Non-Christian Christians: A look at three religions

i am a Christian and i am always researching other religions not because i dnt hav faith in my own but i want to be perpared wen i witness to people. ive been hit upside the head with some CRAZY beliefs!! i dnt want to judge others because i mostly assume they grew up the way they are like i hav grown up a christian but whenever i explain the basics of christianity there is never a FACT[[key word..everything in the word of god can be proven!!]] that they can tear down and disprove. it feels great knowing i hav the one tru god behind me!

god bless..ashley

Life is worth Loving

All you need to know about the Jehovah's Witnesses is that they say "Jesus had his return to power" aka his second coming in the year 1914.

The Watchtower is an oppressive cult if there ever was one!

It's amazing they are still around after 100 years of 100% failed prophecies. Truly amazing,that they can prompt their followers to actually go door to door with a 100% bogus message.
The Watchtower is a truly Orwellian world.

They will extol and preach "God's Kingdom" and this sounds attractive,what they hide from you is their Watchtower cult version that Jesus has already had his second coming in 1914 and is working "invisibly" through them,and all other religions are of Satan

Debunking the Jehovah's Witnesses propaganda:
A) They are at your door to recruit you for enslavement to their watchtower corporation,they will say that "we are just here to share a message from the Bible" this is deception right off.

B) The 'message' is their false Gospel that Jesus had his second coming already in 1914.The problem with this,is it's not just a cute fairy tale,Jesus warned of the false prophets who would claim "..look he is here in the wilderness,or see here he is at the temple"

C) Their anti-blood transfusion ban has killed hundreds if not thousands

D) once they recruit you they will "love bomb" you in cult fashion to also recruit your family & friends or cut them off. There are many more dangers,Jehovah's Witnesses got a bad rap for good and valid reasons.

----
Danny Haszard Jehovah's Witness X 33 years and 3rd generation
http://jehovahwitness.blogstream.com/
-tell the truth don't be afraid-Danny Haszard

Well,they reject the Trinity creed,but then go off and say that Jesus is the Archangel Michael.
The poster above is correct about them saying Jesus had his second coming in 1914 and only they saw it.

Yes,the watchtower is an esoteric man-made NON christian sect

Our blood transfusion prohibition law is so complex that the average rank and file Jehovah's Witness can't comprehend it.Why can some fractions of blood be used but not other parts? Is this from the Bible or made up by men?

People are dying over it!

REGARDING THE WATCHTOWER SOCIETY OVER JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES:

Hoping to cover their shocking pedophile scandals, for October 2007 they put out an Awake! magazine titled "Keep Your Children SAFE!” They do not want regular JWs and their Elders to know Associated Press reports of May 10, 2007 show they had to settle with 16 child abuse victims, the exact payments hushed by gag orders but possibly up to $3.5 million per victim. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlRHaO0y4ro

Awake! also doesn’t say they keep sending all JWs including so-called “repentant” pedophiles preaching door to door alongside mostly unsuspecting JW women, men and kids. All churches have some pedophiles but none sends so many high risk persons to the public’s doors in contrast to Luke 10:7 saying do not be transferring house to house. Christ and apostles went from a friendly house in one town to one in another, not every door. “Repentant” or not, pedophiles often repeat offend and are far more likely to be involved in crimes such as harassment and peeping Tom spying.

Watchtower says Acts 15:20’s “abstain from blood” isn’t just about religious food rituals but emergency blood transfusions although Christ said “God wants mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt 12:7); and Saul's men were forgiven for eating unbled meat to stay alive (Read 1 Samuel 14:32-35). JW Elders order those JWs shunned who “unrepentantly” get a blood transfusion but yet hypocritically must let JWs get organ transplants which also have blood in them. Identical twins transfuse each other via a shared placenta – God’s own arrangement. One estimate is that 3 JWs somewhere on earth bleed to death daily.

Futher, the Watchtower Society oppose holidays even though Colossians 2:16 and Galatians 4:10 clearly say don’t “let anyone judge you” about holidays, and Galatians 5:22 says joy is good. The Watchtower Society men say Christians changing pagan customs to Christian objectives mixed "darkness with light," but Christians say it turned "darkness into light." Watchtower men say Santa Claus came from a god or wizard; but the Truth is he came from medieval gift-giver St Nicolaus of Myra who wore red and had a miter stick. Santa Claus is Dutch for St Nicholaus.

The Watchtower Society’s Governing Body men in Brooklyn say the cross was a “repugnant murder weapon” but Paul says boast of the cross as a symbol of resurrection’s victory over death. (Ga 6:14, 1 Cor 1:17-18) but JWs’ Governing Body men misteach it was a “repugnant murder weapon.” Archaeology shows it was a cross, not stake as JWs are also taught to misteach. Crucifixion takes hours as Luke 23:44 and Matthew 27:45-6 say not minutes as would be by stake. Greek "stauros" means cross or stake never just stake. Christians use rabbits and eggs as new life or resurrection symbols not as a fertility rite vestige like JWs are told to teach.

Christ and Paul say use “our Father” in heaven or “Abba” (Dad) - not a formal guessed at name renderings such as Jehovah or Yahweh. (Mt6:9; Ro 8:15, Ga4:6) A child named Johnny Doe calls who loves his father named William Doe does not call his father William or Bill but “Dad” or “Daddy.” God told Israel's tribes to not misuse His name so Christians and Jews use "Lord" in respect not in superstition as JWs are mistaught to misteach the public. Besides, when pedophiles, voyeurs etc preach at doors in God’s name, such public endangerment is obviously using God’s name in vain.

Paul says all have sinned so all die but JWs are mistaught that many loyal living JWs will never die and live forever on Paradise Earth, with only a Little Flock of JWs going to heaven although Revelation 19:1 says a "great crowd" is in heaven not just a little flock. Psalm 20:5 and Song of Solomon 2:4, 6:4,10 speak well of banners or flags as they show respect not idolatry as mistaught. JWs are mistaught other groups say God is 3 exact same persons in one person when the actual teaching is God is 3 different persons in one "Godship" or "divine nature," that is, an equal state of holiness. (Read Ro 1:20)

Watchtower has Elders use formal Judicial Committees of elders to judge other JWs for “wrongs” like dissenting on Bible teachings. They declare them disfellowshipped, that is shunned by other JWs including family and friends. Paul at 2 Corinthians 2:6 says a “majority,” therefore not all Christians at Corinth shunned a wrongdoer but the Watchtower Society insists all JWs must shun. Paul could order his relief worker Timothy but could not order Christians in general as to whom they must or must not all associate with. James wrote in opposition to any kind of formal harsh, rigid judging.

The Watchtower Society’s Governing Body says it’s “the faithful and discreet slave” over all Christians (Mt 24) but the Bible shows that role most belongs only to Jesus Christ, the only perfect and most faithful discreet slave of God. 1Timothy 3:16 calls scriptures the one perfect, inspired source of answers. The Watchtower Society says theirs is the one true faith Paul spoke of at Ephesians 4:5 about 2000 yrs ago but that “one faith” was universal general Christianity. JWs are mistold being fitly united requires having uniformity in all beliefs but Colossians 3:14 says the greatest bond of unity is LOVE not dictated same views. Romans14 gives freedom to differ.

If you find this informative, please mail a copy to JWs and JWs' Bible studies. It has saved lives. The Watchtower Society will be very displeased of course.

This could have been an enlightening piece, until you started LAUGHING at other religions.

http://www.progressiveu.org/user/bamers

OK, this is way too long to respond to in depth, so I will just repond to the Jewish part because I know most about that.

Keep in mind that I do think that the god displayed in the Old Testament is an incredibly evil deity.

Beliefs of Jews:

"1. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked. >> Uh, no one is "good" under the standards of God." Well, it seems reasonable to me. Of course, most people do some bad things, but most people, I think, are genuinely good people, even if they do the occiasional misdeed. So, the god of the Jews does not expect perfection, something that he would know is impossible. Further more, these laws apply only to Jews. They don't expect non-Jews to follow these rules or to convert to Judaism after hearing about it. If that was the case, the circumstance of your birth would be how you were rewarded.

"2. The Messiah will come. >> Jesus wasn't the Messiah, just a man. Wow, how awful for them to say that." Why is it awful for them to say that. Jesus did not fufill the messianic prophesies. He did not bring about peace on Earth. The dead were not ressurected en masse and Israel wan't restored to the Jews till the 1950's. And, there were other people in that era claiming to be the Messiah. Jesus just had better press agents.

"3. G-d is a unity. He is a single, whole, complete indivisible entity. He cannot be divided into parts or described by attributes. Any attempt to ascribe attributes to G-d is merely man's imperfect attempt to understand the infinite. >> There is no Trinity, Jesus is NOT God which he claims to be. They dismiss what Jesus has said and say it is a fallacy of man. Interesting." Well, seeing as there is no evidence of god at all, I think that there is no reason to believe any of that. But, there is also no reason to accept what Jesus said is true over what they already believed was true. Seeing as Jesus didn't do what the Messiah was supposed to do, why should they believe him?

"4. We are forbidden to represent G-d in a physical form. That is considered idolatry. The sin of the Golden Calf incident was not that the people chose another deity, but that they tried to represent G-d in a physical form. >> I just think that's interesting. Honestly. I don't know why. We don't know if God has a form or not. I mean, He did show himself to Moses in the form of a non-burning fire. He let one other, I think Solomon, see him and he became blind. The Bible says those who see or hear God will fall to their knees and be blinded by his glory." Why? Why not? Why aren't men allowed to be homosexual? Why is the Sabboth on Saturday? Or is it Sunday?

"SO HERE is what I am just pointing out. These religions are NOT Christian, although they claim to be. Not saying that one in the religion isn't Christian. I am simply saying that their beliefs are not of the Christian belief. In Judaism there is one exception; Messianic Jews/Completed Jews.
The reason I say this is because of a few things. They don't believe Jesus is God AND the Son of God. They don't even believe he was the Son of God (JW's and Jews). They listen to one who was obviously out of his mind (Mormonism). Their beliefs contradict the main beliefs of all Christian religions."
Jews do not claim to be Christians. Judaism predated Christianity. If anything, Christians are Jews. OF course, I don't believe that either, but the only Jews who are Christians are the ones you say are. And, basically, that just means that they are Christians pretending to be Jews. Seeing as belief in Jesus as the Messiah or the Son of god does contradict Judaism.

"If religion were true, its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into an artificial conformity; but would merely insist on their unbending quest for truth, irrespective of artificial backgrounds or practical consequences."
H. P. Lovecraft

One belief of Jehovah's Witnesses that wasn't mentioned is their worldwide practice of shunning. It has adversely affected literally millions of families.

Lying or using carefully chosen word camouflage to deceive members and the general public is the hallmark of a cult. Shunning is one example of how the Jehovah's Witnesses use cult deception:

It is widely known among millions of former Jehovah's Witnesses that their relatives shun those who (1) were never baptized as a Jehovah's Witness and (2) those who simply leave the organization but who commit no sin.

My friend falls into the first category. She was never baptized and yet her mother and brother (an Elder in the church) are currently shunning her. Unbelievably, they also shun her developmentally disabled daughter! Yes, this grandmother and uncle think it is "loving" to shun my friend's special needs child! I fall into the second category. I simply walked away and haven't heard from my family in over 25 years! When the Watchtower says on their website:

http://www.jw-media.org/beliefs/beliefsfaq.htm

"Those who become inactive in the congregation, perhaps even drifting away from association with fellow believers, are not shunned..."...
they are LYING. Plain and simple.

THE DOCUMENTATION from their own literature proves they are not only encouraged but expected to shun family members.

If you'd like to research other Watchtower quotes, email me through my website at www.outofthecocoon.net and I'll cite the various publications.

Also, click on the KNOCKING PREMIERE audio on my website and you will hear a Jehovah's Witness openly lying to the entire audience stating, "We don't shun family." Then hear me confront a JW Elder afterwards and listen to him dodge my question when I ask, "How do you feel about the fact that a Jehovah's Witness just lied?"

In addition, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2O4lbgX81U and you will see an Elder using theocratic warfare in court on the witness stand!

The Watchtower's convention theme this year is "Follow The Christ." I ask you, is this--LYING AND SHUNNING--what Jesus would do???

Brenda Lee, "Out of the Cocoon: A Young Woman's Courageous Flight from the Grip of a Religious Cult" www.outofthecocoon.net

We are "sent" here? What does that mean? If we were already in Heaven, why would God honestly send us here? He has us already, that just makes absolute NO sense.

Why not? Where do the souls of children come from if they aren't with God?

Again, what? Basically they're saying that we can be as bad as we want, but if we accept Him as our salvation then we are okay?

I highly suggest you actually read what you're responding to. The sentence RIGHT BEFORE YOUR RESPONSE says "Because Jesus Christ paid the price for sin, we don’t have to [suffer] if we accept Him in our lives and live according to His teachings." So if you live according to Jesus' teachings, then you'll be ok. Living according to his teachings isn't be 'as bad as we want'. And most Christians do believe that as long as you accept Jesus as your savior, you'll go to heaven. The Mormons are saying that you have to do BOTH good works and accept him as your savior in order to get to Heaven. Sounds like the ideal Christian to me.

That just leads people to think that God PLANNED on us making mistakes and made us so that we would. Wrong again, we were made "perfect" but with free will. We sinned, there was our flaw.

By giving us free will (which is debatable in the first place), God made us so that we could make mistakes. If God was omniscient, he would have known that we would eat from the tree (which is why free will is debatable).

Wow, that would suck! You die and you're just there in the ground, dead... you know nothing you think of nothing... that's horrible man.

Why would that suck, exactly? Does the idea of Heaven and Hell offer comfort to you? The idea that people will burn for all eternity is comforting? Doesn't sound very comforting to me... I guess Christians are just selfish then ('as long as I get to heaven, it'll be ok').

They just contradicted themselves. The Bible says that killing is wrong... sure there is NO verse that directly says abortion is wrong, but honestly I don't think there needs to be. God doesn't see a difference between a fetus and a baby 8 months old. They're the same to him.

Again, I would suggest reading it. It says that it's personal choice, but having an abortion is a willful killing of another human. Thus, it is murder (and killing isn't wrong, murder is. The Bible gives plenty of accounts of people killing others, and it's not considered wrong). So you can choose to have an abortion, but you're committing murder by doing so. Goes back to that free will thing you believe.

"abstain from ... blood." What are they talking about!? Those passages are talking, STRICTLY about the impurities of certain sins.

Acts 15:20 says: Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. {emphasis added}

Sounds pretty straight forward to me. The from in front of blood separates it from the rest of those lists.

You know, with medical science today, blood and organs are so clean, there is minimal risk (unless your body decides that it's a foreign object, which does happen).

I'm trying to figure out what you mean here. Blood is pretty easy to transfer, as long as you have the same type of blood. Organs, on the other hand, have to be much more carefully matched, because they contain nucleated cells. You have to take immune suppressants in order to get an organ transplant. It's hardly a 'minimal risk procedure. I think a great deal of the difference between blood transfusions and organ transplants is that organ donation usually occurs when you die. There are a few exceptions (kidneys, mostly), but they're pretty rare. So there isn't an exchange of blood when you give an organ, because the blood is no longer circulating in your body.

They don't know anything when they die anyways. So, if you have a chance to live why not keep them alive?

Because the procedures aren't worth it in the end? They're distressing, probably pretty expensive... so why only prolong the dying process and make someone suffer? It's not required by the Bible...

Uh, no one is "good" under the standards of God.

I'm surprised at you. You go onto jewfaq, which is a really good website, and you don't look up the standards for goodness for non-Jews. Allow me to give them to you.

According to traditional Judaism, G-d gave Noah and his family seven commandments to observe when he saved them from the flood. These commandments, referred to as the Noahic or Noahide commandments, are inferred from Genesis Ch. 9, and are as follows: 1) to establish courts of justice; 2) not to commit blasphemy; 3) not to commit idolatry; 4) not to commit incest and adultery; 5) not to commit bloodshed; 6) not to commit robbery; and 7) not to eat flesh cut from a living animal. These commandments are fairly simple and straightforward, and most of them are recognized by most of the world as sound moral principles. Any non-Jew who follows these laws has a place in the world to come.

Pretty easy to be good, then.

Jesus wasn't the Messiah, just a man. Wow, how awful for them to say that.

Why is it awful? Because you believe he was the Messiah? He didn't bring peace to the world (in fact, followers of him have done quite the opposite). He didn't rebuild the Temple (in fact, the second Temple was destroyed after he came). He certainly wasn't recognized by the world as the Messiah (else everyone would be Christians today). He was a teacher, but he was just a man.

There is no Trinity, Jesus is NOT God which he claims to be. They dismiss what Jesus has said and say it is a fallacy of man. Interesting.

The Messiah isn't supposed to be God. He's supposed to be a man. And they dismiss a lot of what he says because he wasn't following the teachings that God himself gave them (according to their beliefs). I'm a little confused about their idea of the Shechinah, but that's a discussion for another time.

These religions are NOT Christian, although they claim to be.

Most Jews make no claim that they are Christian. They don't want to be Christians, because that would be against their beliefs, despite the fact that there are a number of Christians trying to get them to 'convert'. So you really chose the wrong third religion.

~C
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Jehovah's Witnesses are permitted by the Watchtower Society-appointed elders to ge organ transplants, and those have blood in them. So they approved blood usage even while saying they don't which is hypocrisy and a lie.

Acts 15:20 says abstain from blood but the context shows it's talking about food and religious ritual.

JWs should be allowed to free choose if or if not to take blood transfusions but now they are told, like a gun to the head, that if they do they will be shunned by all JW family and friends. This is not "choice" by force, coersion, duress. Hospital liaison committees of JW elders need to be barred to remove the duress.

personally i have no religion that i strictly fallow. ive only been to chrch about 5 or 6 times in my life... more with friends than family. when i did go to church it was a protistant curch but i know absolutely nothing about it. and my friend went to two different churches because her parents didnt want to raise her in one way so they split it! but from what i read of your postings ive learned more than what i ever knew.

A favorite doing of JW elders is to use Theocratic Warfare word tactics. They sometimes say "we don't SHUN" when they do but think it's a cute way to supposedly truthfully lie because they DISFELLOWSHIP not shun.

Outside of JWs only a few other groups teach TW usage, for example the Aryan Brotherhood (a quasi-religious criminal group) and Hare Krishnas. Regular grassroots JW members aren't knowledgeable about TW so will tell you it doesn't exist or get used among JWs; the elders sometimes use it on them too.

Ok, lets try this. If there had been an internet in the days of Jesus and the early Christians and you did a Google search what would most of the sites be saying?

What would some to the topics be?

Here's one, "Jesus seen with prostitutes, "I was right there says one eyewitness, I saw all of it, and this guy is supposed to be the Christ? No way"!

Here is another:
Former carpenter now son of God advocates overthrow of Governent. A former follower had this to say, "Man, I could not believe my ears, but he said it, the Kingdom is in your midst, and I was like what do you mean? And he just said something like, "My kingdom is no part of this world". "Man, I want no part of a revolution, this guy is over the top". Says one former Christian Elder, "It is what I have been saying all along, this group is dangerous, we need to stamp them out. When they come to your door, just slam it in their face, they are a cult"!

Jesus advocates cannibalism. The so called Christ and son of God was recently quoted as saying that being a cannibal is ok, it is not a sin. An ear witness had this to say, "Man, I could not believe my ears, but he said it, "you must drink my blood and eat my body, I mean, what are we talking here, is there going to be like a McJesus or something, how can we all drink his blood and eat his flesh? I could not hear anymore and a bunch of us stopped following him".
One former Christian Elder had this to say, "It is like I have been telling you all along, this guy is a cult leader, and he his dangerous, we need to stop him. When they come to your door, just slam it in their face"!

Former servants of Jehovah disfellowshipped. A spokesman for the high priest had this to say, "We have one God and his name is Jehovah, we do not need to go through some self proclaimed Chirst to speak to our God, we have our temple and that is where any self respecting Jew will go. We want to put all Jews on notice, you follow this man, and you will be thrown out of the temple, you will lose your job, your friends and your family".
Says one former Christian Elder, who is still not welcome back at the temple, "It is what I have been saying all along, these people are dangerous, when they come to your door, slam it in their face, they are a cult".

Christians, stunned as their "King and Christ" is killed; Christians were reeling today after Jesus was put to death, says one former follower of the dead carpenter, "I kept waiting for Jehovah to save him, but nothing happened and now he is gone". When asked what he planned to do now he responded, "All I can do is hope to get my old job back, maybe my family will take me back in, and I plan to make a trip up to the temple to see the priest, I can only hope it is not too late". A spokesperson for Jesus Cultwatch had this to say, " Well, it is what we were saying all along, this guy was a fake, he used magic tricks, and with help from the darkside he was able to fool a few people, but after all he did, we can only number them at 120, clearly the methods he employed were not effective. And the door to door stuff, whoa, the average Jew hated them coming around every Saturday, man, it was a pain. We have set up counseling programs for all former Christ cult member's, if you want more information you can contact us at www.jesuscultwatch.org.".
A former Chistiian Elder had this to say, "It is what I have been saying all along, they kill children, they do not believe in Jehovah, and they are a cult, and now you will not have to worry because with him dead it is over! Next thing you know, they will be saying he is back from the dead, ha".
This just in, "Jesus back from dead says cult leaders..........

Do you get my point? All the bad things you are saying about Jehovah's Witnesses, you most likely would have said about Jesus and his followers or worse.

Now you try.

A few clarifications on what we really do believe:

1."basically there is big god Jehovah, little gods Jesus and Holy Spirit... that's three gods right? Hmm... sounds a lot like the Egyptian religion."

There is only one God, the Father. Jesus is Gods son. The Holy Spirit is not a god, its Gods spirit.

2. "They'll die, know nothing, then go back to this horrible earth... lovely"

The dead know nothing: "For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all" - Ecclesiastes 9:5

But there will be a resurrection of the dead: "I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection" - Acts 24:15

Those resurrected will not "go back to this horrible earth" but live in the new heaven or on the new earth: "there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell." - 2 Peter 3:13

3. "Wait, didn't they say that we can get salvation from Jesus? Apparently not. If you ask them, they'll say no. You can do good, love God all you want, but you still might be going to Hell"

Yes you can get salvation from Jesus: "we wait for the happy hope and glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus, who gave himself for us that he might deliver us from every sort of lawlessness" - Titus 2:13

If you love God and serve him you will not go to hell: "For God is not unrighteous so as to forget YOUR work and the love YOU showed for his name, in that YOU have ministered to the holy ones and continue ministering. " - Hebrews 6:10

5. "Abortion: This is a matter of personal choice."

No it is not. God do regard human life, including the life of a fetus, as very valuable. We have no right to murder a unborn child. "And in case men should struggle with each other and they really hurt a pregnant woman and her children do come out but no fatal accident occurs, he is to have damages imposed upon him ........... But if a fatal accident should occur, then you must give soul for soul" - Exodus 21:22,23

Consider this - how many times in the bible are holidays mentioned? How many times is the word trinity mentioned?

The correct response to both is none.

I would argue the mainstream "christian" religions are not christian in the sense of following the teachings of christ.

This shouldn't be a surprise as Christ himself recognized this when he spoke what is recorded today as Matthew 7. Here he identifies the difficulty true christians would have by speaking of their life as being on a narrow road, while broad and spacious is the road leading to destruction. He also notes there would be wolves in sheeps clothing, which fits the bill of mainstream "christianity". Why do people worship in religions that caused the crusades, supported the inqusition and supported hitler. I honestly don't get it. He also noted many would call themselves his followers, but he would tell them to get away from him. Pretty heavy food for thought.

I suggest you go back and read the writtings of Marcion, Tertullian, Philo and others and see how beginning after John's death in 95 CE, true christianity was sidetracked by believers in Greek Philosophy. Also, all the pagan holidays were integrated into the "Christian" church around this time. Also re-read about the council of nicea. Constantine, who burned his wife alive in oil (after converting to christiantity), was looking for a tool to help him politically and choose to ride on the back of the christian faith. Trinity was an invention of Tertullian, who later rejected the catholic faith.

Better yet, get a good bible and read it and see if you can find any hint of trinity. If you are going to throw oout John 10:30, consider also John 17:21

Overall, I'd have to say your essay is a pretty light weight analysis, supported by only what you want to be true. But of course, this fits in with the idea at 2 Tim 4:3, 4 so it's no surprise.

Wow... I can feel the hate. I think Jesus may have said something about that. But, He anticipated that too. A quote: "basically there is big god Jehovah, little gods Jesus and Holy Spirit...thats three gods right?" Did you not do your homework or what? And have you ever really got the Bible's view of hell? Even Jesus went there at his death (Acts 2 25-27) Get the facts about your enemy before you spew. I see bias with no Scriptural support. I'm sure this comment won't matter anyway. thx

From my perspective, I find it quite funny that you say the above mentioned three have "crazy" beliefs while holding on to the belief that a man, who was the son of a god, whom you've never met and existed over two thousand years ago, somehow died for your sins.

Each and every religion can look at another and say the other is crazy while agnostics look at them all with the same feelings of disbelief. I don't spend my time trying to convince people that there ISN'T a God or that the idea that Jesus died for MY sins is absurd, so why do Christians spend their time attempting to do the opposite? Just let others be.

Dear Jehovah’s Witness Regular Members and Elders: I have the following questions especially near Christmas. I will become a Jehovah’s Witness but must first have these sincere questions countered and cleared up, something my Bible study friend hasn’t done and for some reason refuses to. To begin, Colossians 2:16 says Do Not let anyone judge if you’re a Christian or not by your food, drink, celebrating a festival, New Moon or Sabbath. (also read Ga 4:10). My friend says Christians changing pagan customs to a Christian aim only mixed Darkness With Light like a pinch of poison but into clear water, but to me it looks like Christians turning Darkness Into Light, muddy water into clear water. Also, Joy is a fruit of God’s Spirit. (Ga 5:22)

From reading about Christmas etc I find the trees came from use as Eden’s Tree of Paradise in medieval church plays, not tree worship; Santa Claus is based on the gift-giver Saint Nicholas who wore bishop’s red instead of an ancient god, and the earliest Christians may have taken Christmas from Judaism’s Hannukah (Festival of Lights) holiday with its lights, gifts etc that was first celebrated December 27 but now varies in date because lunar rather than sun-based. It may also have been for countering Rome’s Saturnalia fest, not imitaing it. The name Easter may be from the word Eastern since Christianity came from the (Middle) East although the scholar Bede guessed the goddess Eastre. Easter began as a celebration of resurrection, not a vestige of fertility rites. Easter eggs and rabbits are symbols of new life or Resurrection. All Hallow’s (Holy Ones’ or Saints’) Evening or Halloween replaced the pagan harvest fest Samhain but Christians began it as a day for parents to dress kids as Saints, who had been martyred and tortured (hence scary-looking) for staying faithful to God, hoping to encourage the kids to also stay faithful.

I have been told by my study friend and seen a Watchtower publication compare the cross to A Repugnant Murder Weapon even though Paul says Boast of the cross as a symbol of Christ’s resurrection victory over death. (Ga 6:14, 1 Cor 1:17-18) I also hear Christ died on a stake but know archaeologists have found crosses, not stakes. Crucifixion takes hours as scriptures say (Lu 23:44; Mat 27:45-6) not minutes as studies show it would have by stake, and the Greek word Stauros means cross or stake never just stake. I am told I must preach at one house right after house rather than do so at a friendly house then go to one with someone interested in another town. Would you please read what Christ says at Luke 10:7? Please. I also do not understand why everyone, even those called Repentant of the worst crimes absolutely must preach at doors since Solomon said there are places for doing and not things. Sending serial murders and the like to preach at doors poses danger, so reproaches God’s name, making its use vain. Christ says pray to Our Father Who Is In Heaven; Paul says use Abba (Dad). What child would use a formal hypothetical name for his Father?

I was told the Governing Body of JWs form the Faithful and Discreet Slave over All Christians (Mt24:45) and JWs are the only one true faith (Eph 4:4) which bothers me because Christ proved he himself is that most Faithful Discreet Slave and the one faith existing when he said it was general Christianity not the Watchtower which began about 1870. To me it seems better to focus on helping the needy that trying to predict when the world might end since Christ says No One Knows The Hour Of The End.

Your main teaching is that many (namely Jehovah’s Witnesses) now living will never die but Paul says all people sin and therefore all will die. You say a Little Flock go to heaven whilst Revelation 19:1 says A Great Crowd do, (please read it) and the 144,000 figure in Revelation can be just as symbolic as 7 and 10 also are there. You say the Trinity is Worship Of A 3-headed God but I read and am told it is belief that there are three equally holy (God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit) though different from one another, and the Father is the greatest. The threesome form a trinity that Romans 1:20 calls Godship or Divine Nature though some encyclopedists and others simply say God. Few churches teach the Modalism belief the Father morphs into Jesus and Holy Spirit.

I know for a fact all JWs are ordered to severely shun (disfellowship) those who become JWs if they speak about different beliefs or can’t get back out of a weakness like smoking. Paul (2Cor2:6) says a Majority of the Corinthians, meaning not all of them, had shunned a terrible wrongdoer as he had asked them. But again that means a Minority did not, and he could not and didn’t punished the Minority for differing with him. My point is he could Order Timothy regarding missionary assignments but not even Paul could spiritually lord it over Timothy or all other Christians. You guys say be Fitly United in faith a lot but I read unity comes from LOVE not forced same beliefs about everything. (Read Col 3:14; also all Romans 14) My conductor said when JWs quit or are disfellowshipped there’s nowhere they can go but we both know people can go right to Christ, find a more agreeable church branch of Christianity, sign in to an online fellowship and so forth.

You oppose whole blood transfusions but 1 Samuel 14:32-35 says Saul’s whole army ate Un-bled meat to live and were forgiven. I know some doctors eagerly promote bloodless operations, but it isn’t told those can cost 30 times more than regular operations; and such operations and blood expanders like saline solution cannot halt massive bleeding. In car wrecks and when giving birth, transfusions can mean life over death. Christ at Mt 12:7 says God wants Mercy not Sacrifice. Please respond to ihavesincerequestions@yahoo.com so that I can become a baptized JW with you; or give copies of this to elders or other who may help me. Thanks!