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Written by Randall Watters
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Thursday, 30 November 1989 00:00 |
 reprint of the Nov/Dec 1988 and Jan/Feb 1989 Bethel Ministries Newsletter
The following is a review of the Watchtower's latest achievement in refining their doctrines and compiling their beliefs-the product of 110 years of flip-flops in doctrine, false prophecies and dabbling in the occult.
An attractive new Bible Dictionary has been released this year by the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society called Insight on the Scriptures, in two volumes, which is designed to replace the former Bible dictionary (1969, 1971) entitled Aid To Bible Understanding. While much of the text of this new publication has been taken verbatim from the Aid book, there are several new features to take note of: (1) larger, more readable type, (2) full color illustrations, (3) an index at the end of Vol. II, (4) "new light" embodied in the text where doctrines have been explained differently or modified, and (5) new arguments against critics of the Watchtower, though subtle in nature so as not to identify the critics or draw attention to them.
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Sunday, 18 January 2009 10:51 |
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You are going to need a lot of patience whenever you witness to a Jehovah’s Witness. Whenever you ask one of them a question, he will give a lot of explanations--as if you do not know anything about the Bible--and this will take a long time. It can be tiring to have to listen so much, but it is important to listen well, because Jehovah’s Witnesses will very often contradict themselves and you can point this out later to your advantage. Also, when you ask a question for which they don’t know the answer, they will often begin a long explanation about another subject. When this happens, remember your question. When they get finished with this long explanation about something you are not talking about, go back to the original question and ask it again. Do not pick up on something you are not discussing and go "chasing rabbits."
Remember that you are not only dealing with a Jehovah’s Witness but the Lord will be dealing with you, and He is able to teach you many things. You are going to need patience—to be longsuffering, kind, gentle, loving--and should spend a lot of time in prayer. At first your two main goals are (1) to build a friendly working relationship; there are no shortcuts, and this will take time. (2) To cause them to think, by asking thought-provoking questions which they are not used to being asked. (This booklet is filled with such questions.)
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Written by Jerry Bergman
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Friday, 24 April 2009 14:35 |
 I have authored several scholarly books and monographs about the Jehovah’s Witnesses. My books and articles on the Watchtower and related topics are found in hundreds of university, college and other libraries, and have also been translated into 12 languages. Several of my publications about the Watchtower were based on my masters thesis in social psychology completed at Bowling Green State University.
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Friday, 24 April 2009 16:14 |
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For those of you who don't have access to Society's library we reprint see relevant pages that were included with Chris Christensen's letter to the New York Board.
http://www.freeminds.org/organization/business/watchtower-community-facility-draws-fire-of-protest-1988.html
The Watchtower 15 December 1971 pages 748 - 762
(taken from Watchtower Library CD-ROM 1999)
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Saturday, 17 January 2009 13:16 |
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I did a search in ATLA for articles and reviews in scholarly journals. The following are the results. Some are simply references to editions of the NWT but others are scholarly critiques or reviews. Hope this helps.
Search History
* #1 'New World Translation' (14 records)
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Written by Randall Watters
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Sunday, 18 January 2009 12:11 |
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About a year ago, two ladies in my community contacted me because a pair of JWs had been visiting them and they wanted to know how they could dialogue with them.
After talking with the two ladies, it appeared as though the JWs wanted to talk with the two ladies about the Trinity doctrine and the JWs had given them a copy of the Trinity brochure.
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Friday, 24 April 2009 19:29 |
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On Wednesday, 27 August 1997, I met with Harry Peloyan for about 1 1/2 hours in the lobby of the 25 Columbia Heights Bethel office in Brooklyn, New York. My purpose was to discuss problems with the “Creation” book with him, since he is its main author. This is my recollection of the discussion and events leading up to it.
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Sunday, 18 January 2009 10:51 |
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You are going to need a lot of patience whenever you witness to a Jehovah’s Witness. Whenever you ask one of them a question, he will give a lot of explanations--as if you do not know anything about the Bible--and this will take a long time. It can be tiring to have to listen so much, but it is important to listen well, because Jehovah’s Witnesses will very often contradict themselves and you can point this out later to your advantage. Also, when you ask a question for which they don’t know the answer, they will often begin a long explanation about another subject. When this happens, remember your question. When they get finished with this long explanation about something you are not talking about, go back to the original question and ask it again. Do not pick up on something you are not discussing and go "chasing rabbits."
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Saturday, 17 January 2009 13:06 |
The New World Translation (NWT)[1] is the official translation of the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and used by all Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs). It has often been criticized for its biased renderings of crucial texts traditionally used by Christians to support the deity of Christ. Although study of such isolated mistranslations in the NWT is valuable, it can give the mistaken impression that the NWT is an otherwise acceptable translation with only a handful of verses in dispute. This is not the case, however.
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Written by Randall Watters
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Friday, 24 April 2009 19:40 |
While generally well written, and well executed technically, much of the book is a collection of anecdotes and story fragments strung together with little apparent continuity. In the Society's usual fashion, the book gives few references for source material. This makes it difficult for a reader to check what has been said.
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Written by Gary Busselman
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Friday, 24 April 2009 15:52 |
 In support of their recent Biblical interpretation change concerning "this generation" (Matt. 24:34), the Governing Body (hereafter GB) of Jehovah's Witnesses submitted four documents. (Watchtower, 11/1/95, p. 12)
Those were:
1. Walter Bauer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
2. W.E. Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
3. J.H. Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
4. The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (1964), edited by Gerhard Kittle.
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Written by Randall Watters
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Monday, 27 April 2009 11:07 |
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Notes on the Finished Mystery:
*** The Finished Mystery, 1926 edition, p 85 ***
[Regarding Job 40:15 to 41:34, where "leviathan" is interpreted as a train locomotive]
Thou wilt lengthen out leviathan (the locomotive) with a hook (automatic coupler) or with a snare (coupling-link) to drop down. Wilt thou not place a ring (piston) in his nostrils (cylinders) or pierce through his cheeks (piston-ends) with a staff (piston rod)? Will he make repeated supplications unto thee (to get off the track)? Or will he utter soft tones unto thee (when he screeches with the whistle)? ... Wilt thou play with him as with a bird (make him whistle at will)? Or wilt thou bind (enslave) him for thy maidens (so that you can take them to a picnic or convention)? Companies (of stockholders) will feast upon him (his earnings)...
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Written by Randall Watters
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Friday, 24 April 2009 17:22 |
When the "day of vengeance of our God" will have passed and the "meek of the earth" will come forth from their place of hiding from Armageddon's storm, they will look for the place once occupied by the wicked bosses and oppressors of men. But it shall not be! There will be a free New World, free from unrighteous men and from the demons under Satan.
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Friday, 24 April 2009 15:26 |
The Watchtower movement has over ten million followers and remains one of the fastest growing religious movements in the world today. Since the movement actively proselytizes throughout the world, many people are aware of Jehovah's Witnesses, but readers may not be aware that the movement has profoundly influenced the constitutional law of many countries, including America and Canada.
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Written by Randall Watters
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Saturday, 25 July 2009 12:35 |
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Did you ever hear about the "Calendar of Jehovah God"? In 1935, the Watchtower Society promoted a new calendar to free God's people from the pagan Gregorian calendar. 3 issues of the Golden Age magazine detailed this new calendar and it also was promoted in the 1935 Yearbook and the Watchtower magazine.
A few weeks after it appeared in Golden Age the whole project was shelved. Why? Apparently, saner minds decided it would make Jehovah's Witnesses look too strange. But, using the world's calendar today is not viewed as a compromise with paganism despite its pagan roots. Some things with "pagan origins" are not all that bad, actually. Seriously, no one today thinks they're worshiping a false god by going to the Congregation Bible Study at the Kingdom Hall on "Thor's" day despite the origin of the name or calendar.
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