Jehovah's Witnesses

Jason76

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What do you all think about their theology - in summary? What are some key points worth discussing?

Myself, I was one of them - all the way up to witnessing on the street. However, though, I broke eventually and now lean toward Christian Universalism (The belief all will come to Christ - even if by temporal hells.).
 

MoreCoffee

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What do you all think about their theology - in summary? What are some key points worth discussing?

Myself, I was one of them - all the way up to witnessing on the street. However, though, I broke eventually and now lean toward Christian Universalism (The belief all will come to Christ - even if by temporal hells.).

Some key doctrines that are worth thinking about are these.
  • new light is the leadership's way of dismissing all the terrible things that JWs do to their own members like shunning for growing a beard, dating or marrying outside of the "truth", keeping social contact with a shunned son, daughter, mother or father.
  • Loyalty to the Organisation comes first is code for demanding blind obedience to the leadership's whims and excusing their ruthless destruction of loving relationships within families.
  • Baptism into the organisation is what each witness receives rather than baptism into Christ and his body as the scriptures teach.
  • Reporting any misbehaviour seen, heard, or otherwise known to the elders is the road to relentless pressure and fear imposed on members by other members so that they will be obedient silent and compliant publishers.
  • Diminishing the role of Jesus in member's thinking and believing is how the Organisation elevates the governing body into Jehovah's sole channel of the Truth today.
  • Shunning everything that comes from apostates who are characterised as "mentally diseased" persons who lie and deceive at every opportunity is how the Organisation keeps its members ignorant of any legitimate criticism of it, its doctrines, its practises and so forth.
  • Teaching publishers to avoid worldly persons is how the Organisations cuts its members off from everyone outside of the society of witnesses.
  • Decrying education is how the Organisation keeps publishers poor, ignorant, and pliable. Education is a danger to them because educated people learn how to think critically and how to analyse evidence to reach conclusions drawn from the evidence rather than following whatever the Watchtower says no matter how silly it is.
There's a whole lot more but the tools and techniques used to control and enslave publishers is a good place to start when trying to waken the minds, hearts, and lives of Jehovah's witnesses.
 

MennoSota

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Charles Taze Russell falsely prophesied on multiple occasions. Judge Rutherford followed him with more false prophesy. None of their prophesy about end times ever remotely came true.
Russell's translation of the Bible has been ridiculed by all Greek scholars regardless of their beliefs. He purposely translated in order to misrepresent Jesus as only a human and not God. I could go on...but there is no need.
 

RichWh1

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That wasn't Russell that was Rutherford. He's the one who decided on interpretation of Scripture in the Organization.
Russell was a trinitarian Rutherford was a Unitarian



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MoreCoffee

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That wasn't Russell that was Rutherford. He's the one who decided on interpretation of Scripture in the Organization.
Russell was a trinitarian Rutherford was a Unitarian



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Neither Russell nor Rutherford believed in the Holy Trinity and neither man translated the bible.
 

Jason76

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Some key doctrines that are worth thinking about are these.
  • new light is the leadership's way of dismissing all the terrible things that JWs do to their own members like shunning for growing a beard, dating or marrying outside of the "truth", keeping social contact with a shunned son, daughter, mother or father.
  • Loyalty to the Organisation comes first is code for demanding blind obedience to the leadership's whims and excusing their ruthless destruction of loving relationships within families.
  • Baptism into the organisation is what each witness receives rather than baptism into Christ and his body as the scriptures teach.
  • Reporting any misbehaviour seen, heard, or otherwise known to the elders is the road to relentless pressure and fear imposed on members by other members so that they will be obedient silent and compliant publishers.
  • Diminishing the role of Jesus in member's thinking and believing is how the Organisation elevates the governing body into Jehovah's sole channel of the Truth today.
  • Shunning everything that comes from apostates who are characterised as "mentally diseased" persons who lie and deceive at every opportunity is how the Organisation keeps its members ignorant of any legitimate criticism of it, its doctrines, its practises and so forth.
  • Teaching publishers to avoid worldly persons is how the Organisations cuts its members off from everyone outside of the society of witnesses.
  • Decrying education is how the Organisation keeps publishers poor, ignorant, and pliable. Education is a danger to them because educated people learn how to think critically and how to analyse evidence to reach conclusions drawn from the evidence rather than following whatever the Watchtower says no matter how silly it is.
There's a whole lot more but the tools and techniques used to control and enslave publishers is a good place to start when trying to waken the minds, hearts, and lives of Jehovah's witnesses.

Certainly they think they are the "only true church".
 

MoreCoffee

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Certainly they think they are the "only true church".

They think many things that are not true. It is their way to proclaim their opinions as if they were the truth.
 

MennoSota

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C T Russell didn't translate the bible.
Yep, he did. He created his own translation that he required his followers to read. You still reading that New Jerusalem translation, MC?
 

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They think many things that are not true. It is their way to proclaim their opinions as if they were the truth.
They think they're the only true church. Rome thinks they're the only true church. They follow one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. Rome follows one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. See a trend? The first is labeled a cult. The second is definitely trending that way...
Run from Rome, MC.
 

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Yep, he did. He created his own translation that he required his followers to read. You still reading that New Jerusalem translation, MC?

Your claim is not true and your mocking comments are worthless opinions.
 

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They think they're the only true church. Rome thinks they're the only true church. They follow one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. Rome follows one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. See a trend? The first is labeled a cult. The second is definitely trending that way...
Run from Rome, MC.

This thread ought not be forced to comply with your anti-Catholic agenda. The thread starter wants to discuss Jehovah's witnesses' doctrine please try to respect that.
 

MennoSota

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RichWh1

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They think they're the only true church. Rome thinks they're the only true church. They follow one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. Rome follows one supreme leader and his small group of leaders. See a trend? The first is labeled a cult. The second is definitely trending that way...
Run from Rome, MC.

That's one sign of a cult; they believe that they alone have truth and no one else does.



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MoreCoffee

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That's one sign of a cult; they believe that they alone have truth and no one else does.



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It is better to help the thread starter by responding to his questions than it is to play these anti-Catholic games with MennoSota.
 

Lamb

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What do you all think about their theology - in summary? What are some key points worth discussing?

Myself, I was one of them - all the way up to witnessing on the street. However, though, I broke eventually and now lean toward Christian Universalism (The belief all will come to Christ - even if by temporal hells.).

They deny the trinity which makes me question the rest of what they believe.
 

tango

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What do you all think about their theology - in summary? What are some key points worth discussing?

Myself, I was one of them - all the way up to witnessing on the street. However, though, I broke eventually and now lean toward Christian Universalism (The belief all will come to Christ - even if by temporal hells.).

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was (a) god. (John 1:1).

The addition of (a) into the sentence changes the nature of Christ substantially. Instead of being God he was one of many. Christ's role is diminished.

When Jesus asked "who do you say that I am?" and Peter replied "you are the Christ, the son of the living God" he referred to a definite article - the one and only. Jesus replied that this had been revealed by God.

1Jn 4 refers to the spirit of antichrist that denies Jesus. A teaching that reduces Jesus from being the unique son of God to being little more than one of many seems dangerous to me.
 

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What do you all think about their theology - in summary? What are some key points worth discussing?

Myself, I was one of them - all the way up to witnessing on the street. However, though, I broke eventually and now lean toward Christian Universalism (The belief all will come to Christ - even if by temporal hells.).
I don't know much but that they believe Jesus is Michael the arch angel, he died on a pole and that they believe in an earthly utopia? I used to get them confused with mormons, don't they also believe that Jesus was just a normal man and not the Son of God?
Edit: I guess if he is Michael than it answers my last question :/
 

RichWh1

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One thing I learned is to never debate the Bible with a Jehovahs Witness rather ask them questions about the Watchtower Organization. They're not allowed to answer questions about the Org!
That's how you get them to think for themselves.



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