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Should Jehovah’s Witnesses Pray to Jesus?One topic that arises repeatedly in discussion with Jehovah's Witnesses is prayer. There are many aspects that can be explored concerning prayer, but in this brief article we will focus on one question. Should Jehovah's Witnesses pray to Jesus? Why focus on this question, since there are so many facets to prayer? For two reasons. First, Jehovah's Witnesses view prayer as an act of worship, insisting that it should only be directed to Jehovah. Second, the New World Translation (the Bible translation produced by the Jehovah's Witnesses and considered by them to be authoritative) contains interesting (some would say shocking) accounts of prayer directed to Jesus. This places the individual Jehovah's Witness in a conundrum. They receive teaching from an organization that clearly contradicts the Bible translation produced by that same organization. Many Jehovah's Witnesses have paused when shown this and are left wondering, "What should I do? Should I follow what the Watchtower says or what the Bible says?" First, let us establish the Watchtower view of prayer and
its relationship to worship. The following excerpt is taken from the
two-volume Insight on the Scriptures, published by the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society. This publication is one of their primary reference
works.
PRAYER:
As you can see, prayer in Watchtower theology is "worshipful
address", whether directed to the true God or to false gods. This
sentiment is echoed numerous times in the publications of the Watchtower Bible
and Tract Society. It should come as no surprise that the Watchtower
organization stresses prayer be offered only to Jehovah God. One example
of this will suffice.
To Knowing these things, let us turn to the New World Translation
and return to our original question. Should Jehovah's Witnesses pray to
Jesus? The account of Stephen, first martyr of the church, is found
in Acts 6-7. At the conclusion of Stephen's address to the Jews, their
anger is at a fever-pitch. They proceed to stone him to death. As
the rocks are flying, Stephen's final words shine true. Do his actions at
the end of his life agree with the Watchtower's instruction regarding prayer or
does Stephen worship Jesus at the conclusion of his life? The following quotes are taken from various editions and translations of the
Bible published by the Watchtower Society. Take note of the alternative English
renderings provided in the footnotes in each of the versions/editions.
The footnotes found in the New World Translation are quite surprising. Stephen "made prayer and said: 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" The New World Translation clearly says that Stephen prayed to Jesus. Prayed to Jesus! The very translation produced by an organization that denies the validity of praying to Jesus says that Stephen prayed to Jesus. Wow! The Bible used by Jehovah's Witnesses world-wide clearly shows them that it is perfectly fine to pray to Jesus, which is an act of worship directed towards him. Some Christians reading this might think, "Of course Stephen prayed to Jesus. What's the big deal?" Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe Jesus is God. Therefore they do not pray to or worship Jesus. However, if there is even one single biblical instance of true worship rendered to Jesus, it would be enough to overturn the Watchtower religion and open the door for the real Jesus to be known by JWs worldwide. And here it is, right in their own Bible! Some Jehovah's Witnesses reading this may object to the conclusion that Stephen is, in fact, praying to Jesus. They may try to discard or downplay the footnote, saying that "prayer" is only one of the possible meanings of the word but not intended to be an alternative English rendering by the translation committee of the New World Translation. I would remind them of the Introduction to the NWT, concerning footnotes. "We have also offered alternative English renderings of the Hebrew and Greek texts, together with variant readings of other manuscripts and versions". Take up your New World Translations and begin at Acts 7:59. Now, locate all similar footnotes [i.e. Or, "something"] and insert the readings provided into their respective verses. In any instance you examine, does the alternative rendering fundamentally alter the meaning of the text or is it simply another way of saying the same thing? In all cases that I have examined, the NWT Translation Committee was consistent in formatting alternative English renderings in that form. The Watchtower organization itself has struggled with how to handle Acts 7:59. At times, they have resorted to describing it (correctly) as a prayer.
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