Identifying marks of the true religion

by ex360shipper 16 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  ex360shipper

  Saw this on JWtalk they were putting down apostates and posted this quote:

  Watchtower 1982 3/1 p. 8
  
  IDENTIFYING MARKS OF TRUE RELIGION
  
  ? Those who practice it have genuine love among themselves.—John 13:35.
  ? All their beliefs are based on the Bible.—John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.
  ? They pray for God to sanctify his name.—Matthew 6:9; Psalm 83:18.
  ? They proclaim God’s kingdom in all the earth.—Matthew 24:14.
  ? They keep separate from the world’s affairs.—James 1:27; John 17:14.
  ? They put God’s kingdom and righteousness first in life.—Matthew 6:33.
  ? They cultivate the fruitage of God’s spirit.—Galatians 5:22, 23.
  ? They obey all human laws not contrary to God’s law.—Romans 13:1-7. Do JW's meet ANY of these marks? I'll give them the preaching work, but thats it.
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  Vanderhoven7

  I'm sure most Jehovah's Witnesses would assume all these marks apply to their religion...regardless of how false their assumptions or convincing the arguments against them are. However I would challenge them on a modified version of the second item anyway.

  My Assertion: I don't believe your religion is biblical. I believe it is spurious to scripture and therefore can't be proven from the Bible.....and as such, merely represents the speculation of men. (Their response - No our religion is biblical!)

  Can you prove your religion using the Bible alone? (Their answer - YES!)

  Using the Bible alone then, can you prove:

  - that the number of anointed Christians was filled in 1935? (taught this for 70 years + till 2007) ... So 1935 was speculation - right?

  - when the apostle Paul was raised from the grave? (still 1918)

  - when Jesus began the investigative temple judgment (still 1918)

  - that Jesus Christ rejected all the church organizations on earth except the yours in 1918?

  - that in 1919 Jesus selected the IBSA to uniquely channel His truth to mankind?

  Conclusion: It seems clear to me then that the entire foundation of your religion's authority, is proven only by your religions self-authenticating speculation....not the Bible
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  Retrovirus

  OK, I'll give it a go:

  1. Those who practice it have genuine love among themselves

  The "genuine" is a classic jw weasel word, implying that any love in the "worldly" world is fake. Ask them to define "genuine" vs "non-genuine" love and how to identify it.

  2. (I'll leave to @Vanderhoven7)

  3. They pray for God to sanctify his name

  And so do all Christians who use the Lord's Prayer. They just don't incorrectly call that name "Jehovah".

  4. They proclaim God’s kingdom in all the earth

  Many Christian churches have missionaries and evangelists. Nor is the jw "coverage" in any way complete, or likely to be so "soon".

  5. They keep separate from the world’s affairs

  Not exactly. They accept pensions, health benefits and other allowances wherever they can. There's nothing creditable about taking and sneering at the giver.

  6. They cultivate the fruitage of God’s spirit

  Whatever that may mean. I think it means expelling (disfellowshipping) any deemed to fall short; so much for "genuine" love! Also, once again they cannot define exactly how they do this "better" than other denominations.

  7. They obey all human laws not contrary to God’s law

  And other denomination do not? This is not a distinguishing mark. Worse, they have flagrantly disobeyed the Working With Children legislation in Victoria until called on it. Even now many go door to door without a WWC card.

  So how do these "prove" that they are the One True Faith?

  Retro
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  NVR2L8

  The identifying marks listed above are according to the WT's definition...they also self-proclaim to be the Faithful Slave, God's organisation, to be guided by the Holy spirit...to be the happiest people in the world...
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  They left a few things off the list:

  ? They unquestioningly follow men in Brooklyn whose only claim to apostolic authority is based on their ability to eat crackers and sip wine once a year.--Matt 24:45,46

  ? They refuse to celebrate Christmas because encyclopedias say that Jesus wasn't born on Dec. 25. Yet when the encyclopedias clearly explain that Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon in 586, they deny it because encyclopedias were written by satan-inspired "worldly" people.--John 9:42
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  steve2

  If only the book they frequently cite had a chapter entitled "The Identifying Marks of the True Religion". Fact is, the Bible doesn't and all else is conjecture, conjecture, conjecture. It's like a Top Ten list: Ask people what the top ten are, and each person comes up with their own. Religion is no different.

  However, if there were such a list, I'd expect it to elevate humility and a sense of proportion near the top of the list. Unfortunately, humility and a sense of proportion are fatal to the typical religious mindset. I also heard somewhere, that people who talk about love the most, practice it the least. JWs are always banging on about how loving they are...Say no more
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  GOrwell

  I love "They cultivate the fruitage of God’s spirit."

  How in the world can you cultivate something you don't have? (The entire chapter of Romans 8)
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  Billy the Ex-Bethelite

  Hmm, that sounds like another one they should add to their list of identifying marks of the true religion:

  ? They publish a list of identifying marks of the true religion.--Deut 28:27
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  sacolton

  James 1:27

  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

  ... does the Watchtower provide for orphans and widows?

  ... does the Watchtower provide food and clothing to orphans and widows?

  ... does the Watchtower have a charity for orphans and widows?
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  NOLAW

  Does any church do so?

  NOLAW