Question for Jehovah’s Witnesses

[The_Way]

I have a question for the Jehovah’s Witnesses;

If Jesus is not God, then why was He worshipped?

“On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.” – Matthew 2:11

“Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” – Luke 24:52

“Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.” – Matthew 28:9

I saved this one for last…

“And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” – Hebrews 1:6

Firstly “Let ALL angels” would include Michael hence Michael cannot be Jesus and secondly were angels called to Worship the Archangel Michael?

To worship Michael would be blasphemy, who besides God deserves worship?

God bless,

 

[Shiranui117]

One answer would be that the JW use a different translation of the Bible from everyone else, called the New World Translation.

EDIT: So, in other words, your argument is null and void unless you’re pulling from the NWT.

 

[jw2lds2catholic]

Yep, according to the New World Translation, people did obesience (sp) to Jesus which, according to JWs, is fancy way of saying honored or revered, not unlike what Catholics feel towards the Virgin Mary. JWs will never admit that Jesus is to be worshiped as that is directed to the Father only. HTH

 

[T_More]

The previous posters are correct. It all comes down to their translation. They won’t accept any other if it conflicts with their doctrines, but don’t mind using others if does agree. This link, albeit biased against the JW’s, shows scans of their own Interlinear and how they have forced fit their translation to fit their doctrines.

mmoutreachinc.com/jehovahs_witnesses/kit.html

 

[swariffin]

The previous posters are correct. It all comes down to their translation. They won’t accept any other if it conflicts with their doctrines, but don’t mind using others if does agree. This link, albeit biased against the JW’s, shows scans of their own Interlinear and how they have forced fit their translation to fit their doctrines.

mmoutreachinc.com/jehovahs_witnesses/kit.html

Then my next question is who made the translation of the bible from the original language (Hebrew for the OT, and Greek for the NT) into the NWT for the first time?

 

[yellowbird]

JWs in their earlier days believed that worshiping Jesus was appropriate. They later denounced that practice claiming the “light got brighter.”

2 Cor 11:14 “And no wonder for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”

 

[T_More]

Then my next question is who made the translation of the bible from the original language (Hebrew for the OT, and Greek for the NT) into the NWT for the first time?

It was a collaboration of several members of their organization’s hierarchy, with none of them, save Fred Franz, having any language training whatsoever. Even Franz had very limited training in Greek and Hebrew, and his Greek training was classical, not Koine. There was no contribution to the translation from anyone outside the organization.

Ironically, they used several “mainstream” translations before the NWT, which very much conflicted with their doctrnes. I have several of these that they published themselves.

 

[catsrus]

Jws. Ha! Having once, a long time ago, “studied” with them, I know a lot about thier reasoning.
The posters who cited that jws translated their own Bible to fit their beliefs was absoloutely correct.
They can twist anything and everything to fit their doctrines.
Example: When Thomas falls and exclaims “My Lord and my God!” upon seeing the risen Christ, their explaination is that Thomas was using the exclaimation in the way we would (modern vernacular) such as, perhaps, seeing a meteor fall; My Lord! or My God! Get it?

I doubt you will get an answer to your questions from an active jw on this forum. There were some on here for awhile but left after finding they were unable to competently debate scripture here or gain any converts.

 

[Big_Dummy]

They would simply claim that people bowed to him out of respect, see their miss-translation in Hebews 1:6

6 But when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.”

watchtower.org/bible/heb/chapter_001.htm

 

[swariffin]

It was a collaboration of several members of their organization’s hierarchy, with none of them, save Fred Franz, having any language training whatsoever. Even Franz had very limited training in Greek and Hebrew, and his Greek training was classical, not Koine. There was no contribution to the translation from anyone outside the organization.

Ironically, they used several “mainstream” translations before the NWT, which very much conflicted with their doctrnes. I have several of these that they published themselves.

Sounds like a non Arab person trying to translate Quran from Arabic into English, just based on a dictionary without having any training whatsoever in such language. However, already have a pre-conditioned thoughts prior to the translation.

 

[Nicea325]

They would simply claim that people bowed to him out of respect, see their miss-translation in Hebews 1:6

6 But when he again brings his Firstborn into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.”

watchtower.org/bible/heb/chapter_001.htm

Unfortunately JW’s do not realize Jesus did not speak English and the original biblical languges were not English. The term "firstborn’ is used as a smoking gun by JW’s claiming Jesus was created first among all of God’s creatures. WRONG!

Firstborn is not a reference to God the Father creating Jesus’ first. In it is proper context,preeminence is in the forefront. The Greek word prototokos can indicate ‘first in time’ (temporal priority) or ‘first in place’ (preeminence). Thus the Son of Man is the 'chiefborn" among all God’s creatures.