Is the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses really an inferior form of Christianity?

by nicolaou 96 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    There is no God who finds car keys and plumbing leaks, yet ALLOWS evil, who is worth worshipping.

    The new WT for the public attempts to harmonize "God" allowing evil, yet not being its source, or testing people with evil. The same minds responsible for this new WT, are also fond of saying, "Maybe Jeehoober is testing you?", when individual dubs are experiencing hardships; these hardships are often at the hands of legalistic JW leaders.

    DD

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman

    yet not being its source, or testing people with evil.

    Things are not what they seem. Unless you have experienced first hand what it means to be innocent but not apparently so, you would not understand that justice means that you need to listen to both sides before forming your conclusion.

    "Maybe Jeehoober is testing you?"

    Not a JW teaching.

  • paul from cleveland
    paul from cleveland
    Alive I want to reach out to you because I've posted some ambiguous comments about the Witnesses. Sometimes I have trouble articulating and it takes several days to formulate the words for my thoughts. I've always felt there had to be either one true religion or no true religions. There couldn't be two true religions, could there? So with that in mind, who else could it be other than the Witnesses IF there would be a true religion? As Slim referenced the neutrality issue, it seems obvious that one basic prerequisite would be that members of the true religion wouldn't kill members that live in other countries, right? So who else does that leave? Regardless, that doesn't mean I'm going back. I'm just not worried about it. (not that I wasn't before or may not be again). IF Jehovah is real, I'm completely comfortable leaving my fate in his hands. If he wants me dead forever I'm okay with that. I'm sure there is nothing I can do to change his mind! He'll have to live with himself, not me. Of course, that's how I'm feeling lately but that will most likely change (as usual).
  • DATA-DOG
    DATA-DOG

    Fisherman,

    Pay close attention. Injustice is frequently passed off as a test of fitness from Jeehoobie. It may not be official dogma, but it's there. If a brother can't get appointed to save his soul ( snicker...) then Jeehoober is allowing the trial to see if that brother will learn his lesson.

    You will hear that sentiment expressed many times at meetings and conventions. The GB are doing nothing to counter these false beliefs of the rank&file.

    DD

  • Fisherman
    Fisherman

    Pay close attention. DD

    OK.

    There are 2 variables in your comments.

    1. Because God allows evil, is He doing evil somehow and hence not worthy of worship.

    2. Can a JW leader exploit a teaching to justify some action?


    I was responding to the first part of your post that deals with God not being worthy of worship. In response to your second post, the JW teaches that God having the power to bring relief to a particular hardship many times chooses to allow it inspite of pleadings from a servant. But JW never teach that He is the cause or source of it although some people can conclude that He is (derivatively)

  • Ucantnome
    Ucantnome
    Being held responsible for taking correct measurements with a ruler does not entitle a person to define the ruler ( how long should an inch be .)

    If my father asked me to take a measurement and my three brothers offered their six inch rulers and after a while I came to realise that they were all slightly different rulers I would have to decide as best that I could which one I was going to use or whether I would average it out as best that I could so that I didn't end up with something that was longer than it should be,

    With that in mind. When I was a Jehovah's Witness there came a time that I had to decide whether I would continue joining those who had identified themselves as Christ's brothers in the preaching work or not.

    I didn't feel that my conscience would permit me to do that. In coming to that decision although still holding to the my faith in Christ, his death and resurrection and living a Christian life I was not really a Jehovah's Witness.

    When I was a small boy and was calling door to door with my father he had a long discussion with a woman who attended the local church. One of the points he discussed was the generation that is mentioned in Matthew and how close the end, Armageddon was. She responded that this was his JW interpretation. He responded that the bible interprets itself.

    My father I believe was engaged in the declaring of the good news of Jehovah's newly established kingdom and there was a message of judgment. (Rev 19:17) He understood at that time from his study of the bible with the aid of the Watchtower publications that the Tribulation had started in 1914 and very soon Armageddon would come. In the Watchtower of April 1 1966 page 216 it mentions that 'persons who belong to a religion of Christendom should give more than the usual attention to this good news of the Kingdom being preached. That reason is that there is a judgement message that accompanies the good news.'

    My father is now dead.

    However some Witnesses came to my door shortly after and had a similar message.

    One an elder said that it didn't matter if it was 1914 the Messianic Kingdom was born or some later date and the other one although raised as a witness hadn't in my view led an exemplary life having been disfellowshipped at one time and married a few times.

    Standing on my door and effectively telling me that my family, one who attends church, needs to 'give more than the usual attention to this good news of the Kingdom' (as the previous Watchtower stated)unless the message has changed, based on Revelation 19:17.

    The one who attends church is a doctor of theology and was raised with an understanding of Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs. So I think more that the usual attention has been given. However this one feels that they could not support 1914 and by the sounds of it the elder on my door was having a difficult time himself. This one has also led a good Christian life.

    So I questioned them on who may survive Armageddon but they said they didn't know.

    "Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd," as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil." Watchtower 1989 Sep 1 p.19

    With this in mind I feel that our conscience must decide what we believe is Christian.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    Call yourself a Christian? Then the Jehovah's Witnesses are still your brothers and the rest of your journey is still in front of you - Nic

    One could as well say:

    Believe that you've discovered the Truth about reality? Then Jehovah's Witnesses are still your brothers and the rest of the journey is still in front of you.

  • goingthruthemotions
    goingthruthemotions

    Why would you even rank Jehovah Witnesses has a religion at all?

    it's business, it's a captive cult!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Don't group this tripe with anything spiritual.

  • slimboyfat
    slimboyfat

    One sister always used to say: half of us are here to test the other half. By which I think she meant to say that half the people in the congregation were real "servants of Jehovah" whereas the other half were not real worshippers but were put there by Jehovah to act obnoxiously and test the faith of the righteous ones.

    Another brother always talked about "decoy ducks" which apparently was code for people he didn't like too much and he reckoned were satanic infiltrators into the congregation. Sometimes the publications have talked about false Witnesses entering congregations in Russia and elsewhere and brothers latch on to these things to accuse each other of being undercover agents of Satan.

    Am I the only one exposed to this crazy stuff?

  • Half banana
    Half banana
    @Paul from Cleveland, it is no more likely that there is true religion any more than it would be to find true politics.

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