by nicolaou 38 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Unfortunately you are covering the surface of beliefs of all christianity. The core belief of all christian religions have always been debated for years and years. Trully, I know it is dificult to uniform christianity with a type of dogma or system of belief, but it would be wonderful to clear things that easly like you think.
- Aleman
I have been there and I was a fierce defender of that religion when debating with people .I should be the last one to fall away from that religion.I was called Jezusek in Poland . Jezusek is a subtle form of the word Jesus just "John" has "Johnny" .
My priest Marcin Ziolkowski wrote a book one of the most fascinating book : Eschatology . He gave one as a gift and it got it me into the issues of religion. Later on, I got into the reading English Good News Bible ( mostly the New Testament ) as I liked the English language.
I think the year 1974 AD was my breaking year with the catholic religion and I did it by reading the Bible and thinking about it. Since I got some understanding on my own I did not joined Jehovah's Witnesses and has continued so on my own path all the time up to this day ; I see a huge gap in understanding the Bible and there is no chance I join the Jehovahs Witness Organization till the very end of the world I am predicting for 2011 AD.
Check my numerous posts on this whole forum . Check member directory : OBVES and you can add some remarks there as I am intending to go back to my previous posts ;at least some latest.
Right now I have three sisters who could tell you they are catholic.Poland is famous for her catholic roots. So , if someone goes away from that religion it is like a miracle !
I have been on my own for so many years and not a single time a thought came to me to go back to my old religion and to be a catholic again in spite of so many problems in the past.
Note that in 1973 AD I thought that me and my physical brother were those two witnesses from Revelation 11.1-10 and we were going to begin a great mission to proclaim the end of the world and were going to defend our catholic religion ! This would have been a worse disaster than the prediction of the end by Jehovah's Witnesses for 1975 AD !
At some point in still right time I recognized my brother cannot be one of the two witnesses from Revelation 11. The change soon came in my views and I am so happy I broke with my Catholic religion.
Really God Yahweh must break loose a person from false religion . Read what had happened in Egypt when Moses was there and performed great miracles .How it was difficult to make people free ?
If I were to choose a religion - apart from my current views- I would pick Jehovah's Witnesses organization, seeing it right now as the best christian organization.
I like the Christian Science for Sentinels . The Adventist religion is good to some degree.But the Catholic religion is so far away .I will never be a Catholic again I am sure in 100 % because I have found so many mistakes in that religion.
Have you heard about Harold Camping - a fascinating US preacher ? He could explain you how contrary is Catholic religion when checked up using the Bible.
To my best knowledge the Protestant religion is better than the Catholic religion.
Thank you all, especially Lilly and Aleman. With such a wide diversity of opinion amongst the Christian community would it be unkind to suggest that Christianity is being treated as something like a Smörgåsbord where each believer can pick and choose the tenets and rituals that suit him best?
I don't say this to denigrate, just to highlight the difficulty that is often encountered when trying to debate with Christian believers. You're never quite sure where a Christian is 'coming from'.
Nic,
I understand why you feel that many are trying to pick and choose their own beliefs within Christianity. But the truth is there are only a few doctrines that most would consider essential to being a Christian. The rest of what is taught in most churches are their own doctrines that are unique to them or tradition of their church leaders.
I spent 25 years of my life trying to find the "right" or "true" Christian church and then it finally came to me that the answer was not in what church I attended or what doctrines I believed in but rather the answer came in the person of Jesus Christ.
At the time Jesus began his ministry, the Jews were under a heavy religious burden of the Pharisees. Jesus called them hypocrites and offspring of vipors because they were so concerned with judging who was/was not righteous in their eyes that they did not show love and mercy to anyone. To them, following every jot and letter of the law became thier God and they forgot why those laws were set into place to begin with. They were set into place, not because God ever intended anyone can follow them perfectly but simply to point to thier need for Christ.
Christ was anti organized religion if anyone was. He taught about a time when all people would worship in "spirit and truth" and not need to go to a certain place or follow a certain creed. No wonder the Pharisees wanted to get rid of him. They realized that if people went thru Christ to God, there would be no need for pharisees, or priests or reverends today for that matter.
Now, I am not saying there should not be people in teaching positions or authority in the churches. That is fine. But, if anyone tells you as a Chrisitan you HAVE to believe a certain doctrine of a particular church or follow their traditions otherwise Christ will not accept you, that man or woman is a liar and does not have Christ in them.
Being a Christian means to be a follower of Jesus Christ and his teachings and I believe that you should follow him as far as you personally understand his teachings. Because ultimately we will be judged not on doctrine but on how much love we showed to others. The Apostle Paul even said where we (Christians) disagreed on a matter, let love cover over any discrepancies.
So you see, it is not about doctrine at all and that is why you see so many differences of opinion. I hate to use the term "True Christian" for who am I to judge anyone?, but really a true one will exemplify Christ's love and humility and not be dogmatic in their views. For the bible itself states that the church will not be complete until Christ returns again and that is when we will all at the same time be brought up to complete knowlege of all the truth.
For now, Like Paul said "we see in a hazy mirror" meaning many things pertaining to scripture are unclear. And will be until Christ's second coming.
To sum up, it is love and mercy that identifies one with being a follower of Christ, not correct doctrine or bible interpretation.
Peace unto you, Lilly
Yes= 1. Don't question anything. 2. Always do what we say. 3. Crush your own opinions we will give you new ones.
1.Cor.2:2 - For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
While I agree with the Apostle's Creed I suspect there is a minority who might not, usually due to ignorance over what it means. Its a similar thing to when individuals claim that they believe in evolution and include unsupportable statements about biogenesis before revealing that they're only really spouting third-hand "stuff".
I suspect that most would agree that in its simplest terms its about a relationship with Christ. Everything else is window dressing.
I like this it sums it up pretty well:
"In essentials, unity, in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity."
St. Augustine of Hippo
Burn
This has to be a special secret set of doctrines unkown for ages by men that points clear which religion is right in God's eyes and which one is not . Most christian religions are heading for disaster as the Bible teaches.You have to deal with the most complex set of rules which make a given religious organization right while other is rejected.
You have to prove the Bible is applicable in our times .This is a very difficult process unknown for centuries.
Prove me ,for instance , that the letters by Paul addressed to Corinthians are directed to people in our times.
Bumped for Paul Grundy
