Jehovah's Witnesses

[fish hawk]

If your mother doesn't go to this wedding, it'll be her fault, not her elders!
No wonder some people despise the church!
Sometimes it's hard to defend.

Dude if you would like, P.M. me your phone number and I'll have her call you and yall can talk about it or better yet She could have some of Her Brother's and Sisters come by your house next Saturday and talk it over with you????They dont call there place of worship a Church...They call it a Kingdom Hall.You will never hear a JW say they attend Church, they read out of there New World Translations not the Bible,They dont call God God but call him Jehovah which means God but for some odd reason they dont say God.Also you will never celebrate a Holiday,even the 4 Th of July.

 

[hobbs27]

......Really sad the mind control they have over there members.

Will be praying for your mother that she gets through this issue. I had a JW attend my wedding and it was at a very spiritual little country church.The lady that attended my wedding may have not asked her elders at the time she was disfellowshipped by the Kingdom Hall.
It is really sad, but I don't feel nearly as bad for the adults that choose to live by the rules of this cult, but for the children that are raised in it, never celebrating a birthday and never enjoying Christmas. The worse of all hypocrisy would be those that were raised in a Christian home and later on swapped over to the JW's and refuse their own children the happiness they had growing up.
Maybe your mother or her elders will change their minds before this wedding takes place.

 

[Ridge Walker]

I've seen the JW's referred to as a cult more than once in this thread. I'm curious as to what is it about them that makes you think that.

RW

 

[NE GA Pappy]

Cult: A religious group: a group of people who share religious or spiritual beliefs, especially beliefs regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false

There is your answer. A lot of people believe that the JW's are at a minium misguided, and at the extreme teaching a false religion.

 

[hobbs27]

Cult: A religious group: a group of people who share religious or spiritual beliefs, especially beliefs regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false

There is your answer. A lot of people believe that the JW's are at a minium misguided, and at the extreme teaching a false religion.

That about sums it up.
I don't use the word lightly.I would also add that a cult will use mind control to keep its members once they've sold them into the organization.

 

[Ridge Walker]

Cult: A religious group: a group of people who share religious or spiritual beliefs, especially beliefs regarded by others as misguided, unorthodox, extremist, or false

There is your answer. A lot of people believe that the JW's are at a minium misguided, and at the extreme teaching a false religion.

By that definition, anyone that practices a religion other than your own would be in a cult then, no?

RW

 

[hobbs27]

By that definition, anyone that practices a religion other than your own would be in a cult then, no?

RW

Thats a good point, I never considered Budhist anything but Budhist, or Muslims, Muslims. JW's I would say are cultist for many reasons but more so because they claim to be Christian yet they distort what Christ is so much that there is no way their beliefs could be Christian.

 

[1gr8bldr]

Every belief call others cults. It is circular reasoning. Quite comical

 

[centerpin fan]

I think a big reason modern Christians refer to JW's as a cult is due to the influence of Walter Martin's book Kingdom of the Cults. It's pretty much the standard work on the subject and can be found in virtually any Christian bookstore. In chapter one of that work, Martin quotes Dr. Charles Braden's on the meaning of a cult:

"By the term cult I mean nothing derogatory to any group so classified. A cult, as I define it, is any religious group which differs significantly in one or more respects as to belief or practice from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative expressions of religion in our total culture."

I think that's just a verbose way of saying cults are "unorthodox" in their beliefs. Using that definition, JW's definitely qualify. I think there's a big difference, though, between the JW's and groups like Jim Jones' People's Temple. Although I disagree with the JW's theology, it wouldn't bother me if there was a kingdom hall next door to me. I wouldn't feel the same if Jim Jones was my next door neighbor.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

I think a big reason modern Christians refer to JW's as a cult is due to the influence of Walter Martin's book Kingdom of the Cults. It's pretty much the standard work on the subject and can be found in virtually any Christian bookstore. In chapter one of that work, Martin quotes Dr. Charles Braden's on the meaning of a cult:

"By the term cult I mean nothing derogatory to any group so classified. A cult, as I define it, is any religious group which differs significantly in one or more respects as to belief or practice from those religious groups which are regarded as the normative expressions of religion in our total culture."

I think that's just a verbose way of saying cults are "unorthodox" in their beliefs. Using that definition, JW's definitely qualify. I think there's a big difference, though, between the JW's and groups like Jim Jones' People's Temple. Although I disagree with the JW's theology, it wouldn't bother me if there was a kingdom hall next door to me. I wouldn't feel the same if Jim Jones was my next door neighbor.

How would you feel if you had a big mosque next door to you?

I have read back over this post and noticed that the question of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was never answered. Wonder why?

 

[centerpin fan]

How would you feel if you had a big mosque next door to you?

Wouldn't bother me.

 

[centerpin fan]

I have read back over this post and noticed that the question of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ was never answered. Wonder why?

Maybe the JW's think its pointless to try. There aren't too many minds that get changed in the spiritual forums.

 

[NE GA Pappy]

yeah, not gonna change my mind, but it does make me examine why I believe what I believe.

Hopefully it will for them also.

 

[emusmacker]

Why wasn't my question answered about being repentant of a blood transfusion and everything being cool just like being repentant from fornication.


still wiating on that one.

 

[DartonHunter101]

You failed to answer my question. If she could repent from fornication and everything be cool, then why couldn't she repent from having a blood transfusion?

you can

 

[DartonHunter101]

So what are you saying?Im lying?She told me she researched it herself and didnt think there would be a problem,but they wanted to bring it before the Elders to make sure, they told her it was a place of worship and she shouldn't go into another place of worship.....My mom has been a JW for 20 years,theres not much that i dont know about them.All there friends and my step dad's family are JW's and Ive spent years around them.I love them to death but I dont worship with them,but before I became a Christian and started attending the Church i do now I went to the meetings and Bible studies with my Mom........What Kingdom Hall do you attend????You can send it to me in a P.M.

lying would be a strong word, but I do think you are resentful and have alot of hard feelings and therefore try to slant the truth to make JW's look bad.

 

[DartonHunter101]

I've seen the JW's referred to as a cult more than once in this thread. I'm curious as to what is it about them that makes you think that.

RW

All christians have been accused of that from the begining of time. Look at Jesus. The religous leaders (priests) of his day accused him of all kinds of things and then incited the crowd to have him killed.
In Acts @8:22 the christians where said to be a sect and spoken of against everywhere.
"But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, it is known to us that everywhere it is spoken against. "

This isnt being spoken against by non believers it is by people who cliam to believe in God.

We dont partake in any beliefs that have pagan teachings and that brings a lot of hate down on us, because the majority of religions are full of pagan teachings and customs.

 

[DartonHunter101]

Maybe the JW's think its pointless to try. There aren't too many minds that get changed in the spiritual forums.

When people are trying to insult you with twisting the truth it is pointless to continue. When Jesus was arrested he didnt have much to say? Would they have listened?

 

[1gr8bldr]

When the prostestants, that does not look like I spelled that right, left, they were called a cult. Big guy calling the little guy a cult. Now that they are bigger, they are handing out the same condemnation.

 

[emusmacker]

you can

When did that change? Because it sure seems like a big deal for a JW to participate in a blood transfusion but not as big a deal as fornication. I'm going by the ones I've talked to, both older and younger.

The one thing they will tell you quickly is, that they don't believe in blood transfusions. Seems that's a bigger deal to them. Isn't sin still sin? Why is more emphasis put on blood transfusions than fornication? Also why can't a JW have a blood transfusion, is there any Biblical against it?