Probably, in every religion there is a group of fanatical believers, and there are also people who look more soberly at the teachings, at the leadership of their religion, and who do not want to go to extremes. But, it must be said, in some religions there are more fanatics, in others there are much fewer. And if this fanaticism bothers loved ones or relatives, then it sometimes makes sense for them to develop tactics on how they could help such a believer look at the subject of his faith from other points of view and moderate his fanaticism, or even completely change his views and worldview.

Among Jehovah's Witnesses there are also completely different people who have different views both on their faith, on the teachings of the organization (and at the same time do not advertise their unofficial views), and on why they are Jehovah's Witnesses. I have already written partly about this in two topics: 1. “Why do people become Jehovah's Witnesses? A word about needs." 2. “Why do people stop being Jehovah's Witnesses?”

But even if someone understands why exactly a person became a Jehovah’s Witness, this understanding may not help at all in overcoming the extreme points of view of a fanatical Witness.

So how could one help such people? Is this even possible?

First of all, it should be taken into account that fighting against fanaticism or strong views with various prohibitions or pressure is useless in most cases. In addition, it is worth considering the peculiar thinking of many believers, in particular Jehovah’s Witnesses - they are taught that their faith is attacked by “Satan” himself, even if this supposedly happens through people whom, according to the Witnesses, “Satan” uses in for your purposes. Therefore, they will resist pressure and will be very persistent in this, believing that they are fighting “Satan” himself or his attacks. This is how they were trained in the organization.

It seems to me that a much more effective way is to ask questions that will call into question the correctness of biblical interpretations on the part of the organization’s leaders, the adequacy of certain actions of believing Witnesses, and will show that a number of things in this world clearly fall outside their understanding of the picture of the world. But it’s worth doing all this not so much in an affirmative form, but in the form of questions that are well thought out and prepared.

Why questions? Because when a person is convinced that he knows some “truth”, that the Bible can explain almost everything in his picture of the world, when a person believes that God cannot make mistakes or his decisions (as well as the decisions of the leaders of the organization that provides understanding of the Bible “from God”) cannot cause harm, but should only be for good - such a person thinks that he knows the answers to almost all questions. In addition, the Witnesses believe that everything in the Bible is “agreed upon”, that they know it perfectly (supposedly better than other believers and non-believers) and believe that they must “teach the truth” to everyone.

Therefore, they will either perceive the questions that you ask them as some kind of interest in their “truth”, or as some kind of “challenge” when they need to defend the “truth” and, moreover, convince themselves that they are really “in the truth” ”, that they can answer any question (or almost any) concerning the Bible, its interpretations, its “application” in life. Among Jehovah's Witnesses, the teaching is so rationalized that the simple confidence “we just believe in it, although we cannot logically explain it” is usually absent. Witnesses are taught that almost everything can be explained, especially in the area of ​​the "consistency" of the Bible and its logical interpretation, and accordingly in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe interpretation of teachings they believe in as "biblical".

But in order to ask such questions and conduct such discussions at least from time to time, you need to be prepared yourself. To do this, it would be good to: 1. Know what Jehovah's Witnesses believe and how they explain this or that teaching. 2. Select good sources of information and critical analysis of the Bible or the teachings and activities of the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Without having and studying the sources from point 2, you risk getting into a puddle quite quickly. Although, in some cases, even careful reading of the Bible with analytical skills may be enough. But, since in society there are not so many analysts in general, we will also consider the option with ready-made sources, where you can, as they say, “get up to speed.”

We must immediately make a reservation - it should be borne in mind that there are not many sources with high-quality biblical analysis or criticism, at least in Russian. There are more in other languages, but you need to understand them too. Critical literature comes in very different quality, even in “scientific” environments. If you choose low-quality criticism, then again, you are likely to quickly get into trouble or face a lot of refutations or contradictions.

Atheistic-propaganda biblical “criticism,” especially from the times of the USSR, is also unlikely to be suitable. It is very original, intended for religiously uneducated people, and often written using dubious arguments. At that time, that literature for a wide circle did not require any deep understanding of biblical nuances, and the authors were often non-believers themselves and did not even understand how believers could think, not to mention a deep study of the Bible or near-biblical history. Maybe there are such books from the times of the USSR, but I haven’t come across them yet.

But translated books by foreign scientists and researchers with decades of experience in studying biblical texts are already available in Russian. Yes, and some studies are untranslated, but those originally written in Russian are also available.
And if you read these sources (at least in the amount of several books, websites, several or several dozen articles), you can be very well equipped for conversations with the Witness.

At the same time, I am convinced that it is not worth using the interpretations of the Bible of other religions as some kind of “truth” and arguing about which interpretation is more correct with the Witness. Most likely, the discussion will turn into a dispute, where the Witness will try in every possible way to prove that the understanding of the Bible by its ideological leaders (and therefore him too) is the most correct. The problem is usually that there are a lot of contradictory and ambiguous words or phrases in the biblical texts, which some religions interpret one way, others another, trying to reject any “contradiction” and in order to somehow “reconcile” certain contradictory meanings. That is why these religions have always argued and will continue to argue. And it’s much easier to have a conversation if you understand what exactly your interlocutor considers “dogma” or “correct understanding”, and what he never considered and never will consider as such.

If we talk about sources that I consider worthy and of quite high quality, I will definitely I will publish it soon, both with names and links for downloading or reading on the Internet. It is possible that later I will expand this list, but even this will be enough for good conversations with a Witness (and not only Jehovah’s Witnesses) regarding the Bible.

It is best to choose moments for questions or conversations when a person is more inclined to calmly think or talk. You shouldn't do this aggressively. Because then emotions will play a role, which will not allow the person to approach him critically. Or you can simply raise the question and give the person time to prepare for the discussion or think about it. This is very good. A person will be able to try to prepare the arguments (or lack thereof) that his superiors should provide him with through reference literature. Nowadays, searching the literature with the help of computer technology has become much easier than searching in paper form. So let him dig around, let him search, let him try to find an answer to a question or a refutation of some information.

But here it is worth considering that people become Jehovah's Witnesses and continue to remain them for completely different reasons. And the questions of doctrine and their truth are not always the most important for people. Many people hold on to religions because of society, some because they can somehow express themselves there, some because of a long-term career, although they may no longer believe in all the teachings, some - for other reasons.

And in general, if a person is satisfied with everything at the moment, then he is unlikely to want to change anything in his life. True, the problem may be that while he accumulates a critical mass of negative observations and questions about the “truth” of certain teachings and actions, 10-20-30 years may pass, and, perhaps, the best years of his life. And very serious mistakes can be made that relate to relationships, health, property or something else. So if you see that a person is clearly fanatical and prone to extremes in religion and in life, then it’s probably worth trying to help him and it’s worth trying to do this more than once or twice, choosing opportune moments and using smart tactics.

You also need to take into account that your goal cannot be some short-term “victory” in the dispute. It doesn't give anything by itself. It is important to encourage a person to begin to analyze his own beliefs, the same Bible, but not as he is taught in the organization, using suggestion and pseudo-study. It is important that a person learns (again) to question everything and check the “truth” of what they are trying to present to him as an immutable “truth”. Sometimes it's like moving a huge rock. But if this can be done, then the stone can continue to roll faster and faster by inertia.

Unfortunately, fanaticism is blind. But when a person realizes that he can be wrong or that he can be deliberately misled, then he can again begin to think critically and take control of his beliefs and life.

Blog_Veniamin_Yakovlev_JW, tv_JW_ORG,

Anatoly, what does it mean: love believes all things... from 1 Corinthians 13:7? Igor

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

It means:

1) She shows faith in God and His word in everything - in various circumstances, trials and living conditions. She is not afraid to trust God (for example, in showing kindness, giving in debt, fulfilling agreements, etc.), even when there is a threat of deception, the possibility of suffering some kind of damage, etc., knowing that everything is for those who love God works for good.

2) Love is not attuned to suspicions and prejudices, that is, it preserves presumption of innocence. For example, being in love, we can eat without examining what we buy at a trade (for example, believing the traders that the goods are good), thanking God for the food, and not looking for all kinds of shortcomings in the goods. Thus, in all cases, love is not inclined to doubt without good reason in all life conditions and with all people. This does not mean that she is generally thoughtless, gullible or careless, it’s just that in her essence there is a principle of faith, as opposed to fears, in which she is always ready to take calculated risks, relying on God, and not hide in the corner, constantly waiting for tricks , deception, mistakes and the like.

3) Love knows that the world lies in evil. She is ready for all kinds of suffering, difficulties, persecution and battles. But in all this, she believes that God will take care of us, support us, strengthen us, deliver us, make us better and allow us to grow in the knowledge of Him!

Did this information help you? Yes No

Anatoly explain the passage from Hebrews 6:4-8. What kind of people is this talking about? Vacile

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

It speaks of people who, already mature in faith and having evidence of the real power of God, consciously, with all their hearts, renounced God and took the path of living in sin and resisting Jesus Christ. A detailed explanation can be read by following the link in the section "Basic Commandments" :

Did this information help you? Yes No

While reading the Gospel of Matthew, this passage touched me: And everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life .(Matthew 19:29) I saw here that this is valuable and important for our Lord, since He told us about it. How to correctly understand and accept all this into our lives? Sever

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

This place tells us about life priorities. Are we ready, for the sake of Jesus, the gospel of the Kingdom of God and the fulfillment of God's will, to deprive ourselves of earthly blessings, the joys of family life, comfort, material possessions and opportunities to strengthen our well-being (by moving up the career ladder, developing a business, etc.)?

The Lord may give us some blessings in life, but at the same time he confronts us with a choice: to focus on these blessings or to follow Christ further to acquire spiritual treasures. Remember, at least, the story when Jesus granted Simon, Andrew, John and James to catch a huge amount of fish - after that He called them to follow Him, and they did not stay to take advantage of all this blessing, but left everything and followed Jesus, to get something more!

When we leave loved ones, we deprive ourselves of the joy of seeing them and the opportunity to care for each other. We also miss out on benefits and are left without a certain amount of comfort if we leave our houses, lands and usual activities. And if a person refuses an inheritance, leaving his father’s house altogether, or sacrificing prospects in some field of activity for the sake of Jesus and the ministry of the word of God: this is generally a step of dedication, affecting his overall lifestyle .

An ordinary person will not make such sacrifices because he does not see any benefit for himself in this, only a Christian, for whom the Lord is dearer than all blessings and who has known the superiority of the true love of Jesus Christ, can take these steps, showing that it is more important for him to fulfill the will of God than to ensure a comfortable stay on earth, where he is just a stranger and a wanderer!

The Lord is very kind to people who, at any moment in their lives, are ready to leave something important in their lives for the sake of Jesus Christ. He never forgets this and values ​​it very much, promising every disciple who takes such steps that he not only will not regret it, but will gain a hundred times more than what he left behind (here it should be emphasized that reward is measured in God’s categories, and not in human ideas, that is, we receive a hundredfold that which has value in God, and is not measured by money or concepts of human well-being) already here on earth, and for us the barriers to eternal life in the Kingdom of God are erased.

Did this information help you? Yes No

“The soldiers also asked him: what should we do? And he said to them: do not offend anyone, do not slander, and be content with your salary” (Luke 3:14) Can we, as Christians, serve in the army? What should we answer to those Christians who say that Jesus said: “And he said to them, “When I sent you out without bag, without scrip, and without sandals, did you lack anything?” They answered, “Nothing.” Then He said to them: But now, whoever has a bag, take it, and also the scrip: and whoever does not, sell your clothes and buy a sword: for I tell you that this written thing must be fulfilled in Me: and I am numbered with the evildoers. Me, comes to an end" (Luke 22:35-37)? Dmitriy

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

Christians must obey the authorities and carry out their instructions, unless this contradicts the commandments of the Lord. During the period of the law, it was allowed to hate one’s enemies, to avenge the shed blood of a criminal killed by murder, to use various types of violence in response to aggression, or to fight battles as directed by the Lord. But the period of the law ended in the time of John the Baptist, who came to call the people to repentance because they could not even meet the requirements that were established through Moses.

The reference to the fact that John did not forbid the soldiers to fight does not show permission for this for Christians. Why? Yes, because John’s task was to prepare the way for the Lord, and not to bring new teaching. John came to bring to repentance all who sought to live according to the law, in order to prepare the people to accept Jesus with His teaching, so he did not saya lot of things what Jesus later taught. The Scripture says: "For the law was given through Moses; and grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17) - only the Lord brought us the teaching of the New Testament, in which we see a word in which God's requirements are increased and the standards of holiness are raised, because the power and grace are given to fulfill the word of God, which the people of the Old Testament were largely deprived of.

So, let's see what the Lord taught in the New Testament:

38 You have heard that it was said: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
39 But I tell you: do not resist evil. But whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other to him as well. ;
40 and whoever wants to sue you and take your shirt, give him your outer clothing too ;
41 and whoever forces you to go one mile with him, go with him two miles .
42 Give to the one who asks from you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.
43 You have heard that it was said: Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
44 But I say to you: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who use you and persecute you. ,
45 May you be sons of your Father in heaven, for He makes His sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don't publicans do the same?
47 And if you greet only your brothers, what special thing are you doing? Don't the pagans do the same?
48 Therefore be ye perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

(Matt. 5:38-48)

17 do not repay anyone evil for evil, but strive for good in the sight of all people .
18 If possible on your part, be at peace with all people .
19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but give room to [God’s] wrath. . For it is written: Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.
20 So, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink: for by doing this you will heap burning coals on his head .
21 Don't be defeated by evil, but conquer evil with good .

(Rom.12:17-21)

7 And this is already very humiliating for you, that you have litigation among yourself. Why would you rather not remain offended? Why would you rather not endure hardship?
8 But you [yourselves] abuse and take away, and from your brothers.
9 Or don't know what the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God ?...

(1 Cor. 6:7-9)

8 Finally, be all of one mind, compassionate , brotherly loving, merciful, friendly , humble-wise;
9 Do not repay evil for evil or insult for insult; on the contrary, bless knowing that you are called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
10 For whoever loves life and wants to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking evil;
11 turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and strive for it ,
12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are upon their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil , (to destroy them from the earth).
13 And whoever does you harm if you are zealous for good ?
14 But even if you suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed; but do not be afraid of their fear and do not be embarrassed.

(1 Peter 3:8-14)

14 We also urge you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, comfort the faint-hearted, support the weak, be patient with everyone.
15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil; but always seek the good of each other and everyone .

(1 Thess. 5:14,15)

As we see, what was permissible in the Old Testament (due to hardness of heart), in the New Testament is a crime (previously, an eye for an eye, but now - do not resist the evil one). Before Jesus, murder was allowed as a prototype of the spiritual struggle against sin and wickedness, but now we have a different weapon - this is good: so if our enemies are hungry or thirsty, we should not kill them (or as before we kept the siege of the city until they weakened from hunger and will not give up), but to feed and drink, allowing God Himself to intercede for us! We do not carry out a ministry of condemnation, but a ministry of justification, ready, like Jesus on the cross, to pray for even the most notorious scoundrels: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" .

The essence of the New Testament is that you need to follow Christ, and this is the path of love, which does not harm your neighbor and loves your enemies.And it is important to note that Jesus said that you should not love your enemy, but “your enemies”! So murder in the New Testament is not justified by anything.Now we live in a period when the people of God are carrying out the ministry of justification and salvation, because Jesus did not come to destroy, but to save souls, which he also commanded us to do.

Now let's move on to the actual scripture where Jesus talks about buying a sword. Why did He say this? To start fighting? No! The Lord told Peter to take the sword not in order to defend himself with it, but in order for the Scripture to be fulfilled: "and numbered among the villains" . IN This is the essence of Jesus' words about swords!

Let's see Matthew 26:51-54: “And behold, one of those who were with Jesus, stretching out his hand, drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. Then Jesus said to him: return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword; or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will present to Me more than twelve legions of Angels? How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, that this must be so?” - it is clearly seen here thatThe Lord did not allow the sword to be raised in His defense! By this heshows that possessing a sword (as a sign of the fulfillment of the Scriptures about Jesus) and using it (even for defensive purposes) are completely different things! Nowhere, neither in theory nor in practice, do we see permission to use violence even in defense of one’s own life.

Some people may object by saying that Jesus did not mean to literally fulfill His words, citing the fact that He Himself did not turn the other cheek to those who struck Him. However, after reading “The Lord God opened My ear, and I did not resist, I did not retreat back. I gave My back to the smiters and My cheeks to those who smite; I did not hide My face from mockery and spitting. And the Lord God helps Me: therefore I am not ashamed, therefore I keep my face Mine is like flint, and I know that I will not remain in shame." (Isa.50:5-7) - we will see that the Lord gave up his cheeks to those who struck Him. Also words "Then they spat in His face and strangled Him; others struck His cheeks"
(Matt. 26:67) confirm that Jesus was struck on both cheeks. I understand that many of Jesus’ words have a figurative expression of the commandments, but this does not give us a reason to arbitrarily interpret His words (that is, the words "turn the other cheek" will never mean: “hit him back well so he’ll remember it for a long time”).

The answer to this can be partially found above, but I will emphasize again: God has not changed, but many of His laws and instructions, as well as assumptions, are undergoing change. Let us remember what the Lord says about fornication, showing that even looking with lust before God is a sin! Hatred in the New Testament is equated with murder, and methods of retribution "an eye for an eye"(and others) are changed by the Lord to "do not resist evil" . There is no need to sew patches on old clothes or pour new wine into old bottles, just as you cannot combine the Gospel with the Old Testament ministry of condemnation, when God, through Israel, carried out His judgments on the pagans.

Therefore, the current position of Israel with the previous Old Testament thinking is no longer acceptable before God! Even in those days, if you remember, the prophet Jeremy I didn't show much patriotism, when he advised to obey the invaders and not resist them. Moreover, today, after the entry into force of the New Testament, we are called to reject all evil, violence and aggression against people.

So, let’s answer the main question: can Christians serve in the army? It is clear that in all areas of life we ​​are called to base our behavior on the word of God. Some people remember the scripture that says: “Let every soul be submissive to the higher authorities, for there is no authority except from God; the existing authorities were established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority resists God’s institution. And those who resist will bring condemnation upon themselves. For those in authority are not a terror to good deeds, but to evil ones. Do you want not to be afraid of power? Do good, and you will receive praise from it, for [the boss] is God's servant, for your good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain: he is God's servant, an avenger in punishment of those who do evil " (Rom.13:1-4) - by this they take as a basis that it is possible to work in law enforcement agencies and use weapons. But is this approach correct if in other places of Scripture we see an explicit prohibition on the use of weapons and violence?

If Scripture says that a man in power does not bear the sword in vain, it does not mean that a Christian in good conscience can be that man, for the point of the passage is this: "Do you want not to be afraid of power? Do good!" So where is our license to kill?

I also served in the army and became a believer during my service. There I openly professed my faith and directly declared to the political commander of the unit that I would not shoot at anyone during hostilities, since this contradicts the word of God. As a result, I was banned from preaching the gospel, threatened with prison, and deprived of promotions. However, on the other hand, I had free access (as a simple soldier) to the commander of the unit (I talked with him about God, prayed for some events in the unit at his request, etc.), because they saw the hand of God on my life .

A Christian can be in public service, but there he must confess Christ and be firm in his convictions within the framework of the Gospel. If God sees a job for you in these structures, you will be valued along with the Gospel you profess, and if there is no opportunity to show fidelity to the Lord, then it means it is not God’s will to be there - it’s time for you to leave these structures!

So, when looking for a job, I should not fuss, immerse myself in thoughts and hearts in the worries of everyday life, and for the sake of profit, engage in deceit, dubious deals, and so on. In power structures, this principle is not canceled, as in methods of self-defense and so on, we must remain within the framework of the word of God. Therefore, we can clearly say regarding the extreme measures provided for by law - human laws in this case are not a guide for us! The Lord did not command Christians who work in law enforcement agencies to live according to the Old Testament, and the rest to live according to the New. Everyone has one Gospel, the meaning of which is contained in the unambiguous commands of Christ, and to look for some other meaning that contradicts the instructions of the Lord is self-confidence and self-will!

God does not want people to come to salvation, and then, calmed by theories that contradict the word of God, that they can safely use weapons, commit violence, beat, kill, quarrel, show aggression and deprive people of their chances of salvation, sin, living in self-deception, and then ended up in hell, never understanding why they got there. And their blood will be exacted from those who taught them this lie!

Scripture does not allow us to persecute or use violence against those who disagree with us.But, unfortunately, conscience allows many deceived Christians through all sorts of reasons invented for personal justification (for the sake of self-defense, peace of mind, approval of their own way of life, or for the sake of "The Romans will come and take possession of both our place and our people" ) to use civil authorities to isolate or even kill those they believe threaten their peace. We see this clearly in Ukraine, where the destruction of the population that does not agree with the policies of people who came to power through a riot and an armed coup (with the full support and complicity of many Christians deceived by the forces of darkness) is supported. Priests did the same with Jesus, Catholics with Protestants, and Orthodox with Evangelical Christians. Will Christians really step on the same rake again and again, welcoming sin and collaborating with Satan in his evil deeds?

No matter how much we want, we will not be able to ensure a safe life for ourselves, relying on our own strength and means (as it is written: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his support" ). But believing in God, we will not be ashamed forever!!!

Some may say that a person in power is God's servant, which means a Christian can use the sword while in power - this will be part of his service to God. But alsoPilate was God's servant, crucifying the Lord of glory, so did this really make him righteous? Nero and other Roman emperors are also all God's servants, but does this mean that this justifies their persecution of Christians? Is it written in the New Testament: if they hit you, fight back, use the sword in case of self-defense or a threat to your neighbors, defend your homeland or punish criminals as they deserve?.. Okay, if there were no words contradicting these statements, then we can try to imagine that we are allowed to do this act. But many places, both in commands and in practice, show that we cannot imitate those who beat or kill people! Jesus came not to destroy, but to save, and if we begin to kill with a calm soul, then we stand on the same side with the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning (see. John 8:44 )!

The world lies in evil, and it is no secret that it solves its problems using the methods that it knows how, since it lives without God. They have no commandment for meekness, love for enemies, or non-resistance to evil, nor do they have the resources from God to resolve conflicts. And God did not command us to leave the world, but commanded us to shine for it (which cannot be done by imitating his methods). Our war is not against flesh and blood, but against the forces of darkness for people, even if they do not see it and are at enmity against us. We are citizens of the Kingdom of God, which is not of this world, and our task is to behave with dignity so as not to be ashamed at the coming of our Lord!

If Christians had adhered to evangelical principles, there would have been no Crusades, St. Bartholomew's Night, the Inquisition, persecution of Protestants or Evangelical Christians, the English Civil War (when Charles 1 was executed under Cromwell) and other large or small wars waged by Christian authorities. If German Christians had not supported Hitler, World War II might not have happened. Today there is a fratricidal war in Ukraine, and many Christians are accomplices of these lawlessnesses directly or indirectly! And the obvious fact is that a calm attitude towards murder by Christians contributed to the shedding of rivers of blood!

So every Christian is called not to participate in the sins of unbelievers, and, if possible, to bring the truth to all people, showing with his whole life how to act according to the teachings of Jesus Christ, even if it means suffering, being persecuted, or even dying!

Did this information help you? Yes No

Gospel of Mark, chapter 7. Can this place be attributed to music that a person creates to the best of his ability, having a special gift, wanting to play in church without boasting about his ability, of his own free will, to perform as he is inspired, not for satisfaction, but for people, for God? “Nothing that comes into a person from without can defile him, but what comes out of him defiles a person” (verse 15) Tom

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

Not a very clear question. If we mean whether a person can be defiled by the music he makes or his singing, according to what is written in Mark 7:15, then the following can be said. If a person is inspired by God and not driven by sin, his own flesh or lust in writing music and songs, then such service is acceptable in the sight of God, and he can grow in this according to the grace of God.

But if his music or singing comes from vanity, the desire to please his own or someone else's flesh, contains the wrong foundation and other vices, then such music, no matter how good or professional it sounds, will defile him, since it comes from his heart , which has not yet been cleansed of such defilements.

Did this information help you? Yes No

If the owners of a restaurant observe the Sabbath, can they cook (dishes) from pork and serve it to people of other faiths who eat pork, etc.??? tamara

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

The Scripture says: “And by this we know that we are of the truth, and we quiet our hearts before Him; for if our heart condemns us, then [how much greater is God], because God is greater than our heart and knows everything. Beloved! if our heart does not condemn us, then we have boldness towards God, and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight" (1 John 3:19-22) and further: “For the sake of food, do not destroy the works of God. Everything is pure, but it is bad for the person who eats to temptation. It is better not to eat meat, not to drink wine and do not [do] anything that causes your brother to stumble, or to be offended, or to faint.. Do you have faith? have it within yourself, before God. Blessed is he who does not condemn himself for what he chooses. But he who doubts, if he eats, is condemned, because it is not by faith; and everything that is not of faith is sin" (Rom.14:20-23) .

In accordance with these words from Scripture, you need to decide on several questions:

1) What is the situation with the condemnation of the heart? That is, you need to create a menu so that your heart and conscience do not judge the decisions made, confirming your confidence that your actions are in accordance with the will of God and are acceptable before the Lord.

2) You need to make sure that your loved ones and brothers in faith will not stumble or be offended by your actions in this regard. We are called to show love to others, and we need to consider how our actions will be responded to by those who are less firm in the faith.

3) You need to examine your heart whether you are walking by faith or not. Everything that is not according to faith is a sin, so you need to decide what you can offer on the menu without any kind of doubt, and this will give you the opportunity to expect blessings from the Lord in this matter with a calm heart.

When you answer these questions, you will not have any difficulties with what exactly to include in the menu and what ingredients to make certain dishes from.

Did this information help you? Yes No

The righteous man is saved from trouble, but the wicked falls into it instead. Explain what this means? GENA

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

A righteous person is a person who has been justified by God by faith and is in right relationship with the Lord. To such a person, the Lord reveals the dangers and disasters that can await people who deviate from the safe path of salvation, so that the righteous can see the real state of things and follow the safe path designated by God, even when the forces of darkness are arrayed against him.

An ungodly person is one who does not need the guidance and instruction of God. He is on his own mind and is guided by sin and the desires of the flesh. Such paths will certainly lead a person into trouble, even if he receives mercy from the Lord for the time being. Walking carelessly on the edge of the abyss will certainly lead to disaster and death for the wicked, while the righteous will be preserved by God's grace, since he did not neglect the guidance of the Lord!!!

Did this information help you? Yes No

And when the hour came, He lay down, and the twelve Apostles with Him, and said to them: I greatly desired to eat this Passover with you before My suffering, for I tell you that I will no longer eat it until it is accomplished in the Kingdom of God. And taking the cup and giving thanks, he said: Take it and divide it among yourselves, for I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. And he took the bread and gave thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying: This cup is the New Testament in My blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:14-20) Here we see that there were two bowls that the Lord Jesus gave to his disciples at the supper. Please, Anatoly, convey the deeper meaning of this action of the two bowls, especially about the first bowl; what truth and what understanding is contained in it; How can we take it correctly? Sever

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

The second cup, which is the New Testament in the blood of Jesus, is described in detail in the material:. Regarding the first cup, this moment is generally forgotten, while it is not by chance that it is mentioned in Scripture. Therefore, we will consider what it means and why the Lord provided for its adoption. First, let's give it a name - "cup of unity" , because the Lord commanded to accept it and share it among themselves, which emphasizes the unity of the disciples.

Now let's look at what this cup indicates. The Lord says in His word: “And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; otherwise the new wine will burst the skins and flow out on its own, and the skins will be lost; but new wine must be put into new wineskins; then both will be saved. And no one, having drunk old [wine], immediately wants new, for he says: old is better." (Luke 5:37-39) - and this indicates what the disciples should accept first: instead of the old statement on the law we should share among ourselves the new teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ brought, accepting it into a new heart received by being born again.

And the acceptance of this teaching should not be as just theoretical knowledge, but as a basis for real life in practice, when the Lord fills the entire essence of our being: "The Lord is part of my inheritance and my cup. You hold my lot." (Ps. 16:5) .

Parallel to the teaching, the cup of unity includes participation with Jesus Christ in His sorrows for people. What does it mean? Let's look at Scripture first: “He said to them, “What do you want me to do to you?” They said to Him, “Grant us to sit at Your side, one on your right hand and the other on your left, in Your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask.” Can you drink the cup that I drink?, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized? They answered: we can. Jesus said to them: the cup that I drink you will drink and with the baptism with which I am baptized you will be baptized; but to let one sit on My right hand and on My left is not up to Me [depends], but to whomever it is prepared.” (Mark 10:36-40) . So we will drink the cup that the Lord drank and be baptized with His baptism.

To understand how they differ, let's look at the example of the Lord when He drank His cup: "And he took with him Peter, James, and John; and began to be horrified and sad. And he said to them: My soul grieves unto death; stay here and watch" (Mark 14:33,34) and further: " And He Himself departed from them a stone's throw, and, kneeling down, prayed, saying: Father! Oh, that You would deign to carry this cup past Me! however, not My will, but Yours be done. An angel appeared to Him from heaven and strengthened Him. And while he was in agony, he prayed more diligently, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:41-44) - as we see, this state of Jesus was different from external suffering, when He was interrogated, beaten, mocked and crucified, while He remained in peace of heart, this clearly indicates that the cup is the internal sorrows, horrors and disorder of people, which the Lord experienced in His heart, bearing the inner pain from the state in which this world was. This is very difficult to explain, but it is precisely part of such sorrows for people in our hearts that we are called to share with Christ.

The Apostle Paul said: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you and make up for the lack in my flesh of the sorrows of Christ for His Body which is the Church" (Col. 1:24) - when we accept the cup of unity, then ready not only to empathize with people in their difficulties and show compassion as written: "Rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep" (Rom.12:15) , but also to have the inner sorrow of Christ, which we do not endure as part of our life trials, but take part of the blow upon ourselves, so that other Christians can have the opportunity to grow in faith and bear fruit, and unbelievers can have a chance to find salvation: "Do we mourn, [mourn] for your comfort and salvation which is accomplished by enduring the same suffering that we endure." (2 Cor. 1:6) .

So, by participating in the acceptance of the cup of unity, we thereby testify that we are full of determination abide in the teachings of Christ in the same thoughts and unanimity, be aware of your involvement with brothers and sisters , remaining not indifferent to their lives, and to share among ourselves the sorrows of Jesus Christ for the Church for its growth in love and faith, as well as its increase in numbers, by saving many more souls.

After the cup of unity, our hearts are already prepared to partake of the Body of the Lord in bread, by accepting which we testify that we are ready to participate in His sufferings, conforming to His death, that is, to be baptized with His baptism, dying to sin, the powers of darkness, the works of the flesh and your old self. And then we conclude the supper by receiving the Blood of Jesus Christ, to which we partake in a cup of wine - by this we not only partake of the Blood of Jesus by faith, but also express faith in the power of the New Testament, which is given to us for walking in newness of life, guided by the Spirit Saints to fulfill the will of God in its entirety!
.

Did this information help you? Yes No

“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18:18) - how to understand and practically apply this verse in life, in what specific situations so that God's action would actually take place legally? Victoria

Vostok-Enosia (Anatoly)

To understand the meaning of this passage of Scripture, we need to turn to the whole word of God, then a more complete vision of what the Lord wanted to tell us will be revealed to us:

15 He says to them: Who do you say that I am?
16 Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 Then Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because Flesh and blood have not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven ;
18 And I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it;
19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven .

(Matt. 16:15-19)

15 If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; If he listens to you, then you have gained your brother;
16 But if he does not listen, take with you one or two more, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
17 But if he does not listen to them, tell the church; and if he does not listen to the church, then let him be to you as a pagan and a tax collector.
18 Truly I say to you: .
two of you will agree
20 for, .

(Matt. 18:15-20)

21 Jesus said to them a second time, “Peace be with you!” just as the Father sent Me, [so] I send you.
22 Having said this, he blew and said to them: receive the Holy Spirit .
23 Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven; whoever you leave it on will stay on it .

(John 20:21-23)

So, binding and untying is necessarily preceded by the revelation of Heavenly Father that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and He is the Lord of our lives. This revelation must become the rock of our establishment, so that no attacks from the powers of darkness can overcome us.

Also the most important condition is the acceptance of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth, showing us the desires of God and His will for us. Without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, no person is able to carry out any kind of spiritual activities!

Some people believe that only a few people can bind and loose, but this is not so: Peter alone was promised this ability and only then - for a group of believers. In fact, it is more difficult for several people to exercise this power, since they need to fulfill an additional condition: gather in the name of Jesus Christ (and not for yourself, your own interests or just for the sake of communication, etc.) and have unity(having one heart and spirit, being in unanimity and agreement in your thoughts).

Therefore, it is not the number of people that determines the measure of the strength of binding and resolution, but their ability to have living communication with the Holy Spirit and remain in unity with each other! It is better to have a couple of Christians with whom you have the same heart than a thousand who are “on their own” and do not strive for unity based on the word of God!

Now let us consider the question of whether heaven depends on our decisions or there is some other meaning hidden here. In fact, only binding or loosening under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will have approval in heaven. If we do this without permission, the Lord will not confirm this! But why was such an order given if the decision in heaven does not depend on our power? The answer is very simple: the Lord decides that something should be related or resolved, and He sends this guidance to His children through the Holy Spirit. They, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, exercise the power given by the Lord, and God confirms in heaven that this was lawful and according to His will before the angels, to whom the manifold wisdom of God is revealed precisely through the Church.

In what cases are binding and resolution used? This mainly concerns two areas: relationships in the church and spiritual struggle.

In the first case, this concerns the ability to resolve conflict situations between Christians and judge whether someone is in sin, justifying it, or not. For example, in situations where there is a conflict between brothers or sisters in Christ, and they cannot resolve it, then a more spiritually mature brother (or several brothers) under the guidance of the Holy Spirit should judge between them, indicating according to the word of God, in than this or that brother needs to change his view, repent of some sins and ask for forgiveness for some wrong behavior. If they listen, the conflict will be over. But if any of them continues to insist on their own, neglecting the word of God or distorting its meaning, then this power must be used.

There are also people who, although they are not clearly in conflict with anyone, nevertheless fall into delusions or false teachings, beginning to justify certain sins and neglect certain commandments of God. Scripture says: “If anyone does not listen to our words in this message, take notice of him and do not communicate with him in order to shame him. But do not consider him an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.” (2 Thess. 3:14,15)- this is the first stage of bonding, when a person is limited in confidential communication, his words can no longer be considered significant for others, on the contrary, the task of those communicating with him is to admonish him as a brother.

If a person comes to his senses, then the ability to communicate with him is restored. But sometimes, unfortunately, everything happens differently - a person is not going to change his mind. Then you should act according to the word of God: “And I, being absent in body, but present [with you] in spirit, have already decided, as if being with you: who has done this deed, in your congregation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, together with my spirit, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, be delivered to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 5:3-5) And "But I wrote to you do not communicate with someone who, while calling himself a brother, remains a fornicator, or a covetous person, or an idolater, or a slanderer, or a drunkard, or a predator; I can't even eat with someone like that. For why should I judge those who are external? Are you not judging the internal ones? God judges those who are outside. Therefore, cast out the wicked from among you." (1 Cor. 5:11-13) . That is, if a person considers it normal to remain in sin, then it should be clearly stated that this person is no longer under the protection of God and cannot be considered a brother (or sister) and is no longer part of the Church of Christ. Everything is again done under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This is the stronger principle of binding, when a person is excommunicated from the church, losing the right to be called a brother or sister, while Satan's hands are untied and given the right to bring the flesh of a former Christian to exhaustion, so that he can realize his iniquities, stop justifying his favorite sins and turn from their errors to the truth and return to lost faith and salvation. Such measures are necessary in order to preserve the Church from the deception of those in sin and to give the person himself a chance to reflect on his condition and realize the seriousness of his situation, which leads him straight to destruction.

If a person, through the suffering of the flesh, finally understands that he was in deception and hardening of the heart through love for sins, he begins to lament and repent of his iniquities, wanting to again turn to the path of true faith, then the person is again accepted into the communion of saints as a prodigal son, since the Lord accepts every sinner who repents with all his heart. In this way, the bonds of man are resolved, and the forces of darkness are bound towards him, since he has again turned from darkness to light. Again this authority is exercised under the direct direction of the Holy Spirit.

The second area where the power to bind and loose is used is in spiritual warfare. The Lord points this out in Scripture as follows:

24 When the Pharisees heard this, they said, “He does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the prince of the demons.”
25 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be desolate; and every city or house divided against itself cannot stand.
26 And if Satan casts out Satan, then he is divided with himself: how can his kingdom stand?
27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges.
28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has certainly come upon you.
29 Or how can anyone to enter the house of a strong man and plunder his things, unless he first binds the strong man? and then he will plunder his house .
30 He who is not with Me is against Me; and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

(Matt. 12:24-30)

1 And you, who are dead in your trespasses and sins,
2 in which you once lived according to the custom of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air , the spirit now at work in the sons of disobedience

(Eph.2:1,2)

11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil,
12 because Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in high places. .

(Eph.6:11,12)

18 Truly I say to you: whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven; and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven .
19 Truly I also say to you that if two of you will agree on earth to ask for anything, whatever they ask will be done for them by My Father in Heaven,
20 for, where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them .

(Matt. 18:18-20)

The forces of darkness hold unbelieving people captive, doing their best to prevent them from turning to God and gaining eternal life. And in order for the property of the strong to be plundered, that is, the slaves of demonic forces were freed, we need to bind them in order to limit their influence on the personalities of the captives. We also loosen the bonds of men's hearts in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so that the strongholds of the powers of darkness will not darken the light of the gospel for them, and they will be able to hear the word of God.

How can spiritual warfare be carried out in this case and who can carry it out? Unlike the first option, where power is applied to people, not only brothers, but also sisters can bind the forces of darkness. But as before, binding occurs directly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit by spiritually mature Christians. Again, this process is carried out as obedience to God, but in this case the consequence of this action is carried out in the heavens of the earth - in the sphere of habitation of demonic forces that control this or that area.

Spiritual struggle against the forces of darkness that control any area requires that we can soberly assess the state of personal faith and spiritual authority that the Lord has endowed us with at this time. You need to clearly know your authority and not go beyond the instructions of the Holy Spirit. The Lord says: “Or what king, going to war against another king, does not sit down and first consult whether he is strong with ten thousand to resist the one coming at him with twenty thousand? Otherwise, while he is still far away, he will send an embassy to him to ask for peace.” (Luke 14:31,32) . And we must understand that when we get involved in spiritual battles, we will have powerful opposition that we may not be able to withstand.

Only the strongest can bind the strong, who will try by all means to resist his binding, trying to harm the attacker. Do we have enough strength from God? Are we ready for powerful opposition and counterattacks from the forces of darkness? Do we have enough trust in God in our hearts to overcome all the enemy's resistance and achieve victory through the power of the Holy Spirit?

Sometimes it is necessary to undergo various types of training and preparation for a certain time, strengthening ourselves spiritually, until the Lord can entrust us with such battles. After all, suffering for Christ, persecution, pressure from loved ones, misunderstanding and resistance on the part of believers, difficult external circumstances, sometimes life-threatening, blasphemy and bitterness of others, targeted witchcraft, fiery temptations and other attacks by the forces of darkness should not shake our determination to fulfill the will of God in these battles, if we are among those to whom the promise of Jesus Christ applies: " He said to them: I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning; Behold, I give you power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will harm you. " (Luke 10:18,19) .

Now let's define how binding and resolution are carried out. In fact, our task is only to obedience to the Holy Spirit say the words , which limit, paralyze or destroy the actions, fruits and systems created by the forces of darkness in order to keep human souls or certain areas of their lives in slavery or under some kind of control. According to the measure of authority and power with which the Lord has endowed us, our words will influence and paralyze their activities.

Our power and efficiency is here depends on faith , with whom we speak the words of binding and prohibition, measures of obedience to God in which areas and which of the forces of darkness should be bound, personal walk in truth and abiding in holiness (where we do not justify our sins and think in accordance with the word of God), and also depends on how accurate our words are (too general words like “in the name of Jesus Christ I bind the forces of darkness that are in this city” will not be as effective as those in which we bind specific forces, for example, drunkenness, drug addiction or love of money, ordering them to give and not hold people, which are under their control).

Is it necessary to bind the forces of darkness periodically or is it enough to do it once? It depends on how the process of spiritual struggle occurs, what it is connected with and what our tasks are. For example, sometimes you need to bind the forces of darkness and then simply trust that the Lord will take care of the rest. But in another case, we can enter into a whole process where, by binding the forces of darkness, we will then be subjected to an intensified counterattack by the spirits of evil in various areas of our life, and then, in order to show the strength of our faith, we should continue to bind the forces of darkness until their resistance weakens, and we will not feel in our spirit the understanding from the Lord that we have won the victory.

After this, we can observe changes in the spiritual climate of the area where we were engaged in spiritual struggle, and more boldly proclaim the good news of salvation, declaring to people that they can emerge from the bondage of sin and the powers of darkness, thereby loosing their bonds by the word of faith, just as the Lord says in Scripture:

8 Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I heard You, and in the day of salvation I helped You; and I will guard You, and will make You a covenant of the people, to restore the land, to restore to the heirs the inheritances that were desolate,
9 say to the prisoners, “Come out,” and to those in darkness, “Show yourself.” . They will feed along the highways, and their pastures will be on all the hills;
10 They will not suffer hunger or thirst, neither will the heat or the sun strike them; for He who has mercy on them will guide them and bring them to springs of water.
11 And I will make all My mountains a way, and My roads will be raised up.
12 Behold, some will come from afar; and behold, some are from the north and the sea, and others from the land of Sinim .
13 Rejoice, O heavens, and be glad, O earth, and shout for joy, O mountains; for the Lord comforted His people and had mercy on His sufferers.

(Isa.49:8-13)

In general, this is a very broad topic with many features, so you should be careful and not take any hasty and frivolous steps in this area. We must act strictly under the guidance of the Holy Spirit within the framework of the word of God, then we can count on a victory that will not be in vain, but will contribute to the fulfillment of the will of God on this earth!

16 They provoked Him to anger with strange gods and angered Him with abominations:
17 They sacrificed to demons and not to God, to gods they did not know, new gods [who] came from their neighbors and about whom your fathers did not think.
18 But you forgot the Protector who gave birth to you, and you did not remember God who created you.
19 The Lord saw and indignation despised His sons and His daughters,
20 And he said, I will hide my face from them [and] I will see what their end will be; for they are a corrupt generation; children who lack fidelity;
21 They have provoked Me to irritation because they are not a god; they have provoked Me with their vain things; and I will provoke them to irritation with a people that is not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish people;
22 For fire has kindled in My wrath, burning to the depths of hell, and consuming the earth and its produce, and scorching the foundations of the mountains;
23 I will heap disasters on them and destroy My arrows on them:
24 [they will be] exhausted by hunger, destroyed by fever and fierce infection; and I will send upon them the teeth of beasts and the poison of things that crawl on the earth;
25 From without the sword will destroy them, and in their houses terror will destroy both the young man and the maiden, the suckling child and the gray-haired old man.
26 I would say: I will scatter them and blot out the memory of them from among people;
27 But he put it off for the sake of embittering his enemies, so that his enemies would not think and say: Our hand is high, and it was not the Lord who did all this.
28 For they are a people who have lost their minds, and there is no sense in them.
29 Oh, if only they would reason, think about this, understand what would happen to them!
30 How could one pursue a thousand and two drive away the darkness, if their Protector had not betrayed them, and the Lord had not given them up!
31 For their Advocate is not like our Advocate; our enemies themselves are the judges of that.
32 For their grapes are from the vine of Sodom and from the fields of Gomorrah; their berries are poisonous, their clusters are bitter;
33 Their wine is the poison of dragons and the deadly poison of asps.
34 Are these things hidden from Me? is it not sealed in My storehouses?
35 Vengeance and recompense are mine, when their foot fails; For the day of their destruction is near; the prepared thing for them will soon come.
36 But the Lord will judge His people and have mercy on His servants when He sees that their hand has weakened, and there are no prisoners or those left [outside].
37 Then [the Lord] will say: Where are their gods, the stronghold in which they trusted,
38 who ate the fat of their sacrifices [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, let them be a cover for you!
39 See now that it is I, I, and there is no God besides Me: I kill and I give life, I strike and I heal, and no one will deliver out of My hand.
40 I lift up My hand to heaven and say: I live forever!
41 When I have sharpened My shining sword, and My hand receives judgment, I will take vengeance on My enemies and repay those who hate Me;
42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, and My sword will be satisfied with flesh, with the blood of the slain and the captives, with the heads of the leaders of the enemy.
43 Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His servants, and will take vengeance on His enemies, and will cleanse His land [and] His people!

(Deut.32:15-43)

The prophetic word here clearly states that Israel will become fat and forsake God. They will serve gods who are not really gods, but demonic forces posing as gods. And the Lord decided to give them retribution, in which all the promises intended for the people of Israel would be received by faith by the pagans, who would not be a separate people, as Israel was, but would still later receive the status of the people of God, and this would not happen because the pagans they sought God and sought to know the truth, but simply by the grace of God, not realizing the greatness of this gift. This is what Paul says to the Roman church:

16 But not everyone obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says: Lord! who believed what they heard from us?
17 So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
18 But I ask: didn’t they hear? On the contrary, their voice went through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.
19 Again I ask: Did not Israel know? But the first Moses says: I will arouse jealousy in you because of the wrong people, I will irritate you because of the foolish people.
20 And Isaiah boldly says: Those who did not seek Me found Me; I revealed myself to those who did not ask about Me.
21 But of Israel he says, All day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and stubborn people.

(Rom.10:16-21)

For Israel, the salvation of the Gentiles was a shocking phenomenon: they were able to receive for free what the Israelites could not achieve by any means. And this led some of the Jews to apostasy from God, and humbled others, revealing to them the ability to join the people of God, whom the Lord formed from all nations:

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, holy people, people taken as an inheritance, in order to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light;
10 once not a people, but now the people of God; [once] those who had not received mercy, but now they have received mercy.

(1 Peter 2:9,10)

11 Remember therefore that you who were once Gentiles according to the flesh, who were called uncircumcised by those who were called the circumcision of the flesh [by circumcision] done with hands,

12 that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope, and without gods in the world. Yes No

October 16th, 2017 , 10:44 pm

I saw here a new article from the Watchtower (for internal SI study) for JANUARY 2018. And I want to write a few arguments about the article (I don’t want to analyze this opus in detail, there is a lot there) - an article with the title “What is the difference between those who serve God and those who do not?”

In general, the article is as always: blah blah blah, we are so righteous, we are true Christians, others are not like that, they are dangerous, spiritually contagious, but we supposedly love them, but our “love” is manifested exclusively in that we need to prove to them that SI is the organization where they need to be. The messages are clear, they are never new.

Now about some points in the article. For example, the article begins with the fact that the leaders of the SI instill the idea that they are, as it were, “spiritual doctors”, and other people (well, this is 99.9% on Earth) are “spiritually contagious”. And that SIs can be “infected” by them with wrong thoughts, attitudes, and so on. In short, in SI language "by the spirit of this evil world."

This is what it sounds like at the beginning of the article:

"1 When doctors treat patients suffering from infectious diseases, they need to remember safety measures. Otherwise, while helping others, they risk becoming infected themselves. We are in a similar situation. Many of us live and work among people whose attitudes are dangerous for us. They exhibit qualities that grieve God."

For example, in paragraph 3 there is this BOLD reference to READ MALACHI 3:18. And to what thought is the link? And here's what!

"3 Paul wrote that "in the last days there will be unusually difficult times." He then listed 19 negative traits that would be present in people living during that period of history. A similar list is found in Romans 1:29 to 31, but the list given in letter to Timothy, contains words that are not found in other parts of the Christian Greek Scriptures. However, these qualities will not be exhibited by all people. True Christians have very different characteristics. (Read Malachi 3:18.)"

The question remains: what does what was written in the Old Testament several hundred years before Christ and the advent of Christianity have to do with Christians in general? Just a far-fetched verse.

What is the question for paragraph 9 about children and “obedience to parents”?

"9. What will help children obey their parents?"

And here is paragraph 9:

"9 What will help children protect themselves from the “virus” of disobedience? Reflecting on what their parents do for them. It will be easier for them to show gratitude if they remember that obeying their parents is a requirement of God, our heavenly Father. When children respond kindly about parents, they set a good example for their peers. Of course, it is not easy to obey parents if they are deprived of family feelings, that is, do not feel affection for their children. On the other hand, if children feel that their parents sincerely love them, it is easier for them to be obedient, even when the temptation to do wrong sets in. “I often wanted to do things that Dad wouldn’t allow,” admits Austin. “But my parents set reasonable rules, explained why they needed to be followed, and were always willing to talk to me. This helped me obey them.” I saw that they loved me, and I wanted to please them with my behavior.”

It turns out that “obeying your parents is God’s requirement.” And then: “it is not easy to obey your parents if they are deprived of family feelings, that is, they do not feel attachment to their children.” Stop, stop, stop! But what about parents who use violence against children, often without love, with cruelty (for example, they humiliate or beat children, starve them, or maybe sexually exploit them?) Is this just a phrase “it’s not easy to obey”? And at the same time, is this “God’s requirement”? Is it that simple? Where does the Watchtower consider WHAT to do for such children, including in the families of some SIs with such problems? Cover up the Watchtower Society at the cost of your own health and damage to your psyche? Otherwise, God forbid, someone will sue and the OSB will be found guilty and will have to pay millions of dollars in fines.

But what struck me most was the hypocrisy at the end of paragraphs 11 and 12 of this article. Here's the quote:

“According to Jesus, loving one another is the hallmark of true Christians. (Read John 13:34, 35.) They should love even their enemies. (Matthew 5:43, 44)

12 Jesus truly loved people. He went around the cities preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God. He healed the blind, the lame, lepers, and the deaf, and raised the dead (Luke 7:22). Jesus even gave his life for people, although many hated him. In showing love, he imitated his Father perfectly. Jehovah's Witnesses around the world follow Jesus' example and treat others with love."

But let's stop here together. So Jesus LOVED PEOPLE. Although “many people hated him.” He taught us to “love your enemies.” And he even “imitated his Father.” And SI, supposedly, “all over the world take the example of Jesus and treat others WITH LOVE.” Really?

Well, let's look at biblical examples and compare them with the teachings of the leaders of the Watchtower Society.

Where did Jesus teach "disfellowshipping"? Did Jesus himself communicate (according to the teachings and interpretations of SI) with apostates*?

Could the fanatical Pharisees and Sadducees be considered “apostates” in the Israel of Christ’s time? Did Jesus communicate with them?

So Satan is, in fact, the first and main apostate with whom Jesus communicated more than once. So “imitating Jesus” includes the fact that he communicated without being afraid of it. Did Jehovah himself communicate with Satan? Yes, I communicated according to the Old Testament - more than once.

Go ahead. Judas was an “apostate” according to the mythology of the New Testament? Yes, he became an “apostate” when he decided to betray Jesus. According to the myths of the New Testament, Jesus knew about this betrayal of Judas in advance? Yes, supposedly, he knew. Did he communicate with Judas after he decided to betray him? The answer is - communicated.

So are SIs really imitating the example of Jesus and God or are they just talking about it?

In fact, the examples can be continued. It’s just that all this “deprivation of communication” and the attempt to portray the SI as “loving enemies” according to the teachings of Christ is just empty zilch, if you carefully look at the Bible itself and the argumentation of the leaders of the SI, who are trying to focus on their organization and its “ideality” of Jehovah’s Witnesses.

And finally, a video on the topic of comparing illustrations for this article from one SI who has seen the light and on his YouTube channel.

* I remind you that ALL former SIs who wanted to leave a given religion and change their religious views are considered “apostates” or “disfellowshipped.” There is also a more specific concept: “active apostates” who somehow write, give interviews, or carry out some kind of action against the actions or teachings of the Watchtower Society. "Disfellowshipped" (expelled) is a broader concept than "apostate" (due to a change of heart or open criticism of the Watchtower Society or teachings). Such people can be excluded for many reasons, both moral and ethical in nature, and for others. Only some of them pose some kind of public danger, which coincides with violations of the criminal codes of different countries. Most of the excluded people are absolutely safe for society in terms of some kind of crime. Those “deprived of fellowship” lose contact both with Jehovah’s Witnesses, whom they have known for many years, and often with relatives who are still SI. All this happens only because of the teachings of the leaders of the SI and religious manipulation of the consciousness of believers.

If we, or even an Angel from heaven, preach to you something other than what we preached to you, let him be anathema ().

Our time can be characterized as an era of violent flourishing of all kinds of sects and cults. Although distortions of the Christian faith (heresies) began to appear since apostolic times and even then represented a problem for the Church, some of the modern false teachings are especially dangerous because of their aggressiveness and the enormous material resources that they spend on spreading their teachings. They are especially dangerous because although they are extremely anti-Christian in their teaching, they widely use many Christian ideas and Christian terminology, citing the authority of Jesus Christ and quoting the Bible, which deceives gullible people. Such militant anti-Christian teachings include Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Moonies and the New Age teaching.

While Roman Catholics and Protestants of various denominations (Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians, Adventists and the like) distort certain faiths, these newer, so to speak fourth and fifth “generation” sects present their fictitious ideas as the original Christian teaching. Referring to the Bible, they dishonestly distort its meaning and arbitrarily manipulate the texts, adjusting them to their teaching. Some of these cults, for example, Jehovah's Witnesses, even went so far as to change the text of the Bible in places to suit their teachings, and the Mormons added their Book of Mormon to the Bible, which they present as revealed by God.

Although each cult can trace specific features and its own history, they all have the following common properties to a greater or lesser extent:

They all appeared relatively recently and are sects fourth or fifth generation, - that is, they arose in the depths of another sect, which in turn arose from some other previous one, etc.

They deny or substantially distort the basic truths of Christianity: first, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, then - the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the redemption of people, eternal life and other truths of faith. But since they use Christian terminology, it is difficult for people inexperienced in theology to understand how they actually damage Christian teaching.

They contribute amendments to Scripture in the form of arbitrary translations or additions to it, which are presented as revealed by God.

They often have occult roots and receive revelations from various spirits.

Configured extremely belligerent against the historical Church of Christ.

Wear dominant stamp of its founder who is passed off as a prophet.

Are under despotic controlled by their leaders and held together through iron discipline.

They have huge monetary resources, which are sent for their distribution.

Upon closer examination, one finds serious moral violations on the part of their founders and leading leaders (sins of fornication, deceit, greed, pride and despotism).

Jehovah's Witnesses sect

Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most active propaganda organizations of our time. They flood the world both with their literature and with persistent, enthusiastic preachers who go door to door and persuade people to join their teachings. They have particular success among people who, in principle, respect the Christian faith, but have not received a religious upbringing. According to their own estimate, there are more than three million Jehovah's Witnesses in the world. It is not for nothing that one of Jehovah’s former Witnesses called this cult “the most effective delusion of our time.” If you have ever encountered one of their preachers, you will probably agree that the arguments of the witnesses sometimes sound logical. And if he did not shake your views, then in any case he could raise doubts about what you had hitherto accepted as truth.

History of the Witness Sect

The Jehovah's Witnesses sect was founded by Charles T. Russell in the 1980s. Both he and his successors ruled the society of Jehovah's Witnesses with absolute power and left the imprint of their personality and their interpretation of the Bible on it. Therefore, according to the number of presidents, four periods can be traced in the evolution of the Society: 1) the period of Charles Russell, the founder of the sect (1872–1916); 2) the period of "Judge" Joseph Rutherford (1917-1942), 3) the period of Nathan Khor (1942-1977) and 4) the period of Fredrick Franz (1977-1992). And since the Witnesses claim that God Himself is the author of their teaching, it is important to compare the varieties of their teaching in these four periods. This reveals the astonishing fact that every President of the Society understood the Bible precisely in my own way and often in contradictions with previous presidents of the Society. This fact alone suggests that the claim of Jehovah's Witnesses that he is the author of their teaching is absurd, because God cannot contradict Himself. In other words, Society is not led by God, but misguided people.

Founder of the Society Charles Russell(Charles T. Russell), having been raised Presbyterian, as a young man abandoned this teaching and joined the Congregationalists, also, however, not for long. Later he became acquainted with the preaching of Seventh-day Adventists. Here faith in the divine content of the Holy Scriptures flared up in him, and Russell began to preach their teaching. However, he also had to part with the Adventists due to disagreements over the form of the Second Coming. Russell broke with them "in the firm conviction that no one before him had been able to rightly understand the Scriptures, and that God had called upon him to explain to men their true meaning."

In 1879, Russell founded the journal Zion's Watch Tower and in 1881 the Watch Tower Society, the immediate predecessor of today's Jehovah's Witnesses. At this time he began publishing his seven-volume Study of the Scriptures ( Studies in the Scriptures), which he placed above Scripture itself. Russell argued that this Studying came from God through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and is absolutely necessary for believers to correctly understand the Scriptures (7th volume of Studies in Scriptures, 1918). He warned his followers that if any of them stopped reading him Studying and begins to directly study the Bible, he will soon be plunged into darkness. And on the contrary, if a person has never even read the Bible, but only his Studying, then he will remain in constant light. In other words, Russell taught that a new inspired interpreter of Scripture is needed for a correct understanding of Scripture and that he, Russell, is this teacher chosen by God.

However, the modern teachings of the Tower Society clearly contradict many of Russell's original tenets and "divine interpretations." It is not Russell but the Society itself that is now recognized as the inspired interpreter of the Bible, and it claims the same authority as Russell, namely, that only his understanding of the Bible is correct and that independent study of the Bible leads to darkness and heresy. So, their official magazine "Tower" condemns those "who say that it is enough to study the Bible independently at home or in small home groups... Through such Bible study they have fallen back into the apostate doctrines of the Christian clergy" ( The Watchtower, Aug. 15 1981).

It is curious that the Tower Society itself admits that if a person studies the Bible on his own, he will invariably come to traditional Christian teaching. Nevertheless, Russell's writings, which he declared to be absolutely necessary for the correct understanding of the Holy Scriptures, are at present ignored by the Society.

Although Russell's followers kept growing, his own life was going downhill. In 1912, Russell sued a Baptist pastor for libel. However, when considering his claim, he himself was exposed as a lie because he could not name the letters of the original text of the New Testament, although he stated under oath that he knew the Greek language perfectly. It was also revealed at the trial that although Russell claimed the title of pastor, no one had ordained him, and therefore he was an impostor. Further trouble followed a year later when his wife won a divorce case against him, charging him with "insane pride, tyrannical tendencies and inappropriate behavior with strange women." A little later, his dishonest machinations with the “miraculous” wheat surfaced, which brought Russell a large monetary income.

This is the moral character of the founder of the Witness Sect. Russell, who wrote seven volumes of biblical exegesis, knew no biblical language, had not attended any theological school, was not familiar with philosophy, and had completed only seven years of primary school. But he compensated for his ignorance with exorbitant aplomb.

Russell died in 1916. He was succeeded as leader of the new movement by the famous lawyer and "judge" Joseph Rutherford(Joseph F. Rutherford), former Baptist and member of the Watch Tower Society since 1906. Under Rutherford, the organization became even more authoritarian. He ushered in the "Age of Change" by ignoring, modifying, and outright denying many of Russell's claims. Rutherford justified his changes as a "progressive revelation" that supposedly pushed him to shed "new light" on the ideas of his predecessor (Edmond Gruss, Apostles of Denial... Grand Rapids, MI 1972). For this reason, many of Russell's former followers, realizing that Rutherford had repudiated his predecessor, left the Society. They believed that Russell was divinely inspired and that therefore changing his teachings was tantamount to denying God. However, the majority of the Society's members unquestioningly submitted to the changed teaching.

To get rid of the tarnished reputation of their founder, members of the Society in 1931 began to be called Jehovah's Witnesses. The focus of Jehovah's Witnesses' activities shifted from the study of Scripture to the mass recruitment of new members. The Watchtower magazine began to be distributed free of charge on the streets. The tone of their sermons became harsher: Rutherford sharply denounced all forms of organization and aroused in his followers open hostility towards all Christian churches.

During the third period, under the guidance Nathana Khor(Nathan H. Khorr, 1942–1977) the Society's membership increased rapidly. Khor organized the Watchtower School of Gilead. He expanded missionary work on a global scale, opening chapters throughout the world. Much attention was paid to the training of preachers in a specific understanding of the Bible, and publishing activities also expanded significantly.

During the reign of N. Khor, in 1950, a new translation of the Bible into English was made, known as the New World Translation ( New World Translation). The names of the translators are kept in the strictest confidence. The text of this translation has been modified in many places to suit the teaching of the witnesses. However, all the major biblical scholars and experts in ancient languages ​​do not agree with this translation of Scripture, calling it inaccurate and tendentious.

President's rule Frederic Franz(Frederick W. Franz, 1977–1992), can be described as an “era of crisis” because thousands of followers of the Society, becoming more familiar with the history and methods of the Society, became convinced that it was not a Divine organization and left it.

Even the nephew of President Franz, Raymond, became disillusioned with the Tower Society. In his book "Crisis of Conscience" ( Crisis of Conscience) he proves in detail why the Tower Society does not dare to claim divine revelation. As one of the key leaders of the Society, Raymond exposes many of the secret machinations of the sect's rule. He paints a portrait of an authoritarian group of people who do not hesitate to use any means to maintain power in their hands and to present themselves as divinely inspired prophets. Raymond confirms his conviction that this society is not from God with the following facts: (1) perversion of Biblical texts; (2) a heap of false prophecies; (3) drastic changes in the sect's doctrine; (4) lies and patronage of vices; (5) destruction of family ties. Here he also notes that many of the sect leaders have very little understanding of the Bible. The entire emphasis is not on loyalty to God, but on loyalty to Society. Society practices the method of threats against those who dare to express doubts about its authority.

But, unfortunately, there are still many naive people who fall for the bait of aggressive Jehovah’s Witnesses, who promise to provide answers to all religious questions, promise a way out of personal troubles and praise their own moral advantages.

Features of the sect

Since 1909, the headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses has been located in New York, Brooklyn. Local groups (more than 20,000 in number) call their centers “Kingdom Palaces.” They do not have the concept of priesthood; each active participant in the cult is called a “minister.” Those who dedicate themselves entirely to working for the organization are called “lead publishers.” Currently, the sect of witnesses is gaining strength in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Jehovah's Witnesses persistently recruit followers: they knock on houses and apartments, distribute literature, and stop passers-by on the streets. In addition, they are distinguished by a number of other curious features: they refuse blood transfusions (considering this a form of cannibalism), and from observing any holidays, religious or civil, be it Christmas, Thanksgiving and birthdays. They decry saluting the national flag and serving in the armed forces, recognizing only their own organization as legitimate.

The Jehovah's translation of Scripture has caused a lot of criticism, with which they want to replace the real biblical text. This translation is considered inconsistent with the original due to many distortions. Moreover, on the basis of this incorrect translation, Jehovah's Witnesses make a whole heap of false predictions, which they declare to be divine prophecies. So, for example, they postponed the prediction about the end of the world many times to later dates: from 1877 to October 1914, then 1925, then successively 1930, 1931, 1933... Only for the period from 1940 to 1943 they They changed their doomsday dates 44 times! Moreover, repeated fiascoes with predictions do not bother them at all, and they continue to set new dates. These and other fabrications of witnesses, presented as Divine prophecies, show how false their claim to direct God's revelation and all their teaching is.

But all these failures do not in the least weaken the aggressiveness of the witness sect. Currently, the total circulation of Tower magazine is 17.8 million copies in 106 languages, and their magazine Awake! – 15.6 million copies in 34 languages.

In their distortion of Christianity, the Jehovah's Witnesses have gone so far as to make the absurd claim that their own, so to speak, “bible” is expanded weekly by 32 pages - with each new issue of their magazine “Watch Tower”. Such a disdainful attitude towards the sacred text is very typical of some modern cults. The Mormon sect, for example, places its Book of Mormon on the same level as the Holy Scriptures.

Misconceptions of Jehovah's Witnesses

The Witnesses distort so deeply and significantly that their teaching cannot be called Christian. They reject the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. Their teaching about the Resurrection of Christ, about the soul, about the afterlife, about the Second Coming, about eternal life has a completely different content, invented by them and non-Christian. It would be much more honest on their part not to refer to the Bible at all, but to preach their teachings as a new religion, which in fact it is. But they unfairly use the authority of the Bible, the name of Christ and Christian terminology in order to more successfully catch in their networks gullible people who, although they know little about Christianity, but, in principle, respect it.

The Deity of Christ and the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity

We Christians believe that God, being one in essence, is trinity in Persons, that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one three-hypostatic God. In other words, just as the Father is true, eternal and omnipotent God, so His Son is true, eternal and omnipotent God, and also the Holy Spirit is true, eternal and omnipotent God. And at the same time, not three, but one God - the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible. We received this faith from the apostles.

Jehovah's Witnesses deny this teaching and call it “satanic” and “pagan fabrication.” They ridicule Christian teaching and say that we believe in “three gods” or in a “three-headed monster.”

By denying the Trinity, Jehovah's Witnesses also deny the Divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ, considering Him to be created like angels, groundlessly identifying Him with the Archangel Michael. By this they repeat the old error of the Arians, whose teachings were examined in detail and rejected at the First Ecumenical Council in 325 in the city of Nicaea. Jehovah's Witnesses claim that, having become incarnate, Jesus laid aside His spiritual existence and became an ordinary person. When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, Jehovah God made Him the Christ—prophet, high priest, and anointed one. Having completed the assigned task, Jesus dies, nailed to pillar(they exclude the traditional form of the cross as a disgusting pagan symbol). For this feat, Jesus is awarded immortality. He resurrects Jesus by disintegrating His body into its constituent elements and reconstituting Him as a “glorious spirit” so that He can lead Jehovah's worldwide organization.

This heresy is justified by reference to their erroneous translation of the first verse of the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the Word was one of the gods” (i.e., a creature). It's correct to read here: “And the Word was God.”

The topic of the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ is described in detail by us in the appendix to this brochure. Having become acquainted with the arguments we have presented, an impartial reader cannot but agree that all Holy Scripture unambiguously teaches about the Divinity of the Savior. Therefore, if Jehovah’s Witnesses are so greatly mistaken in the most basic dogma of Christianity, then, consequently, all their further theological constructions are also erroneous and should be rejected as an ungodly heresy.

Resurrection of Christ and afterlife

The guardian sectarians do not accept the Christian teaching about the physical resurrection of Jesus Christ on the third day after the crucifixion. They teach about three “Jesuses”: before the incarnation, he was the Archangel Michael, created by God. During the incarnation, Christ became an ordinary person, who then suffered and died and thus ceased to exist. At his resurrection from the tomb, Jesus emerged as a new being, deified, but not by nature.

A terrible distortion of the basic Christian truth is in complete harmony with their general denial of the immortality of the soul and the afterlife. From the Adventists, Russell adopted the idea that all life ceases from the body. At the Second Coming of Christ, the righteous will supposedly be created anew, according to the qualities that God recorded in His memory. This is similar to, for example, building a new chair from the surviving drawings of an old model. It is clear to us that this Jehovah’s “resurrection” has nothing in common with Christian teaching.

The Christian faith teaches that, having left the body at the moment of death, the soul continues to think, feel and desire as before. of a person, memory, consciousness of “I” are completely preserved in the human soul. Death is a kind of sleep for the body. At the resurrection from the dead, the soul of each person will be united with his previous body, but renewed, and so the person will rise immortal and incorruptible, as he should have been according to the original plans of God.

Second Coming and Millennium

The theme of the Second Coming of Christ and the millennial kingdom on earth is the main one in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses. After all, Russell’s entire interest in religion actually began with an attempt to calculate the date of the coming of Christ. Using not entirely clear mathematical calculations, he concluded that Christ would come in 1874. When this did not happen, Russell began to teach that Christ had nevertheless come, but in an invisible (!) way and was now in the airy region, where He was met by a small flock of faithful witnesses. According to his calculations, in 1914 the period of the pagans came to an end, and in the aerial region Satan began his fierce war against Christ and His saints. Russell called this the year of the Armageddon battle, after which Christ would descend to earth. When this did not happen, witnesses began to shift the date of the apparent advent to 1916, 1918, 1924, 1928, and so on. Finally, “Judge” Rutherford came up with the ingenious explanation that the battle of Armageddon was postponed until Jehovah’s Witnesses finished their worldwide preaching and warned all the nations of the earth about the impending danger.

Correcting Russell, Rutherford taught that the devil was so embittered by the reign of Christ that he started World War I, which ended only with the “cleansing of Jehovah’s Temple” in 1918 (opinions differ on what exactly this means). At that time, the dead of the anointed elite were supposedly “recreated” and joined the Lord in heaven. From this time on, Christ continues to judge the nations, separating the “sheep” from the “goats”; this process will end with the battle of Christ with Armageddon (), a terrible and final battle for total destruction. Together with the devil, all world religious organizations, Christian and others, symbolized by the Whore of Babylon (), will fight against Jehovah. This last battle is about to begin, so it is urgent to “enlighten” as many people as possible: after all, everyone who follows the devil against Jehovah’s Witnesses will be exterminated.

The witnesses base their teaching about the battle of Armageddon and the millennial kingdom on a unique interpretation of the book of Revelation, especially its 20th chapter. The book of Revelation is known to be deeply mysterious. It is full of symbolic visions and allegories, in which deep Divine secrets are hidden behind visible images, names and numbers. Therefore, it is wrong to take individual passages out of its context and interpret them literally. By the thousand-year kingdom of saints, the Orthodox Church teaches us to understand not the political state of the future, but the entire period of the Church's existence, starting with the resurrection of Christ and ending with the end of the world. A thousand years– this is not an exact number, but a long period. We all live and participate in the events of the current “millennial” period. This is how the Orthodox understands the 20th chapter of the book of Revelation. See our brochures “Christian teaching about the end of the world” and “Towards knowledge of the Bible - the book of Revelation.”

All the misconceptions of witnesses related to the Second Coming and what will happen after it directly follow from their lack of belief in the immortality of the soul. According to Russell and his followers, man does not have an independent soul, since his body is the soul, and the soul is the body. When a person dies, he ceases to exist. There is no immortal soul. He died - and the person is no more. Russell argued that the words of Christ spoken to the thief on the cross: “I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise” should be translated differently, namely: “Today I tell you, you will be with me in paradise.” Amazing audacity on the part of a man who not only did not understand the original Greek language in which the Gospel was written, but did not even know the Greek alphabet!

According to Russell, in the millennium the resurrected, or rather recreated, people will be given a “second chance” under the terms of the New Covenant. Thus, real life is not the only one. The Bible, of course, does not promise anything like that. On the contrary, she says that “a man must die once, and then the judgment”(Hebrews 9:27). Witnesses insist that during the thousand-year kingdom it will be possible to live life again and correct one’s previous mistakes. Everything will depend on how a person behaves in new, more favorable conditions.

According to Russell, after the Judgment people will be divided into three classes. The first class, consisting of 144 thousand chosen Jehovah's Witnesses, will be taken to heaven and there they will reign in an incorporeal state with Christ Michael and rule the lives of people left on earth. Now the question is: if, according to their teaching, the number 144 thousand was already reached in 1935, then where will the rest of the witnesses who joined the Society after 1935 go? Why should they preach and work when, anyway, they will not be among the privileged?

The second class of “resurrected” will consist of the remaining saved Jehovah's Witnesses. They will remain on earth in their body and will not be able to inherit the kingdom of heaven. On earth they will enjoy complete peace and prosperity and will not suffer from wars or diseases. There will be no death. They will be able to marry and multiply and populate the earth. But what will happen to the earth due to the continuous growth of population when no one dies is left to the reader's imagination.

The rest, the third class, unworthy of life on earth will be destroyed along with Satan and his spirits. Witnesses deny both hell and eternal torment in the afterlife. According to their teaching, the dead simply cease to exist. They interpret passages in the Bible that talk about hell and fiery Gehenna allegorically, and they call the Christian teaching about this a pagan myth.

In general, the entire teaching of the witnesses about salvation is arbitrary and full of contradictions. They teach that Christ “did not bring complete atonement for sins, but only gave man the opportunity to earn salvation now or in the future millennium.” There is nothing like this in the Bible. Scripture teaches that all people are called to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. The Bible does not make any “castes” of the saved. Moreover, salvation is not limited to a certain period of time (1000 years). Salvation begins from the moment a person turns to Christ and extends to all eternity. “Truly I say to you, whoever hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life and does not go into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”().

A certain inconsistency is observed in other points of the doctrine of this sect. “Tower Guards” have changed the sharply negative attitude towards vaccination and now allow vaccinations. The leadership of the Watchtower has spread the understanding of infallibility in matters of doctrine from the first president of the sect to the entire modern leadership apparatus. At one time, Jehovah's Witnesses officially claimed that the works of the first president now had no practical significance, but then they returned to them again, declaring them “prophetic.” The official interpretation of the image of the angel in the 9th chapter of Revelation as Satan was later interpreted as the image of Jesus Christ. At an early stage, Jehovah's Witnesses had nothing against blood transfusions to patients, but now they are irreconcilable about this. At first the witnesses acknowledged the veneration of Jesus Christ, but now they reject it. Originally the resurrection of the dead was for everyone, now only for some. Previously, Israel was perceived in the literal sense of a specific nation, but now it is conceptualized by Jehovah's Witnesses as a spiritual community independent of the nation. The understanding of Armageddon, the date of the Second Coming, the date of the thousand-year kingdom and the features of this kingdom changed several times. These and similar changes in the doctrine show that the leadership of the sect by now, apparently, has become entangled in its own fabrications, so that now it is very problematic for the ordinary sectarian to understand what is now being presented as the truth. This was among the important reasons why about 1 million Jehovah's Witnesses left the sect over the past ten years. Despite the fact that witnesses openly oppose established state structures, calling them diabolical institutions, when it is beneficial for them, they themselves turn to the protection of the state.

Influence of the occult

The Apostle Paul warned Christians to be careful with any new revelations: “Even if we or an angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel other than what we preached to you, let him be accursed.”(). Getting more deeply acquainted with the teaching of the witnesses, we find in it much in common with what modern spirits broadcast through their mediums (channalers).

Indeed, even “Judge” Rutherford claimed that angels helped in the compilation of their periodical, saying that “God through His angels provides for His people to receive the necessary information in time” (J.F. Rutherford, Prophecy WBTS, Watchtower Bible and Track Society, 1929, Riches, 1936, p. 316; Vindication, 1932, p. 250). On another occasion, he admitted that the “holy spirit” had ceased to be his teacher, since he was replaced by angels who inspired him with the necessary thoughts (The Watchtower, Sept. 1930 p. 263, Feb. 1 1935 p. 41).

The fourth president of the society, F. Franz, also speaks of angels guiding the Tower Society. He said: “We believe that the angels of God are leading Jehovah’s Witnesses” (William and Joan Cetnar, Questions for Jehovah""s Witnesses, Kunkletown PA 1983, 55). Towers Magazine states that angels enlighten, comfort, and bring fresh truths and revelation to "God's anointed people." Elsewhere, the magazine states that “Jehovah's Witnesses are today communicating the good news of the kingdom under the direct guidance of angels” (The Watchtower, Apr. 1, 1972 p. 200).

Witness leaders are not even shy about using terminology New century when they claim to be God's guides ( channels of communication), which actively transmit ( channel) revelation. In other words, they openly admit to being mediums (The Watchtower, Dec. 1 1981 p. 27). In the April 1972 issue of their magazine on page 200, they claim that they receive all spiritual guidance from invisible angels, that the very name "Jehovah's Witnesses" and their teaching about the invisible coming of Christ in 1914 were communicated to them (channeled, mediumistic). way) through invisible angels ( Tower, Dec. 15, 1987 p. 7). Similar statements can be found in the magazine Tower, March 1 1972 p. 155, Aug. 1 1987 p. 19).

These and other frank confessions of the leaders of the Society about “angelic” revelation convince us that their teaching is not from God, as St. Paul warned: “The (Holy) Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons.”().

Conclusion

The persistent door-to-door visits of Jehovah's Witness preachers to attract new members, as well as the massive distribution of their literature in many languages, contributed to the fact that from a small group of people studying the Bible, the sect grew into a multimillion-dollar organization with unlimited material resources. The leadership of the sect is carried out by a small group of leaders of the Society, who despotically and peremptorily determine both the doctrine and policy of the sect.

A quick review of all the absurdities of the teaching of the witnesses, full of contradictions and nonsense, leads to bewilderment as to how it is possible that it still exists and spreads. Spiritually, their entire system is a complete bankruptcy. You can count the entire huge collection of works by Russell, Rutherford and their successors, and not find in them the slightest mention of the basic Christian virtues - humility, repentance, mercy. There is not a word about love for God or neighbors, there is no mention of the development of perseverance, the suppression of passions, the carrying of the cross, the narrow path to the Kingdom of Heaven. The whole emphasis: “Read, believe and sell Russell-Rutherford books, talk about God as Jehovah and all churches and governments as Antichrist. Do this and you will be saved!”

The teaching of witnesses that “God never punishes in this life or in the next” opens the way to licentiousness and sin. No matter how you live now, it makes no difference to eternal life. Everyone will be given a second chance. And if you find yourself unworthy of the reward there, then you will simply cease to exist. You will painlessly pass into oblivion.

Witnesses arbitrarily manipulate the Sacred text, completely ignore historical facts and the most elementary rules of exegesis, literary logic and consistency. They deny the most important Christian truths - the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ, the immortality of the soul, and distort other truths - about the resurrection, the Last Judgment and eternal life - beyond recognition.

Jehovah's Witnesses are extremely seriously preparing to meet Armageddon, after which they expect the onset of the thousand-year earthly kingdom. The measure of their zeal is the energy with which they, combing block after block, spread their teachings. Every year they give away 150 million free books and brochures in 106 languages. This organization does not allow its members to be passive, but tries to conquer the world using colossal means and the latest methods of propaganda.

The Prophet Isaiah describes the feat of voluntary self-abasement of the Messiah in this way: “ There is no form or greatness in Him. And we saw Him, and there was no appearance in Him that would attract us to Him. He was despised and belittled before men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with illness. And we turned our faces away from Him. He was despised and thought of as nothing. But He took upon Himself our infirmities and bore our illnesses. And we thought that He was defeated, punished and humiliated by God. But He was wounded for our sins and tormented for our iniquities. The punishment of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. We have all gone astray, like sheep, each of us has turned to his own way, and the Lord laid the sins of us all on Him. He was tortured, but He suffered voluntarily and did not open His mouth. He was taken from bondage and judgment. But who will explain His generation??" (ch.). With these final words, the prophet addresses the conscience of those who will reject their Savior, and seems to say to them: you turn away with contempt from the mocked and suffering Jesus, but understand that it is because of you, sinners, that He suffers so greatly. Look closely at His spiritual beauty, and then perhaps you will be able to understand that He came to you from the heavenly world.

But voluntarily humiliating Himself for the sake of our salvation, the Lord, nevertheless gradually He revealed the secret of His unity with God the Father to those who were able to rise above the crude ideas of the crowd. For example, He told the Jews: “I and the Father are one... He who has seen Me has seen the Father... The Father abides in Me and I in the Father... All that is Mine is Thine (the Father) and Thine is Mine... We (the Father and the Son) will come and dwell with we will create it"(). These and other similar expressions clearly indicate His Divine nature.

Now we should understand another very important question related to this: where could Caiaphas, many Jews and even demons (!) get the idea that the Messiah would be the Son of God? There is only one answer: from the Old Testament Holy Scripture. That's it prepared the way for this faith. Indeed, even King David, who lived a thousand years before the birth of Christ, in three psalms calls the Messiah God (Psalms 2, 44 and 109). The prophet Isaiah, who lived 700 years BC, revealed this truth even more clearly. Predicting the miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God, Isaiah wrote: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel,” What means: " God is with us" And a little further the prophet reveals even more clearly the Properties of the Son who was to be born. : “And they will call His name: Wonderful, Counselor, God is mighty, Father of Eternity... " (). Such names cannot be applied to anyone other than God. The prophet Micah also wrote about the eternity of the Child who was about to be born (see:).

The prophet Jeremiah, who lived about two hundred years after Isaiah, calls the Messiah “Lord” ( Holy Scripture, could without hesitation recognize in Christ the true Son of God (see the brochure “The Old Testament about the Messiah” about this). It is remarkable that even before the Nativity of Christ, righteous Elizabeth met the Virgin Mary, who was expecting the Child, with the following solemn greeting: “Blessed are You among women and blessed is the Fruit of Your womb! And where does it come from for me that Mother came my lord to me"(). It is clear that righteous Elizabeth could not have another Lord other than the One whom she served from childhood. As ap explains. Luke, Elizabeth said this not on her own, but on inspiration from the Holy Spirit.

Having firmly grasped faith in the Divinity of Christ, the apostles planted this faith in Him among all nations. Evangelist John begins his Gospel with the revelation of the Divine nature of Jesus Christ:

"In the beginning was the Word

And the Word was with God

And the Word was God...

Everything came into being through Him,

And without Him nothing began to be that began to be...

And the Word became flesh

and settled among us,

full of grace and truth...

And we have seen His glory,

Glory like Only Begotten from the Father,

No one has ever seen God;

Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,

He revealed (God)” ().

Name of the Son of God In a word more than other names, it reveals the secret of the internal relationship between the First and Second Persons of the Holy Trinity - God the Father and God the Son. Indeed, thought and word are different from each other in that thought resides in the mind, and word is the expression of thought. However, they are inseparable. Neither a thought exists without a word, nor a word without a thought. Thought is, as it were, a hidden word within, and the word is the expression of thought. A thought, embodied in a word, conveys the content of the thought to the listeners. In this regard, thought, being an independent principle, is, as it were, the father of the word, and the word is, as it were, the son of thought. Before thought it is impossible, but it does not come from somewhere outside, but only from thought and remains inseparable from thought. Likewise, the Father, the greatest and all-encompassing Thought, produced from His bosom the Son-Word, His first Interpreter and Messenger (according to St. Dionysius of Alexandria).

The apostles spoke with all clarity about the Divinity of Christ: “We know that the Son of God came and gave us light and understanding, so that we might know the true God and may abide in true His Son Jesus Christ"(). Born of Israelites "Christ according to the flesh , God above all" (). “We await the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”(). “If the Jews had known [the wisdom of God], they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (). “In Him (Christ) dwelleth all things fullness of the Godhead bodily" (). “Unquestioningly is the great secret of piety: God appeared in the flesh" (). That the Son of God is not a creation, but Creator That he is immeasurably higher than all creatures created by Him, the Apostle Paul thoroughly proves in the 1st and 2nd chapters of his epistle to the Jews. Angels are only ministering spirits.

It must be remembered that calling the Lord Jesus Christ God - Theos - in itself speaks of the fullness of the Divinity. “God,” from a logical, philosophical point of view, cannot be “second degree,” “lower category,” limited. The properties of the Divine nature are not subject to conditionality or reduction. If “God”, then wholly, not partially.

Only thanks unity Persons in God it is possible to combine in one sentence the names of the Son and the Holy Spirit along with the name of the Father, for example: “Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit...”(). “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God the Father and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all”(). “There are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.”(). Here the Apostle John emphasizes that Three are one - one Being.

Note: It is necessary to clearly distinguish between the concept of “person” and the concept of “entity”. The word “face” (hypostasis, person) means personality, “I,” self-consciousness. Old cells of our body die off, new ones replace them, and consciousness relates everything in our life to our “I”. The word “essence” speaks of nature, nature, physis. In God, there is one essence and three Persons. Therefore, for example, the Son and God the Father can talk with each other, make a joint decision, one speaks, the other answers. Each Person of the Trinity has His own personal properties, by which He differs from the other Person. But all the Persons of the Trinity have one Divine nature. The Son has the same divine properties as the Father and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the Trinity reveals to people the inner, mysterious life in God, which is actually inaccessible to our understanding, but at the same time necessary for correct faith in Christ.

Jesus Christ has one Face (hypostasis) - the Face of the Son of God, but two essences - Divine and human. In His Divine essence He is equal to the Father - eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, etc.; according to the human nature he perceived, He is similar to us in everything: He grew, developed, suffered, rejoiced, hesitated in decisions, etc. Christ's humanity includes soul and body. The difference is that His human nature is completely free from sinful corruption. Since one and the same Christ is at the same time God and at the same time man, the Holy Scripture speaks of Him both as God and as a man. Even more than that, sometimes human properties are attributed to Christ as God (), and sometimes Divine properties are attributed to Him as a person. There is no contradiction here because we are talking about one person.

Taking into account the clear teaching of the Holy Scriptures about the Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, in order to stop all interpretations of the word God's Son and derogation of His Divine dignity, decreed that Christians should believe:

"In one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God,

The only begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages.

Light from Light, true God from

true God born , not created,

consubstantial with the Father (one essence with God the Father),

By whom all things were created."

The Arians especially vehemently objected to the word consubstantial, because it could not be interpreted in any other way than in the Orthodox sense, namely, that it is recognized true God, equal in everything to God the Father. For the same reason, the Fathers of the Council insisted that this word be included in.

To sum up what has been said, it must be said that faith in the Divinity of Christ cannot be implanted in human hearts either by quotes or formulas. This requires personal faith, personal willpower. As it was two thousand years ago, so it will be until the end of the world: for many Christ will remain “ a stone of stumbling and a stone of offense... that the thoughts of their hearts may be revealed.”(; ). God was pleased by his attitude towards Christ to reveal the hidden direction of the will of every person. And then what He hid from the prudent and wise He revealed to babes().

Therefore, this article does not set out to “prove” that Christ is God. It is impossible to prove this, like many other truths of faith. The purpose of this article is to help a Christian understand his faith in the Savior and give him the necessary arguments to defend his faith from heretics.

So, who, God or Man? - He God-Man. Our faith must be based on this truth.

Can this translation be called scientific? Since the translators wished to remain anonymous, this question cannot be answered using academic titles. The translation should speak for itself"

(Reasoning from the Scriptures, pp. 269,270)

For an organization that once called itself the Bible Students, the Watchtower shows surprisingly little respect for the authority, inspiration, or preservation of the biblical text. The tradition of viewing the biblical text as secondary to the revelations and interpretations of the organization's leaders goes back to the Society's founder, Charles Russell. In 1910 Russell wrote that " people cannot discern God's plan by studying the Bible on its own", And " if a person puts my book down["Studies in the Scriptures"] and tries to read only the Bible, then in two years he will find himself in darkness». « Six volumes of my book, wrote Russell, - these are not just commentaries on the Bible, but the Bible itself».

Subsequent Presidents of the Society continued Russell's initiative, and Scripture was transformed from a deeply spiritual, personal book into the technical literature of a cult. The culmination of the “taming” of Scripture was its own, ideologically verified translation.

Work on the English-language New World Translation (NWT) began in 1947. The unusual name is due to the fact that the organization in those years called itself the New World Society. The new translation was published in parts from 1950 to 1960. It was published in its entirety under one cover in 1961 and is now available in 120 languages. The total circulation was 200 million copies. The New World Translation was released in Russian in part (the New Testament) in 2001 and in its entirety in 2007.

Why was the PNM made? Are there not enough different Bible translations in the world already? The Watchtower Society's book, Publishers, offers this explanation: " Majority[translations] was made by clergy and missionaries of various denominations of the Christian world, therefore, all these translations were, to one degree or another, influenced by the legacy of the past - pagan philosophies, the non-biblical traditions they inherited... Jehovah's Witnesses wanted to have a translation made on the basis of the latest scientific achievements and free from dogma and traditions of the Christian world" (p. 608). The preface to an early edition of the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures (1950) explicitly stated that all existing translations " fell victim to human traditionalism».

Against this background, the following statement from the book “Reasoning with the help of the Scriptures” sounds somewhat strange: “ There are many translations of the Bible. Jehovah's Witnesses advise using different translations. By comparing them, you can understand the true meaning of the Holy Scriptures" (p. 271). How can one understand the true meaning of Scripture by comparing obviously distorted translations?

The fact is that the book Reasoning from the Scriptures is intended for conversations between Jehovah's Witnesses and potential converts. And at the first meetings with interested people, the Witnesses really offer them “ open your own Bible" When discussing one specific issue, the above-mentioned book specifically recommends that the “publisher” offer the following: “ Look what it says in this place in your Bible...." (Reasoning from the Scriptures, p. 272). But the ultimate goal, of course, is to get the person you are talking to using only the New World Translation as quickly as possible. To do this, in the same book, Witnesses are asked to use standard preparations: “ I am ready to use the translation that you have. But you might be interested to know why I like the New World Translation", or " You are, of course, interested to know how the New World Translation differs from other Bible translations"(pp. 271,272).

Of course, in private, Jehovah's Witnesses can read and use any other translations, but discrepancies between them and the New World Translation are invariably interpreted in favor of the latter. References to other translations in official publications of the Society are possible only in cases where their text does not contradict the text of the PNM or is consistent with the material of the article.

Here is what a former elder of the congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses near St. Petersburg had to say: “ After the release of the New World Translation in Russian, demands to work only with it became more and more insistent at meetings, and many, with difficulty, had to readjust. I remember once coming to a congregation meeting with the Synodal Translation, and an immediate reprimand was made to me - as an elder, I could stumble individual publishers, since I would be showing disrespect for the organization's translation and the recommendations of the “slave”! And when I appeared with the Synodal translation the next time, the presiding overseer simply asked me to urgently put it away, so in the future I no longer risked taking the “Orthodox” Bible with me. In any case, I wouldn't be allowed to perform on stage with her in front of an audience.».

The creation of half-educated people. Surprisingly, ordinary Jehovah's Witnesses know absolutely nothing about the history of the creation of this “best translation.” Even about the people who directly worked on the texts, the preface to the New World Translation says very vaguely: “ The translators who prepared this work love God - the Author of Holy Scripture - and feel a special responsibility to him to convey his thoughts and words as accurately as possible" The names of the members of the translation committee have not yet been published.

The translators would have remained anonymous if this data had not been made public by former Governing Body member Raymond Frenz. In the book “Crisis of Conscience” he writes: “ The work is presented as an anonymous translation made by the New World Translation Committee. The members of this Committee were Nathan Knorr, Albert Schroeder and George Gangas; however, Fred Franz was the only one of them who knew the biblical languages ​​well enough to attempt such a translation. He studied Greek for two years at the University of Cincinnati and taught himself Hebrew».

It appears that the translation committee consisted of several members of the Governing Body, among whom only Frederick Frenz had any knowledge of the biblical languages. In the book “Crisis of Conscience” there is an example showing how he himself assessed the results of his own work. Answering a question about an incorrect translation of one of the biblical texts, he said: “ Why not check this in some other translations that are not so tendentious?»

Consequently, it is the unprofessionalism of the translators that explains their desire to keep their names secret. Moreover, the secret was so strict that even the Board of Directors of the Society - according to the Watchtower magazine of September 15, 1950 - knew nothing about the project until the New Testament, ready for printing, arrived at the printing house.

The Watchtower of December 15, 1974 explained the anonymity of the translators because they “ didn't seek fame, didn't want to draw attention to themselves... they wanted the reader to base their faith on the Word of God, not on their "qualifications"" And in Awake! dated September 8, 2001, the advice is given: “ Although the translators still remain anonymous, there is no doubt about the sincerity of their motives and their devotion to God... The members of the committee responsible for creating the New World Translation had good intentions».

However, the reluctance to officially publish the names of the translators - even now that they have become known from other sources and when their competence has been called into question - can hardly promote trust. And “good intentions,” unfortunately, in themselves are not a guarantee of honesty and professionalism.

The author of works on the activities of Jehovah's Witnesses, David Reed, wrote: “ An unbiased observer will quickly realize that this anonymity protects translators from reproaches for errors or distortions in translation. And she doesn't allow scientists to test their competence" In Reasoning with Jehovah's Witnesses Using the Scriptures (page 96), Ron Rhoades also discussed the history of the New World Translation. He's writing: " The leaders of the Watchtower Society must have been greatly shocked when the names of the creators of the New World Translation were made public, since the translation committee was simply not qualified for such work. Four out of five committee members had not studied ancient languages ​​at all (they had only received secondary education). The fifth, Fred W. Frenz, dropped out of the university after his second year, but during his studies he did not take a single course that had to do with theology».

And yet, for members of the organization this translation is a standard translation, and its doctrinal criticism is unthinkable. The organization does not spare bright colors to describe the superiority and impeccability of its brainchild. New articles are constantly appearing that “help” to choose a “good translation” (for example, in the Watchtower of May 1, 2008, p. 18).

"Tears" and "Goosebumps" . In OSB publications one can find many admiring reviews of the New World Translation from ordinary members of the organization. For example, the 2009 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses (page 13) quotes a very typical comment from a certain unnamed Witness: “ When I read this translation, it seems that I am reading the Bible for the first time, although I have already read it many times! Sometimes tears even come to my eyes and goosebumps run through my skin because the message from the Bible in this translation reaches the depths of my heart" Another grateful reader exclaims: “ The old Bible obscured thoughts, but the new one reveals and clarifies them».

But if the "new Bible" is finally everything revealed and explained, then it is not clear why in the Watchtower magazine of March 15, 2015 (p. 8), in gratitude for the release of the next version of the PNM (2013), an anonymous “anointed one”, who managed to read the book of Job, stated with admiration that he “ for the first time I truly understood her».

The leadership of the OSB re-releases its translation with enviable frequency, as if we are talking not about Scripture, but about a treatise of not the most successful content. In this case, in October 2013, the text of the PNM was once again revised, or rather, completely reduced. As reported in the same publication, for example, Proverbs 8:6 lost seven words at once (it was 20, but became only 13), and Job 10:1 lost as many as eight words (it was 27, but became 19). But what does this have to do with biblical translation itself? It is not surprising that the “Bible” from OSB confidently shocks all major specialists in the field of ancient languages ​​and biblical studies. However, with the release of each new version of the PNM, comments are sure to appear in the Society’s literature “ grateful readers", rushing to tell about tears and goosebumps because they finally have everything " revealed and clarified».

Such statements from “readers” eloquently indicate the kind of attitude towards the PNM that the organization’s leadership expects from ordinary believers. But upon closer examination, it turns out that the “beautiful translation” not only does not “reveal” or “clarify” the thoughts of the Bible, but, on the contrary, completely deprives the reader of the opportunity to understand them correctly. This is not surprising, since according to the December 15, 2015 Watchtower magazine (p. 8), in announcing the release of the New World Translation, OSB President Nathan Knorr stated that Jehovah's Witnesses needed a translation, “ who would be in agreement with the truth revealed to us" But can the text of the Bible be dependent on the “truths” revealed in any cult? Rhetorical question...

Every “pioneer,” ministerial servant, elder, and missionary of the organization is required to undergo specialized multi-day and even multi-month courses, where the defense of the “New World Translation” invariably appears among the topics discussed. In the pioneer book Shine Like Lights in the World (1995, p. 100), in the section “Make Good Use of the New World Translation,” the question is asked: “ Do you tell people and help them benefit from all the things that make this translation so different from other translations?»

Since the PNM has been subject to continuous criticism since its first edition, the Society has to print more and more “refutations” designed to convince the congregation of the groundlessness of these accusations. For example, in the March 1, 1991 Watchtower (p. 26), in the article “New World Translation Reveals Learning and Integrity,” they compare criticism of the NMT to the criticism leveled by Catholics in the 16th century against Martin's German translation Luther:

«" Full of distortions!" So in the 16th century, opponents spoke about the translation of Martin Luther's Bible. They considered themselves able to prove that it contained "1,400 heretical errors and falsehoods." Today, Luther's Bible is considered a milestone in the history of Bible translations. The book "Translating the Bible" is called it is even a "work of genius"! In our 20th century, the New World Translation is also accused of corruption... Martin Luther's Bible was criticized because it was produced by a man who exposed the shortcomings of the traditional religion of his day. His translation allowed the common people to see the truth of many things that he said. Similarly, the New World Translation has been criticized because it is published by Jehovah's Witnesses, who openly declare that many of the teachings of so-called Christianity cannot be found in the Bible».

It is unlikely that this “historical” opus can be called modest and objective. As stated in the December 15, 2015 Watchtower magazine (page 13), it is Satan himself who is preventing the spread of PNM.

"One scientist said..." It is curious that the Society does not disclose the names of not only the creators of its translation, but also some scientists who allegedly speak positively about it, although the anonymity of scientists deprives mention of them of any meaning. For example, in the December 1, 1997 Watchtower (page 24) we read: “ Recently, some prominent experts have noted the high quality of the New World Translation. In a letter to the Society, one scientist wrote: “It’s nice when you come across work done well.”. But how can we judge the authority of such a review if we don’t know who it comes from?

The situation is aggravated by the fact that in cases where the Society did name the names of scientists, unexpected embarrassments sometimes occurred. For example, the April 15, 1995 Watchtower (page 32) published an article entitled New World Translation Impresses Scholar”, which stated that the Dutch specialist in classical Greek, Reikel ten Cate, was impressed by the accuracy with which the Dutch version of the PNM translated Greek words brephos, paidion And pais, meaning different stages of a child’s growing up. However, Professor ten Cate himself subsequently commented on this article as follows: “... I can assure you that it was never my intention or purpose to claim that the entire Watchtower Society translation is correct or adequate. They were only talking about the quoted verses from the 2nd chapter of the Gospel of Luke... As for the entire Bible, I have not read their edition, and therefore cannot judge it... thus, the title of their article "New World Translation Impresses a Scholar "is an exaggeration».

For two decades, the Society relied on Dr. Julius Manthey's Greek grammar textbook to support some of the PNM's features (particularly the exotic translation of John 1:1). Dr. Manty himself said on this matter: “ I have never seen a so-called translation that is further from what Scripture actually teaches. It is very far from what is in the original Greek and Hebrew texts. This is a shocking parody of translation! You cannot follow their thought because the text is distorted and misleading because they deliberately changed the words in the text of the Bible to make it consistent with their teaching. They twisted the Scriptures in many places».

In July 1974, Dr. Manty was forced to send a letter to the Watchtower Society demanding that no further references to his authority and works be made, and that he make a public apology, including through the Watchtower magazine. Pointing out the unacceptable liberties with which the organization cited his own research and the research of other New Testament Greek scholars (Ernest Colwell and Philip Harner), Dr. Manty concluded his letter with a general characterization of the New World Translation: “ In his letter[to the apologetics organization CARIS] you claim that one should be guided by the sacred text itself, and “not just someone’s collection of rules.” We agree with you. However, our research shows that Jehovah's Witnesses do the exact opposite whenever the “sacred text” diverges from their heretical beliefs».

Such incidents—coupled with the statements of numerous eminent critics of the New World Translation, which official Watchtower publications simply ignore—make us distrustful of references to the opinions of anonymous scholars who supposedly admire the correctness and impartiality of the NMT. Here are just a few examples of objective criticism on behalf of well-known specialists that were ignored by the OSB.

The eminent British scholar Dr. Harold G. Rowley, an expert on the Old Testament and Semitic languages, writing about the 1953 translation of the book of Genesis, wrote that “ wooden literalism" And " rough design» PNM are « offensive to God's Word", and stated that " From beginning to end, this volume is a prime example of how not to translate the Bible» (H. H. Rowley. How Not To Translate the Bible. The Expository Times, 1953, p. 65.41).

Robert Countess, whose doctoral dissertation was on the New Testament portion of the New World Translation, concluded that the text's creators " suffered a clear failure, failing to protect the actual translation work from the influence of theological considerations... The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures must be considered an extremely tendentious work. At some points he is simply dishonest. In others it cannot be called either modern or scientific. And woven into the very fabric of the translation is the inconsistent application of its own principles, stated in the preface and appendix.» ( Robert H. Countess. The Jehovah's Witness New Testament. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1982, p. 91.93).

Executive Director of the Russian Bible Society A. Rudenko assessed the PNM in almost the same terms: “ The translation is highly ideological, and scientific requirements are clearly replaced by confessional interests.».

Colwell score . Back in 1963, the January 1 Watchtower, in the “Questions from Readers” section, stated: “ In 1947, Professor Colwell examined a number of translations and tested them on the basis of sixty-four texts from the Gospel of John... If the reader reads what Professor Colwell says about these sixty-four texts and compares them with the New World Translation, he will see that the Translation The New World deserves the same score of 64 points as Dr. Goodspeed's translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, which the book gives the highest score of 64 points.».

Jehovah's Witnesses still consider this fact extremely important, and it is often mentioned in Pioneer Schools today. In reality, this whole story is a complete misunderstanding, caused by the fact that over the past half century the Witnesses have not bothered to understand the meaning of the research to which they refer.

Indeed, in 1952, the University of Chicago Press published a monograph by Professor Ernest Cadman Colwell (by the way, the author of the famous “Colwell’s rule”, for the incorrect use of which the Watchtower criticized Dr. Manty ) « What is the Best New Testament?» (“Which New Testament is better?”). On page 85 of this edition there is a chapter, “How Correct is Your New Testament?” in which Colwell explains the essence of his method: “ When it comes to correctness, the main question is: “How correct is the New Testament from which it was translated?”»

In other words, the author was not interested in the accuracy of a particular translation, but in what edition of the Greek text ( Textus Receptus or the Westcott-Hort text) is its basis. Colwell writes: " I did a test using the entire Gospel of John. In this Gospel I have compared, verse by verse, the two named Greek texts; and from the long list of discrepancies found, I have selected sixty-four passages in which even the freest translation into English will inevitably show which of the two Greek texts it supports».

It should be noted that Colwell himself was convinced that Textus Receptus, the classic version of the New Testament Greek text on which the King James Version is based, is “ worst or most distorted text", and the Westcott-Hort edit is " the best or most correct text" It is therefore not surprising that the Goodspeed translation, which is based entirely on the Westcott-Hort edition, received 64 points, and the King James Version, based on Textus Receptus- 0 points. Colwell's assessment has nothing to do with the quality of the translation! In his own words, " even the freest translation" may well receive 64 points out of 64 possible if based on a critical edition of the Greek text.

Occult connection. To support its translation, the OSB sometimes used truly exotic sources. Until April 1983, to confirm the “accuracy” of the New World Translation, the Society referred to the “authoritative” translation of the former German Catholic priest Johannes Graeber with a similar - as in the NMT - sound of verses.

It is widely known that Graeber was a spiritualist and an active practitioner of the occult. He claimed that his translation was created under the guidance of spirits and with the help of an intermediary - his own wife, who declared herself a spiritual medium. Graeber stated that he received a message from the “spiritual world” with the task of clearing the Bible of many errors. The goals and methods of translation between Graeber and OSB largely coincide. Their authors also set out to “cleanse” the Bible of errors and claimed that they received guidance and support from God and angels (spirits).

It is curious, however, that back in 1955-1956, the OSB’s own publications directly and unequivocally called Graeber a spiritualist: “ It is not surprising that one Johannes Graeber, a former Catholic priest, became a spiritualist and published a book entitled Communication with the Spiritual World, Its Laws and Its Purpose (1932, Macoy Publishing Company, New York). In the preface to this book he makes the typically erroneous statement: "The most significant spiritualist book is the Bible..."" (Watchtower October 1, 1955, file, p. 603).

The Watchtower magazine for February 15, 1956 (pages 110,111) stated: “ In the preface to his translation of the New Testament, published in 1937, Johannes Graeber says: “I myself was a Catholic priest and ... never even believed in the possibility of communication with the world of God's spirits. However, the day came when I unwittingly took the first step into direction of such communication... My experience is described in a book published in both German and English entitled “Communication with the Spiritual World, Its Laws and Its Purpose” (page 15, paragraphs 2,3)..." Graeber tries to give his reading of the New Testament a very spiritualistic sound... the former priest Graeber is convinced that [spirits] helped him in creating this translation».

However, this circumstance did not prevent the Society from appealing to Graeber’s authority as a translator of the New Testament in a number of publications in the 1960s and 1970s. And only after 1980-1982, representatives of the Christian apologetic ministry Personal Freedom Ourteach Keith Morse and Kurt Gedelman took an increased and persistent interest in the official position of the OSB regarding Graeber's writings, and also published information about his spiritualist beliefs, and after this information began to reach the ears of active Jehovah's Witnesses, they began to contact the central office organization with puzzling questions, the Society formally dissociated itself from such an inconvenient source. The April 1, 1983 Watchtower magazine published this response to a question from an anonymous reader: “ Why has the Watchtower not used the translation of former Catholic priest Johannes Graeber in recent years? This translation has been used from time to time to support readings of Matthew 27:52–53 and John 1:1 as found in the New World Translation and other authoritative Bible translations. But, as stated in the preface to the 1980 edition of Johannes Graeber's New Testament, this translator had recourse to "God's spiritual world" to show him how to translate difficult passages. The preface states: "His wife, a medium of God's spiritual world, was often of great help in conveying to Pastor Graeber the correct answers from God's messengers." The Watchtower felt it was improper to use a translation that had such close ties to the occult (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)».

Thus, the authors subtly convince the reader that the Society first learned about the occult nature of Graeber's translation only from the preface to the 1980 edition. Meanwhile, the preface to the first edition of 1937 said exactly the same thing. And back in the 1950s, as the above quotations from OSB publications show, the Society was quite aware of how Graeber translated his New Testament.

In 1993, Ken Raines sought clarification from Raymond Frenz, one of the compilers of the Encyclopedia Aids to Understanding the Bible (1971), which contains two references to the authority of Johannes Graeber. Frenz replied: “ As for the material in the “Help” encyclopedia, all articles were always read and, if necessary, edited by at least one more person from among the project participants. Therefore, I am sure that I at least looked through the manuscripts of those two articles that you name. And I am equally sure that at the same time the thought of Graeber’s connection with the occult did not even occur to me. At the time of the publication of the Graeber articles on October 1, 1955 and February 15, 1956, I was engaged in district and district work in the Caribbean. Of course, I read them, but in the years between then and the start of the encyclopedia, I also read thousands of articles published in the 240 other Watchtowers and 240 Awake! that were published during those 10 years, and many more publications. I remember his name no more than I remember the names of Dr. Rumble or Jean Brierre appearing on the same page as Graeber in the 1955 issue, or the name of Bishop Samuel Follows appearing on the same page as Graeber in the 1956 issue. . If I had remembered the passing mention of it in the 1955 and 1956 articles, I am sure it would have prompted me to express concern about the use of his translation. It was only after leaving Brooklyn headquarters that the question of the acceptability of quoting Graeber's translation came to my attention. What can be said about me, I think, can be said about other people who worked on the encyclopedia project... I am convinced that most of the employees with whom I knew would have felt remorse citing anything related to spiritualism, beyond discussions about the evil sides of spiritualism...».

Raymond Frenz's explanations are quite acceptable and logical. However, it follows from them that the employees of the OSB publishing department are rather careless about the sources used in the Society’s publications, not double-checking unfamiliar data, but relying on their memory and the thoroughness of anonymous colleagues in the pen. And the question of why, for more than 20 years, no one within the Society - including its most educated and influential members - paid attention to the obvious connection of Graeber's translation with the occult world still remains unanswered. In this regard, the assessment given by Dr. Jerry Bergman seems particularly relevant: “ The historical archives of the Watchtower are a seemingly inexhaustible reservoir of madness, superficially written articles, and naive perceptions of fashionable ideas. One would have hoped that a biblically oriented person would have made more careful use of the abundance of scientific data collected up to that time... Much of the Society's problems lie in the incredibly superficial approach to research, and the fact that the "God guides us" mentality creates laziness in a person - why be zealous if God is guiding you, because God will make sure that only what is true is published...» (« Angels and Women." JW Research. Vol. 1, No. 4, p. 28).

So, the anonymous New World Translation is a work that the OSB elite is ready to defend in every possible way. However, its creator Frederick Frenz privately called his brainchild “tendentious,” and this is not difficult to verify by looking at just a few examples.

Examples of bias: distortion of the original text. The authors of the PNM deliberately translate New Testament words and expressions contrary to the requirements of linguistics, logic and context, and also violate the stated principle of the same type of translation of the same Greek constructions, when this is necessary to harmonize the biblical text with the creed of the organization. The New World Translation with Notes (1984, p. 7) stated: “ We ensured the uniformity of the translation by giving each main word one meaning and sticking to that meaning as far as the context allowed. At times this limited our choice of words, but this approach is useful for cross-referencing and comparing related texts" However, in practice this principle was completely ignored.

Example 1: Matthew 25:46

In the vast majority of Bible translations, this verse sounds the same as in the Synodal: “ And these will go to eternal damnation and the righteous to eternal life" However, in the latest English edition of the PNM, as well as in the Russian edition of 2001, this verse sounds differently: “ And they will go into eternal cutoff and the righteous to eternal life».

The reason why Jehovah's Witnesses are comfortable with the option offered by the PNM is obvious: the OSB denies that after death, eternal reward awaits sinners who have not repented and have not believed in Christ. The question is to what extent this option is justified from the point of view of New Testament Greek.

Jehovah's Witnesses rightly point out that the Greek word κόλασις (“kolasis”), which is interpreted in the PNM as “cut off,” comes from the verb κολάζω (“kolazo”), which was originally used to mean “ mutilate, cut off, prune, shorten"(Reasoning from the Scriptures, 2008, p. 30). But, since the reader may wonder why “ eternal cutoff", but not " eternal maiming"or, let's say, " eternal hardship" - after all, the etymology of the Greek word allows for both of these options - OSB deliberately limits the range of possible meanings of the word κόλασις, inspiring its followers that in ancient times it meant precisely pruning branches in the garden.

However, translating the word κόλασις as “cut off” contradicts both linguistic data and the context of Scripture. At the time of Christ, this word was already an established and generally accepted term of pagan sacred jurisprudence, which meant “retribution, punishment.” This is evidenced by a number of ancient inscriptions and texts. On the other hand, the authors of the PNM themselves confirm that in some New Testament passages the verb κολάζω and its derivatives simply cannot be translated as “cut off” or “cut off.” For example, in 1 John 4:18 they paradoxically translate the noun κόλασις with the verb “fetters,” and in Acts 4:21 they translate the cognate verb κολάσωνται with the word “punish” (!). It is only in 2 Peter 2:9, where again we are talking about the eternal fate of the wicked, that the same root word κολαζομένους is again translated as “cut off.”

Meanwhile, the second Russian edition of the PNM in 2007 presented a new surprise to Jehovah's Witnesses. In this publication, Matthew 25:46 was again changed, this time losing all resemblance not only to the original Greek, but also to the standard English text: “ And they will forever destroyed and the righteous will receive eternal life" 2 Peter 2:9 was similarly changed to read: “... Jehovah knows how to deliver those who are devoted to God from trials, and save the unrighteous for the day of judgment, when they will be destroyed...»

The influence of theological considerations on the text of the PNM seems obvious here. The word “cut-off” used in the English edition of PNM would represent verbal gobbledygook for the Russian reader. In real speech we never use such a strange word. And it is impossible to believe that Christ conveyed truths to ordinary people in such vague and ambiguous terms that without the Watchtower it would have been impossible to understand. Therefore, after the release of the “pilot” Russian edition of the PNM (only the New Testament was published in 2001), a group of translators from the Russian branch in Solnechny (St. Petersburg) decided to find a more adequate replacement for the word “cut-off”. However, such replacements were possible only after agreement with the persons supervising the transfer to the United States. As a result, an unsuccessful compromise was used - the participle “exterminated”, since a return to the Greek text, to the noun “punishment” from the point of view of the beliefs of the OSB turned out to be unacceptable.

Example 2: Acts 2:42, 46

« And they devoted themselves to delving into the apostolic teaching and sharing with each other, together Eating and pray...». « Day after day they remained in the temple with one accord and ate together in their homes, eating with great joy and sincerity of heart».

Both highlighted phrases in the original Greek are the same expression, literally meaning “breaking of bread.” Research fellow at the Central Academy of Arts (St. Petersburg) Dmitry Roset explains: “ In the verse of Acts. 2:42 The New World Translation rendered the Greek phrase ἡ κλάσις τοῦ ἄρτου (“breaking bread”) as “to eat.” The reason for such an allegorical translation of the text is obvious - Luke constantly uses the expression “to break bread” in the context of the Eucharist (see Luke 22:19; 24:30). It is interesting that in Acts. 27:35, where it is not about the Eucharist, the creators of the PNM translated the same words literally and correctly (“Having said this, he took bread... and broke it and began to eat”). The Apostle Paul also uses the phrase “breaking bread” as a synonym for the Eucharist (see 1 Cor. 10:16; 11:23-24), but even in these cases the New World Translation somehow translated the corresponding verses correctly (“the bread that we break"; "he took the bread and, having given thanks, broke it"). Thus, they have no reason to translate the text of Acts. 2:42 otherwise, unless they sought to reconcile this text with their preconceived ideas about the Lord's Supper.

However, the verse of Acts. 2:46 brings a surprise to the translators - because here in the Greek text there is already a phrase μεταλαμβάνω τροφῆς, which literally means “to eat.” To avoid absurd repetition, the creators of the PNM had to come up with a new translation for the expression κλῶντές τε κατ" οἶκον ἄρτον (lit. "breaking bread in houses"): "ate together in their houses." However, the final result is still absurd. What did the first Christians do? Every day we went to church, where we ate food together, and then at home we ate our fill “with the sincerity of our hearts!” An unusually rich gastronomic life.

Likewise, the creators of the PNM avoid mentioning the Lord's Supper in Acts 20. Luke here tells us that on the first day of the week the disciples gathered to “break bread” (the literal translation of the Greek phrase κλάσαι ἄρτον). However, the New World Translation still tells us that the disciples were there to “eat.” And then the situation takes a completely tragicomic turn: we read that Paul spoke for a long time, until midnight, as a result of which a young man named Eutychus fell asleep and fell out of the window. According to the creators of the PNM, having gone out into the street and checked the condition of the young man, the apostle went upstairs again and, as if nothing had happened, “broke bread and began to have dinner.” Truly, even life and death gave way to the importance of eating on time!

Paul's behavior is justified and explainable only if he, having made sure that the young man was alive, returned to the room not to refresh himself, but to continue the Supper he had begun - an event so important and significant that even such a tragic accident could not prevent him . And the Greek text, of course, confirms that this is how it all happened: “ἀναβὰς δὲ καὶ κλάσας τὸν ἄρτον καὶ γευσάμενος” (lit. “he went up, and broke the bread, and tasted”) ».

The Bible shows that the tradition of breaking bread was quite common. But, as is known, only representatives of a special group of “anointed” Christians, which primarily includes members of the Governing Body in New York, can receive symbols from Jehovah’s Witnesses, and then only once a year. Therefore, a very strange and inconsistent translation of the expression “to break bread,” although puzzling outside readers, is quite in harmony with the class consciousness of believers in this religion.

Example 3: Hebrews 12:9

« Shouldn't we submit even more to the Father of our spiritual life - and live?»

The expression “To the Father of our spiritual life” conveys the Greek phrase “Father of spirits,” which has no discrepancies. Therefore, the Synodal translation says: “... Should we not much more submit to the Father of spirits in order to live?“This passage of Scripture is so unambiguous that it seems unthinkable to translate the word “spirit” with the expression “spiritual life.” But the translators of the OSB succeeded, and it is not surprising: the theology of the Society does not accept any personal nature under the word “spirit”.

Something similar can be seen in other texts. For example, 1 Timothy 4:1 says, “ Inspired words clearly indicate that in later times some will fall away from the faith by listening to misleading inspired words" This statement from the PNM sounds extremely ridiculous. In it, as in a number of other places (for example, 1 John 4:1-3; Rev. 16:13,14), the simple Greek word “spirit” is translated by the complex phrase “inspired utterances (words),” thereby breaking the original text.

Example 4: John 19:17

« Carrying his pillar of torment, he[Jesus] went to a place called the Skull, and in Hebrew Golgotha" Replacing the word "cross" (in the Greek text: σταυρος, " stauros) with the expression “pillar of torment”, the authors of the translation used a concept that was familiar to them. For Jehovah's Witnesses, the cross is a pagan symbol, so their categorical refusal to use such a term is quite understandable. However, it cannot be argued that the noun “pillar” is the only correct translation of the Greek “ stauros" Ron Rhoades, author of Reasoning with Jehovah's Witnesses Using Scripture (p. 375), elaborates: “ Jehovah's Witnesses forget to mention that the Greek word stauros denoted a whole series of wooden structures that were used in those days for executions».

Indeed, the wooden structure " stauros"could appear in the shape of the letter tau (T), a cross (+), sometimes a crosshair (X) and, more rarely, a pillar without a crossbar. To assert that " stauros"cannot in any way refer to a cruciform (or other) murder weapon, it is impossible. In other words, " stauros" does not mean the cross as such, but one of the configurations of the execution weapon. It is also worth noting that the New Testament uses a different, much more unambiguous Greek word for the word “pillar” (or “pillar”). If we are to be consistent, it would be more logical for the authors of the PNM to leave the word “ stauros” without any translation at all, since this is exactly what they did with regard to the word “hell”, leaving in the text the Hebrew-Greek sound - “sheol” and “hades”, which is extremely inconvenient for the reader to perceive.

However, Jehovah's Witnesses ignore a number of Scriptures that clearly indicate a specific construction that could be meant by the word " stauros" For example, Ron Rhodes quotes John 20:25, where Thomas speaks of the risen Christ: “ Until I see the wounds on his hands from nails and I won’t put my finger in these wounds... I won’t believe it" Rhodes writes: " If Jesus had been nailed to a stake instead of a cross, only one nail would have been driven into his hands. The text of the Gospels talks about nails (one in each hand). This verse poses a serious threat to Watchtower teachings: even in the New World Translation, the word “nails” is plural.».

It is logical that Thomas was more informed about the method of execution of Christ. However, in all images of the crucifixion, OSB artists depict Christ nailed to a pole by the hands with one nail.

Often, speaking about the method of execution of Christ, Jehovah's Witnesses cite not a biblical, but a historical argument: since the times of ancient peoples, the cross has been a common pagan symbol. But the same can be said about the shape of an upright post or log. A similar symbol was used in the practice of many peoples and a wide variety of meanings were invested in it: from the energy balance of heaven and earth to the personification of the phallus. But all these arguments have nothing to do with the word “ stauros"as a murder weapon.

Until 1936, Jehovah's Witnesses believed that Jesus was executed on the cross. For example, this can be seen from the illustration published in the book “The Harp of God” (1921, p. 113). However, in the book "Riches" (1936), Rutherford unexpectedly changes his understanding, thereby identifying the world's Christian religions with idolaters. Thus, Jehovah's Witnesses had to distinguish themselves even more clearly from the so-called. “false religions” (image with pillar from My Book of Bible Stories, 2008, story 101).

Example 5: Colossians 1:16,17

« Through it everything else was created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, be it thrones, or dominions, or governments, or powers. All this was created through him and for him. And he is first of all, and everything else began to exist through him».

And here is the literal Greek text: “ Because in Him[or Im] everything was created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, and thrones and dominions and principalities and powers; everything is through Him and in Him[or Them] created, and He is before all and everything is in Him[or Them] consists of[or exists]».

As you can see, the adjective “rest” was added to the translation from the OSB, thereby emphasizing one of the creeds that Jesus was created by Jehovah, and “everything else” they created together (and in the English version of the PNM the adjective “rest” appears four times). These insertions radically change the meaning, since there is a fundamental difference between the expressions “created everything” and “created everything else.” It is also worth paying attention to the fact that the same expression “in Him” (or “By Him”) is translated into three different phrases - “through him”, “for him” and “through him”. And it doesn’t matter whether you believe in the divinity of Christ or not, but, in any case, such a translation is far from the original source and completely changes the meaning of the statement.

Example 6: 1 Peter 1:11

« They[students] constantly investigated to what particular or what kind of time the spirit that was in them indicated in connection with Christ, which testified in advance about the suffering that awaited Christ».

From an interlinear translation it sounds like this: “ Investigating at what or what time the Spirit of Christ manifested itself in them, first testifying to Christ’s sufferings».

Translation " in connection with Christ the spirit that was in them"is a complex paraphrase and is not justified by any linguistic considerations. We are talking about the spirit of Christ dwelling in the disciples, but the Society teaches only one spirit - God, and doctrinally Christ is not supposed to be the source of the spirit.

Example 7: 1 John 5:20

« And we know that the Son of God came and gave us understanding so that we might know the true God. And we are in unity with the true God through his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life».

And this is the literal translation: “ We know that the Son of God came and gave us understanding so that we might know the truth; we are in the True One, in His Son Jesus Christ. This one is the true God and eternal life».

There are several points here that are unacceptable from the point of view of accuracy. In the phrases " so that we know the true God" And " we are in unity with the true God", the word "God" is absent in the Greek text, as is the prepositional copula "through". In this text, the same preposition “in” occurs twice (“in the True One,” “in the Son”), but in the PNM it is translated completely differently (“in unity,” “through his Son”). Therefore, this verse from the New World Translation cannot be called a translation at all, since it monstrously distorts the original meaning, which, again, traces the idea of ​​​​the extraordinary nature of Christ.

Example 8: Acts 20:28

« Keep careful watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the holy spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the assembly of God, which he purchased with the blood of his Son.».

An interlinear translation from the Greek is: “ Keep yourself and all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Church of God, which he purchased through his own blood.[My]".

This text is the apogee of “apostasy,” since one can only claim that God purchased the congregation “with his own blood” without reading a single book of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Therefore, the word “Son” predictably appears here. Sometimes there are arguments that the pronoun used in the original text can also refer to Christ. Be that as it may, the addition of the originally missing word "Son" is unacceptable.

The Society itself explains the dilemma by saying that the text does not agree with the context of the other verses (Reasoning from the Scriptures, pp. 403,405). But it is not the translator's responsibility to assess how logical the original text is. Its task is much less subjective - to translate, not to interpret. Moreover, how can you accuse other religions, many of which translate this verse much more accurately, of bias and dogmatism, if the Society itself does exactly the same thing - corrects objectionable verses to suit its own worldview. After all, this is the Bible, not the books of Jehovah's Witnesses, which are changed with each new reprint.

Example 9: Philippians 2:6

« Who, although he was in the form of God, did not think of encroachment - of being equal with God».

We are talking about Christ, who, according to this translation, “did not think,” that is, could not even imagine “being equal with God.” Amazingly, the original Greek text has the exact opposite meaning: “ Who abides in the form of God, He did not consider it a robbery to be equal with God" In the Synodal Translation this verse reads: “ He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God».

The OSB translators completely changed the sentence structure. It has become more difficult to understand and allows the idea that Jesus only “was in the form of God”, but does not in any way abide in it. Of course, the literal translation from the Greek is not consistent with the organization's view of the nature of Christ. And if we admit the idea that Jesus did not consider it “robbery” to be equal with God, it means leaving outright heresy in the Bible. The Watchtower Society simply could not pass by this verse without correcting it beyond recognition.

An interesting commentary on Philippians 2:6 from a member of the group translating the PNM from English into Russian: “ This verse well illustrates that in the Greek original, which is transmitted almost word for word by the Synodal Translation, the English and Russian PNM introduce their own interpretation of the verse, which is at odds with most English translations due to the anti-trinitarian teachings of the OSB».

And the last “killer” argument used to justify interpolation is the often exploited theory of the so-called OSB. “early heresy,” or conspiracy, as a result of which - due to prejudice or other circumstances - the name of God was simultaneously removed from all the primary sources of the Greek Scriptures, and these are thousands of manuscripts on three continents (Asia, Europe and Africa). But the point is not that this theory is absurd in itself. If we take such statements seriously, we should question God's ability to preserve His Word. With such judgments, the elite of the organization encroached on the holy of holies - the reliability of the Bible itself, which can only be described as insanity.

On the one hand, it is stated that: “ The Bible was conceived by one Author - God. And with the help of his awe-inspiring power, it was not difficult for him to ensure that the immutability of what was written was preserved to this day.” (“What is the meaning of life?”, p. 15). " The manuscripts and translations of the Christian Greek Scriptures provide undeniable evidence of the wonderful preservation and accuracy of this portion of God's Word. Thus, today we have an authentic, completely reliable text of the Bible. Thoughtful examination of the surviving scripture manuscripts provides eloquent evidence that they were faithfully preserved"(Understanding Scripture, vol. 2, p. 318, English). " The correctness of the text can be convincingly proven on the basis of the huge number of surviving manuscripts” (“The Bible: The Word of God or the Word of Man?”, p. 22). " God watched what was happening and directed the writing of his word. This protected God's word from error and ensured that it was accurate, clear, and consistent with God's purpose.” (“God’s Guidance Shows the Way to Paradise,” 2006, p. 16).

But when it comes to justifying one's own translation, the distinctive feature of which is the insertion of the word “Jehovah” into the New Testament, the exact opposite is stated: “" Christian scribes who do not love Jehovah removed the name of God from the Greek manuscripts of the Bible"("Revelation - its grandiose apogee is near!", p. 35). How then can we trust Scripture if it has come down to us with such an incredible number of errors regarding just one word? And about what indisputable evidence of its miraculous preservation“Can we even talk?

Regarding this paradox, Dmitry Roset writes: “ The last statements clearly cancel out the first ones. How can we talk about the safety of the text if at least 237 words were deliberately and completely removed from it? In addition, another natural question arises: if unknown but very talented forgers in the 2nd-3rd centuries were able to completely remove so many important words from the Greek text, can we be sure that they did not distort the text in some other way? So, the statements of Jehovah's Witnesses lead us to the only possible conclusion: the modern text of the New Testament cannot be trusted. Thus, the Witnesses themselves cut the branch on which they sit. How does the Watchtower Society combine contradictory statements in its publications? The trick is to avoid putting these statements side by side in the same post. When Witnesses need to emphasize that they have complete faith in the Bible, they talk about the preservation of the texts and the abundance of early manuscripts. When they need to provide a basis for the doctrine of the name of God, they remember the late dating of the manuscripts and begin to scold the “Christian” scribes».

The author of the book “Reasoning with Jehovah's Witnesses Using Scripture,” Ron Rhodes, also reflects on this paradox: “ Is it true that superstitious Jewish scribes erased the sacred name of Jehovah from the Bible, as Jehovah's Witnesses claim? Absurd! This claim is completely unfounded. It sounds especially ridiculous in view of the fact that the Watchtower Society insists on the absolute accuracy of the Old and New Testament manuscripts... The Watchtower's claim that the divine name was removed from the Bible by superstitious scribes is a fabrication, a shameless lie! And it's not just that this statement is not based on facts, there is a huge amount of evidence indicating the opposite. And the more manuscripts we study, the more we become convinced that the ancient scribes reproduced the biblical text with amazing accuracy».

An unauthorized, completely unfounded interpolation points to the true reason for the creation of the New World Translation. In the previous chapter, we already said that the exploitation of God’s name is a skillful propaganda move by the leadership of the organization, and the logical conclusion of this policy was the forced addition of the word “Jehovah” to the text of the New Testament. To the great chagrin of the Society's leaders, it could not be inserted into only 7 of the 27 books of the New Testament.

But, oddly enough, such blatant liberty gave the elite reason for the following statements: “ In this translation, God's name appears 237 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures; it is placed in those places where, as a careful analysis of the text has shown, it should stand"(The Watchtower, January 15, 2001, p. 30). " Jehovah's Witnesses in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures have restored[name of God] in the right place and gave him due respect. They honor God's name, like the early Christians."(The Watchtower, April 15, 1996, p. 17). " Of particular note is that the name of God was restored in all 237 places where it appears in the New Testament” (The Watchtower, November 1, 2007, p. 10).

But the word "Jehovah" cannot be " placed where it should appear in the Greek Scriptures”, because you cannot “put” something that was not there in the first place. " Honor God's Name by Restoring It to Its Rightful Place” means contradicting one’s own assertions that the Bible has come down to us unchanged. And the quote about the fact that “ God's name has been restored in all 237 places where it appears in the New Testament", can be safely classified as religious provocations.

There is absolutely no evidence that the early Christians used the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. And even more so, no “scientific research” can justify the revision of Scripture. It is unlikely that God allowed anyone on earth to stop and modify his Word, since he declared in advance that anyone who does this is worthy of “plagues” and “taking away” of life (Rev. 22:18,19). Any unsubstantiated statements aimed at a biased public, justifying the arbitrary distortion of the biblical text, distract attention from the one to whom God, whom the members of the organization supposedly revere, has given “honor and glory” (2 Peter 1:17). The New Testament of Jehovah's Witnesses robs Christ of a huge amount of information pertaining to him. Jesus has fallen into the Watchtower mold; he has lost the power God gave him—and that is the tragedy for those who accept the counterfeit.

Let's look at just three examples where the word "Jehovah" is inserted. This will be enough to understand how the distortion of the text changes the logic of the narrative and contributes to a false understanding of the entire Holy Scripture.

Example 1: Acts 7:59,60

« They continued to throw stones at Stefan, and he cried[prayed, SinP] and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." And falling on his knees, he exclaimed in a loud voice: “Jehovah[Lord, SinP], Don’t hold this sin against them.".

According to the New World Translation, Stephen appealed to Christ to accept his spirit, and suddenly there was an unexpected transition from Christ to Jehovah. In ancient manuscripts, as in any translation, the word “Lord” appears. These two verses of Acts are a logical continuation of each other and leave absolutely no doubt to whom exactly Stephen was addressing. RSD leads the reader to a deliberately false conclusion.

Notice how unauthorized modification of the Bible is cleverly used in the Society's literature. The book Bearing Witness to the Kingdom of God (2009, p. 51) states: “ Stephen died much like his Master, with a calm heart, relying entirely on Jehovah and holding no grudge against his murderers. He said, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit,” probably because he was still seeing the vision of the Son of man with the Father... Stephen then prayed loudly to God, “Jehovah, do not hold this sin against them.”».

But Stephen did not pray to Jehovah either loudly or even in a low voice! Nothing allows one to come to such a conclusion. Stephen turned to Jesus and, unlike modern OSB, did not see anything incredible in this.

Regarding Acts 7:59,60, another comment from the January 1, 2005 Watchtower (p. 31) is illustrative: “ Does this short statement from Stephen give us reason to pray to Jesus? Not at all. First, Stephen clearly understood that Jehovah and Jesus were different persons, because the Bible says that he saw Jesus “standing at the right hand of God.” Moreover, the situation itself was unusual. The only other time this happens in the Bible is when the apostle John spoke directly to Jesus when he saw him in a vision (Revelation 22:16, 20)».

But the fact that Stephen saw Jesus, " standing at the right hand of God”, does not mean that his prayer could not be addressed specifically to Christ. Moreover, the statement that “ A similar case occurs only once more", that is, we are not talking about a pattern, which is quite strange, since Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays precisely on the basis of two biblical references, which have nothing to do with Christians. But this turns out to be quite enough for the children of OSB members to forget about this holiday forever. Therefore, to claim that first-century Christians did not turn to Christ personally is to adhere to the religious prejudice that has become part of the New World Translation.

BIRTHDAYS ARE AGAINST GOD?

Regarding birthdays, Ron Rhoades, author of Reasoning with Jehovah's Witnesses through Scripture (p. 371), wrote: “ To think that a day is bad just because something bad happened on that day is truly perverse logic. Genesis 40:20-22 proves the depravity of Pharaoh, but not the birthdays. Of course, there is no command in Scripture to celebrate birthdays, but there is no reason to believe that Genesis 40:20-22 or any other verse prohibits it. It is also worth noting that on his birthday, Pharaoh did something good - he granted amnesty to the chief butler (Genesis 40:21). He set the man free! If Pharaoh's wicked act on his birthday means that all birthdays are wicked, then Pharaoh's good act on the same day probably means that there is something good in all birthdays." (Same with Matthew 14:6-10 - Herod was the source of evil, not the date).

It is also worth adding that, despite all the statements of the OSB, there is no evidence that in the era of the ancient Jews birthdays were not celebrated in any way. Moreover, according to the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 14:5, whether or not to celebrate a day is a purely personal matter for the Christian. If we accept the logic of OSB, then literally everything that is dear to us should be abolished. Including weddings and wedding gifts, because according to 1 Kings 9:15-19 (in PNM 1 Kings 9:15-19), the Pharaoh of Egypt gave the city of Gazer as a dowry to his daughter who married King Solomon, having previously destroyed it by fire and destroying the inhabitants. After such a historical opus, any Jehovah's Witnesses are obliged to forget about marriages and corresponding gifts, but this does not happen.

Example 2: Colossians 3:23,24

« Whatever you do, try to do it with all your heart, as for Jehovah, and not for people, knowing that then you will receive an inheritance as a reward from Jehovah. Serve the Master, Christ, as slaves».

If we remember that in the original text, instead of “Jehovah,” there is “Lord,” then the question arises: on what basis is the reader forced to abandon the idea that everything needs to be done “ with all my heart, as for Christ"and from Christ" Get an award”, because this is precisely the conclusion that the last verse leads to.

Example 3: Romans 10:9–13

« If you publicly proclaim this “word that is in your mouth,” that Jesus is Lord, and exercise faith in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. With their hearts they manifest faith toward righteousness, and with their lips they publicly proclaim salvation. Scripture says, "Whoever builds his faith on it will not be disappointed." And there is no difference between Jew and Greek, because there is one Lord over all, rich for all who call on him. “Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”».

The context so clearly shows that we are talking about Christ that the question immediately arises: how was it even possible to edit this text, since it is obvious that the one who will be saved is “ who calls on the name of the Lord", or Christ. Everything falls into place when one considers the frequency of use of the last verse in the Society's publications. Here are just some examples: " Yes, those who call on the name of Jehovah will live.”(Revelation, p. 113). " Yes, Paul meant here that we should call on the name of Jehovah. Therefore, although we must believe in Jesus, our salvation is closely tied to a correct understanding of God's name” (“God’s name endures forever,” p. 26).

The OSB cannot allow anyone to decide to call on the name of Christ, since dogma does not allow such an appeal. The argument is made that this passage is a quotation from the Old Testament (Joel 2:32), and refers to Jehovah. However, it is untenable, if only because many prophetic quotations relating to God in the Old Testament are fulfilled in Christ in the New Testament (for example, Jeremiah 17:10 and Revelation 2:23). Moreover, in a number of cases, when the New Testament contains completely obvious and indisputably God-related quotations from the Old Testament, the word “Lord” (or “ Kyrgios") is not replaced with "Jehovah" because that would equate Jesus with God (for example, 1 Peter 2:3 and Psalm 33:9). Thus, in the New World Translation, the substitutions of concepts are selective, depending on the GSD view of the nature of Christ.

But this is not the only discouraging thing about the above Bible passage. Note the double occurrence of the expression " publicly proclaim" When Jehovah's Witnesses read these verses, they will immediately associate them with the house-to-house ministry for which they are so famous. From the Greek text this expression is literally translated as “ admit it in your mouth", without a direct hint of public preaching, and primarily refers to the recognition of Christ among fellow believers, including through public baptism. However, this explanation is in no way consistent with the theology of RSD.

In addition, the abundance of jargon typical of communication among Jehovah’s Witnesses in the style of “ publicly proclaim”, makes the language of the New World Translation cold and unattractive, with almost no idiomatic expressions.

These and many other examples prove not only the bias of the New World Translation, but also the irresponsibility of those involved in it. On the last pages of the PNM (pp. 1733-1771) there are “Appendices” intended not so much to inform as to introduce the interpretation accepted in the OSB. On pages 1772-1787 are “Bible Conversation Topics” that explain how to understand a particular doctrine in the “right” light. Is it possible to talk about impartiality and honesty when an already religiously adapted translation is supplemented with an avalanche of information that directly imposes cult teachings?

An ordinary surrogate. In this regard, it is appropriate to recall recent history, which also clearly demonstrated the attitude of Jehovah’s Witnesses to the Bible in general. In 1996, the Watch Tower Society undertook a project, adapted for Russia, to publish the so-called “Macarius Bible,” a characteristic feature of which, again, was the frequent use of the word “Jehovah” in the Old Testament. If not for this feature, the works of Orthodox Archimandrite Glukharev (Makariy) and Archpriest Pavsky, found in the archives of the Russian National Library (St. Petersburg), would hardly have interested representatives of the Russian branch of the organization.

In the December 15, 1997 Watchtower (page 27), the edition of the Macarius Bible was titled " victory in the field of religion and literature" Representatives of the Society called a press conference and even participated in the creation of a documentary film, in which they praised themselves for the heroic work done. One of the inspirers of this publication, Mikhail Morozov, told a touching story: “ At the end of 1993, a friend brought me home a copy of the Orthodox Review magazine. And I saw there for the first time in ten years - I have been seriously studying the Bible for ten years - and for the first time in ten years I saw a Bible that was not the Synodal translation. Naturally, you can imagine the Researcher’s reaction. I was immediately captivated by it! And this, one might say, turned my life upside down, since we now began to seriously study what it is. The address was found, and in the journal collections of this wonderful library we found the complete translation of Archimandrite Macarius in the journal "Orthodox Review"».

However, in reality, the Macarius Bible, like the New World Translation, turned out to be an example of unscrupulousness. If the name “Jehovah” had not appeared thousands of times in the published “collection from Macarius,” it would be unlikely that Mikhail Morozov “ it would immediately captivate", and no instincts would help " researcher" Speaking in a documentary, he himself confirmed that the presence of the name of God appeared " one of the main reasons» publications. The same is stated in the introductory article “From the Publisher”: “ In comparison with the Bible translations already existing in Russian, these works are special and significant because the name of God – Jehovah – appears in them more than 3600 times" It is not surprising that Macarius and Pavsky deserved praise and were called “ diligent and honest people».

Today, this translation is no longer relevant for Jehovah’s Witnesses, and not only because their own Russian-language “New World Translation” was soon published. The fact is that the publication of the Macarius Bible was associated with a conscious and purposeful forgery.

Its compilers claimed that they used a file from the journal “Orthodox Review” from 1860-1867, where the Old Testament was published in the translation of Macarius and Pavsky. No other sources were specified, and the reader, represented by an ordinary member of the organization, sincerely believed that he was holding in his hands a consistent and accurate reprint of the “complete translation.” However, it later turned out that the text of the Macarius Bible from Jehovah’s Witnesses does not at all coincide with the translation from the Orthodox Review. Under the loud slogans of protecting the name of God and returning historical work to the Russian people, the OSB issued an ordinary surrogate, which contained parts of the Old Testament from three sources different in time (not counting the Psalter of Pavsky), and one of them did not contain information about authorship. We can safely say that this source was the translation of the Russian Bible Society (RBS), the distinctive feature of which was the presence of inserts from the Septuagint placed in square brackets, although it is known for certain that Macarius was opposed to combining the Hebrew text with the Greek. Moreover, the translation of the RBO was made 12 years before the start of Makariy’s activities!

The compilers of the “Bible of Macarius” were not interested in the purity of the experiment, not in the desire to revive the forgotten translation of two Orthodox philologists “for the Russian reader,” but solely in the amount of the word “Jehovah” found in the texts. For example, in one of the sources used, the name Jehovah in the biblical book of Ruth occurs only 5 times, and in another - 166. And if so, then it was the latter option that became relevant and ended up in the “collection of Macarius.” And it doesn’t matter what time the source dates back to, who its real author is, not to mention the quality of the translation in terms of proximity to the original Hebrew texts. The result was an arbitrary compilation of works that differed in time of creation and principles of presentation. As noted in the study “The Bible of Macarius. A New History of an Old Translation” by Dmitry Rozet, with the publication of his collection, Jehovah’s Witnesses achieved several goals. He's writing: " The publication of the Macarius Bible helped Jehovah's Witnesses create a more positive public image for themselves. At that moment, this help came in very handy, since on June 20, 1996, the Moscow prosecutor’s office opened a criminal case against the Watchtower Society, and the Russian Federation law “On Freedom of Conscience and Religious Associations” was about to be issued - accordingly, the situation was far from stability... Many libraries, educational institutions and government officials received a free copy of the "Macarius Bible" along with the notorious "Topics for Bible Conversations" - a great opportunity, under a plausible pretext, to introduce the "broad masses" of unsuspecting people to his teachings!»

However, when the story with the surrogate was revealed, the PR campaign had already been successfully curtailed, and the “Bible of Macarius” was removed to a distant shelf. That " life turned upside down” to the compiler of this collection, Mikhail Morozov, has long been of no value in the actual practice of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The New World Translation eclipsed not only Macarius, but also other translators of all times and peoples!

Organization book. The epic with the “Bible of Macarius” is a mirror image of the philosophy of unprincipled exclusivity preached by the OSB! The Bible turned into an intra-cult collection of works, an instrument of ideology, and became dependent on the will of American “gurus.”

The Watchtower of October 1, 1967 (file p. 587) defined Scripture as follows: “ The Bible is a book of organization... For this reason, the Bible cannot be properly understood apart from the visible organization of Jehovah" The Watchtower of February 15, 1981 (page 17) stated: “ It is the will of Jehovah God that the Bible was written in such a way that it is necessary to contact His human channel before it can be fully and correctly understood" An equally shocking statement was published earlier, in the Watchtower for May 1, 1957 (English, binder, p. 274): “ God did not intend for his Word to speak independently or to shine forth with life-giving truths on its own... This is only possible through his organization».

Such an arrogant attitude towards Scripture was also evident in the work on the PNM.

Another issue of The Watchtower (October 1, 1994, p. 6) stated the following: “ The fact remains, even if not everyone admits it: we cannot understand the Bible on our own. We need help».

Of course, “organization” was offered as the only help. In the same issue of the magazine (page 8) all Bible lovers were warned: “ The time allotted for the evil world is quickly running out, and all who would survive its demise must quickly learn what it means to “submit to the gospel,” and thus avoid destruction. The next time Jehovah's Witnesses visit your home, why not accept the offer of a weekly home Bible study? Better yet, why not ask them to study it with you if you want to understand it?»

The authors of the article did not specify that the “study of the Bible” will result in the study of specialized literature in the context of the home-grown New World Translation.

From Russell's time to the present day, the Watchtower organization has deliberately domesticated the Bible. Today the Governing Body has Scripture that is entirely consistent with the catechism of the faith. Moreover, the flock has been taught to treat the PNM extremely uncritically, neglecting hundreds of other, much more accurate and truthful translations.

The leaders of the OSB consider the Holy Scriptures as an ordinary publication of their religion and the main tool in justifying cult dogmas.

Today there is no longer any need to adjust biblical footnotes to casuistic teachings, since the text of the “Bible from the Witnesses” itself is adjusted to them.