Apostasy from JWs? That's not what the Bible says...hmmmm

by Awakened at Gilead 18 Replies latest watchtower bible

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  Awakened at Gilead

  I have been called an apostate in the past week by my SIL, my stepdad, and my soon to be ex-wife. It didn't help that apostasy was featured in this past weeks WT study, a point my ex was quick to remind me...
  
  I have done a quick search in the WT CD Rom to see how many times the word apostate or derivatives appear (I searched "aposta*").
  
  Turns out that most of the references to apostate are in the OT, referring obviously to a deviation from Judaism. There are only 2 scriptures in the NT that refer to apostates. Let's look at each one:
  
  
  

  (Acts 21:21) 21 But they have heard it rumored about you that you have been teaching all the Jews among the nations an apostasy from Moses, telling them neither to circumcise their children nor to walk in the [solemn] customs.

  
  
  So Christianity was called an apostasy from Moses by Judaizer opponents.. hmmm... JWs today wouldn't call themselves that I'm sure... Well there must be hope in the next verse, right?
  
  

  2 Thessalonians 2:3) . . .Let no one seduce YOU in any manner, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness gets revealed, the son of destruction.

  
  
  Well, this scripture discusses the man of lawlessness, which as we know that the WTS applies to the clergy class. I'm not a member of the clergy, and I daresay that anyone on this board is either. So no apostates then...
  
  This means that calling a person who leaves the JWs an apostate does not have a biblical basis. The next time you are called apostate (by a JW in an insulting way), ask them where the term apostate appears in the Bible and where does it refer to leaving JWs...
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  sacolton

  "soon to be ex-wife"? What?! I thought things were going good between you two and that she was making progress. What's the deal?
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  Mary

  One thing I find that's very interesting, is that Jesus was never "disfellowshipped" or "ex-communicated" from Judaism, even though he was considered Public Enemy #1 by the religious leaders of the day. Sure, the Pharisees told the Jews not to listen to him, but nowhere do the scriptures indicate that they were ordered not to even say "hello" to him. Nor were the Apostles or the earliest Christians forbidden to speak with their fellow Jews, even though they obviously disagreed on who Jesus was. In fact, Christians were still allowed to use the Synogogue up until Jerusalem's destruction.

  Nor did Jesus himself forbid any of his followers from having normal, everyday conversations with their Jewish family and friends who did not accept him as the Messiah. Surely if 'apostasy' and 'disfellowshipping' are grounded so thoroughly in the scriptures, Jesus would have mentioned them.

  Maybe ask your family members about that one.
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  New light for you

  they just love that word!!

  say it with me.....

  "APOSTATE"

  It instills fear in man, woman and child! works great! good job FDS!! It honestly has taken on a life and meaning of its own, thru the WBTS. Formed to instill fear for their mind controlling cult.

  DUH. (not like you didn't know that!
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  blondie

  Notice that throughout last week's WT study article, it was never detailed what apostasy is. Imagine, the WTS will disfellowship a jw for it but does not make clear exactly what it is they should avoid doing or saying. In short, the WTS believes that anyone who does not wholeheartedly support every doctrine the WTS teaches (even if it is reversed years later), they will be df'd. Obedience to the WTS is more important than being obedient to God and his words..............
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  burningbridges

  Sigh. Im an apostate. An ap-a-who? They dont even know what the word means. The 1980 Watchtower defines Apostate as this:

  2

  The word "apostasy" comes from a Greek term that means "a standing away from," "a falling away, defection," "rebellion, abandonment." The first one to fall away from the true worship of Jehovah was Satan the Devil. He was therefore the first apostate. (John 8:44) He caused the first human couple to become apostates. (Genesis, chapter 3) Very early in the history of Israel there was a "falling away" or ‘turning aside’ from true worship. We read:

  "Even to their judges they did not listen, but they had immoral intercourse with other gods and went bowing down to them. They quickly turnedaside from the way in which their forefathers had walked by obeying the commandments of Jehovah."—Judg. 2:17.

  3

  Later, many of the kings of both Israel and Judah became apostates and led the nations they were ruling over into a course of apostasy. God first punished the northern kingdom of Israel, saying: "Against an apostate nation [Israel] I shall send him [Assyria]." (Isa. 10:6) And just before the destruction of Jerusalem, capital of Judah, by the Babylonians, Jehovah stated: "From the prophets of Jerusalem apostasy has gone forth to all the land." (Jer. 23:15) Apostasy or falling away from the true faith certainly brought no blessings to Israel and Judah

  we can see from Awakened's research that that is not what the bible deciphered it as....

  burning
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  Awakened at Gilead

  Apostasy or falling away from the true faith

  Yes, the arrogance of the WTS to always assume they are the only true faith. Of course, then, disagreeing with them = apostasy in their eyes.

  But they have no right to appropriate the title "only true faith"... that is where the problem lies. Take away that premsie and the JWs can't support their doctrines.

  In other words, 'our doctrines must be true because we are the only true religion'. (Circular reasoning). And thus, any who disagree are apostates.

  I agree with Blondie, though, the WTS is qyuite vague with their difinition to allow elders widespread latitude in enforcing the anti-aposta-rules, lol
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  aligot ripounsous

  I was honored being called apostate by an elder last WE because I had publicly said the week before that in the mature-grain-being-harvested parable in Mark 4 :26 the sower must be Jesus and not the JW publisher. Very convenient term when they want to stigmatized someone.
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  darth frosty

  Is it true That the society never really talked about apostasy or disfellowshiped anyone for apostasy till the 75 debacle?
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  jaguarbass

  The way to recognize when someone has conceeded the argument is they start calling you names, like apostate.

  That means they are out of ammo.