Compared to many other people, including those who attend church regularly, I would say that many witnesses have a pretty good understanding of the bible. Meaning, they can get around the bible fairly well.
The history of the bible is pretty standard, though now we know that the teachings and viewpoints of the WTS were wrong.
So, all in all, do you think you know more about the bible than most others out there? Can you distinguish the real bible accounts compared to the teachings of the Watchtower?
Good questions. Decades spent as a jw, I would think my Bible knowledge is good. But, looking back, I am not so sure, because it was knowledge based mostly on reading WTS publications. I'm reading the Bible on my own now, and consulting online commnetaries more often and trying to get some different points of view on it.
I honestly think that many jws really have only a surface knowledge of the Bible, with a few key texts learned for witnessing purposes, such as Gen 1:26-28 and 3:15, Isa 48:17, a couple Psalms, Matthew 24:14 and 28:19, 1 Timothy 3:16, and maybe a few others.
Generally speaking, I think most Witnesses have a much broader knowledge of the bible than the average Christian-go-to-Sunday-school. After all, how many Catholics, Protestants or Baptists know that it was Belchazzar and his goons, that drank and ate from the forbidden utensils, which caused a hand to appear on the wall and write: Me-nee Me-nee, Teckel something or other which caused him to drop dead that night? Who else (except some Jews) knows the names of the three Hebrews that were thrown into the firey furnace for not worshipping a false god? (Shadrac, Meshac and A-Bed-We-Go) . Who else knows that Methusala lived for 969 years, that Adam lived for 930 years? Or who else would actually admit that they know what the hell a Hairy He-Goat stands for in the book of Daniel? Pretty scary eh? And what other category on Jepordy, do you get ALL the answers right?
As for an accurate understanding, well, that's a different story altogether..................
