1. Yesterday someone told me told me that you have to do something like seven years of missionary work for the JWs before you can even get baptized. Is this true?
2. I was also told that JWs believe that when you die, your body/soul/spirit just lays in the ground sleeping until the resurrection. Is this true? Do JWs not believe that the spirit and the body are separated at death?
2007-08-06 06:11:26 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Short and to the point:
1. Is false. Some people who have never even heard of the Jehovah's Witnesses, but start to learn and want to get baptized, get baptized in 1 year or less. Of course this depends on the person.
2. True. There is no separation of spirit and body, since the soul is the person in itself.
2007-08-06 08:03:33 · answer #1 · answered by Vic the Poet 3 · 7⤊ 2⤋
1. No.
2. Yes. Have you ever read about a resurrected person in the bible relaying their experiences of being in heaven or in a fiery hell?
Ecc 9:5 The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward
However, the life force or spirit that God provides for us to have life is return to God.
Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
2007-08-07 09:43:45 · answer #2 · answered by keiichi 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The Hebrew term for `soul' (nefesh, that which breathes) was used by Moses . . . , signifying an `animated being' and applicable equally to nonhuman beings. . . . New Testament usage of psyche (`soul') was comparable to nefesh."—The New Encyclopedia Britannica (1976), Macropedia, Vol. 15, p. 152.
"The belief that the soul continues its existence after the dissolution of the body is a matter of philosophical or theological SPECULATION rather than of simple faith, and is accordingly nowhere expressly taught in Holy Scripture."—The Jewish Encyclopedia (1910), Vol. VI, p. 564.
The "soul" IS the body of a living person and the spirit (or life force) is what gives it life. Not only is man called a soul, but animals are called souls as well. (Gen. 2:7; Gen. 1:20-24) So for the sake of even more accuracy, the Hebrew term for soul here is also translated as a living "creature" or "being".
But the Bible also speaks of the spirit, or life-force. This also is referred to in the Bible as being in humans AND in animals. (Ge 6:17; 7:15, 22)
Ecclesiastes 3:18-22 shows that men and animals die in the same way: "they all have but one spirit, so that there is no superiority of the man over the beast,". In other words, they both have the same spirit, or life-force.
This indicates that the spirit that is mentioned that is associated with the soul is not some disembodied consciousness of a newly desceased person. Rather the scriptures indicate that it is impersonal.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 states that at death the person's body (or soul) returns to the dust, "and the spirit itself returns to the true God who gave it." The person himself was never in heaven with God; what "returns" to God is therefore the vital force that enabled the person to live.
2007-08-06 13:36:54 · answer #3 · answered by jim 2 · 7⤊ 3⤋
In answer to the first question, No this is not true in the least.
In answer to the second, from reading the Bible we firmly believe that the "soul" is in fact the living body. When the Body dies, it is the same as simply saying the soul is dead.
2007-08-07 02:59:58 · answer #4 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
1. No
2. Adam became a living soul. not given a soul.
spirit (breath, or life force) plus body is a living soul.
take away either the spirit (breath, or life force) (Ps 146:4) or the body and all you have left is a dead soul. (Ez 18:4)
The spirit (breath or life force) is not an intelligent being with thoughts and feelings, but can be liken to electricity.
The basic meaning of spirit is breath
The basic meaning of soul is breather.
Everything that breaths is a soul.
Every breather (living soul) has breath or spirit.
If God removes this spirit (breath or life force) we become dead.
Eccl. 9:5,10 state that the dead know nothing.
Jesus and Paul liken death to sleep Why?
because when you sleep or when you are dead. You know nothing, You remember prior to going to sleep, and you remember waking up.
But nothing in between.
.
2007-08-06 17:56:49 · answer #5 · answered by TeeM 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
No, a baptismal candidate must have demonstrated a real intention to engage in the ministry but no particular number of weeks, months, or years of actual participation are required before a candidate could qualify for baptism.
Jehovah's Witnesses certainly do not teach that there is no life after death. In fact, Witnesses believe the bible to teach that most dead humans will be resurrected to life in a restored paradise earth, with the hope of living forever under God and Christ.
So what does the bible teach about "the soul"?
A "soul" is a life, with no implication regarding some immortal otherwordly entity. Each deceased life is in Jehovah God's remembrance (with the potential for future resurrection), but the dead do not exist anywhere but memories until and unless the life is resurrected.
(Ezekiel 18:4) The soul that is sinning - it itself will die.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Genesis 2:17) But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.”
(Genesis 17:14) And an uncircumcised male who will not get the flesh of his foreskin circumcised, even that soul must be cut off from his people. He has broken my covenant.”
(Judges 16:30) And Samson proceeded to say: “Let my soul die with the Philistines.” Then he bent himself with power, and the house went falling upon the axis lords and upon all the people that were in it, so that the dead that he put to death in his own death came to be more than those he had put to death during his lifetime.
(Job 33:22) And his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those inflicting death.
(Psalm 78:50) He did not hold back their soul from death itself; And their life he handed over even to the pestilence.
(Isaiah 53:12) he poured out his soul to the very death
(Acts 3:23) Indeed, any soul that does not listen to that Prophet will be completely destroyed from among the people.’
(Revelation 16:3) And the second one poured out his bowl into the sea. And it became blood as of a dead man, and every living soul died, yes, the things in the sea.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/19970515/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050501/article_02.htm
2007-08-06 15:42:33 · answer #6 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 3⤊ 4⤋
First one false
Second one true
ACCORDING TO THEIR BELIEFS
Second one is false according to the Bible.
2007-08-06 13:16:45 · answer #7 · answered by Carol D 5 · 3⤊ 7⤋
beware people! it's the riddler!
2007-08-06 13:16:12 · answer #8 · answered by Just The Kid Next Door 4 · 0⤊ 5⤋
1....no
2....yes
3...http://towerwatch.com
2007-08-06 13:35:35 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 7⤋