JW organization.

[Elijah John]

Jehovah's Witnesses are not allowed to:

-vote
-celebrate birthdays
-celebrate Christmas or Easter
-donate or receive blood transfusions.

And if any JW openly persists in doing these things[edit to add publicly], they will be shunned or disfellowshipped, [edit to add or otherwise admonished or disciplined.]

For debate,

1) what do any of these check-list prohibitions have to do with Christianity?

2) And are any of these prohibitions compatible with the idea of Christian freedom?

3) Are these prohibitions arbitrary or legalistic?

4) And could Jehvoah's Witness as an organization flourish without these particular prohibitions and still honor God?

Please address any or all of the above.

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 514 by onewithhim]

My take on that is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Christendom hasn't managed to distort every single teaching in the bible so there will obviously be some things that are right and that Jehovah's Witnesses share in common with them. That doesn't mean that we (JWs) inherited such truths from Christendom, only that apostate Christendom hasn't (yet) managed to rid itself of absolutely all of Christ's original teachings; even dirty water has water in it.

JW





RELATED POSTS

Who Is the Antichrist?
viewtopic.php?p=1039331#p1039331

When did "The Great Apostacy" take place?
viewtopic.php?p=1044471#p1044471

Who are the wheat and who are the weeds in Jesus illustration?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 74#p922074

Does the fact that the Christian canon was compiled by a church under attack from apostate forces undermine confidence in the bible?
viewtopic.php?p=1046823#p1046823

To read more please go to other posts related to...

CHRISTIANITY, CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS and ...JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 514 by onewithhim]

My take on that is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Christendom hasn't managed to distort every single teaching in the bible so there will obviously be some things that are right and that Jehovah's Witnesses share in common with them. That doesn't mean that we (JWs) inherited such truths from Christendom, only that apostate Christendom hasn't (yet) managed to rid itself of absolutely all of Christ's original teachings; even dirty water has water in it.

JW

Broken religions must be also. No one knows the true path to God. At best, we have a gate keeper to help us. Many will cry Lord, Lord, we have healed and casted out demons in your name. The response, "I know you not".

[marco]

Christendom hasn't managed to distort every single teaching in the bible so there will obviously be some things that are right and that Jehovah's Witnesses share in common with them. That doesn't mean that we (JWs) inherited such truths from Christendom, only that apostate Christendom hasn't (yet) managed to rid itself of absolutely all of Christ's original teachings; even dirty water has water in it.

O, dear; it is possibly wise to reflect on Luke 18: 11 here:

"The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican."


or perhaps Luke 14:8


"When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him"

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 514 by onewithhim]

My take on that is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Christendom hasn't managed to distort every single teaching in the bible so there will obviously be some things that are right and that Jehovah's Witnesses share in common with them. That doesn't mean that we (JWs) inherited such truths from Christendom, only that apostate Christendom hasn't (yet) managed to rid itself of absolutely all of Christ's original teachings; even dirty water has water in it.

JW

Broken religions must be also. ... Many will cry Lord, Lord, we have healed and casted out demons in your name. The response, "I know you not".

Exactly, even a broken religion, is a religion. Most churches of Christendom at the very least acknowledge Jesus as theiir Lord (Lord). Since Jesus is Lord and King then they get at least one thing right. That's not to say we (JWs) "inherited" acknowledging Jesus as Lord from them, that is what the first century congregation knew from the Apostles, who were taught by Christ.


JEHOVAHS WITNESS

[shnarkle]

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 514 by onewithhim]

My take on that is that even a broken clock is right twice a day.

Christendom hasn't managed to distort every single teaching in the bible so there will obviously be some things that are right and that Jehovah's Witnesses share in common with them. That doesn't mean that we (JWs) inherited such truths from Christendom, only that apostate Christendom hasn't (yet) managed to rid itself of absolutely all of Christ's original teachings; even dirty water has water in it.

JW

Broken religions must be also. No one knows the true path to God. At best, we have a gate keeper to help us. Many will cry Lord, Lord, we have healed and casted out demons in your name. The response, "I know you not".

Yes, but God has failed terribly if He hasn't told us in the Bible just who He is and what we must do to be His friend. Surely He has done that!

The Bible tells us what the true path to God is. Why else would He have had it written?

Does someone desire to learn about the true path? I have found this web-site immensely informative: www.jw.org

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 517 by brianbbs67]

In addition, these articles that I give links to here address your comments, and I would like to see your response to what they say in the light of "does God ever tell us which path is the one He approves?"

Finding True Enlightenment

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... _index]=68

Walking on the Right Path

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... index]=201

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to post 517 by brianbbs67]

In addition, these articles that I give links to here address your comments, and I would like to see your response to what they say in the light of "does God ever tell us which path is the one He approves?"

Finding True Enlightenment

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... _index]=68

Walking on the Right Path

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... index]=201

I skimmed thru the first. Yes, God will let you know you are on the right path, in many ways. Direct communication, blessing and messengers to name a few.

You say, God shows us in the scripture that He reveals how we are to live. I agree. But, nearly every modern church ignores commanment # 4. Then there is the whole Holy day(holiday) thing and dietary too. You can't pick and choose how to serve God, when Christ gave us the example. The dietary can be argued with the latitude given to Peter to Bind and Loose(see Acts). The Sabbath and God's 7 feasts are set in stone. They all followed these and the early church was Sabbath keeping. The law was not nailed to the tree with Christ. He came to complete it, not usurp it. As right as JW's are about somethings, they adopt the tradtions of Rome in many more. Even the title, Jehovah, was invented by a RCC monk in the 1200s. RCC admits Yaweh is probably more correct.(but they don't know either.)

https://www.catholic.com/qa/is-gods-nam ... or-jehovah

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 517 by brianbbs67]

In addition, these articles that I give links to here address your comments, and I would like to see your response to what they say in the light of "does God ever tell us which path is the one He approves?"

Finding True Enlightenment

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... _index]=68

Walking on the Right Path

https://www.jw.org/en/publications/maga ... index]=201

I skimmed thru the first. Yes, God will let you know you are on the right path, in many ways. Direct communication, blessing and messengers to name a few.

You say, God shows us in the scripture that He reveals how we are to live. I agree. But, nearly every modern church ignores commanment # 4. Then there is the whole Holy day(holiday) thing and dietary too. You can't pick and choose how to serve God, when Christ gave us the example. The dietary can be argued with the latitude given to Peter to Bind and Loose(see Acts). The Sabbath and God's 7 feasts are set in stone. They all followed these and the early church was Sabbath keeping. The law was not nailed to the tree with Christ. He came to complete it, not usurp it. As right as JW's are about somethings, they adopt the tradtions of Rome in many more. Even the title, Jehovah, was invented by a RCC monk in the 1200s. RCC admits Yaweh is probably more correct.(but they don't know either.)

https://www.catholic.com/qa/is-gods-nam ... or-jehovah

The fact that nearly every modern church ignores Commandment #4, and many others as well, does not bode well for these churches. Doesn't it seem to you that perhaps these churches are the ones that Jesus had in mind when he said that he would say to them, "I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness"? (Matt.7:22,23)

You say that "the Law was not nailed to the tree with Christ." Do you dispute what the apostle Paul wrote? (Colossians 2:14) Having FULFILLED the Law, Jesus became the one who took all the sins of the people onto himself. He took the place of the sacrificial animals that the Law required. (Hebrews 9:11-14) There is a difference between "fulfilling" the Law and "usurping" it. Jesus did the former---he fulfilled it.

No one can say for sure exactly how God's name was pronounced before the superstitious Jews eliminated it from their speech. However, we know that His name is indeed the Tetragrammaton, which is YHWH. If we were to say these Hebrew letters--Yod-Heh-Waw-Heh--that would be OK. God wants us to use His name, however we want to pronounce the Tetragrammaton.

God said to Moses: "Tell them, 'Jehovah, the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my eternal name, to be used throughout all generations." (Exodus 3:15, Catholic Living Bible)

There are dozens if not hundreds of ways to pronounce God's name, depending on what language one speaks. He doesn't mind, as long as you are attempting to pronounce "YHWH."

[shnarkle]

The dietary can be argued with the latitude given to Peter to Bind and Loose(see Acts).

What are you referring to in Acts? Peter's vision? I don't recall anything about binding and loosening in the book of Acts. I recall something similar in Matthew's gospel, but even there they aren't being given Celestial approval to bind and loosen. Instead they are being informed that what is bound or loosened in heaven will be bound or loosened on earth. In any case, there is nothing about loosening the dietary laws.

The Sabbath and God's 7 feasts are set in stone. They all followed these and the early church was Sabbath keeping. The law was not nailed to the tree with Christ. He came to complete it, not usurp it.

I agree, but you gave nothing to support these claims. In Paul's letter to the Collosians, he points out that those handwritten ordinances that "were against us" were nailed to the cross. Of course this can't be refering to God's commandments as they were "FOR" our benefit as in "The Sabbath was made FOR man, not man for the Sabbath", or as Paul points out that those who walk in God's commandments will live.

As right as JW's are about somethings, they adopt the tradtions of Rome in many more.

Good luck getting anyone to defend their position with anything from scripture. If they do provide anything they will immediately decline to continue once they've been refuted. This is the only proper thing to do, but it doesn't negate the fact that even though they, i.e. all mainstream Christian denominations; can't provide a defense for their faith, they will continue to openly violate God's commandments.