Do Jehovahs Witnesses and Mormons explain verses,or explain away verses?

They explain away verses. Absolutely and well put. When you ask them a question about a written verse they will explain it away. Actually not even that. They will use every evasion trick in the book. A lot of the time they will refer to the Greek version of the Bible hoping you have not got around to reading that yet-even though there is no significant reason to. That usually allows confusion and wiggle room to make the escape. And why then, if the Greek version is so much more accurate, do they not use *it* in the first place?

A person would have to be on LSD or mushrooms to see where the Bible authorizes baptizing dead people.

Well normally, when a person comes up with a hypothesis [=JWs explain away verses], they will go on to test it in some sort of logically valid fashion.

The problem is, that what you ask is a completely subjective and value-judgment based question.

Let us create a hypothetical circumstance in which to examine this claim.

1. You may present your own interpretation of what you think that a particular verse should mean.

2. JWs look at the same verse, tell you why you are wrong and then tell you their interpretation of the verse.

Now then, there are several possibilities here as far as the truth or falsity of the claims go.

a. You could be wrong in your interpretation and the JWs could be right

b. Both you and the JWs could be wrong in your interpretations of the verse.

c. You could be right and the JWs could be wrong.

Based on these possibilities, we may create several logical arguments (in the form of Modus Ponens)

If the JWs are wrong [=c], then they attempted to "explain away" the verse.

The JWs are wrong

The JWs attempted to "explain away" the verse

If the JWs are right [=a], then they attempted to "explain" the verse.

The JWs are right

The JWs attempted to "explain" the verse.

Do you see the problem yet? I most certainly do. Determining whether or not JWs "explain" or "explain away" verses is dependent on whether or not they are right or wrong in their interpretation in the first place. To claim that they "explain away" verses, you would have to start with the assumption that they are wrong. Therefore, if you try to make the claim, "JWs are wrong because they explain away verses instead of explain them," you are in essence begging the question.

Might I then suggest, instead of attacking them personally or using vague questions such as this, that you instead focus on establishing the strength or weakness of the contextual, linguistic and historical evidence that the JWs use to support their points?

Many Greek scholars and Bible translators acknowledge that John 1:1 highlights, not the identity, but a quality of “the Word.” Says Bible translator William Barclay. Scholar Jason David BeDuhn adds: “In John 1:1, the Word is not the one-and-only God, but is a god, or divine being.” Or to put it in the words of Joseph Henry Thayer, a scholar who worked on the American Standard Version: “The Logos [or, Word] was divine, not the divine Being himself.” When Jesus is referred to as a god, It's a little "g". When Jehovah is referred to as God, it's a big "G".

I was an LDS missionary for 2 years and we explained verses. We never explained them away. Do you explain verses or do you just claim the love of God answers all?

They explain verses. It just happens they explain them differently.

Well dont know about mormons but Jehovahs Witnesses use the bible for everything and yes they read the bible.

Iunno.

How many witches have you personally been involved in killing, just out of curiousity?

Or did you explain 'thou shalt not suffer a witch to live' away somehow?

yeah ask us anything and we will explain.

except try doing it in person and not on yahoo answers. insulting people thru the internet is just sad. coward.

Dude, stop picking on the cults. All Christians do this and they seem to get away with it.

No more than any other Christians do. Or Don't, as the case may be.