EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS
I recently was given a copy of a WT booklet, "What Can the Bible Teach Us?" I also just happen to have listened to a sermon where two words were defined and examples given for each. The words: EXEGESIS and EISEGESIS (also know as Conformation Bias.)
I decided to read through the WT book, look at some of the teachings of the WT and ascertain if the WT used EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS to determine their doctrine. Part 1 is here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here.
In my pic to the left, you may have noticed I took out the word "Bible" and substituted in "False Prophet." Why? Read any or all of my four blogs exposing the Watch Tower as a False Prophet, here, here, here and here. The title of their booklet claiming that it contains truths taught by the Bible is incorrect. It contains the doctrines of the WTBTS, a False Prophet.
Before analyzing the WT book, two definitions are needed.
Exegesis is the process of drawing out the meaning from a text in accordance with the context and discoverable meaning of its author,
Where As
Eisegesis occurs when a translator imposes his/her interpretation into and onto the text. In Biblical Eisegesis a translator has a pre-conceived doctrine, then goes to the Bible and translates a verse in a way that supports that doctrine. The word Eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter wants to lead the reader to a particular conclusion--a conclusion that he supports but the Bible, if studied correctly, does not support.
The WT position on BLOOD covers pages 138 to 144.
The WT is well known for its anti-blood transfusion stance. Here is what I understand their position to be. Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept transfusions of whole blood or its primary components of red cells, white cells, platelets or plasma. There are products derived from blood which Jehovah's Witnesses may choose to accept. Jehovah's Witnesses commonly call these 'minor blood fractions'. One wonders if getting a blood transfusion is prohibited by the Bible, WHERE in the Bible is it permitted to have parts of blood (minor blood fractions) transfused into a patient?
The WT's favorite verses to quote are Genesis 9:34, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; . . . Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." And Leviticus 17:11-14 which states in v. 12 "no person among you may eat blood," v. 14 "You may not eat the blood of any flesh." The WT stops at this point, however, v. 14 continues, "for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off."
What does "cut off" mean? Verse 15 explains, "When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening then he will become clean." So eating an animal with its blood was punishable by a visit to a laundromat, a shower and a timeout until evening. Far from the WT punishment for eating blood (transfusion) of disfellowshipping.
I have blogged about Blood and JW's here and here .
The best information I have found on JW's and blood transfusions is here.
Americans were in shock when Jim Jones and over 900 of his followers committed suicide in the jungles of Guyana in 1978. But how many JW’s have died one at a time refusing blood transfusions? It is one thing to refuse a transfusion because of medical reasons and quite another to have that decision made for you by the WTBTS.
Is the WT position on blood transfusions EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS?
Onward to the book page 164+ which deals with the topic: "Holidays, Should they be Celebrated?" I have blogged about this topic here and here and here and here.
As a matter of fact, the Bible does not directly comment about birthdays and other holidays that are celebrated. Thus we would conclude that birthdays, etc. should come under the jurisdiction of Romans 14:4-6 and Colossians 2:16-17.
Romans 14:4-6 "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."
Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
These two verses teach that we have the freedom to celebrate any day or celebrate no special days as long as we are convinced in our own mind about the correctness of our celebrating. We also should not judge another who does or does not celebrate.
Is the WT position on holidays EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS?
The WT is well known for its anti-blood transfusion stance. Here is what I understand their position to be. Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept transfusions of whole blood or its primary components of red cells, white cells, platelets or plasma. There are products derived from blood which Jehovah's Witnesses may choose to accept. Jehovah's Witnesses commonly call these 'minor blood fractions'. One wonders if getting a blood transfusion is prohibited by the Bible, WHERE in the Bible is it permitted to have parts of blood (minor blood fractions) transfused into a patient?
The WT's favorite verses to quote are Genesis 9:34, "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; . . . Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood." And Leviticus 17:11-14 which states in v. 12 "no person among you may eat blood," v. 14 "You may not eat the blood of any flesh." The WT stops at this point, however, v. 14 continues, "for the life of all flesh is its blood; whoever eats it shall be cut off."
What does "cut off" mean? Verse 15 explains, "When any person eats an animal which dies or is torn by beasts, whether he is a native or an alien, he shall wash his clothes and bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening then he will become clean." So eating an animal with its blood was punishable by a visit to a laundromat, a shower and a timeout until evening. Far from the WT punishment for eating blood (transfusion) of disfellowshipping.
I have blogged about Blood and JW's here and here .
The best information I have found on JW's and blood transfusions is here.
Americans were in shock when Jim Jones and over 900 of his followers committed suicide in the jungles of Guyana in 1978. But how many JW’s have died one at a time refusing blood transfusions? It is one thing to refuse a transfusion because of medical reasons and quite another to have that decision made for you by the WTBTS.
Is the WT position on blood transfusions EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS?
Onward to the book page 164+ which deals with the topic: "Holidays, Should they be Celebrated?" I have blogged about this topic here and here and here and here.
As a matter of fact, the Bible does not directly comment about birthdays and other holidays that are celebrated. Thus we would conclude that birthdays, etc. should come under the jurisdiction of Romans 14:4-6 and Colossians 2:16-17.
Romans 14:4-6 "Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it for the Lord, and he who eats, does so for the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who eats not, for the Lord he does not eat, and gives thanks to God."
Colossians 2:16-17 "Therefore no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance belongs to Christ."
These two verses teach that we have the freedom to celebrate any day or celebrate no special days as long as we are convinced in our own mind about the correctness of our celebrating. We also should not judge another who does or does not celebrate.
Is the WT position on holidays EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS?
This concludes my quick critique of the WT book, What can the Bible False Prophet Teach
Us?
And the final EXEGESIS or EISEGESIS score is .
. .
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