by Doug Mason 68 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
psac said:
RE: Issac's post.
I am sure that Wisdom being a "female" is just another one of those times that "human traits" are applied to a "thing", just like the HS ;)
My reply: Ok, either way...Prov 8 can not then be referring to Jesus- not a thing, and a male.
Reniaa,
What is the relevance of "firstborn of creation" in this discussion? Unless you have no idea what the single word "firstborn" means (as a clue, read the passage you cited, and you will see that verse 16 starts with the word "for"). I have even seen a piece in a Watchtower magazine that correctly understood this passage.
What is the relevance of Proverbs 8? What is the context? How does this address my questions?
Yes, Rev 3:14 tells me that Jesus is the very image of God, sure it tells me that he is the source of creation, but it does not directly relate to my questions.
Let me repeat myself: Did the created spirit being cease to exist when he became Jesus Christ? Did the human Jesus Christ cease to exist at his resurrection? Or did Jesus Christ have both a spirit nature and a human nature simultaneously? Exactly what do the JWs believe? Or don't they know, so attack is the best defence.
Maybe I should add another question: what is it that makes YHWH to be divine? What are the inate attributes that deity self-possess?
Doug
This is a question for individual, personal research using WT publications. You can do it yourself, Doug. This is how you make the Truth of the Bible your own.
This is a question for individual, personal research using WT publications. You can do it yourself, Doug. This is how you make the Truth of the Bible your own.
Until that post I never thought of the delightful ambiguity in the last expression.
One who is an instructor of the Ministerial Training School, the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead, or such programs, and well as those on the Teaching Committee would surely be among the best at teaching "what is the JW theology", but which is actually really available to all via individual, personal research in the WT publications (which qualified instructors have written based on their own array of study and experience in handling the Word of the Truth. Most, if not all of the WT publications use what could be termed "theological" expressions/ understanding, including the Require brochure, the Teach book, the Reasoning book, and the Insight volumes. It is good to become well-grounded in the variety of expressions that are used. For one thing, the exact questions Doug Mason has asked here in Post 634 are probably not identical to any question actually found on the WT CD-ROM. Thus one may need to start with a verse that IS understood as relating to part of the question, and then note and research the cross-reference citations, and reason of the matters from there. Sometimes, the best way to get the answer, rather than trusting our own reasoning abilities, is by writing someone who we trust would surely know. Perhaps that is why Doug Mason has asked here on this Forum. Unless a person (Doug Mason in this case) has a rapport with someone here in a teaching position in the congregation (i.e. elder, MS, pioneer, family head) who has experience with reasoning on your exact questions or ones like it, the teacher will probably NOT have the skills to answer the question to your satisfaction better than you can yourself [unless the required publication is NOT available for your study], since you know WHY your are asking these exact questions. Personally, I trust myself in researching various genealogical issues and comparative linguistics issues, but not doctrinal Bible issues, since I have yet to receive real personal training of that sort, which is required because sound scriptural understanding is NOT obtained by simply private guesswork and deduction. In order for it to qualify properly under the heading "the JW theology", the questions should be those which are required curriculum for unbaptised publishers in general to know, since one becomes a JW by being approved for theocratic public service and then for ordination as a baptised minister of the Good News of the Kingdom. In that case, the Organized book (given to all publishers, or would-be publishers [i.e. regular meeting attenders]) should have such a question, and its authorised answer. It may be, that we'll have to wait until the particular question is considered in a future "Questions From Readers" article.
spike said:
This is a question for individual, personal research using WT publications. You can do it yourself, Doug. This is how you make the Truth of the Bible your own.
My reply:
So you say WT pub = the truth of the Bible. If true then there should never have needed to be any changes, since Biblical truth does not change.
Spike, regarding your last long winded post which said a whole lot of nothing other than ask a rep of the WT because only they are qualified....I must ask why such hoops are needed to go thru to get simple truth? In Acts, for instance, once Philip revealed who Jesus was to the Ethiopian eunich, the eunich was baptized and Philip was snatch away by the Holy Spirit, never to see the man again. What is you basis of your silly claim to need some sort of WT curiculum?
As said JW theology is not that complicated. They never got off into things like the Nestorian controversy.
To them the Son of God came to earth and in that process became 100% human and when he died he was 100% dead and came to life as a divine being .
JW theology: Jehovah says love me or you will be dead forever at some point.
Baptist theology: God says love me or I will torture you for all eternity. (swell guy)
but designs, Is not JW theology: Jehovahs says love me by following this particular org, as these men interpret my will, or die?
but, I do get your point designs...you are paralleling the concept- do this or die/be tortured.
I agree JW theology at face value is pretty dumbed-down. When analysed it breaks down, and certain aspects contain ridiculous fables that no logic can explain.
