Is it disrespectful to call GOD by his name JEHOVAH?

by foolsparadise 59 Replies latest jw friends

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    Cantleave(wife) ?

    Jesus told us to ouse "Our Father" to instill in us the understanding that we need to build a personal relationship with God, through Jesus.

    We must first KNOW Jesus to KNOW God, but the vital point is that knowledge must be personal, loving and affectionate.

    We are only sepculating on what we think Jesus may or may not have done and whither he used God's Divien name or not is far less important than Jesus actual words telling us what to do.

    We know Jesus actual name in the sense that we know his Greek name, But we don't know that of God's name for there is NOWHERE stated God's full name, at best we can speculate, but why do that when Jesus made it clear HOW WE should pray?

    I truly have no problem with anyone using the term Jehovah as one of his possible names, a name they choose to use, I do have problems with anyone saying it is the TRUE and ONLY name of God because we do NOT know that.

    As for the OT God and the NT God, yes there is only One God and Jesus worshipped this one God, I just have serious doubts that God is the one WRITTEN about in some of the OT passages.

    My God is the God of the New testament, the God of the New Covenant and my Lord and Saviour is his Son Jesus Christ.

  • cantleave
    cantleave

    This is the original Cantleave - I will get Mrs Cantleave to get her own sign-on at some stage!

  • AwSnap
    AwSnap

    He also said that he had made his Father's name known. If the name was never to be pronounced why would he make these statements? I absolutely see what you're saying. It's just that...nobody knows exactly how to say the name. Everything is based on speculation. And the fact that Jehovah's Witnesses pride themselves on using the name Jehovah is really quite silly...because THAT IS NOT HIS NAME. It's interesting how they use Catholics as their main example when describing the religions of Christendom, but the fact is that a Catholic is the first person to "discover" that God's name translates into Jehovah.

    This comes from the WT Library on CD (from the Watchtower 1980, 2/1 11):

    The

    Divine Name in Later

    Times

    THAT the divine name was used in early history is beyond question. But what about later times? Why have certain Bible translations omitted the name? And what is its meaning and significance to us?

    THE

    NAME“JEHOVAH”BECOMES WIDELY

    KNOWN

    Interestingly, Raymundus Martini, a Spanish monk of the Dominican order, first rendered the divine name as “Jehova.” This form appeared in his book PugeoFidei, published in 1270 C.E.—over 700 years ago.

    In time, as reform movements developed both inside and outside the Catholic Church, the Bible was made available to the people in general, and the name “Jehovah” became more widely known. In 1611 C.E. the King James or Authorized Version of the Bible was published. It uses the name Jehovah four times. (Ex. 6:3; Ps. 83:18; Isa. 12:2; 26:4) Since then, the Bible has been translated many, many times. Some translations follow the example of the AuthorizedVersion and include the divine name only a few times.

    In this category is AnAmerican

  • The Almighty Homer
    The Almighty Homer

    You can call me Sam .....or you can call me Fred.....or can call Bill .....or you even you can call Percy .... but just don't call me Jehovah

  • cantleave
    cantleave

    Psacremento - I agree with what you are saying.

    I have thought about the insistance on using a name rather than the term Father and I think I have sussed it.

    JW's are taught that God is the father only to the annointed who are his spiritual sons. They can appropriately refer to him as father and have a close familial bond with him. The rest are taught that they are one step removed from this they are not sons and at best can only hope to be declared righteous as God's friends as Abraham was.

    You cannot be a friend to someone whose name you do not know and use. The use of a name is smoke and mirrors it says by refering to God as Jehovah we have a close personal relationship with him, but not too close. It does place distance between followers in general and the spiritual sons. The Great crowd are not family members but personnal friends. In this context the pronunciation is of less importance than what it means psychologicaly.

    Over the years the great crowd has been distanced from the annointed and the governing body. Different hopes, different relationships with god and different mediators. It's not always spiritual snobbery to use the name it is a genuine desire to build a relationship with a being who is not as close to all followers as was first thought.

    I realise this thread has gone off point a little but I hope this helps to explain a little why the name has such significance within the organisation.

    As I am new to all of this I may not be on the same page as everyone else but I have found all the posts helpful and informative.

  • cantleave
    cantleave

    I think the penny has dropped with the missus (her conclusion above). Thanks with helping us in our family worship night Psanc!

  • WuzLovesDubs
    WuzLovesDubs

    Jesus said to pray like this.... "Our father who art in heaven, Harold be thy name"

    God doesnt CARE what you call him as long as you CALL HIM. :) Seriously...even deaf mutes who never spoke nor heard his name, can still be heard by God since he reads hearts.

    Why do we do this stuff to ourselves???

  • PSacramento
    PSacramento

    Cantleave,

    Jesus told ALL that were listening to him on the sermon on the mound, 4000 or so, to pary like that, he told ALL of US, not just the annointed.

    Jesus is th emediator for ALL, those are the words of Paul, not some, not all annointed, ALL, period.

    We should do our best NOT to add or take away from whatis written.

    As for names, everyone calls me Paul or Mr.Sacramento, and they do not know me, my wife calls me honey, or baby, she knows me, my little ones call me Daddy, they are MY LIFE.

  • sacolton
    sacolton

    When I pray I say, "Heavenly Eternal Father ..." instead of Jehovah.

  • The Almighty Homer
    The Almighty Homer

    When I pray I say " Dear Almighty and Eternal Dude " instead of Jehovah

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