Do Jehovah's Witnesses (JWs) understand the Bible rightly? In
the previous installments of this series I have argued that JWs
systematically distort the teachings of the Bible by viewing the
Watchtower organization as sole interpreter of the Bible and by
mistranslating and misinterpreting specific texts of the Bible.
This fourth and concluding article will show that JWs likewise
distort the Bible in their handling of its major doctrinal
themes. As a case study in point I will discuss the JWs' teaching
on the divine name.
*THE MEANING OF "JEHOVAH"*
There is no consensus among Bible scholars as to the meaning
of "Jehovah." According to the JWs, the divine name "actually
signifies 'He Causes to Become.' Thus, God's name identifies Him
as the One who progressively fulfills his promises and
unfailingly realizes his purposes."[1] Similarly, the phrase in
Exodus 3:14, usually translated "I AM WHO I AM" (_'ehyeh asher
'ehyeh_), is in the NWT rendered "I SHALL PROVE TO BE WHAT I
SHALL PROVE TO BE."[2]
Other Bible expositors have argued for a similar
interpretation of the divine name, though the details of the
argument differ.[3] The exact interpretation of the name,
however, is still a matter of debate, and we need not be
concerned here to settle on the one right view. Instead, I wish
to make a simple point that can be seen apart from an accurate
analysis of the Hebrew form of the divine name. The fact is that
most of the interpretations under serious consideration, if
related properly to the biblical view of God, actually imply one
another.
Let us consider these views briefly. One view holds that
"Jehovah" means "He is," conveying that God simply is who He is
and cannot be defined because He is greater than the human mind
can completely comprehend. Another view also holds that "Jehovah"
means "He is," but understands this to mean that God is the One
who is self-existent; that is, eternal and dependent on no one
and nothing else for His existence. A third view takes "Jehovah"
to mean "He causes to be" and interprets this to mean that God
is the Creator: everything that exists besides God Himself was
created by God. A fourth view renders "Jehovah" as "He will
become" and takes this to imply that God will do whatever is
needed to fulfill His promises; this is essentially the JWs'
view, and that of others as well....
Source File: crj0031a.txt
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