Bridge of Reason

  How is a person made righteous before a Holy God? This was the big question at the time of the Reformation, and it continues to be the most important issue today. Let us consider how the Jehovah’s Witnesses might answer, as I continue to review the Convention address by Brother David Schafer. This is what Jehovah says, your Repurchaser, the Holy One of Israel: “I, Jehovah, am your God, The One teaching you to benefit yourself, The One guiding you in the way you should walk. If only you would pay attention to my commandments! Then your peace would become just like a river and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Isaiah 48:17-18 NWT Brother Schafer said that these verses from Isaiah teach us that imperfect human beings can have a righteous standing before God. He claimed that the peace that righteousness brings is achieved by obedience to Jehovah’s commandments. What he fails to mention is that these verses were given to the people of Israel and should be, at least in the ...

  As I continue to review the Jehovah’s Witness ‘Pursue Peace’ Convention, here we have Brother David Schafer who is described as a helper to the Teaching Committee. As I begin, it may be helpful to mention that this week I spoke to some Witnesses at their cart, and the ladies had clearly been listening to this talk, as they almost quoted verbatim some of the things here mentioned. Brother Schafer begins with a common Watchtower trick. He takes a verse completely out of its context, so that it will appear to support what he wants to teach. The verse in question was Isaiah 32 verse 17 in the New World Translation: The result of true righteousness will be peace, And the fruitage of true righteousness will be lasting tranquility and security. Firstly, let us consider the context of this verse. From chapter twenty-eight through to thirty-nine of Isaiah, we read that Jerusalem has been delivered with numerous warnings. The people are told that they shouldn’t be trusting foreign nations ...

If we were to ask members of the public to answer the question: ‘What did Jesus teach?’, what would they say? I would imagine that many would say something along the lines of; ‘Jesus taught us that we must try to be good’. Now that answer is not correct, but that would be an understandable response from a society which believes Jesus was, at best, just a good man. But what if that was the answer given by those who claim to be familiar with the teachings of Jesus? On the opening page of the website of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we read the following: No matter your story, we welcome you to join us as we all try to be a little bit better, a little bit kinder, a little more helpful—because that’s what Jesus taught. [1] Wait, what? Is that what Jesus taught? Can you point me to the Bible verses where Jesus said we are to ‘try to be a little bit better, a little bit kinder, and a little more helpful’ ?  Be Good You see, Mormonism, like most other groups ...