What's with my Mom and the NWT?

by Ingenuous 22 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Ingenuous

  Before I left the Org, I decided to start doing my personal Bible reading in a translation other than the NWT. My mother seemed bothered by this, wanting to know why I didn't want to use the NWT, describing why she greatly preferred it to other translations, and generally adopting a worried look whenever I mentioned the topic.

  I talked to her this morning and she turned the conversation into a Q&A session on a Bible I was looking for in a local bookstore. I explained to her what I'd been looking for and mentioned that I'd found a study Bible that I really liked. Instead of being glad that, despite my "inactivity", I'm still reading and studying the Bible, she asks, "So, have you stopped using the NWT completely?" No encouragement or interest in the results of my studying, just a very anxious tone as she asks if I've left the NWT by the wayside. Since I still crack it open on occasion, I said no, I haven't stopped using it, and got an uncomfortable "Oh" and long pause in response.

  What is up with my Mom? I gather it has to do with JWs being sold on the idea that the NWT is the most accurate, God-honoring translation on the face of the earth, but why the big upset over using other versions for study? She didn't like it before I left and there seems an unspoken assumption in the air that not using the NWT means I'm totally hopeless.
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  Shining One

  One of the keys to seeing the false doctrine that has been taught to JWs is studying other translations. Its highly possible that your mother knows this but refuses to admit it. You know how we were indoctrinated by the Society. You might ask your mom why JWs were using the KJV right into the 1960 and crowing about it mentioning the name Jehovah four times. Another tactic might be to get the Catholic New Jerusalem Bible as it uses the verbally defined names of God throughout the O.T. Names liek Yahweh Sabboth, El Shaddai, etc..
  Rex
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  dedpoet

  When I was in the borg I had a collection of other translations, as well as the NWT of course. I remember an occasion when a couple of elders called on me and questioned why I needed other translations, particularly the Jerusalem, as it contains the Apocrypha. I was given a "friendly" warning never to quote any other translation besides the NWT in a talk from the platform! They implied that the NWT is the only true translation as it restores God's name throughout the OT and inserts it in it's rightful place in the NT, and no true servant of jehovah would need any other bible.
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  AlmostAtheist

  I was given a "friendly" warning never to quote any other translation besides the NWT in a talk from the platform!

  Our PO regularly quoted from the Living Bible. I think it varies by person and by congregation. It wasn't at all unusual for a brother at our hall to quote from various translations.

  But when Gina (my wife) started reading the NIV, her mom got all bent out of shape. I guess it's a question of why. Are you just getting another wording? Or are you "searching"? If you're searching, then they get scared.

  Dave
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  oldflame

  I remember a few years back I had a discussion with my mother about their bible. I asked her who says that the NWT is the only accurate translation ? She stated to me that there was a group of people (bible scholars) that approve the bible translations. So I asked her who was this group ? She could not or would not say. So I decided to investigate this myself. I use a NIV for my studies and I had found that Scofield was the ones who were the ones responsible for my NIV translation. So I went into the Scofield web site and found a link to send a email. I wanted to ask without giving any answers or ideas that I was looking for info about the NWT. This is what I wrote : To Whom it Concerns, I have been searching for a group of people who approves bible translations either private, government or non-profit. After careful consideration to all the translations of the bible I was curious who was the most accurate translation out there. Their reply, Dear sir, Thank you for your question. To answer your question. There is no group of people that approve translations of the scriptures. Bibles are translated through different churches and I must tell you that the NWT is the most dangerous translation. It is considered dangerous because they have added and taken away from the original translations in order to fit their doctrine. This person had said other things about the translation but his main purpose was that the NWT was a lie. I never said anything in my email but got the answer i was looking for. I was amazed that I had gotten the answer I did. I went back to my mother with this info and all she could say was all worldly people are just trying to degrade the troof and attack the JW believers because worldly people know that it is the troof. I could not help myself from laughing at how stupid that sounded. Needless to say my mother does not speak to me any more and it does not bother me in the least. But I found what I needed to know and now she knows it. I would suggest asking your mom to do the same as those with Scofield are scholars of the bible and know their stuff pretty well. Tell her to ask without giving any ideas as to what she is looking for, she will get her answer, it will not be what she wants to hear but maybe, just maybe she will begin to look into the troof even harder. The last paragraph in the bible say's that anyone who changes, adds to or takes away from these words shall be doomed.
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  oldflame

  AlmostAtheist,

  Wow, because where I am at it is bad juju for anyone to read from any other bible other than the NWT
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  vitty

  Ive heard speakers quote from other translations, its acceptable as long as it is promoting the speakers thoughts. I remember being a tad excited when the word Jehovah was read out from the " D......" (catholic version cant spell it). How sad is that !!!!!
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  carla

  Just tell her,' sure I use the NWT once and awhile, I want to make sure all these errors and mistranslations everbody keeps talking about are accurate. I'm making sure of all things'.
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  Hellrider

  They use the NWT because they rewrote the Bible to support their doctrines. Without the NWT, the JW-doctrines doesn`t make any sense to people with knowledge about the Bible, and...BRAINS.
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  tall penguin

  When I told my Mom I was disassociating the first question she asked was, "Are you still using the NWT?" Crazy! And this from a woman who refused to study with the dubs unless she could use her Catholic Knox version.
  tall penguin