Cited Article and Original Sources
It is interesting to note the manner in which the Watchtower Society often uses quotes. In paragraph two of their previous letter, they drew my attention to the article “Questions from Readers” in the 15 January 1962 issue of the Watchtower.
This is a scan of that article:
Notice the reference to the New York Times from 1956. Specifically, the Watchtower article states: “Oceanographic studies reported on by Dr. Rene Malaise and published in the Swedish geographical magazine, Ymer, tell of findings that indicate that there was once a 'Mid-Atlantic Ridge,' crossing that ocean above the surface." Judging from the context, it would appear that this New York Times article is speaking in support of a global deluge that occurred some 4,000 years ago. Or, at least, that’s how the Watchtower Society seems to want its readers to interpret the quote.
Here is the New York Times article:
The New York Times article, when not taken out of context, is clearly shown to not be providing support to a global deluge some 4,000 years ago, but to an unusual deposit of freshwater in the North Atlantic. In paragraph three of the Times article, we see that the ridge ceased to exist approximately 10,000 years ago – long before Noah’s flood.
As another example, notice page 421 of the 1968 Watchtower, which the Watchtower Society included with their response letter:
The sixth paragraph on this page of the article quotes from the Saturday Evening Post. Notice, especially, that the Post article seems to suggest that the “Frozen Giants” suffered a watery demise. Not only that, but the water demise is shown to have occurred rapidly, as “many of these animals were perfectly fresh, whole and undamaged, and still either standing or at least kneeling upright.” This fits in perfectly with the Watchtower’s teaching that the Flood caused an immediate and substantial change in temperature in the Earth’s northern latitudes.
But here’s the whole quote, as it originally appeared in the Post:
Here we see the article provides a brief history of the hypotheses originally espoused by those who discovered these frozen giants. But, in the third paragraph, it points out that the earlier hypotheses had to be dropped once more information came to light. It states: “These facts indicated water as the agency which engulfed the creatures”. But then the paragraph immediately details why this is no longer believed to be true. The final sentence of the paragraph serves as a refutation – not a support – of a watery demise.
The Watchtower Society’s publication Benefit from Theocratic Education (page 225) says: “Make sure that your use of quotations and statistics harmonizes with the context from which they were taken”.
And the 01 February 2004 issue of the Watchtower (page 30) states: “Many are of the opinion that rather than trying to understand, we should simply believe. The Bible writer Luke, however, did not share that opinion. He did research and provided accurate information so that others might ‘know full the certainty of the things’ that he had written.”
Click Here to Read the Fourth Letter to the Watchtower Society
