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Who am I to believe?
Friday, February 20th 2015 at 10:45AM
Steve Williams
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The reason I ask is because I was visited this past week by some Jehovah's Witnesses friends. They use the same books of the Bible as you, but they did agree to read Tobit. Should I believe them?
Friday, February 20th 2015 at 10:50AM
Steve Williams
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Isn't it better to stick to the principles of Gods then to cater to sin nature. Organized religions often have the power to hypnotize people. This helps keep the devotees in line. The worst effects of this are when the people then go to war in the name of God or religion, even though they are not fighting for any worthwhile cause. The truth may not be pleasant, but if one can hear it and hold fast to it, it has a protective effect against all post-hypnotic suggestions and against hypnosis, itself. http://www.drlwilson.com/ARTICLES/HYPNOSIS...
Saturday, February 21st 2015 at 9:58AM
Helen Lofton
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Hey Steve. Actually, Jehovah Witnesses use the own translation that they have produced for their members, which is called the New World Translation of the Scriptures. I actually use several different translations that are widely accepted by Christians, which in this video I referred to 3 - New Kings James Version (NKJV), New Living Translation (NLT) and New International Version (NIV).
As far as what you should believe. Brother, if you pray sincerely to God to lead to what is true and right according to his word, his way, he will lead you to the truth. But your prayer must be sincere and heartfelt (Matthew 7:7, 8). As Jesus mentioned in John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life." He is the only one that can make our path straight in knowledge, understading, in living and truth (Proverbs 3:6).
Saturday, February 21st 2015 at 9:14PM
Felicia Crawford
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So true Helen. I have seen too many people sit in churches today and literally die spiritually because of just what you mentioned. "Organized religions... hypnotize people." AS you state, to keep devotees in line. It is sad to say, instead of allowing God's word to guide them on how they should live, too many Christians become co-dependent on pastors to tell them how to live and fewer and fewer pastors are teaching God's word accurate.
Did you know that more than 1500 pastors leave leadership roles each month? Also, did you know that only 16% of pastors have NOT read their entire Bible? Yet, if you asked those same pastors who have read their entire Bible, most will say their are experts of God's words. There is something wrong with this picture. One of my favorite scripture, which I quote and refer to often is Acts 17:10-12. Not enough of us are conducting ourselves like the Bereans who just did not take the Apostle Paul or Silas word based on what they were taught from the Bible. They went home and verified, verified, and verified and prayed to God if these men were speaking and teaching truth.
When our day of judgment comes, our pastors will not be sitting next to us answering for us to God concerning our deeds, actions, words and conduct. NOPE! It will be you and just Jesus. People must understand this. It is each of us responsibility to pick up our own copy of the Bible, read it and learn what God wants each of us to know about his kingdom and how you as an individual should operate and live in that kingdom. We must dig for ourselves as if it was hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:3-5).
Saturday, February 21st 2015 at 9:38PM
Felicia Crawford
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Felicia,
I have found the New World Translation to be excellent and haven't found any sectarian bias (my major in college was Classical Greek and I've studied the Bible now for over 40 years and have read it through 2 or 3 times). I previously used the NSRV, partly because the Oxford Study Bible includes the Apocrypha. The NWT is availabe as the JW app and allows me to reference KJV and other translations for clarification (see my post on Matthew 5:3). For the Apocrypha I use NETS, which is available in PDF, so I have everything at hand on my iPhone.
Sunday, February 22nd 2015 at 9:33AM
Steve Williams
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History tells us the bible was banned in America until 1870 please don’t take my word for it research it having said that In 1776 America got their independent from England now WHY would African American want the bible of their enemy??? Why would you want the religion of your enemy??? it is something that most black people miss they don’t get it why would you use the religion / bible of your enemy the KING JAMES BIBLE how can we liberate ourselves from a religion that has kept you in slavery so long???
Leviticus 21:18-23King James Version (KJV)
18 For whatsoever man he be that hath a blemish, he shall not approach: a blind man, or a lame, or he that hath a flat nose, or any thing superfluous,
19 Or a man that is brokenfooted, or brokenhanded,
20 Or crookbackt, or a dwarf, or that hath a blemish in his eye, or be scurvy, or scabbed, or hath his stones broken;
21 No man that hath a blemish of the seed of Aaron the priest shall come nigh to offer the offerings of the LORD made by fire: he hath a blemish; he shall not come nigh to offer the bread of his God.
22 He shall eat the bread of his God, both of the most holy, and of the holy.
23 Only he shall not go in unto the vail, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath a blemish; that he profane not my sanctuaries: for I the LORD do sanctify them
Sunday, February 22nd 2015 at 4:12PM
Sylvainy R
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Hey Steve. My name is Deaidre. Felicia thought I would be better equipped to respond to your post because I was affiliated with JW for many years. I was a part of JW organization for almost 14, 15 years before I decided to move into a different faith. One thing I can say about the New World Translation in my early walk in faith is that it was easier to read compared to other Bible versions. It is good that you are examining different versions, but I hope you are doing so with the goal to come into an accurate knowledge of Christ. Who he is? What he stands? And how we should worship and serve him? Which brings me to John 3:16, 17. One of several reasons I left the faith of JW.
In that scripture, it reads that "For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him." (NLT) I have to be honest, JW negates God's word here. They believe and teach openly that if individuals are not a part of their organization, then they are doomed. Members of JW organization believe and preach that their religion is the only religion that can be saved. But this is not what the scripture says. In fact, the scripture does not identify any one religion that can be saved, but people. It is people that can be saved and earn God's grace, not religion. Then there are some other things, that time here just will not allow, but I will briefly mention two. The scriptures make it clear that Jesus used women in leadership roles in his ministry. Well, JW limits where a woman can be used in through their organization. And then there is the issue of Trinity, which the Bible advocates, but the New World Translation takes out of their Bible. God's word strongly warns against any man adding to God's word or taking things out of God's word (Deuteronomy 4:2; Revelation 22:18, 19), which JW has done through their version of the Bible.
Don't get me wrong, most of the people I know in the JW faith are loving, loyal, devoted people. For the most, in my experience, I have not come across such a loving group of people as a body in my faith walk. But no matter how loving you are as a person or an organization, you cannot, negate God's word or change it to fit your mode of thinking. Or God will reject it and deal with those as He sees fit. I can agree with you on that the New World Translation is a good easy read. But we must ask ourselves, what's more important in a Bible, a version that is easy to read or an accurate version of a Bible that has not been altered to fit a religious organization's belief or culture? Its sad to say, but this is what JW has done with God's word in some places of their to fit their religious belief. Again, I love the people is in that organization and they are good people, but some of their teachings are not scriptural sound. Sorry.
Tuesday, February 24th 2015 at 8:58AM
Felicia Crawford
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Sylvainy I can agree with you in that we need to liberate ourselves from RELIGION. Religion is not what we should be seeking, but God. A relationship with God. Not religion. As history has proven, it is religion that has divided man not only from each other, but also from God. However, you may correct my thinking, but I am not sure how Leviticus 21:18-23 fits the good points you have shared about separating ourselves from the enslavement of religion. In those verses, God is giving Moses instructions to the priesthood of Aaron - what is appropriate for anyone who wants to be a part of the priesthood. The verses you mentioned, God told Moses that all future generations of priests could not have the following defects, which are listed in the verses you mentioned.
But here is the most important thing that I picked from your post Sylvainy. It is important to have a relationship with GOD, not RELIGION. Too many of us have a relationship with RELIGON and NOT GOD, which why there is so much confusion about God, what is acceptable in his eyes, and debates about what his word says or don't say. Because it's all in the NAME OF RELIGION AND NOT IN THE NAME GOD. Noticed the words of God in Malachi 3:6,7 where God requires us to repent. He says, I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. Ever since the days of your ancestors, you have scorned my decrees and failed to obey them. Now return to me, and I will return to you, says the LORD of Heaven's Armies.
God's word since the beginning of time has not changed. However, some religions in the NAME OF RELIGION have altered (changed) God's word in some versions of the Bible to fit what they believe, what they think is true in their own eyes.
Here is another point we have to remember about God. He cannot lie! Numbers 23:19 says God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. When we completely rely on God's Holy Spirit to direct us, He will guide us to not only a version of the Bible that teaches his word accurately, but a local church that is doing the same.
Tuesday, February 24th 2015 at 9:31AM
Felicia Crawford
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Hi Deaidre,
Thank you for highlighting the issue of Jesus's divinity, it is a crucial question. The NWT is correct in its translation of John 1:1 and I will tell you why. In English we have the indefinite article 'a', and the definite article 'the'. In Greek the definite article is explicit, as in 'ton theon', whereas the indefinite article is implicit, as in 'theos' at the end of the verse without the definite article 'ho'. So the literal translation at the end is 'and a god was the word'. Greek also does not capitalize 'God' or 'Word'.
New World Translation
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.
King James Version
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Kingdom Interlinear
Joh 1:1 ᾿Εν In ἀρχῇ beginning ἦν was ὁ the λόγος, Word, καὶ and ὁ the λόγος Word ἦν was πρὸς toward τὸν the θεόν, God, καὶ and θεὸς god ἦν was ὁ the λόγος. Word.
Tuesday, February 24th 2015 at 10:23AM
Steve Williams
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Hey Steve. That is correct. JW quotes that scripture very often in their ministry. It is one of several scriptures that JW do not negate. So I can agree with you on that scripture teaching of JW. Thanks for sharing.
Tuesday, February 24th 2015 at 4:06PM
Felicia Crawford
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Felicia Crawford
We can’t seek God because he / she / it / was never lost that’s what religion and the bible want you to believe that you are lost now you need to be saved, Thus you must seek a relationship with god to feel happy and complete no man or woman in this world can tell another what god is or isn’t, what pleases god or what doesn’t,
what angers god and what doesn’t, what is right in god’s eyes and what is not, Not even the Pope with his lying tongue has that right RELIGON across the board is even worst African / African American we need to move away from this thing call RELIGION and the bible and go back to what truth our ancestors have left for us
By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. 3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. 4 How shall we sing the LORD's song in a strange land?
Hebrews 11:1King James Version 11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Tuesday, February 24th 2015 at 7:35PM
Sylvainy R
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Hey Sylvainy. I cannot speak for others. I can only speak for myself and may be on behalf of those that I am close to and know their situations well enough. As for me, I WAS LOST. The life that I once lived was not pleasing to God. I had moments of happiness and NO PEACE. My life was a mess once a upon. And I am confident that Deaidre, who post earlier on this page for me, would echo something similar. And there are hundreds, if not thousands of personal interviews I have and I am sure you have seen and heard on TV or radio or read about in newspapers and magazines that all have said the same thing. Their lives were a mess until God entered into it or until they found God.
I cannot ignore my personal testimony or the testimonies of my closet friends or testimonies of millions of people who have publicly announced that they were unhappy, miserable until they found Christ. So I can agree with you, that we should not be searching for religion, but for God, who is the true source of happiness (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13, John 16:24, Matthew 5:3-10).
And I can agree with you that we do need to turn away from religion. We do need to dedicate time out of our personal schedules and dig into God's word for ourselves so we can gain insight, perfect understanding of God's word for ourselves and more importantly a personal relationship with God. If we are sitting in churches and we are spiritual stagnate, not growing, we really need to prayerfully look to God for new direction.
Thanks for sharing Sylvainy.
Sunday, March 1st 2015 at 7:45AM
Felicia Crawford
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SUBJECT?
Which Way Are You Headed--- Christians! Unbelievers! Choose life! Flee from the popular road that caters to the sin nature of selfishness that reigns and goes unchecked.
we really need to prayerfully look to God for new direction.
Sunday, March 1st 2015 at 6:45AM
Felicia Crawford
GOOD point-----Maybe a prayer from the Creator of Adaam(as) would help................
Sûrat AlFâtihah
(The Opening) I
1. In the Name of Allâah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
2. All the praises and thanks be to Allâah, Raabbeel Al‘Âlaamîn(mankind, jinn and all that exists).
3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
4. The Only Owner and the Only Ruling Judge of the Day of Recompense.
5. You Alone we worship, and You Alone we ask for help for everything.
6. Guide us to the Straight correct Way.
7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Glory and Success,
Not the Way of those who earned Your Anger and Loss; nor of those who went astray of the Truth out of
ignorance, circumstance and error.
Sunday, March 1st 2015 at 8:36AM
robert powell
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