"Ipaglaban mo nang puspusan ang pananampalataya. Panghawakan mong mabuti ang buhay na walang hanggan, dahil diyan ka tinawag ng Diyos nang ipahayag mo sa harap ng maraming saksi ang iyong pananalig kay Cristo." I Tim. 6:12
Showing posts with label jehovas witnesses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jehovas witnesses. Show all posts

December 12, 2011

Is "Jehovah" the name of God?



From Pasugo, here is what stated:

The Holy Scriptures introduce various names of the one true God. God addressed Himself to Moses as "I AM WHO I AM" (cf, Ex. 3:14). He also called Himself the "Lord (cf. Is. 42:5,8), and likewise used the name "Jealous" (cf. Ex. 34:14) He was also named "God of host"(cf. Amos 5:27; 4:13) and "Holy" (cf. Is. 57:15).
The Jehovah's Witnesses,. as a religious group, strictly uses the name "Jehovah" in reference to God. However, Bible scholars have traced an error with regard to the use of this name in reference to God:

''What are the facts? And first as to age. 'The pronunciation Jehovah was UNKNOWN UNTIL 1520, when it was introduced by Galatinus; but was contested by Le Mercier, J, Drusius, and L. Capellus, as against grammatical and historical propriety.' Next, as to formation. 'ERRONEOUSLY WRITTEN AND PRONOUNCED Jehovah, which is merely a combination of the sacred Tetragrammaton and the vowels in the Hebrew word for Lord, substituted by the Jews for JHVH, because they shrank from pronouncing The Name'." (Rotherham Emphasized Bible, pp. 24-25)

It is clear then that the name " Jehovah" came to exist only in 1520 or in the 16th century AD, and its use is even erroneous. Scholars who scrutinized the name "Jehovah" expounded on the cause of this error:

"JEHOVAH, je-ho'va: An ERRONEOUS FORM of the divine name of the covenant God of Israel which appears first about 1520 A.D. The error arose from, the fact that the utterance of the divine name in original quadrilateral form (the tetragrammaton) YHWH, became unlawful in Jewish usage as EARLY AS THE THIRD CHRISTIAN CENTURY and probably much earlier, at least outside the sacred precincts..." (The New Schaff-Herzog" Encyclopedia of Religions Knowledge, Vol. Vl)

Further explanation on the occurrence of the erroneous form of God's name the Bible is stated in The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. II:

"The form Jehovah arose out of a misunderstanding which in turn arose out of the reluctance of pious }ews to pronounce the divine name (c. 300 B.C.). Instead they uttered the word adonay, my Lord. In the MT [Masoretic Text] the divine name was written with the consonants of YHWH and vowels of adonay as a reminder to say the latter whenever the word was read. The divine name appears as yehowah in the MT. The LXX [Septuagint] reflects the Jewish reluctance to pronounce the divine name and puts the word kyrios, Lord, in its place. The RSV and other Eng. versions also reflect the practice by giving the Lord in capital letters whenever the name YHWH stands in the text. The Lat. likewise gave the word Dominus, Lord, for YHWH. The form Jehovah is thus a malformation giving what is virtually a transliteration of the word which is found in the text of the Heb. OT, but which was never actually used as a word." (pp.- 69-70)

Another cause of this error is explained by researchers:

"The hybrid word 'Jehovah' is a combination of the vowels of "Adonai" with the consonants of the tetragrammaton; its appearance in the KJV was the result of of the translators' ignorance of the Hebrew language and customs." (Harper Bible Dictionary, p.1036)



Hence, "Jehovah," as the supposed name, of God and which some believe as His only true name, is an erroneous form of the divine name of the Creator. To insist on using this term in reference to God is to propagate an error.
How then must God be addressed by those who worship Him? The Lord Jesus Christ teaches, thus:

" In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name" Mt. 6:9

"So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: 'Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them . Acts 4:24

Worshipping the only true God, the Father, is by hallowing or honoring His name, as taught by Christ:

""This is how you should' pray: 'Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name'." Mt. 6:9


One's failure to call God by His own name is itself a failure of recognition, i.e., invoking the wrong name of the "Father in heaven proves that one has not really recognized Him.
It is true that those who recognize the Father as the only true God and Jesus Christ as the One whom God' has sent, are assured of eternal life:

After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: 'Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. " Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" Jn. 17: 1 & 3



source: Pasugo Issue Oct 1996 studyiglesianicristo.com

And here are the biblical criticisms about the use of "Jehovah" in the New Testament from Jehova's Witnesses translation of the bible called "New World translation of the Holy Scriptures":

A 2003 study by Jason BeDuhn, associate professor of religious studies at Northern Arizona University in the United States, of nine of "the Bibles most widely in use in the English-speaking world," including the New American Bible, The King James Bible and The New International Version, examined several New Testament passages in which "bias is most likely to interfere with translation." For each passage, he compared the Greek text with the renderings of each English translation, and looked for biased attempts to change the meaning.
BeDuhn said the introduction of the name "Jehovah" into the New Testament 237 times was "not accurate translation by the most basic principle of accuracy", and that it "violate[s] accuracy in favor of denominationally preferred expressions for God", adding that for the NWT to gain wider acceptance and prove its worth its translators might have to abandon the use of "Jehovah" in the New Testament.
Theologian and televangelist John Ankerberg accused the NWT's translators of renderings that conform "to their own preconceived and unbiblical theology." Dr. John Weldon and Ankerberg cite several examples wherein they consider the NWT to support theological views overriding appropriate translation. Ankerberg and Weldon cite Dr. Julius R. Mantey, co-author of A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament and A Hellenistic Greek Reader, who also criticized the NWT, calling it "a shocking mistranslation."
Dr. William Barclay, Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism, concluded that "the deliberate distortion of truth by this sect is seen in the New Testament translation. ... It is abundantly clear that a sect which can translate the New Testament like that is intellectually dishonest."
Former American Bible Society board member Dr. Bruce M. Metzger concluded that "on the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators," but identified instances where the translation has been written to support doctrine, with "several quite erroneous renderings of the Greek." Metzger noted a number of "indefensible" characteristics of the translation, including its use of "Jehovah" in the New Testament.
source: wikipedia


November 24, 2009

Whose are more of business?




Roman Catholic Church

The number of Catholic institutions as of 2000 Institutions
Primary and secondary schools 125,016
Universities 1,046
Hospitals 5,853
Orphanages 8,695
Homes for the elderly and handicapped 13,933
Dispensaries, leprosaries, nurseries and other institutions 74,936
source: wikipedia
Seventh day Adventist

The following Statistics are as of December 31, 2007
Companies 61,361
Total Schools 7,442
Tertiary Institutions 107
Worker Training Institutions 42
Primary Schools 5,716
Secondary Schools 1,577
Food Industries 24
Hospitals and Sanitariums 168
Nursing Homes and Retirement Centers 130
Clinics and Dispensaries 433
Orphanages and Children's Homes 33
Airplanes and Medical Launches 10
Media Centers 10
source: Adventist.org
Jehova's witnesses

Owned businesses:
≡ Advance Book Bindery Ltd.
≡ American Travel Bethel Tours
≡ Bethel Tours
≡ Bible Songs
≡ C & H Bookbinding
≡ Joel VandenBerg Custom Book Binding
≡ JP Productions
≡ Majestic Software
≡ McKenna Bookcovers
≡ Ministry Ideaz
≡ MJC Products
≡ MyFieldService.com
≡ New World Songs
≡ R.J. Schneider Bookbinding
≡ Rosemead Guest House (England)
≡ Service Supplies
≡ Stoops Manufacturing Company
≡ Theocratic Bookbinding
source: jehova.to/links.htm

The Church of Jesus Christ of latter day saints
“…About ten percent of its funding also comes from income on investments and real estate holdings…” 
The church's holdings include:
  • AgReserves Inc. - the largest producer of nuts in the United States (circa. 1997)
  • Hawaii Reserves, Inc. - Miscellaneous church holdings in Hawaii. When combined with the Polynesian Cultural Center (the leading paid visitor attraction in Hawaii) and Brigham Young University-Hawaii, LDS Church-related entities generated revenue of $260 million for the Hawaii economy in 2005.
  • Farmland Reserve Inc. - 228,000 acres (923 km²) in Nebraska,; 51,600 acres in Osage County, Oklahoma; and over 312,000 acres (1,260 km²) in Florida (dba Deseret Cattle and Citrus).
  • Bonneville International Corporation - the 14th largest radio chain in the U.S.
  • Deseret News - a daily Utah newspaper, second-largest in the state of Utah.
  • Beneficial Financial Group - An insurance and financial services company with assets of $3.1 billion.
-Brigham Young University,
-Brigham Young University–Idaho (formerly Ricks College),
-Brigham Young University Hawaii, and
-LDS Business College.
source: wikipedia
Members church of God international
Registry of Deeds
Province of Pampanga
San Fernando Branch

On the basis of documents furnished us, the land subject of this appraisal consists of eighteen (18) contiguous lots containing an aggregate area of 90,816 sq. meters more or less, technically identified as follows:
Lot no.
TCT No.
Area (Sq. M.)
Registered Owner
2107-F-1-B, Psd-03-10
2107-F-1-C, Psd-03-10
2107-F-2-A-2
211-F, (LRC) Psd-113664
Portion of lot B, Psd-03-071575
1. Psd-03-016835
2. Psd-03-016835
483746-R
483747-R
483744-R
476095-R
488582-R
489336-R
489337-R
100
1,718
870
21,659
14,779
10,005
9,750
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
Eliseo F Soriano
The above Transfer Certificates of Title, Deed of Absolute Sale and Deed of Conditional Sale were issued in favor of their respective owners by the Registry of Deeds for the Province of Pampanga.

Dito nakatirik ang mga gusaling ADD Convention Center, La Verdad Christian School, ADD Apartments, ADD Medical Pavillion, Hotel, ADD Cooperative Office, ADD Cooperative Stores, ADD Foundation Orphanage, Administration office, ADD Museum and ADD Sizzling House
Eliseo Soriano’s properties
-10-hectare fishpond
-MORNING STAR auto supply - Sucat ParaƱaque
-DSR photo studio - Roosebelt Ave. dito sa Q.C
-DSR Ent. - Apalit Pampanga
-ADD farm - Hermosa Bataan
-Morong Beach Resort - Bataan
-ADD on life water refilling station - Sampaloc Apalit Pampanga.
-LINAMNAM fastfood restaurant - Roosebelt Ave. Q. C.
-EFS General Merchandising - Sucat ParaƱaque
-Apalit POULTRY SUPPLY - Apalit Pampanga
-ADD apartment - Apalit Pampangga
source: jesus-is-savior.com

Detractors of the INC always says that the church is only a corporation owned by Manalos,  they also say that INC is just a business of the Manalos.  

But, what's this? Whose are more of business?!

 Youre the one to judge!   
But after i end this, to be fair, lets include the list of the INC's: 

Iglesia ni Cristo

New Era General Hospital

source: wikepedia




September 30, 2009

Birthday, flag and blood transfusion

There is nothing wrong with celebrating birthdays if it is done for the glory of God:


“The answer is, if you eat or drink, or if you do anything, do it all for the glory of God.” I Cor. 10:31

To regard our birthday as God’s blessing and to thank him during this occasion for all the good things that we have received from him throughout the year that has passed is never wrong.

In fact, the holy scriptures teach us to be thankful in everything:


“and give thanks whatever happens. That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” I thess 5:18

Apostle paul, however, admonishes Christians to get away from revelries and drunkenness because these are works of the flesh and those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19-21)


Concerning the use of flag, verses of the bible show that the lord does not prohibit it:


“May there be shouts of joy when we hear the news of your victory, flags flying with praise to god for all that he has done for you. May he answer all your prayers!” Ps. 20:5

The holy book even proves that God himself instructed the ancient Isaraelites to use flags:


“The Lord spoke to Moses in the Meeting Tent in the Desert of Sinai. This was on the first day of the second month in the second year after the Israelites left Egypt. He said to Moses: "You and Aaron must count all the people of Israel by families and family groups, listing the name of each man. The Israelites will make their camps in separate divisions, each family near its flag. ”
Num. 1:1-2,52

Paying respect to a flag by saluting at attention when it is being raised is but a gesture nationalism, It is a form of respect and not of religious worship or adoration. Respecting something does not necessarily mean worshiping it. When we follow the commandment to respect our parents (Mat. 15:4), we do not necessarily worship them.


What the Almighty has prohibited since the time of Noah is the eating of blood of animals (Gen. 9:1-4; Lev. 17: 12-13; Acts 21:25). This prohibition by god cannot be used as a basis for forbidding the medical practice called blood transfusion, for “eating blood” is obviously different from “transfusing blood”.