DO WE UNDERSTAND THESE THREE WORDS: WORSHIP, IDOLATRY, and BLASPHEMY?
Most Christians have a vague notion of worship, idolatry, and blasphemy already, but
A clear definition is necessary.
We must take care to differentiate, however.
How the words appear in original language and how they are defined today might be at odds.
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The meaning of the New Testament Greek word most often translated “worship” (proskuneo) is “to fall down before” or “bow down before.”
Does this surprise you?
This doesn’t seem like quite enough, does it? And yet—this is the language of the New Testament.
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During President Barack Obama’s presidency, he has bowed 8 times to foreign kings and dignitaries. Certainly this was no act of worship, but deference—or—professional courtesy and nothing more.
This public courtesy is for the eyes of others.
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What goes on inside the mind of the one bowing or prostrating themselves is altogether another matter.
True worship is a reaction and not a decision.
How so? Emotion is involved.
Emotion is an involuntary physical signal triggered by one’s values.
You can fake behavior, but you cannot experience emotions which are counterfeit or feigned.
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Defined with this in mind we can say:
WORSHIP is a spontaneous emotional response which overwhelms the worshipper with wonder, awe, admiration and total devotion.
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On a mundane level, one only has to recall the reaction of fans seeing in person such performers as the Beatles or Elvis Presley to understand the emotional and compulsive element of worship.
Note: the distinction between worship in appearance and worship from emotion in this one small scriptural descriptive is described:
Matthew 28:17New King James Version (NKJV)
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
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The most important aspect of worship is spontaneous feeling and not ritual behavior.
Faking a deeply held appraisal is without value in the spirit of true worship. It is empty of content.
Let us move on to IDOLATRY.
In Greek, eidololatria, is the transfer of respect and emotion to the IMAGE or representation rather than THE REAL thing.
In Hebrew, avodah zarah (foreign worship) references the transfer of loyalty from here to THERE.
NOTE: A clear link can be observed here. Where your heart is your emotions follow. To profess love for someone while experiencing emotions elsewhere is the key to IDOLATRY.
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BLASPHEMY:
In both (Old and New) Testaments the idea of blasphemy as something that offends the religious sensibilities of others is completely absent.
Blasphemy is personal to God—it has nothing to do with how others view god.
The best example is given in the account of what happened when Moses brought the newly escaped Israelites to Mt. Sinai to receive God’s covenant and laws.
Nehemiah 9:18Revised Standard Version (RSV)
18 Even when they had made for themselves a molten calf and said, ‘This is your God who brought you up out of Egypt,’ and had committed great blasphemies. . .”
What just happened? Be very careful here not to impose preconceived ideas into this verse!
The Golden Calf was identified as ‘your God who brought you out of Egypt’ and this Golden Calf
stirred the emotions of the people. They FELT worship for IT rather than the true God.
Are you ready to combine these 3 terms, Worship, Idolatry, and Blasphemy into an UNDERSTANDING of crucial importance?
The following verses make very clear that the Living God is not a ‘respecter of persons’. . .
2 Samuel 14:14
2 Chronicles 19: 7
Acts 10: 34
Romans 2: 11
If you read those verses the clear message is simply, God does not give respect to persons.
So what?
So this, the Watchtower Organization contradicts these clear statements.
God says one thing and the Watchtower says the opposite. Why?
Before we answer this, let’s read the Watchtower definition of BLASPHEMY:
INSIGHTS IN THE SCRIPTURES, Vol. 1
“Blasphemy includes the attributes of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of God, or
ascribing these to another person or god.”
Okay, do you have that definition clearly in mind?
What now if the Watchtower Organization proceeds to do that very thing—claim attributes or prerogatives of God while ascribing these to THEMSELVES?
- Watchtower Sept. 15, 1993: “But if we were to draw away from Jehovah’s organization, there would be no place else to go for salvation and pure joy.”
- Watchtower Nov. 15, 1981: “. . . Come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation. . .”
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Salvation is the prerogative of God, is it not?
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“Blasphemy includes the attributes of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of God, or
ascribing these to another person or god.”
Romans 10: 13 “For everyone who calls upon the name of Jehovah will be saved.”
NOT: “Come to Jehovah’s organization FOR SALVATION.”
Did the Apostle Paul or the other Apostles ever form an Organization and bid others to find salvation by means of it or by means of them? NO!
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
This would include Watchtower Corporation, Kingdom Hall, Jehovah’s Witnesses and ORGANIZATION, wouldn’t it?
Salvation is not from the church, the apostles, the Bible or Organization accordingly.
At this point we can pull our understanding of BLASPHEMY closer to view and use it to analyze and clarify what claims the Watchtower ORGANIZATION is making for itself. Can it be blasphemous?
Worldwide Security under the Prince of Peace (Chapter 1)
“Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members.”
Is the Watchtower going to CLAIM FOR ITSELF the prerogative of God by this? Read on.
Watchtower Sept. 1, 1951 “Thus these gain words of salvation and seek refuge and life through Jehovah’s organization.”
Is it fair to read into these words a claim not intended?
Watchtower-Nov.1, 1990 “We cannot take part in any modern version of idolatry—be it worshipful gestures toward an image or symbol or the imputing of salvation to a person or organization.”
How then are those 3 terms (Worship, Idolatry, Blasphemy) to be understood in view of the Watchtower’s claims?
Jehovah is the only true source of prophecy BUT who was the source of the following?
- Watchtower -March 16, 1962 “. . . This generation that is still alive from A.D. 1914 is the generation Jesus said would, “see all things occur,” including this world’s end.” “That a symbolic application to wicked persons is NOT meant at Matthew 24:34 is apparent. . . “
- Watchtower-Nov. 1, 1995 “. . . “This generation” apparently refers to the peoples of earth who see the signs of Christ’s presence but fail to mend their ways.” i.e. ‘wicked’
Does this ‘clarification’ contradict the previous statement? Yes. Is it from Jehovah? No.
Who is assuming the prerogatives of God in making these ‘clarifications’ of prophecy?
If it is a person or organization (Yes, the Watchtower) it is an act of BLASPHEMY.
“Blasphemy includes the attributes of claiming the attributes or prerogatives of God, or
ascribing these to another person or god.”
- Watchtower Feb.15 2008 “As a class, these anointed ones make up the modern day “generation” of contemporaries that will not pass away “until all these things occur.” This suggests that some who are Christ’s anointed brothers will still be alive on earth when the foretold great tribulation begins.”
- Watchtower-June 15, 2010 “Jesus evidently meant that the lives of the anointed ones who were on hand when the sign began to be evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other anointed ones who would see the start of the great tribulation.”
HERE were FOUR STABS at clarification. Is it Jehovah making things ‘clearer’? Was God struggling to understand what Jesus meant—or was it people claiming the attributes and prerogatives of God making fools of themselves by over reaching?
Have I gone too far?
Am I exaggerating?
Is the Governing Body of the Watchtower Organization REALLY putting itself equal to Jehovah?
Watchtower- June 1, 1956 “The slave’s will is Jehovah’s will. Rebellion against the slave is rebellion against God.”
Who is this ‘slave’? The ‘faithful and discreet slave’ which is the Watchtower’s pet phrase for the Governing Body leaders.
Remember those verses about God being “no respecter of persons”?
Now we see why.
Watchtower Organization demands loyalty and unquestioning obedience which are God’s prerogatives.
Watchtower Organization holds itself as the Mediator for salvation.
Watchtower Organization holds itself as the prophet and teacher of God’s prophetic truth—but it
Cannot seem to figure things out without repeated missteps, errors and clarifications which aren’t clear!
THE CASE FOR BLASPHEMY has been made.
What is your verdict?
One last point. Jesus and Christianity are about the rescue of mankind from sin for everlasting life.
The Watchtower disagrees with this. The Organization takes precedence over everything!
Watchtower—April 13, 1951 “God’s organization is more important to him than the salvation of an immoral or disobedient creature.”
WHAT AN OUTRAGEOUS SENSE OF SELF-IMPORTANCE!
I leave you with the words of Romans 5:8
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
Did Jesus die for an ORGANIZATION? (The word ‘organization’ is absent from scripture.)
No.
The Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses is led by false idols stealing emotional involvement away
from God and attaching it to themselves. This is BLASPHEMY!
The Organization has called itself MOTHER.
The Organization wants to be loved, obeyed, trusted because it is a FALSE IDOL.