Jesus
as a deity; but also addressed him as "my" deity. In point of fact, the Society's
Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures ©1969 renders Thomas'
statement like this:

"The Lord of me and the God of me."

Now if Thomas was a Jew; then his association with Jehovah was governed by the
covenant that Moses' people entered into with God per Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy. The very first of the covenant's ten commandments forbids Jews
to have more than one deity.

By saying nothing to Thomas about addressing someone other than Jehovah as his
deity, Jesus would've been in violation right along with Thomas because the Jews'
covenant required him to protest.

● Lev 19:17 . .You should by all means reprove your associate, that you may not
bear sin along with him.

Now if Jesus was the Lord of me and the God of me for Thomas, then why isn't
Jesus the Lord of me and the God of me for the Watchtower Society?
_

Small g god= has godlike qualities. It is not calling them God.