The Cat out of the Bag: the story of the release of the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION (page 2)

Vidiot

never a jw - "Most of the people in here would still believe in the Bible as inerrant and infallible if it hadn't been for the WT who raised their awareness about it. I think we owe a great deal of atheism to the WT. In terms of theology, there's nowhere to go after discovering theTTATT, except for religious apathy and skepticism about the Bible."

Law of unintended Public Service consequences?

Seriously, though; they certainly did an effective job at inoculating us against any other forms of religious expression.

rocketman

I would not think of the NWT as causing such a religious ruckus.

I still have my doubts.

Wasn't it, like most things jw, simply ignored for the most part by the mainstream churches?

Maybe there was more to it than I was aware of at the time. Then again, I was a youngin' back in the 1960s and 70s, and was unaware of any defensive reaction to the NWT.

Terry

The United States as a cauldron of Christianity was not a fact of history until the last hundred and fify years.

Millions and billions of dollars generated by fundamentalists, created a FORCE in the world to reckon with.

How so?

Those fundie groups elect politicians such as Reagan (whom they have deified) and Bush. These people believe

in things such as THE END OF THE WORLD being a good (i.e. for true Christians) outcome if they are on the right side of it.

These folks have produced the TEA PARTY and Glen Beck, Sarah Palin and media outlet propaganda.

Am I a Democratic Socialist out to tar and feather these people? HELL NO!

Neither political part is free of delusional beliefs.

The DEMS believe government can create FAIRNESS using spending on entitlement programs. This is delusional, but kind-hearted and lovely.

The REPUBS believe in God, Guns and World dominance (not domination) through military strength.

I'm not saying either of them is all wrong or all right---I'm just laying a foundation for my TOPIC premise.

The Christian Churches who wielded the big influence in the 50's and 60's COUNTED ON THE BIBLE BEING what they said it was.

Then, the upstart radical Jehovah's Witnesses made an end-run around the American Standard and King James Bibles.

THE JW'S were rewriting the rules!

This created a panic.

Why?

RANK AND FILE CHURCH GOERS are NOT Bible readers--they simply ASSUME the Bible is sacrosanct and perfect, inerrant and authoratative in the hands of THEIR OWN PASTOR.

Knock-knock-knock

Who's there?

New World Translation--did you know YOUR Church and YOUR Bible are flawed? Wake up and smell the real "Truth."

Hello?

Look at the history of the proliferation of Bible translations in MODERN ENGLISH following the release (and door-to-door distribution) of the green NWT)

The WTS wanted THEIR OWN Bible inside every home--even if they didn't make any $ off of it.

It was this infiltration behind the backs of leading Clergymen which WOKE THEM UP and got them in gear.

Today--it is clear why the silver sword had been released: THE REAL SCHOLARS got up off their academic asses and fought back by POINTING OUT THE ERRORS of the little green Bible.

The WTS has had to take it on the chin and clean up their act.

The new NWT costs more than a dollar doesn't it?

The release of the silver NWT is strictly for $$$--NOT from door to door sales--but from 7 MILLION GUARANTEED SALES inside Kingdom Halls by a captive customer base.

Two birds with one stone.

Terry

BY THOM S. RAINER , CHRISTIAN POST CONTRIBUTOR March 20, 2013 | 8:50 am

The Christian Booksellers Association has published its list of bestselling Bible translations in 2012 for the United States.

2012 – Based on Dollar Sales

1. New International Version
2. King James Version
3. New Living Translation
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Holman Christian Standard Bible
7. New American Standard Bible
8. Common English Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. The Message

2012 – Based on Unit Sales

1. New Living Translation
2. New International Version
3. King James Version
4. New King James Version
5. English Standard Version
6. Common English Bible
7. Holman Christian Standard Bible
8. New American Standard Bible
9. Reina Valera 1960
10. New International Readers Version

Good News for Modern Man: The New Testament in Today's English Version , was released in 1966 as a 599 page paperback with a publication date of January 1, 1966.

It received a mass marketing effort with copies even being made available through grocery store chains.

The Living Bible , released in 1971

New International Version (1978).

Make Lemonade

Great Post

This information ties into what is said in the book "Armageddon Now" by Dwight Wilson. Western policy towards the middle east has and is greatly influenced by religion. The Jews are fullfilling prophecy, so policy should be made according to what God has foretold.

What occurs to me as somewhat humorous is this. Many christians view the literal jews as the people upon whom prophecy is and will be fullfilled. The governing body views themselves as the fullfillment of these prophecies. The Governing Body are the jews upon who bible prophecies find fullfillment. In the big picture this isolates the Governing Body even more from christians. The part that is humorous is the details of interpretations by which the Governing Body has come to this conclution. As in the imprisonment of Rutherford and 7 others from 1918 to 1919. The 7 conventions etc..

Terry

Yes indeed, 42,000 Christian Denominations now officially have the TRUTH, which amounts to their own opinion.

Each Denomination has its own Bible Translation, its own orthodoxy, its own world view, and apostasy.

Few of these have taken the trouble to DISPROVE themselves with the obvious regularity of Jehovah's Witnesses.

JW's are the only Christian denomination which has historically gone out of the way to bring reproach specifically on the DIVINE NAME.

Think about that for a long moment~

Make Lemonade

"JW's are the only Christian denomination which has historically gone out of the way to bring reproach specifically on the DIVINE NAME"

How about this quote to go along with your point above?

"Know Jehovah" book chap. 3 p. 59.

"As regards our twentieth century, the prophet Ezekiel well pictures the anointed remnant of Jehovah's Christian witnesses since the year 1919 C.E., the critical year in which there was a revival of their public activities as foretold in Revelation 11:3-12. It is true that in 1919 this spiritual remnant did not appreciate Jehovah's organization as they do today. It is also true that they did not then discern that Jehovah's organization was prophetically pictured by the symbolic chariot in Ezekiel's vision, not till the year 1929. Nevertheless, Jehovah's heavenly organization was, of course, in existence in the year 1919 and it got in spiritual touch with the anointed remnant in that year to revive them as Jehovah's public witnesses to all the world. That chariotlike organization was on the move in 1919; it is on the move today, and apparently its wheels of progress are turning faster than ever. Jehovah rides again!"

Quendi

A most interesting thread. Thanks for sharing, Terry.

Quendi

EdenOne

Terry, do you really think that the NWT deserves as much credit as starting a 'revolution', as mainstream christian churches felt threatened by the non-orthodox interpretations lend by the text of the Jehovah's Witnesses' NWT and started to sponsor more serious scholarship on the Bible? I find it a bit of a stretch, such conclusion.

To wit:

1862 - Young's Literal Translation

1885 - Revised Version (Based on King James Bible)

1890 - Darby Bible

1901 - American Standard Version

1926 - Moffatt Translation

1935 - An American Translation

1936 - Westminster Bible

1949 - Bible in English

It seems to me that, much more than the NWT, it was the discovery, study and publishing of the Dead Sea Scrolls that prompted the new scholarly approach to translations.

Eden

designs

The DDS were an important find. Having seen a few fragments up close they have the power to both affirm and challenge one's beliefs. Exposing 1 John 5:7 was a big pillar to fall. To a Jew having a Bible (KJV, NWT, AS etc.) use Jehovah simply shows ignorance, its like having a nonsensical word thrown in.

The Cat out of the Bag: the story of the release of the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION

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