Christian Essays

Recently I had an interesting dialog with a Jehovah’s Witness from Canada. They were responding to the article posted last week.

Here is the email exchange. Hope it is enlightening for you.

First of all they commented:

I guess by cult, you simply mean anyone who disagrees with you. But how
did you come to the conclusion that we have trouble reading the Bible
ourselves? My 3 year old sister could read the Bible and even medical
journals fluently. Both of my children, raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses
read well before they started kindergarten. In fact, you will find that
many young children are enrolled in our weekly Ministry School and all
are encouraged to read well, in order to teach. Some people disregard
Jehovah’s Witnesses because they resent their public preaching. Calling
them a cult is an easy way of discrediting them and then any other
statement is easier to accept, even if untrue. However, if you replace
the word cult with “person”, I still agree with many of your points.
You might even include 1 Peter 3:15.. “always ready to make a defense
before everyone that demands of you a reason for the hope in YOU, but
doing so together with a mild temper and deep respect”. That is what
Jesus (who was also spoken of a cult leader) taught his followers to do
by example. Dear ‘x’, it was never my intention to offend. By the word
‘cult’ I simply meant what the dictionary means. To be a Christian one
must believe that Jesus is God. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe
Jesus is God (equal in every way with God, the express image, the
glory, the power, etc, of God…) therefore by dictionary definition
they are classified as a cult.  Cheers.

I emailed saying that I did not mean to offend through the use of the word “cult”.

They replied with:

Thank you for your comment. However, it is hard to imagine anyone
serving God not being offended by such a charge. Jesus was offended
when falsely accused as a criminal because it reflected on his heavenly
father and as “The Word” he wanted to maintain a good reputation.

Nevertheless, I do not find your definition of a cult in any dictionary
I own. I refer you to several definitions found in Random House
dictionary, although I am not partial to any particular one; it is just
the most complete.

Random House Dictionary definition -
cult? ?/k?lt/  Show Spelled[kuhlt]
–noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its
rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp.
as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing,
person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites
centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist,
with members often living outside of conventional society under the
direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person
usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease and
that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

NONE of these descriptions can be applied to Jehovah’s Witnesses. We
only venerate God; not men, images, dates, places, etc. I think you
will find that, by a broad definition, the word could be used by anyone
who holds a set of beliefs different to our own. Many cults follow a
living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart
from the rest of society. The standard for what is orthodox, however,
should be God’s Word, and Jehovah’s Witnesses strictly adhere to the
Bible. Their worship is a way of life, not a ritual devotion. They
neither follow a human nor isolate themselves from the rest of society.
They live and work in the midst of other people and all are openly
welcome at any of their meetings and conventions.

I hope this evidence will encourage you to reconsider the derogatory
references and that you will recognize us in the future as good
citizens who demonstrate their love of God and neighbour by action,
rather than simply offer lip-service to God, as so many other
“Christians” do. You may not agree with all of our beliefs but at least
people should know the truth about us. We are often mis-represented by
others claiming to be Christian and increasingly that misinformation is
intentional. It is easy to take that prejudice and label us
accordingly, just as early Christians were.

In any case I stick to my statement that your blog points were well
taken. They reflect love and balance in the way we speak to others.
Thank you for allowing me to defend my faith, as you recommended.

So I replied:

Dear correespondent, thank you for you interesting and thoughtful
reply. As I said I do not mean to offend, but the definition you sent:

6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist,
with members often living outside of conventional society under the
direction of a charismatic leader…

..is quite specific. By the term “cult” I do not mean to be derogatory to
any group or person. A cult, as I understand it, is any religious group
which differs significantly in one or more respects as to their belief or
practrice from those religious groups which are regarded as the
normative expressions of religion in our total culture.

Ironically, by this definition, if Jehovahs Witnesses were the
normative and perhaps the majority, Christians (as we would say conservative,
protestant, Church of England) Christians, would therefore be defined as a “cult”.

The above protestant population, at least in its statement of formal
beliefs, is quite clear in its understanding that Jesus is God, and
that the Godhead consists of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all equal.

Working logically out from this definition of Christian, therefore, the
correct definition of any other religion derived from this starting
point is a cult.

Their response:

Although I understand your point, I still feel it is a derogatory term
and other than prejudice, there is no justification for it. (see below)

Regarding your point 6, it is true that Jehovah’s Witnesses are
“unorthodox” from the viewpoint of mainstream “christianity”. IE:
We do not go to war or participate in politics (Jesus did not), while
most “christians” churches did/do, (didn’t Jesus say to love your
enemies?).
We do not celebrate pagan holidays under the guise of Christianity,
while most “christians” do. However, we do celebrate the only
celebration he DID command us to keep, which was to honour his death
(on the night of the Passover).
We do not allow condemned practices that the Bible forbids (1 Corinth.
5:13, 6:9-11); most “christians” seem to think that God is
all-forgiving and will still forgive willful sin.
We do not use images or practice rituals in our worship, while most
“christians” do.
We do not follow a leader, other than the head of the Christian church,
Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:23), although I do agree he was charismatic.
We have over 7,000,000 active volunteer ministers serving unitedly in
virtually every country and language of the world preaching publicly
and from house-to-house, as Paul and the other apostles were taught to
do (Acts 20:20) by Jesus.
While most “christians have no idea what they would do in heaven, if
they are resurrected, Jesus clearly showed John that they would be
“kings and priests” (Rev. 5:10) in his kingdom. Who would they rule
over? If God’s kingdom will be done on earth, who will the subjects be?
These are basic questions most adult “christians” can not answer, in my
experience, yet even our children know these things. So they don’t even
know what they are praying for. (Matt. 6:9,10).
Most of Christendoms churches have to pay their “ministers” and they
don’t teach their members to preach publicly. Yet, that was the last
command of Christ to all of his followers, before his ascension to the
heavens (Matthew 28:19,20). So how could they possibly fulfill the
prophecy of Matthew 24:14?
In my area (Canada) Christendoms churches are liquidating. They have
failed to listen to both the Father in the heavens and his Son, who set
such a clear example for us. Christendoms works have failed (Acts
5:38). The evidence should be obvious that they are not in harmony with
Gods will (John 3:16-21) and lip service does not fool the Almighty
God, who can read hearts.
It seems that the major conflict for most of those taught by
Christendom is the teaching of the trinity. We believe that Jesus, the
Son, was created by his Father, as the “firstborn of all other
creation” and then all other things were created through him
(Colossians 1:18). Jesus was fine with that and did nothing of his own
will, but only what his father in the heavens told him. (John 6:37-40)
Jesus himself said in prayer that he had come to make known his fathers
name and would make it known (John 17:26). Jesus knew God’s name as
YHWH (Yahweh), which we pronounce as Jehovah in English, although it
varies in spelling and pronunciation in each language, just as Jesus
name does.
Jesus knew that despite everything he taught, people would continue to
argue “about words” and many, many, books have been published on the
subject of Jesus diety. That is why he made it so much easier to
identify those who taught the truth, by looking at their “works”.
(Matthew 7:20). To me, the answer is clear.
I hope I have spoken with conviction as Jesus did, without being
offensive. We are definitely NOT a cult by Jesus definition and this is
what matters to us. Perhaps I have clarified my point of view better
and I wish you peace. ….Shalohm.

The response to that:

Dear…. thank you for explaining all these things, most of which I totally
agree with. Christendom has indeed strayed a long way from the original
pattern set for it in the beginning.

The only ‘bone of contention’ I have, and always will have is the point
about whether Jesus was God, or whether He was created by God . There is an
enormous difference between the two points of view, and only one of these
views determines whether one is saved or not.

I think Hebrews chapter one makes it perfectly clear that Jesus and God are
equal, and therefore both included in the Godhead.

I think the whole gospel of John makes it clear that Jesus is God. I can
also point to many other chapters and verses but I am sure you already have
your ‘interpretations’ ready to dismantle them, so I won’t bother to quote.
.
As long as the Jehovah’s Witness official line is that Jesus was created,
and is thus not the Creator, the definition ‘cult’ must be used.

In a similar way, when Jesus labelled the scribes and Pharisees as
‘whited sepulchres’ etc, they were furious and offended, but what Jesus said
was true nonetheless.

As I said I do not want to offend, but if I am to follow my Saviour God
Jesus, I must speak what I know to be the truth regardless of what others
may say about my views.

I know JWs do a great deal of good works, and they are in many ways
morally upstanding people, with high ideals and clean lifestyles, but
salvation depends on what we believe about Jesus, not on good works.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are so close, and yet still not through the door. I
feel sad that they can come to the door and then deny the deity of Christ.
All they need to do is acknowledge Jesus as God and worship Him, along with
all creation and all the angels in heaven, and the word ‘cult’ will
disappear.