The REAL origins of JW's (look it up at your local library)

by ithinkisee 11 Replies latest jw friends

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  ithinkisee

  Don't just go back to the 1800's to research JW's. Go back even further - to the First Century. In the first century, even during the time of the apostles, destructive sects were attempting to divide the congregations. You can read about some of it in Galatians, 1 Timothy, and especially Colossians (the whole purpose of book of Colossians was addressing the cult problem in the 1 st century). The Watchtower mentions it from time to time but funny thing is, they never really TELL you the names of these “destructive sects” (cults), and they ESPECIALLY don’t tell you what these cults taught. You know why?

  The two cults were the Judaizers, and the Gnostics. The Judaizers attempted to apply Law (Mosaic Law) to grace (the Society calls grace “undeserved kindness”). The Gnostics prided themselves on a special elite class that had “special bible knowledge” (i.e. an "anointed" class) and denied the deity of Christ.

  Since the Society constantly attempts to apply Mosaic Law principles to JW’s, they are doing what the Judaizers do, and add laws to the people when Christ’s Gospel message and his ransom sacrifice should be enough (Jesus SAID that was all that was necessary – the new covenant did away with the laws). You notice whenever the Society starts talking about obedience and laying down the law on certain things, they always refer to the Old Testament and Mosaic Law stuff.

  Also, they say Jesus was just a powerful angel and nothing more. According to the early Church fathers - especially Irenaeus (http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/ ) ( http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/7831/booklet2.html) and according to every other bible except the New World Translation, Jesus was God in fleshly form.

  So, if I am reading what I am learning about Gnostics and Judaizers correctly, Jehovah’s Witnesses are based on apostate doctrines that infiltrated the congregations in the First Century.

  Anyone have good Judaizers and Gnostics references?

  Regards,

  -ithinkisee

  (Thanks to a Dr Martin MP3 I found online for pointing me to the Gnostics and Judaizers.)
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  greendawn

  For a long time I thought that the jws would feel very much at home with the judaising christians because they have that spirit of following the letter of the law. They are too works oriented and come down mercilessly on members that fail even on relatively minor issues (if they are really issues) eg smoking, celebrating christmas, attending other christian religious services, in the past for doing alternative army service etc
  
  True faith alone is not enough but they understand nothing about the grace under christ and the flexibility that it gives.
  
  Then relegating Christ to the background really makes them look like a judeo- christian heretical group they always have to obey, serve, worship, please, invoke, thank, praise, the jewish god jehovah never Christ and completely ignore the fact that the apostles called him lord and worthy of worship. That has to be a cult, when will you ever hear a jw say with Christ's help/blessing or christ willing.
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  rebel8

  Very interesting info!
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  Narkissos

  Anyone have good Judaizers and Gnostics references?

  Certainly! You can read the viewpoint of the former in the Gospel of Matthew or the Didache (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/didache.html); it is still echoed from a different perspective in the Epistle of James. The later Pseudo-Clementine Recognitiones (I haven't found an online link to them yet), which depict Paul as an outright apostate, echo their Ebionite spiritual posterity.

  About the latter (Gnostics) the core of the Gospel of John (in spite of "orthodox" additions) is a good start. The Gospel of Thomas (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/thomas.html), the Odes of Solomon (http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/odes.html), or the Nag Hammadi library (http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html) shows their further developments.

  There is more to early Christianity (even reduced to the NT) than Paul. Btw, Paul was perhaps not too far from the "Gnostics" himself.
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  DannyHaszard

  Very good thread on going WAY back but check out this History Channel say-so too.

  http://www.dannyhaszard.com/cultvideos.htm

  Must see video from the History Channel (4 minutes)

  The Millerites: Armageddon (History Channel)

  modem (low bandwidth) version

  DSl/Cable (high bandwidth) version
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  IP_SEC

  
  Most excellent post Ithink.

  This is exactly the reason for the strict almost out of character counsel at 2john 9-11. These errant judiazer preachers would travel to a congregation, not preaching the law of the Christ. So John told them (the flock) not to even show the common hospitality, (taking them in, feeding them)

  JWs are soooo obviously judiazers its not even funny.
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  Honesty

  The Gnostics prided themselves on a special elite class that had “special bible knowledge” (i.e. an "anointed" class) and denied the deity of Christ.

  A loyal DF'd dub couldn't grasp what I meant when I mentioned the JW cult is Gnostic. The average JW has no idea how apostate the Governing body is and how much they resemble some 1st century rejecters of the faith.
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  Narkissos

  Hmm... I didn't notice that one at first reading but I don't agree either.

  The proto-gnostic trends in early Christianity are just those responsible for the "higher Christological" formulations -- the Gospel of John, but also Colossians and Ephesians: "the fullness (plèrôma) of deity" (Colossians 2:9) is a typically Gnostic expression. True, in later Gnosticism there are tendencies to separate the heavenly Revealer from the "man Jesus" (docetism) and/or to consider the latter as just one avatar of the divinity among many (syncretism).

  The JWs are legalists, but not observants of the Torah as the early Judeo-Christians; they insist on doctrinal knowledge, but this has nothing to do with the mystical gnosis.
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  XBEHERE

  Excellent, well researched post Ithinkisee. I can clearly see that you are using your freedom to learn what the bible is really about. I can't believe the garbage we used to accept, the NWT is a horrible translation isnt it? The only thing it has going for it is the simple language it was written in. Too bad its a distortion of doctrine.
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  ithinkisee

  Thanks for all the feedback.

  My original post at the top was actually a slightly modified version of something I sent to a friend of mine who had been asking questions. I did oversimplify a bit - but mainly for new lurkers and stuff that come to this site. I just hope it helps them to look into some of those first century happenings and compare them with what they have learned all their lives at the KH.

  The Gnostic stuff is very confusing, and it is even hard to pin down specific Gnostic teachings. I spoke in generalities to help my friend understand the points ... the fact that the JWs are not just misguided but are in fact apostate in their teachings of Christianity is something that is becoming more and more real to me everyday.

  -ithinkisee