How old is the religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses?

by mankkeli 14 Replies latest jw friends

  • mankkeli
    mankkeli

    This is taken from the reasoning book, page 199.

    "According to the Bible, the line of witnesses of Jehovah reaches back to faithful Abel. Hebrews 11:4–12:1 says: “By faith Abel offered God a sacrifice of greater worth than Cain . . . By faith Noah, after being given divine warning of things not yet beheld, showed godly fear . . . By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed in going out into a place he was destined to receive as an inheritance . . . By faith Moses, when grown up, refused to be called the son of the daughter of Pharaoh, choosing to be ill-treated with the people of God rather than to have the temporary enjoyment of sin . . . So, then, because we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also put off every weight and the sin that easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”

    With reference to Jesus Christ, the Bible states: “These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God.” Of whom was he a witness? He himself said that he made his Father’s name manifest. He was the foremost witness of Jehovah.—Rev. 3:14; John 17:6.

    Interestingly, some of the Jews asked whether the activity of Jesus Christ represented “a new teaching.” (Mark 1:27) Later, some Greeks thought the apostle Paul was introducing a “new teaching.” (Acts 17:19, 20) It was new to the ears of those who were hearing it, but the important thing was that it was the truth, in full harmony with God’s Word.

    The modern-day history of Jehovah’s Witnesses began with the forming of a group for Bible study in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., in the early 1870’s. At first they were known only as Bible Students, but in 1931 they adopted the Scriptural name Jehovah’s Witnesses. (Isa. 43:10-12) Their beliefs and practices are not new but are a restoration of first-century Christianity."

    Do you really believe the JW religin is a restoration of the first century christainity?.

  • JustThatGirl007
    JustThatGirl007

    I sure as hell don't believe that anymore. I figured out in my mid teens that it was started in the late 1800s by CT Russell. I thought that was weird, but didn't give it much further thought for many years.

    Edit: We had studied the Proclaimers book in my late teens and it flat out stated that Russell started the Golden Age and all that business and I just put 2 & 2 together, even though the JWs would like to ignore that.

  • leavingwt
    leavingwt

    It's only as old the latest WT study, IMHO.

    It changes with the wind, as directed by the Watchtower Legal Department.

  • ziddina
    ziddina

    Ooooo, I like Leaving WT's comment!!

    But I was going to say...

    C.T. Russell's movement - around 130+ years...

    The organization that it morphed into after Rutherford took over - around 80+ years [the 1932 convention when they relabeled themselves "Jehovah's Witnesses"...]

    The Christian Greek scriptures - New Testament - around 1800+ years...

    The Hebrew scriptures - Old Testament - around 3,500+ years...

    However, I'd like to throw in a few other numbers...

    Egyptian religion and some pyramids - around 5,000+ years...

    Stonehenge - over 5,000+ years...

    Goddess temples on Malta - around 5,000 to 6,000 years... http://www.art-and-archaeology.com/malta/malta.html

    Cave paintings in France - over 12,000 to 30,000+ years...

    The Berekhat Ram figurine - at LEAST 232,000 years old and possibly as old as 800,000 years - and found in ISRAEL...

    The Tan Tan Venus figurine - at least 300,000 years old... http://www.donsmaps.com/tantanvenus.html

    ***********************************************************

    The Jehovah's Witnesses - well, heck! The bible itself, too - are mere baby upstarts...

  • diamondiiz
    diamondiiz

    Abel was the first Jehovah's witness and Cain the first apostate. Oops, I mean Adam was the first Apostate? Did an apostate give birth to the first Jehovah's witness??? hmmm how ironic that would be if it really was true.

    JW are really since 1931, and WTS since 1879. However you look at it, they're about 130 years full of shit and deception and proud of it.

  • ShirleyW
    ShirleyW

    Well, as far as the modern world goes, I've been told that the lightbulb is just a few years older than the JDub Organization.

    So I'm guessing late 1800's, early 1900's.

  • Aussie Oz
    Aussie Oz

    79 years old.

    1932 was when they started with Rutherfords new name that was designed to alienate any left over IBSA members. The fact that they like to twist the scriptures to provide some unprovable link back to Adam is irrelevant. It's just smoke and mirrors to make the JWs feel special.

    Rutherfruadulent simply hijacked a corporation with an established rag circulation and inherited several thousand confused Russelites. 'Jehovahs witnesses' was the rope to tie it all together.

    79 years... oh how much longer it seems!

    oz

  • blondie
    blondie

    You might think it started in 1931; but until the early '50's, the WTS considered all religion bad, and that the WTS/FDS/GB was not a religion. That is why Rutherford could say that RELIGION is a snare and a racket which he would not have said if he viewed the WTS organization as a religion.

    *** w51 3/15 p. 191 Questions From Readers ***

    In the past we regarded “religion” as anything that was against God’s will. Now many brothers are using the expressions “true religion” and “false religion” to make a distinction. Is this advisable?—D. D., California.

    The brothers are correct in using the qualifying adjectives “true” and “false” respecting religion, so as not to be misunderstood, especially by those outside the organization. In the past we have had to do so much needless explanation and extricating of ourselves from embarrassing positions by not being specific on this. The footnotes of the NewWorldTranslation show the early use by Latin-speaking Christians of the term religio as the equivalent of the Greek term thres·kei′a. It simply means “form of worship”, of which there can be a true and a false kind. Study over the footnotes in the NewWorldTranslation on the texts at Acts 26:5, Colossians 2:18 and James 1:26, 27, and see how the footnote renderings allow for the use of the term “religion” or “religious”, though the texts themselves use the expressions “form of worship” or “formal worshiper”. Hence it is well to make clear our use of the term “religion” by qualifying it as “true” or “false”, if the context or setting does not do this sufficiently.

  • NewChapter
    NewChapter

    It was born the same day as Abel.

  • blondie
    blondie

    The WTS teaches that Jesus is a Witness of "Jehovah"....so actually it ties back to his creation (the WTS teaches Jesus had a pre-human life as a spirit creature). That would be pre-creation of the universe, since the WTS teaches Jesus was the beginning of God's creation.

    (Revelation 1:4-5) . . . May YOU have undeserved kindness and peace from “The One who is and who was and who is coming,” and from the seven spirits that are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, “the Faithful Witness,” “The firstborn from the dead,” and “The Ruler of the kings of the earth.”. . .

    *** rs p. 208 Jehovah’s Witnesses **(Notice how the WTS twists this scripture, "Jehovah" is never used: the facts of the bible are that later in Revelation, Christians are identified as "witnesses of Jesus" not Jehovah*

    ‘Christians are supposed to be witnesses for Jesus, not for Jehovah’

    You might reply: ‘That’s an interesting point you have brought up. And you are right that we do have a responsibility to be witnesses for Jesus. That’s why Jesus’ role in God’s purpose is emphasized in our publications. (You may want to use a current book or a magazine to demonstrate this.) But here is something that may be a new thought to you. (Rev. 1:5) . . . Of whom was Jesus “the Faithful Witness”? (John 5:43; 17:6) . . . Jesus set the example that we should imitate, did he not? . . . Why is it so important to get to know both Jesus and his Father? (John 17:3)’

    (Revelation 1:9) . . .I John, YOUR brother and a sharer with YOU in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in company with Jesus, came to be in the isle that is called Pat′mos for speaking about God and bearing witness to Jesus.

    (Revelation

    12:17) . . .And the dragon grew wrathful at the woman, and went off to wage war with the remaining ones of her seed, who observe the commandments of God and have the work of bearing witness to Jesus.

    (Revelation 17:6) . . .And I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the holy ones and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.. .

    (Revelation 19:9-10) . . .And he tells me: “Write: Happy are those invited to the evening meal of the Lamb’s marriage.” Also, he tells me: “These are the true sayings of God.” 10 At that I fell down before his feet to worship him. But he tells me: “Be careful! Do not do that! All I am is a fellow slave of you and of your brothers who have the work of witnessing to Jesus. Worship God; for the bearing witness to Jesus is what inspires prophesying.”

    (Revelation 20:4) . . .And I saw thrones, and there were those who sat down on them, and power of judging was given them. Yes, I saw the souls of those executed with the ax for the witness they bore to Jesus and for speaking about God, . . .

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit