The error of ignoring the immediate context is defined as follows: “A text of Scripture is quoted but removed from the surrounding verses which form the immediate framework for its meaning..”[1]
In my mind, the greatest example of this in Watchtower literature is its use of Ecclesiastes 9:5.
It latches onto one clause in the middle of the verse—“the dead know nothing at all” (NWT)—and turns those words into its doctrine concerning what happens after death. Continue reading
Imagine if the Watchtower simply asserted, “In order to please God, you must believe whatever we tell you whether you understand why or not.”
That statement would be outrageous!
Who would believe it?
So in order to convince people to believe what they say, the Watchtower frequently uses a “Biblical hook”. Continue reading
As I noted in the previous post, “twisted translation” can be defined as follows: “The biblical text is retranslated, not in accordance with sound Greek scholarship, to fit the preconceived teachings of a cult.”[1]
Last time, I looked at two of its mistranslations with regard to the identity of Jesus.
Today, I’m going to look at the fact that the Watchtower has inserted the name “Jehovah” into the New World Translation of the New Testament 237 times, despite the fact that the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) does not appear in any existing Greek New Testament manuscript. Continue reading
“Twisted translation” can be defined as follows: “The biblical text is retranslated, not in accordance with sound Greek scholarship, to fit the preconceived teachings of a cult.”[1]
The Watchtower publishes its own version of the Bible, calling it “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.” Jehovah’s Witnesses consider it to be the best translation of the Bible available. It is the only one they will really trust.
Unfortunately, key passages have been mistranslated in order to support Watchtower theology. Continue reading
Rarely—if ever—do Jehovah’s Witnesses compare the Watchtower claims to what the Bible texts actually say. Rather, they trust the Watchtower organization implicitly and assume that when the Watchtower quotes or cites Bible texts that those passages fully support the points the Watchtower is making.
Often, that is not the case at all. The Watchtower frequently misrepresents the Bible through use of inaccurate quotations. In his book, Scripture Twisting, James Sire defines this error as follows: “A biblical text is referred to but is either not quoted in the way the text appears in any standard translation or is wrongly attributed.”[1]
Here are some examples of how the Watchtower misleads through inaccurate quotation: Continue reading
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