JWs Are The Smartest People on Earth

by comforter 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  TR

  What leading Greek scholars say about the NWT:

  1. Dr. Bruce M.
  Metzger , professor of New Testament at Princeton University, calls the NWT "a frightful mistranslation ," " Erroneous " and " pernicious " " reprehensible " "If the Jehovah's Witnesses take this translation seriously, they are polytheists ." (Professor of New Testament Language and Literature)
  2. Dr. William
  Barclay , a leading Greek scholar, said "it is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest ."
  3. British scholar H.H. Rowley stated, "From beginning to end this volume is a shining example of how the Bible
  should not be translated ."
  4. "Well, as a backdrop, I was disturbed because they (Watchtower) had
  misquoted me in support of their translation." (These words were excerpted from the tape, "Martin and Julius Mantey on The New World Translation", Mantey is quoted on pages 1158-1159 of the Kingdom interlinear Translation)
  5. Dr. Julius
  Mantey , author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament, calls the NWT "a shocking mistranslation ." "Obsolete and incorrect." "It is neither scholarly nor reasonable to translate John 1:1 'The Word was a god.'"
  6. "I have never read any New Testament
  so badly translated as The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of The Greek Scriptures.... it is a distortion of the New Testament . The translators used what J.B. Rotherham had translated in 1893, in modern speech, and changed the readings in scores of passages to state what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and teach. That is a distortion not a translation ." (Julius Mantey , Depth Exploration in The New Testament (N.Y.: Vantage Pres, 1980), pp.136-137)
  7. the
  translators of the NWT are "diabolical deceivers ." (Julius Mantey in discussion with Walter Martin
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  Francois

  Reborn, there was a couple in my KH who had a baby. Nothing remarkable about that. Gotta fill your evenings with something when you're a JW. Well, ten months later they had another baby. They were embarassed to learn that, yes, you could get pregnant while you are nursing. They were certain you couldn't.

  Let's hear it for JW intellectual superiority.

  Most of the JWs I've ever known couldn't find their own asses with both hands in broad open daylight.

  This is the reason that the Watchtower, Awake, and every other JW publication is written at about a fourth grade comprehension level.

  Francois
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  joannadandy

  There are all sorts of levels of intelligence. No matter what faith you look into there are going to be those with book learnin' and those without! tee-hee!

  But you cannot deny that they do discourage higher education, which keeps a lot of people from career paths they may have wanted. Sure those are some of the more strict teaching at play, but it still happens. As Reborn pointed out most people in the JW faith don't have college degrees. Does this mean they are not smart, no-college doesn't equal brains, (just look at George Bush Jr.) nor does it mean you can only read the Awake and learn everything you could ever need to know in life.

  I am just always leary of any organization or individual who considers themselves overly intelligent.
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  bonovox

  *sigh*

  Here we go again with the broad sweeping generalizations. Has it ever occurred to any who are able to see past their own experience that the statement "all JWs are idiotic dolts" is just as ludicrous as "JWs are the smartest people on earth?"!?

  But I suppose I was in the minority, having skipped a grade in public school, breezing through high school to graduate at age 17 and finishing college with top marks and honours. I'll tell you one advantage I had growing up a JW: my reading, writing and public speaking skills were certainly miles ahead of any of my "worldly" peers. I won so many spelling, essay writing and public speaking competitions that even my teachers were scared of me. And no, I didn't base all my speeches on Awake articles. My two sisters have had almost identical experiences, although my youngest is the true brainer in the family.

  Guess we were members of the 'rare-5%-with-a-brain class'...

  EDIT: I could be jumping to conclusions, but I'd be willing to bet that the original poster was joking, you know, for a good laugh...I hope...lol..

  (also edited for an inappropriately placed 'of'...lol)

  Edited by - bonovox on 13 June 2002 10:48:42

  Edited by - bonovox on 13 June 2002 10:55:34
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  Incense_and_Peppermints

  but other jws are wise and discreet also (You Know).

  oh they're wise and discreet all right. wise about which children they can most successfully prey upon, and discreet about their pre-marital/extramarital affairs and shady business dealings.
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  AjaxMan

  Quote: "JWs Are The Smartest People on Earth"

  That is a bad generalization. It's true that there are JWs who are very smart, but to compare/contrast JWs with non-JWs that way is just BullShit. Also, while many JWs are not college educated, that does not mean that they are dumb. I agree with what joanna said in regards to that.

  I have to add that because a Higher Education ( 4 year degree college education or Masters and PhD) encourages independent thinking, JWs are discouraged to seek Higher Education. Even if it is said that they relaxed that stance a little bit, it is still discouraged for a lot of JWs to go to colleges and universities.

  About the WatchTower and Awake magazines providing more education than college, how can you be sure of that? Can these magazines train you to become a doctor? a lawyer? an architect? or an engineer? I seriously doubt it.
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  amac

  I do think this thread is either a joke or someone trolling. If not, then Comforter, you are an idiot and beyond help, therefore not worth an argument.

  However, it's a shame to see people jump to the defense with the old "JW's are dumb." Some ex-JWs and Apostates are so confident in their theories of life and religion, that they are very similar to a hardcore JW.

  There are many ways to measure "smarts." Don't assume that because a person chooses not to pursue institutionalized education because of religous beliefs that they are dumb. Mistaken maybe, but not dumb or stupid. I would never make the generalization that a group of uneducated people are dumb.

  I was glad to see balanced arguments from the likes of bonovox, joannadandy and others.

  amac
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  Imbue

  Everyone is an individual and that includes JWs!

  Some are very intelligent and others are challenged.
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  Kenneson

  Didn't I read elsewhere that Comforter was no longer going to comfort us on this Board?????
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  DanTheMan

  The scribes, sadducess and pharisees were pretty smart guys too.

  The smartest J-dubs are often the most arrogant and unloving ones.