The Bible was inspired; does that mean it has mistakes? If the Bible doesn't have mistakes (since it's inspired by Jehovah or The Holy Spirit, it shouldn't) then why would The Watchtower (which is also "inspired") have mistakes? If it is truly inspired like The Bible, wouldn't it be a perfect companion to The Bible? But...is it a perfect companion? If it is really inspired by Jehovah or the Holy Spirit, and possibly a perfect companion, shouldn't your writings be canonized with the rest of the Bible? Why or why not?
The Watchtower claims:
"The Watchtower is not the instrument of any man or set of any of men, nor is it published according to the whims of men. No man's opinion is expressed in the Watchtower."
(Watchtower 1931 November 1 page. 327)
"Nothing is interpreted but the interpretation comes from God and is then published."
(Watchtower 1943 July 1 page. 202-203)
2007-12-23 08:24:44 · 13 answers · asked by Jereme K 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
If the interpretation is truly devine, and if its teachings are truly inspired, shouldn't they be canonized with the rest of the Bible? Since it IS from Jehovah, it wouldn't be men adding to the Bible, it would be Jehovah Himself adding more inspiration to his other inspirations.
My companion question: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ArpJ_nvilJommg0rziiPPenty6IX;_ylv=3?qid=20071218205822AATjHJJ
2007-12-23 08:28:42 · update #1
UPDATE: NMB
It doesn't have to use the actual word "inspired". If the interpretations don't come from man, but straight from God, I'd say it's "inspired" wouldn't you?
2007-12-23 14:00:02 · update #2
Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they are infallible or inspired. Jehovah's Witnesses have never pretended that they experience miraculous messages from God or Christ. For more than a century, Jehovah's Witnesses have always presented their suppositions as the result of sincere bible research, rather than as "predictions" or "prophesying".
Interestingly, however, even those Christians who did enjoy direct communication from heaven at times came to wrong conclusions; these wrong conclusions were even communicated "out among the brothers"!
For example, the apostle Peter enjoyed remarkable privileges in the early congregation, but it seems that he was the source of an incorrect teaching about the apostle John that was not formally corrected until several DECADES had passed, and John himself finally wrote his gospel about 98 C.E.
(John 21:21-23) Peter said to Jesus: “Lord, what will this man do [that is, the apostle John]?” Jesus said to him: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you? You continue following me.” In consequence, this saying went out among the brothers, that [the apostle John] would not die. However, Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but: “If it is my will for him to remain until I come, of what concern is that to you?”
Jehovah's Witnesses apply the term "prophet" only in a very limited sense to themselves as a religion, not to individuals. The Scriptures indicate that whenever Jehovah purposes to execute judgment upon a people, he always makes arrangement for a 'prophet's work' as a warning. Their self-description as a "prophet" (in this limited sense) does not indicate special inspired knowledge or foreknowledge, but their willingness to perform Christ's assigned warning work in our day leading up to Armageddon.
What group is working harder than Jehovah's Witnesses to preach God's message globally (as Noah did before the Deluge)?
(Amos 3:7) For the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will not do a thing unless he has revealed his confidential matter to his servants the prophets.
(2 Peter 2:5) Noah, a preacher of righteousness...
(Matthew 24:14) And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20000622/
http://watchtower.org/e/19990715/article_02.htm
2007-12-26 18:13:30 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Friend, I'm not JW, but your premise is faulty. Although God himself is perfect in every way, what comes from God to man is not without fault... as God has to work with imperfect instruments. Men wrote the Bible, under the inspiration of God... that means incompleteness and error is possible.
What reason is there to doubt something just because it is imperfectly expressed? You can obtain your own connection with God, so you can understand things they way he wants you to.
There is good in everything and everyone. When you look for the good, everything begins to feel more sacred and pure.
EDIT: I see your point, though. Religious commentary is most often an interpretation of the Bible (as all of our intellectual understanding is gained through interpretation from what we already know). The only alternative to interpreting the Bible, is having direct revelation from God, ie the spirit of revelation and prophecy.
2007-12-23 08:37:55 · answer #2 · answered by MumOf5 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
For one thing that issue is old and ideas being completely different from way back then the Watchtower thus has also changed.The Watchtower now while keeping closely to the ideals of the bible does have some man made ideas in there to better explain in a langauge they can understand(lets face it not everybody can understand the bible particularly children) Jehovah Witnesses use the Watch tower as a guideline while looking up several things in the bible while reading the Watchtower.
2007-12-23 08:34:43 · answer #3 · answered by witcheshonor 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋
Because it is in fulfillment of bible scripture.
“They have visioned what is untrue and a lying divination, those who are saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when Jehovah himself has not sent them, and they have waited to have a word come true. Is it not an untrue vision that you men have visioned, and a lying divination that you have said, when saying, ‘The utterance of Jehovah is,’ when I myself have spoken nothing?”
Ezekiel’s prophecy is intended to apply to the “stupid prophets” in “the intimate group” of Jehovah’s people at the coming of Christ – for that truly will be “the day of Jehovah.”
And like the evil slave, the “stupid prophets” will not be able to stand before Christ’s judgment seat, whereas those judged to be faithful and discreet will.
2007-12-25 15:41:05 · answer #4 · answered by keiichi 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I think pretty much every Christian group believes they are being led by God's spirit, but would not claim divine inspiration.
Only the original writings had divine inspiration: not JWs, not Baptists, Methodists, or other groups study materials.
JWs do not claim to be divinely inspired either. Gal. 1:7-10, Rev. 22:18, 19.
Debbie
2007-12-23 09:13:19 · answer #5 · answered by debbiepittman 7 · 6⤊ 2⤋
Neither of your quotes claim that anything written was inspired do they?
From the beginning there has been no claim of inspiration in anything written in the Watchtower magazine.
"then why would The Watchtower (which is also "inspired") "
Except you would be hard pressed to find a claim of Divine inspiration in anything produced by Jehovah's Witnesses.
2007-12-23 13:45:13 · answer #6 · answered by NMB 5 · 3⤊ 3⤋
Jehovah ´s witnesses are preaching around the world that sooner Jesus will come in Armageddon and will eliminate evil people and will rule the earth during 1000 years and will transform this planet in a paradise and humans will inherit this beatiful planet.
You say that this is false , can you prove it with the bible?
the bible is inspired by God our literature use the bible by far more than any other religious publication and in that sense is that we claim that the information came from God but not that the information is revealed to certain people directly from God but from the bible studies.
2007-12-23 08:55:09 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 5⤊ 4⤋
All those hours you spend around apostie sites, how about you spend a few minutes at http://www.watchtower.org/ ?
It's always better to hear things straight from the horse's mouth and not just be told by a few goats what the horse supposedly said.
2007-12-25 20:40:57 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Don't other priest or ministers of other faiths believe that God gave them messages too or that they are inspired by god to give ppl his msg.........so why just pick on the Witnesses.?
2007-12-23 08:57:16 · answer #9 · answered by Kitty Kat 2 · 4⤊ 1⤋
The same question could be asked about the Apostles. They made their mistakes, also.
2007-12-30 17:19:33 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋