"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
If a man who looks at a woman with lust commits adultery, and the penalty for adultery is death
(Lev.20:10), then shouldn't the man (and the
woman?) be put to death? 5:27-28
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."
These words (used in the Protestant version of "the Lord's Prayer") were probably not in the original gospel,
since they are not found in Luke's version (Luke 11:2-4) or in the oldest
manuscripts of Matthew's gospel. 6:13
"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul:
but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." 10:28
Notice that Jesus makes a
clear distinction between the soul and the body in this verse. Why would he do that if, as
the Governing Body of the Jehovah's Witnesses teaches, the soul is the body?
"And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. 10:34
Jehovah's Witnesses use these verses to justify forcing members to disfellowship (shun)
their own family.
"Thy mother and thy brethren" 12:47, 13:55-56
The fact that Jesus had brothers shows that Mary, contrary to Catholic
teaching, was not always a virgin.
"Pearl of great price"
This phrase was adopted by the Mormon (LDS) church as the title of one of its standard
works. The Pearl of Great Price is a part of Mormon scripture. 13:46
"But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before
them, and pleased Herod." 14:6-8 Is dancing a sin?
"Two or three witnesses" 18:16
Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse
(along with Dt.19:15 and 1 Tim.5:19)
to justify their refusal to report or investigate incidents of child molestation unless two or three
JWs have witnessed the event. If witnesses do not come forward (and they are discouraged from doing
so since it would embarrass the organization), then the victim is told to be quiet about it.
"Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God." 19:17
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" 27:46 Is Jesus God?
"They shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." 24:30 Will Jesus' second coming be visible to all? Well, not according to the Jehovah's
Witnesses, anyway. Even though in this verse Jesus says he'll return "on the clouds of heaven with great power
and glory" and Rev.1:7 says that "every eye shall see him," The
Governing Body claims that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 without clouds, glory, or being seen by
anyone.
"Learn a parable of the fig tree." 24:32-34
Based on these versese, Hal Linsey's The Late,
Great Planet Earth predicted that the end of the world would occur before 1988. The fig tree represents
Israel, Israel came back to life in 1948, and Jesus said the end would come within one generation (40 years).
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." 24:34
The Jehovah's Witnesses used to interpret this verse to mean that some of those who witnessed
Jesus' return in 1914 would still be alive when Armageddon happened. Now that those alive in 1914 are now pretty much dead, the
JWs have given up on this prediction.
"Not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" 24:36
The best and earliest Greek manuscripts say, "not the angels of heaven, neither the son, but the Father only." But apparently
it bothered the scribes that there were some things Jesus didn't know, so they fixed it by omitting the phrase, "neither the son."
"Who then is a faithful and wise servant?" 24:45 For JWs,
this is the most important verse in the bible. It is the basis of their central dogma,
that the governing body of the Jehovah's Witnesses is the "faithful and wise servant,"
or as the NWT puts it "the faithful and discrete slave." As such, the governing body
must be obeyed in all matters and all of their teachings must be accepted. Those who do
so will survive Armageddon; those who do not, will not.
"That evil servant" 24:48 The "evil servant" ("evil slave" in NWT) is any of
the 144,000 anointed Jehovah's Witnesses that are (or were) going to heaven, but have since left
the organization. They are collectively called
the evil slave class.
"Eat; this is my body." 26:26-28
Jesus tells his disciples to eat his body and drink his blood. Did he mean this literally or
figuratively? The question has divided Christians since the Reformation, but it's impossible to
tell from the passage itself. If God inspired the Bible, shouldn't he have made its interpretation
clear?
"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine,
until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 26:29 Is it OK to drink alcohol?
The phrase "as it is written in the prophets" is not found in the oldest and best Greek manuscripts which say, rather,
"as it is written in Isaiah." Scribes made the change to correct the mistake of attributing the quotation to Isaiah, since
the first part of the quote (v.2) is not from Isaiah, but from Ex.23:20 and
Mal.3:1. 1:2
Peter, who Catholics believe was the first pope, was married. 1:30
"Jesus, moved with compassion"
Some of the earliest manuscripts of Mark say that Jesus was moved with anger, not compassion. Bart Ehrman in
Misquoting Jesus (p.133-138) argues that
the original text probably said that Jesus reacted with wrath rather than compassion, and was later changed by scribes to
make the verse less problematic. 1:41
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary?"
This is the only verse in the New Testament where Jesus is referred to as a carpenter. And in the earliest manuscript of Mark,
the verse says, "Is not this the son of the carpenter?" Apparently it wasn't in any of the Gospels at the time of Origen,
who said that "in none of the Gospels current in the
Churches is Jesus himself ever described as being a carpenter." 6:3
"Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery."
If divorced people are adulterers, and the punishment for adultery is death
(Lev.20:10), should we kill those who get a divorce? 10:11-12
"And Pilate marveled if he were already dead." Maybe he wasn't! 15:44
Verses 9-20 were are not found in the earlier manuscripts and are therefore considered later
additions. So the gospel of Mark ended without anyone seeing the resurrected Jesus or any of the cool stuff about snake
handling, drinking poison, or damned non-believers. 16:9-20
"Joseph and his mother"
Many manuscripts say "his father and his mother," but scribes later changed this to "Joseph and his mother" to avoid calling
Joseph Jesus's father. 2:33
Peter, who Catholics consider the first pope, was married. [Though he later abandoned his wife and
family to follow Jesus.(5:11)] 4:38
The earliest manuscripts show a much different version of the "Lord's Prayer." Since the prayer found in Matthew
(6:9-13) had become so important liturgically, scribes simply changed the Luke's version
to match. 11:2-5
These verses are found in some (but not all) of the oldest and best manuscripts. Were they added to (or deleted from) the
Biblical text by a scribe? 22:43-44
The phrase "truly I say unto you" is used by Jesus more than 50 times in the NT. In all verses
except this one, the Watchtower places the comma after the word "you". [more] 23:43
"and carried up into heaven"
This phrase appears to be a later addition, since it is not present in some early manuscripts. 24:51
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
But how could Jesus be with God in the beginning as this
verse says, if, as the Watchtower teaches, Jesus was created by God? And how could Jesus be "a god" and
yet be with God during the creation, if God was speaking truthfully in Dt.32:39 when he said,
"there are no gods with me"? 1:1
Jehovah's Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus, saying instead that
he was raised as a "spirit creature." If so, then how could John say that "he
spake of the temple of his body?" 2:19-21
Troubled Waters
The earliest and best manuscripts lack the explanation for the "troubled waters" given in verses 3-4, which was later added by
scribes. 5:3-4
The woman caught in adultery
This is one of the best-known and most-loved of all Bible stories, but it shouldn't be in the Bible.
For although some manuscripts put it
here, others after John 7:36 or 21:35, or Luke 21:38, it is not
found anywhere in the oldest and best manuscripts. 7:53 - 8:11
The Watchtower tries to change the meaning of Jesus'
words ("Before Abraham was, I am.") by having him say, "Before Abraham came into existence I have been." I suppose this is
supposed to mean that he was around as the Archangel Michael back then or something.
(The NWT translates "ego eimi" as "I am" everywhere it occurs except in this verse.) 8:58
The Book of Mormon identifies the "other sheep" to be the Nephites who would be visited by Jesus in the New World
after his resurrection. 10:16
"I lay down my life ... No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself."
Did Jesus commit suicide? 10:17-18
He that hateth me hateth my Father also."
Oh, that's a good one. If you don't like Jesus, then you don't like God. (You're a damned God hater.)
On the Jews and Their Lies (Part 12)15:23
Jehovah's Witnesses, like Jesus, are hated by the world and are not
of the world. Thus they don't vote or take part in any human organizations outside the
Watchtower Society. 15:18-19, 17:14
If Jesus (like the Jehovah's Witnesses) didn't believe himself
to be God, then why didn't he correct Thomas when he said, "My Lord and my God"?
20:28
"These are written, that ye might believe."
The gospel of John seems to come to an end with verses 20:30-31, with the next chapter tacked on as a later
addition. This is, in fact, what most scholars believe today. 20:30-31
If the name Jehovah [or YHWH] is so important, why isn't it found in the NT? And why does it say in
Acts 4:12 that
there is only one name (Jesus Christ, v. 10) "whereby we must be saved"? 4:10, 12
Stephen, as he is dying, asks Jesus (not Jehovah) to receive his spirit. But how could Jesus receive his spirit if,
as the Governing Body teaches, Jesus is not God and if the soul dies along with the body.
7:59
Although in verse 59, Stephen was clearly praying to Jesus, the NWT tries to give the (false) impression that he
was really praying to Jehovah by translating "Lord" (kyrios) as "Jehovah". [Then, bending his knees, he cried out with
a strong voice: "Jehovah, do not charge this sin against them." NWT] 7:60
"The Holy Ghost said ... I have called them." Jehovah's Witnesses deny that the Holy Spirit is
a person. Why then does he talk and refer to himself in the first person in this verse?
13:2
Many Jehovah's Witnesses have needlessly died because the
WatchTower Society teaches that abstaining from blood, as required by these verses,
prohibits blood transfusions. 15:20, 29
"The whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now."
Some Christians use this verse to show that we live in a
sin cursed world. (But
others disagree.) 8:22
"Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the
doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them."
Jehovah's Witnesses use these verses to justify disfellowshipping
those who disagree with the Governing Body. 16:17-18
The Governing Body uses this verse to control the thoughts and beliefs of Jehovah’s
Witnesses. They are instructed not to accept or read the religious literature of others, not to
listen to criticism of the Watchtower Society's teachings, and to fight against independent thinking.
1:10
The oldest Christian denominations were partisans of Paul, Apollos, Cephas, and Christ. 1:12
"I wrote unto you in an epistle"
Despite its title, First Corinthians wasn't the first epistle that Paul wrote the Corinthians. There was another
(Zeroth Corinthians?) that was either lost or considered not worthy of including in the Bible. 5:9
Jehovah's Witnesses use these verses to justify disfellowshipping those who fail to follow
the teachings of the Governing Body. JWs are told to
shun disfellowshipped family and friends. They are not to speak to them or share a
meal with them. If a witness is caught doing so, they will be disfellowshipped as well.
5:9-13
Jehovah's
Witnesses believe that they should not take another member of their
church to court. Consequently, JWs who report incidents of sex abuse are often disfellowshipped.
6:1-7
"For as often as you eat this loaf and drink this cup, you keep
proclaiming the death of the Lord, until he arrives." (NWT). If Christ arrived in 1914, as the governing body
teaches, then why do Jehovah's Witnesses continue to partake of the bread and wine? Shouldn't they have
stopped in 1914? 11:26
In some manuscripts, verses 34-35 are found at the end of chapter 14, leading some scholars to think that they were not
written by Paul but originated from a misogynistic scribe's marginal note.14:34-36
"In Adam all die. In Christ shall all be made alive."
Nothing died before Adam sinned. In Christ all will have eternal life. (Christ died for the animals.)15:21-22
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
" Does hell exist?15:22
"If the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?" This is the verse
that the Mormons use to justify their belief in the
baptism of the dead.
15:29
"All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another of beasts."
This verse is used by Creationists to argue against both evolution and any attempt to create "human-animal hybrids" or
"chimeras." 15:39
"The first man Adam" Young Earth Creationists use this verse to support
a literal reading of Genesis. "If we cannot believe in the First Adam, why believe in the Last [Christ]?"
15:45
"And afterword that which is spiritual."
Asa Gray, the foremost American botanist in the 19th century and close friend of Charles Darwin,
used this verse to support the idea that the Bible is not inconsistent with human evolution.
15:46
To Jehovah's Witnesses, everything outside of the Watchtower Organization
is controlled by Satan. The Governing Body uses theses verses to
condemn all holidays, civic activities, and association with non-JWs. 6:14-17
Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse
(along with Dt.19:15, 1 Tim.5:19,
and Mt.18:16)
to justify their refusal to report or investigate incidents of child molestation unless two or three
JWs have witnessed the event. If witnesses do not come forward (and they are
discouraged from doing so since it would embarrass the organization), then the
victim is told to be quiet about it -- or risk being disfellowshipped. 13:1
"Paul ... to the saints to the saints which are at Ephesus"
Although Ephesians claims to have been written by Paul, most scholars think it was written
after his death by one of his followers. Also, the words "to the saints which are in Ephesus" does not occur in the best
manuscripts. 1:1
"As I wrote afore in few words"
There was another epistle to the Ephesians that has since been lost. 3:3-4
"Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness."
To JWs, everything outside of the Watchtower Organization
is controlled by Satan. This is one of the verses that the the Governing Body uses to
condemn all holidays, civic activities, and association with non-JWs.
5:11
"Paul ... to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse"
Although Colossians claims to have been written by Paul, most scholars think it was written
after his death by one of his followers. 1:1-2
The New World Translation inserts the word 'other' four times in these two verses (although it
is not included in the Greek) to support the GB's denial of the divinity of Christ. But adding words
to scripture is condemned in Pr.30:6. 1:16-17
"Rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh."
The suffering Jesus was not sufficient to satisfy God's wrath, so the Paul (or whoever wrote Colossians) had to make up for
what as lacking with his own sufferings. 1:24
"Read the epistle from Laodicea."
Apparently God intended to include the epistle from Laodicea in the Bible, but it was lost somewhere along the way. There were
several letters that claimed to be the lost epistle (and one of these was often included in
Latin medieval bibles), but they are considered forgeries today. 4:16
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel...." From this verse and Jude 9, the Jehovah's Witnesses figure
that Jesus is really the archangel Michael.
4:16
"Be not soon shaken in mind ... by letter as from us."
What letter is being referred to here? Is it 1 Thessalonians? If so, then should Christians not read it to avoid being "skaken
in mind?" 2:2
Although 2 Thessalonians claims to have been written by Paul, many scholars think it was a forgery.
1:1, 3:17
Jehovah's Witnesses use these verses to justify disfellowshipping anyone who disagrees with the
Watchtower's teachings. 3:6, 14
"God was manifest in the flesh." This verse has been used to support the idea that Jesus is God, but the best and earliest manuscripts say Christ "who was
made manifest in the flesh," not "God was made manifest in the flesh." 3:16
"The living God" is the saviour of "all men" -- especially (but not exclusively) of those that believe. So
even nonbelievers will be saved. 4:10
Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse (along with Dt.19:15) to justify their refusal to report or investigate incidents
of child molestation unless two or three JWs have witnessed the event. If witnesses do not come forward (and they
are discouraged from doing so since it would embarrass the organization), then the victim is told to be quiet about it.
5:19
Although Second Timothy claims to have been written by Paul,
some scholars believe that it was written after his death. 1:1
"The Lord knoweth them that are his." This verse was used by the Catholic Church during the inquisition to justify
killing those suspected of heresy. (Kill them all, for `the Lord knows them that are His'." ) 2:19
"A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject."
The Jehovah's Witnesses follow this by disfellowshipping those who refuse to accept the
Governing Bodies teachings. (The NWT translates 3:10 in this way: "As for a man that promotes a
sect...." But don't all JWs belong to and promote a sect?) 3:10-11
The JWs deny the divinity of Christ so they just changed the words in
the New World Translation to read:
"But with reference to the Son: 'God is your throne forever and ever.'" 1:8
Did Jesus die "by the grace of God" or "apart from God"? "There are good reasons for thinking that the latter ... was the
original reading of the Epistle to the Hebrews." [Bart Ehrman,
Misquoting Jesus, (2005), p.145] 2:9
"If any of you lack wisdom ... ask of God ... and it shall be given him."
This is the verse that set the 14-year-old Joseph Smith off to found
the Mormon Church. That is just an example of the type of wisdom God can give you. 1:5
The Watchtower Society teaches that there is no consciousness after death. But if that is so, then how could
Jesus have preached to the "spirits in prison?" 3:19, 4:6
Although this epistle claims to have been written by Peter, he
was almost certainly not its author. It is thought to have been written around 90-100 CE, long after Peter's death. The late date is
suspected because: 1) verses 3:3-4 make excuses for the failure of the expected second coming of Christ,
2) the author refers to "all of the letters of Paul" in a way that indicates that Paul's epistles were already considered
equal to "the other scriptures", and 3) the epistle depends upon the letter of Jude, which is thought to have been written around
80-100 CE. 1:1, 3:1
"He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for our's only, but also
for the sins of the whole world." Does hell exist?2:2
"There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost."
This is the clearest, and pretty much the only, expression of the Trinitarian concept in
the Bible. It is not, however, found in the earliest Greek manuscripts and is omitted from most
modern translations. Here, for example, are verses 5:7-8 in the New Revised
Standard Version:
"There are three that testify: the
Spirit and the water and the blood, and these three agree."
Not all Christians agree about how these verses (often called
the Johannine comma)
should be treated. See here for a KJV-only defense.
5:7-8
Don't associate with non-Christians. Don't receive them into your house or even exchange greeting
with them. This is the biblical justification for "Disfellowshipping" among the Jehovah's Witnesses.
10
Enoch, "the seventh from Adam", prophesied that God would come
with 10,000 of his saints "to execute judgment upon all." But this
prophecy is from the Book of Enoch, not from
the Bible. 14-15
"Remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles."
Jude was written in post-apostolic times, so it's author could not have been the apostle Jude (Luke 6:16;
Acts 1:13; cf John 14:22) as believers sometimes claim.
17
Will Jesus' second coming be visible to all? Well, not according to the Jehovah's
Witnesses, anyway. Even though Jesus (Mt.24:30) says he'll return "on the clouds of heaven with
great power and glory" and this verse says that "every eye shall see him," The Governing Body claims that Jesus returned invisibly
in 1914 without clouds, glory, or being seen by anyone. 1:7
JWs believe that there are two distinct classes of believers: the 144,000 "Anointed" that are going to heaven and
the "Great Crowd" that will remain here on earth. The WatchTower teaches that heaven closed in 1935, and that everyone else will
either be killed at Armageddon (if they are not JWs) or live forever on earth. 7:4
The "great multitude" is the WatchTower's "great crowd" that it claims will remain on earth
rather than going to heaven. Yet in this verse the "great crowd" stands "before the throne" and "before the lamb". Where else
would the thrown and lamb be besides heaven? 7:9
"And the name of the star is called Wormwood."
Some believers say that the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl was the fulfillment of the
third trumpet in 8:10-11. 8:10-11
"A thousand two hundred and threescore days" Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus
returned in 1914. This belief is derived from these verses that
link "a time, times, and a half a time" with 1260 days. 12:6, 14
Most scholars agree that the 666
referred to the emperor Nero. Some
ancient manuscripts have 616 instead of 666. For more information see
here. 13:18
The Watchtower says that "the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" referred to in this verse is the United
Nations. It was the League of Nations which disappeared, only to once again rise as the UN. (See Pay Attention to
Daniel's Prophecy, p. 269) 17:8
"I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets"
Mormon apologists use this verse to explain the plagiarism of the Bible in the Book of Mormon. (Prophets sometimes send
angelic visitors to other prophets to help with the proper wording of scripture.) 22:9
New Testament: Interpretations
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