do any of the current governing body have academic qualifications?.
thanks.
paul.
You do not need academic qualifications if you claim to speak for God.
Look at Jesus. What academic qualifications did he have?
And even if you are qualified, it doesn't give an assurance that everyone will believe what you say just because you are qualified.
Look at Luke and Paul for this, who were supposedly qualified
there is no doubt (in my mind at least from my own personal experience) that in day to day matters most witnesses are genuinely loving and kind (or "nice") people (though their indoctrination and fundamentalist mentality often inhibits their natural kindness and tolerance and often gets in the way of fulling showing it).
however i would like to put the case that when it comes to their ministry and theological/scientific discussion of any type, they fail to apply even the most basic of bible principles that they claim to espouse - the golden rule!
here is what occurred to me.... some things jw's would like men to do to them:.
doubtfull1799,
It seems JW's are following Jesus. In Luke 11:37-52, just read how Jesus went full blown on a Pharisee who invited him for a meal and who got surprised that Jesus did not wash his hands before eating.
So, if you decide someone acts as a typical Pharisee by finding faults in you, the Golden Rule does not apply!
i wanted to relay an example that i heard about translating difficulties.
take the 5 word phrase.
"i didn't eat your sandwich".
A good translator does not translate words and phrases, rather he conveys thoughts and ideas behind the phrase in the target language taking into consideration the context in which the sentence is written.
If the context is not provided or not available, then the translator has the freedom to translate the sentence that would be best understood in the target language.
"I didn't eat your sandwich" - If this phrase is a part of a conversation or a story, the translator will take into context the entire conversation while translating.
"I didn't eat your sandwich" - If this is just a slogan, punch line or a tag line with no context whatsoever, the translator will translate it the best way in which it can be understood in the target language.
i have an online ex jw friend who pointed out to me that she stumbled upon a may 15, 1999 watchtower that had pictures of governing body members autographing bibles for people.
i have no bound volumes or cd rom copies anymore so i can verify.
two things came to mind, if this is true:.
According to Drearyweather, that would be okay if they were asked to sign a book and give it to them only as a gift.
And according to Listener, if a person becomes a member of the GB, he should stop signing altogether (even a grocery bill or a bank form), because whenever a GB member signs anything, he is actually giving his autograph and is thus promoting idolatry and showing his celebrity status. He should stubbornly refuse to sign anything. Because signing something and gifting it to someone is not a sign of humility.
when i hear prayers given by brothers why do they only pray for other jws not all people??
i remember hearing a comment from my mother saying 4000 jws are affected by this...and i'm thinking yes that is sad but what about the tens of thousands other people affected?
too me it just doesn't seem right to just pray for jws but to pray for all victims.
When I hear prayers given by brothers why do they only pray for other JWs not all people??
To pray or not to pray is a personal choice. And people also have a choice as to whom they want to include in their prayers.
If your friend meets with an accident, you may ardently pray for his recovery. However, this does not mean that you are indifferent and callous since you did not include all other people who must have met with an accident that day.
There were instances where even Jesus was specific in his prayers. John 17:9: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
I appreciate that you pray for everyone. However, when we start judging whether others are doing the same in their prayers, we are assuming God's role. Prayers are made to God and let God decide whether whose prayer is appropriate.
i have an online ex jw friend who pointed out to me that she stumbled upon a may 15, 1999 watchtower that had pictures of governing body members autographing bibles for people.
i have no bound volumes or cd rom copies anymore so i can verify.
two things came to mind, if this is true:.
Herelgo, I feel there is a difference between autographs and signing gift books.
Many a times, when we give books to someone, we sign it as a friendly gesture. In decades past, many JW;s would sign books and gift it to other people or fellow JW's.
"To Kevin, Love from Judy, Bristol Convention, 1979"
If a fan goes to the GB and asks them to sign his book, then I would call that as an autograph.
It is not what is happening here, GB members are not autographing Bibles for "people" standing in a line with their books, as fans would do with Authors. But they are signing bibles and gifting them to public officials as a friendly gesture.
so ... situation:.
a baptized married couple, with no privileges that we know of, have opened their home to 2 unmarried regular pioneers because of the pioneers' financial issues (limited income).. - husband works from home.
- wife doesn't work and stays home or in service.
The wife and I were talking and found out that this situation existed for about 1-2 months ... THEN, the elders met with the pioneers (not the couple) and told them to leave the house or they would no longer be pioneers. No reason given but Hebrews 13:17 read about obeying the elders.
If Elders give no reason, the pioneers don't need to get out of the house. If the Elders decide to remove them as pioneers, they will have to give a reason and inform the pioneer why they have decided to delete. The Pioneer can go all the way to the branch office for this.
I think the rumors could be true. Such a thing has happened in our local cong too.
jehovahs witnesses have been outspoken over the years/decades that christendom have been hiding or obscuring or even eliminating gods name jehovah from the general public.. how true is that statement .?.
1. it was a catholic monk of the 13th century that first coined the name jehovah in the english language.. 2.the roman catholic douay version of the bible does have the name jehovah in it.
about the 16th century.
Any JW lurkers please take note . As l said before the WT teaching that the Trinity was " thought up in Nicea is total bunkum . lf they are any kind of scholars they SHOULD know that .
jhine, thanks for bringing up the Ignatius quote.
However, I don't feel JW's teach that the Trinity was 'thought up' during Nicean council. In their book Reasoning From the Scriptures, the say the following under the heading:
What is the origin of the Trinity doctrine?
The New Encyclopædia Britannica says: “Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord’ (Deut. 6:4). . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies. . . . By the end of the 4th century . . . the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since.”—(1976), Micropædia, Vol. X, p. 126.
The New Catholic Encyclopedia states: “The formulation ‘one God in three Persons’ was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.”—(1967), Vol. XIV, p. 299.
https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101989276
So the JW's accept that the concept of Trinity was gradually developing, however, was adopted as an official creed during the Council of Nicea, which is I guess is true.
what or who is a jehovah's witness?.
a jehovah's witness is a person whose faith is centered in men (gb) not god or the bible and who must never voice any opinion on any doctrine contrary to that of the gb or risk discipline and possible disfellowship.. well....its a start.. vander .
a small correction:
n. who take full advantage of government provisions such as health care and income benefits, yet will not vote, or work for a governmental organization.
JW's take advantage of governmental provisions because individual JW's pay their taxes and hence as legal citizens they have the right to get these benefits.
jehovahs witnesses have been outspoken over the years/decades that christendom have been hiding or obscuring or even eliminating gods name jehovah from the general public.. how true is that statement .?.
1. it was a catholic monk of the 13th century that first coined the name jehovah in the english language.. 2.the roman catholic douay version of the bible does have the name jehovah in it.
about the 16th century.
Jehovahs Witnesses have been outspoken over the years/decades that Christendom have been hiding or obscuring or even eliminating Gods name Jehovah from the general public.
How true is that statement .?
The following are some points that do show that efforts were made to hide the name:
1. In 405 CE Jerome (a Catholic priest and secretary to Pope Damasus I) did not include God’s name in his translation, the Latin Vulgate
2. The Catholic Douay Version, which was based on Latin Vulgate, does not use the divine name
3. You say that the Catholic Monk invented the name Jehovah. Is it? See what the Catholic Encyclopedia says regarding it, under the name 'Jehovah':
Finally, the word is found even in the "Pugio fidei" of Raymund Martin, a work written about 1270 (ed. Paris, 1651, pt. III, dist. ii, cap. iii, p. 448, and Note, p. 745). Probably the introduction of the name Jehovah antedates even R. Martin.
4. A 2008 directive to all Catholic Bishops directs them to not use any form of the Tetragrammaton in their Church services:
http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/frequently-asked-questions/upload/name-of-god.pdf
So to make the claim Christendom has been burrying that name is ludicrous since they actually invented it eg: Roman catholics.in the 13th Century.adding vowels to the 4 letters of the tetragrammaton translated in english .
If Catholics 'invented' the name Jehovah, why don't they use it in their Official translations and in their Church services?
