they regard themselves as "true christians".. do you view them as christians?.
I might refer to them as a "Christian Cult" which is probably an oxymoron; perhaps a "cult of Christianity" then.
Individually, I would hesitate to say they could not be Christians. I have met some that I believe sincerely love Jesus Christ, but I question whether they actually have a relationship with Him. How can you come to, call on, and share your burdens with an angel? That's called spiritism.
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Hi Tim
http://www.giveshare.org/BibleStudy/025.apostate.html
provides a fair answer from a biblical perspective for starters
WHAT IS AN APOSTATE?
We often use "religious" words without knowing their actual meaning. Without thinking, some have used the word "apostate" to refer to anyone who has changed their views on a single doctrine. What is the Bible definition of an apostate?
"Apostate" Defined by the Bible
"Apostate" is translated from apostasia, Strong?s Exhaustive Concordance #646. There are two passages of Scripture using this word:
(1) Acts 21:20-21, " . . . many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs."
This was totally untrue, verse 24, as Paul did not teach anyone to apostatize from the law of Moses.
(2) II Thessalonians 2:3, " . . . for that day (the coming of our Lord verse 1) shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."
There would be a falling away (apostatizing) from the truth, verse 10, NOT an organization. There would be a leader in this apostasy, the man of sin, opposing the Almighty. Apostates are led into strong delusions, that they should believe a lie. They shall be condemned, verses 11-12. The way to avoid apostasy, verse 15, is to stand fast and hold the traditions which you have been taught.
From these two passages, it is obvious that an apostate is one who has utterly renounced the very foundation of the true faith, not just one who adheres to a doctrinal error (heresy), although departure from any part of the truth can and often does lead to total falling away. Under the Old Covenant, physical circumcision was the very seal of the covenant. Rejecting it would be foundational, like rejecting baptism under the New Covenant. The apostate once knew the truth, but now has "pleasure in unrighteousness" II Thessalonians 2:12. He revels in what formerly his conscience forbade him to do. His conscience is seared, I Timothy 4:1-2. He has deliberately renounced his faith and convictions.
can someone explain this scripture to me:.
and i have other sheep, which are not of this fold; those also i must bring, and they will listen to my voice, and they will become one flock, one shepherd.
(john 10:16).
Hi Tim,
"And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd" — John 10:16
The other sheep are just mentioned once in scripture in John 10:16 above. The WTS concludes that Jesus was actually saying here:
"I have other sheep...who I will not be calling until the 20th century. These other sheep will be distinguished in 1935 by Judge Rutherford, president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. They are be distinct in that they:
a. are not part of the New Covenant arrangement
b. are not members of the body of Christ, the church
c. are not saints of God
d. are not adopted sons of God
e. can not claim Christ as personal Mediator
f. are not entitled to partake of the emblems of Christ's suffering and death
g. do not have Christ’s righteousness imputed to them
h. can not expect to be raised in the resurrection of the first resurrection
i. will not be justified to life until the close of the 1000 year reign of Christ.
j. are not Spirit-begotten or indwelt by the Holy Spirit,
k. do not have a heavenly hope
l. will not survive Armageddon without affiliation with and faith in the Watchtower Society as God's sole channel of truth to mankind.
It's all just an extra-biblical self serving spin. You can check out this video for what I believe is the biblical take.
so this is the basic logical flaw in christianity i believe.
a brother identified it from the stage for me in a talk.
we all agree (as christians and jw's) that the ransom was necessary because adam lost his perfection and everlasting life.. this is a paraphrase from the talk:.
Bookmarked
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Amen Timothy.
Stick with the Bible, not the myths of men in Brooklyn.
The Bible does not say:
For whosoever believeth in Him and finds the right organization that God appointed in April 1919 after rejecting all other organizations in 1918, and submits tot heir changing doctrines and goes door-to-door as none of the apostles recommended, and probably never did in spite of misguided teachings on Acts 20:20, and accepts all of their false dates and then the corrected ones, and changing lifethreatening medical commands, MAY be granted a pass at Armageddon and a chance to earn righteousness in the 1000 year reign once they pass a final test to be true to the organization of Jehovah's Witnesses.
as a bible based organization, how do feel jehovah's organization should be reformed?
the answer is quite simple in christendoms churches:.
1. reject false doctrines like the trinity and 'all christians go to heaven' and use of images in worship.. .
bookmarked
does anyone have any wt documentation attributing error to jehovah to keep his anointed humble etc.
or wt material that holds the r&f responsible for getting it wrong?
vander.
Thanks for the info and sites. Our forum is currently being assailed by Witnesses and their propaganda and all the facts/ammo we can get is appreciated.
http://forums.delphiforums.com/kath/messages/?ctx=16&listMode=6
does anyone have any wt documentation attributing error to jehovah to keep his anointed humble etc.
or wt material that holds the r&f responsible for getting it wrong?
vander.
Hi,
Does anyone have any WT documentation attributing error to Jehovah to keep His anointed humble etc. or WT material that holds the R&F responsible for getting it wrong?
Vander
lots of jw's lead a double life.
many are young people that simply go through the motions until they can free themselves .
others have relatives or family still trapped .
Prominent Bethelite
this is an exerpt from the aug. 15, 2011 wt p.18:.
why is down-sizing an "exciting development"?
amazing how they spin it..
Bookmarked for Graphics
