The New World Abomination Translation Kills Acts 17:11, Bereans Are Not Checking Paul's Message For Errors Or Signs Of Fraud!

by AuntConnie 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  AuntConnie

  I thought the Watchtower would weaken Acts 17 and Revelation 2, eliminate people who question serious doctrines like the Bible-based Governing Body, Five-Hundred-Year Generation, Blind Obedience without checking the Bible and the systematic elimination of our critical thinking skills like Cults usually do.

  Matthew Henry wrote almost Four Hundred Years ago the following commentary on Acts 17:11 describing the zealous nature of the people of Berea, are JWs really like them? If so how?

  " The Jews in Berea applied seriously to the study of the word preached unto them. They not only heard Paul preach on the sabbath, but daily searched the Scriptures, and compared what they read with the facts related to them. The doctrine of Christ does not fear inquiry; advocates for his cause desire no more than that people will fully and fairly examine whether things are so or not. Those are truly noble, and likely to be more and more so, who make the Scriptures their rule, and consult them accordingly. May all the hearers of the gospel become like those of Berea, receiving the word with readiness of mind, and searching the Scriptures daily, whether the things preached to them are so.

  Matthew Henry's words back in 1600s, compare this to the Watchtower and her fearful and lazy members willing to examine their Bibles and see if what they are taught is really what God's Word teaches them. Disgusting how fearful man-created religions easily siphon humanity's spiritual freedom as easily as the Watchtower Organization's did. Basedon fear, their little god who is not found in either the Old Testament or New Testament is busy helping stupid people live of Satan's System while he cower's under the scrutiny of real Christians, not some fake name created by a drunk! Praise Jesus Christ!

  http://www.biblestudytools.com/acts/17-11-compare.html

  "11 But the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and gladly listened to the message. They searched the Scriptures day by day to check up on Paul and Silas’ statements to see if they were really so." NLT

  "And the people of Berea were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul's message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really teaching the truth." NLT

  "The Beroean Jews were more honorable than those in Thessalonica. This was evident in the great eagerness with which they accepted the word and examined the scriptures each day to see whether Paul and Silas' teaching was true." CEB
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  DATA-DOG

  The problem with JWs is that we have been raised thinking we have all the answers. In reality, we never knew the questions! So what good news did the Bereans accept after doing their research? The context is key!

  Sadly, JWs live in a perpetual state of expectation and fear of the future, so much so that they have given up their spiritual freedom to their human leaders. One of the side-effects is that reading an entire passage of the Bible in contex, with an open mind, has been bred out of the R&F. The occasional offspring with the ability to question and reason is quickly cut off by the ruling class to protect the hierarchy.

  The Govering Body routinely violate the very standard for truth they teach the R&F.

  From the God's Word is Truth DC:

  TRUTH: Truth = God's Word

  Truth = correct understanding of God's Word

  Truth = Christ's teachings

  Truth cannot contradict other "truth."

  Truth does not change. ( for example, the Earth is a sphere. It always has been, even before the technology existed to scientifically prove it."

  Truth is verifiable fact.

  Truth must be free of human assumption.

  DD
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  leaving_quietly

  The other translations took liberties that are not in the original Greek text. For example, the phrases "to check up on Paul and Silas" or "to see whether Paul and Silas' teaching" don't appear in the original text. The NLT and CEB and other translations add these phrases for clarity. The NWT does not in this case, but it doesn't change the meaning. I would say, however, that they did change the word "received" to "accepted". That's kinda sneaky since a quick lookup with an interlinear would show "received" as the primary meaning of the Greek word " ἐδέξαντο " (Strong's 1209), though "accepted" is a secondary meaning. The vast majority of translations use "received". Not quite sure why the new NWT changes it except to just introduce a subtle idea that the Beroeans accepted what Paul and Silas said instead of simply received it. Seem like an odd change, though.

  http://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/17-11.htm

  Data-Dog: Comments are spot on!
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  prologos

  hear the sermon in one day, but take the whole week to check it out.

  a ratio of 1:7 checking 7 times more important then listening.
  J kepler, whose 3 laws/equations of small body planetary motions are still used today was disfellowshipped for checking the veracity of the serman in his 15 st century congregation, and commenting on it.

  received does not mean accepted untilit passes the 1:7 test.
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  problemaddict

  Am I missing something? Acts 17:11 seems to read the exact way it did before. Other than the received point brought out by LQ, the translation seems to be in harmony with the text, if maybe a bit cumbersome.