The Watchtower Society of Jehovah's Witnesses

[Elijah John]

How can Jehovah's Witnesses be the "one true church" if they themselves make mistakes and revise their doctrine, dogma and practices?

Exhibit a) before the NWT (New World Translation) of the Bible was published, Jehovah's Witnesses used the American Standard Version (ASV). Both translations honor the name of Jehovah but there are stark differences.

The NWT is the only translation (that I know of) which has Jesus "impaled on a stake" instead of crucified on a cross, as virtually every other translation posits.

The first volume of the NWT was originally released in 1950.

How can JWs be the "only true church" if it was evolving, fallible and subject to revision?

And exhibit b) how can JWs be the only true church with dimly supported and strange doctrines such as the belief that Jesus was Michael the Archangel before the Nativity?

Exhibit c) How can the JWs be the only true church if they falsely predicted that Jesus would return in 1914?

And when that return did not materialized, they revised their prediction and now conveniently claim his return was "invisible".

"One true Church" or fringe sect?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 28 by 2timothy316]
Or perhaps we can roll back this fallible uninspired mistaken concept back to Moses and conclude the whole ridiculous concept is the imagination of men?

Let's say that it is, then what? Do our own thing? Go murder because we think God wants us to?

Your reasoning opens up God's will to anyone and any concept. This is already happening. How is working out so far? Do you watch the news?

Or lets say mankind has the correct way to live life. Who gets to decide that? By way of democracy? Is there a human way of government that can solve all of mankind's problems?

Potentially I think that there is.

Well, after thousands of years of mankind trying I appreciate your optimism but can't share it.

You are a pessimist about it?

Well the facts don't lie. Not really a pessimist but a realist. If there were more successes I might side with you.

I am optimistic that mankind will surpass what they are now. But not with man as leader.

[Pierac]

Just to clarify, my point is not to suggest that the JWs have no value as an organization, or are evil or deceptive, but rather that they do not, (and no one for that matter), have any grounds to make such and exclusive claim as to being the "only true Church".

The implication being, that every other one is false.

I applaud JWs for teaching love of God and Neighbor..like most every other Christian sect, Judaism and Islam too for that matter!

And isn't that unifying teaching of love far more important and essential than anything else a given religion teaches in their attempts to differentiate themselves from "the other"?

Pierac

That's part of my point Paul. Please review this post of mine. (#4) I think we are in agreement.

I understood your point... As we are in agreement regarding many of JW's beliefs... However, they do teach truth in some area's.

My point was more about other organized Church's whom also teaches false beliefs in different but important areas. Perhaps even you could believe a corporate church lie not unlike a JW and not even know it.... as you assume they also do?

Just a thought... not accusing or say you do! ...yet!

Many never ask why they believe what they believe.... What would a 14 year old Muslim suicide bomber claim... Free will or manipulation of a organized religion?
Did this child would see truth in his eyes... because others told him what to believe? Thus all the death would come from a false truth! And the child knew not the truth... but only what he was told by a corporate church .... how sad that would be for that child to learn the truth!


Paul

[Elijah John]

Just to clarify, my point is not to suggest that the JWs have no value as an organization, or are evil or deceptive, but rather that they do not, (and no one for that matter), have any grounds to make such and exclusive claim as to being the "only true Church".

The implication being, that every other one is false.

I applaud JWs for teaching love of God and Neighbor..like most every other Christian sect, Judaism and Islam too for that matter!

And isn't that unifying teaching of love far more important and essential than anything else a given religion teaches in their attempts to differentiate themselves from "the other"?

Pierac

That's part of my point Paul. Please review this post of mine. (#4) I think we are in agreement.

I understood your point... As we are in agreement regarding many of JW's beliefs... However, they do teach truth in some area's.

My point was more about other organized Church's whom also teaches false beliefs in different but important areas. Perhaps even you could believe a corporate church lie not unlike a JW and not even know it.... as you assume they also do?

Just a thought... not accusing or say you do! ...yet!

Many never ask why they believe what they believe.... What would a 14 year old Muslim suicide bomber claim... Free will or manipulation of a organized religion?
Did this child would see truth in his eyes... because others told him what to believe? Thus all the death would come from a false truth! And the child knew not the truth... but only what he was told by a corporate church .... how sad that would be for that child to learn the truth!


Paul

Paul, I agree. JWs do teach some good and true things. My point is that NO ONE, no one group and no one individual including myself has a monopoly on the Truth.

And that NO ONE group or individual "owns" God. John 14.6 notwithstanding.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 50 by 2timothy316]I haven't taken note of his return because he hasn't returned.

Matthew 24:26-28New International Version (NIV)

26 So if anyone tells you, There he is, out in the wilderness, do not go out; or, Here he is, in the inner rooms, do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

[2timothy316]

Paul, I agree. JWs do teach some good and true things. My point is that NO ONE, no one group and no one individual including myself has a monopoly on the Truth.

And that NO ONE group or individual "owns" God. John 14.6 notwithstanding.

But has there ever been one group that has known the truth and God owned them?

[amortalman]

[Replying to post 1 by Elijah John]

The Jehovah's Witness religion began in the 1870's in the U.S.A. If they are the one true religion what hope did anyone have prior to the 1870's?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 50 by 2timothy316]I haven't taken note of his return because he hasn't returned.

Matthew 24:26-28New International Version (NIV)

26 So if anyone tells you, There he is, out in the wilderness, do not go out; or, Here he is, in the inner rooms, do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

Are you aware of how we will know when the presence of the Son of God will be?

Mat 24:3, 6, 7 "the disciples approached him privately, saying: Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?...You are going to hear of wars and reports of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for these things must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be food shortages and earthquakes in one place after another. All these things are a beginning of pangs of distress."

Do you disagree that these things are taking place now? That earthquakes, war and food shortages have increased in the past year? It's not just one but all of these things have increased in the past 100 years, or are you taking no note?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 1 by Elijah John]

The Jehovah's Witness religion began in the 1870's in the U.S.A. If they are the one true religion what hope did anyone have prior to the 1870's?

Between the death of the last apostle and the reemergence of a people chosen by Jesus the 'wheat' (truth seekers) were growing together with the 'weeds' (false religion). There are a few individuals we know of that were real truth seekers. They where under the churches thumb but didn't really follow their teachings. One off the top of my head Isaac Newton. He didn't believe the Bible taught the trinity. He believed in a monotheistic God. He understood that there would be a 'last days' and then a 1000 year rule by Jesus Christ. He preached his findings, had followers and the church hated him for it. He understood that the book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation were tied together in describing the end times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious ... aac_Newton

Isaac Newton believed and taught things 200 years before what JWs teach now. There are many like Newton. They had some things wrong but where they were accurate is amazing. The Bible describes the time before the resurgence of true worship restored as a organized group as the 'trampling of Jerusalem'. (Luke 21:24) Jerusalem was the visible seat of government for the Jews. The Bible is saying that this 'earthly seat' or God's visible earthly followers would be suppressed for 'appointed time'. Those following truth would not be organized and therefore wouldn't be seen. That 'appointed time' ended in 1914. Jesus since then has been gathering people that want to know truth and bringing them together. So when people say JWs 'own' the truth. We are not so full of ourselves to think that. Those early JWs wanted truth and Jesus showed them. Jesus' truth owns JWs and not the other way around.

The Churches had control for over 1500 years until the Bible began to become widely available. Then the churches' grasp started to loosen.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 57 by 2timothy316]
Are you implying that the last 365 days have been the worst in human history?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 57 by 2timothy316]
Are you implying that the last 365 days have been the worst in human history?

No the past 100 years have been the worst in human history when it comes to deaths and damage. There is no record of earthquakes, disease, war and starvation all being so high at the same time in all of Earth's history. There have been spikes in one or the other at different times but the Bible says when all of these are increasing and history supports all of these have certainly increased in the past 100 years. In numbers of deaths, suffering and property loss never before seen.