Sept 1 2003 WT: Is There Only One 'True Church'?

by Mary 45 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Mary

  The latest WT magazine starts out by quoting a Catholic Cardinal:

  Just as there is one Christ, so there exists a single body of Christ, a single Bride of Christ: 'a single Catholic and apostolic Church.

  ........Although Pope John Paul II insisted that the document Dominus Iesus contained "no arrogance towards, or disrespect for other religions", Protestant church leaders reacted strongly to it.........in June 2001, one minister said that the document was the work of "a powerful faction in the Roman Catholic Church....scared silly by the spirit of openness introduced by Vatican II".........It appears that the....Catholic Curia was disturbed by what has been called religious relativism........[which is] the emergence of a pluralist theology----saying basically that one religion is as good as another...... What then, is the right view? Is there only one true church? Does it subsist only in the Roman Catholic Church? Are other churches equally acceptable to God?

  The article then drones on about the "wheat and the weeds", how the 1st Century congregation became corrupted early on and how "history shows that these churches continue to teach erroneous doctrines" without mentioning even ONE. It then says:

  Maybe you feel that you have already found that [true] church, or congregation. It is important that you make sure. Why? Because as in the 1st century, there can be only one true church. Have you taken the time to make sure that your church closely conforms to the pattern set by the first-century Christian congregation and that it loyally adheres to the teachings of Jesus Christ? Why not examine this [your religion] now? Jehovah's Witnesses will be happy to help you to do just that."

  Isn't that interesting? If a member of the congregation sets out to "make sure" that the WT "closely conforms" to the teachings of Jesus Christ, and they come to the conclusion that it doesn't, then they are "apostate" "worthy of the second death" "murmurers" "complainers", "running ahead of the organization" "haughty" "arrogant" "not following the F&DSC", but everyone else in the world is allowed to examine THEIR religion.

  Isn't it interesting how the first century congregation had the 12 men taught directly by Jesus Christ, they had the Holy Spirit guiding them and according to the WT, they fell into "apostacy" within 60 years of it's inception. Yet the religion that Charles Russell started, over 130 years ago, was not headed up by the men taught directly by Jesus and even the WT admits that they have never had the guidance of the Holy Spirit the way they did 2,000 years ago, yet no one ever stops to wonder why it's remained so totally pure over the years, why it's never been corrupted with "apostasy". Must be nice to be so perfect.
• 

  jgnat

  Thank you, Mary. It would not be a bad idea for me to have this magazine around if anybody questions my motives for thoroughly investigating WT claims. I went hunting down how the Catholic church sees themselves. This links to their catechism. Check out their claims for continued apostolic succession.

  http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p1s1c2a2.htm

  Sound familiar? As the WTS centralizes control and hangs on to their traditions, year by year they sound more like their old arch enemy, the Catholic church.
• 

  NeonMadman

  Of course, the underlying assumption is that the true religion is embodied in a single organization that one must find and become part of in order to please God.

  Unfortunately, the Bible does not support that assumption. The Truth is a Person, not an organization.

  John 14:6: "Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. '"
• 

  freedom96

  The WTS says, you NEED to check your religion out, until you become one of us. Then, don't check it out or we will kick you out.
• 

  SpunkyChick

  The WTS says, you NEED to check your religion out, until you become one of us. Then, don't check it out or we will kick you out.

  Freedom - Well put!
• 

  Will Power

  I agree, well put freedom.

  Then there is the new bunch getting their tour of heaven. It was beautiful and totally complete with everything you could possibly imagine. When they came to a huge wall......... someone asked "What's behind there?"

  "Shhhhhh, thats the .....(JWs/Catholics/fill in the blank) They think they are the only ones here!
• 

  bluesapphire

  Does it occur to anybody that those JWs on the *fringe* and already having doubts might actually get a little push or shove by these statements in their own literature?

  I think the Watchtower constantly sticks their feet in their own mouths. I know when I was already having doubts that reading something like this would really make me *THINK* for myself. I might actually have logged on to the internet after reading such blatant hypocrisy.

  We can only hope.
• 

  Mary

  Here's a little something that happened last week that I thought quite interesting.

  My sister, who left the Borg 25 years ago, works in a downtown core where the assembly was being held. There's a few restaurants in the plaza there, and my sister was having lunch one day in one of them and was in the bathroom when a couple of Sisters came in. She knew right away that they were Witnesses, and thought she'd be nice and ask them where they were from. The second she told them that she "used to be" a Witness years and years ago, they jumped right in and asked her if she wanted a bible study. She was polite and said "no thank you" and the one gave her a filthy look and sneered "Remember this conversation when Armageddon comes".

  My sister was absolutely STUNNED at this remark. Fortunately she doesn't like anyone lipping off to her like that, so she took a coin out of her pocket, flipped it to her and said "Here's a quarter. Why do you go and buy yourself a Christian attitute." And walked away. (she used the line from "Uncle Buck" when he told the principal off, for those of you who saw the movie).

  Needless to say, I laughed my ass off when she told me this!!!
• 

  rocketman

  Fortunately she doesn't like anyone lipping off to her like that, so she took a coin out of her pocket, flipped it to her and said "Here's a quarter. Why do you go and buy yourself a Christian attitute."

  Wow, quick thinking! And a great comeback line too. What the jws said to her just goes to show how self-righteous they really are. They use Armageddon like a threat - thinking all along that as long as they do what they're told, they won't be judged. What an attitude.
• 

  DFWnonJW

  Am I reading this wrong or what?

  Because as in the 1st century, there can be only one true church.

  If there can only be one "true church" and the WT adamantly denies themselves as being "a church", then it's pretty obvious that they CAN'T be that "true church".