Jason BeDuhn regarding Revelation 7 and the Great Crowd

by Sauerkraut 36 Replies latest watchtower bible

  • Wonderment
    Wonderment

    Thanks 4 sharing the letter with us!

    Although BeDuhn have said many good things about the NWT, he has, at times, stated his objections to the NWT. In fact, when Dr. BeDun sent a letter praising the virtues fo the NWT and the KIT, he also mentioned some specific NWT renderings that could be improved. When the Society quoted BeDuhn, they skipped those unfavorable comments, but BeDuhn holds no grudge, and even mentioned that it is standard practice when quoting to cite the positive things said about a product, while skipping any mentioned negative statements. It appears that BeDuhn is kind and level-headed.

    Christ Alone provided a link of scholars being misquoted by the WTS. Although some of the counter arguments provided by the website are true and informative, and should not be ignored, I find that it is lacking in subjectiveness, and does not always provide a true picture of the whole matter. Caution, then, is advised anyone longing to find a balanced view of critical issues in a tendentious site, just as we should do when judging WTS' beliefs. Thanks Christ Alone for the link! I agree the WTS does not always cite authorities truthfully.

  • Healthworker
    Healthworker

    Hi, Kraut!

    Great job, thanks for sharing!

    Love H

  • designs
    designs

    So if you are a Christian do you believe you will spend eternity in heaven or will you return to the earth.

  • yadda yadda 2
    yadda yadda 2

    BeDuhn does speak very favourably of the NWT overall, but he does reject the JW's stated reasons for using Jehovah in their New Testament (all the while suggesting it isn't such a big deal). He also points out a number of other clearly biased renderings in the NWT NT.

    What I like about him is that he seems to purposefully try to stay as objective and unbiased as possible in pointing out the strengths and weaknesses of various translations, which I find refreshing. You can't say this about many scholars who have examined the NWT. Rolf Furuli, for example, is hopelessly biased in favour of portraying the NWT favourably, while Bruce Metzger seems quite hostile.

  • Sulla
    Sulla

    Well, the idea that the NWT incorrectly (according to BeDuhn) puts "Jehovah" into the NT because they wish to advance their Arian theology (according to everybody) would seem to pretty well disqualify the whole project. I can't see how anyone can take the NWT seriously, given this naked absurdity.

  • Sauerkraut
    Sauerkraut
    Designs: So if you are a Christian do you believe you will spend eternity in heaven or will you return to the earth.

    Good question. It does seem to me that Christians go to heaven. Jesus said he would prepare a place for his followers. But there are many things we just don't know for sure right now, and perhaps won't know for a long time. There are lots of conflicting views. We don't even know what "heaven(s)" means, how to picture them. What I do know is: the WT teaching about the Great Crowd is false. I see things a bit more relaxed right now, I don't try to forcefully get answers to every question, I'm keeping an open mind and am just glad that I started questioning many WT beliefs. We can easily get lost in all kinds of doctrinal debates and forget about what's important- to live a good life, try to make the best of it, try to be there for others and make our surroundings a little better, as far as we personally can. At least that's how I see it.

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    Amen!

  • Weana
    Weana

    How does BeDuhn explain Acts 10,33 ???

    Cornelius said to Peter: "And so at this time we are all present before [enwpion] God to hear..."

  • Londo111
    Londo111

    As Kraut did, ask him! He's assessable through email.

  • Emery
    Emery

    I've seen several emails from BeDuhn where he is quite critical regarding the NWT's bias in many verses. I bought BeDuhn's book awhile back and it's an excellent read. He doesn't address all the biases found in the NWT but he does an overall great job explaining the history of bias found in NT translations.

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