Does the average witness have a good understanding of basic doctrines?

by eyeslice 8 Replies latest jw friends

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  eyeslice

  Unfortunately, in my experience not. Even most of the elders I have met have a poor knowledge of what the Society teaches. Some basic questions will still get "mature" ones scratching their heads.
  

  Please suggest any doctrinal questions and at some point (if I get time) I will put together the top ten into one of those internet quiz things to rate your JW awareness. Only thing is Blondie is sure to get 100% right and spot any errors in the questioning at a glance!

  1. Will the people who died in the Flood be resurrected?

  2. Will the people who died in Sodom and Gomorrah be resurrected? (My guess here is a poor pass rate, even though it was dealt with in the school only recently)

  3. When did Christ begin ruling over the Christian congregation 33CE, 1914 or 1919?

  4. Did Christ begin ruling over the heavens in 1914? (Remember God has always been sovereign)

  5. Did Christ begin ruling over the earth in 1914?

  6. When does the 1,000 year commence from; 1914 or after Armageddon?

  7. When did/does the marriage of the lamb take place, 1914, 1918, 1919 or after Armageddon when all the 144,00 are gathered to even.

  8. What is the 3rd heaven that Paul referred to in 2 Cor. 12:2?

  9. What is the explanation of John's gospel account that indicates that Jesus died before the Passover but the other gospels say he he celebrated the Passover in the evening and died the next afternoon, i.e. he died on Passover day?

  10. Why does the Bible term Lot as righteous even though he committed incest with both his daugthers?

  eyeslice
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  stillajwexelder

  NO IMHO The average witness has at the very best an average understanding of basic doctrines - I mean hell even now some elders still say in their prayers VINDICATE YOUR MATCHLESS NAME --- Vindicate the name doctrine went out over 10 years ago -- to sanctify name -- the truth is -- the light keeps getting brighter and brighter so much that it blinds most elders evn and they can not keep up with the changes
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  Undecided

  Damn, I couldn't answer a single one of those questions, I've really been out a long time or is it I just put all that BS out of my mind for good? I'm not even curious as to the answers, just don't care anymore.

  Ken P.
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  link

  And don't forget the big one:

  "How is it possible to arrive at 607 B.C.E. for the date of the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem?".

  It is upon this question that all other doctrines rest and I have never found a JW who could explain to me (or himself) how the Society arrives at this date and the rest of mankind arrive at 587 B.C.E.

  Even "Scholar" has never been able to do this properly.

  link
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  pamkw

  No they don't. My mom didn't even know they changed the mission statement in the Awake, until I showed it to her. Then it didn't really mean anything to her. She has the standard Jehovah will make it clear one day response.

  Pam
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  Sunnygal41

  In my own experiences while in the Borg, absolutely not. It's like everything else in life.......there are a small group of overachievers who strive for the best and get all the titles and awards and educate themselves...........then you have the rest who plod along, living life and doing the best they canm happy with following the crowd, because they just need to be accepted into a group.

  Terri
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  Sunnygal41

  4. Did Christ begin ruling over the heavens in 1914? (Remember God has always been sovereign)

  Eyeslice, good one! I remember that being covered shortly before I left five years ago..............if my faulty memory serves me, the answer is no. Christ will not come fully into his Kingdom until the start of the thousand years, because, Revelation tells us that after the end of the thousand years, he will "hand back the kingdom to his Father" and then, perfected mankind will be in the state they were in the Garden of Eden, and the cycle will be complete.

  Oops! you got me cuz I didn't read number 5. Number four is that Christ rules as sub-ruler under "Jehovah" and the comments above deal with number five.
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  garybuss

  I think many have very little understanding of HUGE teachings like family merit, absolute endangerment of spirituality, mediatorship, and the appointment doctrine.
  
  I was raised by Witness parents but they never bothered having a study with me even. I learned it all by osmosis. Mostly I was a social Witness. It was the disconfirmation of the 1975 prediction and social setbacks that led to my quitting associating with the Witness people. It was later in life when I was challenging my own flawed core beliefs that I had to go back and re-read the Watch Tower Printing Corporation's books and study the teachings. I am still learning. What started out as a recovery exercise has turned into a hobby.
  
  I am still amazed at how foolish the teachings are when exposed to the light of day.
  http://www.freeminds.org/buss/truth.htm
  
  
  Happy weekend everybody, GaryB
  
  
  
  
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  dustyb

  i hate to say it. but i know more about JW doctrine than my g/f, her family or any of my congregation. its really quite sad. my g/f doesn't even really know what 1914 means and what 1919 means and such. nobody realizes the impact that JF Rutherford had, or FW Franz had on the society, the very negative impact...... drives me nuts.