Why do ONLY Jehovahs Witnesses use Gods name? (It was used thousands of times in the bible!)?

Question

Many religions claim that they beleave what the bilbe says. But they ignore the importance of God's REAL name. For egzample:
1. We pray for his name to be sanctified Mt 6:9, 10
2. Numbers of time in the bible it was refered to it as something VERY important Ps 83:18; Ex 6:2, 3; 3:15; Isa 42:8

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses are not superstitious, and Jehovah's Witnesses do not hate themselves....(read on)...


The name "Jehovah" is an English translation of the Hebrew name pronounced as or similar to "Yahweh" or "Yehowah"; the exact original pronunciation is unknown. The four Hebrew characters corresponding to the letters "YHWH" are well-recognized as the biblical personal name of Almighty God, and are universally designated as "the Tetragrammaton" or "the Tetragram".

For centuries, most Jews have superstitiously refrained from pronouncing aloud any form of the divine Name. They base that superstition on the third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses:
(Exodus 20:7) You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way
http://watchtower.org/e/bible/ex/chapter_020.htm?bk=Ex;chp=20;vs=7;citation#bk7

Over the centuries, that Jewish superstition has expanded to also forbid writing or engraving any form of "YHWH", even when simply copying from one of the nearly 7000 occurrences in the Hebrew Scriptures. In recent centuries, some superstitious Jews have even forbade unabbreviated EUPHEMISMS for "YHWH"; capitalized terms such as "Tetragrammaton" and (amazingly) even "the Name" are forbidden by such superstitions.

More recently, the Jewish superstition has ballooned out of all reasonableness by also forbidding respectful impersonal TERMS referring to the Almighty; thus many Jews insist upon writing "G-d" or "G~d" rather than "God". They may even refrain from capitalizing impersonal terms such as "Creator" and "Almighty".

Naturally, the religious and superstitious practices of a person are between him and his Creator. However, in recent decades these superstitious Jews have worked to impose their superstitious sensibilities beyond their religious communities, and onto the entire populace. Thus, although "YHWH' is unanimously recognized as the personal name of God, few today use any form of it in their writings and conversation.

Interestingly, Christendom has largely joined with superstitious Jews in suppressing the use of "Yahweh" and "Jehovah". However, it seems that Christendom's anti-YHWH bias largely devolves from their hatred of Jehovah's Witnesses, the religion almost single-handedly responsible for the growing public recognition that the Almighty God of Judaism and Christianity actually does a personal name.

It seems that too many are more interested in coddling superstition than in allowing intellectual honesty and respect for the Almighty.




Interestingly, Encyclopaedia Judaica says that “the avoidance of pronouncing the name YHWH ... was caused by a misunderstanding of the Third Commandment.”
http://www.jehovantodistajat.fi/e/20040122/article_02.htm

(Psalms 83:18) That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth

(John 17:26) [Jesus said] I have made your name known to them and will make it known, in order that the love with which you loved me may be in them

Answer 2

Not only Jehovah's witnesses call God Jehovah. Christians call God Jehovah from time to time, they also call Him Yahweh, they also call Him Jesus, King of Kings, El Shaddai, Most High, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty King, Prince of Peace, Everlasting Father, Savior, the Rock, He has sooooo many names!

Anyways, about Jehovah. We don't know His real name for sure. Why? Because the Jews didn't write His entire name, out of respect and honor. They left the vowels out. What we have recorded in Scripture is YHVH, known as the Tetragrammaton. Jewish scribes honored the name of God so much, that they washed their hands before writing YHVH and after writing YHVH, then they would continue transcribing the Scriptures. These days people use His name in vain =\

YHVH might be Jehovah, it might be Yahweh, it might be neither.

Even more importantly, Jesus = (Jehovah) saves/(Yahweh) saves/(His real name) saves. So in saying Jesus, we speak of the Father and the Son. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit makes a person born-again, so by saying Jesus, one is speaking of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

About being born-again:

John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. "

When we ask Him to come in, the Holy Spirit lives in the person and the body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

2 Corinthians 5:17
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

peace and love!

Answer 3

Christ in the Lord's Prayer taught us to holify the Father's name... there must be a name...

Answer 4

Actually I had a classmate from Honduras and the name of her church was "Glory to Jehovah", but in spanish of course. She said they only used Jehovah's name as the name of God, cause that's what it is.

I can't remember her religion unfortunately, but she was not a Jehovah's witness.

Many Bible names are still popular today. In some cases the original Hebrew meaning of these names actually included the personal name of God. Here are a few examples of such names and their meaning. Perhaps your name is one of them.

Joanna—"Jehovah Has Been Gracious"
Joel—"Jehovah Is God"
John—"Jehovah Has Shown Favor"
Jonathan—"Jehovah Has Given"
Joseph—"May Jah Add"
Joshua—"Jehovah Is Salvation"

Answer 5

J.W.s USED to pray to Jesus. So I hope you're sure of exactly what you're saying before you make these claims. Also check up all the relevant material available in the JW library's going back to Charles Taze Russell time and get the correct information about the history of this organisation and the way in which things have been changed and called new light as and excuse for not really being in relationship with God. Of course Jehovah is not the correct translation so you may need to get your self something other than JW material to find out the interpretation. Of course if you are a JW you may not be allowed or approved of for doing that sort of thing.

Answer 6

When the bible scholars were writing God's name in the manuscripts they began to feel that it was so holy that they would have to wash their hands clear up to the elbows before writing it. And since the personal name of the Most High God, Jehovah, is repeated thousands of times they concluded it would be too time consuming to keep writing it.

They used Adhonay instead. Some translations simply used LORD or GOD. There was a supersticion that arose where they were opposed to saying God's name. One explanation was they didn't want their enemies to use it in a defamitory way. Another thought that it was just too holy to pass their lips so they forgot over the centuries how to say it. But Jehovah himself said that he would have his name declared in all the earth.

I have a name and so do you. You have no qualms about saying Jesus' name. Then we should respect and honor God by using his personal name, Jehovah. If your bible doesn't say who Jehovah is...google it.

Everyone should be calling on his name. Acts22:16....Romans 10:13

Answer 7

We Witnesses are not the only one's to use Jehovah's name.

Answer 8

Because we follow Jesus Christ's example.

In the Bible, Jesus (Yeshua) only once pronounces the name of God (while reciting Isaiah 42:8), but when He recited it, the transcription of "Adonai" (Master/Lord/Sir) had already replaced the tetragram YHVH in the Old Testament, so it is questionable whether He actually said "Yehveh" or the more common "Adonai".

Every other time He referred to God, Jesus said "My Father" or "Your Father", or "My God" or "Your God".

The Bible says to not take the Lord's name in vain. "Vain" literally means 'meaningless' or 'without true intention'. Thus, to use YHVH's name in vain means to utter it without having the express purpose of referring to Him and His glory.

In other words, by using His name as part of the official title of your religion, you incite other people to use the name in casual passing without taking true thought to the sanctity and holiness of the name.

I wholeheartedly agree with the examples you cite above, that the name of the Lord is extremely important. Most other Christian and Judaistic religions refer to it and use it in worship services. The difference is that outside of holy worship, they avoid the too frequent utterance of the name in order to avoid having it become commonplace and lose its holiness.

Besides, when Christ prayed to His Father, He called Him precisely that; 'Father'. He even said, "after this manner shall you pray" (meaning, in this style) "Our Father which art in heaven (notice Jesus didn't call Him by His name) HALLOWED BE THY NAME..."

Hallow means to consider sacred, or to venerate (to elevate, to not profane, meaning not to treat it as commonplace)

Now let's clear up some misconceptions:

Witnesses are not the only ones using the Divine Name. Many (if not most) Christian denominations use it in worship services, as noted above. You are just the only ones that make a huge deal about it and cry it from the rooftops.

Witnesses are also DEFINITELY NOT the only ones being persecuted. I'm sorry, but you only have to look around to see that it's not true. You'll find more inflammatory material against Catholics, Muslims, Mormons, Jews, and even Evangelists than you ever will on Witnesses.

Also, although there are no qualms calling a friend or acquaintance by his/her name, I don't call my parents "Steve and Amy". I call them "Dad and Mom", or else "Father and Mother". That is why Jesus called His Father "Abba" (affectuous familiar appelation, almost like 'Daddy' or 'Papa') instead of "Jehovah" during His most critical prayer.

I don't disagree with your position at all that the Lord's name is important; I just believe in keeping it in perspective. Jesus said a lot more about befriending and accepting sinners than He did about the Lord's name. By this logic, Witnesses should be just as ardent about accepting, befriending, and not judging sinners as they are about using the Lord's name. Instead, they "exclude" sinners until the congregation judges them to be penitent. Do you not see a problem here?

Answer 9

God´son name is Jesus (luke 1:32) and his Father the most high is Jehovah (Psalms 83:18).

Answer 10

We call Jesus by His name and The Father by His name, Jehovah. Why do you think only JW's do that?