http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/pu...-on-trial.html

There are several problems with the NWT. Most of them are words added outside of the Greek and Hebrew in order to subtly change the meaning of the verse or suggest the "Biblical" proof of their doctrines.

The new world translation is not biblically sound. It is completely inaccurate according to the greek and hebrew.

http://www.towerwatch.com/Witnesses/...nwt_errors.htm

Be careful when using JW material. It tends to be altered to fit JW doctrine or to cause controversy against Christian Bible doctrine or philosophy. If you want reliable translations, try KJV, NKJV, NIV, NLT, or HCSB. My personal Bible that I use most often is in HCSB, but the most accurate with the hebrew and greek is KJV that I know of.

I was quoting from the New World translation: http://www.watchtower.org/e/bible/index.htm

I'll continue this response later.

What translation is that supposed to be? I looked but I couldn't find that translation of that verse anywhere. Here's a better one:

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." (Hebrews 11:1 NIV)

Faith is believing even when we do not understand what God's plan is.

I may have told you differently before, but as far as reason and my stud of the scriptures indicates Jesus did not descend into Hell. It does say in two Gospels that He "Gave up His spirit." Who was He giving His spirit to? The answer, I used to think, is Hell; but Jesus said to the criminal who asked Him to forgive Him "Today you will be with Me in paradise." Since Hell can hardly be described as "paradise," I don't think that is where He was.

There is ample evidence for Hell. Also, Hell doesn't exist yet. All who will go there will be sent there after the final judgement on judgement day.

Whenever someone dies without salvation, God weeps. He doesn't want to send us to Hell. The problem is that we turned away from Him. God does what He must. You're completely ignoring His greatest act of love for us: His Son. God really doesn't want us to go to Hell. That's why He made a way for us not to that is ridiculously easy, all we have to do is believe in Jesus and what He did for us. That's it. Yet we would have no part of it, because we have turned away from Him. Think of it like this: A father is out walking with his son. There is a thousand foot cliff nearby. The man warns his son to stay away from the cliff, but the boy ignores his father's warning and, while his father's back is turned, goes over to the cliffs. The rocks on the edge give away and the boy falls 30 feet and lands on a slab of rock. The rock slab also starts to crack. It's holds for now but will not last long. The boy cries for help. His father hears his son's plea and lowers a rope to him. If the boy takes hold of the rope and ties it around his waist, then his father can pull him to safety; but if the boy ignores his father's attempts to save him, then eventually the rock slab breaks and the boy falls 970 feet to his death. His consequence for a single disobedience is eternal: death. This answers your arguments 1 and 4.

Satan doesn't punish evil in Hell, God punishes evil. Actually, Satan himself will suffer in Hell along with all other sinners who have not been saved. Satan doesn't punish, he tries to get us to sin so that we will deserve punishment. He knows that he's going to Hell, so he is trying to take as many of us as possible with him. Like you pointed out, if Satan was punishing evil, then it would have the opposite effect than his intended one. It would result in more people being saved, and fewer burning with Satan in Hell. Also like you pointed out, punishing evil is good. This answers your argument number 2.

We do not rely on descriptions of earthly cities to help us illustrate Hell, we rely on the Bible. What the Bible tells us is that Hell is a lake of fire from burning sulphur. It is literally a lake of fire. Imagine the biggest lake you know, then imagine it ten times bigger and with fire instead of water. We also know that it will be a place of mourning. Those who have been cast there will be feeling immense physical pain, but also they will face the mental pain of being separated from God, for God is with even the ones who forsake Him. The Bible tells us that Hell is so bad, it is "the second death". That's how bad it is. A literal second slaying. This is for your argument 3.

There is a lot to know about God. Even those who know Him do not know all about Him, because we just can't learn that much. We don't have the cranial capacity. God doesn't have to do things a certain way; He chooses to. You go to work your normal way, or you could take the long way. Both get you to your destination, but you prefer one over the other. You would have to be more specific about Revelation. Even most Christians don't understand it well. If we didn't have souls, then God would not send His son to save them, nor would the Bible talk about them.

Even with all the info the Bible gives us, all we need to know to be saved is that Jesus is Lord and that He died to take our punishment and rose from death on the third day. That's it. The rest of the Bible is there only to aid in our faith and knowledge, and so that we can understand better if we chose to.

Hebrews 11:1: Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld.

That's the part that gets me. It's a simple problem, really. I don't need to explain it to you; you're a smart guy evidently.

Also, I don't believe in Hell, and neither do Jehovah's Witnesses. It's impossible to believe that Jesus, of all people, would go to Hell. He died for our sins, but isn't death enough? He has to burn in Hell, too?

Hell is illogical for many reasons:
1. !st John 4:8 says, "He that does not love has not come to know God, because God is love." So a loving God would send us to Hell?
2. Satan punishes evil in Hell. How does an evil force administer punishment to...evil? Isn't that, if anything, good? I've heard the argument that Satan doesn't care; as long as he punishes evil and tortures, he's happy with it. Well, by doing that, Satan would be encouraging people on Earth to be good, exactly the opposite of what he wants.
3. Gehenna was a city that surrounded Jerusalem. Dead bodies of criminals and others who didn't deserve a funeral were dumped and set afire there, along with heaps of garbage. Somehow that town was mistranslated into the concept of Hell where sinners are burned and tortured.
4. My least favorite but still effective argument is this: one man does sin for the 70 years he lives on earth. He goes to Hell for punishment. Yet he is punished eternally. It would make more sense that he suffers for 70 years rather than eternally, at least.

So what else don't I know about God? I don't know. I love the Bible and love its history, and believe it, but I'm simply confused. Why would God have to do something a certain way? What exactly does all of Revelation mean? Do we even have souls?

I understand what yo are saying about trust. This used to be an issue for me, and sometimes I still have problems with it. All Christians do, as well as non-Christians. We sometimes call it the "faith" issue. Faith and trust are, indeed, the same thing.

There are many reasons that I personally trust God. They include personal experience, what He has done for others who trust Him, and things I find in the Bible for a few. The greatest, though, is His love for us. God created us, and He loves us all like a son. The Greek word used for God's love is "Agope" meaning, unconditional love. People have really changed the meaning of the word love in the past few centuries. The Greeks were smart, they had three words for love, all with different meanings.

God loves us like sons (and women like daughters). That means He doesn't care what we do or how much shame we bring to His name or to ourselves. He loves us, and will help us if we trust Him. God loves us so much that in order to create a way for us not to have to be separated from Him after death because of our sin (any offences against Him or others), He sent His only son Jesus, to die and shed His blood to pay the penalty for our sins. For three days, Jesus burned in Hell because of our sins, but on the third day He overpowered even death itself and came back to life. He then ministered for 40 days to us on Earth; and then, having fulfiled His Earthly duty, went up to Heaven to be with God. God loves us so much that He would have His own son go through all that so that we could be with Him, and He (Jesus) willingly did. You may already know this, being a former JW.

If God loves us that much, I think He can be trusted, don't you?

As for Him changing the system of morality as we know it and the concept of free will, why would He? His system of morality has everyone treated exactly fairly, if we would obey it. And free will is here because, I may have said before, God wants us to want to love Him. He doesn't want us to be like robots programmed to worship Him, he wants us to have another option, and choose Him. That is true love. It's in movies too. A guy is faced with the option of two girls. One likes him for his body and is just in it for sex. The other truly loves him because of who he is and stuff. That's a classic, very commonly used plot for love stories. The alternative is like the guy is forcibly married and there is never any real love in the relationship.

Sin wants us for the sex, but God truly loves us. It's our choice. If we chose God, then that means it is 'true love.' That's why God doesn't change morality or free will. He could if He wanted to, but He doesn't. If it's a display of power that you're looking for, read the Bible. Anywhere will do; the Bible is full of displays of God's power.

Sorry for the long message

Let's put it this way:

I know you, somewhat. However, I wouldn't trust you with my house keys. I somewhat know God, but I would need proof that I can trust him with my life. Even more, put faith, the "assured expectation of things," in him.

Be assured, I'm looking for that proof. I just came out a whole episode with my family who are Jehovah's Witnesses, and I had to say that I don't wish to be one anymore. Long story short: I'm taking a deep, long look into philosophy and religion. I believe most of Christianity (existence of God, Jesus coming down to Earth, the prophets, the story of the Israelites, etc.) but my biggest question about it has not been answered. God can do ANYTHING. He could even change the system of morality as we know it and completely alter the concept of "free will," even to himself. So why doesn't he? His power is so immense.

I don't see how it could work.

We can know Him personally, that is what Christianity is. We can't understand all about Him, but we can know Him. You don't know everything about me, but you know me. Also, you don't have to know everything about God to trust Him. Isn't it enough to know that He made us and loves us and sent His son Jesus to take our punishment so that we could be with Him? Sounds to me like He's pretty devoted. I trust Him, but I don't know anywhere near everything about Him, although I know a lot. It's not hard to worship someone you don't know. Some people worship celebrities, but they don't know everything about them.

I completely agree that we should imitate Christ in everything. It is one of my firm beliefs as a Christian. However, all the rules God gave can be narrowed down into the aforementioned two rules. Look at them. All they are asking is to love God and others. They just specify how with many rules. I disagree that Jehovah's Witnesses carry out God's will the right way, but that is another discussion. I might tell you why later if I have time.

To elect a thief as a ruler sounds like a horrible idea, right now at least. In the "alternate world" that we've been discussing, it could work. Moral standards are different.

And for God, I don't think anyone can know him personally. I read the Bible everyday. God is too fantastical to be understood by mere humans. I was born and raised as a Jehovah's Witness. Note: I am not a JW anymore. One of the reasons why I can't submit myself to God is because of one little thing: trust. I don't know everything about God. I've been told (by JWs) that humans aren't able to understand God. I agree with that. But if I can't understand God, how am I expected to fully worship him? It requires trust. Trust will bridge the gap between a lack of knowledge of God and worshiping him.

And Jesus certainly gave more than two rules to follow. Although there is no specific number, it's all inferences. As a small example: Jesus said to imitate him. So, do all the things Jesus did. Jesus had his ministry work done for about 3-4 years, and that's the preaching work the Jehovah's Witnesses carry out today. Also, here are some scriptures where imitation of Jesus is exclaimed: http://www.believers.org/believe/bel194.htm