Thank you, dear LV101 (again, peace to you!), but I meant your reference regarding "the scripture about continuing to associate together and build one another up..."
I remain terrified of holy rollers and other Pentecostals.
By why is that, dear BOTR (peace to you, as well!)? Have you not read/heard that "Perfect LOVE... casts ALL fear... OUTSIDE"? Love for such folks, regardless of their "religion", should rid you of your fear. Indeed, if God is FOR you... WHO can be AGAINST you? Which is something that always fascinated me about JWs, who used such statement... but like so many others, obviously didn't get the sense of it.
Although Paul does list "speaking in tongues" , I can't tolerate even being within five miles of someone speaking in tongues. Demons on the loose! Santierra candles appear in NY Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. My cultural bias is strong.
Indeed, for nowhere... and from no one... other than the WTBTS... are we told that demons speak... in tongues. True, there is the tongue of angels (take note, dear PSacto... and the greatest of love and peace to you, dear one!)... but demons don't speak it because it is a pure language. In every case documented in the Bible, they spoke in very clear language... in the tongue of whoever they addressed... so as to be understood and need no interpreter. They even acknowledged my Lord... as Christ AND the Son of God. But may I ask you: if Christ didn't fear demons... and the Apostles didn't fear demons... and Paul/Barnabas/Luke, etc., didn't fear demons... where do you get this fear? While I'm sure there are a couple/few others, the only sources I can think of are: the Catholic Church (because of their exorcising rituals), the movies... and the WTBTS.
The Holy Spirit is tricky.
Ah, no, dear one. There is absolutely NOTHING tricky about him. It is earthling man who is tricky. Demons aren't even tricky. They are impotent... unless given power. They have no authority, so they can't take it - it must be given... either by the one over whom they hold control, or someone who has taught/led/compelled such one to give it inadvertently. And that would never be the Holy Spirit because a house divided against itself cannot stand.
Henry VIII's persecutions.
The Holy One of Israel... who is the Holy Spirit... was not involved. That was the man, Henry... and his religious advisers, false christs and false prophets that they were.
Slaughter of the Hugenots. The Inquistion.
Again, my Lord was not involved, not at all. Again, men... corrupt, wicked, offspring of vipers. Following the leadings of THEIR father, and not the Most Holy One of Israel, JAH of Armies.
It seems to approach God when no political power is involved.
I don't understand this statement, sorry.
As a New Yorker, 9/11 shook me to my very core. We responded admirably.
Just as Hiroshima most probably shook the Japanese to their core. And bombings in Indonesia, all over Africa, Pakistan, Iraq, the fall of Jerusalem, and all other man-made disaster have shook people to their core. The only difference here is that "we" thought "we" were impenetrable. So did Babylon, dear one. And Jerusalem. And Japan. And... and... and...
It strikes me that the Taliban and the WTBTS are the same creature.
Not quite, dear one. The Taliban is interested in preserving its way of life, which is dependent upon two things: opium and keeping women in a submissive position. While it true that the WTBTS may have some interest in keeping women in a submissive position, their primary goal is to mislead, if possible... EVEN the chosen ones. Thus, their false christs and false prophets.
I hope this has helped and, again, peace to you!
A slave of Christ,
SA