Hi Pirata, your answer is typicle of Jehovah's wintesses today and their reasonings. Sadly you are all very very misled by your governing body.
Let me point out what Matthew chapter 21v43 says "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you (Israel) and given to a nation producing the fruits of it". Yes, the Israelites are no longer God's people today. Not since 70 CE.
All the laws under the mosaic covenant are all now obsolete, finished. They do not apply to Christians today who are under a new covenant with Jesus Christ which does not include any of the mosaic laws.
If you read the "acts of the apostles" correctly you will see it was because of jealousy on the part of the Jews that James, the half brother of Jesus, made this concession to the Gentiles in the three cities mentioned, Antioch, Syria and Cilicia because there was a high proportion of Jews living there and they did not like the Gentiles having the holy spirit poured out upon them when they had not lived according to the mosaic laws. Acts 13v45-51, 17v5,13. Just to quote a few places to prove the cituation.
At this stage I would also like to add, only three cities were mentioned in this letter from James, so what about the other Gentiles living in different cities around the world? Paul certainly did not teach this addition of James and he was appointed as the apostle to the nations, the Gentiles, by Jesus himself.Which proves again, it was just to appease the Jews in these three cities where there were a lot of Jews living amongst the Gentiles.
Actually James went above the heads of the apostles to write this concession because the church in Jerusalem had already received a thorough witness by Peter, Paul and Barnabas and the many ones that travelled with Peter to Cornelius, Acts 15v6-14. that no mosaic laws were placed upon them, they just had to put faith in Jesus, not in any laws. In fact James was building his faith upon the laws and not upon the apostles appointed by Jesus as the 12 foundations stones. He thought at that time he was helping the Jews but in actual fact, he was hindering them coming to the Christ by compromising the truth. Strangely today, the governing body portray themselves as the church in Jerusalem who make all the decisions but, they too are building their faith and yours on the false addition of James.
Also I might add the early watchtowers under Russell makes this very point, and the letter in Acts 15v22 should never have been made. It was going against the holy spirit and against the sacrifice of Jesus who fulfileed the laws of Moses.
So I encourage you and all your fellow brothers to read the account in acts for yourselves and not listen and be guided by false teachings of your governing body.
Do I know what I am talking about? Yes I certainly do as an ex witness of 38 years.
www.pitn.net http://windowtowatch.livejournal.com/ YOU NEED HELP YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CAN HELP OTHERS.