Why doesn't the Watchtower Society never study the Bible cover to cover?

by RULES & REGULATIONS 29 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  

  In the 40 years as a Jehovah's Witness, I never read the Bible cover to cover. The three meetings a week were broken up with book studies, Awake and Watchtower Magazines,and ministry& field service meetings, all written by the Watchtower Society. Never did we read any chapters from Genesis to Revelation and discuss the true meaning of what we just read. Knowing how to present a Watchtower magazine was more important to them than teaching the books and the history of the Bible.

  Do you think the Watchtower Society does not read chapter after chapter, book by book for a reason? Do you think that the plan is to read a scripture here and there and teach only what is pertinent to their teachings, beliefs, doctrines and practices?
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  It should read :

  Why doesn't the Watchtower Society study the Bible cover to cover?
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  Finkelstein

  Concise answer = because these men only wanted to read and interpret what they can use toward creating doctrines in enhancing the proliferation of the literature they publish.

  Its a corrupt religoius publishing house.
  
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  GoneRogue

  Well they actually do the read the bible during the week meeting from Genesis to Revelation, don't know why or what you mean they don't. Don't they have the Digging for spiritual gems section which is about the bible reading, they are currently in 2nd of Corinthians.
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  • Well they actually do the read the bible during the week meeting from Genesis to Revelation

    The Society only glances at Bible books like Joshua, Judges, Ruth, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ezra, Ester, Ezekiel, Nehemiah and many others. They don't read it word for word and have a deep study.
    
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  JeffT

  They may read it in order, but they don't study it. For about twenty years after we left the Watchtower my wife and I went to a mainstream Christain church. Every week there was a about a half hour sermon that was entirely based on a book of the Bible. It would take weeks to go through even a short book.

  There is a reason JW's don't do that. The Watchtower's method of interpretation is to bounce around the Bible pulling verses out of context and without regard to what sort of book (history, poetry, prophecy) it is, who the author was, or the intended audience. The Germans have an expression "Kreuz und Quer" "Cross and cross" or perhaps "back and forth." I first heard that when I was doing my exit research. It perfectly captures the way the Witnesses look at the Bible.
  
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  There is a reason JW's don't do that. The Watchtower's method of interpretation is to bounce around the Bible pulling verses out of context and without regard to what sort of book (history, poetry, prophecy) it is, who the author was, or the intended audience. The Germans have an expression "Kreuz und Quer" "Cross and cross" or perhaps "back and forth."

  Jeff...You hit the nail on the head. '' back and forth'' teaching was the wording I was looking for. Everything is read out of context and sometimes only the ending or beginning of a scripture is read to fit their interpretation.

  I remember a Ministry school book ( 1980's) that had all the books of the Bible (where we read at home and made comments at the meeting). We studied the Bible books only at a quick glance. Does anyone remember that book?
  
  
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  Ding

  Do you think the Watchtower Society does not read chapter after chapter, book by book for a reason? Do you think that the plan is to read a scripture here and there and teach only what is pertinent to their teachings, beliefs, doctrines and practices?

  Yes and yes.

  By hopscotching the Bible (or any other book for that matter) and reading only isolated statements or quotations, you can make the book say anything you want.
  

  I know a woman who started to study with JWs. She told them, "No one reads a book like this -- by jumping all over it and putting unrelated sentences together."
  
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  RULES & REGULATIONS

  By hopscotching the Bible (or any other book for that matter) and reading only isolated statements or quotations, you can make the book say anything you want.

  Here is a prime example:

  From October 607 B.C.E. to October 1 B.C.E. is 606 years. Since there is no zero year, from October 1 B.C.E. to October 1914 C.E. is 1,914 years. By adding 606 years and 1,914 years, we get 2,520 years. For information on Jerusalem’s fall in 607 B.C.E., see the article “Chronology” in Insight on the Scriptures, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  
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  Incognigo Montoya

  After coming back, I mentioned to an elder who had befriended me, that my wife and i were gonna read the bible from.cover to cover, as i really hadn't done that before, and neither had she (she wasn't a witness) the next meeting he brings me a printed out copy of a study guide, he downloaded from JW.org. it is an outline of how the society recommends you read the bible. And it "hopscotches" all over the different books. He insisted that this would help in understanding the bibles true meaning and would make it less confusing to read. I believed his sincerity, but just could not understand why in the world I needed to read the bible in their order. It really bothered me. Ultimately I never followed through and read it cover to cover. JeffT, your explanation makes perfect sense.

  Wish I still had the outline to show you all. Threw it out. Maybe someone here knows what I'm talking about.