David Englund, , Page 25">

Author: David Englund (page 25 of 90)

What Does Baptism Signify?

Bible teach Ch 18

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

Paragraph 1 (pp. 174-175) begins “Bible Teach” Chapter 18—“Baptism and Your Relationship with God”—by commenting about how eager the Ethiopian official in Acts 8 was to be baptized. You are supposed to feel the same way.

I recommend that you point out to the Witnesses how quickly Philip fulfilled his request. There were no lengthy educational sessions and no evaluations by elders to determine his worthiness to be baptized.

As this chapter unfolds, you’ll see all the requirements the Watchtower puts on people before they can be baptized. After you’ve covered them all in your study of the chapter, I’ll be recommending that you remind the Witnesses that none of the people in the Bible had to go through such a process in order to “qualify for baptism.” Continue reading

Praying and Getting Answers

Bible teach Ch 17

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

“Bible Teach,” Chapter 17, paragraph 11 (pp. 168) says that “we may pray for anything that is in harmony with God’s will” and that “we may speak openly, ‘pouring out our heart’ to God.

You might point out that the two aren’t always consistent.

Consider Moses’ complaint to God in Exodus 5:22-23: “Then Moses turned to Jehovah and said: ‘Jehovah, why have you afflicted this people? Why have you sent me? From the time that I went in before Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has dealt worse with this people, and you have certainly not rescued your people.”

Was that praying in harmony with God’s will? Wasn’t it rather pouring out his heart? Continue reading

Supposed Requirements of Prayer

Bible teach Ch 17

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

Paragraph 2 (p. 164) states, “If we want Jehovah to listen to our prayers…we must pray to him in the way that he approves.”

Although a Christian wouldn’t disagree with that statement, I’m struck by how much of the Watchtower’s teachings are phrased like provisions of a law code.

For example, paragraph 5 (p. 166) says, “For our prayers to be favorably heard by God… we must meet some basic requirements.” Continue reading

Watchtower Control Over Jehovah’s Witnesses

Bible teach Ch 16

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

“Bible Teach,” Chapter 16, paragraphs 14-17 (pp. 160-161) shows the extent to which the Watchtower organization controls the lives of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Continue reading

Pagan Origins

Bible teach Ch 16

Click image to access this “Bible Teach” chapter on the Watchtower’s website

Anticipating objections, paragraph 12 (p. 159) of Chapter 16 of “Bible Teach” states, “Do origins really matter? Yes! To illustrate: Suppose you saw a piece of candy lying in the gutter. Would you pick up that candy and eat it? Of course not! That candy is unclean. Like that candy, holidays may seem sweet, but they have been picked up from unclean places. To take a stand for true worship, we need to have a viewpoint like that of the prophet Isaiah, who told true worshippers: ‘Touch nothing unclean!’—Isaiah 52:11.”

As I commented in The Christian Freedom Approach (p. 224) from my book, Getting Through to Jehovah’s Witnesses: Approaching Bible Discussions in Unexpected Ways, I recommend that you respond something like this: Continue reading

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