A blog by Tom Sheepandgoats (aka Tom Harley)
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Read a Scripture and Leave.
In the United States, at least in my neck of the woods, when the householder answers the door to find a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses, he or she has two thoughts. ”What do they want?” “How long will this take?” You must answer those two questions, and the quicker the better. Mercifully, all those silhouette suggestions have been replaced with the notion to just be…
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The Beginnings of Apostasy—Oppressive Wolves to Enter In
At Paul’s final meeting with the elders in Ephesus, he told them. “Pay attention to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the holy spirit has appointed you overseers, to shepherd the congregation of God, which he purchased with the blood of his own Son. I know that after my going away oppressive wolves will enter in among you and will not treat the…
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As Paul Drones on, Eutychus Falls Three Stories to his Death
The mid-week meetings of Jehovah’s Witnesses are roving through the Book of Acts and Eutychus recently came up. He’s the kid that fell asleep during Paul’s talk and plunged three stories to his death! (Acts 20:9) (Tom Irregardless would have had them all snoozing.) Says the Watchtower-published book, ‘Bearing Thorough Witness,’ “Paul could not rightly be blamed for the death of Eutychus. Still, he did…
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No Immortal Soul in Bible Times: it is an Import of Greece
Q: When a person dies, what happens to his or her soul? A: It dies too. They are the same. When the person dies, so does the soul. The best way to see this is to read the first mention of soul in the King James Bible. It reads of Adam: “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed…
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607 or 587–the Date of Jerusalem’s Destruction.
No ancient date holds more significance for Jehovah Witnesses than 607 B.C.E. Even the date of Jesus’ birth—if you fudge it by a year or two, nobody really cares because nothing hinges upon it. But 607 is the base point for calculating 1914 C.E, a year that plays a big role in Witness history, and a year thought to this day to be a turning…
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Psalm 132: You Can Almost Read it Like a Housewarming
You can almost read Psalm 132 as a housewarming. First is how David went to tall that trouble to build one for God, even after God said he had never asked for one. (I like the passage about him at Psalm 50:12, ‘If I were hungry, you think I’d tell you?’) “O Jehovah, remember David And all his suffering; How he swore to Jehovah, How…
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Gifts in Men or Gift to Men: Ephesians 4:8
Q: Why does the New World Translation say at Ephesians 4:8 “gifts in men,” whereas most translations say, “gifts to men?” Hmm. Do they? I checked some resources and they do—by a long shot. This becomes relevant because Ephesians 4:8 was the theme scripture for a recent Watchtower Study: “Show Appreciation for “Gifts in Men”—from the October 2024 issue. I thought at first that the…
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Higher Education to Mess with Your Head
The publications of Jehovah's Witness publications have not had a kind word for higher education. Just recently, the Watchtower study included a paragraph of Marcia, who “was offered a four-year scholarship at a university. But I wanted to pursue spiritual goals.” She didn’t throw caution to the wind. She “chose to attend a technical training school to learn a trade that would support me in…
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“If it Were Indeed Some Wrong or Some Wicked Act of Villainy . . .”
Sometimes a guy prefers the older translation to the newer one. Like with this passage from Acts 18:14, when the Jewish bigwigs hauled Paul before the proconsul because he was teaching new things: “Contrary to the law this person leads men to another persuasion in worshiping God,” they charged, as though it was a crime. (vs 13) It was a crime, according to their rules…