by atomant 101 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
"The first question is:
On the basis of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, have you repented of your sins and dedicated yourself to Jehovah to do his will?
The second is:
Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization? Having answered yes to these questions, candidates are in a right heart condition to undergo Christian baptism."
~jwfacts
saying that its vital to stay with the congregation is new testament doctrine. JWs believe they are that congregation. However, that is not the same as saying that salvation comes through the church or its hierarchy.
I don't believe that JWs are the church of god in any sense beyond what any christian body is. But there are exclusivist churches out there that believe similarly. Plymouth Brethren would be one. Saying to stay with the church comes right out of Paul's mouth. It does not imply that the church provides the atonement or salvation.
Saying that their organization is spirit directed does not imply that it has any role in redemption. How does that differ from the Apostles telling adherents to chose for themselves spirit filled men? That's in Acts. What you object to here is that Witnesses believe they are the one true Christian faith and that if you aren't one of them, then you aren't really a Christian. I am sympathetic to that view and share the objection with you. However, this does not make the claim that anyone but Jesus and anything but his sacrifice is the basis for salvation.
Obtuse
you mean you don't like it. It's very plain. You wish it otherwise. An effective rebuttal of the WTS is accurate and uses terms as they are intended to be used. Wild claims defeat your cause. I'm not certain you know what "obtuse" means.
Salvation depends on obedience to the governing body. They sing songs about it.
quote the original.
There is no truth besides what the Governing body teaches. Salvation depends on being obedient to the FDS. The organisation is like the ark, required for our salvation.
It’s almost as if you haven’t been to KH and sat through a WT study, week in, week out for decades. This is the rhetoric.
you make assertions without backing them up. show us the actual text.
Witnesses believe they are the one true religion. That's a given. They over emphasize the place of their hierarchy. Certainly. But they still attribute salvation to Christ. The issue here isn't their view of themselves as the one true religion, but it is to whom do they attribute salvation. In their theology that's Jesus, and only Jesus. The two issues are not the same.
The governing body sends a mixed message. They claim they are appointed by God, an abuse of the plain meaning of Matthew twenty-four. They believe they are the one true religion. They believe that they lead adherents to Christ's salvation. They also believe there is no salvation apart from Christ's sacrifice. The baptismal questions were cited earlier, and they show that.
Except in definition of terms, we are not far apart. My point is that we should be exact in terms if we wish to have an impact on adherents. I also do not think it is my duty to convert a Witness. We all come to Christ at his father's leading. I think that's the point of John 4. Doubt is more common among Witnesses than they will admit. But there is also a considerable resistance to arguments that do not fit the case. Suggesting that Witnesses believe that salvation comes through the Governing Body is off the mark. Witnesses do not teach that. They do teach that the Governing Body feeds them truth. That's questionable on many levels.
