by in a new york bethel minute 18 Replies latest watchtower bible
anybody know how the witnesses managed to demonize the expression, "new testament/old testament"? my JW mother said "it's because when you call the hebrew scriptures the old testament, it makes them sound out of date, but they're really not because there is so much we can learn from blah blah blah blah blah blah"
any thoughts?
bethel
***other than for the fact that they were written mainly in those languages
the wt calls them the greek scriptures because IT'S ALL GREEK TO THEM. LOL
I once slipped and used the OT/NT terminology in a public talk. My wife corrected me the minute I sat down at my seat, like it as such a big deal. Your mom is right about the out of date thing being the reason.
It is the position of the WT that the entire Bible is important; the old and the new have EQUAL weight in their minds. So rather than seeing the OT as the chronicles of a desert tribe trying to see the hand of God in all that happened to them, it is the type for modern day witness congregations and social structure.
If that is your position, you can't very well describe it as an OLD testament versus the NEW testament.
90% of the WT's are based on OT vengeance, inveighing against "rebellious ones", etc.
Old Testament New Testament is just to mainstream for the witness structure so they adhere to special inside language which they call the bible books Hebrew and Christian Greek scriptures. Old and New Testament refers to and essentially means old and new covenent. To the average JW they believe they are no part of this covenent so its not a big issue to the average rank and file witness.
Ticker
The watchtower needs to redefine as much as possible in minds of their converts. It’s just the process of setting them apart from anyone else. Cults have to do this to completely brainwash their followers to buy into the rest of their crap. Cross, birthdays, blood, voting new testament/Greek scriptures and alike. They are slowly changing and adjusting things when they absolutely have too and calling it “new light”. Not because they admit to being wrong but only when they are forced adjust things by reality beating out their false teachings. It cracks me up when it happens. It’s happening more and more as time goes on.
Dave
Interesting that they call it "the greek scriptures". I mean, since they don`t believe that it was greek in the first place, but hebrew, at least some of the Gospels. This is of course total bs, but that`s what they believe, in order to justify putting that Jehovah-word into the NT all over the place.
However, they do use the common terms when making press statements etc. Also, it is kind of funny with their using the expression before our common era, etc and not the regular terms AD etc. Where I come from, it seems that the witnesses are the only ones who make use of a specific date term. This was introduced just a few years ago....
I do believe that seven006 has it right on.
By redefining most terminology it creates a sense of 'special position and understanding' with God. A sort of arrogance. It has the additional effect of holding people captive too, due to an inability to really converse on equal terms with others outside the cult.
I also think the fact that they want to return to an extension of jewish legalism is part of the reason. They do not want anyone to think of the Old Testament as old.
Interesting thread, IaNYBM.
Jeff
