Witnesses get indoctrinated with scriptures that refer
to "the name of my Father". By means of these texts,
they get convinced that evil men removed the
Divine name from the Bible, and replaced it with generic
terms of their own choosing. By this simple arguement,
would-be Witnesses are sent on a path that will lead
them to accept a crushingly narrow life and all the
depression that goes with it. They also become willing
to ignore every act of corruption or false doctrine,
simply because:
"What other organization uses God's name?"
You will hear this idea repeated again and again in
the near future as the Society's corruption is exposed.
It will become a kind of 'last ditch' defense by
worn-out defenders of the Watchtower.
Yet, a little meditation on the scriptures will reveal
that Jesus, Paul and early Christians made little use
of the name Jehovah (Yahweh)- prefering to use "Heavenly
Father" or "God the Father" (1 Cor.8:6) or simply give
the prominence to Jesus, as Lord (John 20:28).
Why would this be? Because their purpose was to build a
universal faith, not tied to the nationalism of Judaism.
Christians preached Christ as savior, not a conflict
contrasting Jehovah versus Zeus!
Think of it this way - everytime Jesus or Paul spoke
of "God" or "Heavenly Father", that was one more missed
opportunity to use the name "Jehovah". This really gets
dramatic when Jesus dies saying "Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me)
AND "Forgive them FATHER, for they know not what they
do" (Luke 23:34) AND "Father, into your hands I entrust
my spirit" (Luke 23:46)
Again and again, while dying for humanity, he avoids the
name "Jehovah" - and the Greek writers transliterated
his quotation, showing that a quote with 'Jehovah' in it COULD
HAVE BEEN RETAINED or that Jesus could have quoted something with
the name in it, at least as a 'clue'!
More than this, references to 'God's name' became
figurative, metaphorical - like "Stop, in the name
of the law!". As such, referring to "the name of my
Father" can mean not the literal name Jehovah or
Yahweh but refers to God's authority or reputation.
How do I know this? BECAUSE WATCHTOWER PUBLICATIONS
TOLD ME SO!
Read the Insight book page 12 under "Jehovah"
It quotes a professor of Hebrew as saying "otherwise
they would have perceived that by name must be meant
here not the two syllables which make up the word
Jehovah but the idea that it expresses...in the Psalms
10:16 'They that know thy name shall put their trust
in thee'; we see at once that to know Jehovah's name
is something very different from knowing the four letters
of which it is composed. It is to know by experience
that Jehovah really is what his name declare him to be" (heading 'Jehovah')
The Society knows about this figurative use of "the
name" but avoids openly acknowledging its usage because
it tends to 'blow up' the 'cult of Yahweh' they've got
going!
Look at John 17:26 "And I have made your name known to
them"[the disciples] Do you really think the twelve
apostles NEVER HEARD OF JEHOVAH???? Isn't it plain that
Jesus was refering to 'your name' metaphorically,
that God's authority and goodness were made manifest?
Finally, look at the famous words;
"Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name"
Isn't it plain that he didn't say "Jehovah, hallowed
be thy name"? Why not look at his reference to 'thy
name' as signifying God's authority and reputation,
not just the two syllables of 'Yahweh'?
Thus, the name "Jehovah" faded away , not simply
because of superstition, but because the men who
spoke for God gradually retired it, in favor of
the notion that there was only one God, the Father,
available to all men everywhere (Acts 17:27,30)
or as Paul put it, in failing to use 'the name'
"there is no God but one... there is actually to us
one God, the Father... and there is one Lord,
Jesus Christ" (1 Cor.8:4,6)
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