I went to the assembly for half a day today. I ask myself why I go and I figured it was for a couple of reasons that mainly involve my children. One, I can be a buffer for them while the speakers are hashing out the drivel about how everyone should follow the slave class or face Armageddon. Two, I get to visit Richmond, VA.
So there was a woman giving her testimony about being a witness and how she at times defended the 'truth.'
A few days ago, I recall speaking with my wife concerning what a Church of Christ posted for everyone riding by to read. "God's Word Evolves, Does Yours?" My wife and I surmised that God's word doesn't change, much as truth doesn't change and she used an example concerning how homosexuals might say that God's Word evolved so that it no longer condemns homosexuality.
I brought up that sign again at lunch time during the assembly and asked her how is the idea of God's Word evolving not any different than the concept of new light?
My wife says that God's Word does not change but that "our understanding of it changes."
To which I responded, "That sounds fair but why call your understanding of it truth? Does truth change?"
"The truth does not change," she said, "but our understanding of it changes."
"That would be great if Jehovah's Witnesses were humble enough to admit much of their teachings are simply based on their current understanding of the truth or God's word," I replied, "However, Jehovah's Witnesses call their teachings truth."
"Furthermore," I went on to say, "if their current doctrines are simply based on their current understanding of God's Word which can be referred to as truth, what makes them different from other Bible believing churches?"
"If the truth is simply gospel's message," I continued, "then that woman who said that she defended the truth can join hands with Christians from other churches who also defend the truth. How can you any Jehovah's Witness say that their understanding of the gospel is the truth while saying that other's understanding of it is false when indeed the witnesses understanding of it changes regularly?"
"Doctrine does not change," she replied, "only our understand of it changes."
"However, doctrine comes about based on your understanding of the scriptures," I replied.
This went on for a few minutes as my wife waffled back and forth on how changing understandings is not equivalent to changing truth. I love her dearly but somehow she failed to understand the whole point of what I was trying to convey to her.
If God's Word does not change and God's Word is truth, then truth is also unchanging. If the collective doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses are considered truth and the doctrines are regularly revised to allow for new understanding, then how can the doctrines be considered truth if truth is suppose to be unchanging?
After our lunch we went back inside for the afternoon session. The talks were rather culty and appealed mostly to fear at that point, needless to say I had to leave shortly after the talks began. I took my oldest daughter to Chuck E Cheeses and we had a blast.
