mawuvi said:
blessedbe how are you and your new church? I hope life is treating you very well on all fronts.
Mawuvi, I am well, thank you for asking!
My icon has changed, but I have not changed churches...I changed the icon because I have found that my beliefs line up with the Calvinists in almost every way...and anyone familiar with the calvinists would automatically know where I am coming from when I post, at least what perspective I am coming from anyway! Calvinism is not so much a deonomination as a "perspective"...there are calvinist is many different denominations....
About JW's and what they teach I am familiar with it as I have studied with them for years. I have even got them to study with my teenage daughter and she was at the convention. I am very familiar with the JW belief that they would be saved and everyboady else is destroyed. The belief is based on the designation of the faithful and discreet slave. Since their belief is comiing from what the Bible says I have no quarrel with it I simply don't agree with it period. Theirs is not an isolated stand as many denominations teach something on similar lines.
I remember your story and I can certainly understand. I know that other denominations teach that they will be saved and everyone else is damned, but since I lean more towards universalism(within christianity), I don't agree with this stance. I believe that people are given good teaching or bad teaching and if they don't know better than it cannot be held against them. I also think that there are FAR too many "teachers" in the world of christianity, and they will be judged accordingly.
As I am sure I have explained to you in the past I am favorable towards the witnesses because of Jesus own identification marker for his true followers. He said by their FRUITS of LOVE you would know his true followers. Another marker is the true followers would OBEY the will of God as they see it in the Bible. Love them or loathe them the JW's meets both requirements admirably. They practice and obey what they see in the Bible and make strenuous efforts to practice love among themselves as opposed any other denomination I know.
I also do not necessarity discount JW's as non-christian, I think many of them are more "christain" than most. I do think they are taught badly and I do not think they are the only ones practicing true love among themselves, I think there is quite alot of fruit in mainline christianity...I think you have to look at church more individually then most seem to. A bad apple does not necessarily ruin the whole bunch, and I've seen bad apples in the JW organization about as frequently as others.....I think there is a reason that Jesus was speaking to the many different churches in Revelations, he was treating each as it's own and not comparing them to the rest of the churches. I feel that the JW's have discarded mainline christianity because of a few 'bad apples' but they don't want us to do the same when we point out their mistakes...just a personal gripe that would take to long to explain...
FYI another group I have great love for are quakers as they are almost similar to the JW's, unfortunately they are such rare people to come across. God bless them wherever they are.
funny you should say that, I was raised Quaker! You are right, they are a rare people to come across, Quakerism as a whole is dying off, because they have become too liberal and too accepting--there are Quaker churches out there that don't believe that Jesus was anything more than a great man, and they don't believe the bible. If the Quakers would go back to the way they were in the 1800's, they'd be alot better off.
blessedbe you know according to the Bible if you are kind or hospitable to Christ's followers you would be saved at ammageddon. Well that is what I am doing, making sure, I am remembered at the last trumpet. I do not hold allegiance to any denomination so if anybody comes to my door in the name of Christ I do not turn them away. Neither would I turn my back if I see anyone or group being persecuted for their Christian beliefs
I'm not trying to start a debate, but can you show me where you see that? I'm not disagreeing with you, I just honestly have not heard that before....
Also, I don't want to upset you, but it seems to me you are sitting the fence, and I think that can be dangerous.....