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?

[postroad]

[Replying to post 1 by Elijah John] If they have been completely incorrect in their predictions how can they be correct in their premise about being God's only earthly orginization. For crying out loud, the orginization doesn't even follow the same doctrine that was held when that claim was first made.

[JehovahsWitness]

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

Is there any thing in scripture that indicates that the men and women that make up the true church would not make mistakes?

[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"?

[postroad]

[Replying to post 3 by JehovahsWitness]
Are you ready to acknowledge the possibility that your orginization was mistaken regarding its claim of being the only representative for God in the last times?

[Elijah John]

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

Is there any thing in scripture that indicates that the men and women that make up the true church would not make mistakes?

Well no, but if we all make mistakes (including our religious leaders), how can any of us claim to be part the "one true Church"?

Seems to me it is fair to say that one has the best Church and even better, the "best one for me...but to say "we have the only true Christian Church" is a step that I don't think any of us can realistically take.

[JehovahsWitness]

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.

I posted on your earlier question on this point perhaps you missued it, here is the link ifor you would like to read my thoughts on this

Link
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 515#835515



Regarding the claim that the NWT is unique in its rendition of stauros I will draw you attention to the following...

Jehovah's Witness changed the word "cross" to "torture stake" and the word "crucified" to "impaled" in their New World Translation of the Bible.

This seems to be the only translation that does so.

The NWT is not the only one that translates xulon and stauros as stake.

Take Matthew 27:32 for example...

The CJB translates it as stake.
"As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim‘on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua’s execution-stake."
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?s ... ersion=CJB

The ISR Translates it as stake.
"And as they were going out, they found a man of Cyrene, Shim‛on by name – they compelled him to bear His stake."
http://biblehub.com/isr/matthew/27.htm

And the Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition translates it as stake.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Sc ... el_Edition

[JehovahsWitness]

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

Is there any thing in scripture that indicates that the men and women that make up the true church would not make mistakes?

Well no, but if we all make mistakes (including our religious leaders), how can any of us claim to be part the "one true Church"?

Then by what criteria or authority do you establish the "rule" that if a group makes mistakes they CANNOT be the one true church? Is it because you say so or is there any other reason?

[Elijah John]

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.

I posted on your earlier question on this point perhaps you missued it, here is the link ifor you would like to read my thoughts on this

Link
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 515#835515

Seems these ideas did not even occur to JWs when they used the ASV. Is impalement vs crucifixion a "new Revelation"?

And still, the NWT is the only translation that denies crucifixion.

OK here's a tougher one. Prove from Scripture that Jesus is Michael the Archangel.

And prove that Jesus actually returned in 1914.. and keep it simple please, convoluted arguments are seldom convincing.

[postroad]

[Replying to post 8 by JehovahsWitness]
By what authority does your orginization claim to be the one true Church?

In 1931 they claimed the same Spiritual guidance as the authors of Scripture were believed to have.

"The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in The Watchtower. God feeds his own people, and surely God uses those who love and serve him according to his own will. Those who oppose The Watchtower are not capable of discerning the truth that God is giving to the children of his organization, and this is the very strongest proof that such opposers are not of God's organization." Watchtower 1931 Nov 1 p.327

Do you still believe this? Is it the very word of God revealed? If not, it surely must follow that if the premise is incorrect then also the conclusion may also be incorrect .