Creating trust in a source

[Xeno.of.athens]

Have you wondered why people who are Jehovah's witnesses or Christadelphians or Mormons stick with their religion despite the many flaws in those religions?

Is it because the members have been trained to trust the religion as the source of truth about God and heaven and salvation?

I think it might be. I have had experience with former Jehovah's witnesses in the days and years immediately following their escape from the false religion that they had been following. And one thing was clear, despite knowing how deceived they had been and knowing the many poison chalices they had been given from which to drink, they nevertheless still trusted "the organisation" TO PRODUCE RELIABLE AND TRUE BIBLE TEACHING.. They still used the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to check claims about the bible's teaching. They had acquired a habit of reading the NWT and relying upon it that was too strong for them to easily abandon.

If you have a NWT take some time to read it, especially the passages you rely upon for the doctrines that are most dear to you. Seen what slant that mistranslation produces on the verses you know so well.

 

[BobRyan]

Have you wondered why people who are Jehovah's witnesses or Christadelphians or Mormons stick with their religion despite the many flaws in those religions?

Is it because the members have been trained to trust the religion as the source of truth about God and heaven and salvation?

I think it might be. I have had experience with former Jehovah's witnesses in the days and years immediately following their escape from the false religion that they had been following. And one thing was clear, despite knowing how deceived they had been and knowing the many poison chalices they had been given from which to drink, they nevertheless still trusted "the organisation" TO PRODUCE RELIABLE AND TRUE BIBLE TEACHING.. They still used the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to check claims about the bible's teaching. They had acquired a habit of reading the NWT and relying upon it that was too strong for them to easily abandon.

If you have a NWT take some time to read it, especially the passages you rely upon for the doctrines that are most dear to you. Seen what slant that mistranslation produces on the verses you know so well.

The problem with things like the NWT
1. Not every member of the church reads the original Greek and Hebrew
2. The translation was done by a single religious body so they could skew it towards their bias.

The combination of those two things opens a truck-size door for abuse of the text. All members of the JW group could easily see that both of those conditions exist -- even when they strongly affirmed their own group.

By comparison - the NT Church members COULD read the Greek and many could also read Hebrew - so they did not have that open door for abuse of scripture even though they would only consider the views of their own "group".

That should have raised a red flag for them.

3. There are many groups that "trust their traditions" over what they read - ... in Mark 7:7-13 Jesus exposed this very same flaw in the one-true Nation Church infallibly started by God at Sinai - regarding its supposedly infallible practice of coming up with traditions.

4. Very often the very same things you listed above - are said to be the core issue in other Christian groups when group-C discusses group-Z's problems.

 

[Hawkins]

It's Satan's effort to lead people astray. Satan's effort shall not be underestimated. Satan even fooled Adam and Eve. It's his effort to fool humans with heresies. The snake is made more crafty, and humans are sometimes fools.

 

[NewLifeInChristJesus]

It's Satan's effort to lead people astray. Satan's effort shall not be underestimated. Satan even fooled Adam and Eve. It's his effort to fool humans with heresies. The snake is made more crafty, and humans are sometimes fools.

But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Co 11:3)

 

[Diamond72]

Have you wondered why people who are Jehovah's witnesses or Christadelphians or Mormons stick with their religion despite the many flaws in those religions?

Perhaps everyone has flaws in their religion.

 

[RileyG]

I have a friend who is a devout JW. She was raised in the Church of Christ. Her main concern is over her belief that souls aren't immortal/there is no eternal hell or heaven "right now." I think she takes comfort in her JW beliefs that everyone who is "saved" will be in paradise on earth on the last day. IT's almost like a security blanket to her, despite much of JW theology is relatively recent and very unorthodox.

As far as LDS goes, many Mormons are raised that way and refuse to believe otherwise.

 

[FireDragon76]

Have you wondered why people who are Jehovah's witnesses or Christadelphians or Mormons stick with their religion despite the many flaws in those religions?

Is it because the members have been trained to trust the religion as the source of truth about God and heaven and salvation?

I think it might be. I have had experience with former Jehovah's witnesses in the days and years immediately following their escape from the false religion that they had been following. And one thing was clear, despite knowing how deceived they had been and knowing the many poison chalices they had been given from which to drink, they nevertheless still trusted "the organisation" TO PRODUCE RELIABLE AND TRUE BIBLE TEACHING.. They still used the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures to check claims about the bible's teaching. They had acquired a habit of reading the NWT and relying upon it that was too strong for them to easily abandon.

If you have a NWT take some time to read it, especially the passages you rely upon for the doctrines that are most dear to you. Seen what slant that mistranslation produces on the verses you know so well.

For Mormons, it's community ties being the primary reason. There are plenty of Mormons that have doubts or skepticism, but remain because that's what they were raised in. Some Mormons have actually transistioned into identifying more with mainlaine Protestants, especially those who stayed behind in Missouri.

All the Jehovah's Witnesses I've met have just been cultic, strange, and not particularly educated. It's like Dispensationalist wierdness on steroids.

 

[Bob Crowley]

The cults like JW's, Mormons and so on often make their members feel wanted, which is something they may not get elsewhere.

I think that's a part of the attraction. This is supposed to be a list of the top ten cults in the US.

What are the top ten cults in the U.S.? - ChristianAnswers.Net

Author: Bob Pardon, Director of NEIRR.

christiananswers.net

In Australia I think the top two (Mormons and JW's) would be the only ones with a significant membership.

There are others, includng Scientology, but they're not very visible.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

UPC has some presence in Australia. The Moses David thing was present in Australia in the 1970s but I have seen and heard nothing of them in the 2000s until now.