Exactly,..used pejoratives such as 'biased', anti-JW, 'apostate', tear down other religions, change the topic, ignore...deny
Top 10 reasons why JWs don't have the truth - please contribute
by oldlightnewshite 172 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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debator
Hi Joey Jo Jo
Thank you for your question unfortunately this isn't a correct question.
Firstly the original manuscripts also say "a god" specifically the sahidic Coptic
http://nwtandcoptic.blogspot.com/
The Sahidic Coptic was translated in the 3rd century, about a hundred years before the Trinity became official church doctrine. The Sahidic Coptic calls the Word in John 1:1c "a god," not "god" or "the god."
And in the original Greek John 1:1c lacks the definite Article which means translation can be a god but not G-od which presumes a definite where there is none.
Trinity doctrine demands that John 1:1c translates John 1:1 G-od rather than "a god" so the incorrect "G-od" has been promulgated in a religion overun by trinitarian doctrine. But a few translations throughout the centuries have not bowed to this doctrinal pressure including ours.
The Word was a god.” (The New Testament in an Improved Version)
Interlineary Word for Word English Translation-Emphatic Diaglott, "In a beginning was the Word, and the Word was with the God, and a god was the Word."
**Edward Harwood, H KAINH DIAQHKH. London, 1776, 2 vols; 2nd ed. 1784, 2 vols. 1768,"and was himself a divine person"
Newcome, 1808, "and the word was a god"
La Bible du Centenaire, L’Evangile selon Jean, by Maurice Goguel,1928: “and the Word was a divine being.”
John Samuel Thompson, The Montessoran; or The Gospel History According to the Four Evangelists, Baltimore; published by the translator, 1829, "the Logos was a god"
Goodspeed's An American Translation, 1939, "the Word was divine"
Moffatt's The Bible, 1972, "the Logos was divine"
International English Bible-Extreme New Testament, 2001, "the Word was God*[ftn. or Deity, Divine, which is a better translation, because the Greek definite article is not present before this Greek word]Reijnier Rooleeuw, M.D. -The New Testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ, translated from the Greek, 1694, "and the Word was a god"
Hermann Heinfetter, A Literal Translation of the New Testament,1863, [A]s a god the Command was"
Abner Kneeland-The New Testament in Greek and English, 1822, "The Word was a God"
Robert Young, LL.D. (Concise Commentary on the Holy Bible [Grand Rapids: Baker, n.d.], 54). 1885,
"[A]nd a God (i.e. a Divine Being) was the Word"Belsham N.T. 1809 “the Word was a god”
Leicester Ambrose, The Final Theology, Volume 1, New York, New York; M.B. Sawyer and Company, 1879, "And the logos was a god"
Lant Carpenter, LL.D (in Unitarianism in the Gospels [London: C. Stower, 1809], 156). "a God"
George William Horner, The Coptic Version of the New Testament, 1911, [A]nd (a) God was the word"
James L. Tomanec, The New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Anointed, 1958, [T]he Word was a God"
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isaacaustin
Reniaa said (or pasted):
And in the original Greek John 1:1c lacks the definite Article which means translation can be a god but not G-od which presumes a definite where there is none
My reply: Not true- the presence in the first case of God can also refer to the second...explained more eloquently than I just said it by Julius Mantey.
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debator
Hi wobble
your Quote is saying God is inspired and sending his spirit to witnesses. Spirit has many uses not just to convey God's word under inspiration. your simply reaching with that quote. Here are some actual Quotes dealing with inspiration/ability to do prophecies, linfallibility.
1880s: “We have not the gift of prophecy.” [5]
1890s: Nor would we have our writings reverenced or regarded as infallible, or on a par with the holy Scriptures. The most we claim or have ever claimed for our teachings is that they are what we believe to be harmonious interpretations of the divine Word, in harmony with the spirit of the truth. And we still urge, as in the past, that each reader study the subjects we present in the light of the Scriptures, proving all things by the Scriptures, accepting what they see to be thus approved, and rejecting all else. It is to this end, to enable the student to trace the subject in the divinely inspired Record, that we so freely intersperse both quotations and citations of the Scriptures upon which to build. [6]
1900s: It is not our intention to enter upon the role of prophet to any degree, but merely to give below what seems to us rather likely to be the trend of events—giving also the reasons for our expectations.
[7]Someone may ask, Do you, then, claim infallibility and that every sentence appearing in "The Watch Tower" publications is stated with absolute correctness? Assuredly we make no such claim and have never made such a claim. What motive can our opponents have in so charging against us? Are they not seeking to set up a falsehood to give themselves excuse for making attacks and to endeavor to pervert the judgments of others?
[8]1910s: However, we should not denounce those who in a proper spirit express their dissent in respect to the date mentioned [1914] and what may there be expected . . . We must admit that there are possibilities of our having made a mistake in respect to the chronology, even though we do not see where any mistake has been made in calculating the seven times of the Gentiles as expiring about October 1, 1914. [9]
1920s: Many students have made the grievous mistake of thinking that God has inspired men to interpret prophecy. The holy prophets of the Old Testament were inspired by Jehovah to write as his power moved upon them. The writers of the New Testament were clothed with certain power and authority to write as the Lord directed them. However, since the days of the apostles no man on earth has been inspired to write prophecy, nor has any man been inspired to interpret prophecy.
1930s: We are not a prophet; we merely believe that we have come to the place where the Gentile times have ended [11]
1940s: This pouring out of God's spirit upon the flesh of all his faithful anointed witnesses does not mean those now serving as Jehovah's Witnesses are inspired. It does not mean that the writings in this magazine The Watchtower are inspired and infallible and without mistakes. It does not mean that the president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society is inspired and infallible, although enemies falsely charge us with believing so.... But we confess with the Scriptures that the day of such inspiration passed long before 1870, as the apostle Paul showed it would. . . . Inspired speaking and writing passed away with the last of the twelve apostles, by whom the gifts of the spirit were imparted to others. Yet God is still able to teach and lead us. While confessing no inspiration for today for anyone on earth, we do have the privilege of praying God for more of his holy spirit and for his guidance of us by the bestowal of his spirit through Jesus Christ.
1950s: The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances, nor is it dogmatic. It invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures.
1970s: In this regard, however, it must be observed that this “faithful and discreet slave” was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the “slave” class that came to form the Christian part of God ’s Word were inspired and infallible, but that is not true of other writings since. Things published were not perfect in the days of Charles Taze Russell, first president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; nor were they perfect in the days of J. F. Rutherford, the succeeding president. The increasing light on God’s Word as well as the facts of history have repeatedly required that adjustments of one kind or another be made down to the very present time. [16]
1980s: It is not claimed that the explanations in this publication are infallible. Like Joseph of old, we say: “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8) At the same time, however, we firmly believe that the explanations set forth herein harmonize with the Bible in its entirety, showing how remarkably divine prophecy has been fulfilled in the world events of our catastrophic times. [17]
1990s: Those who make up the one true Christian organization today do not have angelic revelations or divine inspiration. But they do have the inspired Holy Scriptures, which contain revelations of God ’s thinking and will. As an organization and individually, they must accept the Bible as divine truth, study it carefully, and let it work in them.
2000s: Although the slave class is defined as “faithful and discreet,” Jesus did not say that it would be infallible. This group of faithful anointed brothers still consists of imperfect Christians. Even with the best of intentions, they can be mistaken, as such men sometimes were in the first century.
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isaacaustin
Reniaa, the org denies that they are inspired, but then claim it in other words...and demand that they be followed and obeyed as though they are inspired.
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isaacaustin
Reniaa said: 1930s: We are not a prophet; we merely believe that we have come to the place where the Gentile times have ended [11]
My reply: Then 'new light' or a 'refinement' came 4/1/72 claiming that the JWs were God's modern-day prophet to deliver his message of the hour.
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isaacaustin
Wt quote:
1950s: The Watchtower does not claim to be inspired in its utterances, nor is it dogmatic. It invites careful and critical examination of its contents in the light of the Scriptures.
My reply: This is belied by the WT later printing that we should accept what Jehovah provides at his bounteous table not with reluctance, and there is no need for deep research, as the org has brothers assigned to do that.
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designs
Why do JWs and Fundamentalists have the same problem, they are more alike than they care to admit.
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isaacaustin
They both have to be right? LOL
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jookbeard
Debator/Ren ;
you can reel off cut/pasted shite all day long about how they claimed they were not inspired but it makes no difference, the simple fact is that WT of 1972 states that they are inspired and are a prophet(albeit false) The WTS have the worst possible record of any contemporary man made religious cult of making false prophesy, it's as if they have a monopoly on it, and seeing as there are constant references to "false prophets" in the Bible the WTS are directly fulfilling it. If the WTS is not a false prophet why are dissenting members completely cut off and DF'ed for making vocal the false prophecies of the WTS like I was and tens of thousands of others? and why was there a complete witch hunt in the Headquarters during 1980 which is so well documented by Ray Franz in CoC, of those examining the scriptures to determining that the WTS are promoting false dogma? only a false prophet would do this, you welcome back men who rape their own baby sons with more warmth then folks like myself have have disagreed with WTS teaching in fact you welcome back and even conspire to help pedophiles and child abusers to this very day, yet let those who have aided and help many be cut off from love ones, surely the sign of a true "false prophet"
So who then are the false prophets that the Bible speaks of ? Koresh and his Branch Davidians? Jim Jones? The Moonies? if they are The WTS has to be included in the list as they fit the criteria even more. Check your WT CD ROM or old Bound Volumes to see if there has been any editing.