What is an Apostate? (page 3)

Gordy

From the JW elders manual "Paying Attention to Yourselves and the flock"

Apostasy.

Apostasy is a standing away from, a falling away, defection, rebellion, abandonment; it involves teaching false doctrines, supporting or promoting false religion and its holidays or interfaith activities. (Deut. 13:13, 15; Josh.22:22, ftn.; Acts 21:21, ftn.; 2 Cor. 6:14, 15, 17, 18;
2. John 7, 9, 10; Rev. 18:4)

Apostasy includes action taken against true worship of
Jehovah or his established order among his dedicated
people. (Jer. 17:13; 23:15; 28:15, 16; 2 Thess. 2:9, 10)

Persons who deliberately spread (stubbornly hold to and
speak about) teachings contrary to Bible truth as taught
by Jehovah's Witnesses are apostates.

SixofNine

Jehovah's Witnesses use the word "apostate" in much the same way that racist use the word "nigger". It labels another human as being "not of our sort", it is meant to marginalize, it is meant to dehumanize.

But is this "not of our sort" the sort of not of lol, that the bible speaks of? No, in witness terms it means "anyone who once did but now does not accept the GB as god's human mouthpiece". Nothing more, nothing less.

Much like the many black people who take away the power of the word nigger by freely using it among themselves, many ex-jw's use the word apostate in refering to themselves and their fellow ex's.

Alan said:

Of course, anyone who today uses the word "heretic" is rightly branded a braindead, fanatical bigot. Watchtower knows this very well, and so does not use the term. Instead, like the way Russell describes orthodox Catholics as having done with the word "heretic", Jehovah's Witnesses today call critics "apostates" "in loose and virtually meaningless vituperation."

I notice that "worldly people", while not understanding exactly what the word apostate means, are very quick to recognize it as use by JW's as a slur, and they are quick to see the bigotedness of the users.

badolputtytat

Then I take it... that it is basically a matter of opinion then?** On one hand JW's "rebel" against the Christian religion in general... and on the other, if their followers disagree, then they themselves become rebelious to those rebelling????? An interesting little cycle one could fall into if one went from "christian" to JW to outcast

... and I thought I was dizzy when I woke up this morning?

** which was said to begin with

JT

Needless to say, I hope that any who may be inclined to engage a known apostate in dialogue will reconsider – not only for the hitherto reasons, but more importantly because of the biblical mandate against such an act. (Romans 16:17)

]

this in my view is the most powerful statement found in this entire post- for the sake of argument, IF AND I SAY IF this poster is either a JW or a bible student of JW by their VERY BEING HERE

they have demostrated double think double speak-

as this post has pointed out for a jw to dialogue with apostates is a direct violation of the bible according to his belief system

IT IS THAT NOT WHAT THEY ARE DOING BY MERELY BEING HERE

YOU got to love a JW

Gozz

Apostasy is a standing away from, a falling away, defection, rebellion, abandonment; it involves teaching false doctrines, supporting or promoting false religion and its holidays or interfaith activities. (Deut. 13:13, 15; Josh.22:22, ftn.; Acts 21:21, ftn.; 2 Cor. 6:14, 15, 17, 18;
2. John 7, 9, 10; Rev. 18:4)

This definition, I suppose, allows the Society to apply the Apostate label to anyone who may not be overtly, or actively promoting teachings other than what they preach. It would mean getting into the mind, and probably finding something, anything, to support that claim. If someone stops attending meetings, say, that could be abandonment, and can be taken as proof of having deserted Jehovah. A Watchtower issue had defined a true Witness as one who believes everything being taught by Jehovah's Witnesses, including teaching peculiar to the organization.

Mary

The apostle John directed Christians not to accept apostates into their homes. He wrote: "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, never receive him into your homes or say a greeting to him. For he that says a greeting to him is a sharer in his wicked works." (2 John 10, 11)

Naturally, Jehovah's Witnesses never bother to check to see what John was referring to when he speaks of "this teaching". Verse 7 of 2 John says:

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist."

So what John is actually saying is that anyone who does not teach that Jesus came in the flesh is an "apostate" or an "antichrist"...........nowhere does it mention that if you don't believe and agree with all teachings in the Watchtower Bible and Trash Society, that this constitutes "apostasy", but of course, this is what the Borg wants everyone to think.

What is an Apostate?

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