Bridge of Reason

  On the jw.org website the Watch Tower confidently affirms You Can Strip off the Old Personality . They quote, in part, Col.3:9, ‘Strip off the old personality with its practices.’ The complete thought here, in context, reads: ‘ Do not lie to one another. Strip off the old personality, with its practices, and clothe yourselves with the new personality, which through accurate knowledge is being made new according to the image of the One who created it…’ (Col.3:9/10, NWT 2013) I f you look up this text in a reliable translation you will read: ‘ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self , which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.’ (ESV) Other translations carry the same thought, for example ‘ since you have taken off your old self,’ (NIV) . The difference here is staggering, the implications far-reaching . In the NWT putting off the old self is something we are to strive to do...

  On their website the Watch Tower Society answers: 'No. A comparison of ancient manuscripts shows that the Bible is basically unchanged despite millenniums of recopying on perishable materials. Does this mean that mistakes in copying were never made? Thousands of ancient Bible manuscripts have been found. Some of these contain a number of differences, indicating that mistakes were made in copying. Most of these differences are minor and do not change the meaning of the text. However, a few significant differences have been discovered, some of which appear to be deliberate attempts made long ago to alter the Bible’s message.' The two examples they give are 1 John 5:7 and the removal of the Name from the Bible. They go on to quote three reputable Bible scholars to demonstrate the Bible we have today is reliable. They do a good job of defending the Bible while strongly qualifying their endorsement of the Holy Text. As Tony Hancock commented when reading the opening lines...

On their website, JW.ORG, the Watchtower Society asks, ' Is The New World Translation Accurate?' It is a good question. The Bible speaks to our deepest concerns, explains our purpose in the world, and introduces us to the God who made us. Every movement that seeks to identify itself with Christ claims to get its teaching and authority from the Bible. It is vital, then, that every such claim is tested. What is the Watchtower apologetic for their translation? A good working knowledge of the Bible and how it has come down to us equips us to test and challenge Watchtower claims. They acknowledge, 'some people have commented on or questioned the accuracy of the New World Translation because in places it differs from other translations of the Bible,' then 'explain' why: Reliability. The New World Translation is based on up-to-date scholarly research and the most reliable ancient manuscripts. In contrast, the King James Version of 1611 was based on manuscripts that ...

In his Theological Word Book of the Bible (an essential on every Bible scholar’s shelf) Alan Richardson points out: ‘The knowledge of God is not reached by abstract speculation as in Gk. philosophy, but in the actual everyday business of living, or social relationships and of current historical events. God is not known by thinking out ideas about him, but by seeking and doing his will as made known to us by prophetic men and by our own consciousness of right and wrong. (cf. John 7:17 , Jas.1:27, 1 John 4:7 .,f 12)’   He cites in particular Jeremiah 22:15-16 , “Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me?’ declares the LORD.” The error upon error of the Watchtower Society is mainly the product of their having sought God in books. This arises from the laudable 19th century preoccupation with universal education and the peculiarly America...

In his Theological Word Book of the Bible (an essential on every Bible scholar’s shelf) Alan Richardson points out: ‘The knowledge of God is not reached by abstract speculation as in Gk. philosophy, but in the actual everyday business of living, or social relationships and of current historical events. God is not known by thinking out ideas about him, but by seeking and doing his will as made known to us by prophetic men and by our own consciousness of right and wrong. (cf. John 7:17 , James.1:27, 1 John 4:7 .,f 12)’ He cites in particular Jeremiah 22:15-16 , ”Did not your father eat and drink and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him. He judged the cause of the poor and needy; then it was well. Is not this to know me?’ declares the LORD.” The error upon error of the Watchtower Society is mainly the product of their having sought God in books. This arises from the laudable 19th century preoccupation with universal education and the peculiarly American preo...

The Watchtower Society make much of the symbols and customs of what they call ‘Christendom’ that they say won’t be found in Scripture. It is true to say that people in glasshouses shouldn’t throw stones and Witnesses certainly need to have a care, “for with the judgement you are judging, you will be judged, and with the measure that you… read more →

Jewish scholars tell us that as many as 20% of first century Israel may have accepted Jesus as the Messiah. We know that three thousand came to the Lord on the Feast of Pentecost (Acts 2:4) and shortly afterwards another 5,000 men plus any women and children became believers (Acts 4:4). Acts 6:7 then records that a large number of priests became obedient to Christ. Many years later when Paul came back from his third missionary journey, probably around 60 AD, we read that the number of true Christians had already grown to tens of thousands - see Acts 21:20. The Greek word used in this verse is murias, which according to The New Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament , literally means; "a ten-thousand; a myriad or indefinite number; an innumerable multitude; an unlimited number" (p.419). See Luke 12:1, Acts 19:19 and Jude 14 for examples of the use of this word. If there were already so many believers in 60 AD, there would be no places left between the 1870...