Yes Ma'am.
And the JWs fall into the category you have just explained.
As do all those other MAN-MADE religions I posted.
That is your opinion and you are free to believe whatever you wish about who we are, and what we say.....Jesus gave the Jews the same option....and the majority thought that their religious leaders were correct....and had the son of God put to death. History repeats. Don’t we need to know why?
Fear.
Right.
Try leaving the JWs and see what happens to you.
THIS is fear....
you're not even free to leave the religion and you must go door to door to get converts.
Actually it is biblical....because once you learn the truth, you cannot “unlearn” it or “unknow” it.....all you can do is ignore it.
If some individual in the congregation is blatantly breaking God’s laws as commanded by Jesus, then the congregation elders are under obligation to expel them because “a little leaven ferments the whole lump”.
This is not something done without due process......and the Internet is full of horror stories that most people believe without hearing the other side of the sob story. If our national judicial systems operated like that, who would ever get justice? One side can sound so convincing until you hear the other side....so how can people be so convinced with just one skewed side of a story? They want to believe it.
Why are the churches reluctant to act on that directive stated clearly by the apostle Paul?
1Cor 5:9-13....ESV...
“I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
What about the dissenters who want to promote their own ideas in the congregation and cause division?
John also wrote in his second letter.....
“Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” (2 John 1:9-11 ESV)
Should you fear that punishment? Who in their right mind would not fear any punishment for wrongdoing?
Why did God have penalties under his law....even death?
You cannot “join” Jehovah’s Witnesses...like the first century Christians, you first have to learn the truth and choose to become a Christian, demonstrated then publicly by water baptism, which like Jesus, was a commitment to follow a certain course in life from that day forward. The onus is on the individual to live up to that dedication. Like a marriage, you cannot just walk away and pretend it never happened. There is due process in a divorce.
If the churches acted on those directives, how many would remain in that church? Where would the pastor get his money? Should he actually get a job and pay his own way? Or was he to become an expensive burden to the congregation? (1 Thess2:9) Paul was a tentmaker by trade and often worked to earn his own living. (Acts 18:1-4)
And who is paid to do the Lord’s work? Didn’t Jesus say...”you received free, give free”? Whatever happened to that?
You have your own version of the bible and do not even believe that Jesus is God and yet you call yourself a Christian.
You don't even believe in baptism and Jesus commanded His followers to be baptized...this was one of the orders He left the Apostles.
That has been an accusation, but to date, I have not found a single instance that was not supported by other scripture. Doctrine should not dictate how God’s word is translated......have you examined those verses for yourself? I have....because I examine everything very carefully.
I came out of Christendom, so I know what it teaches, and now I know what God’s word teaches.....”never the twain shall meet”.
When you study the Bible rather than theology, you get the whole picture, not the churches distorted version of it.
Why are you following a religion that was invented 200 years ago?
LOL.....no, sorry....I am part of a Christian brotherhood whose members go back to the first century.
What we have is a
restoration of first century Christianity.....not the pathetic imitation created by the devil that engulfed the world and turned it into a sham....just as Jesus said it would.....hopelessly divided and disobedient to the teachings of the Christ. What fruitage can it boast when it ignores Christ’s most basic commands?
The religion followed by Christendom is the “invention”.....starting in the second century and slowly infiltrating to weaken Christ’s teachings, watering them down while still promoting itself as a product of Christ and his apostles....if God’s spirit was operative on those who identify as “Christians” today....there would be no divisions or dissension....all would be united....or don’t you think God’s powerful spirit can accomplish that? (1 Cor 1:10)
The “wheat” exist in the world, doing what Christ commanded.....we need to find them, but we cannot do it alone. (John 6:44; 65)