I posted a while back with a copy of the letter that I sent to the society. Its at : http://www.geocities.com/lovelight75/socletter.htm
Here is the response. Dates etc are omitted. What do you think of their arguments?
Dear Sister XXXX
We are pleased to respond to your letter of (date). Please accept our apology for our unusually long delay in replying. You ask for our comments regarding a number of scriptural questions that you say have troubled you for some time. The first several questions deal with the New World Translation.
You ask about the propriety of including the name "Jehovah" in the Christian Greek Scriptures. George Howard, of the University of Georgia, carefully researched the matter of whether the name Jehovah ever appeared in the original manuscripts of the Greek Scriptures, and his findings were published in the highly respected Journal of Biblical Literature, Volume 96/1 (1977), pages 63 to 83. We are enclosing a photocopy of this article "The Name of God in the New Testament," from Biblical Archaeology Review Magazine, March 1978, pages 12 to 14, 56, which summarizes the very technical and copiously documented article in the Journal. Note on Page 14, column 2, he draws the conclusion that "toward the end of the first Christian century, the use of surrogates (kyrios and theos) and their contractions must have crowded out the Hebrew tetragrammaton in both testaments." Also, note the enclosed comments of Baptist language scholar William Carey Taylor in The New Bible Pro and Con, a review of the Revised Standard Version, pages 70 to 75.- For further clarification, we encourage you to study carefully appendixes 1C and 1D of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures-With References, pages 1562 to 1565, and Insight on the Scriptures, Volume 2, pages 5 to 13.
The New World Translation's rendering of 1 Peter 3:15 prompts your second question. You ask why it states, "sanctify the Christ as Lord in your hearts," since you believe that the apostle was quoting from Isaiah 8:13, which uses the Tetragrammaton. While Peter may have had in mind the principle of Isaiah 8:13 when penning this verse, he was not clearly making a direct quotation as he was from Isaiah 8:12, the previous verse. Isaiah 8:13 reads: "Jehovah of armies-he is the One whom you should treat as holy,and he shold be the object of your fear, and he should be the One causing you to tremble." When Peter wrote that Christians were to "sanctify the Christ as Lord in [their] hearts" he was reminding them to accord Jesus the greatest respect by assigning him a sacred place in their hearts as their personal "Lord," or Master. Hence, they were not "sanctifying the Christ as Jehovah," or declaring that Christ was Jehovah. This is clear from the apostle Paul's words at Romans 10:9: "If you publicly declare that 'word in your own mouth,' that Jesus is Lord, and excersize faith in your heart that God raised him up from the dead, you will be saved." Certainly, God, who raised the Lord Jesus up from the dead, is not the same person as the "Lord" whom he raised up.-1 Corinthians 8:6.
The apostle Peter, however, was using the principle at Isaiah 8:13, namely, that God's people should not fear their enemies but treat as holy Jehovah God. Peter was taking this basic principle and applying it to a Christian's attitude towards Jesus as his Exemplar when faced with persecution. Obviously, a Christian would treat as holy, or sanctify, both Jehovah and Jesus. Since even Jehovah had sanctified Jesus, how fitting that Jesus' followers likewise do so. (John 10:36) The following verses in 1 Peter chapter 3 draw attention to the example that Christ set in suffering for the will of God, and finally, Peter says Jesus is seated "at God's right hand," clearly showing him to be distinct from his father. (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:43-46; 1 Peter 3:16-18,22) For these reasons the New World Translation does not put "Jehovah" for "Lord" at 1 Peter 3.:15.
Concerning the use of the word "other" at Colossians 1:15-20, we refer you to the enclosed photocopies of pages 28 and 29 from the September 8, 1964, issue of Awake!-1 Corinthians 15:27,28.
Most of the other issues you raise have been discussed at length in our publications. Surely you are aware of the increasing light that comes from a continued study of God's Word. As to our view of the celebration of Birthdays, we encourage you to read what was published under "Questions from Readers" in the October 15,1998, issue of the Watchtower, pages 30 and 31. Concerning the scriptural viewpoint of minor blood components, you will find a thorough discussion in the June 15, 2000, issue of the Watchtower on pages 29 to 31.
We trust that the comments of our letter will be helpful. Prayerfully consider what we have said. At the same time, we urge you to consider just who today are truly doing the will of God and showing the identifying marks of genuine Christianity.-John 13:35; 1 John 3:10-12; See enclosed photocopies of Britain's Catholic Herald, page 4; The New York Times Book Review of January 28, 1996, page 28; Ideology of Death, by John Weiss, pages 313 and 314; German-language printout fromthe Swiss Evangelical Reform Churh's 1997 Reformierte Presse, December 8, 1998, with English translation.
With our letter we send our Christian love and best wishes.
Your brothers in Jehovah's service,
Watchtower bible and tract society of New York