by Doug Mason 68 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
JW Theology (as it were) can be summed up very simply.
1. The governing body (FDS) is always right.
2. The need to place magazines and books in the fieldwork is greater that ever before.
3. If the GB says something that turns out to be inaccurate or does not come to pass; SEE RULE #1
Any deviation from the above rules will be grounds for expulsion, aka disfellowshipped (formerly disfellowshiped in older literature)
4 Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God, is one Jehovah. [a]
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
Ezekiel 18:4
For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son—both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
4 His (A) spirit departs, he (B) returns to the earth;
In that very day his (C) thoughts perish.
Daniel 12:2
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. John 6:47
I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.
JW theology...like the theology of many other organized religions...consists of:
and lots of other nonsense. Hope that helps.
"JWs keep rabbiting on ad nauseum about the Trinity teaching being
'irrational', 'impossible to understand', etc.
The JWs leaders' theology about God basically uses a selective self-contra-
dictory ironic use of "rationalism" when comparing the sinless archangel Michael
who was called "Lord" too much and not "Michael" at all version of Jesus they
use with the mainsteam view of God as the Father, Son, and Spirit in which Jesus
is the Son.
I'll use "rationalism" to mean that one only accepts the see-able, touchable,
measureable things and nothing else. (Actually, since belief in God is a faith
or hope for something beyond that, rationalism would be agnosticism or atheism,
but they skip over that. Faith can be an important, meaningful thing to a
person, but it's not rationalism.)
http://gtw6437.tripod.com/id21.html
The JWs leaders' view uses the belief that God can create something from
nothing but His own power (Michael), which, by rationalism, skipping over the
idea that God exists, is self-contradictiory and impossible since by rationalism
beings can only create things from other things.
The mainstream view uses the belief that God can know everyone's thoughts and
hearts as a preliminary for the mental complexity needed for the mainstream
Father, Son, Spirit idea. It would boggle a normal single human's mind to try
to imagine either one. They're both beyond rationalism, although you might try
an analogy with a multi-track recording machine or a computer among the see-
able, touchable things.
Believers in both ideas about Jesus know that the Bible teaches THAT God can
create something from nothing AND that He can know everyone's thoughts and
hearts, and NEITHER group of believers can thoroughly understand HOW God does
either one.
Typically, the JWs leaders complain that they can't thoroughly understand the
mental complexity of God needed for the mainstream Father, Son, Spirit idea but
leave out that they can't thoroughly understand the mental complexity needed for
God to know everyone's thoughts and hearts or how He can create something from
nothing. It's not a deciding factor but they make it out to be one.
"I want to know exactly what they are defending." "I want to see an explana-
tion of 'God' that is rational and can be understood."
That's the comparison regarding rationalism I know. I know I'm believing when
I'm believing. (Also, I don't think a person should be too 'centric to be able
to be friends with believers or non-believers beyond their group or they're a
pain in the ass whichever group they pick.) And one thing I've seen and under-
stood is that the JWs leaders try to pull a fast one with a misuse of
"rationalism" just like they misuse research material whenever they try to
justify their 'centric "only leaders of the literal 144,000" exclusiveness.
The JWs leaders use of rationalism is irrational.
Reniaa,
I see that you did not understand my question.
JWs are forever on the offensive about the Trinity doctrine. They complain that it is not "rational", that it "cannot be understood".
So I am asking for the JW explanation of "God". I want to see their rational, undertandable explanation of YHWH and Jesus Christ. I want to know their rational definition of holy spirit. "Theology" means "the study of God". I am not seeking a Systematic Theology, which is different.
However, I will respond to your reference to John 17:3, which speaks of the experiential relationship between a believer and the owner of Eternal Life. As you are showing, it is clear that when we know the only true God, we already have eternal life (compare also 1 John 5:10-12).
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
I am pleased you know this verse, and that you are now enjoying this knowledge about your state with God, Eternal Life, which you confirm with your use of John 6:47.
Doug
John 17:3 (New International Version)
3 Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
This is one of the scriptures that the NWT writers butchered up.
This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.
It changes the meaning, and there is no credible scholar who would support this verse being rendered in this manner.
John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks
I see and hear this from many JW's in regards to what to believe, but I have yet to get an explanation as to exactly what beliefs this "spirit and truth" encompasses. To a JW it simply means whatever the dudes in Brooklyn say is the truth and nothing more.
Donny
The belief in the bible and of god can be commercially exploited by a publishing company..... spiritually directed by god of course
Doug- in short Joho is the big boss, Jesus is/was his first creation/child and the holy sipirit is Joho's active forse.
I find the JW's silence on this so far quite intriguing. Were I attacking the Trinity, I am sure they would be on board. But I am asking them for their own explanation of their understanding of "God".
Who or what did YHWH create (out of nothing and before time and space)? He certainly did not create "Jesus" since that was the human name of a human born of Mary. The term "Christ" is not a name but a title, only used later by Paul as a name.
So what do JWs teach that YHWH created? Was it a spirit? In what respects is this being created by YHWH different from himself?
Then, following his human birth, did that spirit being cease to exist or was the JW's Jesus both a spirit as well as a human?
And following the resurrection from his death, did that Jesus lose his humanity? Or did he continue to have his previous spirit existence as well as his later human nature and then add to that his subsequent resurrected nature? How many natures does this person now have, according to WTS theology?
Regarding the JW holy spirit, is this an inanimate energy or does it teach? Does it simply empower, or does it guide?
I want to know exactly what JWs believe and defend when they go forth and attack the beliefs held by others. I think that's fair.
Doug
