Dave Norris and his writings on the Belgian Bible Students

With articles like “The Watchtower Belgian Biblestudents“, “Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 1″, “Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 2″, “Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 3” the blogger Dave Norris who likes us to call “kindergartner” “toddler” or sometimes “spiritual kindergarteners”, he presents a lot of nonsense about our community, clearly showing he does not know much about us nor similar groups, but even worse, does not seem to have a clue about the Bible Student movement and the history of such religious groups as the Bible Students, Christadelphians, Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) and many other non-Trinitarian groups.

On the blog “The Bible & Exposing Cult Error Darkness Into Light” he wants his readers to believe he exposes errors of others but in fact does nothing more than presenting his own errors, ignorance or lack of knowledge.

We do notice we are not the only target or are not spitting the only purpose of his gal. He seems so frustrated in his faith and religion he loves to write a lot about other religious groups instead spending more time to proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God or to give more information about his own faith group or church.

He calls us a “Spirit of deception” but clearly he throws so much untruth on the net we can not resist in the end to react to it and to let others know some of the incredible untruths that he proclaims as our doctrine. It is therefore very important that we expose these gross lies and clarify our positions. It is because of several of his writings and attacks on us and other their attacks we started in the end to present a new website for unmasking people like him: Please find and look at the new site Unmasking anti Jehovah sites and people.

The man, who presents himself as a bully in his mails to us, writes on the internet:

The Watchtower Belgian Bible student movement did precede the actual formation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Charles T Russell was their leader. {The Watchtower Belgian Biblestudents}

Charles Taze Russell may have been a pupil of John Thomas, the founder of the Brothers in Christ or Christadelphians, but for sure has never been our founder nor our leader.

Ch. T. Russell may be called the founder of the American Bible Students and of the International Bible Students, but is neither the founder of the Free Bible Students (who discarded many of the teachings of the American Bible Student founder Charles Taze Russell) nor from Belgian Bible Students nor the founder of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Russell never was a Jehovah’s Witness, like Mr. or the adolescent Norris wants his readers to believe. In case Mr. Russell would present himself to become a Jehovah’s Witness he would even not be accepted by that organisation.

An other fault which Mr. Norris does is to say we are associated with the Jehovah’s Witnesses Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society which is at all not so. We do have no association with that publication institute nor with the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society Organisation be it of Brooklyn, New York, Pennsylvania or of Canada or even of any other states like Australia, nor with the JW Organisation. For clarity the Belgian Bible Students have nothing to do with the Jehovah’s Witness nor with any of their other organisations or missions.

It is not because we do believe in the same One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, that we would belong to one and the same Church.

We too may come from hundreds of ethnic and language backgrounds, and may, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, have the same goal to praise and honour Jehovah God being united by common goals. The same as those lovers of God, we too want to do our best to imitate Jesus Christ and are proud to be called Christians. As followers of Christ Jesus we take his command to go out in the world as a serious matter and like the JW we too witness for Jehovah, each of us regularly spending time helping people learn about the Bible and God’s Kingdom. Because we witness, or talk, about Jehovah God and his Kingdom, some may confuse us with those other people who have the same goal as us and are known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Opposite claims by Mr. Norris, we have very clearly presented our history to him, which can be found more extensively on the net. As such we find again a gross misrepresentation of the facts, him writing on the net:

I wish the Belgian Biblestudents would be honest with me about their history as they have not been.

I do admit that they were right about Charles Russell not beginning Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was a false prophet nevertheless and they can’t get around that. Woe to the foolish Prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing.{The Watchtower Belgian Biblestudents}

Though after this writing he continues

Biblestudents are a deceptive group under their leader Charles T Russell who is the founder of the Watchtower and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The group Christadelphians have a lot to do with this movement. Imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived. They are presently deceivers because they were being deceived by Charles Russell whom they hold up as their leader. {Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 1}

and repeats

They claim to follow the Bible but they deny the Triune Godhead. As I said in another report before Russell founded Bible students he began the Watchtower with the basic Jehovah’s Witnesses Doctrine in force. {Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 1}

Who is the deceiving person or spirit in this case?

He then presents a whole of prophesies we supposedly would have believed or followed, which is totally untrue and we even do not get any idea where he gets it form we would have hold fast on such prophesies when we ourselves always clearly say it is no man given, even not Christ Jesus, to know when the end times are coming, though we agree we can see the signs, we can never say an exact date. We, like nobody, according to us, can ever give a correct date on it.

We want our readers to know we do have nothing to do with prophesies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses nor ever would have believed in such a date setting.

Prophecies which may have been made by the JW but never by the Belgian Biblestudents (like Dave Norris and some other bloggers on the net want their readers to believe).

Mr. Norris also wants his readers to believe in high and low that we

are almost like the New Apostolic Reformation with a prophecy accuracy rate of 20%. {Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 2}

and asks his readers to examine for themselves, but giving a photograph of a Watchtower which is even not the Zion’s Watchtower of the American Bible Students nor our old magazine Zion’s Wachttoren (19th and 20th century publications) and not at all a magazine of our community, but a publication by the WTBTS.

Though Mr. Norris in his previous writing said he understood Russell was not the founder of the JW he again presents him as a prophet for the JW and worse of all also for us, which is against our teachings, we only are recognising such prophets as those declared by the Word of God, namely Nehemiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadia, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaiah, Haggai, Zecharia, Malachi and Jesus, considering many others as false prophets.

Mr. Norris also wirtes

Biblestudents don’t believe in the hell that Jesus talked about and yet they say they follow Jesus. {Belgian Biblestudent Deception- 2}

which is again a lie, we believing in sheol or hell, like Jesus was for three days in hell and also talked about hell.

Continuously that blog writer from the so called exposing Christian error site wants to associate us with the JW and again giving wrong dates concerning our history.

In 1879 he began the perversion of Jehovah’s Witnesses but under a different name. The Biblestudents didn’t start until 1876 and they themselves told me that when they said Russell was their founder. His organization wasn’t yet called Jehovah’s Witnesses but the obvious poisonous theology was in place. {Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 3}

A painting depicting the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. – Episode of the Belgian Revolution of 1830, Gustaf Wappers (1834), (Museum of Fine Art, Brussels)

After the Battle of Waterloo (1815) several Students of the Bible living in the region of France its Low Countries got a more nationalistic feeling and when the Dutch-speaking Flemings and French-speaking Walloons had meetings in Rheims or Paris they wanted to make it clear they came from the Gallic (Gaul) or Belgica or Côtes Lorraines region or the plain of Flanders, and the Kempenland (French: Campine) and did not consider themselves any more to be part of the Nord–Pas-de-Calais or le Nord (North of France) region with Cambrai where also several Bible Students had found their home in a very hostile area for non-Trinitarians and/or Protestants. After the States-General in Brussels voted in favour of secession and declared independence the small state Belgium was formed and with it also the “Belgian Bible Students”, which at that time, may have had most of it members in the Famenne, Sambre, La Louvière, Borinage and Hainaut region, long before Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 – October 31, 1916), or Pastor Russell, the American Christian restorationist minister from Pittsburgh, was born. It were such sincere students of the Bible who made it possible to get one of the first major Bibles in the French language circulating in the region and had one which was printed in Mons. There in Mons can still be found a copy of the first Gutenberg Bible (1455) which was used as a base (unfortunately incomplete). It was Canon Edmon Puissant (1860-1934) who came into possession of this copy in 1926.

 

D Norris telling a lot of nonsense in several articles on what he calls on Belgian Biblestudies, though our community is called Belgian Bible-students and has nothing to do with Ch.T. Russell as so called founder and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Though we do agree Ch.T. Russell’s writings circulated and still circulate amongst us and got several of his and other brethren their English writings translated in French, Swiss German and Dutch by our community. In the early 20th century Russell even came to visit our community.

Next he presents an article on Armstrong false prophecy as a ‘Next’ article containing false prophecies of Herbert W Armstrong marking him as a false prophet, as if we would also follow this man.  This article is followed by “Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 4” were he keeps dragging on with prophecies of some one we do not have as our leader, what he keeps others to believe. And than he asks

Here are two more of Charles Russell’s false prophecies. What amazes me is how Belgian Bible students can justify this? {Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 4} {find our reaction if he publishes it}

And he keeps disbelieving that Russell was not our founder, as if we, as community would not know our own history and he knowing it much better than serious history writers or serious encyclopaedia.

But the Belgian Biblestudents still speak very highly of their founder Charles Russell despite all his false prophecies. Examine also the references for the false prophecies. They’re in the very same Bible studies that the Belgian group supports. Are they as blind as their founder was? I will have more in part 5. {Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 4}

Nowhere shall you find prophecies made by Russell or any other person which we would say you have to believe. We also do not know where he gets it from that we would hold Charles Russel‘s “Studies in the Scriptures” in such high regard. (Perhaps he assues that because we also took care for a translation and distribution of this work in our regions.) {Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 5} {we asked him also} Again he wants to do that Russell is the founder of our community and writes

the founder of this group as this book is full of lies and false prophecies. Worse still the Belgian Biblestudies group backs thiss book to the hilt. They know what’s in here and they believe it. {Belgian Biblestudies Deception- 5}

Dave Norris his continual misleading of the internet-public with attacking plus false sayings and making false connections in several of his articles, a.o. in his series Belgian Biblestudies Deception – {picture fragment from Belgian Biblestudies Deception – 6}

After a reaction we made on 2018 August 10 19.35 pm about having our name right we noticed he suddenly changed the title of his series.

In Belgian Biblestudents Deception- 7 Mr. Norris keeps telling untruths, now saying JF Rutherford otherwise known as Judge Rutherford

took over when Russell died as head of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. {Belgian Biblestudents Deception- 7}

Judge Rutherford being jailed for sedition against the Armed Forces is considered by Mr. Dave Norris a sign of him and Non-Trinitarian pacifists to be losers

Mr. Dave Norris in his series Belgian Biblestudents Deception- 8 all the time bringing in matters of prophesies in which we do not believe but which he wants to have his readers come to believe they are part of our teachings (which they are not at all)

Also when looking at the lies he writes about other denominations one an wonder what Mr. Norris his agenda really is?!? Problem would be in case many of his readers would consider his writings as bringing the truth about us and those other denominations.

Clearly he twists the truth and does as if we changed our teachings, but again uses material from an other  denomination to have it look as if it is ours.

Mr Norris looking at the New World Edition of the Bible which Jehovah’s Witnesses cherish, presenting it in his article Belgian Biblestudents Deception- 8 as if it is ours + asking to look at the changes

Mr. Norris also wants to give the impression when people read certain books, they are taken by those books and agree with everything what is in those books. He might perhaps follow everybody whose books he reads and may be limited in his amount of reading books and papers, only concentrating on what he agrees with. His knowledge about us and other groups he tries to pull down, shows clearly enough he did not do enough research and did not read enough about those groups, their leaders and teachers, often having no clue at all about their teachings, the same as with us. Or, in case he knows what our and their teachings are and what the background is of those groups he writes about, then it is clear he wants to spread fake news (therewith wanting to be popular in these times of someone speaking all the time of fake news) or does not mind to bring all sorts of inaccuracies to bring damage to those societies or communities.

Belgian Biblestudents Deception- 8 by D Norris on Exposing Christian error -about JW + Cd + false prophecies ~~~ Russell never made his own Bible or Scripture or never made our Holy Scriptures, like Norris wants his readers to believe.

Mr. Norris has also clearly a different view of what a cult is than what the state or a court would consider a cult or a sect. We can assure all his and our readers they do not have to worry that we would try to lure them in a sect and like certain churches do, then demand money and oblige them to stay with us. Every body is free to come and free to go in our churches (ecclesiae).

Only if one wants to join our community (as a member) we ask the candidate to believe in God as the Only True God and to believe that through God His only begotten beloved son salvation has come upon mankind and that this man of flesh and blood is the way to God and now the mediator between God and the people and is our high priest for God.

Psalms 83:18 (AKJV)
18 That men may know that you, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, are the most high over all the earth.

Romans 10:13 (AKJV)
13 For whoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Matthew 3:16-17 (AKJV)
16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, see, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting on him: 17 And see a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

John 14:6 (AKJV)
6 Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.

1 Timothy 2:5 (AKJV)
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 12:24 (AKJV)
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaks better things that that of Abel.

Hebrews 3:1 (AKJV) Hebrews 3
1 Why, holy brothers, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;

Hebrews 6:20 (AKJV)
20 Where the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Clearly the intentions of Mr. Dave Norris can be seen in his many articles against Catholics and all sorts of Protestants, Emergent Church, Extreme Prophetic Movement, Hebrew Roots Movement, but also Judaism. Main churches also do not escape his acid pen. But Non-Trinitarians seem to work on him as a red cloth on a bull. He not only writes about them a lot of lies but also has no decency when they write to him in a polite manner. Some of his replies may be lot worse than the once shown here (and therefore we would not make public.).

An example of the way Mr. Dave Norris answers people who wrote to him

An example of the way how Mr. Dave Norris react to people when they ask him to show the link for the article he talks about in a previous reply, him writing: “I linked to an article from Wikipedia it clearly states your history. Russell did many false prophecies as in his successor Rutherford Hayes. You need to Bone up on your history.” And we having stated that there is no such page in Wikipedia telling about the history of the Belgian Biblestudents.

Though we can only find

Proof of “Belgian Bible Students” Wikipedia page not existing on 2018 August 11

 

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Preceding

Charles Taze Russell and what he started

Was Russell and Rutherford “Illuminati”?

Jesse Hemery and the The Goshen Fellowship

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (WBTS) main groups that broke away

Different approach in organisation of services #1

Different approach in organisation of services #2

Different approach in organisation of services #3

Belonging to or being judged by

Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom

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Please find also to read

1. International Biblestudents Association
2. International Bible Students Association
3. International Bible Students Association
4. Jehovah’s Witness
5. Charles Taze Russell
6.  Dawn Bible Students Association
7. Italian Bible Students Association in Hartford, CT Christian Millennial Fellowship
8. What are Brothers in Christ
9. Who are Christadelphians
10. Against the anti Jehovah people
11. Unmasking anti Jehovah sites and people
12. Aim of Unmasking anti Jehovah people
13. Joseph Rutherford with the iron glove
14. To remove the whitewash of the Jehovah Witnesses as being the only true Bible Students and Bible Researchers
15. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
16. Faith coming by hearing and sent preacher gift from God
17. Jehovah steep rock and fortress, source of insight
18. Confrontation by people telling lies to force others to avoid the targetted groups
19. For those who do everything to stop the work of Christadelphians
20. Who cries out against a hearty and uncompromising castigation of error
21. re-frame obligation into conscious choices
22. Christianity primarily a matter of imitation

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When Jesus speaks of obedience, he is speaking of a lifestyle of devotion to that which garners his devotion. Jesus’ disciples obey him by keeping what he keeps, and holding on to that which he holds… with a steadfast dedication. Once again we see our definition of a disciple emerge:

Necessity to imitate the Jewish master teacher Jeshua or Jesus Christ, following his commandments trying to become like him, is what the Belgian Bible Students do.

Related

1. 4 attacks on Jehovah’s Witnesses churches linked -25k reward offered
2. Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?
3. Romans 8:12-17 – Heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ
4. Brothers in Christ – bond in Christ
5. Loving One Another
6. 1 Samuel 17:57-18:5, 10-16 – Facing the challenges of ministry
7. 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
8. Get to Know Your Sources
9. Illogical thinking is extraordinarily widespread
10. Untruth…
11. Stubborn Things
12. The Truth And The Untruth Lay On The Same Level.
13. The Death of Truth: Indications of Untruth in Trump’s Age
14. First Principles: Falseness of Tongue Leads To Falseness of Heart
15. How accurate is your knowledge? What you read, see, hear, and say…
16. To the Compulsive Liar
17. The Value of Truth
18. Myths About Net Neutrality
19. Lovers of God are Better Lovers
20. Part 1 – Your Relationship with God
21. 6 Priorities You Need
22. Four – Understanding Our Purpose, p. 126 Jesus came to be what the original Adam was supposed to be: the very “image” of God.
23. Four – Understanding Our Purpose, p. 128
24. Six – Understanding the Holy Spirit, p. 176
25. Six – Understanding the Holy Spirit, p. 178
26. Imitating Jesus — From the new book Love Like Jesus: How Jesus Loved People (and how you can love like Jesus)
27. Following Jesus requires you to grow up
28. Proclamation
29. Ep. 4 – Jehovah’s Witnesses
30. Notes on the Proclaimers Book
31. Some Prophetic Speculations
32. Jehovah’s Witness Myopic View Of Jesus (I)
33. Jehovah’s Witnesses and False Prophecies
34. Dance me to the end

Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly and a Pillar to freedom

A Mother and daughter

An other strange story which caught our attention. Again somebody who went to meet other Jehovah’s Witnesses, to attend the Jehovah’s Witnesses Circuit Assembly. This time that person could be a Jehovah’s Witness herself but did not like it so much, so why did she go in the first place.

She wrote

Between my being confined to the Jehovah’s Witness “way of life” and my parents being… the way they are, it makes it a challenge to maneuver things in order to spend those days with him as much as possible. {My Mother, the Bully}

She seems to be a daughter of a homemaker, a dedicated worker, a good JW, sensible, practical, giving, and responsible. She is a creator, artistic, free-minded, quite rebellious, self-focused according to her own saying {My Mother, the Bully}. Whilst her mother is repressed, self-disciplined, and morally bound she finds herself to be fluid, experimental, and abstract.

Could these things be at the root of a kind of jealousy? {My Mother, the Bully}

she wonders and let her thoughts linger

Does my reaching for more freedom trigger insecurities in her about her complete lack of it? {My Mother, the Bully}

Instability and felt mislead

Last April she felt like she exploded in anger and frustration towards “The Org”,

“telling M that I felt as if I had a “tiny elder in my head, screaming scriptures at me.” {Two Pillars of Freedom}

In this world everybody needs , and most of all youngsters are seeking some kind of stability when it comes to their spiritual beliefs or non beliefs and want to build up a spiritual life full of spiritual well-being. For many it may take years to find a place in the world of atheists and believers. Lots of people have to go on a calvary route to find their way to a belief, believing in God or not believing in a god or the God.

Personal bible study essential part for coming to the truth (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For us serious bible students it surprises us that this girl, though when grown up in a JW family came to believe she is been completely misled about the Bible, and that she feels she is never really been taught about God. Not being JW, not knowing their exact ways of teaching in the church community, we only can see what they let the outside world to be known. From their public publications we can only get the impression they do everything to get others to know God. All their teaching seems very God centred when you leave out the misleading teachings of their organisation and the position of the 144 000.

A bait to trap many

We are aware of the danger where the writer finds her possible anger and disappointment. It is true that

The Organization could’ve used any bait to trap the masses. Organizations do it every day. Cults appeal to people’s desires for all kinds of things – this one appealed to the desire to understand the Bible & know “the truth” about God.

and then she gets to the core of the big problem (we think)

The Bible is only the bait for them, a secondary issue – The Organization is the primary concern: gaining and keeping peoples’ complete unquestioning obedience. If they can use the Bible in order to accomplish that, so be it. {Two Pillars of Freedom}

That last bit is naturally a serious accusation. But we fear that what we said already to so many people that those questions in their magazine and the way how they treat verses can be sometimes dubious and often smell to brainwashing (mind control)or indoctrination, the organisation having thought control over all its members.

Reminding who is the Way

Too many JW, like lots of so called Christians do forget that Jesus told he is the Way to God. The Bible also tells us that this sent one from God has become the high priest and the one mediator between God and man. This last saying excludes all human organisations as a necessity to link to God. Jesus (rabbi Jeshua) is our link to the Only One True God of Israel.
We do not need ordained priests, ministers or organisations to dictate what the Words of God say and to dictate what we do have to do or may not do, and control us. Guidance belongs to the Word of God itself. God did not provide such a difficult word to understand for mankind, which would exclude all uneducated people (Bété people or ‘bast shoes‘). No, all people, those who have been to school but also who have not been to school, should be able to understand God’s Word.

The bible does not speak about One and only one organisation that He would take, but He gives an indication by His only begotten son that there may be many different groups and organisations, all part of the Body of Christ and necessary for that Body of Christ. Many people think religion is wrong and endangers man, because than man would control them, but than they have chosen the wrong religion, because in the religious ways of the True God there is no man who should be in control of others, all man should give themselves into the hands of God, the Divine Creator, Who is not a man but a Spirit.

As people we can give ourselves to Christ, willing to be under his guidance. That is our choice and makes us to become Christians or ‘being Christian‘, it is following Christ Jesus.

Jehovah for millennia not using an organisation

Since the early Christians continually there were people who stayed truthful to Christ Jesus his teaching, no matter of the false teachers and churches coming into being. even when the pressure from the Roman empire became so great that lots of Christians chose to agree with Greco-Roman teaching of a three-headed god and chose to accept the Trinity. Though the Roman Catholic Church came into existence and later got many schisms, several God faithfully abiding continued their life of worship of the One and Only One True God. There was no world wide organisation at all to lead God’s People, like there was also no such organisation before the birth of Jesus. The shepherding of God’s People was done by individual men and women, who were chosen by God Himself (the nevim or prophets) or went for God, allowed by God to live and preach. The words given to mankind for enabling to find eternal life was not provided by man or a human organisation, but by God Himself. No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

The JW Organisation claims erroneous that Charles Taze Russell is their founder. But he never claimed to be a prophet nor wanted a human directive organisation. He, like many  Biblestudents, very well knew that the gathering of people is done by God Himself and that The Word is a quality or aspect of God Himself.

As Facts About Jehovah’s Witnesses writes

Watchtower makes the claim that “Jehovah has always guided his servants in an organized way.” (You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth p.192) If that is the case, how were they guided and organised during the dark ages? What group represented God’s organization immediately prior to the formation of the Watchtower Society in the 1884 by Charles Russell, and why didn’t Russell just follow them? {Does Jehovah require an Organization?}

Does Jehovah require an Organization?

Watch Tower headquarters in Columbia Heights, Brooklyn.

When the Jehovah’s Witnesses Watchtower Bible and tract Society in Brooklyn with their different corporations [Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Religious Order of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Support Services, International Bible Students Association (IBSA), Associação Torre de Vigia de Bíblias e Tratados (Brazil), Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses of East Africa, Los Testigos de Jehová en México, Wachtturm-Gesellschaft, Selters/Taunus (Germany), Watchtower Bible & Tract Society Of Australia, Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada, European Association of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses (EAJCW)] would be the sole organisation under the direction of God and when it is changing so many times of its teachings, would this mean that God is not giving the full truth to His own chosen ones or that God is not sure what He can give them for information?

How can it be than when the organisation is God’s only instrument that members of it dispose one of their very important main writers like Raymond Franz, former member of the Governing Body? Does that mean that God first tells others a person is one of the 144 000 but then takes somebody else in his place and get rid of him after he has been used to produce an enormous amount of good literature? He was one of the researchers who created Aid to Bible Understanding, the first doctrinal and biblical encyclopedia of Jehovah’s Witnesses, published in full in 1971.

When the leaders of the Watchtower Society, the Governing Body, say themselves that they are appointed by Christ and the only means by which he directs his true followers today, how can they than demand certain people from the board to resign?

They themselves write

“Consider, too, the fact that Jehovah’s organization alone, in all the earth, is directed by God’s holy spirit or active force. (Zech. 4:6) Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book.” Watchtower 1973 Jul 1 p.402

Saying this they also give the impression the bible is not yet complete or is not able to give full biblical Wisdom to mankind, without that body of God, their organisation.

“However, the Governing Body are appointed through the holy spirit under the direction of Jehovah God and Jesus Christ.” Watchtower 1990 Mar 15 p.18

 

When that Governing Body is appointed by God through His Holy Spirit how can it than be, when led by His Spirit, that there have been taken place so many disputes and that such dismissals occurred?

Would the organisation be the only means God can have contact with people nowadays? According to us that would place man above the Power of God, Him being not able to call people for Himself and to give them wisdom. As in the precious centuries it is still God Who calls people and gives insight to those who are willing to open their heart to Him, whatever there being The Organisation, a organisation or no organisation at all near to them.

Witnessing for Jehovah

A Jehovah’s Witness distributing literature at Marble Arch tube station in London

We are sure the Jehovah’s Witnesses may be part of that Body of Christ, members of people under Christ witnessing for Jehovah. But in many other denominations or churches you may find also people witnessing for this One and the Same God.

Strangely enough the organisation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses does not believe that individual people are able to bring men and women to God without their organisation. They consider themselves the only righteous way to God. This dismisses totally the position of Christ Jesus, who according to the Bible is the Way to God.

Key factor to being a Witness

According to us the key factor to being a Witness for Jehovah is to stand up for Him and not for one or another earthly organisation and when the Jehovah’s Witnesses Organisation would be a Godly organisation why did so many teachings changed and why did so many prophesies by them did not come through? Were people not warned for those who prophesied and whose prophesies did not come through? are we not told that such people could be false teachers?

We kindly ask our readers and all people walking around this earth to know that Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the only ones witnessing for Jehovah God.

It is belonging to the “Organization” that distinguishes one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and makes them feel solely worthy of salvation, but Jesus died for all people and God’s grace is given to all living souls.

Requirements for Salvation

The way the WBTS presents itself to mankind gives the impression that membership of their organization is essential for salvation. If this would be so, why were we not told by God Himself or by His son?

The word “organization” never appears in the Bible, yet organization appears 16,789 times on the 2006 Watchtower Library CD. This is because belonging to an organization is not a Scriptural requirement, but rather a common concept amongst high control groups as a technique of building a member’s high degree of conviction and uniformity. {Does Jehovah require an Organization?}

Though the Watchtower claims that belonging to an organization is essential for salvation.

“To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.” Watchtower 1983 Feb 15 p.12

When you read the whole bible, the Hebrew and Messianic books, nowhere shall you find an indication of God going to provide a worldwide organisation other than the theocratic government of rabbi Jeshua from the new world’s capital Jerusalem.

It is not stated in either the Old or New Testaments that membership of an organization is a requirement of eternal salvation. The Scriptures repeatedly state that it is faith in Jesus and the Father that results in everlasting life. Instead we are told of salvation by the blood of Christ. It is not by keeping to certain rituals or organisations that we can receive salvation. We do not need to be a soldier of a worldly organisation but should be soldiers for Christ by whom salvation comes to us.

2 You, therefore, my child,+ keep on acquiring power in the undeserved kindness that is in Christ Jesus; 2 and the things you heard from me that were supported by many witnesses,+ these things entrust to faithful men, who, in turn, will be adequately qualified to teach others. 3 As a fine soldier+ of Christ Jesus, take your part in suffering adversity.+ 4 No man serving as a soldier involves himself* in the commercial businesses* of life, in order to gain the approval of the one who enrolled him as a soldier. 5 And even in the games, anyone who competes is not crowned unless he has competed according to the rules.+ 6 The hardworking farmer must be the first to partake of the fruits. 7 Give constant thought to what I am saying; the Lord will give you understanding* in all things. …  10 For this reason I go on enduring all things for the sake of the chosen ones,+ so that they too may obtain the salvation that is through Christ Jesus, along with everlasting glory {2 Timothy 2:2-7, 10)

• • 2 Timothy 2:10 Kingdom Interlinear

  • 10 διὰ through τοῦτο this πάντα all (things) ὑπομένω I am enduring διὰ through τοὺς the ἐκλεκτούς, chosen (ones), ἵνα in order that καὶ also αὐτοὶ they σωτηρίας of salvation τύχωσιν they might obtain τῆς of the (one) ἐν in Χριστῷ Christ Ἰησοῦ Jesus μετὰ with δόξης glory αἰωνίου. everlasting.

Faith in the sent one from God

It is by faith in the sent one from God, rabbi Jeshua, the Kristos or Christ Jesus, we may have the opportunity not to become destroyed but to have everlasting life. We all should all remember that everything which is of the earth is earthly, and speaks of the earth: he that comes from heaven, the sent one from God, is above all. Him being above any organisation is the one we could and should follow, as brothers and sisters in him who has eternal life.

14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,+ so the Son of man must be lifted up,+ 15 so that everyone believing in him may have everlasting life.+

16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son,+ so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.+ 17 For God did not send his Son into the world for him to judge the world, but for the world to be saved through him.+ 18 Whoever exercises faith in him is not to be judged.+ Whoever does not exercise faith has been judged already, because he has not exercised faith in the name of the only-begotten Son of God.+

31 The one who comes from above+ is over all others. The one who is from the earth is from the earth and speaks of things of the earth. The one who comes from heaven is over all others.+ 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard,+ but no man accepts his witness.+ 33 Whoever has accepted his witness has put his seal to it* that God is true.+ 34 For the one whom God sent speaks the sayings of God,+ for He does not give the spirit sparingly.* 35 The Father loves the Son+ and has given all things into his hand.+ 36 The one who exercises faith in the Son has everlasting life;+ the one who disobeys the Son will not see life,+ but the wrath of God remains upon him.+ {John 3:14-18, 31-36}

Connection with the son of God

Let us be sure to come to Jesus first, because not an organisation here on earth would be our gateway, but because Jesus is the door to the Kingdom of God.

44 How can you believe, when you are accepting glory from one another and you are not seeking the glory that is from the only God?+ {John 5:44}

7 So Jesus said again: “Most truly I say to you, I am the door for the sheep.+ 8 All those who have come in place of me are thieves and plunderers; but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the door; whoever enters through me will be saved, and that one will go in and out and find pasturage.+ {John 10:7-9}

3 This means everlasting life,+ their coming to know you,* the only true God,+ and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.+ {John 17:3}

Living under Christ Jesus

Those who want to have everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of the Only True God, them having regret of what they have done wrong and asking for forgiveness, wanting to live under Christ, the one whom Jehovah sent forth and who belongs to God.

16 Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple+ and that the spirit of God dwells in you?+ 17 If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him; for the temple of God is holy, and you are that temple.+

18 Let no one deceive himself: If anyone among you thinks he is wise in this system of things,* let him become a fool, so that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, for it is written: “He catches the wise in their own cunning.”+ 20 And again: “Jehovah* knows that the reasonings of the wise men are futile.”+ 21 So let no one boast in men; for all things belong to you, 22 whether Paul or A·polʹlos or Ceʹphas*+ or the world or life or death or things now here or things to come, all things belong to you; 23 in turn you belong to Christ;+ Christ, in turn, belongs to God. {1 Corinthians 3:16-23}

The Organisation playing the mediator of man and God, man and Christ

As the female writer of ‘Finding the truth: In recovery from Jehovah’s Witnesses & alcoholism‘ at last came to see, when she sees a

WT quote in direct opposition:

“The other sheep should never forget that their salvation depends on their active support of Christ’s anointed “brothers” still on earth.” WT March 15 2012 pg. 20 {Two Pillars of Freedom}

She concludes

Check and mate. It seems so obvious, so simple. The Org has taken it upon themselves to become the mediator of man and God, man and Christ; completely ignoring what the Bible has to say on the matter and making themselves Lords over man. {Two Pillars of Freedom}

There are more things, of course, that have been giving me evidence that The Org is not God’s ‘spirit-directed organization,’ but these two points seem to be building some kind of foundation in my mind. They seem to be the things that come closest to unraveling the whole thing; the answers to the tiny screaming elder in my head. I’ll keep building more until I can silence him completely, or maybe one day oust him permanently. {Two Pillars of Freedom}

We only can hope more people shall come to see the twists in their teachings and their focus on the organisation instead of focussing more on the works of Jesus and his heavenly Father.

+

Preceding articles

Oklahoma City Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses

An atheist writer meeting Jehovah’s witnesses far from home

Politics and power first priority #1

Charles Taze Russell and what he started

Was Russell and Rutherford “Illuminati”?

A Society pleading poverty

Following articles:

Jesus’ footstep followers, irrespective of sectarian lines

Authority from the one God to one mediator between God and men

++

Additional reading

1. Religious Practices around the world
2. Religions and Mainliners
3. Denominationalism exists because?
4. Silence, devotion, Salafists, quietists, weaponry, bombings, books, writers and terrorists
5. Why is it that Christians don’t understand Muslims and Muslims do not understand Christians?
6. Responses to Radical Muslims and Radical Christians
7. Finding and Understanding Words and Meanings
8. Some one or something to fear #3 Cases, folks and outing
9. Subcutaneous power for humanity 5 Loneliness, Virtual and real friends
10. In a world which knows no peace sharing blessed hope
11. How long to wait before bringing religiousness and spirituality in practice
12. Breaking up with a cult
13. Christianity without the Trinity
14. Writers needed to preach to non-believers
15. Catholicism, Anabaptism and Crisis of Christianity
16. Those who call the Christadelphians a cult
17. A man from the North wanting to have control in Belgium
18. Quibbling siblings united or allied children of an organisation or a church
19. On the Affirmation of Scripture
20. Not many coming out with their community name
21. To remove the whitewash of the Jehovah Witnesses as being the only true Bible Students and Bible Researchers
22. Around C.T.Russell
23. Russell himself never claimed to be a prophet.
24. Misunderstandings concerning C.T. Russell
25. Surprising figures about Jehovah Witnesses
26. Russell and his beliefs
27. Biblestudents & T.C.Russell
28. Bijbelonderzoekers en Russelism / Bible researchers and Russelism
29. Charles Taze Russell never claimed to have found a new religion, or a new church.
30. A visible organisation on earth
31. When not seeing or not finding a biblically sound church
32. When seeing a biblically sound church
33. Ecclesia to exist, grow and communities to have people communicating with each other
34. The Big conversation Why it matters
35. Soviet Witnesses
36. Date Setting
37. A British judge rules that mother can’t indoctrinate son with religion
38. Retrieving some older articles previously placed on Multiply
39. Bringing Good News into the world
40. Deaf helped in their ability to progress in this community
41. Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
42. Russia’s battle against the Jehovah’s Witnesses
43. Jehovah’s Witnesses Shunning ex-members adverse effects on family relationships
44. Disappointed expectations
45. Getting out of the dark corners of this world
46. Saved through grace not through keeping rituals
47. Actions to be a reflection of openness of heart
48. Sealed in their foreheads
49. Solution for Willing hearts filled with gifts
50. The Bride New Jerusalem
51. Looking for something or for the Truth and what it might be and self-awareness
52. Lovers of God, seekers and lovers of truth
53. The one who set the standard
54. Revelation 1:8 – Who is Speaking?
55. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
56. A small company of Jesus’ footstep follower
57. The longer you wait
58. Preaching Christ Is Not Enough

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Further related articles

1. Celebrating Christendom’s Demise?
2. Nineteenth Century Protestant Doctrines of the Trinity
3. “Should You Believe in the Trinity?”
4. Why I Am a Christian.
5. Christ didn’t come to help us, He came to Include us
6. Change Your Village
7. Pouring Into Others
8. Who Are Jehovah’s Witnesses?
9. “Ye Are My Witnesses, Saith Jehovah Baldwin: Arkansas Man Arrested For Firing Shots At Jehovah’s Witnesses Who Approached Him On His Lawn
10. Rosary No More!! Why I Stopped Praying The Rosary!! (Testimony of a Former Roman Catholic)
11. The Semiology of Jehovah’s Witnesses
12. Prophecy, power and weakness
13. Serena Williams and Jehovah’s Witnesses
14. A Hymn From Christendom in July 2016 JW Broadcasting?
15. Is it blind faith, or tradition?
16. The Decision
17. I Am Not A Victim
18. Jehovah’s witnesses
19. It is not a trip at all
20. Day in the life..
21. Why Do Some JWs Live A Lie?
22. Do people get a second chance?
23. Why do EX – Jehovahs Witnesses struggle to find a church?
24. Conditional Love
25. Sheep and Wolves
26. Warning: You Might Get Kicked Out of the Kingdom Hall by a Donkey
27. What to do with Jehovah’s Witnesses?
28. Exodus Chapter 8
29. Witness to Jehovahs like Frank & Joe Hardy
30. Jehovah’s (False) Witnesses
31. Trust issues…and then some
32. Charles Taze Russell – “Don’t read your Bible”
33. Watchtower Study June 5, 2016—Being Faithful Leads to God’s Approval
34. Finding the Way
35. World’s Fastest Growing Religion?
36. A fallen Prince
37. Prince found ’real happiness’ as Jehovah’s Witness, talking about Bible, longtime friend and bassist says
38. A Different Sort of Church History 1
39. Who were the Arians and what did they believe?
40. Two Pillars of Freedom
41. Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses preach?
42. Two Classes Of Christians?
43. Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian?
44. My first false baptism
45. You are Welcome to be Unwelcome….
46. The Sting of Slavery
47. Jehovah’s Witness Convention 2016—A Weekend of Robbery and Manipulation
48. Review of talk at “Remain loyal to Jehovah” 2016 convention of Jehovahs Witnesses
49. Jehovah’s Witness Convention 2016—Maintain Loyalty Symposium
50. On False Prophets and False Accusers
51. Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Worship of Jesus
52. Growing up a Jehovah’s Witness—Anxiety at a Young Age
53. Sgt. Robert Wilson III Ceremony for Valor Showcases Watchtower Hypocrisy
54. Late Prince honored by Jehovah’s Witnesses
55. The Picture of the Governing Body
56. Witnessing to JW’s Enhances Witnessing to Others
57. Is Watchtower Running out of Money?
58. How Jehovah’s Witnesses Think
59. Dating A Jehovah’s Witness
60. Reminder for uncertain times: “Heeding advance warning can save your life!”
61. Numbers in Scripture
62. The Mark in the Forehead
63. Who Do You Say Jesus Is?
64. Religion Roundup
65. #Islam & Muslim’s and the #Murder of a #Catholic so called #Priest in #France. More lying #Propaganda for the deceived Catholic’s. They actually think that they are being persecuted for their belief’s, but actually, it is simply the #Ignorance of #Islam. — Boot The Door And Shout Through The Crack
66. In the dust of the Rabbi- Day 67
67. Spiritual Sobriety: Stumbling Back to Faith When Good Religion Goes Bad
68. On the Russian evangelism law
69. Is doctrine important? What’s the danger in deviating from sound doctrine?
70. Religions are Cults: I Refuse to Let Another Man Control my Life
71. Suspected Cult Leader Disguised as Anti-Cult “Expert”
72. Dangerous Cult: House Of Yahweh
73. Goin’ Through The Gate
74. Why you wouldn’t want to be a Jim Jones liberal
75. Reclaiming the Church of God
76. The Master Manipulator
77. Ungracious “Grace” Leaders
78. Bunkeroos vs. Scientologists
79. Scientology Floggers
80. China, Cults, And Persecution (oh my!)
81. Beware of Shincheonji!!
82. Video on the Shincheonji Cult!
83. Is Young Life a cult?
84. The recons flee defeated on Christology

+++

Related articles

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• Don Reed’s East 14th
• Gen Con set to get underway in Indy
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• Jehovah’s Witnesses Destroy Ancient Indigenous Temple in Mexico
• motherofpalms: “The attack on the more than 7,000 year-old…
• Christian group vandalizes ancient Mexican archeological site claiming it’s linked to ‘Devil worship’
• CESNUR 2016 Conference in Korea, with presentations by Introvigne, Kim (UTS’91), and Fefferman (UTS’86)
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Belonging to or being judged by

What to be and where to belong

Many Christians may have lots of questions about why we are created so and so, what we do have to do, how we have to behave and form our selves.  Jehovah’s Witnesses also can become confronted with such questions which can bring them into many doubts. They also can become frustrated.

Jehovah’s witnesses from door to door (Photo credit: ideacreamanuelaPps)

Strangely in our world today we may find people who are excluded by the community of Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW), but who are still feeling 100% pro-Jehovah’s Witnesses. This despite the fact that the organisation has removed them from the congregation, and despite the believer his or her belief that the organisation happens to be in error for doing so!

What we do find strange by many ex-Jehovah Witnesses is that they either go totally against the Faith in One God or that they go totally against the non-trinitarian idea and go to an other organisational church. Many of them keep thinking you need A Organisation, others came to come to see clear and do find it is not as such the church of men but the church of God they have to look for.

Witnesses for Jehovah

A few believe that there is no other religious organization on earth today that is so completely committed to doing the work Jesus asked of his followers, and following in his footsteps, worshipping the God of the Bible, in the way that he prescribes, doing their utmost to be continually teaching and living by the truth of his word, and not simply the often-vacillating moral and secular opinions of men. They stay blinded that there are no other serious Bible Students who try to do the task Jesus had ordered his followers to do. This mainly because they limit their idea about preaching to having to go on the streets and to knock at the door or ringing the bell.

We do agree that the Jehovah Witnesses organisation is a powerful organisation, very well structured, and because having enough money and interested people, able to bring the tasks together, organise editions and meetings, much better than many others. They have very beautiful good publications to help people willing to learn about the Word and Work of Jehovah God. Though sometimes they seem to forget that it is “God’s word is alive, and exerts power,” (Hebrews 4:12) and that it is God’s Hand which hovers over the world bringing all sorts of people active in the Word of God. The Jehovah Witnesses  and the excluded ones who still hope to be part of the Jehovah Witnesses (JW) overlook that there are also other witnesses for Jehovah active in the whole world. We consider ourselves some of them.

When all in union or being united

The congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses mistakenly consider them as the only people who are truly united by their religion “in the same mind and in the same line of thought” as Jesus Christ, not just locally, but everywhere around the globe. The JW rightly consider that if all people on earth were Jehovah’s Witnesses, there would be no wars, no violent conflicts. But we also could say in case all Christians would follow the teachings of the one they say they take as their master, than also there would be already less fighting and less problems in the world. In case all people would be real Christians, and not just name Christians, really following the commandments of God, than also there would be no wars, no violent conflicts. The same simply cannot be said of the myriad of other religions on earth today, because there are so many divisions and many having non-Scriptural teachings. Taryn Viv having been a JW, and still feeling like one, seems to know one of the problems of the people in the organisation. She writes:

To their credit, Jehovah’s Witnesses are sincerely diligent when it comes to applying Bible counsel to themselves, and to the congregation. Faithfully doing so has proven to have tremendously positive results, which only makes sense. If the Bible really is, as it claims, the word of our creator, his wisdom certainly must surpass ours, and as it is summed up at Isaiah 48:17, “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself.”

Fallible or infallible organisation

Diagram Representing Organisational Structure of Jehovah’s Witnesses (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to us some Witnesses give the impression their organisation is infallible and only brings the Words of God. They have given the Watchtower and tract Society (Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania + Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York + Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses) with their so called ‘Faithful Slave’ the same position as many Christians do give the Pope of the Vatican. It is that Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses based in Brooklyn, New York which is the ruling council of Jehovah’s Witnesses. They may formulate the policy and doctrines everybody has to follow. Strangely enough the members of the Governing Body say they are followers of Christ rather than religious leaders, but take the position of dictatorial leaders, whose rules and ideas everybody has to follow.
When the Society’s second president, J.F. Rutherford, encountered opposition from directors in 1917, he dismissed them; in 1925 he overruled the Watch Tower Society’s editorial committee — selected by Charles Taze Russell to have editorial control of The Watch Tower after his death—when it opposed publication of an article that altered doctrines on Bible chronology related to 1914. In 1931, the editorial committee was dissolved and until January 1976, the president of the Governing Body exercised complete control of doctrines, publications and activity of the Watch Tower Society and the religious denominations with which it was connected — some of the Bible Students Movment and Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The ones to tell what is right or wrong

Though not one man is infallible and knows everything. Even Jesus did not know when he would return to the earth. But the organisation claims that they can tell all people what is right and wrong, and that they are the only ones who can bring people to God. For sure they will help a lot of people to find the Only One God and to come to see the difference between the man made gods and the Only One God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah. We should know that we as human beings have all our limitations and cannot expect perfection of one another in this system of things, nor can we expect it of the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses, nor those appointed to positions of responsibility, in spite of the tremendous good that Jehovah clearly is using the JW, Bible Students, Christadelphians and other non-trinitarian Christians who freely  and sincerely, contribute to the work of God.

Transgender – Being and feeling in a body

As a transgender woman for many, many years, the writer was quite frankly a bit shocked that, within weeks of her first surfacing the truth of her situation openly with a brother whom she considered a long-time friend, the congregation elders had decided this was a “judicial matter,” and scheduled a meeting to essentially determine whether she would be “repentant,” or would need to be removed from the congregation. Strangely enough you could wonder how it did happen they did not know earlier.
Such people with a gender problem, which we encounter much more today (also have a look at the articles on Stepping toes) are not only in trouble with their own situation, having to suffer from major depressive illness for some years and as a result having very little contact with their own family, do not have it always easy  to mix with others and to enjoy friendly contacts and group meetings in Christian groups.

Exclusion because of gender choice

Dr. Camille Cabral, a transgender activist at a demonstration for transgender people in Paris, October 1, 2005

Because Taryn Viv cannot, and will not dress and present herself as the “man” she had come to realize she never truly was in the first place, she has been removed from the congregation. This is somewhat shocking which we often have to hear about the JW, who exclude followers and have their family members and friends of the faith-group charged not to meet the excluded person any more.

When we do know that everybody is created in the likeness of God, and that we do bear the image of God, you may wonder if those who do not feel at ease in their body are really doing something against the Will of God ,when they let science help them to become the person they, in first instance feel to be?

For sure, those who would knowingly and wilfully practice such things that Jehovah condemns as seriously harmful, unloving and wrong, could not rightly still be considered a follower of Christ. Those who practice fornication, theft, murder, and do not regret what they have wrong, even when baptised, can not be any more be considered a person being part of the Body of Christ. We do agree that in many Christian denominations there are a lot of people who believe we do not have to work any more once we are ‘reborn’. They think once baptised that they would enter in heaven because they are saved by Christ. But Faith without works is death.

Looks, judging and counselling

In case people of the congregation see that there is something wrong they should bring this into discussion. Faithful brothers and sisters should be counselled then to avoid any association with such a person, even to the point of just sitting down to a meal with them, where others could see the association with that person. But we do not find it right that natural brothers and sisters and parents are not allowed to speak or associate with their brother or sister or child.

According to us they should be the first ones to bring the other to get to see what he or she did wrong, but than there have to have been something wrong. Therefore we as Christians should examine everything very careful and be attentive before we judge some one else. We also should be aware that by the ages many traditions came into our life as well as ideas how we should be or what would be accepted as normal or acceptable in our community.
For example the JW always like to go around in business suits and do not find it appropriate to wear casual clothing in service. Their way of dress is also not always conform the dress in the country they preach. As such, in West Europe everybody straight ahead recognises the JW because of their Americanised out of date dressing. But that has nothing to do with commandments of God, where no where in Scriptures is written that a dress for a girl has to have a length of so many centimetres beneath the knees or up to the ankles.

Exclusions of persons

Christians should be very careful with exclusions of persons from their community and should also try to do every effort to get the person back on the right track. They never may forget that the rules of exclusion are about someone who has not shown any repentance, remorse or regret for such serious wrongs, and that the purpose of such “disfellowshipping,” as Jehovah’s Witnesses call the practice is twofold.

• First, it may move the person to reconsider the seriousness of what they have been doing and to turn around, thereby restoring a good relationship, first and foremost, with Jehovah God, but also with their spiritual family, who are urged to “kindly forgive and comfort” them. (2 Corinthians 2:7)

• A second key reason is that, in the event they should remain unrepentant, “a little leaven ferments the whole lump.” (1 Corinthians 5:6)

Wisdom of scriptural admonition evident

The writer of the article A Matter of Judgement recognises that the wisdom of the scriptural admonition is evident, and can be clearly seen by counterexample. No doubt we’ve all heard of some widely publicized cases of unthinkably horrid offences committed by members of various religions. (Child molestation, for example, comes to mind. Murder is another, such as the bombings of abortion clinics, for example.) When those engaging in such acts, even repeatedly, can yet remain affiliated with others of their “faith,” as though even such gross wrongs are tolerable, or beyond judgement, what does it say to the world at large about that faith?

“Faith without works is dead.” (James 2:26)

More believers should hear the call of those who came onto this world in an other body than there mind tells them.

For now, though, I’ll conclude by saying I am grateful to be attending meetings regularly at the Kingdom hall again, and despite being considered “disfellowshipped” I find them spiritually strengthening and encouraging.
These days I am glad to say I can be more sociable again, and although it saddens me that I cannot now freely associate with many of my friends, brothers and sisters in the congregation, I find I am being given precious opportunities to speak about the good news of God’s Word with others I come into contact with.

Far from letting my circumstances cause me to be negative, many an acquaintance has told me they have come away after a conversation with a better view of both the Bible and Jehovah’s Witnesses than they had before.

It pleases me know that I can still plant seeds of truth. I would encourage anyone in my sort of situation to do the same. Jehovah is a rewarder of those loyal to him, and so although the appointed elders may still expect to see me doing things that I cannot do, I know that Jehovah is pleased to see me doing what I can.

We only can hope that those who found their way to Jehovah the Only One God, by the help of the marvellous work of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, when they leave that organisation will continue in the Faith and in the Truth, loving God and all His creation, the good and the bad people also.

Moordown: Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses Tucked away in Elmes Road, otherwise a residential back street of Moordown. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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Please do find:

1. Taryn Viv a Wrongful Imprisonment ~ Faithful reflections of a transgender Jehovah’s Witness
2. A Matter of Judgement
3. Food for thought, that’s all.
4. Failing to Answer the Most Vital Question About “Becoming Jehovah’s Friend”
5. Jehovah’s Witnesses Shun Family Members for Selfish Reasons
6. Focus on Jehovah’s Witnesses
7. Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
8. A Living Faith #3 Faith put into action
9. Followers with deepening
10. The business of this life
11. Preaching to an unbelieving world
12. Determine the drive
13. Does the method of preaching from house to house have its basis in the Scriptures?
14. Blogging for Jesus…
15. Creator and Blogger God 4 Expounding voice
16. Proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation
17. Bringing Good News into the world
18. Preaching to an unbelieving world
19. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #2 Witnessing
20. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #3 Callers upon God
21. A Voice to be heard
22. Breathing to teach
23. Church sent into the world
24. Church enemy of faith
25. Breaking up with a cult
26. Dependence
27. Feeling-good, search for happiness and the church
28. Casual Christians
29. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
30. Uncovering the Foundations of Faith
31. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
32. Testify of the things heard
33. How should we preach?
34. When discouraged facing opposition
35. Reasons to come to gether
36. Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
37. Manifests for believers #5 Christian Union
38. Witnessing at LaGuardia Airport
39. Bible for you and for life – TheBible4Life Committee explain what is planned for the national preaching effort next year.
40. Good or bad preacher
41. Holland Week of billing
42. Trying to get the youth inspired
43. Jew refering to be religious or to be a people
44. Christian fundamentalism as dangerous as Muslim fundamentalism
45. Faith and works
46. Repentance and conversion are not milestones which we pass on the way of life and never see again
47. God receives us on the basis of our faith
48. God loving people justified
49. Creation and the Bible

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Related articles

• Jehovah’s Way: At the First Sign of Their Religious Doubt, Freeze Out Your Own Flesh and Blood (patheos.com)
  The elder Gonzalez is a Jehovah’s Witness. After his son expressed doubts about the movement, its Watchtower Governing Body promptly ordered the father to shun Rick and Lucas.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses Hateful practice of unbiblical shunning (christiansparlock.wordpress.com)
  

  “The result of ‘shunning’ is extreme anxiety, depression, self hatred, increased blood pressure, loss of appetite, self injury and suicidal thoughts and attempts. This is not only painful but excruciating.” – Allan N. Schwartz, PhD

• The Redemption (and Apostasy) of a Devout Jehovah’s Witness (patheos.com)
  James Zimmerman grew up as the kind of Jehovah’s Witness who might have knocked on your door. Devout and fervent, he knew what the consequences were for apostates. And yet he found a way to break free.

  His new memoir detailing his upbringing — and how his questioning of the faith eventually led him away from it — is called Deliverance at Hand!: The Redemption of a Devout Jehovah’s Witness (Freethought House, 2013):

• Jail for Jehovah’s Witness elder who molested girls (manchestereveningnews.co.uk)
  A Jehovah’s Witness elder who was exposed as a paedophile on Facebook has been jailed.

  Jonathan Rose was branded a hypocrite as he was locked up for molesting two little girls he met through the church.
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  The family of Rose’s first accuser say they were encouraged to cover up their allegation. He was cleared of groping the then teenage girl in 1995 trial, but she would go on to be a witness in the latest court case. Her family say they were hounded out of the Jehovah’s Witnesses when they expressed concerns.

• What Does The Bible Really Teach? – Chapter 18 Review (watchtowerinvestigated.co.uk)
  You are not baptised in the name of the father, son and holy spirit you are baptised into the organisation. In fact the last question they is “Do you understand that your dedication and baptism identify you as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in association with God’s spirit-directed organization?”
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  Gods law are not burdensome, but let me list some things that the watchtower burden with when you are baptised:-• Fill out a report card every month detailing how much ministry you have done (or not as the case may be).
  • You Must go to all the meetings.
  • You Must go on the field service.
  • You Must not have a blood transfusion even if your life depended on it.
  • You Must not get involved in any holidays, Christmas, Birthday, Mothers Day, Fathers Day…the list goes on.
  • You Must cut off love ones if they reject the religion…
  • The list goes on…
• Jehovah’s Witnesses call on Christians to safeguard their consciences (modernghana.com)
  Jehovah’s Witnesses at the weekend held a special assembly day programme with a call on Christians to safeguard their consciences to aid them walk with God and follow Jesus’ footsteps.

  The aim of the programme was to help the delegates to work towards acquiring a bible-trained and holy spirit-led conscience, which together with the bible, could serve as a reliable guide in deepening their relationship with God.