History and Divergent Doctrines

Ron · Posted: Sat Feb 07, 2004 8:17 pm Post subject: History and Divergent Doctrines

I want to post some material on Jehovah's Witness history and doctrine. I will do this in small threads so that anyone disputing the material can remain focused on the individual topic rather than bouncing around.

This thread will be on history. I have written this here past but will resubmit in this thread.

History
Officially known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the Jehovah's Witnesses are a product of the life work of Charles Taze Russell, born February 16, 1852, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1870, while still in his teens and without formal theological education, Russell organized a Bible class whose members eventually made him "Pastor."

In 1879 he founded the magazine Zion's Watchtower in which he published his own unique interpretation of the Bible, and in 1886, the first volume of seven books (six written by Russell) entitled The Millennial Dawn was published. (These later were retitled Studies in the Scriptures.)

By the time of his death in 1916, "Pastor" Russell, according to the Watchtower, traveled more than a million miles, gave more than thirty thousand sermons, and wrote books totaling over fifty thousand pages.

A few months after the death of Charles Taze Russell, the society's legal counselor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, became the second President of the Watchtower Society. It was under his leadership that the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" was adopted.

Rutherford died in 1942 and was succeeded by Nathan H. Knorr. It was during Knorr's presidency that the society increased from 115,000 to more than two million members. In 1961, under Knorr's leadership, the society produced its own English translation of the Bible entitled The
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses are zealous and sincere, and they claim to accept the Bible as their only authority. However, their theology denies every cardinal belief of historic Christianity including the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, His bodily resurrection, salvation by grace through faith,
and eternal punishment of the wicked.

The Watchtower has this to say about itself-
“It is God's sole collective channel for the flow of biblical truth to men on earth.”

Source of Authority
Note the following statement by "Pastor" Russell:
“If the six volumes of Scripture Studies are practically the Bible, topically arranged with Bible proof texts given, we might not improperly name the volumes "the Bible in an arranged form," that is to say, they are not mere comments on the Bible, buy they are practically the Bible itself. Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the Scripture Studies aside, even after he has used them, after he has became familiar with them, after he has read them for ten years -if he then lays them aside and ignores them and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness, On the other hand, if
he had merely read the Scripture Studies with their references and had not read a page of the Bible as such, he would be in the light at the end of two years, because he would have the light of the Scriptures.”

Although the Watchtower contends that the Scriptures are their final authority, they constantly misuse the Scriptures to establish their own peculiar beliefs. This is accomplished chiefly by quoting texts out of context while omitting other passages relevant to the subject. For all practical purposes their publications take precedence over the Scriptures.

Trinity
The Watchtower makes it clear they do not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity. "The trinity doctrine was not conceived by Jesus or the early Christians .... The plain truth is that this is another of Satan's attempts to keep the God-fearing person from learning the truth of Jehovah and
His Son Christ Jesus." In Watchtower theology neither Jesus Christ nor the Holy Spirit is God.

Jesus Christ
In the theological system of the Jehovah's Witnesses, Jesus Christ is not God in human flesh, but rather a created being. "Jesus, the Christ, a created individual, is the second greatest personage of the Universe. Jehovah God and Jesus together constitute the superior authorities."
"He was a god, but not the Almighty God, who is Jehovah."
"If Jesus were God, then during Jesus' death God was dead in the
grave." "The truth of the matter is that the word is Christ Jesus, who did have a beginning."

The denial of the deity of Christ is nothing new in the history of the church. It is a revival of the ancient heresy known as Arianism (named after the fourth-century A.D. heretic Arius.) Arianism teaches that the Son was of a substance different from the Father and was, in fact, created.
The Jehovah's Witnesses, in an attempt to demonstrate that Jesus Christ is not Jehovah God, appeal to the Bible to substantiate their beliefs. However, it is the Bible that contradicts their theology, revealing it to be both unbiblical and non-Christian.

This is the basic doctrines of Jehova's Witness and the points in which they diverge from Christianity. [/b]
_________________
"He that hath ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew 11:15

Yours in Christ with much love,
Ron

http://www.arkwebshost.com/theology/ron

TBax · King Kong Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Posts: 2126

Jesus is not Jehovah.Jesus pointed this out himself.
Luke 20:41 In turn he said to them: “How is it they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand 43 until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.’ 44 David, therefore, calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?”

Jehovah and Jesus are seperate individualls.The Bible does not contradict their theology but is the basis for their theology.
_________________
Agape,
TBax

saveme2 · Newbie Alert Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 4

FFT · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 11:38 am Post subject:

The Jewish Messiah is supposed to be a direct male-line descendent of David. He is supposed to be a king on Earth, as a son of David.

The reason there are two conflicting lineages is that two authors independently remembered that the Messiah had to be a descendent of David, and independently manufactured the lineages.
_________________
When Science was in its crib, Religion tried to strangle it. When Science was in its infancy, Religion tried to abuse it. Now that Science is grown up, Religion wants to be in its good graces.

Theology is philosophy/ethics for people who already know what conclusion they want to come to.

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

FFT · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:30 pm Post subject:

lone-traveler · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 12:42 pm Post subject:

I was comparing David and Jesus. And boy the similarities are uncanny.

Descend
1 Strong's Number: 2597 Greek: katabaino
"to go down" (kata, "down," baino, "to go"), used for various kinds of motion on the ground (e.g., going, walking, stepping), is usually translated "to descend." The RV uses the verb "to come down," for AV, "descend," in Mar 15:32; Act 24:1; Rev 21:10. See COME, No. 19.2 Strong's Number: 2718 Greek: katerchomai
"to come or go down," is translated "descendeth," in Jam 3:15, AV; RV, "cometh down." See COME, No. 7.

The annointing in which David was annointed , is this same annointing that Jesus was annointed with?

The Holy Spirit is the annointing of both David and Jesus. Therefore descendant would be the one on whom the Holy Spirit fell on?

So Jesus is a descendant of David in that they shared the same Life Spirit?

Check out David and Jesus
David slew Goliath and Jesus slew the devil.

Johnathan was Davids soul mate. John was the disciple Jesus loved.

Lots of similarities there..

Peace Lone
_________________
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

FFT · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 1:02 pm Post subject:

RevJP · Moderator Joined: 18 Apr 2003 Posts: 7005 Location: USA

gnosis · Tadpole Joined: 29 Mar 2005 Posts: 15

The Gospels were written around 60AD.

In Jewish tradition, the female line is actually important. There are multiple bloodlines because one including females is not appealing to Roman readers.

When asked why you can only be Jewish by birth if your mother is Jewish, I was told, "Well, you always know who your mother was."

FFT · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 6:02 pm Post subject:

TBax · King Kong Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Posts: 2126

saveme2,

The point is the Bible shows in that scripture Jesus is not Jehovah as Ron was trying to assert.The Bible shows Jehovah as God Almighty alone and this verse shows Jehovah and Jesus are not the same.

(John 6:46) Not that any man has seen the Father, except he who is from God; this one has seen the Father

Duet 6:4 “Listen, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.

Jesus is not Jehovah.Jesus pointed this out himself.
Luke 20:41 In turn he said to them: “How is it they say that the Christ is David’s son? 42 For David himself says in the book of Psalms, ‘Jehovah said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand 43 until I place your enemies as a stool for your feet.’ 44 David, therefore, calls him ‘Lord’; so how is he his son?”
_________________
Agape,
TBax

TBax · King Kong Joined: 24 Oct 2005 Posts: 2126

fft,

The 2 lineages are different because one is from his mothers side and one is from his step fathers side.Both say "Joseph,son of" because Mary was his wife and the son in law is considered the son the womans parents.
_________________
Agape,
TBax

Pondering · King of the Jungle Joined: 15 Sep 2005 Posts: 1512

Most answers taken from:
http://www.biblicalnonsense.com/chapter16.html