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I was raised in the Watchtower (Jehovah's Witnesses) religion, was baptized in that religion when I was 16 and was a dedicated member for about 5 1/2 years.
As an ex-JW I would like to make a point: JWs do not do door-to-door visitation work because of any hatred for God. They are hoping to please God through their many hours of fruitless service. All too often an unkind word, an argument, unconcern ("I'm not interested"), or a slamming door is the reaction JWs receive from "Christians."
The JW at your door is someone who has lost his way in his search for God and needs to be directed to "the way." (John 14:6) Knowing what JWs and other cults believe is one thing, but knowing how to relate to cult members personally, and how to deal with cult members you meet in public places, social situations, and at your door step is quite another thing. Here are some suggestions:
-Be extremely patient and don't be expecting to convert anyone overnight. (Matthew 21:28-31)
-Remember that the object is to win hearts, not arguments.
-Look for opportunity to share your testimony. Tell him what the Lord Jesus Christ means to you and share your salvation experience. Then ask him to share his testimony, and keep insisting that he tell you about his personal experience with Jesus Christ. This will throw him off his track and force him to deal with spiritual realities. If he should try to give some sort of testimony, this is a good sign that you may be able to eventually reach him with the truth. If he should get angry or upset and leave, the Lord can use your testimony to work on his heart.
-Make sure you respect the Bible as the authority for your claims or statements. (Do not say: My pastor says..., I've always said..., etc.)
-Do not be hostile or argumentative. This will only convince him that he is right.
-Don't be afraid to say no. If you don't want him to think of you as a prospect and be that much more determined to win you over (instead of being receptive to the truth) then don't buy anything or accept anything free. You can give a polite refusal and still converse with him.
-Don't be intimidated by their attitude that they are more spiritual or knowledgeable than you are. Since they are the ones trying to sell you something, let them be the ones who have to prove themselves to you.
-Speak with conviction. (Acts 4:13) Why should someone consider your message if you don't sound convinced of it yourself?
-Avoid answering leading questions (What do you think about world conditions? Have you ever wondered...? What do you think about...[some news item]? Do you think there is a solution to the crime problem, or a way to feel secure? etc..), as they use these questions to discern how best to win you over.
-If he tries to quote a whole list of Bible passages out of context all at once, insist that you be allowed to pause and read each passage aloud in context (include perhaps about 4 or 5 verses preceding and maybe 4 or 5 verses following the passage.). This forces him to consider his proof texts in relation to immediate context, which he probably has never done before, and he just might start doing this on his own.
-Don't pretend to have all the answers.
-Don't put on a pretense. Remember that they are quick to spot hypocrisy.
-Since you do not already know all about his beliefs and his organization, don't pretend that you do.
-Since you don't like to be patronised or demeaned, give him the same courtesy you want from others.
-Show concern for him, buy him a cup of coffee, look for opportunity to demonstrate kindness to him, etc.. Show him that you love and care about him in spite of disagreeing with him. Most cult members were lured into the cult through love-bombing and need to see that there are caring people outside of the cult.
-Express your humanness. Many cults demand such a high standard of perfection that meeting someone who is secure in his faith in spite of being less than perfect makes a good impression.
-Appeal to their insecurity. While cult members appear assured and confident, inside they are troubled by questions and doubts and often feel trapped. You should try to steer the conversation beyond minor issues and debatable points and toward matters of the heart and spirit.
-JWs tend to feel obliged to respond to sincere questions with teaching and explanations, and using questions and asking for explanations can be more effective than confrontation or arguing over proof texts as a means of gradually helping them see the fallacies of the Watchtower Organization. Here are a few examples:
Where in the Bible did Jesus Christ ever deny His deity?
If only the Father is God and Jesus is "a god," then just how many "gods" do JWs have? (John 1:1 NWT; Isaiah 43:10; 44:8)
Where does the Bible say that Jesus is Michael the Archangel?
Where does the Bible say that Jesus Christ was not bodily resurrected? (Luke 24:36-43; Acts 10:39-41)
Where does the Bible say that in heaven today Jesus Christ does not have a glorified human body? (Colossians 2:9; I Timothy 2:5)
Where does the Bible say that the return of Christ will not be in visible human form? (Acts 1:9-11) Did Christ ascend into a literal or figurative cloud? (Acts 1:9)
While the Bible teaches much about the Old Covenant for Jews and the New Covenant for Christians, where does the Bible teach a third arrangement of a great crowd of "other sheep" who do not have a heavenly hope? (John 17:20,24; I Peter 1:3,4)
Where does the Bible forbid service in the armed forces, where in the Bible is any soldier told to resign from the military?
Where does the Bible forbid a medical blood transfusion to save a life? (Romans 4:15)
Where does the Bible say to shun or ostracize a relative or friend who conscientiously chooses to leave the Watchtower Organization or join another church or denomination?
Etc..
JWs often do not know where to turn because the Watchtower organization has convinced them that the whole world is evil and that every religious or Christian group other than their own is satanic. JWs who no longer accept or believe Watchtower teachings and policies often stay active (even zealous) in attendance and witnessing because disagreeing with or leaving the Watchtower organization will mean being shunned and rejected by JW family and friends. Watchtower teachings in many areas (morality, family responsibilities, etc.) are correct and have a positive effect. (Consider Proverbs 13:13. Obedience to a Bible principle is beneficial, but does not necessarily mean that someone is saved.) This, along with continual study (using Watchtower publications), fellowship, and involvent, keeps many JWs convinced that the Watchtower organization is the truth. But Watchtower theology is much like a house of cards. When a JW realizes that the Watchtower organization is wrong on a point (even a minor point), he begins to see other errors. Remember to pray for Jehovah's Witnesses and other cults, and pray for the potential convert who will eventually come to your door.
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ANTICHRIST DETECTED, 1841
WHY I REJECT THE "HELPING HAND" OF MILLENNIAL DAWN, 1915 IN THE CULT KINGDOM: MORMONISM, EDDYISM, RUSSELLISM, 1918 WHY NOT "RUSSELLISM"?: ALIAS MILLENNIAL DAWN", 1920 |
A.
They all teach that you cannot trust nor believe the Holy Bible; and that you must put your faith in their theologies, traditions, customs and rituals in order to please God and have everlasting life.
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If you are a Mormon, Mason, Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Scientologist or similar sect, please read these Scriptures and let God speak to your heart.
SCRIPTURES FROM THE HOLY BIBLE |
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Judgment or Interment? "God is love." 1 John 4:8 These two attributes of God are shown most clearly at the cross. God's justice required judgement for our sins. "Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." (Galatians 3:10) Yet God's love moved him to take that punishment due each of us. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." (Galatians 3:13) A place of "everlasting fire" exists and was spoken of by Jesus. He lovingly forewarned of his final words to those who reject his free gift of salvation and remain under the curse. As seen in the above scriptures, hell was not created for man, but "...hell hath enlarged herself" (Isaiah 5:14) to accommodate those of mankind who reject the love of God. The existence of hell does not diminish the love or loveliness of God. It speaks only of the rabid [fanatical] villainy [evildoing] of creatures--Satan, his angels, and mankind, who as Matthew records, could "spit in his face" (Matthew 26:67), the face of their creator. Often the unwillingness of man to face his own culpability [guilt] and sinfulness prompts him to saddle God with the burden of blame for the existence of hell. Truthfully, hell pronounces the malfeasance [wrongdoing] of the creatures, not of the creator. The doctrine of hell is an affront [insult] to proud mankind. Hell's presentation in the bible can hardly be extinguished, but recent [bible] versions have diluted it by submerging the reader in a welter of words, substituting 'death', 'grave', 'sheol', 'hades' and 'the depths' for the word, 'hell'. Using five additional ambiguous words fractures the impact. The shatterment flies in the face of clarity, obscuring God's warning. Descending progressively downward from "death," to the "grave," then to "sheol" or "hades," then "the depths," and finally to "hell," the NIV offers a station, waiting to prove the afterlife theory of every philosophy and cult afloat. Excerpt from New Age Bible Versions
The word “hell” as translated in the KJV Bible is the absolute correct rendering of the Hebrew and Greek in both philological meaning and etymological history. The Hebrew word, helel, which is translated Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12, wandered into English through Greek and German. In the Greek we have Helios, the sun god. In German, this became hellen, from which came the word helder, meaning, "clear" or "shiny." But there is also a sense of "blinding," that is, blinded by the light, in this; and thus helel entered English as "hell," a covered place, a place of darkness as if blinded, a place "far off from God." So, the source of our word hell is from the original Hebrew and Greek scriptures. The early Christian church clearly understood the meaning of the words “sheol”, “hades”, “gehenna”, — hell. But many modern-day "Christians" don't seem to share the same understanding and conviction. Jesus said, “And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.” (Mark 4:15) New Age occult 'bible' translations including the Jehovah's Witness New World Translation have omitted the word "hell" from their texts. Most bible versions (excluding the KJV) substitute secular words often used in mythology, such as 'death', 'grave' and 'the depths', for the biblical word, 'hell'. Some bible versions leave the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek hades and gehenna untranslated, leaving each reader to decide for themselves: "the common abode of departed spirits"?, "purgatory"?, "the grave"? — whatever suits your fancy. Such “cunningly devised fables” abound in world literature and in today's brave new world of 'Christianity' (II Tim. 4:; II Pet. 1:16).
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MASONIC WARNING!
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SCIENTOLOGY DECEPTION
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