why Jehovah's witnesses? not yaweh witnesses?

by purrpurr 31 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Apognophos

  Serious answer: I think what happened was simply that, when the Society began in the 1800s, and occasionally used God's name in their publications, the name was traditionally rendered as "Jehovah". No one in the Society was probably scholarly enough to take things back to the original language to try to find the best pronunciation, and more importantly I doubt they felt a need to do so, since the religion was not named for God.

  "Yahweh" began picking up in usage in the 20th century, and perhaps by the time Rutherford chose the religion's new name, it was fairly common in scholarly literature. However, Rutherford probably was reading older religious literature that used "Jehovah", and furthermore would only have had disdain for scholars who commented objectively on "Yahweh" as if he was just some ancient Semitic god. So he would have stuck with the rendering that the religious publishers had always used.
• 

  designs

  Abraham Lincoln used Jehovah.
• 

  BackseatDevil

  Please understand that this concept answers about 90% of questions regarding Jehovah's Witnesses:

  With all sectarian religions with Protestant heritage it is more important to be DIFFERENT than it is to be CORRECT. Their view of success is how many steps away from Catholicism they are and NOT in accuracy of biblical interpretation.

  The word “Jehovah” is a very literal (letter-for-letter) translation of a Latinized version of one possibility of the tetragrammaton and has been called many things, including “grammatically impossible.” What it has not been called is accurate.

  The word “Jehovah” was found in the Protestant bible well before the JWs but was not widely used. So, finding a niche in which to be different, stand out, and evangelize something no one has really heard before, this pre-existing unknown (considered an accurate “translation” AT THE TIME) became re-branded into something new and DIFFERENT for the modern age...

  … although not quite CORRECT.

  THAT is why they are Jehovah's Witnesses and not Yahweh Witnesses.
• 

  The Searcher

  The simple truth is that many scriptures clearly state that Christians have to be witnesses of CHRIST - not GOD!

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/259331/1/We-Are-Not-Witnesses-For-JEHOVAH-According-to-the-Bible

  There is not one Christian Greek scripture which says otherwise!
• 

  Terry

  Rutherford chased off most of Pastor Russell's flock by his personality, tactics and ESPECIALLY because of his very public failure in predicting 1925.

  Bible Student groups by various names (using Russell's theology) had sprouted like mushrooms.

  Like Constantine, Judge Rutherford faced a divided kingdom. He needed a device to weld the "faithful" into solidarity before securing total power.

  Three things are worth noting.

  1. Judge Rutherford's mind was trained as an attorney and jurist. His world had been Circuit and District Courts solely interpreting the letter and

  intention of the law. A court of law requires WITNESSES and evidence. Consequently, he thought of BRANDING his group legally: JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES.

  2. In Biblical Greek the term "witness" means "martyr". Rutheford intended to demonstrate through the martyrdom of his followers--how publicly righteous and chosen they were because these "Witnesses" (Martyrs) were more persecuted than the others.

  3. By re-interpreting the meaning of Romans 13:1,2 he turned the members into law-breakers, civil protestors and Supreme Court test cases to make a high profile name for his new religious BRAND.

  (The District and Circut assemblies carry over the legal flavor of his naming process).

  The theology/Doctrines of Russell had been about the invisible PRESENCE since 1874 of Jesus Christ as King.

  Rutherford got rid of that idea and substituted "Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom" and the Society's books began teaching

  the purpose of JW's was VINDICATING (a legal process) by Witnessing in clearing JEHOVAH'S NAME which Satan had challenged in the Universal Court of Law.

  By making a fetish out of the name "JEHOVAH" and branding his invention as Jehovah's Witnesses, Rutherford accomplished his mission.

  Bible Students were very low profile and boring. Judge Rutherford's JW's were in court winning flag salute cases, preaching ordinance cases, blood transfusion cases, etc. and getting the members thrown in jail, beaten up, tarred and feathered, imprisoned and sometimes killed.

  He made MARTYRS of the members (i.e. he made WITNESSES) out of them.

  As far as the term Yah-weh (the scholarship on this is more latter day than Rutherford's era.)

  Had the ACTUAL name's pronunciation been the genuine concern of JW's they would have up-dated (new light) the spelling.

  It never has been.
• 

  Dagney

  Judge Rutherford faced a divided kingdom. He needed a device to weld the "faithful" into solidarity before securing total power.

  By re-interpreting the meaning of Romans 13:1,2 he turned the members into law-breakers, civil protestors and Supreme Court test cases to make a high profile name for his new religious BRAND.

  The theology/Doctrines of Russell had been about the invisible PRESENCE since 1874 of Jesus Christ as King.

  Rutherford got rid of that idea and substituted "Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom" and the Society's books began teaching

  the purpose of JW's was VINDICATING (a legal process) by Witnessing in clearing JEHOVAH'S NAME which Satan had challenged in the Universal Court of Law.

  By making a fetish out of the name "JEHOVAH" and branding his invention as Jehovah's Witnesses, Rutherford accomplished his mission.

  ^^^^^ This is a very insightful analysis of the matter.

  JW's are told they are so very special...knowing/using "God's personal name." They have sadly and ignorantly prided themselves on this fact. Rutherford and subsequent WT leaders did not count on this "system" TM lasting as long as it has, and that even the common/lay person would have at their fingertips all the knowledge in universe.

  For decades the faithful hung on every word as if it came from Jah himself...all this special knowledge...only few would have the time and resource to question anything...including "God's personal name." Now in an instant you have unlimited references and opinions to question everything. Rutherford just picked "Jehovah" to be different from the rest.

  It is a new day for those who wish it so.
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  Terry

  Dagney: Rutherford and subsequent WT leaders did not count on this "system" TM lasting as long as it has, and that even the common/lay person would have at their fingertips all the knowledge in universe.

  This isn't surprising. The Apostles of Jesus and his disciples had the same problem. Their expectation was "a little while longer" and Jesus would return.

  Their prayers ended, "Come quickly, Lord Jesus."

  After about three hundred years of this, the original Apostles and disciples and their students had died. The fourth generation of believers must have

  scratched their heads and wondered what the meaning of "soon" really was.

  When Constantine came along and extended friendship to Christianity IF ONLY THEY WOULD GET TOGETHER AND AGREE WITH EACH OTHER--it must have seemed pragmatic to do so rather than go on waiting on the bus that never arrived.

  The first historian of Christianity and the Church was a man named Eusebius.

  If you've never read his history of the Church--you are really missing out on a bird's eye view of the in-fighting, disaccord, nastiness and ill-will among the various ecclesias.

  Christianity got jump-started at this point and became a bit more practical.

  Only intermittently did END OF THE WORLD crazies try to hijack the movement. They've always been around.

  HERE IS A LINK:

  http://ncbible.info/MoodRes/History/EusebiusChurchHistory.pdf
• 

  DocHouse

  Shirley said:

  (1) I'm curious: why do you argue for the Watchtower when you don't even follow their mandate to stay away from "apostate" websites?

  Me: Because they are not ny Leader, and they don't do my thinking for me.

  (2)This is the hypocrisy of JWs like yourself. You argue for the rightness of WT and condemn anyone who disagrees with their theology, yet you yourself ignore their counsel when obeying it is inconvenient.

  Me: So, to AVOID being a hippo- I SHOULD let them think 4 me?

  (3)Why should I, or anyone else here, take you seriously or listen to anything you have to say????

  Me: Why should I give a damn if any of you take me seriously? Are you implying YOU can't think 4 yourselves?
• 

  DocHouse

  Jehovah/Yahweh is the ONLY true God.

  Christ Jesus the one He has appointed to rule and set matters straight.

  The 2 most important facts there are.
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  abbasgreta

  I remember Sis Oldtimer pointing out that 'Christendom' had substituted the word 'Redeemer' for Jehovah in the hymn

  "Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah". Now I sing it regularly with both variances depending on which hymn book/church I attend.

  It so amused me to realise that it is actually Jesus who is being petitioned...