@bennyk wrote:
Although I do not claim to be conversant with the teachings of every denomination or sect that calls itself "christian", I cannot name any such that do not preach God's kingdom as mankind's only hope. Can you? While it is true that as individual denominations they may not preach in as many lands as does the Watch Tower Society, in the aggregate those other denominations preach more extensively. Furthermore, the Society preaches a "different Gospel" [citation] which stands under Apostolic condemnation [citation] and therefore does not fulfill Matthew 24:14.
@djeggnog wrote:
Yes, not one of the churches in Christendom are preaching God's kingdom as mankind's only hope. I don't feel there exists any need for me to be more specific.
@confliction wrote:
Lol... dj, I don't think you actually read what he just said here. Need some glasses? Besides that, I noticed that you didn't provide much in the terms of scriptural backing in your arguments. I counted about, 7 scriptures. I'm sure you could find a scripture for all of them though. Just don't forget that in the bible, context is key.
You're right. @bennyk used a double negative, so that I now realize that I missed the point that he was making entirely. Thanks for pointing that out.
If counting scriptures is what you want to do, then, by all means, count them. I didn't feel any need to use many scriptures in my post. You can use as many as you wish in your posts without any complaint from me. I'm not here to preach to anyone here. I'm here to discuss what topic I feel moved to join and maybe I might engage someone in a discussion.
Besides that, I just thought it would be appropriate at this time to examine (scapegoat) some other religions. Take for example a devout mormon. This mormon has examined his bible (with the assistance of the book of mormon) for his entire life, and has an answer to everything. He doesn't like to brag, but he likes to think of himself as a very intelligent person; smarter than your average mormon.
The Mormon might have an answer, the same as a Baptist or a Seventh-Day Adventist or a Muslim or an adherent of Judaism might have an answer. Devout or not, they are all of them, I believe, living their lives in a state of spiritual darkness.
The important thing to this mormon is not what others think of what he believes, because they're controlled by satan. HE believes what he believes. He has had ample time to rationalize to himself the logic in what he believes, and it all makes perfect sense. You could say that this mormon, from the evidence he's gathered throughout his life (and evidence he's ignored) has the truth. Because this mormon has the truth, he will fight tooth and nail for it, sometimes even in a rather defensive tone and demeanor. After all, the bible says to make a defense for the truth, and he is sure [without a] doubt that he has it. God would expect nothing less of him, right?
It doesn't matter what the Mormon believes to be true; if he or she should believe Joseph Smith to have been a true prophet of God, that Smith was given some golden plates by an angel named Moroni and that Smith was given the power to translate the writing on these plates, that would be his or her "truth," but not the truth as I know the Bible to be, so he or she may well fight "tooth and nail" to defend it, but so what?
So, I only hope you're gleaning the similarities here. I only hope you're taking an objective view to your truth and not trying to force your ideas upon others. Are you 100% sure you have it all figured out?
I'm 100% sure that I know the truth that has been revealed to us so far through our study of the Bible, and I do not care to force my ideas upon anyone, but to share them with those interested in hearing them. BTW, I know how to overlook zany teachings that have nothing to do with Bible truth, like I don't take Russell's pyramid seriously, but I recognize his love and zeal for God, and I also recognize that God chose to use Russell the same as He used Cyrus to obtain a release for His exiled people and used Alexander to give Tyre its comeuppance.
Going back to the mormon, he would no doubt call Jehovah's Witnesses a false religion. Does this mean he's rejecting God himself? After all, he's just stating what he personally feels he KNOWS is the truth. Does this make him an apostate of God?
No, an apostate is someone that had once been enlightened. For your convenience, here's a passage: Hebrews 6:4-6.
All I'm wanting you to realize is that there are somewhere near 33,000 christian denominations worldwide. That's 33,000 different beliefs that are all "backed by scripture" and claim to be bible based. Every one of those belief systems most likely has scriptures to reinforce their doctrine. Every single person in each of those different belief systems feels they undoubtedly "have it right". Every single person in each of those different belief systems feels they are serving the Almighty God to the best of their ability. Every single person in each of those different belief systems feels they love the Almighty God with all of their heart.
Who was it now that sowed that field in Jesus' parable with these "33,000" weeds? Here's a hint: Matthew 13:24, 28, 39. The point I would make is that just because a doctrine might be
Bible based" or "backed by Scripture" doesn't make the religion true, for clearly there is only one faith, which logically means that 32,999 of these faiths must be false.
Next, take into account those who, in an honesthearted search for "truth", have come to the conclusion that there is no God?
Then wouldn't they as well as these honest-hearted believers in evolution all just be fools? I mean, what excuse would they have for believing there is no God? Or maybe natural selection does explain how the very first self-replicating cell (equipped with DNA) came to exist so no real need exists for a Creator-God?
And what about small tribes that live in the most remote areas of the world?
What about them?
Does this mean that the epitome of love, [Jehovah/Yahweh], is going to destroy 6,690,254,041 people, just because their honest perspective in life didn't match up?
No; these "6,690,254,041" people are going to be destroyed because God's patience ran its course and no one could ever accuse Jehovah of not extending mercy to at least some of the human family who would have been among the dead were it not for His merciful provision of the ransom. You see, not everyone is going to be saved.
Remember an ancient world perished back in 2370 BC, and all but eight people survived the destruction of that world. Maybe Noah missed some of those folks that were drowned to death for a time, but he got over it, and those mourning over the deaths of these 6,690,254,041 will eventually get over it as well. For your convenience, here's a verse: Isaiah 65:17.
Would you kill 6,690,254,041 imperfect people for being wrong?
Yes, I would, considering the fact that these "6,690,254,041 people were already dead to me. For your convenience, here's a verse: John 3:18.
Yeah, you can argue that "only Jehovah can judge those who live and who don't", but your organization says it's dependent upon those who "accept God's message", meaning their literature.
God's message today is still what Jesus and his apostles preached, namely, the good news of the kingdom of God, except now we are preaching that God's heavenly kingdom has now been established, and that people of all nations are both learning God's righteousness and how to put up with the shortcomings of one another. Our literature contains miniature sermons that merely explain God's message to folks that are interested in understanding what things the Bible says, and it lets folks know that God's focus in these last days has been on the ingathering of the great crowd of "other sheep" as to whether they are serving God day and night in his spiritual temple.
Are you telling me God doesn't want me to be skeptical?
I don't think Jehovah minds.
Why is skepticism of my own belief system a bad thing?
I don't believe I said that it was a bad thing for you to be skeptical of what things you believe.
Shouldn't the truth set me free?
The truth set me free were all of the falsehoods, religious or otherwise, to which many of the people with whom I speak daily continue to be in bondage, but perhaps you learned after a few years of studying the Bible with Jehovah's Witnesses that you had no real interest in the truth. I've no problem with that.
Who really preys on the gullibility of others?
Wicked people for the most part. Why do you ask?
The opposite of skepticism is gullibility.
Is it? Does skepticism have an opposite? The skeptic might be like the apostle Thomas, who wants to see a thing because he or she accepts it as being true, but gullibility cannot be skepticism's opposite, for anyone said to be gullible believes everything, even the incredible, that he or she is told is true, whereas I, for example, am more like the skeptic, questioning everything, but believe what is credible. What am I?
Are you being objective or are you just trying to cite evidence to back your beliefs because you know they're the truth? Don't forget, the mormon would do exactly the same thing.
I'm usually objective, but I can be subjective at times. We're here talking about truth though, right, where subjectivity has no place. Is there a point you wish to make? If so, then please make it because, quite frankly, as I read your post here, you are coming off to me here as if I were conversing with a teenager.
Why else would a mormon believe those things, if he wasn't presented with "evidence" and scriptures?
You are going to have to ask a Mormon that question. Because I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and not a Mormon, I think you question would best be posed to someone that is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
