JW organization.

[Elijah John]

Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to:

-vote
-celebrate birthdays
-celebrate Christmas or Easter
-donate or receive blood transfusions.

And if any JW openly persists in doing these things[edit to add publicly], they will be shunned or disfellowshipped, [edit to add or otherwise admonished or disciplined.]

For debate,

1) what do any of these check-list prohibitions have to do with Christianity?

2) And are any of these prohibitions compatible with the idea of Christian freedom?

3) Are these prohibitions arbitrary or legalistic?

4) And could Jehvoah's Witness as an organization flourish without these particular prohibitions and still honor God?

Please address any or all of the above.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 78 by JehovahsWitness]

As I already pointed out, some of the positive reviews are coming from people not qualified in biblical studies, others have been fund to be serious misrepresentations the Society fabricated of scholars. You have to carefully look at who is doing the review of a translation and what exactly are they reviewing it for. Not all reviews have to do with accuracy. I mean, even I could give the NWT a positive mark as a translation by the hoi polloi for the hoi polloi. Close enough for government work or jazz, as they say.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 79 by JehovahsWitness]

No, I'm not suggesting that at all. What I am saying is that the NWT is a corrupted translation of teh Bible in order to make Scripture in line with the Society's ideology.

Actually, "translation" is not really correct here. No one on the translation committee knew biblical languages, to start with. Franz, the head hauncho, admitted he couldn't read Hebrew, for example. His description of the translation process was that the Holy Spirit was in touch with the head office. Uh huh. What they really did was take up a batch of interlinear translations , paraphrase and bludgeon here and there, and presto the NWT.

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 85 by JehovahsWitness]

Yes, but you didn't report the down side. The Pew Foundation found the Society represents the lowest overall level of education and the lowest overall average income of any religious denomination in the US. That's only to be expected, given the Society's long history of anti-intellectual ravings demonizing higher education.

[JehovahsWitness]

No, I'm not suggesting that at all.

Good then you understand what we mean by not being "translation bound". If people don't like the NWT, Jehovah's Witnesses have no problem with people using whatever bible translation they find appealing.

If you don't like it, don't read it. End of story, really its a non-issue unless you are insisting that we are not allowed to excercise a similar freedom of choice as you are or are proposing a book burning session...

JW

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 104 by JehovahsWitness]

If you want to use it, go ahead. That is your right. However, those of us interested in serious biblical studies also reserve the right to educate the public by pointing out how totally phony it is.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 105 by hoghead1]

If anyone actually believes you or cares, then they are free to do the same. Was there anything else or are we done here?

[hoghead1]

[Replying to JehovahsWitness]

Oh, I don't know. As the discussion moves along, I'm sure I'll be bringing up plenty of additional points. One question that crops up in my mind, given the present discussion, is whether anything has changed in the Society since the days of Rutherford and his outspoken anti-semiticism. Has the Society yet to overcome any of this? I look at major Society publications such as "Reasoning from the Scriptures" and I find the same Jew-baiting rhetoric. This time, instead of ranting about the Jewish bankers ruining the world, it depicts the Jews as the war mongers of teh Middle East.

[polonius]

http://www.ukapologetics.net/newworld.html

A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE JEHOVAH'S WITNESS BIBLE: THE NEW WORLD TRANSLATION

by M. Kurt Goedelman
(Kurt Goedelman is director of Personal Freedom Outreach, A Christian research ministry in St. Louis, Missouri)

"The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is the name of the Bible used worldwide by members of the Jehovah's Witness sect. The Watchtower Society claims this work to have been made directly into English from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek languages."

"This translation, they claim, was made by "a committee of anointed witnesses of Jehovah," but the Society refuses to divulge the names and credentials of the men who comprised this committee."

"The reason cited is because the "translators were not seeking prominence for themselves." However, the fact is that the men who comprised this committee had no adequate schooling or background to function as skilled critical Bible translators."

Question: Is this true?

Address provided:
(The Association for Theological Studies | P.O. Box 290168 | Minneapolis, MN 55429)

[hoghead1]

[Replying to post 108 by polonius.advice]

Yes, that is definitely true. The names of the "translators" are known, have been for years. They have all been investigated, and none had a college degree. Back around 1954, there was a major trail on the Society in GB to determine its legal standing. Franz, head hauncho of the "translators," appeared in open count and admitted he couldn't read Hebrew, for example. When asked how they translated the Bible, he simply said the Holy Spirit communicated with their headquarters.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 92 by onewithhim]
You have got to be kidding me? If you are willing to accept that as valid there is nothing I could post that would convince you otherwise. I am simply dumbfounded.