Posts by Vanderhoven7

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

Mark Jones writes about how Watchtower contradicts the Bible.

The bible:

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. - 1 Timothy 2:5–6

The Watchtower:

"…Jesus Christ, is not the Mediator between Jehovah God and all mankind. He is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members." - Worldwide Security Under the "Prince of Peace" (1986) pp.10-11
[1]

The bible:

“But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” - John 6:50–51
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.” - Matthew 26:27

The Watchtower:

Today there remains alive on earth only a small remnant of those chosen by God for heavenly life. Only such ones who are in “the new covenant” are authorized to partake of the emblems, the bread and the wine, during the annual Memorial celebration. Of course, all true Christians today who look forward to living forever on earth under Kingdom rulership know that this is possible by exercising faith in Jesus’ sacrifice. As Jesus told the crowd, he is “the living bread that came down from heaven.” Yet, that does not mean that those with the earthly hope ought to partake of the literal Memorial emblems, for they are not in “the new covenant,” nor are they in the covenant with Jesus to be ‘in his kingdom, sitting on thrones.’ - Watchtower 1 Feb 1988, page 30.
[2]

As a side note, remember what Jesus accused the Pharisee’s of in Matthew 23:13:

“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in.”

The bible:

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son"? - Hebrews 1:5

The Watchtower:

Jesus has “an archangel’s voice” because he is the archangel, Michael.
Jesus and Michael, refer to the same person. - JW. org, Bible Questions Answered
[3]

For Christians, the question is a simple one: Who will you go with? The bible or the Watchtower society?

An “inspired book”? Or an uninspired magazine written by uninspired men who try to “explain” it?

This man…

Or this man…?

Footnotes

[1]

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1101986071?q=limited+to+only+144%2C000+members&p=par

[2]

https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1988090#h=10

[3]

https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/archangel-michael/

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

Hi EP,

Yes, white blood cells in a mother's milk are the same as those in the blood stream.

By the way, there are 12 times as many white blood cells in organs as in the blood stream itself. These cannot be removed from the tissue of organs that are transplanted.

Why do you think Jews could eat animals found dead in their fields (unbled) with relative impunity. They would merely have to wash their clothes and be unclean until evening.

Levitcus 11:38,39 - "If an animal that you are allowed to eat dies, anyone who touches its carcass will be unclean till evening. Anyone who eats some of its carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening. Anyone who picks up the carcass must wash their clothes, and they will be unclean till evening." (see also Leviticus 17:15)

Do you think a Christian farmer today should wash and change his apparel if he eats the meat of a cow that died in his field?

Vander

PS: Cofty has a thorough study on the blood issue. I believe it is posted on this forum somewhere.

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

@EP

I was hoping you would answer:

Do you think if Paul were invited alone to the home of a pagan who was known to buy unbled meat from the shambles, that he would ask questions of conscience?

Do you believe God against organ transplants?

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

Yes, I believe God's word as well.

Milk is not blood, but a mother's milk contains millions of white blood cells none the less.

The dietary rules found in Acts 15 were temporary and designed to facilitate fellowship between Jewish and Gentile Christians. Even Pastor Russell got that right.

Do you think if Paul were invited alone to the home of a pagan who was known to buy unbled meat from the shambles, that he would ask questions of conscience?

So what about organ transplants? Would God be against a Christian having a kidney transplant from a family member to save his or her life?

Before you answer this "trap" question, you do realize that billions of white blood cells are passed from donor to recipient with every major organ transplant.

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

@ EasyPrompt,

You realize of course, that a mothers milk contains white blood cells that help protect their babies from infection and disease. Millions of white blood cells are passed from mother to child at every feeding.

Does God break His own rules...or are blood transfusions acceptable to him?

Do you believe God is against organ transplants?

69

Where Does Watchtower Doctrine Contradict Scripture?

by Vanderhoven7 in

here are some areas that i have found:.

not only is watchtower eschatology offbase, which is not critical, but so is watchtower soteriology … which is critical.

the bible says not to put trust in men who cannot save.

Vanderhoven7

@EasyPrompt

Do you believe Jehovah is against transfusion of white blood cells?

36

Seven Reasons Why Jehovah's Witnesses Are Leaving Their Religion.

by Hairyhegoat in

these are good comments to consider enjoy!.

jehovah's witnesses who leave their religion, do so for many different reasons.

here are seven.. watchtower prophecies and dates for armageddon have failed repeatedly.

Vanderhoven7

Why many don't leave..

36

Seven Reasons Why Jehovah's Witnesses Are Leaving Their Religion.

by Hairyhegoat in

these are good comments to consider enjoy!.

jehovah's witnesses who leave their religion, do so for many different reasons.

here are seven.. watchtower prophecies and dates for armageddon have failed repeatedly.

Vanderhoven7

Here is why Graeme Hammond left the fold.

"For some years I’d had a growing irritation and disillusionment with the religion: I was getting tired of the pompousness, the arrogance and the control, I felt increasingly choked by their restrictions and I was drained by their demands on my time. I was frustrated by their blinkered vision and sick of everyone being treated as a child. The meetings and conventions were tedious and repetitive and the level of judgmentalism and gossip was sickening. We were all being watched.

I was already missing meetings and making a pretence of field service. Even when I met people at their doors, I had no desire to try to persuade them to join because I felt it was unfair to entice them into such a constricted life that I hated.

In the end it was “Crisis of Conscience”, the tell-all book by former Governing Body member Ray Franz about his life in — and exit from — the Witnesses, that made me realise I could just walk away. After just two or three chapters I became starkly aware that the religion was in so many ways fraudulent, with no more claim to being “God’s organisation” than any other religion.

As each chapter unfolded, it became painfully obvious that I had been defrauded and manipulated for the entire time I had spent in the religion. Franz’s book showed plainly that it was a totally man-made, man-run organisation seized with an oversized sense of self-importance and a mean streak of vindictiveness.

Once I read that book — and followed it up with books by Jim Penton, Robert Crompton, Tony Wills and others — the more I learned about the religion I’d given so much of my life to. There was no Armageddon, no “faithful slave”, no mathematical formulation of the “last days”, no hotline to God. And no reason for me to ever set foot again inside a Kingdom Hall.

I never regretted leaving: walking away from it made me realise that I was reclaiming my life. Yet in a sense I did “look back”. The sense of anger and humiliation about the deception and control is not something you can easily dismiss. It burned me up for a long time, but today those emotions are a distant past.

I was a cult member, but I escaped. And I survived.

33

At what point, does one become apostate to the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses?

by Vanderhoven7 in

at what point does a jehovah’s witness cease to be a jehovah’s witness?

what if a witness doesn't believe some of the official teachings of the governing body but remains silent on these subjects to avoid being disfellowshipped?

is he or she an apostate to the faith?

Vanderhoven7

At what point does a Jehovah’s Witness cease to be a Jehovah’s Witness? What if a Witness doesn't believe some of the official teachings of the Governing Body but remains silent on these subjects to avoid being disfellowshipped? Is he or she an apostate to the faith? Is it possible that there is a high percentage of Jehovah's Witnesses that don't believe some of the core teachings of the religion?

Grant Davis writes:

Belief here is an interesting concept. Does it mean that you believe everything - is the gestalt important to being the belief?

For example, I knew a JW woman who was not happy with only male members operating the sound system. There’s no biblical basis for the belief, so why is it so?

My own, late parents, didn’t believe in shunning me as they saw it as cruel and inhumane. I’m sure these folks aren’t unique and if you scratch below the surface, almost every JW is going to have that small nagging doubt which they supress in favour of continued belief.

If your benchmark for belief is that JWs accept everything without question, then my parents didn’t believe.

If your benchmark for belief is clinging to a core doctrine, then at what point do doubts in that doctrine, represent apostasy?

In my own case I was concerned in the 90s that the 1914 generation had by some means passed away. I was told to leave it Jehovah’s hands. I continued to hold onto the religion until about 6 years ago. The solution to the 1914 belief was so ridiculous, so contrived and so unscriptural, it made my mind up that the religion was entirely wrong and they were making stuff up.

From that you might say that I was always in a state of disbelief which only required confirmation.

As for percentages, I have no idea.