March
2006
But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts,
always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to
give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness
and reverence - 1 Peter 3:15
Watchtower.org
a Brief Look
The Internet. It is estimated that over 800 million
people use the Internet (resource dated 2004). Interestingly, over
one third Internet users are English speaking. Today there are literally
millions of web sites. In seconds you can retrieve archives of material
on any topic imaginable. You can gain access to college and university
libraries, view the latest snapshot from space, and view web cam
images of practically anyplace on the planet. Free streaming audio,
video and scholarly research on every subject imaginable. Practically
all businesses have a web site as well a many churches and organizations.
The Watchtower Bible and Tract society have a
professional looking web site as well. The name is a registered
trademark and is protected by law, simply, Watchtower.org. The home
page states clearly, "This is the authoritative web site
about the beliefs, teachings, and activities of Jehovah's Witnesses.
"
The web site has obviously considered that many
of its visitors will not be Jehovah's Witnesses. Not only are the
photos and video clips of the highest quality, but the visual mood
of the layout and quality is quite attractive and pleasant. Many
of the articles have nothing to do with religion and would appeal
to most anyone of any age. An example is an article viewable on
March 9 about "Chocolate." Nothing negative here just
an appealing article that ends with:
"So the next time you enjoy the rich,
velvety flavor of chocolate, take a moment to think about the long
journey it has made from the bitter bean growing in the Tropics
to the appealing chocolate confection before you."
There are dozens of other positive articles that
might make you think this would be a good organization to get involved
with. Topics such as Healthy Fun on Two Wheels, Cross-Country Skiing,
Repair Your Car Safely, and Please Pass the Tortillas make for good
light hearted reading.
Of course there are many religious articles that
do express their beliefs, at least in a somewhat sanitized way.
The top article on their home page is entitled, "Will the Dead
Live Again? accompanied with an attractive autumn photo of a young
girl with her father in a cemetery. The story is of a two-and-a-half-year-old
boy who had just died from drinking a corrosive acid that he found
in the family medicine cabinet. The Father, heartbroken, seeks comfort
and answers from his church:
"Why did this happen?" he asked.
The clergyman answered, "God wanted another little angel in
heaven."
Disillusioned, he wants nothing more to do with
his church.
This caricature "may" represent some
churches but certainly wouldn't be the norm from a fundamental biblical
church. The obvious intention is to make one discussed at how non-witness
churches would treat this situation.
The article continues:
"You too may have wondered what
happens at death and whether it will be possible to be reunited
with dead loved ones in the future. God's Word, the Bible, sheds
light on these questions. Its pages contain clear and comforting
answers for all that have faced similar tragedies. More than that,
it reveals a glorious prospect that God has promised-the resurrection."
If one weren't a Jehovah's Witness, you would
think that the "comforting answers" would apply to "ALL
who have faced similar tragedies" regardless of whether or
not they were a Jehovah's Witness or even a god fearing person.
In other words, the impression is that if a child dies you WILL
be reunited with him some day. The ending caption says "Reunion
With Loved Ones-A Glorious Prospect."
Under this caption the article ends with:
"...the dead do not suffer. Rather
than experiencing torment in a hellfire or being taken by God to
become angels in heaven, the dead, including Owen [the man who lost
his child], wait in the grave until it is time to be awakened in
the resurrection. .-Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; Ezekiel 18:4. The resurrection
will reunite relatives with their loved ones."
-page
top-
This leads the reader to believe that this glorious
resurrection will be for all to enjoy with their departed loved
ones with no indication whatsoever that there are tremendous requirements
(from the Watchtower perspective) to be able to be reunited with
loved ones.
Not only must you become a Jehovah's witness,
but you will be expected to attend faithfully weekly meetings, spend
many hours a month going door to door with the witness message,
and remain faithful to all that is taught by the organization without
question. Furthermore, you must take in knowledge through the organization
of God's truths. No birthdays, holidays, voting, or blood transfusions.
You must not salute the flag, attend a church, or celebrate mother's
day or father's day and a host of other don't with peril of being
disfellowshipped and loss of salvation.
This is not only your requirement but also of
your loved ones if you wish to be reunited. The option if you don't
meet the requirements for the paradise earth is, "annihilation."
YOU WILL NO LONGER EXIST! Even if you are able to remain faithful
to all the mandatory requirements, you still must be tested one
final time during the millennium where you could lose it all if
you fail.
To make matters worse, if when you die you go
out of existence, which is what JWs teach, what exactly is brought
back to life? Since you had no soul or spirit that survived your
death, the only thing that can be done is a "duplicate"
or "replica" of you to be created with a new body. You
ceased to exist when you died and now a "clone" (from
God's perfect memory) has taken your place on paradise earth. Although
witnesses will probably deny that this "resurrection"
is a clone, it's hard to imagine any reasoning that would conclude
otherwise.
The sad fact is, this article on the Watchtower's
official web site is totally devoid of any HINT of not only the
requirements they teach essential to live forever with loved ones,
but they have distorted the doctrines of the spirit or soul of man,
the resurrection as well as how to be right with a Holy God.
Not only are their doctrines and promises devoid
of any valued biblical truth, but even if they WERE TRUE, if you
thought it through, would you really want to be a Jehovah's Witness?
We'll take this up again in future articles of
what the Bible really says about these important truths, and how
we can have confidence that the real you can spend eternity in the
presence of God and those who are His when this life is over.
Newsletter
Published Monthy
E-mail: challenge.min@cox.net
web site: www.challengemin.org
Direct all correspondence to:
Challenge Ministries
P.O. Box 20195
El Cajon, Calif. 92021
All donations are tax deductable.
Thank You.
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