by Gill 23 Replies latest watchtower bible
As far as I'm aware, no other apocalytic group, in which I include Seventh Day Adventists,Born Again christians, Mormons etc cause as much controversys as the JW's. I hadn't even realised that Born Again Christians were apocalyptic until I was told by one that 'the end was coming' this week and the Tsunami was an act of God to warn us.
So is it just Shunning and harrassing people from door to door that makes the JWs different? Or could it be their unique form of stupidity?
Ironically, they are not unique in any of their beliefs (exceptiong perhaps their tenacious grip on certain specific dates). It's the way they've bundled it all together into a destructive whole, that makes them unique.
I guess you can find a lot equally and more stupid things around. What I feel is unique in the WT's blend is its unified character. Millions of people over the world parroting the same bs with very little variants.
United stupidity.
I'm with LT on this, but I would also add that JWs also haven't been willing to change or tried to merge with mainstream as other religions have. I would say that type of stubborness is unique.
Also, something that I now find offensive that I didn't used to is their 'We're no Part of the World' doctrine. The separateness they feel from everyone else and superiority is very unfortunate and not at all appealing in fact repulsive to me.
"The separateness they feel from everyone else and superiority..."
Yeah I find it repulsive too, but I've met some Mormons that have the same kind of talk and attitude.
I agree under74, I have to admit to hearing that kind of thing from a gent who's a Born Again Christian. He has this unshakeable belief that the Lord will protect us who have faith in him. His wife gets angry with him because this particular minister uses it as a reason to avoid going to the doctors as well, and also she has to get angry with him because he doesn't strap the children in the car. 'The Lord will protect' is his annoying moto. I have always been patient with him because of past experience with religionites, and on one occassion wanted to ask him what was more important about him that bad things wouldn't happen. I know that some JWs have the same view though.
My parents told me that they stay witnesses because they believe Jehovah protects them. Yeah.
However, that seem to be a common thought amongst these religions so why the real annoyingness of JWism?
Unless it's the 'you're all going to die and we're not!' attitude. And also, I wondered, does any other religion change its doctrine as much as the JWs.
I hadn't even realised that Born Again Christians were apocalyptic until I was told by one that 'the end was coming' this week
Well, some are, some aren't. "Born again Christians" are Christians who believe they have experienced the new birth spoken of by Jesus in John 3, and they comprise a wide range of beliefs and denominations. Unlike what many JW's think, there is no "born again Christian" organization in which everyone marches in doctrinal lockstep. That is just the JW's projecting their own situation onto others.
As far as being "apocalyptic," most BAC are Bible believers, and some interpret prophecy in such a way as to make them believe that we are living in the "last days," similar to what the Witnesses believe. However, Scripture seems to apply the term "latter days" to the period beginning with the coming of the Messiah. There is no restriction to a single "generation," as JW's believe, but in fact ALL Christians have lived in the "latter days."
Is the return of Christ imminent? Most Christians believe that it is, but "imminent" may not mean what you think it does. To say that the return of Christ is "imminent," in theological terms, means that it could happen at any time, that there are no other events that must come to pass before it happens. But it doesn't mean that it must happen in the near future. It could come five minutes from now, or a thousand years from now.
Unfortunately the Jw's stupidity is not unique at all. It's prevalent in a lot of churches today.
I remember when I was in high school my next door neighbors were baptist.
Because the first gulf war/desert storm was going on their church predicted the rapture was going to occur and they even named a date.
I started getting a little nervous because they didn't pay their bills and started preparing to go with Jesus.
My neighbor came over the night before and gave me a big hug and went on about how she was sad she wouldn't be seeing me again because I wasn't saved.
I got really nervous that night thinking what if she is right and I remember praying.
Well it didn't happen and I couldn't help laughing but I also felt bad for her because she had to go to school that next day after saying she was going to be taken up with Jesus in the rapture.
She ended up quitting school and getting pregnant.
I know she has lost her faith.
I wonder if it was that way for any of the JW's in 1975.
Neon
Is the return of Christ imminent? Most Christians believe that it is,
Sorry, but I would disagree that "most believe that it is" there are more post tribbers then you think and the tide has changed back to a historic premillenial view
D Dog
