So I ask because of all the books, mags and testimonies that the WTS promotes. Not only the WTS, but many other Christians attempt to speak about the bible with authority. How do we measure who is an authority if we don't know that much?
just asking
Who has the authority to decern what the bible really teaches?
by TTWSYF 19 Replies latest watchtower bible
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Hernandez
Who has the authority to discern what the Bible teaches? You do.
I say this as an Ex-JW who has become Catholic, so people of other convictions--religious and non-religious--are likely to have different views. But I can at least share the Catholic view: In the end, you have the authority and ability to discern for yourself what God is telling you through the pages of the Bible.
While it is true that the Magisterium of the Catholic Church claims for itself the final authority to definite Scripture, unlike the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses the Magisterium has rarely used this authority. There are only a handful of Scripture texts that have a formal interpretation to them in the Catholic faith, and even then this does not exclude the possibility that there is more that can be added or that the views of others cannot supplement or better define these. This includes the exegesis of Protestants and Jews and people who do not claim any particular denominational label.
The reason for this is that we don't see the Bible as the ultimate authority. We believe God is. Truth is not limited to the scope of any written documents, even inspired ones. The appearance of God at Mt. Sinai, the building of the Temple, the preaching of Jesus and the apostles, yes even the establishment of the first century congregation all occurred before there was a Bible. While the Bible contains the Word of God in written form, unlike what the Governing Body want you to believe, God is not limited to a book or a group or religious people to bring truth to the world.
A real God cannot be limited to just a book, not to one that would only be understood by some old men in upstate New York who have closed meetings to decide what the rest of the world must believe or die, changing these interpretations at a whim. Just as you have the authority to discern what God is saying to you through your daily experiences, you have the same authority to discern what God is saying to you through the Bible or anything else.
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Saename
Scholars?
Luckily, Geoffrey Jackson is supposedly a "scholar."
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Island Man
Who has the authority to [discern] what the bible really teaches?
Wrong question. With that kind of thinking, you're setting yourself up to be deceived and manipulated by unscrupulous religious leaders who will always try to convince others that the Bible does not mean what it says but means what the religious leaders say it means. The correct question is...
Who has the responsibility to discern what the bible really teaches?
The answer? You the reader. See Mark 13:14 parentheses, Revelation 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
Think about this: If the Beroeans did not have the authority to discern what the bible really teaches, then what legitimate basis could they have had to compare Paul's teachings against the bible to judge whether or not he was teaching correctly? They would have been acting presumptuously. But the Bible said they were noble-minded.
If Christians do not have authority to discern for themselves what the bible says but must look to some hierarchical authority whose interpretations they are beholden to accept without question, then they are no longer trusting in God but in that human authority. They would be followers of the teachings of men instead of followers of what the Bible says. They would be making themselves vulnerable to being deceived and manipulated by those who twist the scriptures to serve their own interests.
Consider this too: how can any person know which church is teaching the truth and which is teaching error? Compare their teachings with the bible, you say? But how are you to do this if you don't have the authority to discern what the bible is really saying, in the first place? In other words if individuals don't have the authority to discern what the bible says then they don't have any means of testing any church's teachings in light of the scriptures since they have no authority to discern the scriptures. So you're proposing a situation where Christianity has to be based on faith in men's teachings and interpretations as being correct without having the authority to objectively determine if they're correct. Does that strike you as being a logically and ethically tenable position?
According to JWs, how did God make known to the first century Jews that he had chosen the apostles and formed a new Christian congregation as the approved way of worship? They say he empowered the apostles to perform miracles that served as indisputable proof of divine backing. Now look at the mess that exists today with 30,000+ conflicting denominations all professing to be true but teaching conflicting doctrines and using scripture to back them up. Is it reasonable to think that the God who provided 1st century Jews with miracle-working apostles, expects people today to wade through the mess on their own without him ever empowering his true earthly representatives to make themselves unmistakably known through some miracle? Is that reasonable. Search the scriptures and you'd see he always gave his representatives miraculous credentials to prove their divine appointment. Where's the miraculous credentials by the Watchtower or any other group? It's nowhere to be found.
There is obviously no God or none of the groups today are his special appointed channel.
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TTWSYF
Thank you, Very thoughtful answers. More thoughtful than I was writing the op topic.. lol
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Crazyguy
The Bible says that it alone can provide all the info you need at 2 Timothy 16&17 and in the book of John I believe or James it says to ask for the Holy Spirit for wisdom.
So according to the Bible you just need to pray and read it. But make sure if you believe all the bullshit that you read the whole bible not just the Protestant one.
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Fisherman
Anyone with reading skills can try to figure out for himself what the author of a book is saying. But, because of the "limits of language" -TD, if one really wants to know for sure, only the author knows exactly what he means and only the author can explain what he means. When it comes to legislation, Courts are authorized to interpret the law and to apply cases to the law because Courts (Judges, juries, etc.) are authorized to do so by the authors of such laws and by other authorities that govern and decide how written laws should be interpreted and by whom.
Given that the Bible is "God's Word," one can only know what the Bible teaches by asking God. Surely, if the Bible is in fact a book authored by God, it is logical that if He would want it understood, HE would somehow communicate with anyone that truly wanted to understand it. Any claim of authority to interpret the BIble must be verified by its author and only with such evidence could one really know and personally conclude who is authorized to interpret the Bible. The problem with conclusions is that when they are based upon false logic or erroneous thinking ;or the delusion of confusing evidence with a derivative from the evidence (something that cofty does a lot) such conclusions are not right. MY advice to you is not to trust the conclusions and assertions of others as truth. Investigate for yourself. IT ain't easy, but only you can detemine for yourself what is real or what is a sham.
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Chook
I have the authority, to me alone you listen, I think my punt on scripture is as good as any of the Brooklyn seven.
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Fisherman
I think my punt on scripture is as good as any of the Brooklyn seven.
And anyone is free to believe what they like (what the Bible teaches in this case). But if you want to know, you must ask the author or someone else authorized by the author -like him or not.
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Cold Steel
Hernandez ยป I say this as an Ex-JW who has become Catholic, so people of other convictions--religious and non-religious--are likely to have different views. But I can at least share the Catholic view: In the end, you have the authority and ability to discern for yourself what God is telling you through the pages of the Bible.
Hmmmm. One certainly has the authority to believe what one wishes, but as far as the authority to interpret scriptures, it must be done by revelation through the Holy Spirit. "If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and ubraideth not, and it shall be given him." (James 1:5). And Matthew speaks of Jesus' warning regarding blind leaders. Without light, they seek to lead others who are blind, in which case both fall into the pit and perish. (Matthew 15:14)
Catholicism and Orthodoxy both depend on two elements: Scripture and Tradition. If scripture cannot interpret itself, then it falls upon tradition, usually in the way of the early patristic fathers. If these don't do the job, one must seek guidance from God. I would not recommend trying to interpret it yourself.
One problem is Isaiah 52-53, beginning with the last several verses of Isaiah 52. I say that because many Jews interpret the following chapter as the kingdom of Israel. Christians, however, rightfully interpret it as pertaining to the Messiah, his suffering and ministry. Muslims interpret Isaiah 29 as pertaining to the Qur'an, while latter-day saints believe it points to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
Another problem is literacy. When Jesus blessed the bread and wine, he said, "This is my body...this is my blood." Catholics see this as literal, while most other Christians see it as metaphor. In a time when miracles had ceased, the church needed something it could point to that was a living miracle, every week. Transubstantiation was just the ticket. It was like the invisible return of Christ in 1914 and the fastest gun in the West ("Wanna see it again?") Great events in our day...they're just invisible. But when Christ said, "Oh, Jerusalem...How oft would I have gathered thee under my feathers," I sincerely doubt he actually had feathers or wings. It was metaphor.
So these are problems with interpreting scripture yourself. Seeking spiritual guidance is the way to go in my view. In the case of the Jehovah's Witnesses, they, being without light, are superlative examples of blind guides leading the blind. The entire Adventist movement is a string of failed prophecies fractioning off into others sects that also experienced failed prophesies.