Transparency Questions

by Vanderhoven7 15 Replies latest watchtower bible

Vanderhoven7
Here are some questions to ask Witnesses. How would you alter or improve or add to them?
TRANSPARENCY QUESTIONS
1.How confident are you that your religion is true?
- Do you ever have doubts about your religion?
- Are there any issues about your religion that trouble you? Or is it all good?
- Do you see your religion as being the only religion that God approves of?
2. Would you say that all other religions are essentially satanic or part of Satan's kingdom?
- Do you believe that Jehovah God rejected all other churches at some point in history?
- When do you believe God rejected all of Christendom? What year? How do you know this?
- What do you think will happen to people belonging to churches other than yours at if they are alive at Armageddon?
3. Do you believe, that with rare exceptions, only faithful JWs will survive Armageddon?
- Do you believe Jehovah will destroy billions of people at Armageddon?
- Do you believe that the Non-Witnesses God destroys will have no hope of a resurrection?
- What if these same Non-JWs die a few years before Armageddon...might they get a resurrection?
- Do you think its fair that God would eternally destroy people simply based on the timing of their death?
4. Would you say that Witnesses are free to question and even disagree with what comes down from your religion's headquarters?
What would happen if a Witness vocalized disagreement with a particular teaching?
What if they persisted in disagreement? Might they be disfellowshipped?
5. To your knowledge, is there some valid or honorable way out of your religion?
- What would be the repercussions if you left the Witnesses?
- Would you be shunned?
- Would you shun a family member who left your religion because they no longer believe it to be true?
- Do you think there could be many Witnesses who no longer believe Watchtower religion to be true
  
  but pretend they still believe so they can keep their families intact?
6. Do you think that your religion disfellowships and shuns people for solely biblical reasons?
- Do you consider unrepentant celebration of birthdays to be a biblical disfellowshipping offense?
- Do you believe unrepentant accepting of blood transfusions is a disfellowshipping offense?
7. In a dire medical emergency would you refuse a blood transfusion that could save your child's life?
- Would you allow some blood components to be transfused?
- Which components does the Bible say are acceptable and which ones are not?
- Do you know if Jehovah's Witnesses have been consistent in determining allowable components?
- Why is plasma unacceptable when all components are individually on the WT acceptable list?
- How about white blood cells (Leukocytes)? Do you know that millions are passed in mother's milk and
  
  during organ transplants which are now acceptable to the Society?
- Do you believe it is wrong for Christians to donate blood to blood-banks? (storing blood is sinful)
- Is storing blood temporarily for testing purposes immoral?
- Where do Witnesses with hemophilia get their blood-clotting components from? (blood banks)
- Is it proper or moral to benefit from immorally donated blood? Aren't JWs being parasites?
8. If you somehow lost faith in your religion's primary leadership, would you lose your faith in God and the Bible?
- Do you believe that your faith is primarily in God and His word? (II TIM.3:16)
- Is it possible, without realizing it, that your faith is predominantly in men and not God or the Bible?
- Can your leaders correct you and change your mind about what the Bible teaches?
- Can the Bible ever correct you and change your mind contrary to what your leaders teach?
- If I told you I only accept what a Bible scholar says the Bible teaches; would my faith ultimately be in the Bible or in the scholar?
  9. Do you believe that the gospel Jehovah's Witnesses preach is the same gospel that Paul preached?
- Gal.1:6-9 NWT Would it be legitimate for Christians to preach something beyond what Paul preached?
- Can you summarize the gospel that Jehovah's Witnesses are preaching?
- Imagine I've got 5 minutes to live... and I ask you how can I get right with God, have my sins all
  
  forgiven and be granted eternal life?
- What would Paul say to this dying person? (Acts 16:30-31, I Cor.15:1-4)
- Do you believe that people today, can be saved or justified and have God's approval without any
  
  affiliation with your religious organization? (criteria)
10. Do you believe that some of the original Great Crowd members will be alive when Armageddon strikes?
- What year did the Great Crowd begin forming? (Not sure) Was it sometime after 1914? (Yes)
- When did the Watchtower first realize that the great company was forming? (1935)
- How did they discover this? Who informed the Watchtower that this group was forming?
- If the Great Crowd started forming in 1920, how old would the youngest member be today?
11. Do you believe that Jehovah has promised to usher in a safe and secure new world before the 1914 generation expires?
- How is it possible to maintain that Jesus was teaching that the 1914 generation would not pass away?
- How old are babies born in 1914 today? (107)
- If the generation Jesus spoke about would "surely" not pass away, you think He would be talking about a thriving number within that generation – don't you think?
- Can you explain what Jesus meant by "this generation"? (hutos genaea) (overlapping)
- Can you show where Matthew or any other gospel writer employs a similar meaning?
12. Do you believe that less than 150,000 faithful Christians existed prior to the 20th century?
(From 33 A.D. to 1900 A.D.)
- What about the millions who were martyred for Christ during this time frame?
- It is estimated that 2 million Christians were martyred in the first 3 centuries.
- Were these mostly fake Christians? (must have been)
- How can you judge when you don't know them?
Simon

My favourite question is:
What would convince you that the WTS didn't have "the truth"?
The reason I like it is it forces them to consider the possibility, which is a big step in itself, and it also may elicit a response that turns out to be something they have done!
If the reply is "nothing, it can never be so!!" then "wow, that's what someone in a cult would say!" may make them think.
It's different to just saying "you're in a cult", because you've reasoned them into admitting it through their refusal to even consider that they could ever be wrong. Forcing them to say it out loud means they hear themselves saying it. Makes it more "real" IMO.
Vanderhoven7

@Simon
Excellent question. Goes right to the top of the list along with question number one.
iXav

Question 1 to 3, 9, 10,11 12 are great and not generic enough
Questions 4 to 8 are very JW centric will likely spark apostate fears but that depends on the goal of the questions
Do you believe that the bible allows for blood to be divided into 4 major components?
How will 1st century Christian apply the rule to abstain from blood?
Do you believe that the growth in the Catholic Church is a sign of god's blessing similar to the growth in the JW organization?
If the GB receives new light, does that mean that the old light came from Satan or did the holy spirit gave the GB the wrong information.
If God doesn't speak/intervene directly in human affairs today, how do you know that the GB are chosen by God?
How can someone chosen by God and who has holy spirit still make doctrinal and organizational mistakes?
john.prestor

Good luck asking more than one of those questions to a JW :P They'll turn tail and run, or try to turn the tables on you ("How do you know so much about us?")
Nitty-Gritty

@ Vanderhoven
"Here are some questions to ask Witnesses"
I realise you were not actually asking a Witness to answer these questions, but since you posted them and I am a Witness I will go ahead and answer them. Answers in bold:
TRANSPARENCY QUESTIONS
1.How confident are you that your religion is true?

Confident

Do you ever have doubts about your religion?
No

Are there any issues about your religion that trouble you? Or is it all good?
Some trouble me

Do you see your religion as being the only religion that God approves of?
When I look at other religions (not individuals in that religion) then the answer is yes.

2. Would you say that all other religions are essentially satanic or part of Satan's kingdom?
Yes

Do you believe that Jehovah God rejected all other churches at some point in history?
Yes

When do you believe God rejected all of Christendom? What year? How do you know this?
When Christianity apostacized from the true church by becoming "a part of the world" and at other occasions when they went directly against the teachings of Christ, and when they began incorporating philosophies and beliefs that were not established by Jesus. It was a process, so its difficult to establish an exact year, but by reading good history books on the subject one can get a general idea. This also answers the question: "How do you know this".

What do you think will happen to people belonging to churches other than yours at if they are alive at Armageddon?
It’s up to God
God will be a righteous judge and reads hearts, he will know if that person may have embraced the truth but the timing was off.

3. Do you believe, that with rare exceptions, only faithful JWs will survive Armageddon?
Don’t know

Do you believe Jehovah will destroy billions of people at Armageddon?
Possibly, since the Bible speaks of only a minority being on the road to life.

Do you believe that the Non-Witnesses God destroys will have no hope of a resurrection?
Probably, since why would he kill them and then bring them back again. But I don't know.

What if these same Non-JWs die a few years before Armageddon...might they get a resurrection?
The Bible says that unrighteous will get resurrected so probably yes.

Do you think its fair that God would eternally destroy people simply based on the timing of their death?

Of course not, this is why I said what I did in the last part of question 2

4. Would you say that Witnesses are free to question and even disagree with what comes down from your religion's headquarters?

Witnesses are free to disagree.

What would happen if a Witness vocalized disagreement with a particular teaching?
What if they persisted in disagreement? Might they be disfellowshipped?

If they are very disruptive and vocal about it then probably.

5. To your knowledge, is there some valid or honorable way out of your religion?
Fading

What would be the repercussions if you left the Witnesses?
Depending how it was done. If you faded, very little.

Would you be shunned?
Not if you faded

Would you shun a family member who left your religion because they no longer believe it to be true?

No

Do you think there could be many Witnesses who no longer believe Watchtower religion to be true
but pretend they still believe so they can keep their families intact?

Possibly

6. Do you think that your religion disfellowships and shuns people for solely biblical reasons?
Mostly

Do you consider unrepentant celebration of birthdays to be a biblical disfellowshipping offense?
No

Do you believe unrepentant accepting of blood transfusions is a disfellowshipping offense?
Yes

7. In a dire medical emergency would you refuse a blood transfusion that could save your child's life?

Difficult question to answer. Not sure

Would you allow some blood components to be transfused?

Yes

Which components does the Bible say are acceptable and which ones are not?

The Bible talks about whole blood, not components

Do you know if Jehovah's Witnesses have been consistent in determining allowable components?

Probably not been consistent.

Why is plasma unacceptable when all components are individually on the WT acceptable list?

Good question

How about white blood cells (Leukocytes)? Do you know that millions are passed in mother's milk and
during organ transplants which are now acceptable to the Society?

It's a case of blood transfusion, not a case of natural processes such feeding on mother's milk. And just because Leukocytes may be present in an organ transplant....well it's is the same as eating a steak where there will always be some blood present.

Do you believe it is wrong for Christians to donate blood to blood-banks? (storing blood is sinful)
Yes. Not because storing blood is sinful, but because of what is done with that stored blood.

Is storing blood temporarily for testing purposes immoral?

No, it is not stored to be used in another person. After the test is finished the blood is discarded

Where do Witnesses with hemophilia get their blood-clotting components from? (blood banks) Is it proper or moral to benefit from immorally donated blood? Aren't JWs being parasites?
It is only immoral for a Christian to donate blood. Whether they use some fractions of blood from blood that others have donated is up to them.

8. If you somehow lost faith in your religion's primary leadership, would you lose your faith in God and the Bible?

No

Do you believe that your faith is primarily in God and His word? (II TIM.3:16)

Yes

Is it possible, without realizing it, that your faith is predominantly in men and not God or the Bible?
Not my case, but I can see that it could happen in some cases.

Can your leaders correct you and change your mind about what the Bible teaches?
Possibly, but ultimately you decide

Can the Bible ever correct you and change your mind contrary to what your leaders teach?
Possibly, but ultimately you decide.

If I told you I only accept what a Bible scholar says the Bible teaches; would my faith ultimately be in the Bible or in the scholar?
Trick question. You would have to do your own research to see if what Bible scholar says the Bible teaches, is actually true. But it's all about interpretation, isn't it? Bible scholar and I can both understand a subject differently.

9. Do you believe that the gospel Jehovah's Witnesses preach is the same gospel that Paul preached?

Closer than any other religion

Gal.1:6-9 NWT Would it be legitimate for Christians to preach something beyond what Paul preached?
No

Can you summarize the gospel that Jehovah's Witnesses are preaching?

Repentance and the Good News of the Kingdom

Imagine I've got 5 minutes to live... and I ask you how can I get right with God, have my sins all
forgiven and be granted eternal life?
The fact that you want to get right with God means God will give you the opportunity to do so in the resurrection.

What would Paul say to this dying person? (Acts 16:30-31, I Cor.15:1-4)
You want me to say: “believe in Jesus”. However, you are misusing Paul's words in this instance because you and I both know that "belief" in something is based on more than just a five minute decision. In order for that belief to be genuine it would have to be backed up by action, which in this case would be impossible. Asking someone to believe is a very superficial demonstration of faith, and Paul did not have that in mind judging by the rest of his writings. Imagine you are an atheist, and you know nothing much about Jesus or the Bible, you just know people believe in a God. Now you have 5 minutes to decide you believe in Jesus. You might as well be asked to believe in the flying Spaghetti Monster. A dying person will believe in anything.

Do you believe that people today, can be saved or justified and have God's approval without any
affiliation with your religious organization? (criteria)

It is not for me to say. God is the judge.

10. Do you believe that some of the original Great Crowd members will be alive when Armageddon strikes?

Probably not

What year did the Great Crowd begin forming? (Not sure) Was it sometime after 1914? (Yes)

Don't care

When did the Watchtower first realize that the great company was forming? (1935)
How did they discover this? Who informed the Watchtower that this group was forming?

No one informed them. It became a logical conclusion since the number of Bible students outgrew 144 K

If the Great Crowd started forming in 1920, how old would the youngest member be today?
Pretty old

11. Do you believe that Jehovah has promised to usher in a safe and secure new world before the 1914 generation expires?
It's on Jehovah's timetable and no one else, except Jesus knows.

How is it possible to maintain that Jesus was teaching that the 1914 generation would not pass away?

It's obvious that we have not understood this correctly.

How old are babies born in 1914 today? (107)

If the generation Jesus spoke about would "surely" not pass away, you think He would be talking about a thriving number within that generation – don't you think?

Sure, according to man's interpretation.

Can you explain what Jesus meant by "this generation"? (hutos genaea) (overlapping)

No

Can you show where Matthew or any other gospel writer employs a similar meaning?

Not sure what is meant by this question. Is the question about an "overlapping" generation? If yes, then none of the Gospel writers spoke about an "overlapping" generation. However they did speak about contemporaries. Luke 9:41, 11:32, 17:25

In the case of WT comprehension, the generation Jesus was talking about refers to contemporaries of actual people who were anointed before 1914. So, if my great grandma remembered the first world war, and I listened to her stories about it as a child, although she is long dead, I am supposedly her contemporary....

12. Do you believe that less than 150,000 faithful Christians existed prior to the 20th century?
(From 33 A.D. to 1900 A.D.)

What about the millions who were martyred for Christ during this time frame?

It is estimated that 2 million Christians were martyred in the first 3 centuries.

Were these mostly fake Christians? (must have been)

How can you judge when you don't know them?

Can't. This is why God will be the judge, and the number of 144 000 could possibly be symbolic.
truth_b_known

Martin Luther is responsible for having 7 books removed from the Bible. Luther's list of books to remove also included Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation. The reason Luther wanted to have all these books removed was because these books conflicted with his teaching of of saved by faith alone without works. Does your Bible translation remove the same 7 books because your religion teaches saved by faith alone?
Why do those who take the lead in your religion refuse to apologize, let alone acknowledge, their mistakes in doctrine, later changed, that adversely affected your membership such as those who went to prison for not accepting mandatory alternative service offered in lieu of compulsory military service by the government or of those who died for refusing to accept medical treatment involve blood fractions?
iXav

Martin Luther is responsible for having 7 books removed from the Bible. Luther's list of books to remove also included Hebrews, James, Jude and Revelation. The reason Luther wanted to have all these books removed was because these books conflicted with his teaching of of saved by faith alone without works. Does your Bible translation remove the same 7 books because your religion teaches saved by faith alone?
this is a valid question but most JWs don't care too much about bible history and how it got here.
Why do those who take the lead in your religion refuse to apologize, let alone acknowledge, their mistakes in doctrine, later changed, that adversely affected your membership such as those who went to prison for not accepting mandatory alternative service offered in lieu of compulsory military service by the government or of those who died for refusing to accept medical treatment involve blood fractions?
You will be surprised by how little those in the org know about their religion and some of its inner workings.
Ding

Marking
Vanderhoven7

@ Nitty-Gritty
Thank you for providing answers to almost all of the questions listed in the OP.
"Do you ever have doubts about your religion?" No
Strange that you say this when you later express considerable doubt about some of the more fundamental teachings of your organization. e.g. 1914, 144,000, blood policies, Faithful slave.
I do appreciate the fact that even if you lost faith in the FDS you would still believe the Bible.
Actually, I'd like to go over a few of your answers with you...one by one if you are game. My position is that every doctrine that is unique to Jehovah's Witnesses is extra-biblical. So what I am saying is that I believe that the religion of Jehovah's was never Bible-based.
Vander
P.S. By the way, I believe the Bible is the word of God; I have never believed in immortality of the soul and I came to faith in the fellowship of non-trinitarian brethren associated with the International Bible Student's Association.

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