The New World Translation, A Reliable Source?

     When it comes to choosing a bible to learn from, which one would you pick? For me, I'm not certain which one would be the best choice, but I know which one I would avoid first. The New World Translation (NWT) is a horrible choice for anyone wanting to learn about the bible. Why? There are several errors in translation, and the individuals chosen to translate it were uneducated. And to cover over their mistakes, they attempt to quote from bible scholars to bolster the reputation of their bible. But were they honest about those quotes?

     I'm going to run through those three reasons, gathering information obtained from several sources. You can decide for yourself whether or not you would trust this translation. I'll start with several errors found throughout the bible.

Genesis 1:2	"Spirit of God" changed to "God's active force."	The revision modifies the original noun with a more impersonal form as the JWs reject the orthodox Christian belief in the personality of the Holy Spirit.
Exodus 3:14	"I am" changed to "I shall prove to be."	The revision clouds the connection between God's self proclaimed title and Jesus' proclamation of being the same in John 8:58, as the JW rejects the deity of Jesus.
Numbers 1:52	"Under his own standard" changed to "by his [three-tribe] division."	The Hebrew word degal translated as "standard" literally means flag or banner. Since the JWs regard saluting a flag as an act of idolatry, the text has been altered according to their doctrinal bias. (Same revision found in Num. 2:2, 3, 10, 18, 25; 10: 14, 18, 22, 25.)
Isaiah 43:10	"Nor will there be one after me" changed to "after me there continued to be none."	The original future tense of the verb indicates that there will never be another being sharing in God's divinity. The altered tense suggests credibility to the JW doctrine of Jesus' becoming a "mighty god" while still being less than Jehovah in nature. (See the John 1: I discussion below for another expression of this JW distortion.)
Ecclesiastes 12:7	"The spirit returns" changed to "the spirit itself returns."	The passage indicates the return of a human spirit to God after death. Since the JWs believe in an unconscious state after death, "itself' has been inserted to suggest a more impersonal reference to spirit.
Matthew 2:11	"Bowed down and worshipped him" changed to "did obeisance to it"	The JWs evade recognizing Jesus as worthy of worship as a divine being by altering the form of honor that he receives from men and angels. The Greek word proskuneo literally means "worship." The use of "obeisance" is a NWT adaptation. (Same revision found in Matt. 8:2; 9:18, 14:33; 15:25; 28:9, 17; Mark 5:6; 15:19; Luke 24:52; John 9:38; Heb. 1:6.)
Matthew 5:19	"Least in the kingdom of heaven" changed to "least in relation to the kingdom of the heaven."	The passage indicates that a disobedient believer who sins can still find forgiveness and eternal life. The JWs believe heaven is reserved for only 144,000 specially designated servants of God. The revision suggests more separation between these groups through a status hierarchy.
Matthew 25:46	"Eternal punishment" changed to "everlasting cutting-off."	The Greek word kolasis translated "punishment" indicates continuous torment, but the NWT revision suggests "termination," as the JWs promote the doctrine of annihilationism regarding condemned souls.
Mark 1:4	"Baptism of repentance" changed to "baptism [in symbol] of repentance. "	Nothing in the original Greek text justifies the insertion of "in symbol." The revision undermines the significance of John the Baptist's ministry, the Jewish meaning of baptism and the Christian sacrament of baptism in contrast to the more regimented JW baptism requirements.
Luke 12:8	"Acknowledges me" changed to "confesses union with me."	The addition of "union" suggest something more than what the original Greek actually states and adds further credibility to the NWT distortion presented in John 6:56 below.
Luke 23:43	'Today you will be with me" changed to "I tell you today, You will be with me."	Jesus assured the thief on the cross that their spirits would soon enter the spiritual/heavenly realm together. As the JWs reject the belief in the conscious survival of the human spirit after death, their revision suggests that "today" deals with the time of the statement rather than the relocation of their spirits.
John 1:1	"Word was God" changed to "Word was a god."	The JWs reject the orthodox Christian belief in the deity of Jesus. The revision asserts that Jesus was someone other than God Himself.
John 1:12	"Believe" changed to "exercise faith."	The orthodox Christian doctrine of spiritual justification and rebirth before God by belief in Jesus is in conflict with the JW doctrine of salvation by works (i.e., obedience to their organization). The revision attempts to describe salvation as a continuous process rather than a radical encounter and transition (Same revision found in John 3:16, 18; 6:29; Rom. 4:3, 10:4, 9, 10.)
John 6:56	"Remains in me" changed to "remains in union with me."	The mystical union between the individual human spirit and the Spirit of Jesus is obscured by restructuring "in" with a compound form. The substitution implies more separation between a Christian and Jesus. (Same revision found in John 14:20; Rom. 8:1, 2, 10; 12:5; 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 3:28; Eph. 1:13*; 2:10, 13, 15, 21, 22; 3:6; Col. 1:14*, 16*, 27; 2:6, 10*, 11, 12*; 3:3; 1 Thes. 4:16; 5:18; 1 John 3:24; 4:4; 5:20. Verses with an asterisk (*) indicate where the revision uses "by means of" or "in relationship to" rather than "in union with.")
John 8:58	"I am" changed to "I have been."	Same intent as described in Exodus 3:14 above.
John 14:14	"IF YOU ask [me] anything in my name, I will do it." "me" is omitted to deny the fact we pray to Jesus.	John 14:14 should also be mentioned. In the NWT this reads; "IF YOU ask anything in my name, I will do it." The Greek text in the KIT, however, has ME after ask, so that it should be translated; "If you ask ME anything in my name, I will do it." It is true that some later Greek manuscripts omitted this word, but most of the earlier ones include it, and most modern editions of the Greek NT include it. At the very least, the NWT ought to have mentioned this in a note!
John 14:17	"Beholds him or knows him" changed to "beholds it or knows it."	The revision ignores the context of the pronoun with the Comforter role in the preceding verse to deny the personality of the Holy Spirit.
John 17:5	"Glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you" changed to "glorify me alongside yourself with the glory that I had alongside you."	The original text reflects the shared deity of God the Father and Jesus before the creation of the world, but the revision suggests different natures as implied by different states of glory.
John 17:21	"Are in me" changed to "are in union with me."	The original statement by Jesus indicates his shared deity with the Father. The revision undermines this by suggesting a greater separation between them.
Acts 10:36	"Lord of all" changed to "Lord of all [others]."	The revision suggests that even though Jesus is highly honored, he is still one among many of God's created beings. (Similar revisions found in Rom. 8:32; Phil. 2:9; Col. 1: 16-17.)
Acts 20:28	They change "God purchased the church with His own blood" to God purchased the church with the blood of His son"	Wrath and indignation will come to every Jw from the Governing Body, who even suggests God purchased the church with His own blood... the blood of Jesus... who is God!
Romans 2:29	"By the Spirit" changed to "by spirit."	Although the definite article 'the" does not literally appear in the Greek, it is implied by the form that (pneuma) appears in. The revision, however, translates pneuma in a more abstract form to evade the reality of the Holy Spirit. (Same revision found in Rom. 15:19; Eph. 2:22; 3:5; Titus 3:5; James 2:26; 2 Peter 1:21.)
Rom 8:1	"Therefore those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation," Which omits the word NOW.	The NWT omits key words when to include them may contradict JW doctrine. The most glaring example is Rom 8:1 "Therefore those in union with Christ Jesus have no condemnation," Which omits the word NOW. This omission is evidently motivated by the fact that the JW's do not believe anyone can claim NOW to be free of condemnation.
Romans 8:23a	"Have the firstfruits of the Spirit" changed to "have the firstfruits, namely the spirit."	This represents another form of disguising the separate personality of the Holy Spirit as in Rom. 2:29 above. The original text refers to the derivatives of the Spirit, but the revision identifies the spirit as a derivative.
Romans 8:23b	"The redemption of our bodies" changed to "the release from our bodies by ransom."	This revision avoids the suggestion that there is continuity of either body or soul after death. Their teaching that the soul ceases to exist at the death of the body precludes the ownership of, or relationship to, a body that must be redeemed.
Romans 8:28	"All things" changed to "all his works."	The revision undermines the sovereignty of God by suggesting that He controls only the things He is directly involved in doing. This implies that God does not work ALL things together for the good of those that love God, but only those things which he himself does, over which he has control.
Romans 8:29	"Those God foreknew" changed to "those whom he gave his first recognition."	The revision obscures the nature of God's knowledge and power as a first recognition may or may not be foreknowledge.
Romans 9:5	"Christ, who is God over all, forever praised!" changed to "Christ, [sprang] according to the flesh: God who is over all, [be] blessed forever."	The direction proclamation that Christ is God is obscured by the altered text.
Romans 10:13	"Lord" changed to "Jehovah."	This revision obscures the fact that the Lord referred to in verse 13 is the same Lord called Jesus in verse 9. Since the JWs reject the deity of Jesus, the revision is made accordingly. The Greek word, kurios, translated "Lord" has been revised to "Jehovah" over 200 times in the NWT. The JWs insist that this is the only valid title for God, even though Greek-speaking Jews used "Lord" and "God" in place of "Yahweh" (the source of "Jehovah") throughout their Septuagint translation of the Old Testament. Furthermore, the Bible contains dozens of names for God other than Lord, Yahweh, or Jehovah.
Romans 13:1	"Authorities that exist have been established by God" changed to "authorities stand placed in their relative positions by God."	Since the JW regard saluting a flag, military service and similar forms of submission to government as idolatry, they have added words to the text to weaken the proclaimed authority of government.
1 Corinthians 6:19	"Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit" changed to "the body of YOU people is [the] temple of the holy spirit."	To avoid recognition of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the individual believer, the revision modifies "body" to a more collective form in harmony with the opposing JW doctrine.
1 Corinthians 10:4	"The Rock was Christ" changed to "that rock-mass meant the Christ."	The passage depicts the preincarnate Jesus exhibiting his divine nature by being present many centuries earlier. This revision tries to conceal his eternal nature with a more figurative interpretation of "the Rock."
1 Corinthians 12:11	"As he determines" changed to "as it wills."	The NWT finds many ways to disguise the personality of the Holy Spirit. In this case the third person pronoun exercising individual conscience and will is replaced with an impersonal pronoun.
1 Corinthians 14:14-16	"Spirit" changed to "[gift of the] spirit."	Like several other Biblical passages, this one indicates the distinctive presence of the human spirit as distinguished from the mind and body. The JWs evade these distinctions and try to disguise them with related revisions. The phrase GIFT OF THE is added in brackets five times, changing "SPIRIT" to "[GIFT OF THE] SPIRIT." The NWT elsewhere frequently paraphrases the simple word SPIRIT, especially when referring to the immaterial aspect of human nature, to avoid the implication that such a spirit has a reality distinct from the body. For instance, Heb 12:19 "the Father of spirits" (or the spirits) becomes "the Father of OUR SPIRITUAL LIFE." In Gal. 6:18 "your spirit" is paraphrased "THE SPIRIT YOU SHOW." Similar rewording's are introduced in passages where the simple translation of "spirit" or "Spirit" might imply that God's Spirit is a person, contrary to the JW's doctrine that the Holy Spirit is God's "active force." So, Jude's description of certain men as "not having the Spirit" (or more literally, not having spirit") is rendered "NOT HAVING SPIRITUALITY" (Jude 19).
1 Corinthians 15:2	"By this gospel you are saved" changed to "through which YOU are also being saved."	Similar to the Acts 16:30 revision above, this one again obscures the completeness of salvation by grace. The JW's salvation exists as an extended process ("being saved") with the outcome being uncertain until final judgment before Jehovah.
Galatians 6:18	"Your spirit" changed to "the spirit YOU [show]."	Similar to the I Cor. 14 revision above, this one attempts to obscure the reality of the individual human spirit by presenting it more as an attitude of action than an entity.
Philippians 1:23	"To depart and be with Christ" changed to "the releasing and the being with Christ."	Paul's eagerness indicates that the believer's spirit goes immediately into Christ's presence at death. The revision suggests that death and being with Christ are two separate steps in an extended process, as the JWs believe in soul sleep (i.e., the unconscious state of the human spirit awaiting the resurrection). In Phil 1:23-24 several words are added without brackets that, along with some other changes, completely alter the structure and thereby also the meaning of the text. The passage reads in the NWT (with added words in brackets so you can see here) "I am under pressure from [THESE] two things; [BUT WHAT] I do desire is the releasing and the being with Christ, for this, [TO BE SURE], is far better." There are other errors as well, but the additions indicate here clearly change the meaning so as to avoid the test's implication that Paul would be with Christ after death. Some of the additions in brackets in the NWT so clearly change the meaning it is a wonder that more JW's don't question them? In 1Cor 14:12-16 the phrase GIFT OF THE is added in brackets five times, changing "spirit" to "[GIFT OF THE] spirit." The result is that Paul's contrast between his own personal "spirit" and his "mind" is removed. To assure that this contrast is missed, the word "MY" is also added in brackets before "MIND" twice in verse 15 but not before SPIRIT. Thus the simple contrast between "the spirit" and "the mind" (or "my spirit" and "my mind" NASB) is changed to "the [GIFT OF THE] spirit" and [MY] mind."
Phil 2:6	"Although Jesus existed in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself" (He grasped equality and let it go to become a man) has been changed to "although Jesus was existing in God's form, he gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God."	NWT teaches that Jesus was never equal with God nor did he ever grasp at it. Notice the word seizure, which implies grabbing that which is not yours to grab ie equality. If Jesus was created by God, why would He be considered humble for not thinking of himself as equal to God. That is not humility, but reality! However since Jesus was equal to God, it would require great humility to give up his status as God and become a man through Mary.
Col 1:16-20	the word "[other]" has been added 5 times where it is not in the Greek	Awful embarrassing for Jw's to read this verse with the [other] removed. Why it would mean Jesus was not a creature but God. By adding "other" to "all other things" Jw's attempt to avoid the obvious original intent of the Greek that Jesus is above all created things implying Jesus is not a creature! The addition of the word OTHER is usually justified by an appeal to such texts as Luke 11:41-42 and Luke 13:2,4, where the word OTHER is also added after the word ALL. However, in these passages (and in others were the same practice is rightly followed) the addition of the word OTHER doesn't change the meaning, but simply makes it read smoother. In Col 1:16-20, however, whether one adds "OTHER" makes a great deal of difference to the meaning! What is so often noticed is that the NWT does this same thing in several other passages as well (Acts 10:36; Rom 8:32; Phil 2:9). In Rom 8:32, the word OTHER is not even placed in brackets, contrary to the work's stated practice. In all of these text, the intent seems to be to undermine the implication of the text that Jesus Christ is God.
Colossians 1:19	"His fullness" changed to "fullness."	The definite Greek article (to), translated "his," indicates that Jesus shares the Father's divine nature as also shown in Col. 2:9. The revisions evade the truth by concealing the similarity of the two passages. Also notable is Col 1:19 "because [God] saw good for all fullness to dwell in him." Here the little word THE is omitted before FULLNESS. This is significant, because NWT renders "ALL FULLNESS" is ambiguous, whereas "ALL THE FULLNESS" clearly refers to the fullness of God's own being (compare Col 2:9).
Col 2:6-12		Again, in Col 2:6-12 "IN HIM" and "IN WHOM" (en auto, en ho) becomes "IN UNION WITH HIM" (v.6) "IN HIM" (V.V. 7,9) "BY MEANS OF HIM" (V. 10) and "BY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM" (V.V..11,12). These variations serve only JW doctrine! They have no other purpose, they undermine the unity of the passage, which is that Christian life consists solely of a supernatural relationship with God through faith in Christ. There are many other passages where IN is paraphrased to avoid the otherwise clear meaning of the text. For example, In Matt. 5:19 IN becomes "IN RELATION TO" so as to avoid the passages teaching that some who disobey the law's commandments and teach others to do so will nevertheless be accepted "in the kingdom of heaven" (which JW's believe will be restricted to the 144,000 special chosen and sanctified believers).
Colossians 2:9	"The fullness of deity" changed to "the fullness of the divine quality."	The Greek theotes, translated "deity," literally means divine essence or divinity. As the JWs reject the divine nature of Jesus, a revision is inserted to suggest that Jesus is limited to only divine-like characteristics.
I Timothy 4:1	"The Spirit" changed to "the inspired utterance."	This revision attempts to obscure the reality and activity of the Holy Spirit by representing it as a message instead of an entity. (Similar revisions found in 1 John 4:1, 3, 6 with "expression" being utilized in place of "utterance.") A straightforward "the SPIRIT says" would too obviously imply the personality of the "Spirit".
Titus 2:13	"Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ" changed to "the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus."	Similar to the Rom. 9:5 revision shown above, a distinct proclamation of Jesus as God is obscured by the altered text. (Similar rewording also found in 2 Peter 1:1.)
Hebrews 1:6	"But when He again brings his First-born into the inhabited earth, he says: 'And let all God's angels worship him' ." (New World Translation, 1950, 1961, 1970 editions,	The NWT revised 1971 edition was changed to read, "do obeisance to" rather than "worship". This change remains to this day, even though the original word chosen by the 4 NWT translators, was accurate to the Greek. However the Watchtower society was losing so may new converts because of the word "worship" (only God gets worshipped) that they did the typically dishonorable thing and chose the obscure unknown word "obeisance" to complete the deception of new converts.
Hebrews 1:8	"Your throne, 0 God" changed to "God is your throne."	The revision avoids addressing the Son, Jesus, as God to validate the JWs' rejection of his divine nature.
Hebrews 9:14	"The eternal Spirit" changed to "an everlasting spirit."	Similar to the Rom. 2:29 revision above, the switching of the article before the adjective represents the work of the Holy Spirit in a more indirect/ impersonal manner.
Hebrews 12:9	"Father of our spirits" changed to "Father of our spiritual life."	Similar to the I Cor. 14 revision shown above, this one tries to obscure the distinctive reality of human spirits by replacing them with a more abstract noun.
Hebrews 12:23	"The spirits of righteous men" changed to "the spiritual lives of righteous ones."	This revision represents the same noun-switching as described in Heb. 12:9 above.
Hebrews 12:28	"We are receiving a kingdom" changed to "we are to receive a kingdom."	An orthodox Christian understanding of the Kingdom recognizes it as primarily established through Jesus' victorious death, then further through post-resurrection displays of his power, and perpetually through the addition of new believers into God's family. The JWs teach that Jesus' Kingdom did not begin until his invisible return in 1914. The form of the Greek word for "receiving" (paralambano) implies a current condition, but the revision suggests a future event according to the JW doctrine.
1 Peter 1:11	"Spirit of Christ in them was pointing" changed to "the spirit in them was indicating concerning Christ."	Another example of the supernatural presence of Jesus in the life of a Christian is obscured again by this revision as the JW doctrinal view presents him as more limited.
I Peter 3:18-19	"By the Spirit, through whom" changed to "in the spirit. In this [state]."	Similar to several examples presented above, in this passage the presence and personality of the Holy Spirit is obscured with a more abstract representation of the Holy Spirit to accommodate the JW doctrine.
1 John 4:1-6	"Spirit" changed to "inspired expression"	Even clearer is 1 John 4:1-6. John has just stated that we know our union with God is secure "owing to the spirit which he gave us" (3:24). The next sentence in the NWT reads; "Beloved ones, believe not every inspired expression, but test the inspired expressions to see whether they originate with God" (4:1). One would never suspect from this rendering that "INSPIRED EXPRESSION" translates the same Greek word (pneuma) as "SPIRIT" in 3:24 (see 4:2,3,6). John's whole point is that although the Spirit's presence assures us of God's love, we are not to believe every "spirit" that claims to be from God but test each one by the teachings it prophets espouses. "Because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (4:1). The NWT obscures this point to avoid the implication that God's Spirit is a person rather than a force (just as the demonic spirits are personal entities and not impersonal forces, as the JW accept). The same doctrinal bias can be seen in 1 Tim 4:1, where the NWT reads; However, the inspired utterance says...." A straightforward "the SPIRIT says" would too obviously imply the personality of the "Spirit".
Jude 19	"Have the Spirit" changed to "having spirituality."	Similar to Gal. 6:18 above, this revision attempts to obscure the separate presence of the Holy Spirit.
Revelation 3:14	"Ruler of God's creation" changed to "beginning of the creation by God."	The altered prepositions distract from the sovereignty of Jesus indicated in the passage and suggests that the real power of creation was accomplished through the Father, as the JWs believe that Jesus is a created being.

(http://www.bible.ca/Jw-NWT.htm)


That's quite a lengthy list. You see how they attempt to twist words around to make it look like the scriptures are saying what they teach? Pretty sneaky.

So who was on the team that was involved with translating the NWT? And what was their credentials as far as being qualified to translate a bible properly?

The NWT translators were: Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder, George Gangas, Fred Franz, M. Henschel
"Fred Franz however, was the only one with sufficient knowledge of the Bible languages to attempt translation of this kind. He had studied Greek for two years in the University of Cincinnati but was only self-taught in Hebrew." ["Crisis of Conscience"; by Raymond Franz; Commentary Press, Atlanta; 1983 edition; footnote 15; page 50.]
Four out of the five men on the committee had no Hebrew or Greek training at all. They had only a high school education. Franz studied Greek for two years at the University of Cincinnati, but dropped out after his sophomore year. When asked in a Scotland courtroom if he could translate Genesis 2:4 into Hebrew, Franz replied that he could not. The truth is that Franz was unable to translate Hebrew or Greek.
What we are left with is a very inexperienced translating committee that twisted Scripture to make it fit the Society's doctrine.
Statements
Original published statements to document this can be found in

1. Raymond Franz', Crisis of Conscience, p. 50 (Franz, Knorr, Schroeder, Gangas),
2. William Cetnar's, Questions for Jehovah's Witnesses, pp. 68-9 (Franz, Knorr, Schroeder, Gangas, Henschel)
3. Jerry Bergman's, Jehovah's Witnesses and Kindred Groups, p. 39 (Franz).
4. Interestingly, both Cetnar and Bergman set forth material that indicates that the well-known Bible Scholar Edgar J. Goodspeed had some input to the NWT. Cetnar indicates that Goodspeed was not terribly pleased with the result.

( http://www.hyperbible.com/articles/jw4.asp)


That pretty much explains how all of those mistakes happened. But instead of admitting their mistakes....like honest people would do.....they attempted to bolster their bible credibility. Instead of copying and pasting all of the many examples of dishonest half quotes, I'll simply post a site that has listed many bible scholars, what the Watchtower Society quoted them as saying, and what the scholar actually said. I think you will find the proof very interesting, and very convincing, to say the least. You can read about the scholars here: http://www.forananswer.org/Top_JW/Scholars%20and%20NWT.htm

But just to wet your appetite, I will share one of them with you.

Vincent Taylor

What the Watchtower Society quoted him as saying:

 "Here, in the Prologue, the Word is said to be God, but as often observed, in contrast with the clause, 'the Word was with God', the definite article is not used (in the final clause). For this reason it is generally translated 'and the Word was divine' (Moffatt) or is not regarded as God in the absolute sense of the name. The New English Bible neatly paraphrases the phrase in the words 'and what God was, the Word was',....In neither passage is Jesus unequivocally called God...." ("Does the New Testament Call Jesus God?", Expository Times, 73, No.4 [Jan.1962], p.118).

What he actually said:
 
"We reach a more difficult issue in the Gospel of John. Here, in the Prologue, the Word is said to be God, but, as often observed, in contrast with the clause, 'the Word was with God', the definite article is not used (in the final clause). For this reason it is generally translated 'and the Word was divine' (Moffatt) or is not regarded as God in the absolute sense of the name. The New English Bible neatly paraphrases the phrase in the words 'and what God was, the Word was'. In a second passage in the Prologue the textual evidence attests 'only-begotten God' more strongly than 'only-begotten Son', but the latter is preferred by many commentators as being more in harmony with johannine usage and with the succeeding clause, 'who is in the bosom of the Father'. In neither passage is Jesus unequivocally called God, while again and again in the Gospel He is named 'the Son' or 'the Son of God'. In a third passage, however, there is no doubt that the name 'God' is assigned to Him. When Thomas is bidden to see the hands and side of Jesus, he cries in adoring love, 'My Lord and my God'. This cry is spontaneous and devotional and illustrates an aspect, and not the whole, of the Evangelist's Christology. Like the author of Hebrews he thinks and speaks of Christ in the category of Sonship" (Taylor, "Does the New Testament Call Jesus God?", Expository Times, 73, No.4 [Jan.1962], p.118, emphasis added)



     So what conclusion did you draw from this? Uneducated men attempting to translate Hebrew and Greek, and in doing so, made several mistakes, and attempted to gloss over those errors by printing partial quotes from bible scholars to make it look like they (the scholars) supported the NWT. I don't know about you, but for me, it shows how scandalous the Watchtower Society really is. It also shows that the JW community is blinded, that they would willingly accept what they are told instead of doing hardcore research.

I hope that one day, those people will wake up and see what is really happening.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the United Nations

     Yes, I'm sure any of you that know about the Jehovah's Witnesses have also heard about their being an associate NGO with the United Nations. Former members point at this as a major scandal that was exposed, and shows the hypocrisy of the Watchtower Society. Current members argue that the claims are false, and even though they were an associate NGO of the United Nations, they did nothing wrong. I think it's time to review the argument, and set forth the facts. Then you, the reader, can decide.

     Let's begin with what the WTS was writing about the U.N. in their literature.

"No, the UN is not a blessing, even though the religious clergy of Christendom and the rabbis of Jewry pray heaven’s blessing upon that organization. It is really “the image of the wild beast,” the visible political, commercial organization of “the god of this system of things,” Satan the Devil. So the UN will soon be destroyed along with that beastly organization." Watchtower 1984 Sep 15 p.15



The "mark" of the beast would identify the one having it as belonging to that "wild beast," giving it full support. Ellicott's Bible Commentary notes that the mark 'surely means the acquiescence to the principals of this tyrannical world-power.'
In modern times, the Christain body, known world wide as Jehovah's Witnesses, has experienced from the "wild beast" the same things as first-century Christians. Take the African county of Malawi, for example. There all citizens have been required to become members of the country's only existing political party, the "Malawi Congress Party." A membership card costing about twenty-five cents (U.S.) identifies the bearer as 'acquiescing to the principals of the ruling political party,' . . .
As Jehovah's Witnesses they value their relationship to God and Christ above everything else. Were they to identify themselves as giving unquestioning support to any politcal arrangement, they would be acting contrary to the Bible's teaching that all human governmental systems exist by God's toleration only until such time as he chooses to replace them by his kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ. (Dan. 2:44; 7:13, 14) Jehovah's Witnesses have promised to give unqualified allegiance exclusively to God and Christ. Any act on their part that would indicate otherwise, therefore, would be an act of disloyalty. Such an act would be taking away from God and Christ their rightful due and would be worship fo the "wild beast."
No matter how insignificant the act required may seem, a Christian's engaging in such worship would mean his being disloyal to God and Christ. Watchtower 1976 10/15 632-6



 "If Christendom had sought peace with Jehovah's King, Jesus Christ, then she would have avoided the coming flash flood. - Compare Luke 19:42-44.

However, she has not done so. Instead, in her quest for peace and security, she insinuates herself into the favor of the political leaders of the nations this despite the Bible's warning that friendship with the world is enmity with God. (James 4:4) Moreover, in 1919 she strongly advocated the League of Nations as man's best hope for peace. Since 1945 she has put her hope in the United Nations. (Compare Revelation 17:3, 11.) How extensive is her involvement with this organization?

A recent book gives an idea when it states: "No less than twenty-four Catholic organizations are represented at the UN. Several of the world's religious leaders have visited the international organization. Most memorable were the visits of His Holiness Pope Paul VI during the General Assembly in 1965 and of Pope John Paul II in 1979. Many religions have special invocations, prayers, hymns and services for the United Nations. The most important examples are those of the Catholic, the Unitarian-Universalist, the Baptist and the Bahai faiths."" Watchtower 1991 Jun 1 p.17

 "Such dwellers on earth wondered admiringly at the revived scarlet wild beast. Much reliance was placed in its ability to be a power for world peace and security. Great expectations were held out for it, and it was given designations that were really blasphemous from the standpoint of the Holy Bible. How so? In that to this wild beast powers were ascribed and tasks were assigned that really belong to Gods kingdom and its Messiah or its Christ. Back in 1919 the scarlet League of Nations had been seriously called the political expression of the Kingdom of God on earth. And now the United Nations, the successor of that League, has been called the best means for peace, yes, even more than that, the last hope for peace. So today we can see in actuality what the apostle John saw in symbol, that that scarlet-colored wild beast is full of blasphemous names. Those expressions of admiration for it turn false religionists, not to the worship of Jehovah God the Creator, but to idolatry of a man-made creation, the worship of a political image, the worship of an international organization for world peace and security. Rev. 17:3." Watchtower 1963 Nov 15 p.697


 The wild beast that you saw was, but is not, and yet is about to ascend out of the abyss, and it is to go off into destruction. And when they see how the wild beast was, but is not, and yet will be present, those who dwell on the earth will wonder admiringly, but their names have not been written upon the scroll of life from the foundation of the world." Revelation 17:8 NWT

"We cannot but admire the high principles embodied in the proposed League of Nations, formulated undoubtedly by those who have no knowledge of the great plan of God. This fact makes all the more wonderful the ideals which they express. Watchtower February 15, 1919 p. 51

The "mark" of the beast would identify the one having it as belonging to that "wild beast," giving it full support. Ellicott's Bible Commentary notes that the mark 'surely means the acquiescence to the principals of this tyrannical world-power.' Watchtower October 15, 1976 p. 632


STRONG words from the Watchtower Society about the U.N.   Obviously then, from what was stated, any witness would want to have nothing to do with the U.N. Even a 25 cent membership card would show disloyalty to God. Ah, but they even go a step further.

"The Bible condemns things such as stealing, idolatry and the misuse of blood, so a Christian could hardly engage in work where he directly promoted such things. Would doing the work so closely link a person with a condemned practice that he would be a clear accomplice? Even a janitor or a receptionist at a blood bank or a plant making only weapons of war is directly linked with work contrary to Gods Word." Watchtower 1982 Jul 15 Box on p.26 Employment Factors to Consider

 Is it true that for religious reasons Jehovah's Witnesses may not become members of the YMCA (Young Mens Christian Association)?

Yes, that is so. We have long recognized that the YMCA, though not being a church as such, is definitely aligned with the religious organizations of Christendom in efforts to promote interfaith.
…
In joining the YMCA as a member a person accepts or endorses the general objectives and principles of the organization. … Membership means that one has become an integral part of this organization founded with definite religious objectives, including the promotion of interfaith. Hence, for one of Jehovah's Witnesses to become a member of such a so-called Christian association would amount to apostasy." Watchtower 1979 Jan 1 pp.30-31 Questions from Readers

Don't engage in working or becoming a member of any group that aligns themselves with something contrary to God. By doing so, you could be committing an act that amounts to Apostasy.

So it is pretty clear that the Watchtower Society wants their members to avoid worldly governments at all costs. Don't work for them, don't support their principals, don't align yourselves with them, or you could face excommunication.

With such a harsh stand on the U.N., I'm sure it came as quite a shock to many members when news came out about the Watchtower's United Nations Association. The Guardian newspaper revealed the link between the two in October of 2001. Days later, the Watchtower disaffiliated themselves from the United Nations. There were swarms of requests as to why they were there, if it was even true, requests to see evidence.

The WTS responded with this letter.

http://www.jwfacts.com/images/UNeldersletter.jpg

It is a very dishonest letter, to say the least. They did not need to join the U.N. to gain access to their library. In fact, their are over four hundred U.N. libraries worldwide that can be accessed by anyone. Also, there have been no changes to the requirement for NGO's being required to agree to "support" the ideals of the United Nations.

There have been attempts by other jw supporters to "explain away" the reasons why they were there. But those claims are misinformed individuals who did not research properly. For example, one person states that there are two types of NGO's. The DPI (Department of Public Information), and the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council). And that the DPI division does not fall under the same criteria as the ECOSOC division. In other words, a DPI-NGO does not need to support the U.N. to be an associate. Obviously this person did not read the criteria requirements needed to be accepted as a DPI-NGO. You can read about it here: http://outreach.un.org/ngorelations/membership/

So many questions arise then from the Watchtower's involvement with the U.N.

1. If they truly did not  realize that they didn't need to join the U.N. in order to access their library, why did they remain there for nine more years, filing annual applications?

2. If their only reason for being there was to gain access to the U.N. library, why did they abandon their position once news of their involvement became public?

3. Why would having library access be acceptable to them when holding rank and file members to strict avoidance, no matter how insignificant, and then threaten them with excommunication should they do so?

4. Finally, if it was not wrong for them to be there, why did nobody know about it?

It makes one wonder if they even care that many of their members were tortured, raped, imprisoned, and even killed, for holding up their end, for following the guidance of the Watchtower Society, only to see that the ones they were following decided to take a hypocritical stand, and then use the "library card" excuse. If you can be excommunicated in Malawi for purchasing a 25 cent membership card, the same punishment should happen for a library card. What is very revealing is going back and reading those articles about strict avoidance from any world government, since God's Kingdom is going to be replacing all world governments. No part of the world.....well.....except for a library card.

Jesus the Mediator?

"For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5,6

After reading that, how can there be any confusion as to who our mediator is? There are other scriptures I will add to this one later on. But the Watchtower society has made a very serious claim about the role of Jesus as a mediator. Rather than attempt to explain them, I will let the quotes from JW literature speak for themselves. 

w79 4/1 31  Questions from Readers 
At a time when God was selecting those to be taken into that new covenant, the apostle Paul wrote that Christ was the “one mediator between God and men.” (1 Tim. 2:5) Reasonably Paul was here using the word “mediator” in the same way he did the other five times, which occurred before the writing of 1 Timothy 2:5, referring to those then being taken into the new covenant for which Christ is “mediator.” So in this strict Biblical sense Jesus is the “mediator” only for anointed Christians.

That isn't what Paul wrote.

 w79 11/15 26  Benefiting from "One Mediator Between God and Men" 
20 What, then, is Christ’s role in this program of salvation? Paul proceeds to say: “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men [not, all men], a man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all.”—1 Tim. 2:5, 6.

Not all men? See how they twist the scripture to fit their doctrine?

 w89 8/15 30  Questions From Readers 
Clearly, then, the new covenant is not a loose arrangement open to all mankind. It is a carefully arranged legal provision involving God and anointed Christians.

Legal provision?

 w89 8/15 31  Questions From Readers 
 The people of all nations who have the hope of everlasting life on earth benefit even now from Jesus’ services. Though he is not their legal Mediator, for they are not in the new covenant, he is their means of approaching Jehovah.

He is not their legal Mediator, but he is their means of approaching Jehovah? Isn't that a blatant contradiction?

  w89 8/15 31  Questions From Readers
 Consequently, 1 Timothy 2:5, 6 is not using “mediator” in the broad sense common in many languages. It is not saying that Jesus is a mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, it refers to Christ as legal Mediator (or, “attorney”) of the new covenant, this being the restricted way in which the Bible uses the term.

Now they are twisting the meaning of the word "mediator".

 w89 12/15 30  Do You Remember? 
  In what sense does Paul use the term “mediator” when referring to Jesus at 1 Timothy 2:5, 6? In this text, Paul uses the Greek word me·si'tes for “mediator,” which term has a legal significance, so he is not using this word in the broad sense common in many languages. Hence, Paul is not saying that Jesus is Mediator between God and all mankind. Rather, he is referring to Christ as legal Mediator of the new covenant, which laid the basis for Christ’s anointed followers to share with him in his heavenly Kingdom. (2 Corinthians 5:1, 5; Ephesians 1:13, 14; Hebrews 8:7-13)—8/15, pages 30, 31.

We have already seen what Paul wrote, applying it to all men. Here they are trying to toss in a Greek word to support their claim.The definition of me-si'tes is: 

1. one who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace and friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant
2. a medium of communication, arbitrator                                                                                     

 Does the word have legal significance? Or is it simply a go between?


 w84 7/15 14-15  Organized to Serve Jehovah 
 There must be agreement among all true Christians, a unified message, if people are to hear what is correct, put genuine faith in the true God and call upon Jehovah’s name with the prospect of being saved. Moreover, one spirit-directed organization must be used in connection with the sending forth of those truthful preachers of the “good news.”—Romans 10:11-15.

Spirit directed organization....that claims to not be inspired by God. 

Survival into a New Earth p. 65 
"With Christ they make up the agency by means of which blessings will be extended to all other obedient ones among mankind. Appreciation of this is a key to understanding the Bible."

Now they elevate themselves to be with Christ.


Maybe we should check out a few scriptures and compare them to these claims.

Acts 13:38-39--"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.


Ephesians 1:7 "By means of him we have the release by ransom through the blood of that one, yes, the forgiveness of [our] trespasses, according to the riches of his undeserved kindness."

 Romans 6:23 "For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord."

 Hebrews 7:25 "Consequently he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them."

Hebrews 8:10-12 "'For this is the covenant that I shall covenant with the house of Israel after those days,' says Jehovah. 'I will put my laws in their mind, and in their hearts I shall write them. And I will become their God, and they themselves will become my people. ¹¹ "'And they will by no means teach each one his fellow citizen and each one his brother, saying: "Know Jehovah!" For they will all know me, from [the] least one to [the] greatest one of them. ¹² For I shall be merciful to their unrighteous deeds, and I shall by no means call their sins to mind anymore.'"
 Isn't it obvious at this point that Jesus is the Mediator for everyone, and not just a select few?

Furthermore, if Jehovah puts His laws into their minds and hearts, how can they possibly attempt to explain away past mistakes by stating that it is a gradual understanding?  After all, if Jesus is supposedly mediating between God and them, wouldn't this be a claim of direct guidance? Yet they attempt to cover over those errors and sweep them under the carpet.

Another mistake made is the attempt to parallel the great crowd with the alien residents under the law covenant. They write: Watchtower 1995 Jul 1 p.17 "The Israel of God" and the "Great Crowd

 "Since a number of these faithful foreigners, or alien residents, are viewed as foreshadowing the great crowd today, their situation is of interest to us.
Such ones were proselytes, dedicated worshipers of Jehovah under the Mosaic Law who were separated from the nations along with the Israelites. (Leviticus 24:22) They offered sacrifices, kept clear of false worship, and abstained from blood, just as the Israelites did."

Did you catch the error? The alien residents were included in the law covenant. So if they are foreshadowing the great crowd, that would mean that the great crowd will be included into the new covenant.

This is a very blatant attempt to control the masses. In essence, what the are saying is that if you do not follow their instructions, accept their teachings without question, you will not make it through Armageddon and live on in an earthly paradise. They shove Jesus out of the picture, since the claim is that he is not the mediator for all of us, only them. They do this by twisting words, adding their own words to verses, and going well beyond what is written.

Maybe they should read this verse, and think about what they are doing.

Galations 1:8--But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God's curse!

JW Bashing?

     I have been asked a few questions by current JWs, as well as friends that are non-believers in the jw religion, as to why I continually hound the witnesses. Here are the most common remarks that I will address here.

1) Why do you bash the JWs? You must really hate them.

2) Wouldn't you rather spend your time doing something worthwhile?

3)  They seem to be happy. Why interfere with that?

4)  Why don't you just move on with your life? Get over it.


     Let's start with the first one. Why do I bash the JWs? To answer this in the most simple response, I don't bash the JWs. People are free to believe in what they choose. If they are convinced that what they are placing their faith in is, in a manner of speaking, the right path, I have no problem with that at all.

     My main focus is on what they teach. If I see something that I feel is incorrect, is it wrong to ask questions in order to gain clarification? If I see something that I know for a fact is wrong, why can't I point that out?

     Even the Watchtower itself agreed with me in the past.

"It is important to examine one's religion; there is nothing to fear from such an examination." Truth p.13

"It is not persecution for an informed person to expose a certain religion as being false." wt 11/15/1963  p. 688

"Examine the evidence. Reasonable persons want to examine both sides of a matter. That is how one arrives at the truth."  A 10/22/1973 p. 6

"Regarding the Roman Catholic Church: Any organization that claims to be the way of salvation should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism."

If there is nothing to fear, and it is not persecution, and it is the way to find truth, then why is it considered bashing when someone decides to investigate their teachings, and then call out any mistakes that are found? And if you substitute Jehovah's Witnesses with the Roman Catholic Church in the last quote, they should be willing to submit to scrutiny and criticism, since they make the same claim.

But that isn't what happens at all. Nowadays, if you question any of their teachings, you are slapped with the title of an Apostate. Once given that title, all current JWs will not even consider anything you have to say as valid. It is the easiest way to control the masses. And if you were never a JW, yet you question their beliefs, well, you are under the control of Satan, who is busy misleading the entire world, minus the JWs.

     The second one: Wouldn't you rather spend your time doing something worthwhile?  This is based on the assumption that I spend ALL of my time refuting JW teachings. It really doesn't take very long to accomplish that.

I do, however, consider it worthwhile, as many folks are wandering around lost in life, since they recently departed from the JW religion. I've been told by several individuals that they appreciate reading my opinions here on my blog page. Many of them were asking the same questions that I asked several years ago. So if my small contribution is able to help anyone out, that is very worthwhile from my perspective.

     The third one: They seem to be happy. Why interfere with that? The ones that are truly happy won't bother with anything that I have to say. But I do feel that it is within my right to ask questions if the JWs confront me at my home, or at my workplace. Qualified preachers should be prepared when someone asks them questions. Sadly, most of the encounters I have had with them ended in back-door escape from them to end the conversation.

     And finally:  Why don't you just move on with your life? Get over it. I've heard this from current JWs, XJWs, and outsiders that don't know the specifics from within the JW realm. People always make the mistake of assuming that this is all that I do with my time. They do not realize that it does not take me very long to write a blog, offer advice or support in a recovery group, or other things related to my refuting JW teachings. Most of the things that I do in life are for my benefit, but I choose to spend some time to help others find happiness in their lives as well. I can tell you that when you achieve this, when you see someone that was literally down and out on life, and they came to you for support, and you were able to help them get back to enjoying life again, it is a great feeling. Why would I want to move on from that?

     So I would like to ask my accusers a question in closing. Who is really doing the bashing?

"False religious propaganda from any source should be avoided like poison! Really, since our Lord has used "the faithful and discreet slave" to convey to us "sayings of everlasting life," why should we ever want to look anywhere else?" Watchtower 1987 Nov 1 p.20

 "The world is filled with unhappiness, and people generally have a gloomy outlook on the future. However, we have a bright outlook, knowing that one day all sadness will be a thing of the past." Kingdom Ministry Feb 2002 p.1

 "From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah's people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching ..." Watchtower 1981 Aug 15 p.29

 "Apostates “quietly” bring their ideas into the congregation, like criminals who secretly bring things into a country. ... The Bible says that apostates are mentally diseased and that they use their teachings to make others think like them. (1 Timothy 6:3, 4) Jehovah is like that good doctor. He clearly tells us to stay away from false teachers. We must always be determined to follow his warning. ... We do not speak to them or invite them into our houses. We also do not read their books, watch them on television, read what they write on the Internet, or add our own comments about what they write on the Internet." Watchtower 2011 Jul 15 p.11

 "It would be a mistake to think that you need to listen to apostates or to read their writings to refute their arguments. Their twisted, poisonous reasoning can cause spiritual harm and can contaminate your faith like rapidly spreading gangrene." Watchtower 2004 Feb 15 p.28

 "For one thing, some of the apostate literature presents falsehoods by means of "smooth talk" and "counterfeit words." ... Those who have continued to feed at Satan's spiritual table, the table of demons, will be forced to attend a literal meal, no, not as partakers, but as the main course-to their destruction!" Watchtower 1994 Jul 1 p.12

 "What is often the motive of those who criticize the Society or those taking the lead? Is it not often that some application of Scripture affects them personally? Rather than conform to sound doctrine and direction, they want the organization to change. Let us illustrate this with a few examples: A brother insists on some extreme clothing or grooming style. The elders feel that he is not a good example and do not extend to him certain privileges, such as appearing on the platform to give instruction. He becomes resentful, claiming that others are trying to take away his Christian freedom. But what is behind such reasoning? Is it not usually pride, an independent attitude, or a rather childish desire to have one's own way?" Occasionally you may hear someone question whether the Scriptural prohibition against eating blood really applies to transfusions. But what is behind that reasoning? Is it fear-fear of possibly losing one's present life or the life of a loved one? Is hope in the resurrection fading? ... Finally, we might consider what the Society has published in the past on chronology. Some opposers claim that Jehovah's Witnesses are false prophets. These opponents say that dates have been set, but nothing has happened. Again we ask, What is the motive of these critics? Are they encouraging wakefulness on the part of God's people, or are they, rather, trying to justify themselves for falling back into sleepy inactivity?" Watchtower 1986 Mar 15 p.18 Allow No Place for the Devil!


Wouldn't any of these quotes be considered bashing? 

    

Isolationism Is Only a Cult Ploy!

     The tactic of isolationism is employed in order to control someone. The definition of being isolated is the following: To set apart or cut off from others, to place apart; cause to be alone. It's a basic quarantine action used as what they claim is a disciplinary action. I've already shown how disfellowshipping is not scriptural. But it runs much deeper than that.

 Remember when you were approached by a witness for the first time? What were you told? Probably something along these lines:

"Jesus indicated that a similar day [to the Flood] is coming in our time. Those heeding the knowledge associated with this event will have the prospect of not only surviving but also living forever. In addition, the dead who are in Gods memory will be raised to life with the prospect of never having to die again. ... All evidence shows that this day is very near, which means that you may never die at all." Watchtower 2005 Apr 15 p.5      

Ah yes. Who wouldn't want to live forever in a paradise world? No wars, no sickness, no reason for sadness. To anyone living in today's world, that would sound inviting.

Then they hit you with the "Living in the Last Days" angle. They point to all of the bad stuff going on and claim that it is a sign that we are living in the last days. Time is short, so don't wait too long. They might even entice you into thinking that it is a great time to become a witness, because with the end "right around the corner" for this wicked system of things, you wouldn't have to wait for very long.

And for a long time, the generation that would not pass away was linked to 1914. Anyone alive during that time era was going to see all of these things take place as this wicked world would be wiped out, and replaced with a new paradise world.

All you had to do was begin studying with the jws, learn their teachings, attend their meetings, and eventually get baptized.

So you join in. You study and learn their teachings. You attend their meetings. And you get baptized. And then the real truth sets in. Things that they probably didn't warn you about beforehand. And why would they? After all, their duty as a jw is to convert you. And they succeeded.

So now you begin to receive weekly lectures on tasks you need to perform to remain in good standing. You need to attend every meeting. You need to attempt to comment at those meetings. You need to be regular in the preaching work. You need to do your personal studies that are assigned. You need to join the theocratic ministry school and give speeches that are assigned to you.

Well, you might reason, with commitment comes responsibility. But then......

They tell you who you can associate with, what you can read, what movies you can watch, what television programs are acceptable, what games you can play, what jobs you can apply for, what medical attention you can receive, appropriate dating, how married couples are allowed to have sex, what music you can listen to, what education is acceptable, and so on.

And you cannot question any of their teachings, even if those teachings change. You can be disfellowshipped for several things not listed in the bible. And all disputes must remain "in-house" so that the elders can handle the matter. So if somebody cheats you in a business matter, you are not allowed to sue them.

Basically every aspect of your life is now in their hands. And you are not allowed to question it. But what happens if you do? That is when isolationism is enforced. They cut you off from all members of the jw community, including your family. And there you must stay until you can prove to them that you have repented. All alone with no one to help you. Until finally you break down and are forced to come crawling back to them.

Is that what you thought you were joining when they first approached you? Did you ever imagine that you would volunteer to give your life away? Did you ever think that these nice people would eventually threaten you with isolationism in order to control you? 

I doubt any of those things entered your mind when you joined them. But there are ways to overcome isolationism. For starters, Jesus was against vows and oaths. (Matthew 5:33-37) So it is wrong for the jws to make you swear a public agreement to be in association with their organization. Also, when that organization began changing its doctrines, to which you might not be in agreement with now, you are entitled to break that vow. Compare it to wedding vows. You enter into an agreement with your mate forever, right? What happens if one person decides to change the wording of those vows afterwards which now allows them to become a polygamist and marry again? Should you be forced to go along for the ride since you made a vow in which the dynamics have changed? Vows are about actions in the future, and the future is something over which we have little or no control.

It is also important to remember that they hold no power over you. They cannot stop you from finding enjoyment out of life. Try reaching out to others and make some new friends. Try exploring several hobbies that could lead you to more opportunities. Keep yourself active, and eventually things will begin to happen for you.

Isolationism is only powerful if you allow it to happen. But it can easily be derailed once a person learns that the world is full of adventures, and that there are many people out there looking to share those adventures with someone. Happy hunting.

Sign of the Last Days

The Watchtower Society uses two points as proof, two lines of argument that they say can pinpoint when Jesus returned and God's Kingdom was established, which of course, would occur in the last days of this world. First, bible chronology is needed to determine when the Gentile Times would end. They believe that the appointed times of the nations began in 607 bce and ended in 1914 a.d.  During this period, the nations would be allowed to rule without interference from God. And second, the "signs" that have occured since 1914, and there would be an enormous increase of each sign. From there it was believed that a single generation of people would witness these "signs of the last days", and that single generation would not die out until all of these signs happened. This is the main core of the JWs belief system. Everything they teach revolves around these two points.

Examining those signs should be the first step in determining whether these claims are true. We can see what the bible says, and then examine history to test the accuracy of these claims.

Matthew 24:3--As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"

Now pay close attention to what Jesus says to them.

Matt 24:4,5--And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many.

I am the Christ....or Christ approves of my teachings. That would include the setting of a specific date on when Christ would return.

Verse 6 reads--You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.

Not yet the end? Interesting.

If you read on in chapter 4, there will be wars, famines, earthquakes, pestilences, persecutions (because of Christ's name), false prophets, and an increasing lawlessness. All signs of end times, right? 

Not exactly, as verse 8 says--But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.

Nowhere in those verses does Jesus ever say that any of these things he listed are "signs of the last days." In fact, it was more of a warning for his disciples to not be led astray when they see these things occur. Don't be misled, don't be frightened, this is not the end?  In fact, his answer to their question isn't until verses 27 onward. Note some of his comments.

Verse 27--"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Verses 29-31---But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Now that's a sign. Obviously, everyone would be able to see it, which eliminates the notion that Christ returned invisibly.

Verse 36--But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.

Isn't it contradictory to think that God would suddenly decide to hand a verifiable date over to a small group of people, and then tell them to preach that to the entire world?

End times religions would disagree with me. Especially the JWs, who point out that these signs of the last days have grown increasingly worse since 1914. Really? Let's test it out.

Famine

The Jws make this claim--"And in the wake of World War I came the greatest famine of all history." "Let Your Kingdom Come" p.122    

"The worst food shortages in human history followed on the heels of World War I.  "WT Oct. 15, 1975  page 634.

"In 1921, famine brought death to some 5 million people in the U.S.S.R. In 1929, famine caused an estimated 3 million deaths in China. In the 1930's, 5 million died of hunger in the U.S.S.R. Just a few years ago prolonged drought in countries bordering the Sahara Desert resulted in countless refugees and up to 100,000 deaths." Watchtower 1983 Apr 15 pp.5-6

By comparison, China alone had over 100 million die from famine during the 1800s. Now toss in the countries of India, England, Ireland, France, and many others, it is very clear that famine was much worse before the year 1914.

Pestilence

Their claim--"Right after World War I more people died of the Spanish flu than had died of any disease epidemic in the history of mankind. The death toll was some 21 million people!" p.151

By comparison, the Black Death plague killed at least 62 million people in 3 years. And there was no cure. The plague of Justinian in the 6th century, killed about 100 million lives. The smallpox epidemic in the 1520s may have killed over 30 million lives. And the 19th century Cholera took about 100 million lives in 5 great pandemics. Again, their claim is proven false.

Earthquakes

This one doesn't even need to be proven since they changed their view from this

"The frequency of major earthquakes has increased about 20 times what it was on an average during the two thousand years before 1914." Survival into a New Earth (1984) p.23

to this

"Some say that any reports of an increase in the number of earthquakes are simply due to advances in technology, which enable more seismic events to be detected. The U.S. National Earthquake Information Center reports that earthquakes of 7.0 magnitude and greater remained "fairly constant" throughout the 20th century. Note, though, that the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy does not require an increase in the number or power of earthquakes. All Jesus said was that there would be great earthquakes in one place after another. Furthermore, he stated that these events would mark the "beginning of pangs of distress." (Matthew 24:8) Distress is measured, not by the number of earthquakes or how they rate on the Richter scale, but by the effect that they have upon people." Awake! 2002 March 22 p.9     

It was proven beyond doubt that earthquakes had not increased since the year 1914, that the JWs were forced to change the meaning of the sign. But just to state the obvious,

"We continue to be asked by many people throughout the world if earthquakes are on the increase. Although it may seem that we are having more earthquakes, earthquakes of magnitude 7.0 or greater have remained fairly constant.

A partial explanation may lie in the fact that in the last twenty years, we have definitely had an increase in the number of earthquakes we have been able to locate each year. This is because of the tremendous increase in the number of seismograph stations in the world and the many improvements in global communications. In 1931, there were about 350 stations operating in the world; today, there are more than 8,000 stations and the data now comes in rapidly from these stations by electronic mail, internet and satellite. This increase in the number of stations and the more timely receipt of data has allowed us and other seismological centers to locate earthquakes more rapidly and to locate many small earthquakes which were undetected in earlier years. The NEIC now locates about 20,000 earthquakes each year or approximately 50 per day. Also, because of the improvements in communications and the increased interest in the environment and natural disasters, the public now learns about more earthquakes.

According to long-term records (since about 1900), we expect about 17 major earthquakes (7.0 - 7.9) and one great earthquake (8.0 or above) in any given year."

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learning/faq.php?categoryID=6&faqID=110 (27 Oct 2009)

Wars

Their claims.

"No generation previous to that of 1914 ever experienced a world war, never mind two." Watchtower 1983 Jul 15 p.7    

"Historians widely agree that World War I was the first war on a global scale." Awake! 1981 May 8 p.8    

"According to one study, World War I was reportedly seven times greater than all the 901 major wars of the previous 2,400 years"

By comparison, The War of Spanish Succession 1702-1713, The Seven Years' War 1756-1763, The War of American Independence 1775-1783, and The Napoleonic Wars 1792-1815 are all considered world wars by historians.

A comparison in death tolls shows that WWI had between 8 and 8.5 million soldiers killed, and including civilians, they estimate that between 10-12 million died as a direct result of that war. According to their last quote that I posted, this number is 7 times greater than all 901 major wars of the previous 2400 years. That would leave about 1.5 million as a collective death toll for all of those previous wars. Let's look at the numbers of some of those previous wars.

1. The Thirty Years War (1618-1648) 9-11 million

2. The Manchu-Chinese War (1644) 25 million

3. The Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815) 5-6 million

4. The Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) 20-30 million

5. The War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713) 1 million

6. The Seven Years' War (1756-1763) 1-2 million

7. The Lopez War (1864-1870) 2 million

Total estimated fatalities 63-87 million

WWI estimated fatalities 37.5 million.

Once again, the original claims by the JWs are false.

Lawlessness

Their claim,

"Space does not allow us to give further details of contempt for God's laws, but what has been presented clearly shows that since 1914 there is an increasing of lawlessness on a magnitude unlike any period in history!" Watchtower 1983 Jun 1 p.7

Any examination into history, and there is a wealth of material available, shows that lawlessness has not increased. It has always been there. Look at any time period and you will find it. Building walls around cities to keep the criminals out, or how about throwing Christians to the wild animals in front of an audience in an arena? Or take a look at the United States in the 1800s, and you might be shocked at what was going on then. And you will also realize what a ridiculous claim was made by the watchtower.

These "signs of the last days" were really not signs at all. Trying to claim that things are getting worse is an attempt at selling the end times slogan in order to gain converts, out of fear. How many times have you read the  "don't wait too long" articles? Historical facts show that none of the things mentioned are growing increasingly worse. And the one generation that was supposed to be eye-witnesses to all of these signs from 1914 onward has now been changed to "overlapping" generations. I'm wondering when they will decide to change the 1914 date as well. I think Jesus said it best when he stated the following,

Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him.

Michael the Archangel and Jesus

The JWs teach that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. He existed as Michael before he came to earth and became Jesus, and then returned to heaven once again as Michael. Don't believe me? Read it for yourselves.

"So the evidence indicates that the Son of God was known as Michael before he came to earth and is known also by that name since his return to heaven where he resides as the glorified spirit Son of God."—Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, p. 218

First, we should examine the scriptures that include Michael the Archangel.

Daniel 10:13--"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

There is already a problem here. If Michael is one of the chief princes, that indicates there are more of them. Jesus is supposed to be a unique, one of a kind being. (John 3:16) But here, if he is indeed Michael, is listed as one among a group of equals.

Daniel 10:21--"However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.

Not any indication here of how this connects to Jesus.

Daniel 12:1--"Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.

Here Michael is listed as a great prince during end times. Wouldn't he be mentioned as a King if he and Jesus were the same being?

Revelation 12:7--And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,

Michael and his angels? Does this prove that he must be Jesus? Not at all. A general will lead his soldiers under his command in to battle, but he is still following orders of a higher ranking officer. If a claim is made that the angels were his, couldn't we also make the identical claim that Michael is God? Archangel is a higher rank than angel, so it is fairly easy to surmise that even so, he is still an angel, and therefore falls under the same laws that govern those angels.

Jude 1:9--But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"

Jesus rebuked the devil. Yet Michael was not allowed to. In all of those verses, nothing indicates that Jesus and Michael are the same being. The strength of the argument from the JWs comes in the following verse.

1 Thessalonians 4:16--For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Since it is the lord himself descending out of heaven with the voice of an archangel, surely this must mean that Jesus and Michael are one and the same. Then again, doesn't having God's trumpet mean that Jesus is God? You can't claim part of the verse as truth and discard the rest of it. The argument needs to be consistent with the entire verse.

There are other verses to consider. Hebrews chapter one is all about Jesus being much better than the angels.

Verse 4 states--having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.

Verse 5 adds--For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"?

If Jesus is the son of God, yet no angel has ever been told that, wouldn't that leave Michael out as well?

Verse 6 says--And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."

Notice how it says all of the angels, which of course would include the archangels.

Hebrews 2:5--It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking.

But in Luke 1:32-33 it says the following--He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." 

Or Revelation 1:5--and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood,

I don't know about you, but I see some major differences there. But here is more verses to consider.

Col. 1:16-17--For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

All things created by him.....including the angels.

I could probably hunt down more scriptures to add and thoroughly dismantle this teaching from the JWs, but I think the information that I listed is solid enough. Once again, the JWs have taken something out of context and put their twisted stamp on it. And why not. They once taught that Michael the Archangel was the Pope. Apparently they claim to have a new and better understanding of another falsehood they have created.