onewithhim wrote:
Donray wrote:
The Jehovah's Witnesses consider themselves to be Christians because they believe they are serving the true and living God. Like many cults, they think they are the only true church on earth. Yet, they deny the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' physical resurrection, and salvation by grace through faith
.
Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of interpretive errors:
Taking verses out of their immediate context.
Refusing to read verses in the entire Biblical context.
Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
Changing the meanings of words.
Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
Adding to the Word of God.
I thought that any Christina church needed to believe in the Trinity otherwise they are not Christian.
For debate are the Jehovah Witness Christian?
Yes, we do deny everything you listed in your first paragraph,
except salvation by grace through faith. We believe that, 100%. We are very definitely Christian, and there is nowhere in the Bible that says a person has to believe that Jesus is God to be saved. In fact, there is no place that says Jesus is God Almighty .
As for your list of what cults do....(1) JWs do not "take verses out of immediate context." That is, actually, what most other religions do. We encourage everyone to read the verses before and after a verse. Can you give an example of JWs taking a verse out of context?
(2) When did a JW "refuse" to read a verse in the entire Biblical context? Example?
(3) Tell me, who DOESN'T insert their theological presuppositions into a text on occasion? Do you want me to list the times other self-proclaimed Christians have blatantly inserted their bias into a text? It happens all the time on these forums.
(4) How have JWs "altered the Biblical text to suit their needs"? That is just not true. We go back to the original Hebrew and Greek and translate as close to the original as possible. One scholar has said that the New World Translation is the best translation available. His name is Jason BeDuhn and he wrote
Truth in Translation, an excellent commentary; and he is not affiliated with JWs.
(5) Can you give an example of how JWs "latch onto one verse to interpret a host of others" please?
(6) An example of JWs changing the meaning of words?
(7) What are their reasons for claiming a passage is figurative? Have you thoughtfully considered whether or not their reasoning makes sense, and if not, why do you disagree?
(8) How have JWs "added to the Word of God"?
You make some pretty dire accusations, and I think you need to back up those accusations with examples.
