Gary Antion, one of UCG's resident guru's has told the UCG membership that the Jehovah's Witnesses are worth emulating because of their desire to 'witness' to those around them. The JW's have no problem spending countless hours a week in knocking on door to get their message across. Is this something that UCG members are prepared to do? Don't count on it! The proven track record of Armstrongism is to talk about "a strong hand from someplace". Armstrongism has always been embarrassed about it's god. The JW's are not.
Every inhabited household of this country is a sign to a Jehovah's witness to visit two times a year and in fact they log on an average of 20 to 70 hours per month in witnessing. They have spread their Watchtower magazine to 13 million people in a 103 different languages. There are 7 million Jehovah's witnesses worldwide at least, those who claim to be adherents. They take their name from Isaiah:43:10 where God says:
Isaiah:43:10 “You are to be My witnesses, says the Eternal God,” which is translated Jehovah by them or YHVH. You are to be My witnesses.Did you know you are supposed to be a witness too? Not a Jehovah's witness necessarily, but you and I are called to be witnesses.
You have to wonder what is at the root of Antion's praise of the JW's. Could it be something a little deeper? Could it be that the JW's have held true to the control over the membership that UCG and the rest of the COG's have lost control over? JW's hold the exact same standards of ruling peoples lives as UCG used to be able to do.
Here is a list of eight things the JW's expect of their members. Substitute UCG for the Watchtower name, or for that matter, any COG splinter cult name in it's place and you will have the same belief manifesto that Armstrongism has always employed!
How dare you low life members dare to think for yourself! Interpret the Bible on your won? Not on your life. All correct biblical instruction can only come down from the leadership of the UCG (or PCG, LCG, Packism, Flurryism, etc.)
- The Bible can only be understood via the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
- Quote: "Only this organization functions for Jehovah's purpose and to his praise. To it alone God's Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book," (Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402).
- Comment: This is an amazing quote. Only the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization can properly interpret the Bible. It is saying that the Lord Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, cannot give a Christian a proper understanding of the Bible even though it is Jesus who opens the mind to understand Scripture (Luke 24:45). This effectively prevents the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, members) from thinking and interpreting the Bible for himself apart from the Watchtower organization's guidance.
- Individuals are not able to rightly interpret the Bible apart from the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
- Quote: "Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 587).
- Comment: The Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) restricts its followers from looking at the Bible by itself without the guidance of the organization's input. This is not freedom to think for oneself and it is a sure way to keep the Jehovah's Witnesses (UCG, PCG, LCG, members) intellectually in line with Watchtower teachings.
- Also, contrast the quote above with the following quote from the Watchtower: "The Vatican belittles Bible study by claiming it is the only organization authorized and qualified to interpret the Bible," (Watchtower, July 1, 1943, p. 201). The funny thing is that that is exactly what the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) does. It claims to be the only source of true spiritual knowledge.
- If you don't understand something, meekly wait for the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) to tell you what the truth is, otherwise you are foolish.
- Quote: "We should eat and digest and assimilate what is set before us, without shying away from parts of the food because it may not suit the fancy of our mental taste...We should meekly go along with the Lord's theocratic organization and wait for further clarification, rather than balk at the first mention of a thought unpalatable to us and proceed to quibble and mouth our criticisms and opinions as though they were worth more than the slave's provision of spiritual food. Theocratic ones will appreciate the Lord's visible organization and not be so foolish as to put against Jehovah's channel their own human reasoning and sentiment and personal feelings," (Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1952, p. 79-80).
- Comment: Here, the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) tells us that submission is to God's "theocratic organization", the Watchtower organization, and that submission must be complete and meek. Undoubtedly, this is clearly teaching that independent thought is not welcome in the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) Organization.
- The Watchtower (Tomorrow's World, Plain Truth, Good News) magazine is the means of God's communication
- the magazine called The Watchtower (Tomorrow's World, Good News, Plain Truth) is used for that purpose," (1939 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses, p. 85).
- Comment: This says that the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization is the means God uses to communicate on earth today. But, the Bible says that God speaks to us through His Son: Heb. 1:1-2 says it is Jesus: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."
- Cannot understand the Bible outside of the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization
- Quote: "We all need help to understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the 'faithful and discreet slave' organization," (Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981).
- Comment: The Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization has set itself up as the sole means of understanding the Bible. In contrast to this, Jesus opens the mind to understand the scriptures (Luke 24:45). It isn't the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization that does this, but God. Admittedly, we have denominational differences. But the differences are not in the essentials and we certainly are able to understand those essentials apart from the Watchtower.
- See CARM's article on the "Faithful and Discreet Slave," for clarification on this issue.
- Those who think apart from the Watchtower's (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) guidance are like Satan
- Quote: "From time to time, there have arisen from among the ranks of Jehovah's people those, who, like the original Satan, have adopted an independent, faultfinding attitude...They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But, strangely, through such 'Bible reading,' they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentaries by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago..." (Watchtower, Aug. 15, 1981).
- Comment: So, if you think independently, find fault with something the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) says, then you are like Satan. Is this freedom of thought? Is this how Christ works in the church? Hardly.
- Also, what are the apostate doctrines spoken of in the above quote? Of course, that would be the Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, the physical resurrection of Christ, etc., all things the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization denies. So, if you read the Bible by itself, reading it for what it says, without the Watchtower guiding you, you will adopt these doctrines -- which the Watchtower says are not true!
- If you love God, then you accept the Watchtower(UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) .
- Quote: "We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his word and channel of communication," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 591).
- Comment: In other words, if you love God then you will be "in" the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization. If you reject the organization, then you reject God. Amazing! So, the Jehovah's Witness (UCG, PCG, LCG, member..) is urged to not leave the organization lest they end up rejecting God. Is this encouraging freedom on thought? No.
- The truth of God can be known only through the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization.
- Quote: "All who want to understand the Bible should appreciate that the "greatly diversified wisdom of God" can become known only through Jehovah's channel of communication, the faithful and discreet slave," (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1994, p. 8).
- Comment: Here, the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) states that the only way to understand God's word is through the Watchtower (UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) organization. In other words, your thinking must be in submission to the teaching of the Watchtower(UCG, PCG, LCG, etc.) . Does the Watchtower organization control the Jehovah's Witnesses' thinking?
This is certainly timely. Last week, I received in my mailbox a personal invitation from a Jehovah's Witness lady (who claimed to be a teacher of the Bible) to study the Bible together and learn the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, you won't learn "the truth" from studying the Bible with a Jehovah's Witness. What you will learn are the extrabiblical theories and thinkings of Charles Taze Russell, the denominational biases of the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the system of "proof texts" which the JW's often lift from context to support their often controversial beliefs. All of this, without the advantage of rebuttal from other knowledgeable sources. If a person allows him or herself to be led down this path, he or she will not necessarily become knowledgeable of the Bible, but will instead become a member of a cult.
Change the names a bit, and you come out with the same conclusions regarding UCG or any of the other splinter groups.
BB
Sit down and shut up. We will do all the necessary thinking for you. You just pray and pay. I SAID shut up, or we will throw your butt out of here and your salvation will be lost forever.
ReplyDeleteGlenn Parker
Two JW's recently appeared at my door and explained who they are and what they wanted. I invited them in. They just sat there looking around but saying nothing. I asked them what it was they wanted to talk about. They said...
ReplyDelete"I don't know...we never got this far before..." :)
M.T.Hall
They said...
ReplyDelete"I don't know...we never got this far before..." :)
That's hilarious. I've been known to tell them to take their "cult crap" somewhere else. Some of them see my "no soliciting" sign and are smart enough to move on, but I'm not slow to call their attention to it if they're too dumb to read.
Although Armstrong said, ""Don’t believe me, believe your Bible", he had a different approach toward those in his church- a relevant quote being, "But to you who have PROVED this is GOD'S CHURCH, it is different." (Excerpted from the article "Should We Listen to Others?" by HWA, Good News magazine, May, 1960)
ReplyDeleteHere is the quote in larger context, from that same Good News article written by HWA -
"But some will say, "But didn't you say, over the air, for us to LISTEN to you, and also LISTEN to all others, but not to believe you, and not to believe the others, but believe what we see in the Bible"
BRETHREN! When I speak on the air I am speaking to the outside WORLD-- to the unconverted. I am not speaking just to those who should already KNOW the truth.
These people all around the world, who listen to me on the radio, do not know if I am a false prophet, a minister of God, or WHAT. To them, YES, I say, DO NOT BELIEVE MEN-- BELIEVE YOUR OWN BIBLE! That is what you should have done-- before you knew the TRUTH. Probably it was because you did do that, that you saw TRUTH with your own eyes in your Bible. Perhaps that is what brought you into the truth, and led you to God's one and only true Church!
To the people who do not KNOW that this is the ONLY true Church of God, I do say those very things.
But to you who have PROVED this is GOD'S CHURCH, it is different."
(In other words, once you join HWA's church, you're [expletive deleted].)
BTW, I knew a guy who had been a JW, and he told me they used to drive slowly through neighborhoods with a loudspeaker mounted on top of the car, playing records of JW messages.
Perhaps the UCG could get some traction by similarly driving through the hood with the message blaring, "HEY BIG MAMMA, JOIN OUR CHURCH TO BECOME A SIZE FIVE!"
Norm
UCG ministers and administrators need the money to support them in the style to which they would like to become accustomed.
ReplyDeleteJehovah's Witnesses are a good example: They have their false prophets too, replete with their failed predictions.
Beyond that, they go from house to house, a practice Jesus condemned ("Go not from house to house").
They lie to you and then they take your money.
It's a universal malady.
Ah, desperation. Let us hope that UCG members are appropriately confused by all this -- the ones who are left -- a number which keeps growing smaller every week.
Is it time for yet another split while UCG is trying to reinvent itself?
One of the few good things about the Radio Church of God (I quit attending before the name change to Worldwide) was that they did not buttonhole strangers to warn them of the coming tribulation. From what I've seen, the splinters have continued to abstain. It would be a real shame for UCG to start emulating that JW practice at this late date.
ReplyDeleteThe real truth is that as President of United, Dennis Luker wants things to change, wants things to be different.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that he can't made up his mind as to what to change to, and worse, has all sorts of influences trying to talk him into one agenda or another.
Perhaps his wife will break the stalemate.
Just happened to think as I was revisiting this today. Doesn't the fact that an official in Armstrongism would find another group's cultic practices admirable just kind of say it all? Hate to belabor the obvious, but it's kind of like the commonality one might find amongst mental patients, criminals, or other abberrational groups.
ReplyDeleteBB
it's kind of like the commonality one might find amongst mental patients, criminals, or other abberrational groups.
ReplyDeleteArmstrongist Delusion certainly is like a severe mental disease, many of the leaders are certainly on the edge of the criminal even if they have not been officially convicted and there's a great deal to say about the abberations of a group with distorted perceptions....
Which makes it really hard to decide which it is....