Bible Study Tools at JW.org

I decided to take a look at the "Bible Study Tools" provided at the bottom of the  JW.ORG Home Page. First, I did a quick look-see over the entire site and noticed a glaring omission and one that I feel was not an omission by mistake but an omission by design. What was that omission?

Martin Luther, the great Protestant reformer, wrote the following in regard to the importance of understanding Greek and Hebrew when studying the Bible: "The languages are the sheath in which the sword of the Spirit is contained." 

God sovereignly chose to have His Word written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament). Small portions of both the OT and NT were written in Aramaic. So knowing those ancient languages would help one to better understand what God intended to say. Short of knowing those ancient languages one can benefit by using an Interlinear Translation such as the WT's own Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures (KIT). I happen to have the 1969 purple covered KIT which you can download as a PDF copy here.

However, there is NO MENTION of the 1969 KIT in Bible Study Tools at JW.ORG. You can do a search at JW.ORG and find the 1985 KIT. However, the '85 KIT, has been scrubbed of all the information in the '69 KIT that shows the WT changes their Bible to align with their doctrine instead of changing their doctrine to align with the Bible. Go here to see the scrubbed information.

Back to Bible Study Tools. As you scroll down the Home Page there is this headline: "Study with a Personal Instructor." You have three choices: 

(1) Why Study the Bible--Full Length? This is a 3'34" video and I have no problem with the first 3'10". The last 24" urges you to request a Bible Study with a JW in which you study a WT publication not the Bible as advertised. See below.** 

(2) What Happens at a Bible Study? This is a 2'10" video which I have blogged about here and shows that you will be studying WT publications not the Bible as advertised. 

(3) Request a Bible Study. I have blogged a number of times about WT Bible Studies. They are:

**Bible Study, Why JW's Study WT Publications not the Bible here, here

**Bible Study, WT Style here, here, here, here

**Bible Study, WT Style--Why it is Wrong here, here, here

**Biblical Bible Study here

Back to Bible Study Tools. Scroll further down the page and you will be able to select "On Line Bible Study Lessons." I have blogged about these Lessons starting here.

Further down and you will see "Video Lessons," there are three.

(1) Does God Listen to All Prayers? 3'17" long. No big problems with this video. At the 2:28 mark you are asked to request a JW publication, Good News from God. I have blogged about that publication here.

(2) Does God Have a Name? This is a 4'32" video. While this video plays, you will see under the title: "God has many titles, including Almighty, Creator, and Lord. (Job 34:12, Ecclesiastes 12:1, Daniel 2:47). But HAS he given himself a name?" The answer is "YES," God HAS given himself a name and you can read about it in my blogs--"Is God's Name Jehovah" Part 2 here and Part 3 here. At the 3'52' mark you are asked to request a JW publication, Good News from God. I have blogged about that publication here.

(3) Who Is the Author of the Bible? This is a 3'20" video. No big problems with this video. At the 2'50" mark you are asked to request a JW publication, Good News from God. I have blogged about that publication here.

Back to Bible Study Tools. In the next section there are three "Study Guides."

(1) "What is the truth about God?" This study guide is based on chapter 1 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? I have blogged about that chapter here.

(2) "Who is Jesus Christ? Part 1." This study guide is based on chapter 4 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? I have blogged about that chapter here.

(3) "How to Make Your Family Time Happy Part 1." This study guide is based on chapter 14 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? I have blogged about this chapter here.

Back to Bible Study Tools. The last section: "Text Books" and there are four.

(1) Good News From God. I have blogged about this publication here.

(2) What can the Bible Teach Us? I have blogged about this publication here.

(3) The Bible--What Is Its Message. I have yet to review this publication.

(4) The WT Bible, The New World Translation. See my blog, Is the JW Bible (The New World Translation) Reliable here.