tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50903972963472732442023-07-18T01:11:41.319-04:00Christian TruthAn Anti-Heretical MessageOrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-19977002941748766352015-10-22T00:44:00.002-04:002015-11-13T01:40:21.613-05:00#30 - Did Islam Always Exist, and Were Jesus and the Prophets Muslims?<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Many
Muslims believe that Islam always existed, and that all the prophets, including
Jesus, were Muslims who practiced Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This belief stems from their definition of ‘Islam’ as it is connected to
the words ‘Salam’ and ‘Muslim’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">All
three words have three letters in common: s, l, m, in that order.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Salam is an Arabic Semitic word meaning
‘peace.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is part of the Arabic
greeting A-salam aleikum (peace be upon you).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Hebrew Semitic equivalent of Salam is Shalom, which also means
‘peace’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The word ‘Islam’ means both
‘peace’ and ‘surrender to God (Allah)’.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The word ‘Muslim’ means ‘one who surrenders his will to the will of
God’.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">With
these definitions in mind, it is clear why many Muslims believe that Islam
existed throughout the history of man, and that all the prophets were
Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They believe that all the
prophets surrendered their will to the will of God (Muslim) as demanded by the
religion of Islam (surrender to God) and worshiped Him as a way to make peace
(Salam) with Him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">But
are the meanings of these words enough to paint an accurate picture of Islam
and the lives of the prophets?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it
possible that Islam existed since the beginning of mankind and that all the
holy people of God, including the prophets and Jesus himself, were Muslims?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">In
order to answer this question it is important to first lay down a few axioms—key
premises that are true in themselves:.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">A thought
exists only in the mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">A belief is a
series of thoughts (1) organized into a point of view that is held to be true.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Since a belief
is a series of organized thoughts (2), it exists only in the mind of a human
being (1).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">A religion is
a belief system (a set of organized beliefs (2)) centered on a deity—a set of
beliefs (3) held to be true (2) in the minds of one or more humans (1).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">If one or
more people hold a set of beliefs (of a religion (4)) then that religion
exists.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">If no people
hold a set of beliefs (of a religion (4)) then that religion does not exist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Islam is a
religion (4) that requires 2 fundamental beliefs (3):</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">a.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">That there is
only One God.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.0in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">b.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">That Muhammad
was God’s (last) Prophet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
1 is a simple statement that is observed by everyone every day. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A living human being, even one with the lowest
intelligence, has a functioning mind that produces thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Man is said to be a thinking animal, and a
being of rational or irrational thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A dead person has a brain that has ceased to function and a mind that
has ceased to exist, therefore it has no thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All thoughts exist in the mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, it could be stated that a man who
has never existed has never had a mind, and therefore has never held any
thoughts which could be organized into a set of beliefs centered on a deity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
2 states that a belief is composed of many thoughts, and that it is something
held to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, humans
believe what they perceive as true and disbelieve what they perceive as false.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
3 expands a bit on the first two premises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since a belief is a set of organized thoughts, and since thoughts exist
only in the mind, then a belief can exist nowhere else but in the mind.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
4 expands on the first three premises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since beliefs are thoughts that exist only in the mind and since
religion is a set of organized beliefs centered on a deity, then religion can
only exist in the mind and nowhere else.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
5 expands on the previous four premises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If one person holds a set of beliefs centered on a deity (a religion),
then that religion exists (in the mind of that person).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If multiple people hold the same organized
set of beliefs (a religion) then that religion exists (in the minds) and it
becomes a more pronounced religion.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
6 is the negation of Premise 5.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
nobody holds a set of beliefs centered on a deity (a religion) then that
religion is not in the thoughts of anyone, and that religion does not exist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Different
belief systems have different identifying names, and the adherents of those
belief systems are named after their respective belief systems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who believe in, identify with, and
adhere to Judaism are called Jews.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those
who believe in, identify with, and adhere to Christianity are called Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who believe in, identify with, and
adhere to Islam are called Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These religions exist because their respective set of beliefs are held
and shared by their respective groups of adherents.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
7 states the two fundamental requirements needed to hold the organized set of
beliefs (the religion) known as Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This premise also suggests that different religions are based on
different organized sets of beliefs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This premise reflects the words of the Shahadah, the Arabic name of the
Islamic creed of the faith stated by both Muslims and those converting to
Islam.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
5 shows that Christianity exists because Christians exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The set of organized beliefs known as
Christianity is held in the minds of all those who call themselves
Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They call themselves
Christians because they hold those beliefs to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, Judaism exists because Jews
exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Islam exists because Muslims
exist.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Premise
6 shows the converse to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If all
the Christians in the world suddenly stopped believing in Christianity, then
Christianity would cease to exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If,
as an example, only ten Christians existed in a non-Christian country,
Christianity would be said to exist in that country (albeit as a tiny
minority).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If these ten Christians rode
the same bus to church one Sunday morning and the bus drove over a cliff,
killing all ten Christians, then there would be no one left who would hold the
set of organized beliefs in their minds, called Christianity, and Christianity
would cease to exist in that country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The same would be true if all ten Christians converted to another
religion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They would no longer hold that
set of organized beliefs (the Christian religion) to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would cease to exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there are no adherents of a religion, does
that religion really exist?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">A
simple thought experiment would clarify Premises 5 and 6.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would Christianity exist if there were no
Christians?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would Christians exist if
there were no Christianity?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, if
someone did not create the set of organized beliefs called Christianity in the
first place, would there be such a religion for one to follow?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, would Jews exist if there were no
Judaism?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would Muslims exist if there
were no Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a religion does not
exist, what beliefs would its adherents adhere to?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">“Who are the Muslims?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Muslims are those 1.9 billion people (per CIA
World’s Facts Book in year 2000), from all races, colors, nationalities and
cultures who believe in One God (Allah) and accept Muhammad, peace be upon him,
as the last Prophet.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"> (Institute
of Islamic Knowledge, 2008)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
Institute of Islamic Knowledge states that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Muslims are those…who believe in One God
(Allah) and accept Muhammad…as the last Prophet.” </i>(ibid)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the requirements to being a
Muslim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One must believe in One God
(Premise 7a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One must accept Muhammad
as the last Prophet of God (Premise 7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>If one accepts the two above premises, then one is a Muslim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It then follows that one will then study
Islam’s holy book called the Qu’ran, and the secondary holy books called the
Hadiths, and will reject all other holy books of other religions, as Islam
teaches.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">These
are two premises in one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can one be a
Muslim and only believe in the first premise (7a)? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Muslims believe in One God, but so do Jews and
Christians.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is easily
verifiable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both Jews and Christians
accept the Bible’s Scripture of Deuteronomy 5:2-3, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I am the LORD thy God….Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Christians also state this first and foremost
in their Creed, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“I believe in one God,
the Father Almighty.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Muslims are
neither Jews nor Christians. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise, Jews
and Christians are not Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore,
believing in the first premise alone (Premise 7a) does not make one a
Muslim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be a Muslim, one must also
believe in the second premise (Premise 7b), to accept Muhammad as the last
Prophet of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jews and Christians both
reject Muhammad as a Prophet; therefore they can not be Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be a Muslim, one must adhere to both
requirements of Premise 7.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
Institute, in its pamphlet, continues its description of Muslims as follows: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A Muslim is a person who freely and
willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives to organize his or her
life in accordance with His commandments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hence a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience,
allegiance, and loyalty are to the One and Only God (Allah), the Creator of the
Universe, and as such submits to the Divine Laws following the Sunnah
(traditions) of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him.” </i>(ibid)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Once
again a Muslim is described by the two premises explained above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A
person who accepts…the supreme power of God….and submits to the Divine Laws
following the…traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.”</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To accept the supreme power of God means to believe
in One God (Premise 7a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To follow the
traditions of Muhammad means to accept Muhammad as the last Prophet (Premise 7b).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">In
fact, one can become a Muslim simply by reciting the Shahadah, an Arabic phrase,
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“La Ilaha Illallahu
Muhammad-ur-Rasoollallah”</i> which is translated, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“There is no deity (god) except Allah (the One and Only True God) and
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.”</i> (ibid)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The Shahadah also includes both premises (7a and 7b) stated above as the
two requirements of becoming, and being a Muslim.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
conclusion of the two premises above is that one cannot be a Muslim unless both
parts of Premise 7 are true. One cannot be a Muslim if he only believes in
Premise 7a (belief in One God) because Jews and Christians also believe in
Premise 7a but they are not Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
or she must also accept Premise 7b (accepting Muhammad as the last Prophet).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">“What is Islam?....Islam is a total system of
living in peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Islam is the same
message and guidance which God revealed through all His Prophets to every
people throughout the history of mankind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One who follows Islam is called a Muslim (an Arabic word which means,
the one who submits to the will of God)”</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"> (ibid)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">One
who follows Islam is called a Muslim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And, as has been explained above, a Muslim is one who adheres to Premise
7 and its two parts—one who believes in One God (7a) and accepts Muhammad as
the last Prophet (7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore, in
order for one to follow Islam, he or she must believe in One God and accept
Muhammad as the last Prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Likewise,
one who does not adhere to the two above premises is not a Muslim and does not
follow Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">This
begs the question: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When was the
beginning of Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Institute states
that Islam was revealed by God through all His prophets throughout the history
of mankind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, all the
prophets since the beginning of history believed in, and followed Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since, as the Institute states, one who
follows Islam is a Muslim, then all the prophets were Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This begs another three questions: Didn’t
Islam begin with Muhammad, and didn’t Muhammad live in the 7<sup>th</sup>
century A.D.?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wasn’t Muhammad the first
Muslim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the prophets mentioned by the
Institute lived centuries before Muhammad, then how could they have been
Muslims?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
definition of a Muslim (Premise 7) is one who believes in One God (7a) and that
Muhammad is God’s last prophet (7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So
how does the Institute’s belief that all the prophets were Muslim apply to the
definition of a Muslim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order for all the prophets to have been
Muslims, they would have all had to believe in One God (7a) and to believe that
Muhammad is God’s last prophet (7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By
a reading of both the Qu’ran and the Bible’s Old Testament, all the prophets of
God believed in One God (7a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did the
prophets also believe that Muhammad is God’s last prophet (7b)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s ask the following question: Did anyone
accept Muhammad as the last Prophet before Muhammad was born?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A simpler question would be: Could any person
be known before they come into existence?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It would seem logical that no one accepted Muhammad as a Prophet when
they knew no such Muhammad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if no one
knew of Muhammad then no one could accept him as a Prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How does this affect the definition of a
Muslim, as described by the Institute
of Islamic Knowledge?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As has been shown above, if one does not
believe that Muhammad was God’s last prophet (7b) then, even if he believes in
One God (7a), he is not a Muslim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be
a Muslim, one must fulfill both Premise 7a and Premise 7b.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The prophets failed to fulfill Premise 7b,
therefore they could not have been Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Also, if they were not Muslims, then Islam did not exist in their time
(Premise 6).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">If
Muslims did not exist before the birth of Muhammad, then Islam also did not
exist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Islam is the religion of the
Muslims, and without Muslims there could be no religion of Islam (Premise 6).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">What
does the Institute
of Islamic Knowledge
believe about Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does it believe
that Islam began with Muhammad, and that it is the newest of the monotheistic
religions?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">“Is Islam a new Religion?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is the same religion which was preached by all the prophets and is further
elaborated through the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him….The religion of
Islam is as old as humanity itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
was in fact the religion of every prophet of God, who appeared in any part of
the world.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"> (ibid)</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
above quote is a bit misleading.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
states that all the prophets preached Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yet, since none of the prophets believed in a yet-unborn Muhammad
(Premise 7b), this presumes that Islam is simply the religion of all people who
believe in One God (Premise 7a).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet
this assumption alone would have to include Jews and Christians and,
indirectly, calls Jews and Christians followers of Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Are Jews and Christians really followers of
Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would any Christian claim to be a
Muslim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would any Jew claim to be a
Muslim?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would any Muslim believe that
Jews and Christians are followers of Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Any Muslim would reject this idea because Jews and Christians reject
Muhammad as a prophet (7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Therefore,
the above quote is misleading because it does not include the necessity of
Premise 7b—the belief that Muhammad is the last prophet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">The
pamphlet states that Islam was the religion of every prophet of God who
appeared in any part of the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is
this belief logical?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has already been
established that before Muhammad founded Islam, the religion did not exist, for
there were no Muslims in the world until Muhammad named his followers as such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Institute of Islamic
Knowledge claims that the Prophets of old were
all Muslims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But who does the Qu’ran say
was the very first Muslim?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "garamond";">‘“Say, surely my prayer, my sacrifice, my life and
my death are all for Allah, the Lord of the worlds, He has no partners; thus I
am commanded, and I am the first of the Muslims.” A-Qur’an 6:162-163’</span></i><span style="font-family: "garamond";"> (Ibid).</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>How is it determined that this verse pertains to
Muhammad?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before this verse, the
pamphlet describes worship in Islam as follows: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Therefore, doing a job, raising a family, interaction with community
are all acts of worship if done in accordance with God’s commandments as acted
upon and directed by the Prophet Muhammad….” </i>(Ibid)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Muhammad,
by his own admission, was therefore the first Muslim, and there could not have
been any Muslims before him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without
adherents to Islam there could not have existed a religion known as Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that none of the prophets were
Muslims and no one followed Islam (Premise 6).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Now,
one may say that although there was no official religion called Islam, Islam
was still preached by the prophets because they believed in One God only (7a),
and worshiped in the ways of Islam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>However, Jews and Christians believe in One God and they are not
Muslims, so this explanation is lacking and therefore invalid.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">By
definition, Islam is not only the worship of One God (7a), but it is also the
belief that Muhammad was the last prophet (7b).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>After all, one cannot be a Muslim if one does not accept both premises
as true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since Islam is the religion of
the Muslims and Muslims believe in One God and that Muhammad is God’s last
prophet, then Islam could not have been preached by the prophets who had no
knowledge of Muhammad.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">In
answer to the title question, it is a logical and reasonable conclusion that
Islam began with Muhammad, the first Muslim, and the prophets and Jesus who
came before him were not Muslims.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">References:</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">Institute of Islamic
Knowledge, The. (2008).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is
Islam?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who are the Muslims? ISBN
978-0-9819439-0-9.</span><span style="font-family: "garamond"; font-size: large;">
</span><br />
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<![endif]-->OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-27422362280953838762008-06-19T21:58:00.003-04:002008-06-23T11:54:22.583-04:00#29 - The Fallacy of the Impersonal Active Force<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >The Watchtower’s belief--that the Holy Spirit is not God but God's impersonal active force, which He uses to accomplish His will--is a fallacy.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Let’s begin with the premise that what is eternal has no beginning and no end.<span style=""> </span>As would be viewed on a coordinate graph, infinity spans the entire x-coordinate, from negative infinity through the zero point and into positive infinity. The term used to describe this span of infinity is Eternity.<span style=""> </span>Eternity spans across time and encompasses the entire past, the present and the entire future.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Let’s add the premise that time began at the moment of creation, because time is merely the measurement of the rate of change of created matter and energy.<span style=""> </span>Before the creation of matter, there was no time.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Let’s add the premise that only God is eternal, for He existed before creation, when nothing else existed but God.<span style=""> </span>God will continue to exist after creation is gone.<span style=""> </span>He existed before the beginning of time, and He will continue to exist past the end of time, when time and creation no longer exist.<span style=""> </span>God is timeless and therefore eternal.<span style=""> </span>The Bible confirms that God is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >If only God existed before time and before creation, then nothing else existed with Him.<span style=""> </span>No creation existed before God began creating all things.<span style=""> </span>All things that are not God did not exist before God created them.<span style=""> </span>All things that are not a part of God did not exist until God created them.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the Watchtower’s doctrine is true.<span style=""> </span>Let's assume that the Holy Spirit is indeed merely God's impersonal active force.<span style=""> </span>It is not God, but the energy God uses to accomplish His will.<span style=""> </span>Since the Holy Spirit is not God, and since only God has no beginning, then there was a time when this impersonal active force did not exist.<span style=""> </span>This impersonal active force did not always exist, but came into existence through God.<span style=""> </span>If God did not possess this impersonal active force, He would not be able to accomplish His will.<span style=""> </span>And if God could not accomplish His will, He would not be God.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >If this impersonal active force was not created, but always existed in God's possession, then the Holy Spirit must be God, for only God has no beginning.<span style=""> </span>If ever there was a time when the Holy Spirit did not exist, then God would not have had an impersonal active force in His possession in order to create this impersonal active force and bring it into existence.<span style=""> </span>How would God be able to create the universe without first creating His impersonal active force, and how would He create this impersonal active force if He did not have the impersonal active force to create it?<span style=""> </span>This is illogical.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >A Jehovah’s Witness has two choices.<span style=""> </span>Either he admits that this impersonal active force always existed, and is therefore uncreated and is truly God, or he admits that it is not God, and therefore did not always exist, which would mean that at some moment, God had no power, and had no power to create anything.<span style=""> </span>To avoid the fallacy, the Jehovah’s Witness is forced to admit that the Holy Spirit is uncreated, has always existed, and is therefore God.<o:p></o:p></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-30584733809102274002008-06-19T21:54:00.003-04:002008-06-23T11:52:44.406-04:00#28 - A Half Hour of Silence<p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Where are we along the timeline of Revelation? It's difficult to say, and the time of Christ's Second Coming is not for anyone to know, not even the angels (Mark 13:32-33, Acts 1:7). But just as we know the trees by their fruits (Matthew 7:15-20), and the weather and the season by their telltale signs (Mark 13:28-29, Luke 12:54-56), and we can discern the signs of the time (I John 2:18) so we can only guess. Of course the important thing is to always be prepared to meet our Maker, because chances are great that our time on earth will end much sooner than the Second Coming, but we may make an educated guess about where we stand by the information we've been given in the book of the Apocalypse.</span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;color:black;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" > <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >It may be correct, or it may very well be wrong, but an educated guess is that we are somewhere past the opening of the seventh seal in Revelation 8:1, </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">“When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > (NKJV)</span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >. This statement assumes that before the silence there was a lack of silence--a noise or commotion. And the fact that the silence is limited to about half an hour concludes that the previous noise or commotion continues on, that the silence was merely a break or a breather in an ongoing cacophony. The question is this: how long is this symbolic half hour to the eyes of mankind, and when did it occur?</span><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" > <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">“For a thousand years in thy sight are as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.”</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > (Psalms 90:4, KJV)<span style=""> </span><b>“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”</b> (II Peter 3:8, KJV)<span style=""> </span></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >This is the key to the time conversion. If 1 Godly day is equal to 1,000 human years, then 24 Godly hours is equal to 1,000 human years. Therefore 1 Godly hour is equal to 41.66667 human years, and 1/2 Godly hour is equal to 20.8333 human years. This turns out to be 7,604.16667 days, or 20 years and 10 months.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Arial;font-size:130%;" > <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >So what time in history was marked by a great noise heard unto the heavens that was paused for 20 years and 10 months, which then resumed again? Though there may be several time periods of this length, the one that seems to stand out immediately is the time of peace between the end of World War I (November 11, 1918) and the beginning of World War II (September 1, 1939), which many historians consider to be a mere breather in one long, single world war. The actual time of peace between the wars is 7,599 days or 20.819178 years. That amounts to 20 years and 9.830 months. The difference between the calculated Bible time and the actual historical time is a mere 5 days. But does this discrepancy invalidate the possibility that the half hour of silence is the pause between the two great wars?<span style=""> </span>Hardly.<span style=""> </span>After all, the Bible doesn't say that the silence would last <i>exactly</i> half an hour. It says <b>"there was a silence in heaven of <em>about</em> a half hour."</b> (Emphasis mine) This is an approximation.<span style=""> </span>And an error margin of 0.0679% is negligible for all practical purposes.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >So what does this all mean for us? If this educated guess is correct then we are living in the end times. It means that we should expect to witness very many great things in this world, awesome and terrible things. It means we may see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our generation or in the next generation, or we may not. Of course, what really matters is that we focus on our own salvation because we may not live to see tomorrow, and what’s written in Revelation may not be relevant to us, except for the Resurrection.</span></p><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ></span>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-65092565544031723252008-06-19T20:52:00.005-04:002008-06-23T11:52:18.813-04:00#27 - We’re all gods, right?<span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >In a dimly lit apartment in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, a bespectacled man with a long grey ponytail escorted a small group of followers to the door.<span style=""> </span>He handed each one a bag of crystals and wished them a blessed evening.<span style=""> </span>“Our next group meditation is Saturday evening.<span style=""> </span>Don’t forget to wear something loose-fitting and comfortable, okay?<span style=""> </span>And make sure the colors are bright and positive.<span style=""> </span>We want to create positive energy.<span style=""> </span>Remember, we’re all gods, all of us; and together we can change the world.<span style=""> </span>See you all next week.”<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >With that said, the man closed the door behind them and began to tidy up the apartment a bit.<span style=""> </span>He rolled up the meditation mats and propped them up against the far wall.<span style=""> </span>He collected all the little pyramids that were strewn around the room and placed them side by side on the kitchen table.<span style=""> </span>Suddenly, the phone rang.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Hello?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Hello John,” a deep male voice said through the speaker.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >The man the voice called John paused, taken aback by the revelation of this personal tidbit of information.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Uh,” the man began slowly.<span style=""> </span>“Who is this?<span style=""> </span>No one has called me John in thirty years.<span style=""> </span>Do I know you?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“No, John.<span style=""> </span>You know <i>of</i> me, but you don’t know me.<span style=""> </span>How was the group meditation meeting tonight?<span style=""> </span>Were all the gods and goddesses fulfilled tonight?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Ah, well of course.<span style=""> </span>We chanted our sacred mantras in harmony and the positive energy simply flowed all around us.<span style=""> </span>It was great.<span style=""> </span>We’re all achieving the great realization of godliness.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >There was silence on the other end.<span style=""> </span>The man felt nervous.<span style=""> </span>“Um,” he began, “you should come next week and join us.<span style=""> </span>You will realize your divinity too, I promise.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Really.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Sure.<span style=""> </span>Do you realize that you’re a god?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“I do.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Great.<span style=""> </span>So, would you like to come and see what we do?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“I’ve already seen it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Uh, when?<span style=""> </span>And what’s your name, by the way?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Jah.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Jah.<span style=""> </span>Ah, so you’re Jamaican?<span style=""> </span>No?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“No.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Sounds Jewish then.<span style=""> </span>Are you Jewish?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Yes and no.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Ah, okay.<span style=""> </span>Undecided, I see.<span style=""> </span>At least you’re aware that you’re a god.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“I AM.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Good. You’re on your way to true enlightenment then.<span style=""> </span>So—Jah…you’ve seen us, eh?<span style=""> </span>What did you see?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“I saw mere mortals pretending to be gods.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >The man paused, stunned again.<span style=""> </span>“Uh, sir, I thought you said you believed in man’s divinity.<span style=""> </span>Are you being rude?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“You are not gods, but I AM.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Please explain then.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“You are bold, John, bold enough to lift up your heart and say you’re a god.<span style=""> </span>You must be sitting in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas, aren’t you, John?<span style=""> </span>After all, you are a god?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >John looked around the apartment.<span style=""> </span>It was not quite the sea, and not exactly a godly throne.<span style=""> </span>“No, I’m not.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Since you’re a god, you must be wiser than the Prophet Daniel.<span style=""> </span>Isn’t that right?<span style=""> </span>There is no secret that anyone can hide from you because you are all-knowing.<span style=""> </span>Your great wisdom and unsurpassed understanding have gotten you great riches, and have filled your treasures with gold and silver.<span style=""> </span>Isn’t that so?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >John looked around again at the cramped apartment and remembered that the rent wasn’t paid yet.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“By your great wisdom and by your trade you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your great riches, isn’t it John?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >John’s mouth had gone dry by now and couldn’t answer.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“You are a mere man, and not God.<span style=""> </span>Yet, because you’ve set your heart like the heart of a God, I will bring strangers upon you, the vilest kind.<span style=""> </span>What will your wisdom do against their weapons?<span style=""> </span>Will it keep your godly brightness and splendor from being defiled?<span style=""> </span>They will drag your mortal body into the Pit and you will die like those who die in the middle of the ocean—alone.<span style=""> </span>What will you say while they’re slaying you?<span style=""> </span>‘I am God?’<span style=""> </span>You may believe you’re a god, but you’ll be nothing more than a weak, mortal man in the hand of your killer.<span style=""> </span>You will die like an unrepentant unbeliever, without knowing the true GOD, alone by the hand of strangers.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >John, the man known as Bhodi for the last thirty years since he turned away from Jesus Christ and towards the occultist New Age beliefs, now trembled.<span style=""> </span>“Why are you saying these things?<span style=""> </span>And how do I know these things you say will really come true?”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Because I have spoken it.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“Who are you?” John screamed into the phone, at the voice coming from the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“I AM, the Lord GOD,” answered the voice from no definite place, yet seemingly from everywhere all at once, every place in the apartment and every place in John’s head.<span style=""> </span>An annoying busy signal suddenly buzzed from the phone’s speaker into John’s ear, as if the phone had been left off the hook too long.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >John placed the phone down with a trembling hand.<span style=""> </span><i>Who on earth was that person,</i> he thought?<span style=""> </span><i>It must’ve been some crazy person, but…he knew my real name.<span style=""> </span>He was either a crazy person or a god like me…or a god like…God.<span style=""> </span>God?</i><span style=""> </span>“The Biblical GOD?” John muttered aloud.<span style=""> </span>“No way, that’s crazy.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Suddenly, every book in his apartment flew off the shelves, all of them, except for one.<span style=""> </span>As John looked at the floor, he noticed that all his New Age and occult books were on the floor, and every book was splayed open to specific pages.<span style=""> </span>Every book was opened to either page 6, or page 66 or page 666, depending on the size of the book.<span style=""> </span>The only book that remained on the shelf was a copy of the Authorized King James Holy Bible.<span style=""> </span>And the Bible was opened to Deuteronomy 6:4, and John read, <b>“The LORD our God is one LORD.”</b><span style=""> </span>As soon as John touched the page with his fingertip, the pages mysteriously flipped and stopped at another page where the verse at Isaiah 43:11, stood out, <b>“I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.”</b><span style=""> </span>He touched the page again and the pages flipped once more.<span style=""> </span>Another verse stood out, <b>“I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >And this continued on for hours, until the glow of the dawn bathed John’s room.<span style=""> </span>All night long, every touch of the Bible’s pages turned the pages to another message from God.<span style=""> </span>The verses that stood out were enlightening.<span style=""> </span>John discovered, as if for the very first time, what a real God is and Who God really is.<span style=""> </span>Verse after verse showed God as being the Creator of the heavens, the earth, the entire universe and all things within it.<span style=""> </span>God was all knowing, all-powerful, ever-present at all times and in all places.<span style=""> </span>God made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the crippled and lame to stand and walk. God raised the dead, raised one nation against another, created life and destroyed it.<span style=""> </span>John realized he was not a god, nowhere near being even a hint of a divine being.<span style=""> </span>John was a mortal.<span style=""> </span>John was dust.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By the time the morning sunlight overpowered the sixty-watt light bulb of his bedroom lamp, John was on his knees, his forehead bowed down to the carpet, sobbing uncontrollably, begging and pleading with the One True God for forgiveness, and thanking the LORD for even considering this unworthy mortal for a lesson in Truth.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><o:p></o:p></span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p><br />This is fiction, of course. It is what could transpire if God deemed a New-Ager worthy of a verbal warning and a miracle. The conversation between God and John is merely a reiteration of God's warning to idolaters in Ezekiel 28:1-10, set in a modern day setting.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-14453994187883077252008-06-18T01:00:00.000-04:002008-06-23T15:09:17.941-04:00#24 - The First and the Last.<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Biblically, the Greek language has been twice blessed.<span style=""> </span>First, being the international language of the world at the time, it became the language of the New Testament.<span style=""> </span>Second, its alphabet has been used in this holy book to define and further express a Divine quality.<span style=""> </span>The Greek letters Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of this alphabet, are used as symbols of an infinite nature—the nature of the Almighty God.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Who is the First and the Last?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The answer can be stated no more clearly than it is in Isaiah 44:6, <b>“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.”</b><span style=""> </span>The LORD, Who is the King of Israel, is the first and the last; and his redeemer, Who is the LORD of hosts, is the first and the last.<span style=""> </span>Since it is clearly God Himself Who is declaring this, it is GOD Himself Who is the First and the Last.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>It must be understood, that since God is the First and the Last, and since there is no other God beside Him, there can be no other First and Last.<span style=""> </span>No one but God can be the First and the Last.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Who is the Alpha and the Omega?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Greek letters Alpha and Omega are the very first and very last letters of the alphabet; and as such, are the very beginning and the very end of the alphabet.<span style=""> </span>Since there can be no letter before the Alpha and no letter after the Omega, these letters are the best symbols of opposite infinities.<span style=""> </span>So, saying <i>From Alpha to Omega</i>, is like saying, <i>From infinity to infinity</i>.<span style=""> </span>And these beginning and ending letters encompass eternity.<span style=""> </span>These are perfect symbols of the eternal God.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Bible expresses this thought exactly: <b>“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”</b> (Revelation 22:13)<span style=""> </span>In other words, He Who is the Alpha and the Omega is also the Beginning and the End, and the First and the Last.<span style=""> </span>But who exactly is mentioned here?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>In verse 7 of this chapter we hear the words, <b>“Behold, I come quickly”</b>.<span style=""> </span>Who is coming?<span style=""> </span>In verse 12 we hear it again, <b>“And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”</b><span style=""> </span>Who is coming to reward every man (good and bad) according to his works?<span style=""> </span><b>“I Jesus…”</b> answers verse 16.<span style=""> </span>Yes, Jesus is the One who is coming, to judge the world, and to give every man according to his works.<span style=""> </span>Jesus Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Who is the Redeemer?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>But how can this be?<span style=""> </span>If only God can be the First and the Last, then how can this also apply to Jesus?<span style=""> </span>It cannot—unless Jesus Christ is God.<span style=""> </span>Isaiah 44:6 mentioned the Redeemer.<span style=""> </span>Who is the Redeemer?<span style=""> </span>To redeem is to repurchase, to buy back, and the one who bought back humanity from the clutches of Death was Jesus Christ.<span style=""> </span><b>“God sent forth his <u>Son</u>…to <u>redeem</u> them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”</b> (Galatians 4:5)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Titus was <b>“looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious <u>appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ</u>; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”</b> (v.2:13-14)<span style=""> </span>It is the Son of God who redeemed us.<span style=""> </span>The one who redeems is called the Redeemer.<span style=""> </span>Isaiah 44:6 says the Redeemer is the LORD of Hosts.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, Jesus Christ who redeemed us is the LORD of Hosts.<span style=""> </span>Jesus Christ is God.<span style=""> </span>God the Father will not appear to man because no man may see Him and live, therefore Titus was calling Jesus Christ the great God and our Saviour.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h4 style="text-align: center;">The Redeemer is the King of Israel</h4> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The chief priests, together with the scribes and elders believed Christ to be the <b>“King of Israel”</b> (Matthew 27:41-42).<span style=""> </span>They said <b>“Let Christ the King of Israel descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”</b> (Mark 15:32)<span style=""> </span>Even Nathaniel said to Jesus, <b>“Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.”</b> (John 1:49)<span style=""> </span>The people at the feast, who went forth to meet Jesus, cried out, <b>“Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.”</b><span style=""> </span>(John 12:13)<span style=""> </span>The fact that Jesus did not hold any political position is proof that the title, “King of Israel” was not a political, but a spiritual and Divine title—the same title attributed to the LORD God.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>God said, <b>“I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he.”</b> (Isaiah 41:4)<span style=""> </span>Therefore, being God, Jesus can be the First and the Last.<span style=""> </span>This is clearly obvious in Revelation 2:8.<span style=""> </span><b>“These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive”</b>.<span style=""> </span>Who, but Jesus Christ, was crucified and resurrected?<span style=""> </span>Revelation 1 describes <b>“a great voice as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last”</b> (vv.10-11), this voice coming from <b>“one like unto the son of man”</b> (v.13).<span style=""> </span>And this voice spoke, saying, <b>“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”</b> (v.18)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>As we saw in Revelation 22, it is Jesus Christ who is coming to judge the world and to give every man according to his works.<span style=""> </span>The connection is also made in chapter 1, <b>“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him….I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”</b> (vv.7-8)<span style=""> </span>When the verses are read in context, it is apparent that the speaker is John, and the subject is Jesus Christ.<span style=""> </span>Verse 8 reveals Jesus as God; the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the Lord, the Almighty, and the One which is to come.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h4 style="text-align: center;">The First and the Last is the Creator</h4> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The prophet Isaiah has revealed this: <b>“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.<span style=""> </span>Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together.”</b> (Isaiah 48:12-13)<span style=""> </span>Who laid the foundations of the earth?<span style=""> </span>Whose hand created the heavens?<span style=""> </span>God the Father told us it was His Son: <b>“And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands”</b> (Hebrews 1:10).<span style=""> </span>We know that the Father was speaking of His Son because verse 8 says so: <b>“But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever”</b>.<span style=""> </span>God the Father calls His Son Jesus, Lord, and God.<span style=""> </span><b>“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”</b> (Genesis 1:1)<span style=""> </span>This is the first lesson taught by the Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h4 style="text-align: center;">The First and the Last is Jesus Christ</h4> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>We know the Son to be the Creator, because Jesus is the Word, and <b>“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.<span style=""> </span>This same was in the beginning with God.<span style=""> </span>All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”</b> (John 1:1-3)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Creator is eternal and is everywhere present at all times, and in all time; and this One who made the souls is the high and lofty One, and He inhabits eternity: <b>“For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place….For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.”</b> (Isaiah 57:15-16)<span style=""> </span>Whose name is holy?<span style=""> </span>The <b>“name which is above every name…the name of Jesus”</b> (Philippians 2:9-10).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>In the world of shelved books, the bookends are the beginning of books and the end of books; all books exist between these bookends and beyond these bookends no book exists.<span style=""> </span>Likewise, He Who is the Alpha and the Omega is the Beginning of all things and the End of all things; nothing exists beyond Him.<span style=""> </span>By virtue of His eternal existence, nothing existed before God, and when all things perish only God will remain existent.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>By gathering what is written in the Bible, the logical connections can be made.<span style=""> </span>The First and the Last is the Alpha and the Omega, and the Beginning and the End, and the King of Israel, and the LORD of Hosts, and the Redeemer, and the Creator, and the Eternal, the One Who is coming, the Son of God, the Son of Man, Jesus Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-12708985382736712012008-03-11T23:52:00.000-04:002008-03-11T23:53:39.763-04:00#23 - Preparation for Confession<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Christians!<span style=""> </span>How do you prepare for confession?<span style=""> </span>Do you take ample time before confession to meditate upon your everyday acts, or do you just go to your confessor without giving any thought to what it is you should confess?<span style=""> </span>Well, below is a guideline to confession; excerpted from <i>THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF TRUTH</i>, by Saint Nicolas Varzhansky.<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">‘DURING GREAT LENT, and the other fasts of the Church Year, it is customary for all Orthodox Christians to go to confession to their priest.<span style=""> </span>Properly this should be done several times a year, the exact frequency depending upon how often one is blessed to receive the Holy Mysteries and on the counsel and blessing of one’s spiritual father.<span style=""> </span>As a preparation for this sacramental confession and to help one examine one’s conscience before coming to confession, the following questions are sometimes distributed in parishes and, although of course the list is not exhaustive, it may be a help to those of our readers who are Orthodox Christians.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h5>Sins Against God</h5> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you pray to God in the morning and evening, before and after meals?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">During prayer have you allowed your thoughts to wander?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you rushed or gabbled your prayers? Or when reading in church?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you read the Scriptures daily?<span style=""> </span>Do you read other spiritual writings regularly?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you read books whose content is not Orthodox or even anti-Orthodox, or is spiritually dangerous?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you pronounced the name of God without reverence, joking?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you asked God’s help before starting every activity?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you made the sign of the Cross carelessly, thoughtlessly?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you sworn?<span style=""> </span>Have you murmured against God?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you sinned by forgetting God?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been slack in attending church?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you consecrated even part of the feast days, particularly Sundays and the Twelve Great Feasts, to God?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you tried your best to attend church on these days? Or have you spent them more sinfully than ordinary days?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">If unable to attend church for some reason, have you nonetheless tried to devote some part of these days to prayer and spiritual reading?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you joined with people not of the Faith in prayer, or attended their worship services?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you kept the fasts?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you behaved irreverently in church, or before the clergy and monastics?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you laughed or talked in church, or moved about unnecessarily, thus distracting other people from prayer?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have [you] dressed modestly and in a becoming manner when in church?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">20.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you tried to pay reverent attention to the readings, hymns, and prayers in church?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">21.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you striven to pray with the service, crossing yourself, etc., or have you rather simply stood and daydreamed?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">22.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you prepared for the services beforehand, looking up the Scriptural readings, making sure you have the texts to follow the service, etc., especially if the service will be in a language you do not really understand?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">23.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you ever left the church after the Divine Services, and particularly after receiving the Holy Mysteries and immediately engaged in light talk and thus forgotten the blessings and graces you have received?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">24.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been ashamed of your Faith or the sign of the Cross in the presence of others?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">25.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you made a show of your piety?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">26.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you used your Orthodox Faith or its teachings merely to browbeat others or belittle them?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">27.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you used it as a shield or excuse for your own inadequacies rather than humbling yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">28.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you ever believed in dreams, fortune telling, astrology, signs, and other superstitions?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">29.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you give thanks to the Lord for all things?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">30.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you ever doubted God’s providence concerning yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">31.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you at least try to perceive His purpose in all things that come upon you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h5>Sins Against Your Neighbours</h5> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you respect and obey your parents?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you offended them by rudeness or contradiction?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">These two apply to priests, superiors, teachers and elders.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you insulted anyone?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you quarreled or fought with anyone?<span style=""> </span>Have you hit anyone?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Are you always respectful to old people?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Are you ever angry, bad tempered or irritable?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you called anyone names?<span style=""> </span>Do you use foul language?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you derided any that are disabled, poor, old or in some way disadvantaged?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you entertained bad feelings, ill will or hatred against anyone?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you forgiven those who have offended you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you asked forgiveness from those whom you have offended?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Are you at peace with everyone?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you left the needy without help when you could have helped?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you attended the sick or elderly when they have asked you to do so?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you shown kindness and attention to all, remembering that God is expecting just such an attitude from you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you hit animals without a cause or been cruel to them, or neglectful of those in your care?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you stolen anything?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you taken or used other people’s things without asking?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">20.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you kept money or things that were lent to you without returning them?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">21.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you wasted your employer’s time or resources? <span style=""> </span>Have you taken things from work for your own use, used the firm’s phone or other facilities for your own purposes without permission or repayment?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">22.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Are you obstinate, and do you always try to have your own way?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">23.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been inconsiderate of other people’s feelings?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">24.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you tried to have your revenge against those who have offended you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">25.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you harboured resentment?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">26.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you deceived people?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">27.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you gossiped?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">28.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you told untruths?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">29.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you judged and condemned others?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">30.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you taken pains before approaching for confession to be reconciled with all?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h5>Sins Against Yourself</h5> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been proud?<span style=""> </span>Do you boast of your abilities, achievements, family, connections or riches?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you consider yourself worthy before God?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Are you vain, ambitious?<span style=""> </span>Do you try to win praise and glory?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you bear it easily when you are blamed, scolded or treated unjustly?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">5.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you think too much about your looks, outward appearance and the impression you make?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">6.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you sinned in thought, word or deed, by a look or glance, or in any other way against the seventh commandment? (Adultery, fornication, all extra-marital sexual relationships with others, masturbation, engaging in unnatural sexual acts, fantasizing, pornography, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">7.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you envied anyone anything?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">8.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been over-sensitive?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">9.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been lazy?<span style=""> </span>Have you done your duties heartily?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">10.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you wasted your time, energy or abilities in things that do not profit the soul?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">11.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you become obsessive about anything?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">12.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you become despondent or listless?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">13.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you had thoughts of committing suicide?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">14.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you brought a curse on yourself or others or ill-wished them, being impatient?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">15.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you a weakness for alcohol?<span style=""> </span>Have you drunk too much, or become dependent on drink?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">16.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you taken drugs, other than necessary medicines?<span style=""> </span>Have you smoked?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">17.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you watched television too much or indiscriminately?<span style=""> </span>Have you given yourself up to any other similar pastimes, which waste your time and energy and might have harmed you?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">18.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been greedy, either with regard to food or to possessions?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">19.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you indulged in comfort eating?<span style=""> </span>Have you become accustomed to eating between meals?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">20.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been picky about your food, or wasteful of foods, forgetting that so many people are without proper nourishment?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">21.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Have you been extravagant?<span style=""> </span>Have you been wasteful?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">22.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Do you care for and seek first the salvation of your soul, the spiritual life and the kingdom of God, or have you put earthly considerations in the first place?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Is there any other sin, which burdens your conscience, or which you are ashamed of?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Anyone preparing for confession must ask God to help him resolve to tell his sins.<span style=""> </span>A penitent should prepare for confession and collect his thoughts regarding his sins at least a day before confession.<span style=""> </span>The most valuable thing in the eyes of God is the confession of the sin which weighs most on the conscience.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The questions listed are intended to help the Orthodox Christian examine himself and identify the symptoms of his spiritual ills; they should not be taken as some kind of test to ascertain how well we are doing as if there was a certain “pass-mark.”<span style=""> </span>Before God’s perfections, we shall always fail.<span style=""> </span>It is for that reason that, as believing Christians, we throw ourselves on the mercy of the Lord and do not trust in our own righteousness.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Remember that our sins can never outweigh God’s love towards us.<span style=""> </span>Even if we should seem to have failed with regard to all the points mentioned above and more, we should not lose heart but confess our sins unshamefacedly, we should regret the wrongs we have done, be resolved to make amends, and receive whatever remedy our confessor should be guided to lay upon us.<span style=""> </span>Most of all, one should be assured of the blessing of God which these endeavours will bring upon you.’<a style="" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br /> <hr align="left" size="1" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><a style="" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><i> THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF TRUTH</i>, by Saint Nicolas Varzhansky, pp. 12-17</p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-31310645398097203842008-03-11T23:50:00.000-04:002008-03-11T23:51:53.314-04:00#22 - He Who Made All Things Is God<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>To make is to build, and to build is to make.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>It makes one wonder how such a simple expression can be so incomprehensible to some individuals.<span style=""> </span>I make the bricks to build a house; I build the houses to make a town.<span style=""> </span>These two verbs, make and build, are not only identical but interchangeable as well.<span style=""> </span>Those who do not grasp this simple concept end up like Jehovah’s Witnesses, whose own distorted Bible screams to them that Jesus Christ is the Creator, but they are deaf to these screams and blind to the truth.<o:p></o:p></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>How identical and interchangeable are these two verbs?<span style=""> </span>Let’s define them and see:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span><b>build – <i>vt.</i> <o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">1</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"> to <u>make</u> by putting together materials, parts, etc.; construct <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">2</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"> to establish… <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">3</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"> to <u>create</u> or develop<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">make – <i>vt.</i><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">1 </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">to bring into being; <u>build</u>, <u>create</u>, produce<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">2</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"> to cause to be or become<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">create – vt.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">1 </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">to cause to come into existence; <u>make</u>; originate<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">2 </span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">to bring about<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">(Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1990, pp. 79, 356, 143)</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""><span style=""> </span>Note, from the above definitions, the underlined words that link them and show their interchangeability; that build includes make, that make includes build, that both make and build include create, and that also create includes make.<span style=""> </span>Also note that to make is to create, in that to bring into being is the same as to bring about, or to cause to come into existence.<span style=""> </span>The definitions clearly show that a builder is a maker is a creator.<span style=""> </span>Isn’t this clear to see?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>A long time ago, when the whole earth spoke one language, men came from the east to a plain in the land of Shinar.<span style=""> </span>There, they made bricks, and they attempted to build a tower high enough to reach heaven – Genesis 11:1-4.<span style=""> </span>They made bricks to build a tower.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>To make it is to build it, and to build it is to make it.<span style=""> </span>This is clearly evidenced by Scripture.<span style=""> </span>In Exodus 20:25, God instructs Moses on how to properly build an altar: <b>“And if thou wilt <u>make</u> me an altar of stone, thou shalt not <u>build</u> it of hewn stone”</b> (underlines added for emphasis).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>He who makes is he who builds, and he who builds is he who makes.<span style=""> </span>According to the above definitions, making includes building, and building includes making.<span style=""> </span>Scripture shows this with full clarity.<span style=""> </span>How does one build a city?<span style=""> </span>2 Chronicles 14:6-7 informs us that <u>building</u> a fenced city includes <u>making</u> around it walls, and towers, gates and bars.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>In Hebrews 3:3, Jesus Christ is compared to Moses, <b>“For this man [Jesus] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.”</b><span style=""> </span>An analogy is made here; the house is Moses, and the builder of the house is Jesus Christ.<span style=""> </span>What Scripture is plainly telling us is that Jesus Christ is the builder of the fleshly house called Moses.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>We are told that <b>“All things were made by him [the Word, Jesus]; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”</b> (John 1:3)<span style=""> </span>Also, <b>“He was in the world, and the world was made by him”</b> (v. 10) All things that were made, were made by Jesus, and nothing was made without Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>Here is the conclusion of logic: Jesus Christ, as the Maker of all things, is the Builder of all things, and as we are told in Hebrews 3:4, <b>“he that built all things is God.”</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""><span style=""> </span>How unfortunate, that such simple yet clear logic is not understood by Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>It is truly sad to see how feebly the Watchtower organization has tried to hide this truth from its followers through distortion of the Holy Scriptures.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>In its distorted Bible, <i>The New World Translation</i>, the Watchtower has added the word “other” to the verses at Colossians 1:16-20.<span style=""> </span>It now reads as follows: <b>“because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth….<span style=""> </span>All [other] things have been created through him, and for him.<span style=""> </span>Also, he is before all [other] things, and by means of him all [other] things were made to exist…. And through him to reconcile again to himself all [other] things…”</b> (NWT)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>All this distortion is to make people believe that God the Father created the Son, and the Son created all <i>other</i> things.<span style=""> </span>But how can we be sure that this is truly a distortion, and not what the original Greek Scriptures say?<span style=""> </span>One way to know this is to remember the rule for adding words to a quoted text.<span style=""> </span>Any word in brackets within a quoted text is an addition.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"><span style=""> </span>The other way to know for sure is to examine the original Greek.<span style=""> </span>Here is Colossians 1:16-20, <i>“</i></span><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; color: black;">oti en autw ektisqh ta panta, ta en tois ouranois kai ta epi ths ghs.... <span style=""> </span>ta panta di</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">’</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; color: black;"> autou kai eis auton ektistai. <span style=""> </span>Kai autos esti pro pantwn, kai ta panta en autw sunesthke.... kai di</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">’</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; color: black;"> autou apokatallaxai ta panta eis auton...</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;"> (title translated as The New Testament, 1986, P. N. Trembela).<span style=""> </span>Anyone who can read and understand Greek will immediately notice that the word “other” (</span><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Symbol; color: black;">alla</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond; color: black;">) is not there in the original language, and will understand that it was never meant to be there in the first place!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Note, that words are added to a quoted text only to smooth the translation and the readability of the text.<span style=""> </span>The added word(s) must not change the meaning of the text.<span style=""> </span>Obviously, the Watchtower has done just that.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Here is a word for word transliteration into English of the above Scriptural passage: “THAT BY/THROUGH HIM, WAS CREATED THE <u>ALL</u>, THE OF THE SKIES/HEAVENS AND THE OF THE EARTH….<span style=""> </span>THE <u>ALL</u> BY/THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM WERE CREATED: AND HE IS BEFORE <u>ALL</u>, AND THE <u>ALL</u> BY/THROUGH/BECAUSE OF HIM HOLD TOGETHER…. AND BY/THROUGH HIM IS RECONCILED THE <u>ALL</u> TO HIM…”<span style=""> </span>The underlines are added to emphasize that five, count them, five times the world ALL is written and not once in connection with the “other” word.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses readily admit that all of creation came into existence through the Son, that by his hands were all these things made.<span style=""> </span>Yet, by denying the Son the title of Creator, they take all rightful honor away from Christ.<span style=""> </span>Actually, when speaking of creation, they only mention God the Father as the Creator of all things, and they leave the Son out of the picture completely.<span style=""> </span>It is equivalent to praising the architect for the development of a building, and ignoring completely the one whose hands have built the structure.<span style=""> </span>On the human level, that would be considered disrespectful.<span style=""> </span>On the divine level it is truly blasphemy!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Word therefore made ALL things.<span style=""> </span>By this Logic, he cannot be included among creation, and was therefore not created by His Father.<span style=""> </span>The Word, Who is the Son of God, worked <i>together </i>with His Father and the Holy Spirit to create all things.<span style=""> </span>“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness”, commanded the Father, and the Son created all things.<span style=""> </span>The Father is God the Creator because He commanded that these things be done.<span style=""> </span>The Son is God the Creator because by His Godly hands all things were made.<span style=""> </span>The Creator of all things is the maker and builder of all things, and the builder of all things is God.</span>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-7278566169537394172008-03-02T18:54:00.002-05:002008-03-02T18:55:26.991-05:00#21 - Is It Wrong To Celebrate Birthdays?<span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>According to the beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses, celebrating a birthday in any manner is strictly forbidden. <span style=""> </span>Even sending a birthday card can bring down swift action against the offender by an official “judicial committee.”<span style=""> </span>The punishment is “disfellowshiping”—being kicked out of the Watchtower organization.<span style=""> </span>They believe that this doctrine is based on the Bible, and they cite the following three verses as evidence to back up their claim:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><b>“And it came to pass the third day, which was Pharaoh’s birthday, that he made a feast unto all his servants…. <span style=""> </span>But he hanged the chief baker….”</b> (Genesis 40:20-22, KJV)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><b>“…Herod on his birthday gave a banquet….<span style=""> </span>And she came in immediately with haste to the king, as asked, saying, ‘I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.’”</b> (Mark 6:21-25, RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><b>“But when Herod’s birthday came…he sent and had John the Baptist beheaded in the prison.”</b> (Matthew 14:6-10, RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower organization has prohibited birthday celebrations among its adherents, using Genesis 40:20-22 as a key part of the “scriptural basis” for this ruling.<span style=""> </span>Their thought is that the word <i>birthday</i> appears in the Bible only in reference to Pharaoh of Egypt (as above) and King Herod of Galilee (Matthew 14:6 and Mark 6:21).<span style=""> </span>Both of them were pagans, and both men had someone put to death in connection with the celebration.<span style=""> </span>Since no men of faith are recorded in the Bible as having celebrated their birthdays, but only wicked men—so the Watchtower reasoning goes—Jehovah’s Witnesses of today must not be allowed to celebrate birthdays either.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>It is worth noting that, as with other teachings, it is not left up to the individual Witness to read the Bible and come up with this conclusion.<span style=""> </span>Rather, the sect’s secretive governing body has promulgated this official interpretation and uses its disciplinary procedures to enforce the policy on all Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>For example, former Jehovah’s Witness Elder, David A. Reed, states in his book, <i>Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >“…one elderly JW of our acquaintance in Massachusetts decided he would send a birthday card to his non-Witness son, but his wife reported it to the local elders.<span style=""> </span>They summoned him before a closed-door judicial committee meeting and put him on trial for this offense.<span style=""> </span>The seventy-year old gentleman challenged them to show him one Scripture verse prohibiting sending a birthday card, but the committee went ahead and disfellowshiped him on the basis of the Watchtower Society’s ruling.<span style=""> </span>His Witness relatives now refuse him admittance to their home, and Witnesses who encounter him on the street turn away without ever saying hello.” (pg. 25)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>In refuting the Watchtower’s so-called scriptural basis for banning birthday celebrations, it must be pointed out that Pharaoh and King Herod were arbitrary rulers and violent men; such monarchs were accustomed to executing people on all sorts of occasions, not just on their birthdays.<span style=""> </span>Moreover, a person sending a birthday card, or a parent providing a cake with candles at a children’s party, can hardly be accused of following the pattern of those murderous men.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Although the actual word <i>birthday</i> appears only in connection with Pharaoh and Herod in most translations, the Bible does contain reference to such celebrations in godly families:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>In Job 1:4, it says of the patriarch Job’s family, <b>“And his sons went and held a banquet at the house of each one <i>on his own day</i>; and they sent and invited their three sisters to eat and drink with them”</b> (NWT, italics added).<span style=""> </span>That “his own day” refers to each one’s birthdays becomes clear when we read further: <b>“It was after this that Job opened his mouth and began to call down evil upon <i>his own day</i>.<span style=""> </span>Job now answered and said: Let <i>the day</i> perish <i>on which I came to be born</i>….’”</b> (Job 3:1-3, NWT, italics added).<span style=""> </span>The Living Bible’s paraphrase of Job 1:4-5 expresses this thought: <b>“Every year when each of Job’s sons had a birthday, he invited his brothers and sisters to his home for a celebration. <span style=""> </span>On these occasions they would eat and drink with great merriment.<span style=""> </span>When these birthday parties ended….”<o:p></o:p></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Even the Watchtower Society’s own translation reveals that the birth of John the Baptist was celebrated, when it records this angelic announcement: <b>“And you will have joy and great gladness, and many will rejoice over his birth”</b> (Luke 1:14, NWT).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>If the birth of John the Baptist was an occasion for rejoicing and if faithful Job’s children celebrated their birthdays, the fact that Pharaoh and Herod also celebrated theirs cannot logically be used as a basis for banning birthday parties among Bible believers today.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower organization has also taught Jehovah’s Witnesses that the celebration of birthdays has its origins in pagan cultures.<span style=""> </span>It is a pagan custom, they say, and therefore should not be celebrated.<span style=""> </span>In other words, just because pagans did it in pre-Christian times, it is wrong for Christians to also do it.<span style=""> </span>This would certainly be true if the custom in question was a form of religious practice—such as worship, but it is not.<span style=""> </span>It is simply a venerable celebration of a happy moment, the anniversary of the birth of a loved one—a father, a mother, a child, a relative, a friend, etc.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Would it be wrong to engage in a certain action simply because that same action was also done by a pagan?<span style=""> </span>Although pagans were, and still are, idol worshippers, was their <i>every</i> action wrong?<span style=""> </span>Didn’t pagans, despite their false beliefs, <i>also</i> do good things?<span style=""> </span>It would be safe to assume that some, if not many pagans gave alms to the poor and downtrodden.<span style=""> </span>Are Christians wrong for also giving charity to the poor and unfortunate?<span style=""> </span>Pagan religions such as Buddhism and Hinduism stress a high respect for parents and elders of the family.<span style=""> </span>Is it wrong then for Christians to respect their mother and father, and their elderly grandparents? <span style=""> </span>Obviously, not <i>all</i> things done by pagans were wrong.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, the claim that doing something is wrong just because pagans did it just isn’t true all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>If celebrating a birthday was a sin, wouldn’t God have made this clear to mankind?<span style=""> </span>Did God rebuke Job for celebrating his children’s birthdays?<span style=""> </span>No, he certainly did not.<span style=""> </span>One may ask, though, didn’t God allow Job to suffer terrible torments?<span style=""> </span>Of course the answer would have to be yes.<span style=""> </span>But the reason for Job’s torment must be made perfectly clear:<span style=""> </span>The Bible informs us that God allowed Job to suffer such terrible torments to show Satan that, in all mankind, <b>“that there is non like [Job] in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil,”</b> not because he celebrated birthdays. (Job 1:8, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Would any Jehovah’s Witness DARE to accuse righteous Job of engaging in a practice that was against God?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Does the Bible speak out against the celebration of birthdays?<span style=""> </span>Is there a law in it forbidding this?<span style=""> </span>No.<span style=""> </span>There is no such law.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, it is not wrong to celebrate birthdays.<span style=""> </span>The Bible itself clearly states this: <b>“for where no law is, there is no transgression.”</b><span style=""> </span>(Romans 4:15, KJV)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>We may rightfully conclude, from the above evidence, that the Watchtower’s ban on birthday celebrations is not a biblical decree, but merely a human dictum based not on the perfect word of God, but on the false assumption of the organization’s frail human reasoning.<span style=""> </span>So, to all the readers of this newsletter, who were born on this very day—have a <b><i>HAPPY BIRTHDAY!</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-24111481993862683402008-02-24T22:37:00.002-05:002008-02-24T22:39:45.967-05:00#20 - Honoring the Father and the Son<p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >Definitions:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">even <i>adj</i></span></b><i><span style="font-family:Garamond;">.</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > <b>1</b> constantly or completely flat.<span style=""> </span><b>2</b> on the same level or line.<span style=""> </span><b>3</b> free from variation.<span style=""> </span><b>4</b> equal in measure or quantity.<span style=""> </span><b>5</b> divisible by two.<span style=""> </span><b>6</b> exactly expressible without fractional parts.<span style=""> </span><b>7</b> leaving no balance or debt on either side…..<span style=""> </span><b>9</b> still or yet….<span style=""> </span><b>11</b> just or exactly….<span style=""> </span><b>12</b> fully or quite.<span style=""> </span><b>13</b> indeed….<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">as <i>adv.</i><span style=""> </span>1 </span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >to such a degree or extent.<span style=""> </span><b>2</b> for example….<span style=""> </span><b>5</b> in the degree, manner, etc., of or that….<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">honor <i>n.</i></span></b><i><span style="font-family:Garamond;"> </span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>1</b> high public esteem….<span style=""> </span><b>3</b> a source of credit or distinction.<span style=""> </span><b>4</b> high respect, as for worth, merit, or rank.<span style=""> </span><b>5</b> such respect manifested….<span style=""> </span><b>10</b> to hold in high respect.<span style=""> </span><b>11</b> to confer honor or distinction upon.<span style=""> </span><b>12</b> to show a courteous regard for….<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">worship <i>n.</i><span style=""> </span>1</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > reverent honor given to a deity.<span style=""> </span><b>2</b> the expression of such honor, as by prayers.<span style=""> </span><b>3</b> great admiration or regard….<span style=""> </span><b>5</b> to show religious worship to.<span style=""> </span><b>6</b> to feel admiration or regard for. <i><span style=""> </span><b>–vt.</b></i><b><span style=""> </span>7</b> to take part in worship.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="font-family:Garamond;">(The Random House Dictionary, 1980, Random House, Inc., pp. 299, 46-47, 420, 1008)</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Most believers of monotheistic religions know that they should honor God.<span style=""> </span>The Jews believe in God, and worship Him.<span style=""> </span>They know Him as the ‘Father’.<span style=""> </span>Muslims also believe in one God, whom they call Allah.<span style=""> </span>They also know Him as the ‘Father’.<span style=""> </span>But neither the Jews nor the Muslims honor the ‘Son’, Jesus the Christ.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses seemingly give to the Father full honor, but to His Son they give far less.<span style=""> </span>Christians in general are followers of Christ.<span style=""> </span>They know the Father as God, but not all Christians are sure just how much honor they should give to the Son.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>It is a lack of understanding of the Bible that keeps many Christians in the dark about the true nature of Jesus Christ and His relationship to the Father.<span style=""> </span>How much honor should we give to the Son?<span style=""> </span>The Bible provides us with an answer in John 5:23.<span style=""> </span>Here, Jesus Himself informs us <b>“That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father.”</b> (KJV)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">How should we honor the Son?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>This verse contains powerful evidence of the deity of Jesus Christ.<span style=""> </span>The focal point of this power rests on two key words,<b> “even as”</b>.<span style=""> </span>To grasp a full understanding of the meaning of this verse, we need to know exactly what these two words mean.<span style=""> </span>Their definitions are given above. Let’s apply these definitions to the verse:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">…even…<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 1:<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that—together with our honor of the Father—is <i>flatly</i> homogeneous, <i>constantly</i> even in all areas and instances.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 2:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>on the same level or line </i>as that which we give to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 3:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is free<i> from variation</i> from that which we give to the Father (identical without <u>any</u> difference).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 4:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>equal in measure or quantity</i> as that which we give to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 6:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>expressed exactly</i> as that which is expressed to the Father, <i>without any fractional part</i> of it left over.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 7:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that—when compared to that given to the Father—is equal and <i>balanced</i> and <i>leaves no debt</i> (either more or less) on <i>either side</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 9:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is, no matter what, <i>yet</i> as that of the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 11:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>just</i> as that given to the Father; <i>exactly</i> as that given to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 13:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>indeed</i> as that given to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">…as…<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 1:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>to a degree as such</i>: as the honor given to the Father; and to the same <i>extent</i> that we give to the Father, we must give also to the Son.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 2:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>exemplified</i> by that given to the Father.<span style=""> </span>In other words, how much honor should we give to the Son?<span style=""> </span>Let us use, <i>as an example</i>, the exact same honor given to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >By definition 5:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >We should give to the Son, honor that is <i>in the same degree, in the same manner</i>, as that given to the Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>By applying the definitions of the two key words to the verse, it becomes clear that the honor given to the Son <b>must be identical</b> to the honor given to the Father.<span style=""> </span>And now, in case anyone might ask, we will pose the following question:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">How should we honor the Father?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Throughout the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, God has been known as the ‘Father’.<span style=""> </span>Likewise, this ‘Father’ in the heavens, has always been called GOD.<span style=""> </span>God, the only TRUE deity, is the highest being in existence.<span style=""> </span>He is above ALL creation.<span style=""> </span>And because of this fact, we must give Him honor, which is above ALL honor—the highest form of honor, called <b><i>worship</i></b>.<span style=""> </span>God the Father—as distinct from God the Son and God the Holy Spirit—is most recognized by monotheistic religions as God.<span style=""> </span>Only Christianity recognizes the Son as God also—and even in this religion there is debate among its denominations as to this.<span style=""> </span>Clearly, though, the Father in the heavens must be worshipped.<span style=""> </span>Most, if not all monotheistic religions accept this as true.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Once again: How should we honor the Son?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>With this fact in mind, we must now put one and one together.<span style=""> </span>God the Father must be honored in the highest way possible—with worship.<span style=""> </span>The Son, as we have seen, must be honored the same exact way as the Father.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, if we follow logic to its ultimate conclusion, what answer will we surely find?<span style=""> </span>That the Son, Jesus Christ, must be honored in the same exact way as the Father—with <b>WORSHIP</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">But what if we don’t?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>John 5:23 concludes by saying that, <b>“He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”</b><span style=""> </span>This is very serious!<span style=""> </span>In essence, this verse is instructing us to worship the Son exactly as we worship the Father.<span style=""> </span>But he that doesn’t worship the Son doesn’t worship the Father either—and this is truly blasphemy.<span style=""> </span>What a rude awakening this must surely be to those who are just now understanding it!<span style=""> </span>The Son is God just as the Father is God, and this is why we should worship our Lord Jesus Christ as our God and Savior; and with the Father and the Holy Spirit together as the One Composite Triune GOD.<o:p></o:p></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-43947014630380392932008-02-19T22:11:00.002-05:002008-02-23T12:42:13.365-05:00#19 - Christian Targets of The Watchtower<span style="font-family: georgia;">Since 1874, the missiles have been launching, the warheads have been striking, and the targets have been reeling from the blasts. Satan’s modern-day weapon has grown in size and strength and has been battering the bride of Christ for over a century. The church, its doctrines, its traditions and its clergy have been locked onto the cross-hairs of the devil’s hatred; and these sacred elements of our Christian faith, passed down to us from the apostles and Jesus Christ Himself, have become bombarded bulls eyes ever since.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">What exactly are these missiles, and what exactly is this weapon? The weapon is the Watchtower society, and the missiles are its publications. Two of their most popular magazines, </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">The Watchtower</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, and </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> are designed especially for targets outside the Watchtower organization—that means Christians!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Watchtower has waged psychological warfare on Christians of every denomination. A typical salvo of hatred includes clergy-bashing, faith-bashing and religion-bashing. Through their publications, the organization uses several strategies of attack. One strategy, which might accurately be called the “Corrupted Clergy” offense, is used to convince Christians that its clergy is corrupt. The goal of this offense is to create, within the Christian mind, a feeling of distrust and disrespect towards priests, monks, nuns, bishops, archbishops, etc. The result of this offense leaves the Christian with the following thought: </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">“Priests are corrupt, so why should I listen to what these hypocrites have to say?”</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">A second strategy is the “Declining Faith” offense. This strategy is used to convince Christians that, in general, Christian faith in the Church and in its beliefs is on the decline. Also, that Christian participation in church services is declining too. The goal of this offense is to create, within the Christian mind, a feeling that there must be something wrong with his religion, and with Christianity in general. When the Christian begins to doubt his faith, he is left open to Watchtower suggestions and teachings.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Clergy-Bashing</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Examples of the “Corrupted Clergy” strategy can be found in the </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> magazine, usually in a section in the back called “Watching the World”. A typical Watchtower technique is to mix “Corrupted Clergy” articles among other unrelated articles containing interesting facts and figures. This gives the reader the impression that the “Corrupted Clergy” articles are also facts. The following is one such article entitled, “The Clergy and Sexual Abuse”:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Australian National Television recently broadcast a documentary entitled, “The Ultimate Betrayal.” The program claimed that 15 percent of clergymen in Australia had committed sexual offenses, ranging from the molestation of children to the rape of women parishioners. Within hours of the television program, various centers set up to handle complaints of sexual assault were inundated with telephone calls from alleged victims. Many callers said they had kept their experiences secret for many years! One women said that she was speaking about her ordeal as a child for the first time in 40 years! Another said that after her clergyman had sexually abused her as a child, he threatened her with hellfire punishment if she dared to tell anyone. Spokesmen for various church groups disagreed with the 15-percent figure but did admit that the sexual misconduct of clergymen was a serious problem. (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >, 8/9/92, pg. 28)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Another article entitled, “The Price of Celibacy” blames this type of priestly misconduct on sexual frustration:</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Forcing priests to remain single “leads to paternity suits, to mistresses, to increased levels of homosexual activity among clergy and seminaries, to loneliness and in some cases to pedophilia.” That, according to the National Catholic Reporter, is the substance of a warning that Joe Sternak, a former Catholic priest of the Chicago archdiocese in the United States, issued on the subject of celibacy at a recent annual conference. Sternak, who is currently writing a book on pedophilia, charges that dioceses in over 20 states use church donations to pay for lawsuits and out-of-court settlements in cases of priestly sexual abuse of children. (</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;font-size:85%;" >, 8/22/91, pg. 28)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">With this kind of religious propaganda, is it any wonder that so many people believe that priests are selfish, sexually-deviant, woman-beating, child-molesting monsters?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">A September 22, 1991 article in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> entitled “Pocket-Size Electronic Bibles”, speaks of an article found in Newsweek which describes the electronic gadget made by a New Jersey, U.S.A. firm. “The firm ‘may have struck the absent-minded-clergy market’, says the article.” This is also a part of the “Corrupted Clergy” strategy. It makes Christian priests look like stupid, inept, bungling idiots. Not a very respectful image.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the December 8, 1992 issue of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, the article “Corruption in the Vestry” tells of a high-ranking priest in Turin, Italy, Rodolfo Reviglio, who recently denounced widespread “corruption in the Vestry”. The article speaks of “cases of priests who have accepted gifts and favors from politicians and candidates in exchange for open or hidden campaigning in their [the politicians’] behalf.” And that “such corruption is not limited to election periods…that it is common to ‘hear of illicit dealings between priests and public officials in handling paperwork, applying for permits,’ and other practices, all of which Reviglio likens to ‘Mafia methods.’”</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Faith-Bashing</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Faith-Bashing strategy is identical to the Clergy-Bashing strategy, but with a different intended target. The December 8, 1992 article in </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> titled “Church Decline in Ireland” says “the number of people in the Republic of Ireland who are now taking up a religious vocation is declining rapidly.” This, and the following articles are examples of the “Declining-Faith” offense.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> of July 22, 1992, contains the article “New Factors of Instability”, which poses the question, “Has the newfound freedom of religion in Eastern Europe brought a measure of peace and harmony to the political turmoil in that area?” It then goes on to imply an answer. “The Roman Catholic and Orthodox clergy in Romania, Ukraine, and along Poland’s eastern border are fighting over ownership of churches…. These hints of a war of religion floating again over Europe…are creating new factors of instability and forebode nothing good.” The obvious implication is that Christianity cannot bring peace on earth, but only the Watchtower can. Some things need not be said to be understood.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, an article entitled, “Germany a Pagan Country”, in the May 22, 1993 issue of </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: georgia;">Awake!</span> states: “The Federal Republic [of Germany] has become a pagan country with a Christian residue. Six million have lost their faith in God. The number of people who do not belong to any religion is greater than those who go to church. Just 10 percent attend church each Sunday.” Those were the findings of a survey commissioned by the German newsmagazine Der Spiegel. Answers were compared with those given in a similar survey in 1967.<br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Watchtower conveniently failed to mention that in 1967, Germany was still divided into East and West, therefore the “Federal Republic of Germany” did not yet exist. Also, being under communist rule since 1949, East Germany has had little freedom of religion. What the Watchtower has done, in effect, is compared the 1967 church-going population of the more religiously-free West, to the current 1993 population of the unified Germany with its added non-religious population from the East. So, the percentage of people attending church, from the newly increased total population seems dramatically reduced. Yet the Watchtower would rather have us believe that this decline is due to the failure of Christianity.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Religion-Bashing</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">Finally, Religion-Bashing is the third and most widely used of the three warheads of the Watchtower salvo. The strategy here might be called the “Correct Doctrine” offense. This strategy questions most, if not all of the doctrines taught by Christianity throughout the centuries. It accuses the Christian religion of being defiled by satanic influences, and paints it as a twisted wreckage of the intended Truth. The Watchtower then purports to be the only true religion left on earth—backing up its claims with doctrines formed by contextually misquoted Scripture.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Divinity of Jesus Christ, the nature of the Holy Spirit, the existence of the Holy Trinity, the existence and immortality of the soul, the Holy Cross of Christ, the God-inspired Christ-like saints, the miraculous icons—all these elements of the Christian faith, as well as a myriad of others, have been and continue to be attacked by written missiles, fired with the gunpowder of hatred from the weapon of Satan called the Watchtower organization.</span>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-74262706236011690832008-02-19T20:34:00.000-05:002008-02-19T20:35:09.386-05:00#18 - The Holy Trinity<p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>The Holy Trinity is a confusing concept to many Christians, yet it is one of the most basic doctrines of Christianity.<span style=""> </span>Many questions arise in the mind of the unlearned Christian, such as <i>“If there is only one God, then how can God be three?<span style=""> </span>Does this mean that there are three Gods?”</i> and the ever-popular <i>“Where does the bible say that God is three persons?<span style=""> </span>I’ve read that God said He is the one true God and there shall be no other Gods beside Him.”</i><span style=""> </span>It is confusion that weakens the Christian’s faith and leaves him exposed to the dangerous heresies of non-Christian cults with their false beliefs.<span style=""> </span>This article should clear up some of the confusion about the Holy Trinity.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>To answer one of the above questions, the bible <i>does</i> indeed speak of the Holy Trinity.<span style=""> </span>The Holy Trinity appears in the New Testament at the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist.<span style=""> </span>This is mentioned in Matthew 3:16-17, <b>“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”</b> and in Mark 1:10-11, <b>“And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased”</b>, and also in Luke 3:21-22, <b>“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased”</b>.<span style=""> </span>Here, we have three separate accounts of the same incident, as testified by Matthew, Mark and Luke; the Son, the Holy spirit descending upon him, and the Father who is well pleased in him—the appearance of the <i>three.</i></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>Jesus Christ, showing himself, before his disciples, to be the almighty God, <b>“came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth”</b>, and he continues <b>“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”</b> (Matthew 28:18-19).<span style=""> </span>Here, again, we see the Holy Trinity, mentioned this time by Christ himself.<span style=""> </span>If you were to baptize someone, wouldn’t it make sense to baptize him in the name of the highest being in existence?<span style=""> </span>In the name of God Himself?<span style=""> </span>Yes, it would.<span style=""> </span>And, we are instructed by Jesus to baptize them in the name of the Father, <i>AND</i> in the name of the Son, <i>AND</i> in the name of the Holy Spirit.<span style=""> </span>In other words, in the name of the three.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses have a favorite argument against this Christian doctrine.<span style=""> </span>They like to ask the unsuspecting Christian, “What does the word ‘trinity’ mean?<span style=""> </span>It means three.<span style=""> </span>Therefore it cannot mean one.<span style=""> </span>And God is One, therefore He cannot be Three.”<span style=""> </span>This is just a play on words.<span style=""> </span>And if we’re going to play with words, then we should also consider that the word ‘trinity’ is <i>one</i> word that means <i>three</i>.<span style=""> </span>In other words, the meaning of <i>three</i> is described by <i>one</i> word.<span style=""> </span>How is it then, that our <i>One</i> God cannot be <i>three</i> persons, or that <i>three</i> persons cannot be <i>One</i> composite God?<span style=""> </span>If this is not enough evidence to support the Christian doctrine of the Holy Trinity, then here comes the clincher!<span style=""> </span>1 John 5:7 describes the triune nature of our One God as follows: <b>“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”</b><span style=""> </span>There are three individual entities mentioned above.<span style=""> </span>The identity of each one of the three is clearly stated.<span style=""> </span>One is the Father, one is the Son, and the other one is the Holy Spirit.<span style=""> </span>These three bear record in unison, as One.<span style=""> </span>And most importantly, we are told that <b>THESE ARE ONE!</b></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>Non-Christians, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, believe that only the Father is God, that the Son is inferior to the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is merely an energy.<span style=""> </span>This is illogical.<span style=""> </span>Since the Father is God, and the word and the Holy Spirit are <i>together</i> with the Father as one, then the Word and the Holy Spirit must <i>also</i> be God.<span style=""> </span>This is logical.<span style=""> </span>For if one of these entities is God, and God is perfect, then the other two entities must <i>also</i> be God, and perfect.<span style=""> </span>The One God is perfection as a whole, and the whole of perfection, and cannot have any lesser parts (so to speak).<span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">God can be thought of as the flame of a candle.<span style=""> </span>The fire is the Father, the light is the Son, and the heat is the Holy Spirit.<span style=""> </span>The fire begets the light, as the Father begets the Son. The heat proceeds from the fire, as the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.<span style=""> </span>The three are co-existent, and co-equal.<span style=""> </span>One entity cannot exist without the other two.<span style=""> </span>If you eliminate the light, then there can be no fire and no heat.<span style=""> </span>If you eliminate the heat, then there can be no fire and no light.<span style=""> </span>And if you eliminate the fire, there can be no light and no heat.</p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoBodyText2"><span style=""> </span>To say that the Holy Trinity is not God, or that God is not a Trinity, is to deny God’s inspired word—the Holy Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>Can we deny what the Scriptures say?<span style=""> </span>Can we deny that there are three that bear record in heaven, as the Scriptures say?<span style=""> </span>Can we deny that these three are the Father, the Word Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, as the Scriptures say?<span style=""> </span>Can we deny that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are <i>one</i>, as the Scriptures say?<span style=""> </span>If we deny the Scriptures, then we are denying the truth, and we are only fooling ourselves.</p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-49321935705761096372008-02-19T20:00:00.000-05:002008-02-19T20:03:44.084-05:00#17 - What Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > ‘In some areas, of course, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe much the same as orthodox Christians—for example, their rejection, as sin, of sex outside marriage; their acceptance of the Bible’s creation account, as opposed to the evolution theory; and their belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God.<span style=""> </span>But, in many other areas, their doctrines set them apart and mark them as a pseudo-Christian cult—especially the sect’s teachings on the following matters…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Armageddon:</b> God will soon wage war against mankind, destroying everyone on earth except Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>The churches of Christendom, they say, will be the first to be destroyed.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Birthdays:</b> Celebrating a birthday in any manner is strictly forbidden.<span style=""> </span>Even sending a birthday card can bring swift action against the offender by an official “judicial committee”.<span style=""> </span>The punishment is “disfellowshiping”.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Blood Transfusions:</b> In actual practice, JW’s view accepting a blood transfusion as a sin more serious than theft or adultery.<span style=""> </span>Thieves and adulterers are more quickly forgiven by Watchtower judicial committees than individuals found guilty of taking blood.<span style=""> </span>A Witness must refuse blood in all circumstances, even when this is certain to result in death.<span style=""> </span>The organization also requires adults to refuse transfusions for their minor children.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Christianity:</b><span style=""> </span>Except for a few scattered individuals who kept the faith, true Christianity vanished from the face of the earth shortly after the death of the twelve apostles—according to Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>It was not restored until Charles Taze Russell set up the Watchtower organization in the late 1870’s.<span style=""> </span>When Christ returned invisibly in 1914, he found Russell’s group doing the work of the “faithful and wise servant” (Matt. 24:45) and appointed them over all his belongings.<span style=""> </span>All other churches and professed Christians are actually tools of the devil.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Christ’s Return:</b> The Lord returned invisibly in the year 1914 and has been present ever since, ruling as King on earth through the Watchtower Society.<span style=""> </span>References to the second “coming” are rendered as “presence” in the Jehovah’s Witness Bible.<span style=""> </span>The generation of people who witnessed Christ’s invisible return in 1914 will not pass away before Armageddon comes.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Chronology:</b> Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God has a precise timetable for all past and present future events, tied together by simple mathematical formulae and revealed to mankind through the Watchtower Society.<span style=""> </span>The seven “days” of the Genesis creation account were each seven thousand years long, for a total “week” of forty-nine thousand years.<span style=""> </span>God created Adam in the year 4026 B.C.<span style=""> </span>His creation of Eve a short time later marked the end of the Sixth Creative Day and the beginning of the Seventh.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, we are now approximately 6,000 years into that 7,000-year period—which means that Armageddon will soon put an end to 6,000 years of human toil, making way for a Sabbath-like thousand-year reign of Christ.<span style=""> </span>On the basis of this chronology, the JW organization has promulgated a number of specific end-times prophecies.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Cross:</b> According to Jehovah’s Witnesses, the cross is a pagan religious symbol adopted by the church when Satan, the devil, took control of ecclesiastical authority.<span style=""> </span>It had nothing to do with Christ’s death, since JW’s maintain that he was nailed to a straight upright pole without a crossbeam.<span style=""> </span>Witnesses abhor the cross, and new converts are expected to destroy any crosses they may have, rather than simply dispose of them. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Deity:</b> The Father alone is God, and true worshippers must call him by the name <i>Jehovah.</i><span style=""> </span>Witnesses are taught that Jesus Christ was merely a manifestation of Michael the archangel in human form—not God, but a mere created being.<span style=""> </span>The Holy Spirit is presented as neither God nor a person but, rather, as an “active force.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Disfellowshiping:</b> This is the punishment for any infraction of Watchtower organizational regulations.<span style=""> </span>It consists of a public decree, announced to the audience at a Kingdom Hall meeting and prohibiting all association or fellowship with the offender.<span style=""> </span>Other Witnesses are forbidden even to say “Hello” if they encounter the offender on the street.<span style=""> </span>The only exceptions are that family members may conduct “necessary business” with a disfellowshiped person, and elders may speak to him if he approaches them repentantly to seek reinstatement.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Heaven:</b> Only 144,000 individuals go to heaven.<span style=""> </span>This “little flock” began with the twelve apostles, and the number was filled by the year 1935.<span style=""> </span>Approximately 9,000 elderly JW’s are the only remaining ones on earth today who will go to heaven, with the rest of the Jehovah’s Witnesses hoping to live on earth forever.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Hell:</b> Following the lead of its founder, Charles T. Russell, the Watchtower Society still teaches that <i>Hades</i> is merely the grave, that the fire of <i>Gehenna</i> instantly disintegrates its victims into nothingness, and that there is no conscious existence for the dead until the time of their bodily resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><b>Holidays:</b> Celebration of any “worldly holiday” is strictly forbidden for Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>This prohibition applies to U.S. presidents’ birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Memorial Day, Christmas, Easter, New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Good Friday, and so on—even Mother’s Day and Father’s Day!<span style=""> </span>Even if a “pagan origin” cannot be researched as the basis for banning a particular observance, the simple fact that “worldly people” celebrate it is sufficient reason for the JW’s <i>not</i> to celebrate it.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Holy Spirit:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > The Holy Spirit is neither God nor a person, according to Watchtower teaching.<span style=""> </span>“It” is simply an impersonal “active force” that God uses in doing his will.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Hope: </span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >JW’s believe that God stopped calling Christians to a heavenly hope back in 1935.<span style=""> </span>Since then, he has been offering people the opportunity to live forever on this earth (“Millions now living will never die!” is a familiar Jehovah’s Witness slogan.)<span style=""> </span>God will destroy everyone else on the planet, leaving only Jehovah’s Witnesses, and he will restore a Garden-of-Eden paradise for them worldwide.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Jesus Christ:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > In Watchtower theology, Jesus Christ is a mere angel—the first one that God created when he started creating angels.<span style=""> </span>Witnesses identify Christ as Michael the archangel, although they call Jesus “the Son of God”—because “the first spirit God made was like a firstborn son to him” (1982 Watchtower booklet, Enjoy Life on Earth Forever! pg. 14).<span style=""> </span>They also call him “a god,” and translate John 1:1 accordingly in their Bible.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Organization:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > Witnesses believe that God set up the Watchtower organization as his channel of communication to gather together those of mankind who will be saved.<span style=""> </span>As the visible agency of the kingdom of God on earth, this organization exercises full governmental authority over believers—it promulgates laws, puts violators on trial, operates Kingdom schools, and so on—parallel to the secular government.<span style=""> </span>If there is a conflict between the two, the organization is to be obeyed, rather than the secular rulers.<span style=""> </span>(In the Witnesses’ minds, they are “obeying God rather than men,” Acts 5:29)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Resurrection:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > Concerning Christ, JW’s believe that he became nonexistent when he died and that he was raised three days later as a “spirit”—an angel.<span style=""> </span>They deny his bodily resurrection.<span style=""> </span>Going along with their teaching that Christ returned invisibly in 1914.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >Salvation:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > After giving lip service to salvation through faith in Christ, Witnesses actually believe that salvation is impossible apart from full obedience to the Watchtower Society and vigorous participation in its prescribed works program.<span style=""> </span>Even individual JW’s who are not sufficiently zealous for the organization may not survive Armageddon, and those who do make their way into the earthly paradise must maintain good works before they can be sealed for life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <h4><span style="font-size:130%;">The Bible That Jehovah’s Witnesses Use</span></h4> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Christians embarking on discussions with Jehovah’s Witnesses should be aware that the so-called Bible the Witnesses use contains a number of changes introduced to the text for the sole purpose of supporting Watchtower doctrines.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>The apostle Peter said concerning Paul’s inspired letters that “There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16, RSV).<span style=""> </span>Usually such “twisting” of Scripture is confined to interpretation—and that is what the Watchtower Society did for three-quarters of a century.<span style=""> </span>They issued followers copies of the King James Version (or, later on, the American Standard Version, because it features the name “Jehovah” throughout the Old Testament), along with detailed instructions on how to make Scriptures appear to teach that God outlawed vaccinations, that Abraham and the faithful prophets would be resurrected to this earth in 1925, that God inspired the Great Pyramid of Egypt, and so on.<span style=""> </span>But there were some doctrines that were very difficult to derive from the King James Version and the American Standard Version, no matter how much twisting was applied to the text.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>So, during the 1950’s Watchtower leaders went beyond interpretation by producing their own version of the Bible, with hundreds of verses changed to fit Watchtower doctrines.<span style=""> </span>And, their <i>New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures</i> continues to be rewritten every few years, with additional changes made to bring God’s word into closer agreement with what the organization teaches.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>For example, instead of “the cross,” the <i>New World Translation</i> substitutes “torture stake”—to support the JW teaching that Jesus was nailed to an upright pole without a crossbeam.<span style=""> </span>Instead of “the Holy Spirit,” we find reference to “holy spirit” or “active force,” in agreement with their denial of the deity and personality of the Holy Spirit.<span style=""> </span>Christ speaks, not of his “coming” again, but of his “presence” (which Witnesses believe to be invisible).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>The <i>New World Translation</i> systematically sets out to eliminate evidence for the deity of Christ.<span style=""> </span>Instead of falling at Jesus’ feet to worship him, people did “obeisance” to him.<span style=""> </span>John 1:1 no longer says that “the Word was God”; here it reads “the Word was a god.”<span style=""> </span>Jesus did not say, “Before Abraham was, I am.”<span style=""> </span>Rather, to avoid association with the “I AM” of Exodus 3:14, Jesus’ statement becomes: “Before Abraham came into existence, I have been.”<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>But the most widespread change in the Watchtower Bible is the insertion of the name <i>Jehovah</i> 237 times in the New Testament.<span style=""> </span>Of course, it is appropriate for a translator to choose to use the divine name <i>Jehovah</i> or <i>Yahweh</i> in the Old Testament where the Tetragrammaton YHWH actually appears in the Hebrew text.<span style=""> </span>But the Watchtower has gone beyond this by inserting the name <i>Jehovah</i> in the New Testament, where it does not appear in Greek manuscripts.<span style=""> </span>One need only look at the word-for-word English that appears under the Greek text in the Society’s own <i>Kingdom Interlinear Translation</i>, to see that the name <i>Jehovah</i> is not there in the Greek….<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>Two outstanding cases that are useful in demonstrating the doctrinal bias of the JW Bible are Romans 14:8-9 (where the insertion of “Jehovah” produces a logical non sequitur in the English text) and Hebrews 1:6 (where early editions say the angels “worship” the Son of God, but later editions change this to “obeisance”).<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>For a more detailed discussion, see <i>The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New Testament</i> by Robert H. Countess (1982, Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 136 pages).<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=4932193570576109637#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>In actuality, it is <b>NOT</b> appropriate for a translator, or any other person for that matter, to choose to use the name <i>Jehovah</i>, when it is a proven fact that this is <b>NOT</b> the real name of God, but rather a grammatically incorrect combination of two words—the true name of God <b>YHWH</b> (or Yahweh) and <b>ADONAY</b> (my Lord).<span style=""> </span>The word <i>Jehovah</i> did not exist in the old biblical times, and did not come into existence until the 15<sup>th</sup> century A.D.<span style=""> </span>This word makes no sense in the Hebrew language; it was not revealed to Moses as the <i>real</i> name of God, and therefore should <b>NOT</b> be used as God’s name.<span style=""> </span>It is more proper to refer to Him as LORD, since this is what the ancient Israelites did to protect the real name of God from this type of blasphemous distortion.<span style=""> </span>Otherwise, the entire above quoted text is accurate.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Glancing at the above quoted information, it is immediately obvious that these doctrines of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are not according to what the church has taught over the centuries.<span style=""> </span>These anti-Christian beliefs mark the Watchtower organization as a pseudo-Christian cult.<span style=""> </span>These doctrines were formed from contextually misquoted Scripture—they are truth mixed with lies.<span style=""> </span>And that is what makes a Jehovah’s Witness’s arguments so believable.<span style=""> </span>David A. Reed is a former Jehovah’s Witness Elder and Presiding Minister, and presently is a member of the first Baptist Church in N. Abington, Massachusetts.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=4932193570576109637#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse; 1986; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49506; by David A. Reed, pp. 11-19.</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-76480764838369364342008-01-30T00:18:00.000-05:002008-01-30T00:19:31.955-05:00#16 - Is Receiving a Blood Transfusion a Sin? – Part 2<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">“Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood”</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> (Genesis 9:4, RSV)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>‘This is the first of several Scripture verses that Jehovah’s Witnesses use to argue in support of the Watchtower society’s ban on blood transfusions.<span style=""> </span>The organization teaches that a blood transfusion is the same as eating blood, because it resembles intravenous feeding.<span style=""> </span>The society accordingly prohibits blood transfusions for its followers.<span style=""> </span>A witness who accepts a transfusion can expect to be summoned before a judicial committee to be put on trial behind closed doors for violation of “God’s Law.”<span style=""> </span>The punishment, if found guilty, is “disfellowshiping,” whereby the individual is shunned by family and friends who are forbidden even to greet the offender.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses feel very strongly about this issue.<span style=""> </span>They will die rather than accept a transfusion to replace blood lost in an operation or accident.<span style=""> </span>And they follow this same course with respect to their minor children.<span style=""> </span>Most Witnesses carry a signed card in their wallet or purse, stating their refusal to accept blood and instructing emergency medical personnel not to administer a transfusion if the Witness is found unconscious.<span style=""> </span>The card is a legal document, signed by the JW and countersigned by two others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>JW’s recognize that they are unique among religious people in their stand on blood transfusions, although it does not occur to them that this very fact shows that the doctrine does not really derive from the Bible.<span style=""> </span>No one else who attempts to follow the Bible as a guide in life has come up with a ban on transfusions—and even the Watchtower organization did not promulgate the doctrine until 1944.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Most Jehovah’s Witnesses are unaware that their leaders have had a history of introducing other medical prohibitions and then later changing their mind.<span style=""> </span>In 1967, for example, they prohibited organ transplants.<span style=""> </span>Followers were expected to choose blindness rather than accept a cornea transplant, or to die rather than submit to a kidney transplant.<span style=""> </span>But then, in 1980, the leaders reversed the teaching and allowed transplants once again (see <i>The Watchtower</i>, 11/15/67, pp. 702-704; <i>Awake!</i> 6/8/68, pg. 21; and <i>The Watchtower</i>, 3/15/80, pg. 31).<span style=""> </span>In addition, between the years 1931 and 1952, JW’s had to refuse vaccinations for themselves and their children because the organization taught them: “Vaccination is a direct violation of the everlasting covenant that God made….” (<i>The Golden Age</i>, 2/4/31, pg. 293)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Even though Witnesses will attempt to quote Scripture to support their position on blood transfusions, the real reason for their stand is blind obedience to the Watchtower Society.<span style=""> </span>If the organization lifted its prohibition tomorrow, witnesses would freely accept transfusions—just as they did an about face when the vaccination ban was lifted in 1952 and when the ban on organ transplants was rescinded in 1980.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><b>“And you must not eat any blood in any places where you dwell, whether that of fowl or that of beast.<span style=""> </span>Any soul who eats any blood, that soul must be cut off from his people”</b> (Leviticus 7:26-27).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>This text is frequently quoted in support of the Watchtower society’s ban on blood transfusions.<span style=""> </span>Even though the verse specifically forbade Israelites to <i>eat</i> the blood of fowl or beast, Jehovah’s Witnesses stretch its meaning to include medical administration of human blood to save life—a thought obviously not intended when Moses recorded God’s words.<span style=""> </span>Leviticus discusses at great length the divinely ordained arrangements for animal sacrifices by the Jewish priesthood, and the blood played a major role in those sacrifices as a foreshadow of the precious blood of our Savior, the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.<span style=""> </span>Any attempt to read these verses as a prophetic ruling on the pros and cons of modern medical procedures totally ignores the context of the passage.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>When discussing Leviticus 7:26-27 with Jehovah’s Witnesses, you might bring up the fact that orthodox Jews of today, who still scrupulously observe the regulations for kosher butchering and bleeding of meat, have no religious objection to blood transfusions.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, the original Hebrew text does not even hint at the interpretation that the Watchtower imposes on it.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>If a Jehovah’s Witness still insists that he must refuse blood transfusions on account of Leviticus 7:26-27, the next move would be to show him Leviticus 3:17, which says: <b>“You must not eat any fat or any blood at all”</b> (NWT).<span style=""> </span>Ask him to explain why Watchtower leaders tell him to refuse blood transfusions but allow him to eat fat.<span style=""> </span>Are they not simply pulling words out of context from Jewish dietary laws?”<a style="" href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>It is clearly obvious that Jehovah’s Witnesses follow a mixed-up cult that proclaims ‘truth’, and then changes its mind.<span style=""> </span>Blood transfusions therefore, when applied with all safety precautions taken, save lives.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ANSWERED VERSE BY VERSE, David A. Reed; 1986; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506; pp. 22-23,29-30</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-23503298305728208792008-01-28T22:23:00.000-05:002008-01-28T22:24:31.528-05:00#15 - Is Receiving a Blood Transfusion a Sin? – Part 1<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Definitions:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">eat <i>vt</i> 1:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> to take in through the mouth as food: ingest, chew, and swallow in turn.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">ingest <i>vt</i>:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> to take in for or as if for digestion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">intravenous <i>adj</i>:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> situated, performed, or occurring within or entering by way of a vein.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">transfuse vt 1a:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> to cause to pass from one to another: TRANSMIT…<b>2a:</b> to transfer (as blood) into a vein of a person or animal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">transfusion n 1:</span></b><span style="font-family: Garamond;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">an act, process, or instance of transfusing; esp: the process of transfusing fluid into a vein or artery.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">digestion n:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> the action, process, or power of digesting: as <b>a:</b> the process of making food absorbable by dissolving it and breaking it down into simpler chemical compounds that occurs in the living body chiefly through the action of enzymes secreted into the alimentary canal.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">(Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary, 1983, pp. 393, 621, 635, 1253, 354).</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><b>“It shall be a perpetual statute for your generation throughout all your dwellings, that ye eat neither fat nor blood”</b> (Leviticus 3:17, KJV).<span style=""> </span>This law, given by God, forbids the eating of blood, and of fat.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that accepting a blood transfusion is a sin worse than theft or adultery.<span style=""> </span>Indeed, thieves and adulterers are more quickly forgiven by Watchtower judicial committees than individuals found guilty of taking blood.<span style=""> </span>A Witness must refuse blood in all circumstances, even when this is certain to result in death.<span style=""> </span>The organization also requires adults to refuse transfusions for their minor children.<span style=""> </span>But, is accepting a blood transfusion really the same as ‘eating’ blood?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What exactly defines ‘eating’?<span style=""> </span>According to the above definitions, eating entails a process, which begins with <i>ingestion</i>—or the taking in of food for digestion—into the mouth where it is then chewed, and swallowed. <span style=""> </span>During and after this process, the food is <i>digested</i>—starting partially by the saliva and the chewing in the mouth, and then ending completely by the hydrochloric acid in the stomach.<span style=""> </span>But isn’t blood a liquid, and aren’t liquids drunk?<span style=""> </span>The eating of blood means the eating of flesh <i>containing</i> blood.<span style=""> </span>This goes into the mouth as a solid, and the term ‘drink’, here, does not apply. <span style=""> </span>But drinking entails the swallowing of liquid, and the drinking of blood is therefore, also, included in the above commandment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What exactly defines <i>‘blood transfusion’</i>?<span style=""> </span>According to the above definitions, a <i>blood transfusion</i> is the process of transferring the blood of one person into the vein or artery of another person.<span style=""> </span>This is done in emergency situations where a person is in need of life-saving blood to replace or replenish his body’s own blood supply.<span style=""> </span>A Jehovah’s Witness will argue that receiving a blood transfusion is the same as ‘eating’ blood, because it resembles intravenous feeding.<span style=""> </span>They claim it is intravenous ingestion.<span style=""> </span>But is <i>‘ingestion’</i> the same as <i>‘eating’</i>?<span style=""> </span>Hardly.<span style=""> </span>Eating involves ingestion, but ingestion does not necessarily involve eating.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>So, according to the definitions given above, is receiving a blood transfusion the same as eating blood?<span style=""> </span>Before this question can be answered, another must be asked: Does the process of receiving a blood transfusion follow the process of eating, as defined above?<span style=""> </span>Let’s examine the facts and then ask ourselves: Does one receive a blood transfusion through the mouth?<span style=""> </span>Does the blood received undergo the mouth-action called ‘chewing’?<span style=""> </span>Does it then undergo the mouth-action called ‘swallowing’?<span style=""> </span>Will the blood received undergo ‘digestion’?<span style=""> </span>If the answer to the above questions is NO, then receiving a blood transfusion is NOT the same as eating blood. <span style=""> </span>If you could stuff a drumstick into your vein, would you call that <i>‘eating’ chicken?</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What, does the Bible say, is the penalty for eating blood?<span style=""> </span>According to Genesis 9:4, Leviticus 7:24-27; 17:14-4, and Acts 15:8, God forbids the eating of blood.<span style=""> </span>The punishment for eating blood was “cutting off”—excommunication—outlawed from the people.<span style=""> </span>Eating blood, fat or flesh of an animal not properly killed was atoned for by washing one’s clothes and person, and remaining unclean until evening.<span style=""> </span>But, is this how the Watchtower interprets the Bible?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower contradicted the Scriptures when it first dreamed up this ban on blood transfusions.<span style=""> </span>To enforce the Society member’s adherence to this ban, the Jehovah’s Witness president was quoted as saying that, in the Bible, <i>“Deliberate violation of this law regarding the sacredness of blood meant ‘cutting off’ in <u>death</u>”</i> (AID TO BIBLE UNDERSTANDING pg. 244).<span style=""> </span>Is this what the Bible says?<span style=""> </span>Definitely not!<span style=""> </span>And there is no law in the Bible forbidding blood transfusions.<span style=""> </span>Jesus said, <b>“nothing from without a man, entering into him can defile him”</b> (Mark 7:14, KJV).<span style=""> </span>Since there is no law in the Scriptures forbidding blood transfusions, the Scriptural rule applies: <b>“for where no law is, there is no transgression”</b> (Romans 4:15).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>According to Numbers 15:32-36, the punishment for breaking the Sabbath was death.<span style=""> </span>This was a more serious crime than eating blood.<span style=""> </span>But, why did Jesus work on the Sabbath?<span style=""> </span>The answer is found at Matthew 12:11-12, Luke 14:5 and Luke 6:9.<span style=""> </span>Jesus, the <b>“Lord of the Sabbath”</b> (Matthew 12:8, Luke 6:5, KJV), permitted work on the Sabbath, which was necessary to save life.<span style=""> </span>Why, then, won’t the Watchtower allow the lives of needy Jehovah’s Witnesses to be saved?<span style=""> </span>This cult is, in effect, killing its own members!<span style=""> </span>Therefore it is good to donate blood, and it is lawful to receive a blood transfusion, if it will save life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower has been a confused organization since its inception.<span style=""> </span>The president of Jehovah’s Witnesses once declared, <i>“Organ transplants are forbidden by God as they are equivalent to cannibalism”</i> (<i>The Watchtower</i>, 11/15/67 & 6/8/68).<span style=""> </span>This later became, <i>“Organ transplants are not forbidden by God as they are not equivalent to cannibalism”</i> <span style=""> </span>(<i>The Watchtower</i>, 3/15/1980).<span style=""> </span>God changed His mind.<span style=""> </span>Finally, <i>“Blood transfusion is essentially an organ transplant”</i> (JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES AND THE QUESTION OF BLOOD, pg. 41).<span style=""> </span>By their own logic, since God lifted the ban on transplants, blood transfusions are no longer forbidden by God. <span style=""> </span>Unfortunately, the Watchtower contradicts its own words—and also the divinely inspired words of the Scriptures:<span style=""> </span>Why does the Watchtower forbid the eating of blood (as Leviticus 3:17 states), but allows the eating of fat (as Leviticus 3:17 <i>also</i> states)?<span style=""> </span>Christians!<span style=""> </span>Don’t let Jehovah’s Witnesses fool you!<span style=""> </span>Their beliefs are scripturally illogical. <span style=""> </span>Believing them <b>could kill you!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-79517398838830343222008-01-26T19:39:00.000-05:002008-01-26T19:40:28.850-05:00#14 - Why ‘Jehovah’ Doesn’t Exist<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What???<span style=""> </span>Jehovah doesn’t exist?<span style=""> </span>Isn’t that blasphemy?<span style=""> </span>Not quite.<span style=""> </span>Are we saying that God doesn’t exist?<span style=""> </span>No, not at all.<span style=""> </span>God exists, but His name is not <i>‘Jehovah’</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What is <i>‘Jehovah’?</i><span style=""> </span><i>‘Jehovah’</i> is a man-made word.<span style=""> </span>It is the combination of the four consonant characters of God’s personal name—YHWH, with the vowels of the word ADONAY (My Lord).<span style=""> </span>This produced the mixed word ‘YaHoWaH’, which became ‘JaHoVaH’, which is now pronounced as ‘JeHoVaH’.<span style=""> </span>According to the NEW CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA, <i>‘Jehovah’</i> is a <b>“false form of the divine name YAHWEH”</b>, and <b>“an erroneous form of the name of the God of Israel.”</b> (ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA)<span style=""> </span>This mixing of the consonants of one word with the vowels of another word is as erroneous as combining the consonants of <u>G</u>E<u>RM</u>A<u>N</u>Y with the vowels of P<u>O</u>RT<u>U</u>G<u>A</u>L.<span style=""> </span>Those who claim to be ‘<i>Witnesses</i>’ of ‘<i>Jehovah</i>’ are as lost as those who would claim to be citizens of a country called ‘GORMUNA’.<span style=""> </span>It simply <b><i>does not exist!</i></b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>God told Moses that His name is <b>I AM</b>.<span style=""> </span>Moses then told the Israelites that ‘He Who Is’ had sent him.<span style=""> </span>‘He Who Is’ in Hebrew is a Tetragrammaton, or four-consonant word.<span style=""> </span>The equivalent English sound of the first Hebrew character is <b>Y</b>, of the second character is <b>H</b>, of the third is <b>W</b>, and of the fourth is <b>H</b>.<span style=""> </span>This spells <b>YHWH</b>, and is pronounced <b><i>‘Yahweh’</i></b>.<span style=""> </span><b>“This is my name for ever”</b> said the LORD (Exodus 3:15, KJV).<span style=""> </span>This is a <u>God-spoken word</u>, and is therefore <u>pure;</u> pure in every sense of the word, unadulterated by mixture with any other man-made word, unlike <i>‘Jehovah’</i>.<span style=""> </span>Which name of God is therefore pure?<span style=""> </span>Which one is not?<span style=""> </span>You don’t have to be a theologist to reach the right conclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>But doesn’t the Bible contain the word <i>‘Jehovah’</i>?<span style=""> </span>Yes it does, unfortunately.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses will often ask a Christian to open up his <i>own</i> bible, to show him that the ‘name’ of God is Jehovah.<span style=""> </span>This, of course, is to impress the unsuspecting Christian with his ‘knowledge’ of Scripture, and to make the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” sound legitimate.<span style=""> </span>Even the original <i>King James Version</i>—the most accurate English translation—contains this erroneous form of the name of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses will first point to Exodus 6:3, then to Psalms 83:18 and Isaiah 12:2,26:4.<span style=""> </span>Then they will open up their <i>own</i> distorted version of the bible—<i>The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures</i>—to show that <i>‘Jehovah’</i> appears 280 times.<span style=""> </span>How impressive…(yawn!) <b>DON’T BE FOOLED!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>It must be understood that the ancient Israelites first used the name YHWH in the Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>They later replaced YHWH with ‘Adonay’ in their prayer services to avoid offending God by mispronouncing His holy name.<span style=""> </span>This is why the <i>King James Version</i> contains so many occurrences of the word LORD.<span style=""> </span>It should really contain the name YHWH or <i>‘Yahweh’</i> instead of <i>‘Jehovah’</i> in those four occurrences.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Here is a Watchtower lie:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> In the New world Translation of The Holy Scriptures, pg. 1448 they quote:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“there were 134 passages…where the Jewish Sopherim… substituted this word <i>‘Adonay’</i> for the name Y<sup>e</sup>howah (“Jehovah”) in the primitive Hebrew text….We have therefore restored the name <i>‘Jehovah’</i> to those 134 passages, and thus reduced the number of occurrences of <i>‘Adonay’</i> to 298 times.<span style=""> </span>The first occurrence of <i>‘Adonay’</i> is in Genesis 15:2, where it precedes the divine name to produce the combination <i>‘Adonay Y<sup>e</sup>howih’</i>, which is translated “Sovereign Lord Jehovah.”<span style=""> </span>This combination occurs 280 times by itself.”</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>What’s wrong with this picture?<span style=""> </span>The Watchtower purposely slipped in the word <i>‘Yehowah’</i> (“Jehovah”) where it doesn’t belong!<span style=""> </span>The Jewish Sopherim substituted the word ‘<i>Adonay</i>’ for the word <b><u>YHWH</u></b>, not <i>‘Yehowah’</i>.<span style=""> </span>‘Yehowah’ is already a combination of YHWH and ‘<i>Adonay</i>’, so it can’t possibly be combined AGAIN with Adonay!<span style=""> </span>This is grammatically false!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Combining the consonants of one word with the vowels of another is a grammatically incorrect way of combining words.<span style=""> </span>Can you mix apples and oranges?<span style=""> </span>If you did, you would have an ‘opplasnge’ or, basically, a non-existent fruit.<span style=""> </span>‘JEHOVAH’, therefore, cannot even mean ‘Adonay YHWH’ (Lord God)!<span style=""> </span>This is not only ridiculous, but also blasphemy, distorting God’s holy name like that!<span style=""> </span>It is for reasons such as this that the ancient Israelites tried to protect the <i>real</i> name of God!<span style=""> </span>The Watchtower sticks to the name ‘Jehovah’ because it promotes their organization’s multi-million dollar-a-year operation.<span style=""> </span>Anybody who believes that ‘Jehovah’ is God’s name must be an immigrant from ‘GORMUNA’!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-53235745817612935202008-01-26T13:14:00.000-05:002008-01-26T13:15:13.092-05:00#13 - Watchtower Reasoning vs. Logic – Part 3<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Where is the evidence to support Christianity’s doctrine that hell offers the wicked eternal torment?<span style=""> </span>In 1 Corinthians 15:53, the apostle Paul says, <b>“For this corruptible must put on corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality”</b>.<span style=""> </span>Aren’t we ALL corruptible?<span style=""> </span>And aren’t we ALL mortal?<span style=""> </span>Indeed we ALL are.<span style=""> </span>Therefore this applies to ALL who have ever lived.<span style=""> </span>We shall ALL be changed to a state of incorruption and immortality!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Immortality is the key word in this discussion.<span style=""> </span>Immortality means <b>NO DEATH BY DESTRUCTION</b>.<span style=""> </span>There is no logic in the idea that an immortal body will suffer a mortal fate.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, destruction of the wicked comes in the form of a hopeless future.<span style=""> </span>A man thrown into hell, into <b>“the outer darkness”</b> (Matt. 22:13) called <b>“Gehenna”</b> (Luke 12:5, NWT), which is a <b>“furnace of fire”</b>, will <b>“weep and gnash [his] teeth”</b> (Matt. 13:42, RSV), and <b>“mourn and weep”</b> (Luke 6:25, NWT), and <b>“the smoke of [his] torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and [he has] no rest day or night”</b> (Rev. 14:11, KJV).<span style=""> </span>Neither day nor night sounds like a pretty long time.<span style=""> </span>And if this isn’t long enough, by Watchtower definition God’s <i>‘day’</i> is seven thousand years.<span style=""> </span>True or not, that sounds even worse!<span style=""> </span>According to definition, immortal man <i>lives forever, enduring</i> the flames and suffering pain eternally. <span style=""> </span>With no future to look forward to, he is basically destroyed.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that the Christian doctrine of eternal torment in hellfire is unfair:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Many who give thought to the traditional doctrine of hell find that it seems to depict God acting unjustly, so it offends their <u>natural sense of justice</u>.<span style=""> </span>In what way?<span style=""> </span>You find one answered by comparing the doctrine of eternal torment with a standard of justice given by God: “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” (Exodus 21:24)<span style=""> </span>For the sake of argument, apply to the doctrine of hellfire that divine law given to ancient Israel, a law of exact retribution.<span style=""> </span>What conclusion will you likely reach?<span style=""> </span>That only those sinners who have caused eternal torment deserve equal eternal torment in return—eternal torment for eternal torment.<span style=""> </span>But since humans (no matter how evil) can cause only a finite torment, sentencing them to eternal torment creates a disproportion between their crimes and the infinite penalty of hellfire.<span style=""> </span>Simply stated, the sentence would be too heavy.<span style=""> </span>It would go far beyond “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” Considering that Jesus’ teachings moderated the idea of retaliation, you may admit that <u>true Christians</u> would be hard-pressed to see justness in eternal torment—Matthew 5:38,39; Romans 12:17 (<i>The Watchtower</i>, 4/15/93, pg. 6) (underline added)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Man’s natural sense of justice?<span style=""> </span>That’s a joke compared to the justness, righteousness and infinite wisdom of God! <span style=""> </span>And it should be noted here that the Watchtower’s phrase, “true Christian”, underlined above, means Jehovah’s Witnesses, not real Christians.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses will argue that God is not so cruel as to punish the wicked eternally, that this punishment would be greater than the crime.<span style=""> </span>But aren’t we assuming too much?<span style=""> </span>How do we know that our sins against God aren’t greater than we imagine?<span style=""> </span>Every time we sin against God, we slap Him in the face.<span style=""> </span>In turn, we get what we deserve.<span style=""> </span>Plain and simple!<span style=""> </span>God is not unjust, but man is unjust a hundred times over.<span style=""> </span>Jesus said, <b>“with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you”</b> (Mark 4:24).<span style=""> </span>This is logical.<span style=""> </span>The reverse is also logical: that what is measured to us, is what we mete.<span style=""> </span>First of all, we have to keep in mind that this law of <b>“eye for eye, tooth for tooth”</b> was given to man, and therefore applies only to man, not to God—for God said, <b>“Vengeance is mine; I will repay”</b> (Romans 12:19, KJV).<span style=""> </span>We Christians are not worthy to put ourselves in the judgment seat of Christ.<span style=""> </span>It is also not our place to exact revenge on our fellow man.<span style=""> </span>We are to not only love our neighbor, but our enemies as well, and to <b>“forgive them”</b> (Luke 17:4).<span style=""> </span>Let’s face it—we finite humans with our limited wisdom cannot know for sure just how serious our sins are in God’s eyes.<span style=""> </span>So, let’s take into consideration the possibility that the law of exact retribution <i>does</i>, in fact, apply to eternal torment; that all sins carry a very high price tag; that we <i>do</i> deserve eternal torment for our wickedness; and that maybe even <i>that</i> is too little punishment for us.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses then, must think all sins are on sale!<span style=""> </span>Obviously, Watchtower reasoning does not take ALL the facts into consideration.<span style=""> </span>Therefore it is not logical, and not based on the bible but rather on human assumptions!</span></span>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-45367219458143487792008-01-23T22:30:00.000-05:002008-01-23T22:55:48.785-05:00#12 - Watchtower Reasoning vs. Logic – Part 2<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a name="OLE_LINK1"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Definitions:</span></u></a><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">mortal <i>adj.</i> 1</span></b></span><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> that must eventually die <b>2</b> of man as a being who must eventually die <b>3</b> of death<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">immortal <i>adj.</i> 1</span></b></span><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> not mortal; living forever <b>2</b> enduring<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">corrupt <i>adj.</i> 1</span></b></span><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> evil; depraved <b>–vi.</b> to make or become corrupt <b>–corruptible adj.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">destroy vt. 1</span></b></span><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"> to tear down; demolish <b>2</b> to wreck; ruin <b>3</b> to do away with <b>4</b> to kill<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span>(Webster’s New World Dictionary, pp. 384, 294, 137, 164)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower cult has taught Jehovah’s Witnesses that the wicked will be <i>destroyed</i> into nonexistence by hellfire.<span style=""> </span>The basis for their reasoning lies in their misunderstanding of the application of the Greek words for ‘destruction’ in the Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>Pages 6-7 of their April 15, 1993 issue of <i>The Watchtower</i> explains:<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>In Britain, one [Bible scholar], John R. W. Stott…explains that when the Bible refers to the final state of damnation (“Gehenna”; see box, page 8), it often uses the vocabulary of “destruction”, the Greek “verb <i>apollumi</i> (to destroy) and the noun <i>apoleia</i> (destruction).”<span style=""> </span>Do these words refer to torment?<span style=""> </span>Stott points out that when the verb is active and transitive, <i>“apollumi”</i> means “kill.” (Matthew 2:13; 12:14; 21:41)<span style=""> </span>Thus, at Matthew 10:28, where the <i>King James Version</i> mentions God’s destroying “both soul and body in hell,” the inherent idea is destroying in death, not in eternal suffering.<span style=""> </span>At Matthew 7:13,14, Jesus contrasts the “narrow…road leading off into life” with the “broad…road leading off into destruction.”<span style=""> </span>Comments Stott: “It would seem strange, therefore, if people who are said to suffer destruction are un fact not destroyed.”<span style=""> </span>With good reason he reaches the conclusion: “If to kill is to deprive the body of life, hell would seem to be deprivation of both physical and spiritual life, that is, an extinction of being.”—<i>Essentials</i>, page 315-16.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower’s misinterpretation of the words for ‘destruction’ becomes clear when one considers the words of the apostle Paul: <b>“Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but <u>we shall all be changed</u>, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the very last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.<span style=""> </span>For this <u>corruptible must put on incorruption</u>, and this <u>mortal must put on immortality</u>”</b> (1 Corinthians 15:51-54, KJV).<span style=""> </span>We shall not all be dead at that moment, for many of us will not yet have tasted death. <span style=""> </span>But we shall <b>ALL</b> be changed—those asleep in death, just as those who are living—both righteous AND wicked.<span style=""> </span>This change will occur at the last trump of the trumpet—the dead being raised.<span style=""> </span>Man is both corruptible and mortal, for we all have a tendency to be evil, and we all die.<span style=""> </span>Our mortal and corruptible bodies will be changed into incorruptible and <b>IMMORTAL bodies!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>This raises the question of how the words <i>‘apollumi’</i> and <i>‘apoleia’</i> are applied to the meaning of the Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>In the Greek language, just as in the English language, the words <i>‘destroy’</i> and <i>‘destruction’</i> can have multiple meanings.<span style=""> </span>A person is said to be destroyed if he is doused in gasoline and set ablaze to burn and die.<span style=""> </span>Likewise, a rich man who suddenly loses his fortune and is forced into a life of poverty and homelessness is said to be destroyed because his future looks hopeless.<span style=""> </span>Also, an athlete with great physical attributes, who develops a degenerative and crippling disease is said to be destroyed by his illness.<span style=""> </span>The first example is a literal physical destruction (in harmony with definitions 3 and 4 of <i>‘destroy’</i> above).<span style=""> </span>The other two examples show a figurative destruction (in harmony with definitions 1 and 2).<span style=""> </span>A question then arises: According to the above definition of the word <i>‘immortal’</i>, if a body is raised immortal, will it be destroyed?<span style=""> </span>Though <i>‘destruction’</i> unto nonexistence by hellfire <i>does</i> sound logical on the surface, it loses its logic when the question of immortality comes into the equation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>An <b>immortal body does not die,</b> and cannot be destroyed by the flames of hellfire, but rather <b>lives forever, enduring</b> the flames, as defined above.<span style=""> </span>This is logical.<span style=""> </span>Watchtower reasoning on this topic contradicts Scripture, and is therefore illogical.<span style=""> </span>This raises other questions: Does God do things in vain? <span style=""> </span>Isn’t there a purpose in everything He does?<span style=""> </span>What is the purpose of raising a body immortal if it is to be destroyed in hellfire?<span style=""> </span>Is this logical?<span style=""> </span>The answer is obvious.</span></span><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-7411491737904226922008-01-22T23:16:00.000-05:002008-01-22T23:17:29.310-05:00#11 - Watchtower Reasoning vs. Logic – Part 1<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">Definition:</span></u><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><b>logic <i>n.</i> 1</b> correct reasoning, or the science of this <b>2</b> way of reasoning <b>3</b> what is expected by the working of cause and effect (Webster’s New World Dictionary pg. 347).<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;">This is Watchtower reasoning:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span>Revelation 14:9-11 speaks of some who are “tormented with fire and sulphur…And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever.”<span style=""> </span>Does this prove eternal conscious torment in hellfire?<span style=""> </span>Actually, all this passage says is that the wicked are tormented, not that they are tormented forever.<span style=""> </span>The text states that it is the <i>smoke</i>—the evidence that the fire has done its work of <i>destruction</i>—that continues forever, not the fiery torment. (<i>The Watchtower</i>, 4/15/93, pg. 7).</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-align: center; line-height: normal;" align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family: Garamond;">This is logic:<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Logic disproves this Watchtower reasoning in two ways: <b>forward and backward.<span style=""> </span>First,</b> taking Watchtower ‘logic’ a few steps <b>forward</b> makes it fall flat on its face.<span style=""> </span><b>Observe:</b> I have an object.<span style=""> </span>I set it on fire.<span style=""> </span>The fire begins to consume it.<span style=""> </span>The object burns, and smoke rises from it as a result.<span style=""> </span>Over time, the fire completely consumes the object, and there is nothing left of it to burn.<span style=""> </span>It is now destroyed.<span style=""> </span>With nothing left to burn, the burning stops and there is no more smoke.<span style=""> </span>And the smoke ascends no more.<span style=""> </span><b>Conclusion:</b> Since the smoke ascends no more, and Scripture states that the smoke ascends forever and ever, then Scripture must be false.<span style=""> </span>But we know that Scripture is true, therefore the Watchtower is false for contradicting Scripture!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><b>Second,</b> we start from the Scriptures and work <b>backward</b> to the Scriptures’ logical conclusion.<span style=""> </span>The Watchtower defines the ending of life as its destruction.<span style=""> </span>Therefore, if a living person is destroyed, he has no more life.<span style=""> </span>The reverse would also have to be true:<span style=""> </span>if a living man is not destroyed, then he continues to have life.<span style=""> </span>Let’s say that the object here is the resurrected body of a wicked man thrown into the lake of fire.<span style=""> </span>Now <b>observe:</b> Scripture states that the smoke of the body ascends forever and ever, therefore this ascension of smoke is continuous and uninterrupted.<span style=""> </span>For the ascension of smoke to be continuous and uninterrupted, the burning of the body must also be continuous and uninterrupted. <span style=""> </span>If the burning of this body is continuous and uninterrupted, forever and ever, then the burning never reaches the point of destruction.<span style=""> </span>If destruction is never achieved, the life of the body is never extinguished.<span style=""> </span>What living thing is not destroyed remains alive.<span style=""> </span>Now, if the burning of this body is continuous, and the body is never destroyed but remains alive, then the body burns alive and will be in torments forever and ever. <span style=""> </span><b>Conclusion:</b> Since eternal conscious torment in hellfire is true, then the Watchtower reasoning that hellfire destroys the wicked into nonexistence is obviously false.<span style=""> </span><b>Forward and backward</b> the Watchtower reasoning falls flat!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>The logical conclusions reached by both methods are true to the definition of logic as stated above: they both follow <u>what is expected by the working of cause and effect.</u><span style=""> </span>This <u>way of reasoning</u> is <u>correct reasoning.<span style=""> </span></u><b>DON’T BE FOOLED</b> by Jehovah’s Witnesses who quote this particular Scripture to ‘prove’ their doctrine of post-death nonexistence.<span style=""> </span>Logic dictates the TRUTH of the Scriptures, but <b>Watchtower reasoning is illogical!<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-27224769042904567852008-01-20T14:01:00.000-05:002008-01-20T14:02:23.045-05:00#10 - Does God Approve of Homosexuality?<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Today, homosexuality is not only an acceptable lifestyle in our modern secular society, but it has progressed beyond acceptance to the point of being the more favored sexual lifestyle.<span style=""> </span>We live in a society that is seemingly heading towards a future where heterosexuality will eventually be outlawed!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Homosexuality is <b>FORBIDDEN</b> by God!<span style=""> </span>So detestable, so abominable is homosexuality in the sight of God, that He thoroughly and completely destroyed two cities whose inhabitants were engaging in this vile practice!<span style=""> </span>The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were burned to smoldering ashes when <b>“the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.”</b> (Genesis 19:24-25, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Neither the inhabitants of those cities, nor that which grew upon the ground survived.<span style=""> </span>And the ground itself was rendered completely barren.<span style=""> </span>God obliterated these two cities because <b>“the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the LORD exceedingly”</b> (Genesis 13:13, KJV), <b>“Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous.”</b> (Genesis 18:20, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Abraham asked the LORD if He would spare the city of Sodom if even fifty righteous people lived within the city.<span style=""> </span><b>“And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.”</b> (Genesis 18:26)<span style=""> </span>This number was dropped from fifty down to ten righteous people <b>“[and God] said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.”</b> (Genesis 18:32, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Yet the cities were scorched! Imagine, not even ten righteous people in an entire city!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>When the two angels of the LORD visited Sodom, they were met by Lot and he took them into his home.<span style=""> </span>But then, all the wicked men of the city—both old and young, surrounded Lot’s house and demanded to have sex with Lot’s two visitors.<span style=""> </span>Lot pleaded with the men not to do such a wicked thing, and offered to them instead his two virgin daughters.<span style=""> </span>The wicked men refused.<span style=""> </span>They wanted to have sex with men!<span style=""> </span>There were so many wicked men, and not one of them wanted a woman!<span style=""> </span>Isn’t this a growing, visible trend in our society today; in cities such as San Francisco and New York City? <span style=""> </span>These are known as the gay capitals of the United States.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>God’s commandment is clear: <b>“Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is an abomination.”</b> (Leviticus 18:22, KJV)<span style=""> </span>A man shall not lie down to have sex with a man, as he does with a woman.<span style=""> </span>This is abomination in the eyes of God!<span style=""> </span>Gay men worship the male body.<span style=""> </span>They <b>“worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever.<span style=""> </span>Amen.<span style=""> </span>For this cause God gave them up unto <u>vile affections</u>: for even their women did change the natural use into <u>that which is against nature</u>: And likewise also <u>the men</u>, leaving the natural use of the woman, <u>burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly</u>, and receiving in themselves that recompense of <u>their error</u> which was meet.”</b> (Romans 1:25-27, KJV)<span style=""> </span>The following underlined labels describe homosexuals: <b>“Be not deceived: neither <u>fornicators</u>, nor <u>idolaters</u>, nor <u>adulterers</u>, nor <u>effeminate</u>, nor <u>abusers of themselves with mankind</u>…shall inherit the kingdom of God”</b> (1 Cor. 6:9-10). <span style=""> </span>One thing needs to be made clear: God does not hate gays, but He hates homosexuality!<span style=""> </span><u>HOMOSEXUAL ACTS ARE <b>NOT</b> OK!</u><span style=""> </span>It’s a heterosexual sin, perverse and disgusting!<span style=""> </span><b>Christians!</b><span style=""> </span>Those of you who have fallen into this sin, <b><i>STOP!</i></b><span style=""> </span>Remember God’s commandment, and how He punished Sodom and Gomorrah!<span style=""> </span>If you feel you can’t resist the flames of passion for a person of the same sex—<b>TRY HARDER!</b><span style=""> </span>The flames of hell will be much more unbearable than this!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-76733214687704392982008-01-20T13:18:00.000-05:002008-01-20T14:03:15.928-05:00#9 - Does Man Exist After Death?<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>How does a Jehovah’s Witness answer this question?<span style=""> </span>The Watchtower has taught them that man has no soul apart from his body, and that after death there is no existence until a future resurrection. <span style=""> </span>They quote such verses as Ecclesiastes 9:5, Psalms 146:3-4, and many other verses they can find which ‘prove’ that man is of the dust of the ground and to dust he shall return, and that all his thoughts perish with him.<span style=""> </span>Of course this cult conveniently quotes Old Testament Scripture here because God had not yet revealed to man the good news, or ‘gospel’ of everlasting life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>But how does the Bible answer this question?<span style=""> </span>Ecclesiastes 9:5 and Psalms 146:3-4 only prove the obvious: that man’s body dies and decomposes, and that dead bodies are unconscious and cannot think.<span style=""> </span>In the Old Testament, God had promised righteous man a long (though limited) and prosperous life on earth (Ex. 20:2; Deut. 5:16; Eph. 6:3).<span style=""> </span>The good news of <i>everlasting</i> life He had not yet revealed to man.<span style=""> </span>But where is the revelation of this good news found in the Bible?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>One of the two criminals crucified beside Jesus <b>“said unto Jesus, Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.<span style=""> </span>And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.”</b> (Luke 23:42-43, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Death was apparent and imminent for all three of them on this very day.<span style=""> </span>And Jesus said, <i>on this very same day</i> this man shall be with him in paradise.<span style=""> </span>Verily, an existence in paradise immediately after death!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>What really happened to our Lord’s betrayer, Judas Iscariot, after his death?<span style=""> </span>The Bible gives us a clue: <b>“…but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed!<span style=""> </span>It had been good for that man if he had not been born.”</b> (Matt. 26:24, KJV)<span style=""> </span>It is important to note that if he had not been born, the betrayer would have been <i>nonexistent</i>.<span style=""> </span>But nonexistence was <i>better</i> than the punishment now in store for him.<span style=""> </span>Plainly, something <i>other</i> than nonexistence is spoken of here.<span style=""> </span>So, the Watchtower must be wrong in its teaching that Judas’ death plunged him into eternal nonexistence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" >Besides paradise, the Bible plainly speaks about hell.<span style=""> </span>To deny the Christian doctrine of hell is to deny the Holy Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>Luke 16:19-31 describes the state of man in hell: <b>“There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.<span style=""> </span>And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lifted up his eyes, <u>being in torments</u>, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.<span style=""> </span>And he cried out and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am <u>tormented in this flame</u>.<span style=""> </span>But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and <u>thou art tormented</u>.<span style=""> </span>And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from hence.<span style=""> </span>Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this <u>place of torment</u>.<span style=""> </span>Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.<span style=""> </span>And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.<span style=""> </span>And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”</b><span style=""> </span>Clearly, this passage shows that the rich man was conscious after his death and burial, and was tormented.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>The Watchtower teaches the following sequence of events as truth: that man lives, dies, and is nonexistent until a future bodily resurrection, whereby he becomes conscious again to be judged.<span style=""> </span>After judgment, if he is wicked, he is thrown into the lake of fire to be <u>instantly</u> disintegrated into nothingness.<span style=""> </span>But, is this what the Bible says?<span style=""> </span>Hardly.<span style=""> </span>Scripture tells us that the rich man and the beggar both lived and died.<span style=""> </span>After his death, the rich man opened his eyes and looked up at the beggar in Abraham’s bosom.<span style=""> </span>This looking is a <i>conscious</i> act.<span style=""> </span>He was also in torments.<span style=""> </span>Feeling is a <i>conscious</i> phenomenon.<span style=""> </span>He spoke to Abraham.<span style=""> </span>Speech is a <i>conscious</i> act.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>So, the rich man lived, died, and was <i>conscious</i> after death, doing <i>conscious</i> things (looking, being tormented, speaking).<span style=""> </span>Does this sequence of events follow the Watchtower’s above sequence? <span style=""> </span>Was the rich man unconscious after he died and was buried?<span style=""> </span>Does the conversation between the rich man and Abraham indicate an instant disintegration in the flames of hell?<span style=""> </span>The very fact that he begged Abraham to warn his five brothers about this place of torment shows that his brothers, just as the rest of the world, went on with their lives normally.<span style=""> </span>There is no indication of any resurrection before or after the death of the rich man and the beggar.<span style=""> </span>Obviously, the sequence of events that the Watchtower teaches <b>DOES NOT</b> match the sequence of events that the Bible teaches, and is therefore <b>false!</b><span style=""> </span>This passage, without any reasonable doubt, disproves the Watchtower teachings that hell is the grave, and that man is nonexistent in the space of time between death and resurrection.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>But the Watchtower claims that this passage is just a parable, and that it doesn’t really speak about hell, but rather the current state of affairs between the Apostles, the Jewish leaders, and God.<span style=""> </span>David A. Reed, a former Jehovah’s Witness elder, describes this belief in detail:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style=""> <span style="font-size:100%;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">In the Watchtower’s interpretation, Lazarus pictures Jesus’ disciples, the rich man pictures the Jewish religious leaders, Abraham pictures Jehovah God, the death of each pictures a change of conditions for each group while here on earth, and the torments of the rich man picture the public exposure of Jewish religious leaders by the Apostles’ preaching. <span style=""> </span>Therefore, Jesus was not really talking about the condition of the dead in Luke 16, according to the Watchtower Society….But an examination of the Lord’s other parables reveals that all of them were illustrations based on real-life situations….So, if the story of the rich man and Lazarus is like all the rest of Jesus’ parables, it must also use a real situation to illustrate spiritual things. <span style=""> </span>People must really have a conscious existence after death, and some of them must really be “in torments,” deeply regretting their past life.<span style=""> </span>Regardless of what the parable illustrates, the basic story, like other stories Jesus told, must be taken from real life.<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7673321468770439298#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a></span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Someone is obviously grasping at straws here.<span style=""> </span>But let’s give the Watchtower some credit: It takes a creative mind to imagine such an explanation.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, the Devil can influence <i>anybody</i> whose heart is not close to Christ.<span style=""> </span>It is clearly obvious that, to back up its no-hell doctrine, the Watchtower denies what the Bible plainly says.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Let us ponder for a moment about the dead: A buried corpse will not open its eyes in the grave to see.<span style=""> </span>It will not speak.<span style=""> </span>It will not be tormented by the worms that devour it, nor by the process of its own decay.<span style=""> </span>How then, could the rich man look, speak and suffer?<span style=""> </span>Was his body resurrected after his death?<span style=""> </span>This was just proven not to be so.<span style=""> </span>He did these things while he was dead, but conscious. <span style=""> </span>This consciousness is the life-force that never dies, though the body it dwells in is destroyed in death.<span style=""> </span>This is the <i>pneuma</i>, the spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>During Christ’s transfiguration, <b>“there appeared unto [his apostles] Moses and Elias talking with him” </b>(Matt. 17:3, KJV).<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses might argue that Elias appeared in his <i>body</i> because he had never died, and this would be true.<span style=""> </span>But the same can’t be said about Moses, who died, and whose body was buried, and who now appears here in <i>spirit</i>.<span style=""> </span>This is Scriptural proof of man’s existence apart from his body, after death, and before the resurrection on Judgment Day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Jesus Christ made a distinction between body and soul: <b>“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”</b> (Matthew 10:28)<span style=""> </span>Jesus tells us that man can kill the body, but there is something else, which he cannot kill but which only God can—the soul.<span style=""> </span>In this verse, Jesus plainly speaks of <i>two separate things:</i><span style=""> </span>The effect on one object to the exclusion of another indicates the existence of <i>two</i> different objects.<span style=""> </span>This is proven by the word <b>“both”</b>, which addresses <i>two</i> objects; and the logical operator <b>“and”</b> which logically connects <i>two</i> or more things together.<span style=""> </span>Similarly, Luke 12:4-5 makes the same distinction between the body and the soul: <b>“And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.<span style=""> </span>But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.”</b><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that hell is the grave.<span style=""> </span>But if this is so, then why would the above verse point out that God has the power, after he has killed the body, to cast it into the grave?<span style=""> </span>Doesn’t man <i>also</i> have this power?<span style=""> </span>And isn’t it <i>man</i> who buries his dead, not God?<span style=""> </span>Burial after death goes without saying, so the above verse cannot possibly speak about God casting the dead into the grave.<span style=""> </span>We are told that man can do no more to a person after he has killed the body and buried it.<span style=""> </span>But God, after he has killed the body of a person, and after man has buried it, can <i>do more</i> to this person—things that man cannot do at all.<span style=""> </span>This is Scriptural proof that <b>hell is not the grave</b>, but rather something <i>beyond the grave</i>.<span style=""> </span>And if the body is killed, and more can be done to the person whose body is killed, then shouldn’t some <i>other part</i> of this person exist after the body is dead?<span style=""> </span>Obviously, for the Scripture to be correct, some other part of the person must exist after his body has been killed, in order for more to be done to him.<span style=""> </span>This is logical.<span style=""> </span>So,<span style=""> </span>what other part could this be?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Matthew 10:28, above, has already informed us:<span style=""> </span>It is the <b>“soul”</b>, or spirit, this life force beyond the body, which the apostle Paul referred to in 2 Corinthians 5.<span style=""> </span>Here, Paul wrote of the body as <b>“the earthly tent we live in,”</b> adding that he <b>“would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord,”</b> and warning that <b>“we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body”</b> (vv. 1,8-10).<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe in the existence of the soul.<span style=""> </span>But, if they were correct, then what part of Paul could leave his body and go to be with the Lord?<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>And let’s not forget Revelation 6:9-11, which speaks of <b>“the souls of them that were slain for the word of God,”</b> asking God when their blood would be avenged.<span style=""> </span>It adds that <b>“white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that they should be killed as they were”</b>.<span style=""> </span>These souls had been killed, but they are depicted as being in God’s presence engaging in conversation with Him.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Scripture proves, conclusively, that man exists consciously <i>immediately</i> after death, and that he either enters into <b>“paradise”</b> (Luke 23:43), or is <b>“thrust out”</b> (Luke 13:28) into the <b>“outer darkness”</b> (Matt. 8:12), the <b>“place of torment”</b> (Luke 16:28) which is a <b>“furnace of fire”</b> (Matt. 13:42,50) called <b>“Gehenna”</b> (Luke 12:5, NWT), where he will <b>“mourn and weep”</b> (Luke 6:25) and <b>“gnash his teeth”</b> (Matt. 13:42,50; Luke 13:28) from being <b>“tormented in this flame”</b> (Luke 16:24). <span style=""> </span>The Watchtower’s doctrine of post-death nonexistence contradicts Scripture and therefore is <b>FALSE!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7673321468770439298#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse, 1986 by David A. Reed, pp. 63-64</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-25689320118238007832008-01-19T20:59:00.000-05:002008-01-19T21:07:42.115-05:00#8 - Do Not Distort The Cross!<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>There is a practice among most Christians today which dates back centuries—the making of the sign of the cross.<span style=""> </span>There are two basic methods: the modern way, as practiced by Roman Catholics; and the original, ancient way, as practiced by Eastern Orthodox Christians.<span style=""> </span>The Orthodox Christian way of making the sign of the cross dates back to the time when Christianity was one united church—the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>The original method of making the sign of the cross was centuries old before the Church split into western and eastern regions in 1054 A.D.<span style=""> </span>Then, a new way of making this sign was developed by the Pope in Rome. <span style=""> </span>Alas, the original way was distorted—for the Western Church.<span style=""> </span>But it was kept unchanged by the Eastern Church, and it remains intact today, displayed by Eastern Orthodox Christians around the world.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>To properly make the sign of the cross, it is important to remember what a cross is: The Cross of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was a <b>vertical</b> beam with a <b>horizontal</b> crossbeam perpendicular to it.<span style=""> </span>He was nailed to this cross with His arms outstretched.<span style=""> </span>Orthodox Christians are fortunate to be gifted with possession of the original, and true way of making the sign of the cross.<span style=""> </span>And they are, therefore, obligated to follow the form of the cross when making this holy sign—<b>perfectly vertical and perfectly horizontal</b> motions of the hand.<span style=""> </span>In short, as <b>perfectly perpendicular</b> as the perfect cross of Christ!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span>The Orthodox Christian way uses the index finger, middle finger, and the thumb touched together, symbolizing the Holy Trinity together as One composite God, to tap:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 57pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >1)<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >the forehead (for Christ originated, and came down from, heaven),<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 57pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >2)<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >the belly button area (for he came down to earth in the form of a man),<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 57pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >3)<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >the right shoulder (because we Christians want to spend eternity by the right hand of God), and<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 57pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >4)<span style=""> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >the left shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;">The Orthodox might then place his open hand over his heart and bow slightly, as a reverent gesture of the closeness of God to his heart. But, is this the way most Christians make the sign of their cross?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >A Christian must not distort the cross!<span style=""> </span>But many Christians, even some priests unfortunately, seem to be playing air-guitar with their hands!<span style=""> </span>Their hands seem to make vertical-diagonal motions instead of <b>vertical-horizontal</b> ones.<span style=""> </span>Sometimes even diagonal-diagonal or vertical-vertical.<span style=""> </span>Satan hates the cross, and he must be enjoying the ignorance, apathy, and pure laziness of Christians who distort this holy symbol.<span style=""> </span>Christians, <b>DO NOT DISTORT THE CROSS!</b><span style=""> </span>Make this holy sign <u>in its proper form</u> with fear of God, humility, and pure reverence for our Lord Jesus Christ, who shed his blood on it for our salvation!</span>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-61433420018881622572008-01-19T20:32:00.000-05:002008-01-19T20:34:42.960-05:00#7 - Watchtower Beliefs: A Different Gospel – Part 2<p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><b>“All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”</b> (2 Timothy 3:16-17, NWT)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>‘Jehovah’s Witnesses will express strong agreement with this passage….But, in practice, they don’t really believe the latter half of it.<span style=""> </span>They don’t believe that a man of God is fully competent and completely equipped, unless he has their organization’s books and magazines.<span style=""> </span>The Bible alone is not enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>We Christians also have Christian magazines, books, concordances, Bible dictionaries, and so on.<span style=""> </span>We see this literature as helpful and instructive, but we don’t feel that we <i>need</i> these supplements in order to understand the gospel message, come into God’s favor, and gain eternal life…<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses, on the other hand, believe that one must have their organization’s literature in order to be saved.<span style=""> </span>In commenting on the Society’s own <i>Scripture Studies</i> book, <i>The Watchtower</i> (9/15/10, pg. 298) said:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Furthermore, not only do we find that people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself, but we see, also, that if anyone lays the <i>Scripture Studies</i> aside…and goes to the Bible alone, though he has understood his Bible for ten years, our experience shows that within two years he goes into darkness.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">On the other hand, if he had merely read the <i>Scripture Studies</i> with their references, and had not read a page of the Bible, as such, he would be in the light at the end of two years.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>Have Jehovah’s Witnesses of today abandoned that view expressed in the words of their organization’s founder, Charles Taze Russell, back in 1910?<span style=""> </span>Compare that quote with this more recent statement in The Watchtower (12/1/81, pg. 27):<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But Jehovah God has also provided his visible organization, his “faithful and discreet slave,” made up of spirit-anointed ones, to help Christians in all nations to understand and apply properly the Bible in their lives.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>The thought is the same!<span style=""> </span>The inspired Scriptures alone do not make a person <b>“fully competent and completely equipped”</b> (2 Timothy 3:17) in the eyes of Jehovah’s Witnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>What happens if a JW <i>does</i> read the Bible alone, without Watchtower Society books and magazines?<span style=""> </span>The organization made an amazing admission about this, when it stated the following about ex-members:<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="margin-left: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But, strangely, through such “Bible reading,” they have reverted back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom’s clergy were teaching 100 years ago…[The Watchtower, 8/15/81, pp. 28-29].</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>So, the Watchtower Society itself admits that Jehovah’s Witnesses who begin reading the Bible alone stop believing Watchtower doctrines and return to the doctrines taught in Christian churches.<span style=""> </span>Whose doctrines, then, are the ones that are truly based on the Bible?<span style=""> </span>The answer is obvious, by the Society’s own admission.’<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=6143342001888162257#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> (Bold and abbrev. Added)<o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=6143342001888162257#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> JEHOVAH’S WINESSES ANSWERED VERSE BY VERSE, David A. Reed; 1986; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 49506; pp.98-100</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-3745635614579893032008-01-19T10:23:00.000-05:002008-01-19T19:54:33.627-05:00#6 - Watchtower Beliefs: A Different Gospel – Part 1<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" ><span style=""> </span><b>“And this good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end will come.”</b> (Matthew 24:14, NWT)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" ><span style=""> </span>‘This verse is one of Jehovah’s Witnesses’ all-time favorites.<span style=""> </span>But they read into it a number of thoughts that go beyond what it says.<span style=""> </span>They believe that Jesus Christ returned invisibly in the year 1914 A.D. and “established” God’s kingdom in heaven at that time, with the Watchtower Society as his visible agency on earth.<span style=""> </span>So, in order to receive everlasting life, people need to “come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation” (<i>The Watchtower</i>, 11/15/81, pg. 21)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" ><span style=""> </span>When Jehovah’s Witnesses preach their “gospel” or “good news” of the kingdom, they are actually preaching the doctrine of Christ’s invisible return in 1914.<span style=""> </span>They freely acknowledge that the “good news” they preach is not the same as the gospel or Good News preached by Christians down through the centuries.<span style=""> </span>But they think it is wonderful that they have <i>different</i> good news:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span><span style="font-size:100%;">…the Kingdom witnessing of Jehovah’s Witnesses since 1914 has been something far different from what Christendom’s </span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">missionaries have published both before and since 1914.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">“Different”—how so?…What Jehovah’s Witnesses have preached world wide since 1918 is something unique…the preaching of this good news of the Messianic kingdom as having been established in the heavens in 1914….(<i>The Watchtower</i>, 10/1/80, pp. 28-29)</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>But the Bible plainly warns against the preaching of another gospel:<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style=""> </span><b>“However, even if we or an angel out of heaven were to declare to you as good news something beyond what we declared to you as good news, let him be accursed.<span style=""> </span>As we have said above, I also now say again, Whoever it is that is declaring to you as good news something beyond what you accepted, let him be accursed.”</b> (Galatians 1:8-9, NWT)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:Garamond;"><span style=""> </span>Ask the Jehovah’s Witness, “Did the apostle Paul teach the disciples in Galatia that Christ would return in 1914 and set up a visible organization with headquarters in Brooklyn, NY?”<span style=""> </span>If not, then the Watchtower leaders’ “good news” is “something beyond” what the Galatians accepted—placing them under God’s curse for teaching another gospel.’<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=374563561457989303#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> (Bold added)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" ><span style=""> </span><b>“[The] disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be?<span style=""> </span>And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’ And Jesus answered and said to them: ‘Take heed that no one deceives you.’”</b> (Matthew 24:3, NKJV) Unfortunately, someone has already deceived Jehovah’s Witnesses, and we as Christians must take care that they do not deceive us.<span style=""> </span><b>DON’T BE FOOLED</b> by these heresies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.<span style=""> </span>The Watchtower cult exalts its own publications above the Bible, just as Lucifer once exalted himself above God.<span style=""> </span>Jesus was there as he <b>“beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.”</b> (Luke 10:18, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Those who follow the Watchtower s</span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;" >hall likewise fall!</span></span> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=374563561457989303#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES ANSWERED VERSE BY VERSE, David A. Reed; 1986; Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506’ pp. 55-56</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-18147750479376730272008-01-19T09:54:00.000-05:002008-01-19T10:00:28.456-05:00#5 - Enemies of the Cross of Christ – Part 2<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was hanged on an upright pole, with both of his hands pinned together above his head by a <b>single nail.</b><span style=""> </span>If you believe this, then you must deny the accuracy of the God-inspired Scriptures.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, if you believe that the Scriptures are true and accurate then you must deny the beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for their beliefs contradict Scripture.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Apostle Thomas was told by the other disciples that they had seen the Lord appear after his death.<span style=""> </span><b>“But he said unto them, Except I shall see the imprint of the <u>nails</u>, and put my finger into the print of the <u>nails</u>, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.”</b> (John 20:25, KJV)<span style=""> </span>Apostle Thomas said “nails” (plural)—and not only once, but twice!<span style=""> </span>Therefore since more than one nail was used, and Jesus had only one imprint in each hand, then we can logically conclude that one nail was used for each hand. This means his hands were not pinned together with a single nail, but were nailed apart from each other.<span style=""> </span>It is plain to see how the truth of the Scriptures nails more holes into the heresies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>A favorite verse which Jehovah’s Witnesses love to quote in their attacks on the cross is Hebrews 6:6, and they conveniently quote half of it when they condemn Christians for wearing crosses, saying that, <b>“they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put <i>him</i> to an open shame.”</b> (KJV)<span style=""> </span>Now, this sounds like a legitimate argument, but is this what the author of Hebrews meant to say?<span style=""> </span>Was he telling us that Christians should not wear crosses because we put Christ to shame when we do so?<span style=""> </span>This is a typical Watchtower trick—ripping Scripture out of context!<span style=""> </span>If the entire chapter six is read in context, then the author’s real message is crystal clear.<span style=""> </span>This chapter speaks about those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift; that if these righteous ones fall from grace into sin, it is impossible for them to be renewed again unto repentance, seeing as how their sinful actions put Christ and everything he’s done for us, to shame.<span style=""> </span>It’s as if their sinful actions are crucifying Jesus all over again.<span style=""> </span>Does this have anything to do with wearing crosses?<span style=""> </span>Besides, at the time when these words were written, no one was as of yet wearing crosses.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:12;" ><span style=""> </span>Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses hate the cross of Christ?<span style=""> </span>Because they serve the Watchtower, which serves men who serve Satan—who also hates the cross because it was the cross and Christ’s death upon it that trampled Death, and chained the Devil’s powers for a thousand years.<span style=""> </span>Then he was loosened for a while and, knowing that his time is short, he inspired Godless men to create an organization of lies.<span style=""> </span>And he demands of his followers that they trample upon the cross, which he abhors (and this, new Jehovah’s Witness converts must do—destroy their crosses, rather than simply dispose of them.)<span style=""> </span>They walk the way of the Devil, and Apostle Paul said, <b>“For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things”</b>, and an earthly master—The Watchtower cult!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5090397296347273244.post-73135982100819420342008-01-19T09:49:00.000-05:002008-01-19T09:53:02.413-05:00#4 - Enemies of the Cross of Christ – Part 1<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Question</span></u></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >:<span style=""> </span>What do Jehovah’s Witnesses and vampires have in common?<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:130%;"><u><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Answer</span></u></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >:<span style=""> </span>They both hate the cross!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Here is a contradiction:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > The Watchtower teaches its followers--the Jehovah’s Witnesses--that the cross is an evil symbol because Christ suffered and died on it.<span style=""> </span>At the same time this cult also teaches them that Christ was not nailed to a cross, but on a ‘torture stake’—an upright pole.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Here is logic:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > If Christ was nailed to an upright pole, then the cross—an upright beam with a cross beam—cannot possibly be evil because Christ was not nailed to it.<span style=""> </span>On the other hand, if the cross is evil because Christ was nailed to it, then Christ was not nailed to a ‘torture stake.’<span style=""> </span>Either way, the Watchtower is wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >In the Watchtower’s distorted bible, <i>The New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures</i>, every occurrence of the word ‘cross’ is replaced with the words ‘torture stake.’<span style=""> </span>The cult’s hatred of Christianity and the cross has pushed it too far in its lies, and the organization has been left with its foot in its mouth.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Here is a blatant lie:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > ‘On page 1156 of the Watchtower’s THE KINGDOM INTERLINEAR TRANSLATION OF THE GREEK SCRIPTURES, [a photo is shown depicting a man nailed to an upright pole, his hands nailed together above his head].<span style=""> </span>On page 1155 the president of Jehovah’s Witnesses says: <i>“Such a single stake for impalement of a criminal was called crux simplex, and the method of nailing him to such an instrument of torture is illustrated by the Roman Catholic scholar, Justus Lipsius, of the 16<sup>th</sup> century. We present herewith a photographic copy of his illustration on page 647, column 2, of his book, DE CRUSE LIBER PRIMUS.<span style=""> </span>This is the manner in which Jesus was impaled.”</i>’<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7313598210081942034#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">Here is truth:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > ‘On page 46 Justus Lipsius says, <i>“In the Lord’s cross there were four pieces of wood, the upright beam, the cross-bar, the piece of wood placed below (for the feet) and the title inscription placed above.”</i><span style=""> </span>Photos #2 & #3 are pictures of the Lord’s Cross according to [Lipsius’ above description].<span style=""> </span>Justus Lipsius…further states: <i>“When a man, hands stretched out, worships God with a pure heart he resembles a Cross.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" >According to Justus Lipsius, Jesus was not nailed on an upright stake, but on a cross.<span style=""> </span>He proves his belief by quoting many of the early Church Fathers.’<a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7313598210081942034#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style=""> </span>The president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses obviously <b>LIED.</b><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="BodyText3-Contemporary" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b><span style="font-family:Garamond;">And more truth:</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Garamond;font-size:130%;" > Moses parted the Red Sea with his arms outstretched and his body resembling the form of a cross.<span style=""> </span>God commanded that the twelve tribes of Israel travel through the desert in a cross-formation.<span style=""> </span>This is how the Lord watched His people from the heavens.<span style=""> </span>Jehovah’s Witnesses, like vampires, are hateful enemies of the cross of Christ, and Christians should dismiss their lies and know for sure that the cross is holy!<o:p></o:p></span></p> <div style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span> <hr style="height: 4px;font-size:78%;" align="left" width="33%"> <!--[endif]--> <div style="" id="ftn1"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7313598210081942034#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> QUESTIONS for Jehovah’s Witnesses “<i>who love the truth</i>”, William I. Centar; 1983; pg. 14</span></p> </div> <div style="" id="ftn2"> <p class="MsoFootnoteText"><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="" href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=5090397296347273244&postID=7313598210081942034#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style=""><!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--></span></span></a> Same as 1</span></p> </div> </div>OrthodoxChristianTruthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14045200945908879495noreply@blogger.com0