Posts by RevFrank

5

Happy To Read About Positive Experiences.

by Golf in

jw
friends

i don't know about you guys & girls but it makes me happy to read uplifting and encouraging experiences.

yes, there is light at the end of our tunnels.

reading positive experiences gives us hope.

What Is A Religious Cult

by RevFrank in

being around comparative religions for almost 50 years i've seen many religions come and go.

of course a cult is basically when people get together and follow what ever it may be.

now when we come to religions...anything can go...why?

RevFrank

I now conclude this by quoting Christ......

Then He turned to His discpiles and said privately," Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see and have not seen it and to hear and have not heard it."---Luke 10:23-24

23

What Is A Religious Cult

by RevFrank in

being around comparative religions for almost 50 years i've seen many religions come and go.

of course a cult is basically when people get together and follow what ever it may be.

now when we come to religions...anything can go...why?

RevFrank

Thanks Noggin for the info on the exmormon thing.....Alwayshere..I'm aware of the threats on some cults if one leaves And,Qcmbr, thanks for the support.

Yes, around the beginning of the 20th century the word cult meant a group who followed something or someone, including religions...But now 100 years or so later, many of the standard orthodox christians began talking on those who left the origional christian thought and created an unorthodox teaching and became known as a religious cult.

Basically the difference of a cult is the idenity of who is Christ.

23

What Is A Religious Cult

by RevFrank in

being around comparative religions for almost 50 years i've seen many religions come and go.

of course a cult is basically when people get together and follow what ever it may be.

now when we come to religions...anything can go...why?

RevFrank

Great thought greendawn.....Fullofdoubtnow----the 2 questions are yes, to me, also...And DannyHaszard..point taken and I was up there in Maine for 5 weeks..just got back.

If I came to you and told you I was gay, what would you think?

GAY.......a homosexual. at one time to be gay was to be happy. Things and words change. The same thing for the word, "Cult."

Cults are from a few people to groups of many following a thought, idea, an example, a person, place, or thing or better yet a group or a religion that does not follow orthodox teachings of Christ.

It's so sad that there is no known forum, like this one, for Mormons. So I'll try to make this as short as I can:::::::::

LDS thology is they teach that Lucifer is the brother of Jesus---LDS,(Brigham Young) taught that Jesus was Adam and brought Eve, his wife to earth, as Adam and Eve, and to propagate the earth. And that Adam, Jesus, and God are the same.

In the Book of Mormon, ALMA34:36 states that the Lord dwells in the heart of man...,yet in Doctrine and Covenants 130:6... states that the Father and Son dwelling in the heart of false. Yet these books are doctrine for any mormon yet the books contradict one another.

Mormons believe that God created man. And the mormons teach that man exalted himself to godhood. Then a paradox comes into play here. If God created man, yet man exalted himself to godhood....who came first--God or man?

So speaking of being orthodox, the LDS is as far away from orthodox christianity as the earth from the ending of the universe.(my example)...lol. a religious cult leaves orthodox teaching behind.... 1 more point.....

Joe Smith( founder of the LDS) stated that when the apostles all died a Great Apostasy came across the earth. Yet Jesus told Peter in MATTHEW 16:18, "And I say to you, that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build My church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

PEACE

3

As a struggling JW, how easy was it to dismiss the Mormonism Truth claim?

by Noggin in

i am running into a few people on this board who are really struggling with trying to leave the jehovah's witnesses.

i want to post a question that might be beneficial.

if you struggled with leaving the jehovah's witnesses, why didn't you struggle with the mormon exclusivity claim?

RevFrank

point taken...Wish there was a site like this one on Mormonism.

23

What Is A Religious Cult

by RevFrank in

being around comparative religions for almost 50 years i've seen many religions come and go.

of course a cult is basically when people get together and follow what ever it may be.

now when we come to religions...anything can go...why?

RevFrank

Being around comparative religions for almost 50 years I've seen many religions come and go. Of course a cult is basically when people get together and follow what ever it may be.

Now when we come to religions...anything can go...Why? Anyone can create a religion.

So I have gathered together some info on religious cults compared by orthodox christianity....

What is A Cult?
The media views such groups as Jim Jones’ People’s Temple and David Koresh’s Branch Davidians as cults, but not groups such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). Really? lol
The dictionary defines a cult as "a group of followers." Well, that's not saying much.
Psychologists and secular counter-cult organization define a cult as a group which deviates from cultural norms, not according to the doctrine of the group. Christians define a cult primarily as a group whose doctrine departs from biblical teaching and historic Christianity. For example, the American Family Foundation says, "It is the use of deception and unethical manipulation, not a group’s theology or ideas, that qualifies a group as a destructive cult." But this definition is inadequate because bad behavior follows bad beliefs.
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For the Christian, Dr. Walter R. Martin states:
"A cult, then, is a group of people polarized around someone's interpretation of the Bible and is characterized by major deviations from orthodox Christianity relative to the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith, particularly the fact that God became man in Jesus Christ." (The Rise of the Cults, page 12).
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Another good Christian definition is:
A cult is any group that claims to be Christian, but whose teaching and practice actually contradict the standard, orthodox, Christian doctrine and practice found in the Bible and expressed by historic Christianity
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Cults are identified by two major characteristics: (1) Although they usually pose as being the true expression of Christianity, or an effort to restore true Christianity, cults possess distinct religious beliefs not found among any other groups. These beliefs are almost always based on extra-biblical sources either from other writings or by the leaders themselves. (2) Cults also usually have a highly centralized leadership structure that requires complete loyalty that belongs only to Jesus Christ
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Patterns in the Cults
The four basic operations of math, when applied in the following manner to any religious group, will aid Christians in detecting theological errors which characterize a cult.
+ ADDITION +
Does the religious group under consideration add to the Word of God through indispensable publications that claim to give the Bible's clear meaning or through present-day direct revelation from God? In other words, the Bible alone is not the source of authority.
- SUBTRACTION -
Does the examined group subtract from the person of the Lord Jesus Christ by making Him less "God" than His Father or by elevating man one day to become like Him? Does the group subtract attention and loyalty away from Jesus Christ in order to focus on allegiance to the group.
x MULTIPLICATION x
Does the group under consideration multiply the requirements for salvation by making works a necessary condition?
The system of salvation for many of the major non-Christian groups can be better understood by the formula:
FAITH + WORKS = SALVATION
The biblical plan can be described by the formula:
FAITH = SALVATION + WORKS
÷ DIVISION ÷
Does the religious group in question divide the loyalty of its members between God and itself and its leaders? Also, does the group make devotion to the organization or leader a test of faith and consider adherence to itself the vehicle of salvation for the follower?
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Biblical Teaching on False Teachers
The following passages shed light on the identifying marks of cult leaders:
Deut 18:22; Jer 24:16-32; Ezek 34:1-10; Matt 7:15-20; Matt 23; 2 Cor 11:4, 13-15; Jude.
Characteristics of a Cult or Spiritually Abusive Group
These characteristics can also be found among some Christian groups. In such cases, this is called "spiritual abuse."
Exclusivity - they are the only "ark of salvation." You can’t leave and be saved ("breaking up is hard to do").
Elitism - all other groups are inferior, apostate, or false; it’s "us against the world."
Information control - They decide what you should know and believe. You are not free to read or listen to other sources.
Submission - to the leader and group is required, usually a special title must be used when addressing the leader.
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http://www.frontlinemin.org/
----can be found in the web site
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Another cults can be found
http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=620

22

Abraham

by HelpWanted in

i'm new here and i had a question i was hoping you could help me with.

why does james 2:21 say that abraham was justified by works and yet romans 4:2 says that he was justified by faith?

also genesis 15:6 says he was justified by faith?

RevFrank

Funny thing you say about Abraham...Abraham was justified by faith, because He believed God would do it..By Faith.

And because Abraham had faith...which came natural, he lived by faith in doing works which Abraham knew that no matter how much works he did, it would never save him.

One just can't be a christian and continue evil. Nor can one live, just a good life and be saved. One needs to rely on Christ and follow the example of Christ to be given, "Grace."

Christ offers, "grace," too all....and it depends on if you accept it. Christ did say that if we show love towards one another, others will know...

4

Learning about the Amish (of all things) gave me hope for the JWs...

by Jamelle in

jw
friends

as part of an education program held at the hospital for which i work, i learned some things last week about the amish communities.

i had always known that they practiced shunning, and that sounded so much like the jws, that i'd always lumped both groups into the same "general" category and thought no more of it.. ironically enough, there is a quote on one of the amish church books that really caught my attention.

i immediately applied it to my knowledge of the jws.

RevFrank

The Amish are basically a christian group. They are a closed society and they choose...not an org... to live their way simple.

"Idle hands are the devil's playground.." they believe the modern society makes it easy to ponder other things, then scripture. I agree....

I have a relitive, Ann is her name...is amish....I spent the summer with her family.......If you aren't afraid of hard work, you'll servive....lol.

Yes...they shunn the outside world. Look at it..it's a mess. As for shunning itself..it's scriptural....

They shun for many a reasons.....mostly it's disipline. If I was shunned...I'd have a choice to either stay and show remorse..or leave. Depending on what I did that caused it.

I defend them....Why? They are a part of the bride of Christ.....

43

Why does "god" permit evil, wickedness and tragic misfortune??

by Shining One in

i don't know of anyone who can answer this question totally but i do like this man's response!

i've posted the link to this before.

rex .

RevFrank

I read what the fellow wrote. But of course all this stuff on evil vs. good has no existence on evil.

Good has always been. The word evil is man's understanding the opposit of good. If anything, God created good,,,which is purity.....anything less man created evil, or whatever one thing is opposit of good.

Since Satan is the opposit of Good......man said...evil.......or whatever you like your fancy...:-)

My opinion folks...lol

26

Do the Original books of the Bible still exist?

by Gill in

i was talking about a born again neighbour of ours on my topic on 'is j k rowling a witch?

' today.. one thing, during our discussion that she brought out was that she had actually seen first hand the original books of the bible.

i told her that the whole, unconditional, originally written scrolls books as first put down, 'pen to paper' as it was no longer existed.. she said she had seen them herself in israel and hence 'knew for certain that these bible books are from god!'.

RevFrank

origional books? Let's get serious now. These books we call the bible were copied from other scrollls. The origionals have been gone forever.

So we have copies of copies of copies..

When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, experts compared them with other later copies. There was hardly any alterations. It stayed the course..........