DISCLAIMER--I will, by no means, exhaustively write about each and every error in each and every chapter of this book—that would require a book several times the size of this WT book. I will pick out a topic or two from each chapter to write about. Some will be a “mole hill” in the landscape of Bible doctrine and others will be a “Mt. Everest.”
An old saying states that the three most important factors in determining the price of real estate are, "location, location, location."
The exact same thing can be said in studying the Bible. The three most important factors in determining the meaning of a word is its "location, location, location." Its location in the Verse (the words around it), its location in the Chapter (the verses around the word), its location in the Book (the chapters around the word.) Or put in other words, "context, context, context."
When a Witness knocks on a person’s door and engages the homeowner in a conversation, it is with the hope that a ‘Bible study’ will be requested. If the homeowner takes the bait and requests a ‘Bible study’ then the switch will take place. On the day the study is to begin the Witness comes with a WT book to be studied from cover to cover. Your Bible will be used as a reference book—to look up a verse or part of a verse every now and then.
As you progress through the WT book page by page, the WT will tell you what the Bible teaches and then will direct you to read a verse that ‘proves’ what they have just told you. At the bottom of each page are some questions that you answer by re-reading the paragraphs. The Watchtower teaches by asking the questions and giving the answers. An example of this is: “Clifford is a small brown cat.” Question #1 “What is Clifford?” Answer = “A cat.” Next question: “What is the cat’s name?” Answer = “Clifford.” 3rd question: “What color is the cat?” Answer = “brown.” Last question, “What size is the cat?” Answer = “small.” This question and answer method is designed to have you repeat what has just been read as if it is true. You do not discuss the material to determine if it is true (as you may know, if you have young children, Clifford is a big red dog.) You learn by repetition. After you have finished the WT book, you are very familiar with WT doctrine but not Bible doctrine.
The Books of the Bible, of both the Old and New Testament, were originally written as continuous text, without chapters and verses. The early Christians eventually assigned the text to chapters and verses, to make referencing easier. The Jews found this innovation useful and followed suit in the Hebrew Bible. To properly understand the Bible one needs to read it as it was written—as continuous text—not broken up into verses and parts of verses. The WT kind of study prevents one from reading the verse in its context. Why is context so important?
First, because a text (verse) taken out of context is a pretext to teach anything—no matter how un-Biblical. I remember this absurd example, but it shows the importance of reading and knowing the context of any Bible verse. If you read part of Matthew 27:5, Luke 10:37 and John 13:27 you get, “Judas hung himself—go and do likewise—whatever you do, do it quickly.” Is that what those verses teach? How would you prove otherwise? Simple! Read each book in which each verse is found—know the context.
Second, the context of a verse determines its meaning. As an example, what does the word “trunk” mean?—the rear of a car, the long nose of an elephant, a big container for old clothes or part of a tree. The correct meaning of “trunk” will only be known when you know the words around it, for the words around “trunk” give “trunk” its correct meaning. A verse in the Bible is the same. If you pull a single verse out of its context, you will likely not understand its correct meaning. A verse is given meaning only by the verses around it.
The WTBTS goes to great lengths to avoid having their members see the context of words, verses and chapters. First, the "Door Knocking" JW is told that the Bible is not written for them to understand. It is written for the 144,000 and only they can understand it. Since all members of the Governing Body are of the 144,000, only they are in a position to tell the "Door Knockers" what the Bible means by what it says. And they tell the JW what the Bible says through the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and the many books published by the WTBTS. Second, JW's are drilled and drilled again that they are indeed studying the Bible when they read a WT book or magazine. Third, during a "Bible study" with a potential convert, the WTBTS is careful to prevent the convert from seeing the context of what they are studying by having the convert study a WT book instead of the Bible (bait and switch which I mentioned above.)
Moral--Read the Bible the way it was written, One Book at a Time, Not the WT way, one verse at a time OR a verse in the OT then one in the NT OR a verse from a doctrinal book and then one from Psalms. The WT jumps around the Bible like a Knight jumps around a Chess board.
An old saying states that the three most important factors in determining the price of real estate are, "location, location, location."
The exact same thing can be said in studying the Bible. The three most important factors in determining the meaning of a word is its "location, location, location." Its location in the Verse (the words around it), its location in the Chapter (the verses around the word), its location in the Book (the chapters around the word.) Or put in other words, "context, context, context."
When a Witness knocks on a person’s door and engages the homeowner in a conversation, it is with the hope that a ‘Bible study’ will be requested. If the homeowner takes the bait and requests a ‘Bible study’ then the switch will take place. On the day the study is to begin the Witness comes with a WT book to be studied from cover to cover. Your Bible will be used as a reference book—to look up a verse or part of a verse every now and then.
As you progress through the WT book page by page, the WT will tell you what the Bible teaches and then will direct you to read a verse that ‘proves’ what they have just told you. At the bottom of each page are some questions that you answer by re-reading the paragraphs. The Watchtower teaches by asking the questions and giving the answers. An example of this is: “Clifford is a small brown cat.” Question #1 “What is Clifford?” Answer = “A cat.” Next question: “What is the cat’s name?” Answer = “Clifford.” 3rd question: “What color is the cat?” Answer = “brown.” Last question, “What size is the cat?” Answer = “small.” This question and answer method is designed to have you repeat what has just been read as if it is true. You do not discuss the material to determine if it is true (as you may know, if you have young children, Clifford is a big red dog.) You learn by repetition. After you have finished the WT book, you are very familiar with WT doctrine but not Bible doctrine.
The Books of the Bible, of both the Old and New Testament, were originally written as continuous text, without chapters and verses. The early Christians eventually assigned the text to chapters and verses, to make referencing easier. The Jews found this innovation useful and followed suit in the Hebrew Bible. To properly understand the Bible one needs to read it as it was written—as continuous text—not broken up into verses and parts of verses. The WT kind of study prevents one from reading the verse in its context. Why is context so important?
First, because a text (verse) taken out of context is a pretext to teach anything—no matter how un-Biblical. I remember this absurd example, but it shows the importance of reading and knowing the context of any Bible verse. If you read part of Matthew 27:5, Luke 10:37 and John 13:27 you get, “Judas hung himself—go and do likewise—whatever you do, do it quickly.” Is that what those verses teach? How would you prove otherwise? Simple! Read each book in which each verse is found—know the context.
Second, the context of a verse determines its meaning. As an example, what does the word “trunk” mean?—the rear of a car, the long nose of an elephant, a big container for old clothes or part of a tree. The correct meaning of “trunk” will only be known when you know the words around it, for the words around “trunk” give “trunk” its correct meaning. A verse in the Bible is the same. If you pull a single verse out of its context, you will likely not understand its correct meaning. A verse is given meaning only by the verses around it.
The WTBTS goes to great lengths to avoid having their members see the context of words, verses and chapters. First, the "Door Knocking" JW is told that the Bible is not written for them to understand. It is written for the 144,000 and only they can understand it. Since all members of the Governing Body are of the 144,000, only they are in a position to tell the "Door Knockers" what the Bible means by what it says. And they tell the JW what the Bible says through the Watchtower and Awake! magazines and the many books published by the WTBTS. Second, JW's are drilled and drilled again that they are indeed studying the Bible when they read a WT book or magazine. Third, during a "Bible study" with a potential convert, the WTBTS is careful to prevent the convert from seeing the context of what they are studying by having the convert study a WT book instead of the Bible (bait and switch which I mentioned above.)
Moral--Read the Bible the way it was written, One Book at a Time, Not the WT way, one verse at a time OR a verse in the OT then one in the NT OR a verse from a doctrinal book and then one from Psalms. The WT jumps around the Bible like a Knight jumps around a Chess board.
What Does the Bible Really Teach--A WT Book Chapter 16 is here.
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