The California Collection/TheCaliforniaCollection.cdr/his075/jw4.lzh/JW4.TXT

Text File | 1991-07-07 | 7KB | 130 lines

CUL:The worlds most dangerous book!!

   Would you place you trust in a surgeon who was about to perform a
major operation on you, if he refused to give you his name or
credentials?

   OR....

   Would you place your faith in an attorney, who was defending you
against false accusations of felony charges, if he also refused to give
you his name or credentials?

   We can see how important it is that we rely on the names and
credentials of those who serve us in the important aspects of our life.
As in the case of the lawyer, it is essential to know these things, for
without knowledge, we would have no assurance that he would truly and
honestly represent you. It is therefore of the utmost importance to
know the men, the credentials and the qualifications of those who we
entrust our spiritual lives!!

   The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has failed the public at this
most crucial point, as they refuse to give their followers the names
and credentials of the Translation Committee of their Bible, The New
World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (see pg. 258 of Jehovah's
Witnesses in the Divine Purpose). This is more important than the
Watchtower Society will admit since the New World Translation Committee
has deceived many in their translation of the Bible in the following
ways:

   1. They have invented non-existent rules of Greek grammar and then
proceeded to follow these rules only when necessary to support their
peculiar theology. A clear example of this is John 1:1, where the
Translation Committee has rendered the Greek "and the Word was a god".
We cite the appendix of another Watchtower publication (The Kingdom
Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, page 1158), for their
footnote concerning John 1:1: "The reason for their rendering the Greek
word Divine and not God is that it is the Greek noun Theos without the
definite article..." May we call the Watchtower Society's attention to
verses 6, 12 and 13 (also found in the first chapter of the Gospel of
John). Here the Greek noun Theos appears without the definite article
(as in John 1:1) and yet the Translating Committee has translated each
verse as (Jehovah) God.

   Another example of non-existent rules followed only when needed to
support their theology is found in the forward of the afore mentioned
Kingdom Interlinear Translation (pg. 18). Here we are taught how to
restore the Divine name. We are instructed that we can render the Greek
words "Kyrios" (Lord) and "Theos" (God) into Divine name by determining
if the Christian (Greek) writers have quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures
(Old Testament). If so, we can render "Kyrios" (Lord) and "Theos" (God)
as Jehovah God. Once again, the Watchtower "rule" is avoided by the
Translation Committee as they translate Philippians 2:11. The Apostle
Paul quotes Isaiah 45:23 as he states that "every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Jehovah God (Kyrios) to the glory of God the
Father.

   2. The Translation Committee has made up a Greek tense that is
non-existent. We cite the 1950 edition of their "New World Translation
of the Christian Greek Scriptures" rendering of John 8:58 where they
have translated "ego eimi" as "I have been" and state that it is
"properly rendered in the perfect indefinite tense" in the Greek
language. There is NO "perfect indefinite sense" in any language! After
the Watchtower Society was informed of this fact, they made the change
to the "perfect tense indicative" but as the Greek student knows, it is
present tense and is correctly translated "I AM" (see Exodus 3:14).

   3. They have added words to Scripture which changes the meaning of
the texts to agree with their theology. Notice the Watchtower's
rendering of Colossians 1:16,17, where the word "other" has been added
four times to the text, completely changing its meaning. When Paul
wrote those passages that the Son created all things, it is obvious
that the Son was not himself created. The Watchtower, however, believes
that the Son is also a created being and has therefore added "other" -
not found in the Greek Biblical text at all - to make it appear that
the Son is also a creature. As mentioned before, the Translation
Committee has added the word "a" to John 1:1 to make the Son a creature
rather than God Himself. Take note also of the same deceitfulness
displayed in Philippians 2:9 where the word "other" is again added,
when it is not found or even suggested in the original Greek.

   4 The men who comprised the Translation Committee had no adequate
schooling or background to function as critical Bible translators. The
self-appointed "scholars" who made up this Translation Committee were:
N.H. Knorr, F.W. Franz, A.D. Schroeder, G.D. Gangas and M. Henschel.
Aside from the current President Franz, none of the Translation
Committee members knew Biblical Greek or Hebrew and Franz's ability is
open to serious question. This came out in the Scottish Court Sessions
in November, 1954 (just four years after the release of the Watchtower
Scriptures). The following exchange of question and answers between the
attorney and Franz is taken from the trial transcript:

   Q. Have you also made yourself familiar with Hebrew? A. Yes.... Q.
So that you have substantial linguistic apparatus at your command? A.
Yes, for use in my biblical work. Q. I think you are able to read and
follow the Bible in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Spanish, Portuguese, German
and French? A. Yes.....(Pursuer's Proof, pg. 7) Q. You, yourself, read
and speak Hebrew, do you? A. I do not speak speak Hebrew. Q. You do
not? A. No Q. Can you, yourself, translate that into Hebrew? A. Which?
Q. That fourth verse of the second chapter of Genesis. A. You mean
here? Q. Yes. A. No, I wouldn't attempt to do that. (Pursuer's Proof,
pgs. 102,103).

   What Franz failed to do was a simple exercise which an average first
or second year Hebrew student in any seminary would have no difficulty
(see further, "We left Jehovah's Witnesses - A non-Prophet
Organization" - Edmond C. Gruss, pg. 59-101). It is also interesting to
note that no Greek scholar with andy credentials will ednores the New
World Translation. Bill Centnar, in 1954 (while still a Jehovah's
Witness working at Bethel), was assigned to interview a well known
Bible translator, Dr. Edgar J. Goodspeed, asking him for his evaluation
and recommendation of the New World Translation of the Hebrew
Scriptures. Dr. Goodspeed replied: "No, I'm afraid that I could not do
that. The grammar is regrettable...".

   We agree with Dr. Goodspeed and go a step further and state that the
theology brought forth in this translation is a fatal distortion of
Biblical truth. We ask you not to put your trust in such a bias
translation of Holy Scripture or in the Society that has deceived many
in the writing of it; we ask that your faith and trust be placed in the
Lord Jesus Christ who said that unless you believe that HE IS the
Eternal God (Ego Eimi - "I AM"), you will die in your sins (John 8:24).
It is because of the danger of the perversion of the New World
Translation of Holy Scriptures that this warning has been written. Our
concern is for you to come to know the TRUE LORD Jesus Christ...

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