by Rip 39 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
In my plan to exit the JW I thought it would be good if I adhere to another faith group, not cultish as the Jw but non trinitarian.
This is decided for the sake of my children (two sons)'s spritual safety. I researched the internet and in the non trinitarian groups I found these Christadelphian. Any idea about this group?
Regards
They are certainly very similar:
http://www.jwfacts.com/watchtower/similar-religions/christadelphians.php
You sure you're not just wasting their time though? Have you really researched the Bible objectively?
I remember they do not believe Satan is real. They came from the second Adventist same as JW. They are older then JW ( bible students )
Have a look and make up your own mind.
thanks
Hi RIP
What about Unitarian Universalists (UU)?
They seem to me very tolerant and they have some very nice creeds.
All the best to you.
Daniel
Thanks Daniel, i will check them out
'Frying Pan' and 'Fire' seems to come to mind
George
Despite the fact that they are non-Trinitarian, their view of Jesus is extraordinarily different from the Watchtower.
1. They have been around longer. They started in 1848 under the direction of one John Thomas, which means they began a whole generation before the Watchtower. They were already in existence for 4 years when Russell was born.
2. They do not accept the pre-existence of Christ. To them, Jesus began His existence in Bethlehem when he was born to the Virgin Mary. Thus when John 1:1 says: "In the beginning was the Word", The "Word" mentioned here is not Christ, but is in fact an abstraction that defines the internal reasoning of God which is then manifested externally. Thus the "Word" here refers to God's "reason", "logic", or even "thought" capability. The difference is:
Watchtower: Word= Christ, but God = not God necessarily, it can have a nuanced meaning referring to "a mighty one"
Christadelphians: Word = Not Christ, but an Abstraction of God, but God = means what it says and refers always to Deity.
3. Implicit in the Christadelphian view of Christ being merely a human, is that His work of atonement for sins for the world included the need to atone for His own sins as well.
4. Because they are more Christ-centred than the Watchtower, they emphasize His name more than any other. Indeed, baptism in His name alone and not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a unique feature they share with Oneness Pentecostals.
5. Thus they are not dogmatic members of the Sacred Name Movement, and whereas they refer to the OT God as Yahweh, they do not import this name into the NT, nor do they continuously and monotonously insist on uttering this name.
6. They seem to have a more pertinent attitude to the Bible and its revelation than the Watchtower. They do not have an overbearing GB who defines their theology and to whom alligience is demanded and owed. Their interpretations, though unorthodox, are more "reasoned" and certainly not so transient as the average Watchtower Follower has to put up with.
7. Their eschatological theology is also radicallt different to the Watchtower. There is only one "class" of Christadelphians who will reign on earth with Christ for the thousand years, while the earth is restored to perfection. Israel as a nation will be unique to the national groups during the Millennium and will maintain its distict ethnicity. The promises made to Abraham will ultimately come to fruition during this time. Like Russell's original theology, the present state of Israel is believed to have prophetic siqnificance and its modern existence is the doctrinal barometer that intimates the state of prophecy as a whole.
8. They eschew the showy display of institutional religiosity so apparent in Watchtower credibility. Thus they do not usually have permanently established and owned property where their meetings are held. The local congregation, called an "ekklesia" either meets in rented halls or in the homes of the adherents who open up their dwellings for service.
9. They do not stress the door-to-door work, rightly viewing it as grossly inefficient for proselylising. Nor do they have universal preaching workers. They do however maintain an aggressive evangelism by organizing street work, or regular displays at halls or meeting places.
Check out testimonies from former members, that's always a reliable guide.
