How do Catholics respond to JW's claim that God's true name is Jehovah?

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How do Catholics respond to JW’s claim that God’s true name is Jehovah?

They claim:

"It would be reasonable that any god who has personality would need a personal name to distinguish him from other gods with names of their own. It would preferably be a name designated by the god himself, rather than a name coined by his worshipers.

In this regard, however, a very puzzling fact emerges. While most well-established religions ascribe personal names to their gods, Jews and mainstream churches of Christendom have failed to identify by a distinctive personal name the god that they worship. Instead, they resort to such titles as Lord, God, Almighty, and Father." source
 
I don’t know if this answers your question, but why would the one and only God need a name to distinguish himself from other gods, when he is the ONLY God?

Also, don’t the Jews have a name for God, Yahweh?
 
It’s an absurd argument. Names are a function of creation, created by God. God is not subject to creation, it is subject to him. God does not “need” a name, and he doesn’t need to stoop to such measure to separate him from other gods. He is beyond names. Remember, when Moses asks what God’s name is, God simply replies “I AM WHO I AM” and that’s the end of the matter. God is God. No name can define him.
 
We don’t deny that “JHVH” is the personal name that God told to Moses, but at the same time we recognize that there are numerous other names for God in the text of the Old Testament. The prophets and psalmists and other writers of the OT called God by many many names. Why insist upon only one at the exclusion of all the rest?

Also, when translating the Hebrew to English, one has different choices. The four letters above could just as well be written YHWH . Certain letters are interchangeable. Our alphabets are not the same. So, “Yahweh” is his name just as much as “Jehovah” is his name. Why insist upon the one but not the other?
 
It’s not an exchange I’m proud of… but prior to my decision to join the Catholic Church I DID have a conversation with a JW about this subject. I asked her if she thought God was so small He had to have a name before His children would recognize Him and she said strongly: Yes. That ended the conversation. :\

I wasn’t very charitable.

My reasoning, and this most probably wouldn’t stand up in a debate because it’s probably culturally influenced, is that God is our Father. Children do NOT call their parent by name. Their parent is daddy, mommy, ma, ba, pa, etc. In the same way even if God had a proper name we would have NO RIGHT to use it. It would be horribly direspectful, in my opinion.

🤷 That’s probably not very helpful but it’s how I see this particular issue.

And I like what somebody else said about God being the ONLY God and thus not needing a name to distinguish Himself. 🙂
 
PRmerger said:
How do Catholics respond to JW’s claim that God’s true name is Jehovah?

They claim:

"It would be reasonable that any god who has personality would need a personal name to distinguish him from other gods with names of their own. It would preferably be a name designated by the god himself, rather than a name coined by his worshipers.

In this regard, however, a very puzzling fact emerges. While most well-established religions ascribe personal names to their gods, Jews and mainstream churches of Christendom have failed to identify by a distinctive personal name the god that they worship. Instead, they resort to such titles as Lord, God, Almighty, and Father." source
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We have identified a distinct personal name for God–YHWH (see Exodus 3:13-14). Traditionally we don’t pronounce it because it’s His personal name and therefore very holy. All other terms that we use to refer to YHWH (God, Lord, Adonai, Elohim, etc.) are merely common titles that describe YHWH without actually being His proper names.

YHWH used to be rendered in English as “Jehovah.” You can see this in translations like Tyndale’s Bible and the Authorized King James Version. It was probably the KJV that influenced the first Witnesses to use “Jehovah” instead of YHWH. In the New Testament the Greek word Kyrios is used and usually translated as Lord. In the Witness Bible, the New World Translation, Kyrios is translated as Jehovah whenever it refers to the Father, but merely as Lord whenever it refers to Jesus. Personally, I don’t care whether or not someone refers to God as Jehovah (if you read older novels and other books Protestant Christians will sometimes refer to God as Jehovah). But the Witnesses are inconsistent about applying the term.
 
SalomeBintullah said:
We have identified a distinct personal name for God–YHWH (see Exodus 3:13-14). Traditionally we don’t pronounce it because it’s His personal name and therefore very holy. All other terms that we use to refer to YHWH (God, Lord, Adonai, Elohim, etc.) are merely common titles that describe YHWH without actually being His proper names.

YHWH used to be rendered in English as “Jehovah.” You can see this in translations like Tyndale’s Bible and the Authorized King James Version. It was probably the KJV that influenced the first Witnesses to use “Jehovah” instead of YHWH. In the New Testament the Greek word Kyrios is used and usually translated as Lord. In the Witness Bible, the New World Translation, Kyrios is translated as Jehovah whenever it refers to the Father, but merely as Lord whenever it refers to Jesus. Personally, I don’t care whether or not someone refers to God as Jehovah (if you read older novels and other books Protestant Christians will sometimes refer to God as Jehovah). But the Witnesses are inconsistent about applying the term.
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Czesc Pani SalomeBintullah! (I saw on your signature you are Proud to be Polish)

I don’t read Hebrew, but I had impression that the “YHWH” and “JeHoVaH” were pretty much the same thing, just a difference in transliteration? Aren’t the roots here the same?
 
JHow said:
Czesc Pani SalomeBintullah! (I saw on your signature you are Proud to be Polish)

I don’t read Hebrew, but I had impression that the “YHWH” and “JeHoVaH” were pretty much the same thing, just a difference in transliteration? Aren’t the roots here the same?
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I think they are the same. For what it’s worth, here’s the Wikipedia article on Jehovah.

(And thanks for the greeting, btw. I regret to say that I don’t know Polish even though that’s my ancestry, although I did get the gist of what you said. 😛 I hope to learn and teach my children, though. I love languages and I love my culture.)
 
A funny sotry that my mom told me when some JW’s visited her at her doorstep, saying that she shouldn’t call God, “God” because who knows what god she might be talking to? It could be a demon or false god!

My mom said, with a laugh, “I think He knows who I’m talking to.”

Then the JW’s stated that, how would she like it if people didn’t use her name, and called by some other name instead. I bet you wouldn’t like that! Do you think Jehovah likes that?

My mom said, “Well yes, actually, my kids call me “mom.” It’s not my name, but I’m just fine with it.”

Then the JW’s got kind of hot under the collar and left. Hehehe. I thought it was a funny story anyways. 🙂
 
A catholic was the person who first came up with the word “Jehovah” by mixing the Hebrew transliteration for god YHWH with ADONAI or something like that.
 
Garyjohn2 said:
A funny sotry that my mom told me when some JW’s visited her at her doorstep, saying that she shouldn’t call God, “God” because who knows what god she might be talking to? It could be a demon or false god!

My mom said, with a laugh, “I think He knows who I’m talking to.”

Then the JW’s stated that, how would she like it if people didn’t use her name, and called by some other name instead. I bet you wouldn’t like that! Do you think Jehovah likes that?

My mom said, “Well yes, actually, my kids call me “mom.” It’s not my name, but I’m just fine with it.”

Then the JW’s got kind of hot under the collar and left. Hehehe. I thought it was a funny story anyways. 🙂
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I’m going to remember this and perhaps borrow your mom’s line! 👍
 
The Tetragrammaton is the name of God: the four letter name, spelled in Hebrew Yod Heh Vav Heh, or YHVH. The Jews do not pronounce this name. When they encounter it in Scripture, they substitute “Adonai,” which means, “The Lord.” Scribes used to write the vowel points of Adonai beneath the Tetragrammaton, to remind the reader to insert the substitution. Later, people began to use these vowel points to pronounce the Tetragrammaton, which rendered Yehovah. In Latin, this rendering became Jehovah/Jehova.

As far as it goes, this is the name of God in the Mosaic covenant. He made the earlier covenant with Abraham under the name El Shaddai; under Moses, he revealed himself as YHVH, to be a memorial throughout the generations. But as the Prophets foretold, he renewed the old covenant, which was but a shadow of the New, under the name of Jesus, the name before which every knee must bend in heaven, or on earth.

The earlier covenants were impartial, imperfect, and provisional; they were foreshadowings of the new and eternal covenant, sealed by the sprinkling of Christ’s Blood upon his people, just as Israel’s covenant was sealed by the sprinkling of blood by Moses. As the old covenant was transformed into the New and ceased to be, so too did the older understanding of God as absolute unity become modified to admit of a unity through Trinity. His name is still YHVH, as it indicates the mystery of his Eternity, but we have a new understanding of the Sacred Mysteries through the New Covenant that was only hinted at, imperfectly, in the old.

Because of this, we should not hold that those who remain fixed on points in the old covenant are being faithful; rather, they are breaking faith by giving pride of place to the old and dispensible covenant, over that of the New and Eternal. But we, who live the New Covenant under the infallible Magisterium, give faithful witness to what came before us, while affirming what we now have: the fullness of salvation, which can not be granted under Moses or the Law.
 
PRmerger said:
How do Catholics respond to JW’s claim that God’s true name is Jehovah?

They claim:

"It would be reasonable that any god who has personality would need a personal name to distinguish him from other gods with names of their own. It would preferably be a name designated by the god himself, rather than a name coined by his worshipers.

In this regard, however, a very puzzling fact emerges. While most well-established religions ascribe personal names to their gods, Jews and mainstream churches of Christendom have failed to identify by a distinctive personal name the god that they worship. Instead, they resort to such titles as Lord, God, Almighty, and Father." source
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Keep in mind that the JWs, Mormons, and all other denominations seem to forget that the Catholic Church is the entity that compiled the book referred to as “The Bible”. Yet they use it to try to confuse Catholics, and others. The JWs especially will hammer on one point if you don’t have a firm response. Does this sound familiar? Satan uses this same technique time after time. Why? Because it works! Don’t be fooled or misled! It doesn’t matter what non-Catholics try to convince you of because it’s at least partially inaccurate since their own theology is not complete. If they desire the fullness of faith then encourage them to investigate the Catholic Church. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and hang in there. God bless you.
 
SnakeMauler said:
A catholic was the person who first came up with the word “Jehovah” by mixing the Hebrew transliteration for god YHWH with ADONAI or something like that.
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dont tell them that, it might make their brain leak out of their ears
 
I know what I wanted to ask here and forgot: do JWs not say the Lord’s Prayer aka “Our Father”? I gather that they want to only refer to God as Jehovah, right?
 
@PRmerger

You might not want to get much into that human reasoning bit as to calling our parents by their title as mom or dad because their indoctrination will tell you that this reasoning is false.

JWs are scripturally prepared to defend the insistence of calling God by His name. This is the primary existence of their religion. They claim they are in the truth because they are the only ones who “proclaim the name of Jehovah”.

The verses they refer to are

“The work of Jesus is to make known the NAME of the Father (John 17:6, 26)
“He glorifies the NAME of the Father” (John 12:28)
“He prays that the Father will keep the disciples in His NAME” (John 17:11)
“He works in the NAME of the Father” (John 10:25)
“The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is that the NAME of the Father may be sanctified”(Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2)
“I have revealed your NAME to those whom you took from the world to give me.”(John 17:6)
and others…

They insist that the names here refer to Jehovah.

Explain to them that the word name does not generally refer to a pronunciation. When a policeman says “Stop in the NAME of the law!” he is not referring to an actual name. Instead he is referring to the authority he posses under the law.

an example of such in the bible is this:
(Matthew 10:41) “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet: and he that receiveth a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of a just man.” most bible verses just translate this idiom as *“He that receives a prophet because he is a prophet will get a prophet’s reward, and he that receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will get a righteous man’s reward.” *

Dictionary of the Bible (edited by John L. McKenzie, S. J.) explains:

“The work of Jesus is to make known the name of the Father (John 17:6, 26),* to reveal His true character*. He glorifies the name of the Father by bringing recognition of his divinity (John 12:28). He prays that the Father will keep the disciples in His name (John 17:11), that He will preserve them as His own. He works in the name of the Father (John 10:25),* which here means what He says elsewhere, that He is in the Father and the Father is in Him* (John 14:10). The first petition of the Lord’s Prayer is that the name of the Father may be sanctified, that His divinity may be manifested (Matthew 6:9; Luke 11:2).”
 
PRmerger said:
How do Catholics respond to JW’s claim that God’s true name is Jehovah?

They claim:

"It would be reasonable that any god who has personality would need a personal name to distinguish him from other gods with names of their own. It would preferably be a name designated by the god himself, rather than a name coined by his worshipers.

In this regard, however, a very puzzling fact emerges. While most well-established religions ascribe personal names to their gods, Jews and mainstream churches of Christendom have failed to identify by a distinctive personal name the god that they worship. Instead, they resort to such titles as Lord, God, Almighty, and Father." source
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ooh i love this one. i have the name of God tattooed on my wrist. 2 letters in hebrew on each one. and its not Jehovah…they screwed up on the translation of the NAME. yod he vav he. there is no j in hebrew. it can be pronounced Yahweh, but quite possibly the true pronunciation has been lost, it was only used by the high priest and then only once a year. the NAME is too holy. remember, there were no vowels at that time in the Hebrew alphabet. fascinating subject. but the JWs screwed up. Peace 🙂
 
I would say that the historical name used in Old Testament times is not Jehova but Yahwey. I would also say that the name the blessed virgin used to refer to the savior was not Jesus but Yeshua.

I will then tell you there is only one bible printed in English that uses the correct name of Yahwey and it is a Catholic bible called the Jerusalem bible.

Last but not least I believe the name of God is in fact the Holy Spirit. And not the phonetical sound of “Holy Spirit” but the actual reality that the term Holy Spirit refers to.
 
agent_grey said:
I would say that the historical name used in Old Testament times is not Jehova but Yahwey. I would also say that the name the blessed virgin used to refer to the savior was not Jesus but Yeshua.

I will then tell you there is only one bible printed in English that uses the correct name of Yahwey and it is a Catholic bible called the Jerusalem bible.

Last but not least I believe the name of God is in fact the Holy Spirit. And not the phonetical sound of “Holy Spirit” but the actual reality that the term Holy Spirit refers to.
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i would have to completely agree with you 100% the last one is especially interesting. this would explain why the name was only pronounced once a year, and then only by the high priest. you have given me food for though. thank you. Peace 🙂
 
PRmerger said:
How do Catholics respond to JW’s claim that God’s true name is Jehovah?

They claim:

"It would be reasonable that any god who has personality would need a personal name to distinguish him from other gods with names of their own. It would preferably be a name designated by the god himself, rather than a name coined by his worshipers.

In this regard, however, a very puzzling fact emerges. While most well-established religions ascribe personal names to their gods, Jews and mainstream churches of Christendom have failed to identify by a distinctive personal name the god that they worship. Instead, they resort to such titles as Lord, God, Almighty, and Father." source
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This is what I ask JW’s regarding the name Jehovah? If that is His true name,then why didn’t He tell Moses you tell the king of Egypt “Jehovah” sent you and not “I AM…”?
 
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