http://www.caymannetnews.com/cgi-script/csArticles/articles/000039/003943.htm
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
The Watch Towers teachings are convoluted
Monday, July 17, 2006
Dear Sir:
As is typical of Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs), Mike Trissel failed to completely explain the WatchTower Society's teachings on the nature of Jesus Christ; probably because he himself does not understand the WatchTower's convoluted teachings.
First, the WatchTower Society teaches that humans do not have a separate soul-spirit that is the essence of an individual. Instead of the soul and spirit returning to God for assignment to paradise or Hades when the body dies (awaiting resurrection), JWs teach that humans totally cease to exist when the body dies. Instead of believing that the "resurrection" will be the future uniting of the soul and spirit with the body (as taught in the Bible), JWs teach that the "resurrection" will be a "replication" of the previously existing human; with the previously existing "thought patterns" (recorded by God) installed in a new body.
It is essential to understand the above when trying to figure out the convoluted WatchTower teachings about who is "Jesus Christ". Since the Bible plainly teaches that Jesus existed as the divine "Word of God" prior to coming to live on earth and that He returned to heaven thereafter, JWs must attempt to explain who is/was "Jesus Christ" consistent with their teaching that humans have no separate soul-spirit.
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that prior to living on earth as the human named Jesus, the "Word of God" was merely an archangel named Michael.
JWs believe the "Word of God" was merely a created being like all other angels. Rather than being "divine", Michael was mortal. The only thing "special" about Michael as compared with other angels or archangels was that he just so happened to be God's first creation; with God then using Michael to carry out the rest of God's creation works.
Michael was superior to other angels only via the instances of authority granted exclusively to him.
Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus Christ was a 100% mortal human when here on earth. Since Jesus Christ did not have a separate spirit-soul living within his human body, then it was impossible for him to have been both the "Son of Man" and the divine "Son of God" (as taught in the Bible). JWs teach that when the human named Jesus was crucified that he completely ceased to exist.
Since Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that the mortal human named Jesus also had a divine soul-spirit that was a continuation of his previous existence in heaven, then by necessity, the JWs must believe that Michael the Archangel completely ceased to exist while Jesus was using Michael's "thought patterns", which God had installed in the newly created human named Jesus while he existed here on earth.
When Jesus was resurrected on the third day, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that instead of being "resurrected" as "Jesus Christ" with a "glorified body", that God "replicated" him back to existing as Michael the Archangel. As a reward for not sinning against God while living on earth as a human, JWs believe that God granted Michael an "immortal" existence in heaven; though still as an angel.
Yes, all this "mess" is difficult to understand and follow, because it does not make sense. However, this is what the WatchTower Society teaches. JWs will deny much of the above, because they don't follow nor understand it themselves.
Mark Jasper
_________________________________________________________________________________
So, is it true? will JWs deny this? what is their GOOD NEWS? I never hear THIS at the door. - will power
"I'd rather have questions I can't answer, than answers I can't question"
More Cayman News - Jesus/Michael/Jesus - bible based?
by Will Power 4 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
-
Will Power
-
Will Power
LOL
guess that should be
michael/jesus/michael -
IP_SEC
That letter accurately reflects the JW teaching of mike and jebus, but no I dont think they would deny it.
-
Midget-Sasquatch
Yep thats exactly what they teach about Jesus. I'll also add that they believe that all of Jesus' memories - Pre-Earth/in Heaven - weren't accessible to him as a human until he was baptised. Then it all supposedly came back to him. Rather curious on how that would work from their purely materialistic outlook on human beings? How do you put all those millenia (if not eternity) of memories into a finite mind?
-
dvw
correct me if i am wrong. it seems to me that the "knowledge book" states that jehovah will "remember" the faithful and install the thought patterns similar to a "video tape." i am pretty sure that i read this. seems like it was that particular book. creepy.
eat drink and be merry...for tomorrow ye be a re-run.