God, Christ and Mary

[twf]

If I understand the teaching of the Watchtower Society correctly, Jesus is seen as the pre-eminent creature…a *god * (in the non-divine sense, even the angels are called ‘gods’ in the Old Testament, in the original Hebrew) created by God, his greatest of all creatures, worthy of veneration, but not worship. This is similar, in many regards, to Catholic teaching on the Blessed Virgin Mary. We see her as the greatest of all God’s creatures, raised above the angels and saints, but still infinitely less than God, worthy only of veneration, and not worship. If this is the case, what role does Mary place in the beliefs of Jehovah Witnesses?

 

[MysticRose]

twf:

If I understand the teaching of the Watchtower Society correctly, Jesus is seen as the pre-eminent creature…a *god * (in the non-divine sense, even the angels are called ‘gods’ in the Old Testament, in the original Hebrew) created by God, his greatest of all creatures, worthy of veneration, but not worship. This is similar, in many regards, to Catholic teaching on the Blessed Virgin Mary. We see her as the greatest of all God’s creatures, raised above the angels and saints, but still infinitely less than God, worthy only of veneration, and not worship. If this is the case, what role does Mary place in the beliefs of Jehovah Witnesses?

None. To Vernerate Mary is the same as idololatry to them and in fact it is part of their teaching to NOT do this specifically.

As well they are specifically taught how to evangelize Catholics.

I was born and baptized Catholic, when I was two my Mother converted to the Jehovah’s Witnesses, and I was raised in the faith and then I was at one time an unbaptized publisher, until I left when I was older.

So I was taught how to preach to Catholics and right now I am in discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses that have taken my challenge to show me what they can to prove that their rendition of the bible is efen accurate at all.

Pax
Debi

 

[At_His_Feet]

A recent Watchtower puplication intended for children “Learning From the Great Teacher” has a picture of a young girl holding a rosary with a caption along the lines of “Is it right to use images in worship?”; the attempt to discredit Catholicism starts at a young age.

 

[carol_marie]

Mary is viewed by the JW’s the same way she’s viewed by most Protestants - a good Jewish girl - a virgin, who conceived by the power of God. The do not believed she remained a virgin the rest of her life and believe she had other children. She is by no means to be venerated and is not given any mention whatsoever - except of course when they talk about all the misconceptions Catholics have of her.

I actually remember a talk I heard at the Kingdom Hall - they said that Mary was not chosen to bear Jesus because she was anything particularly special, but rather because God had to choose a girl, unmarried, Jewish, from the line of David etc. - they made it sound like Mary was picked by God through process of elimination.

 

[Nekic]

I though mary wasn’t of the line of David, but Joseph was… that’s how Jesus was of the line of david… am i wrong?

 

[carol_marie]

Nekić:

I though mary wasn’t of the line of David, but Joseph was… that’s how Jesus was of the line of david… am i wrong?

Sorry - you are right - my husband said that Mary needed to be in the line of Seth - something about her lineage going back to Adam & Eve? (but don’t we all go back to Adam & Eve?) So now I’m totally confused - ??

 

[twf]

No, because as Noah was a descendent of Seth, all living humans would be…so in that sense Mary had to be in the line of Seth, but only in the same way that every living soul is. (Only Noah’s line, which came from Seth, survived the Flood).