I converted to Jehovah's Witnesses

Clear said:
Hi Walter

I appreciate your desire to give me information regarding how your modern Christian movement and theology differs from ancient Christianity. However, I am specifically interested in the actual question I asked rather than some other question I did not ask.

IF you can answer my specific question I asked, I am interested in your response. IF, however, you are desirous to give me answers to questions I did not ask, then please, this is a good time to tell me you cannot, or will not answer my specific question. That way you and I can avoid a large amount of time and effort wasted.

Regardless, Thank you for any good desires on your part.
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I am sorry I could not answer your questions. The scriptures I have listed is all I have to go by, otherwise I would be giving you my opinion, and I don't want to do that.

The scriptures can answer many questions people have, but sometimes they do not.
 
Walter said: "I am sorry I could not answer your questions. The scriptures I have listed is all I have to go by, otherwise I would be giving you my opinion, and I don't want to do that."

I understand.
It is common for members of different Christian movements to have a favorite list of "proof texts" to support their doctrines while other Christian movements have a different set of favorite "proof texts" to support conflicting doctrines. Typically, individuals offer their opinions regarding what these texts mean to their religious movement.

I simply assumed you might have an opinion regarding what you, personally, believe regarding whether a persons personality and knowledge is annihilated with the annihilation of the body.

Thank you for not trying to continue or to offer irrelevant points that waste time if you don't have a belief regarding this question.
I can certainly ask the same question on other forums. Someone is bound to know what the Jehovahs Witnesses believe regarding my simple question.

I hope your own spiritual journey is wonderful Walter.
 
Clear said:
Walter said: "I am sorry I could not answer your questions. The scriptures I have listed is all I have to go by, otherwise I would be giving you my opinion, and I don't want to do that."

I understand.
It is common for members of different Christian movements to have a favorite list of "proof texts" to support their doctrines while other Christian movements have a different set of favorite "proof texts" to support conflicting doctrines. Typically, individuals offer their opinions regarding what these texts mean to their religious movement.

I simply assumed you might have an opinion regarding what you, personally, believe regarding whether a persons personality and knowledge is annihilated with the annihilation of the body.

Thank you for not trying to continue or to offer irrelevant points that waste time if you don't have a belief regarding this question.
I can certainly ask the same question on other forums. Someone is bound to know what the Jehovahs Witnesses believe regarding my simple question.

I hope your own spiritual journey is wonderful Walter.
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Matthew 8:22
New King James Version
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Doesn't this mean "let the people dead in their sins" bury the physically dead.

Some scriptures can be taken two different ways.
In one way dead only means "dead in your sins" so the word dead here is figurative.
In another way dead literally means "physically dead"

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I mentioned the scripture above only to show how difficult it is to figure things out in the Bible sometimes.

The Bible is hard to understand, sometimes the words are literal, figurative and symbolic.

Have you heard about any scriptures at all that were helpful in answering any of your questions?
 
Clear said:
Walter said: "I am sorry I could not answer your questions. The scriptures I have listed is all I have to go by, otherwise I would be giving you my opinion, and I don't want to do that."

I understand.
It is common for members of different Christian movements to have a favorite list of "proof texts" to support their doctrines while other Christian movements have a different set of favorite "proof texts" to support conflicting doctrines. Typically, individuals offer their opinions regarding what these texts mean to their religious movement.

I simply assumed you might have an opinion regarding what you, personally, believe regarding whether a persons personality and knowledge is annihilated with the annihilation of the body.

Thank you for not trying to continue or to offer irrelevant points that waste time if you don't have a belief regarding this question.
I can certainly ask the same question on other forums. Someone is bound to know what the Jehovahs Witnesses believe regarding my simple question.

I hope your own spiritual journey is wonderful Walter.
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I thought these three scriptures kind of answered your questions?

Good News Translation
When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end. -Psalm 146:4

"For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing," NIV -Ecclesiastes 9:5

New International Version
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. -John 6:44


When we die we return to the dust and on that day our plans come to an end, no matter where we go.
And to add to that "the dead no nothing" And Jesus says I will raise them up at the last day.
Think about it would Jesus raise up a person at the last day, if they were already alive in the spirit some where else?
 
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walter said:
I thought these three scriptures kind of answered your questions?

Good News Translation
When they die, they return to the dust; on that day all their plans come to an end. -Psalm 146:4

"For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing," NIV -Ecclesiastes 9:5

New International Version
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. -John 6:44


When we die we return to the dust and on that day our plans come to an end, no matter where we go.
And to add to that "the dead no nothing" And Jesus says I will raise them up at the last day.
Think about it would Jesus raise up a person at the last day, if they were already alive in the spirit some where else?
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If a person had three scriptures to support their belief and another person had three scriptures to support their belief, what should we do?

Wouldn't your objective be to include all six scriptures to get a more complete understanding? I go on the website Biblehub.com to find a different rendering of the scriptures that don't make sense with the others. I feel when I've got all six scriptures making sense with each other I have discovered what the Bible intended for me to understand.
 
walter said:
If a person had three scriptures to support their belief and another person had three scriptures to support their belief, what should we do?

Wouldn't your objective be to include all six scriptures to get a more complete understanding? I go on the website Biblehub.com to find a different rendering of the scriptures that don't make sense with the others. I feel when I've got all six scriptures making sense with each other I have discovered what the Bible intended for me to understand.
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Yes!

But I don't stop there. The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
 
Hi Walter

Thank you for your efforts, but I really want to know the answer to the question I actually asked.

I have already asked my questions of the Jehovahs Witnesses in another forum regarding whether the person who dies is completely annihilated or if there is anything left after the body dies and is completely broken down.

I think there will be Jehovahs Witnesses there that will be able to answer my simple and specific question.

I will let you know whether the answer from the Jehovahs Witnesses is "yes" or "no" when they reply so you will know what the Jehovahs Witnesses say they believe on this specific question.
 
Clear said:
Hi Walter

Thank you for your efforts, but I really want to know the answer to the question I actually asked.

I have already asked my questions of the Jehovahs Witnesses in another forum regarding whether the person who dies is completely annihilated or if there is anything left after the body dies and is completely broken down.

I think there will be Jehovahs Witnesses there that will be able to answer my simple and specific question.

I will let you know whether the answer from the Jehovahs Witnesses is "yes" or "no" when they reply so you will know what the Jehovahs Witnesses say they believe on this specific question.
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Okay thank you, If it's okay maybe on this thread you could provide me with a URL address to link to the comments? :)
 
Hi Walter. I will simply quote the answer so that you will know what the Jehovahs Witnesses believe and thus, you will be able to answer this question in the future.
 
King David died a long time ago, and is in God's memory and will be resurrected in the future on judgment day on the last day, he did not ascend to heaven. -Mark 12:27, Acts 2:34

Many people think that when we die we automatically live forever in heaven or hell but the scriptures explain these words.

Isaiah 26:19
New Living Translation
But those who die in the LORD will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For your life-giving light will fall like dew on your people in the place of the dead!

Psalm 37:29
Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And the righteous ones inherit the Earth and dwell upon it for eternity.

Ecclesiastes 1:4
New International Version
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.

John 6:40
New King James Version
And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Jesus says these words:

Matthew 5:5
New International Version
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
 
Matthew 27:52
Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life.
Contemporary English Version

New King James Version
and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

Jesus says: Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life.

Think about it where does Jesus say many of God's people are coming from?
"Graves opened"
 
John 5:28-29
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. New International Version
 
I feel we would get a more complete understanding of what The Bible intended for us to understand when we include all the scriptures we can find on that Bible topic.

Someone please give me a scripture that seems to explain all people automatically after death get everlasting life in heaven or hell?
 
Jesus will reign in his kingdom for a thousand years Revelation 20:4-6 . And There will be a new heavens and a new earth and New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven descending from heaven to the New Earth. Revelation 21:1, 2-4

Revelation 21:5 says: God is making all things new.
 
Clear said:
I have been talking with a Jehovahs Witness friend who mentioned that the Jehovahs Witness theology concerning death is that the intelligence and emotions and memories within an individual resides in the physical brain (as opposed to residing in an intelligent spirit within the body), and that, upon death and the complete decomposition of the body, nothing, (absolutely nothing) is left of that individuals prior intelligence, emotions and cognizance, other than memories of that person retained by others.

Is this correct?
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Clear:

What your friend told you is correct.

To quote you with regard to what your friend said Jehovah's Witnesses believe regarding the condition of the dead: "... nothing (absolutely nothing) is left of that individual's prior intelligence, emotions and cognizance...." Below is where Jehovah's Witnesses got that belief:

Ecclesiastes 9:5 -- English Standard Version
"For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten."


Ecclesiastes 9:6 -- English Standard Version
"Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun."



As all reading this thread can see, this is not merely a "Jehovah's Witness theology." It is taken directly from scripture in God's inspired word, the Judeo-Christian Bible.



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"That people may know that you, whose name is JEHOVAH, you alone are the Most High over all the earth." ~ Psalms 83:18
 
walter said:
I try my very best not to interpret the scripture, I try to allow the words in each scripture to explain the meaning.
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Thomas said:
This is interpretation. One cannot read without interpreting. A translation is an interpretation, even before we get to read it.
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Thomas:

That is incorrect. A translation is simply the presentation of the same thought from one language into a different language. A correct translation DOES NOT change the meaning of the original text.

Definition of 'translation'​

"A translation is a piece of writing or speech that has been put into a different language."




An interpretation, on the other hand, is someone's personal understanding of what THEY read.

Definition of 'interpretation'​

"the particular way in which something is understood or explained"

interpretation noun - Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes | Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary at OxfordLearnersDictionaries.com

Definition of interpretation noun in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com


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"That people may know that you, whose name is JEHOVAH, you alone are the Most High over all the earth." ~ Psalms 83:18
 
Thomas said:
2 Timothy 3:16-17
"Every scripture is divinely inspired, and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be fitted completely, having been fitted out for every good work." (DB Hart translation)
The point here is that Scripture is profitable for teaching, and so forth, by those appointed to that task by the Apostles, and by their appointed successors.

What is does not mean is all Scripture is divine inspired and its meaning is self-evident to the reader.

Prayerful study of Scripture is a good thing, but instruction is better, as it is clear that people have misunderstood and misinterpreted Scripture, often innocently, and with the best intentions.
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Really? You are saying the exact opposite of what the scripture at 2 Timothy 3:16 says.

I will go with what the Bible says since it was written by inspiration of God.


_________________
"That people may know that you, whose name is JEHOVAH, you alone are the Most High over all the earth." ~ Psalms 83:18
 
walter said:
The scriptures can answer many questions people have, but sometimes they do not.
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I don't usually find that a list of scriptures or a long passage ever really answers any of my questions, as I find brief passages taken out of context to be too vague and abstract. Longer passages are more specific, but in the sense they are about the story being told, not about the here and now question being asked, if that makes sense.
 
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