# Jehovah witnesses scholats opinion of the Bible **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 2, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144 "2012-01-02T15:08:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![virtually\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@virtually\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/virtually_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/1 "2012-01-02T15:08:40Z")
Hi. I have found a lot of _regular_ christian scholars opinions on the formation of the Bible it’s errors and changes over the years; it’s lacking the originals; not knowing who wrote john’ matthew, hebrews etc. All easy to find online and order in books. Theses facts are taught in all the major theological institutes: moody bible institute, etc. I have been unable to find jehovahs witnesses scholars dissertations to quote on these issues. seems they are a bit more tight lipped. I need this info for when the jw’s come around. where can I find these issues online or books. or anyone know of their position? tia virtually yours ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/2 "2012-01-02T17:30:00Z")
This is an interesting question. I think they dispute parts of the Bible or the conventional interpretation. I have seldom been plagued by them. Perhaps never being home Sunday morning helps. I wonder how calls on the Seventh Day Aventists and Jews goes? Years ago some showed up on a Sunday afternoon just as the wife and kids and I were setting down to play a board game. I told them I had better things to do than discussing the problems of the world with them. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/3 "2012-01-02T19:48:30Z")
It seems that much of their “official” doctrine on these matters would be found in the Watchtower magazine, which is an official publication of their church. If you’re looking for academic scholarship on the Bible from researchers who personally are devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, I can’t really help you there - are there any academic journals that list the religious affiliation of the authors? E.g. “An Analysis of Two Puzzling Grammatical Quirks in the Book of Revelation - E. R. McDonald (Jehovah’s Witness, devout), B. R. George (Atheist, militant), T. M. Davidson (Greek Orthodox, devout)”. I’d guess no, because I believe that academic writing is supposed to stand or fall on its own merits, not because it was written by a believer or was endorsed by such and such a bishop or church council. Id say that if you were writing a dissertation at a secular university and decided to only use Catholic sources, you’d be laughed into oblivion. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/4 "2012-01-02T19:55:14Z")
> [@thelabdude](#): > > This is an interesting question. I think they dispute parts of the Bible or the conventional interpretation. > > I have seldom been plagued by them. Perhaps never being home Sunday morning helps. I wonder how calls on the Seventh Day Aventists and Jews goes?.. I used to know someone who claimed that they witnessed a street fight between Jehovah’s Witnesses out preaching and some Mormon Missionaries. That would have been fun to watch. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2012, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/5 "2012-01-02T21:25:18Z")
Why do you need to know anything, for when they come around? Are you desiring to engage them in learned discussion? My response, when they come around, has usually been to simply tell them, politely, to go away. There was an exception to that once. They came around hawking this red-covered book that they wanted me to buy for $3.00 – they didn’t say they were JW, but looking through the book for about 0.5 seconds made that perfectly clear. The book was an explication (that is, a line-by-line explanation and analysis) of Revelation. Each page has one or two verses followed by a whole page or two of their “analysis” and those fabulous illustrated drawings. It looked like a rollicking good story. I instantly bought the book, THEN politely asked them to go away. What a fun read! Blood, gore, action! Pitched battles between the gods above and the gods below! Pillage and rapine of the Whore of Babylon! Seven-headed, ten-horned monsters! Flying purple people eaters fu! Tribulation fu! Apocalypse fu! Divine wrath and vengeance fu! It was just like some of the old-fashioned Greek mythology about the battles of the Titans and the Olympians. 4 stars! ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/6 "2012-01-03T00:08:04Z")
> [@virtually\_yours](#): > > Hi. I have found a lot of _regular_ christian scholars opinions on the formation of the Bible it’s errors and changes over the years; it’s lacking the originals; not knowing who wrote john’ matthew, hebrews etc. All easy to find online and order in books. Theses facts are taught in all the major theological institutes: moody bible institute, etc. > I have been unable to find jehovahs witnesses scholars dissertations to quote on these issues. seems they are a bit more tight lipped. I need this info for when the jw’s come around. where can I find these issues online or books. or anyone know of their position? > tia > virtually yours I can tell you, without a shred of doubt, that it will be a fruitless endeavor. ---
**Author:** ![virtually\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@virtually\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/virtually_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/7 "2012-01-03T02:31:54Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I used to know someone who claimed that they witnessed a street fight between Jehovah’s Witnesses out preaching and some Mormon Missionaries. That would have been fun to watch. LOL , you used to know them? You don’t know them anymore? oh, and lol at the _fight_ virtually yours ---
**Author:** ![virtually\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@virtually\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/virtually_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/8 "2012-01-03T02:40:42Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Why do you need to know anything, for when they come around? Are you desiring to engage them in learned discussion? I love watching them squirm when I point out things they can’t explain away. Case in point: They say that if you are not saved and you die you are gone, never to know you were alive or did anything wrong. I tell them that is a type heaven then: ignorance is bliss you can sin all your life and don’t have to worry about punishment after death; If I don’t know I was ever alive and don’t know I am missing out on heaven then what’s the difference? I thought I wasn’t getting through to them until a little girl in the group jumped up and said: \*so we don’t have to worry? \* lol, priceless. I then knew if she got what I was saying they sure did also hehehe. So, if I can show them where their scholars admit that they don’t know who wrote matthew etc. I will have some more fun. virtually yours ---
**Author:** ![virtually\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@virtually\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/virtually_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/9 "2012-01-03T02:41:50Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > I can tell you, without a shred of doubt, that it will be a fruitless endeavor. I agree, but we all need entertainment. virtually yours ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/10 "2012-01-03T03:50:57Z")
Apparently there is no such thing as a Jehovah’s Witness Biblical scholar. All interpretations of the Bible are imposed on the church by the church hierarchy. There are no seminaries where they would teach anyway. Apparently there are no fulltime ministers or priests or anything else in their congregations: > **[Jehovah's Witnesses](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses)** > > Jehovah's Witnesses is a nontrinitarian millenarian restorationist Christian denomination. As of 2022, the group reported a worldwide membership of approximately 8.5 million adherents involved in evangelism, with 19.7 million attending the annual Memorial of Christ's death. The denomination is directed by a group of elders in Warwick, New York, United States, known as the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, which establishes all doctrines based on its interpretations of the Bible.\[ The gr... ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/11 "2012-01-03T04:43:36Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > Apparently there is no such thing as a Jehovah’s Witness Biblical scholar. All interpretations of the Bible are imposed on the church by the church hierarchy. There are no seminaries where they would teach anyway. Apparently there are no fulltime ministers or priests or anything else in their congregations: > > [Jehovah's Witnesses - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses) However, there are plenty of Baptist Biblical scholars. Try to get them to agree on anything except Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/12 "2012-01-03T05:26:39Z")
There are many Baptist ministers. There are many Baptist seminaries. There are many Baptist denominations. I don’t understand what your point is. ---
**Author:** ![raindog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@raindog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raindog)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/13 "2012-01-03T13:47:09Z")
> [@virtually\_yours](#): > > I love watching them squirm when I point out things they can’t explain away. Case in point: They say that if you are not saved and you die you are gone, never to know you were alive or did anything wrong. I tell them that is a type heaven then: ignorance is bliss you can sin all your life and don’t have to worry about punishment after death; If I don’t know I was ever alive and don’t know I am missing out on heaven then what’s the difference? I thought I wasn’t getting through to them until a little girl in the group jumped up and said: \*so we don’t have to worry? \* > lol, priceless. I then knew if she got what I was saying they sure did also hehehe. > So, if I can show them where their scholars admit that they don’t know who wrote matthew etc. I will have some more fun. > virtually yours I’m guessing they didn’t get it. ---
**Author:** ![virtually\_yours](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a587f6/32.png) [@virtually\_yours](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/virtually_yours)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/14 "2012-01-03T20:09:17Z")
> [@raindog](#): > > I’m guessing they didn’t get it. lol you might be right ---
**Author:** ![Commander\_Fortune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Commander\_Fortune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Commander_Fortune)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/15 "2012-01-03T21:14:56Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > I used to know someone who claimed that they witnessed a street fight between Jehovah’s Witnesses out preaching and some Mormon Missionaries. That would have been fun to watch. I would pay to see this as a cage match. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/16 "2012-01-03T21:42:17Z")
> [@virtually\_yours](#): > > I agree, but we all need entertainment. > virtually yours I don’t think you are going to find any. Scholarship involves looking for answers, while they clearly “know” they’ve got the answers first. You might do better talking about evolution, so long as you familiarize yourself with it. The one time they came to my house I said “this is a devout atheist household” and they ran like little chickens. When the Baptists came, before this, I said I wasn’t interested since I was Jewish. I was polite. They started telling me how I needed to be saved, and I went into my 2,000 years of oppression rant - and they ran like little chickens. Neither have been back. My house used to be owned by Mormons, so we must still have the secret Passover sign up somewhere - they’ve never come either. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2012, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/17 "2012-01-03T21:48:07Z")
The version of the Bible (translated into English) they handed me was “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures”. It came with the claim that it was the most faithful translation from the original languages of the source materials. I am not a scholar, so I cannot confirm the claim. > **[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Translation_of_the_Holy_Scriptures)** > > The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a translation of the Bible published by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society; it is used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses. The New Testament portion was released first, in 1950, as The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures, with the complete New World Translation of the Bible released in 1961. > It is not the first Bible to be published by the Watch Tower Society, but it is its first original translation of anci... ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/18 "2012-01-04T00:33:20Z")
Well if they are producing translations they must have something in the way of scholars. Of course sadly many knowledgeable people distort the facts in pursuit of agendas. All too common in every field now. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/19 "2012-01-04T00:43:19Z")
I know it’s not fair to judge translations of the Bible on the basis of single quotes…but… King James: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” New World Translation: “Look! God’s slave-girl!” Oy vey… ---
**Author:** ![Sister\_Vigilante](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Sister\_Vigilante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sister_Vigilante)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144/20 "2012-01-04T16:15:35Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > The version of the Bible (translated into English) they handed me was “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures”. It came with the claim that it was the most faithful translation from the original languages of the source materials. > > I am not a scholar, so I cannot confirm the claim. > > [New World Translation - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_World_Translation_of_the_Holy_Scriptures) It is, indeed, not the most faithful translation, as the people who translated it knew neither Greek nor Hebrew (at least not any more than I know French 101 from college), and had to admit to it in court. My hubby is an ex-JW. One day Mormons came knocking. He grilled them for 45 minutes straight while they squirmed. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jehovah-witnesses-scholats-opinion-of-the-bible/608144.md?page=2)