by bluesapphire 12 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
I am sick and tired of this argument with witnesses. Every time I try to talk to anyone about anything JW related, this is the response, "But no one else is preaching the good news door to door..."
The JW version of the good news is nothing but Amway or Electrolux or Kirby!
What would be a good response to this statement? I'm not looking for an in your face type of response but rather a type of response to get a good cognitive conversation going.
If a JW claims that "house to house ministry" is a proof of their having the truth, the burden of proof should be on them to prove from the Bible that all first century Christians were asked to be house-to-house preachers. They won't be able to find any direct evidence.
The only time "house to house" is mentioned in the Bible is at Acts 20:20, and Paul was talking about his ministry among elders and not a general public ministry.
The WTS actually is a bit deceptive in their renderings.
Please notice the two verses below from the NWT:
| Acts 2:46 And day after day they were in constant attendance at the temple with one accord, and they took their meals in private homes and partook of food with great rejoicing and sincerity of heart, </form> |
and Acts 20:20
| while I did not hold back from telling YOU any of the things that were profitable nor from teaching YOU publicly and from house to house. </form> |
The NWT renders the same Greek as "in private homes" in 2:46 because they don't want members to see that house to house is speaking of churches in one's home. Paul in his writings speaks many times of churches in members homes. If they were to render Acts 2:46 as house to house, the context make sit obvious that these first century Christians were not going to each and every home breaking break. Thus they render it as in private homes so one doesn't see its meaning...while leaving 20:20 as house to house...and claiming it means knocking at doors of each house in a row of houses.
The JW concept of preaching the "good news" is quite a paradox.
What they do is combine two differant messages and ideas togeather in oder to maintain a false view of what exaclty they are doing.
1. Good News of Gods Kingdom - This is their message that the earth is to be turned into paradise soon. This is what they will link with the "good news" of Matthew 24:14
but wait, they have another work they are doing as well!
2. The "Warning Work" - JWs teach that they are simultaneously preaching the good news while participating in a "warning work" about how the present system is soon to be destroyed.
JWs are taught that these two things are mutually exclusive, but in reality they are not. If you ever point out to a JW other religous groups that have converted just as many people to their theology in around the same amount of time (mormons, seventh day adventists, ect.) they will still give you the line about them not doing the "door to door". But this is not a case where these other groups have failed in teaching and converting (e.g. preaching the "good news") but rather that they have failed by not participating in the "warning work". Thus they now can claim that they are the only ones doing it. (not to mention that because they only have the right interpretation of the message only their "good news" could be the right one)
Like many other exclusive groups they have found ways to define what they do in such a presice manner that nobody else on earth could ever be shown as doing the same. Practially speaking they are actually giving two messages, but they would never admit it.
Contrary to what the Witlesses want you to believe, they are not the only ones that go door to door. Their rival cult the Mormons also go door to door. Of course, the Witlesses will try to argue that they are the only ones that all go door to door their whole lives (which means that, instead of wasting two years, they waste their whole lives in this ridiculous exercise).
And the Witlesses will not listen to counter-arguments that the growth is slowing or reversing. They will point to their inflated numbers generated by fake reports, and say how the numbers are growing through the door to door work. They will also not listen to people arguing that most of the growth in this country is from children that are forced to get baptized and have no choice in the matter. All they listen to is themselves. They will screen anything out that will bust their illusion of being the only ones that obediently go door to door. And no, the Bible never proclaims that Jesus, their exemplar, ever went door to door. They need to prove that Jesus told his disciples to go door to door, using a standard Bible translation such as the King James version.
Well I asked my mom if she thought all non-jw's would die in Armageddon, to which she replied."no, only Jah can read the hearts"..So I said ..Doesn't that kind of render the preching work obsolete? I mean what would be the purpose if not to save lives! She answered something about demonstrating your faith by doing the preaching work. So doing the preaching work is how you show your faith??? Seems like there are so many better ways to demonstrate that to invade people's space and talk about a topic so personal.
"But no one else is preaching the good news door to door..."
Bluesaphire,
Which proves that the JW's have no idea of what the scriptures teach. Paul did not go door to door like the JW's do. He went house to house throughout the district of Asia he was serving. Heb 10:4 And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. And went into a house only if he was invited to eat and rest. And even in such cases they were not to shop around for a nicer one. What they should be doing is. Lu 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. This is what Jesus taught us to do so do JW's do that? Are they doing this: Ac 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Do they preach at a Jewish temple or another Church as the disciples did? Do they go to someones house when invited to eat and rest? No! Then how about this one verse they love so much which says: Ac 20:20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, 21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. Was Paul going from one door to another or was he after preaching publicly (not door to door) going from the house of one believer to the house of another throughout all the territory in Asia he was describing in this ministry? Yes, that is what the scriptures teach. And was Paul even concerned about the kingdom or was he more concerned about their faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ? JW's are wrong when they go from door to door just because some publisher that does not know the scriptures told them to do that. Why not stop and bring this out to them?
Joseph
Many Bible versions have wrongly translated the Greek words kat'oikon as meaning house to house but many have also got the translation correctly as: "in private", the same meaning those words have in modern Greek.
Also given the Roman persecution that would start soon after, no Christian would dare go preaching door to door. What's more not all but only some church members had the function of preaching, one of several that existed in the church.
I have embedded an article you may enjoy.
Jesus actually said not to go door to door.
Luke 10:1-7 "After these things the Lord designated seventy others and sent them forth by twos in advance of him into every city and place to which he himself was going to come. … Wherever YOU enter into a house say first, 'May this house have peace.' And if a friend of peace is there, YOUR peace will rest upon him. But if there is not, it will turn back to YOU. So stay in that house, eating and drinking the things they provide, for the worker is worthy of his wages. Do not be transferring from house to house.
The use of Act 20 by JWs is a NWT mistranslation, as it should be "in their houses" not from "house to house" and was referring to believers.
Wasted petrol,greenhouse gas,global warming. Use modern technology you can preach to dictator countries like other religion do.Why has China got over 100 million bibles it's not not by going from hut to hut,tent to tent,it's by using t.v.,radio,internet,satellite radio.and maybe a donkey.
Bob
