Posts by Ding

29

Newly discovered Dead Sea Scrolls with the tetragrammaton within the Greek text

by dropoffyourkeylee in

big news from israel, some previously undiscovered dead sea scrolls have been found with portions of the ot in greek.

it says the name of god is included in hebrew letters within the greek text.. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/16/world/middleeast/dead-sea-scrolls.html.

"the new fragments contain verses from zechariah 8:16-17, including part of the name of god written in ancient hebrew, and verses from nahum 1:5-6, both from the biblical book of the twelve minor prophets.".

Ding

Actually, this is an argument against the Watchtower position.

The Dead Sea scrolls were of the Old Testament.

If it was important to include the Hebrew Tetragrammaton in the Greek text, why didn't the New Testament writers do it as well?

50

Prove That Jehovah’s Witnesses Do Not Have The “Truth”

by minimus in

jw
friends

someone is researching jehovah’s witnesses.

they happen to come on to this site.

do the witnesses have the truth??.

Ding

The WT "truth" keeps changing, but JWs are required to believe that the latest version is always the real truth.

28

Why do some people who were trapped in the WT and wake up, still believe in the Bible God who allowed them to be deceived for years.

by pistolpete in

why do some people who were trapped in the wt and wake up after much frustration and anger that they were lied to, still believe in the bible god who allowed them and their families to be deceived and trapped for years.

i have an acquaintance who is a lot older than me and for the past 30 years he has been out of the watchtower religion and is sola scriptura.

sola scriptura is a theological doctrine that posits the christian scriptures as the sole infallible source of authority for christian faith and practice.

Ding

PistolPete,

In the words of lawyer Bill Clinton, "It all depends on what the meaning of the word "is" is..."

28

Why do some people who were trapped in the WT and wake up, still believe in the Bible God who allowed them to be deceived for years.

by pistolpete in

why do some people who were trapped in the wt and wake up after much frustration and anger that they were lied to, still believe in the bible god who allowed them and their families to be deceived and trapped for years.

i have an acquaintance who is a lot older than me and for the past 30 years he has been out of the watchtower religion and is sola scriptura.

sola scriptura is a theological doctrine that posits the christian scriptures as the sole infallible source of authority for christian faith and practice.

Ding

Pistolpete,

Is it possible for anyone to write something that is so clear that human beings can't twist or misinterpret it?

The more words a writer uses to avoid misunderstanding, the more chances there are that someone will read something into those words that wasn't intended.

I personally have published a number of things (articles and the like), and invariably people have demonstrated a capacity (whether deliberately or inadvertently) to mischaracterize (sometimes greatly mischaracterize) what I wrote.

40

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Wrong Regarding Staying Out of Politics?

by minimus in

jw
friends

we were told we were part of the world if we got involved in politics.

if we had employment that had political involvement we were instructed to get another job.

we were told we might be considered disassociated if we voted and then it became questionable.

Ding

Rutherford got "new light" that the superior authorities of Romans 13 were Jehovah and Jesus, not the worldly governments (as taught by Christendom).

After he died, Knorr got newer light that they were the government authorities after all.

So instead of getting brighter and brighter, on this issue it was a strobe light.

I'm reminded of this statement from the May 15, 1976 Watchtower:

"It is a serious matter to represent God and Christ in one way, then find that our understanding of the major teachings and fundamental doctrines of the Scriptures was in error, and then after that, to go back to the very doctrines that, by years of study, we had thoroughly determined to be in error. Christians cannot be vacillating—‘wishy-washy’—about such fundamental teachings. What confidence can one put in the sincerity or judgment of such persons?"

11

Should I continue to help an "unbelieving" husband?

by RiverPeace in

jw
friends

i know there are a lot of 'wise heads' out there on this forum - so i would appreciate your suggestions.. several years ago, i studied with a guy, whose wife is a jw.

(he had studied with several elders before i came along).

the study went reasonably well.

Ding

This might depend on how confident you are that you can show him contradictions between WT teachings and the Bible.

Be especially careful not to get sucked into the WT yourself.

If you decide to give it a go, remember that questions work better than statements.

Don't try to prove anything to him; let him prove to you that the WT is right. After all, he thinks they have the truth and it's his job to teach you.

If you want to take a biblical approach, you might look for resources to help you.

I'd recommend Rhodes' book, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Jehovah's Witnesses or Englund's book, Getting Through to Jehovah's Witnesses.

Both are available on Amazon.

24

What JW Subjects Interest You The Most On This Site? What Doesn’t??

by minimus in

jw
friends

i like subjects that delve into the history of the religion and proofs that the witnesses are not the true religion.

i’m not so much into apologists saying we need to go to meetings, especially if the poster looks like a scammer trying to get ex jws going.

what subjects interest you ?

Ding

Even though many -- maybe most of -- us here are now well informed about WT theology and issues, there are always new ones joining the forum who are trying to sort through all of it.

I want to be of as much help as I can, being thankful for the people who helped me.

9