Posted on 10/24/2011 10:30:41 AM PDT by Colofornian
It is amazing how easily we as human beings can lose our objectivity. We become lost in our own little world. It is like looking in a mirror which reflects an inaccurate image of reality. What we see in the mirror is not a true reflection of our condition before God. It is almost like someone has cast a spell over us. We need to look in a different mirror in order to break the spell. We need a mirror that will help us to see ourselves correctly and in a new light.
This is what can happen for a Jehovah's Witness or a Mormon. They need to see their religion accurately rather than viewing it "under the spell" as they gaze in the wrong mirror. One of the things a Jehovah's Witness can do to help "break the spell" is to look in the "mirror of Mormonism." The same is true of a Mormon looking in the "mirror of the Jehovah's Witnesses." It puts a whole new perspective on things.
By only looking at themselves in their own mirror, these groups don't see any religious reality other than their own perception of themselves and their organization. There is a "spiritual haze" hovering over all that they do. They need to allow their mind to go to a place where they investigate a similar kind of religion with an open heart. When you see how another group has spun off the path following the man-made doctrines of a false prophet, you are a step closer to looking at your own religious organization with objectivity.
A Jehovah's Witness really needs to wrestle with Mormon history in order to see how the Mormon prophet who began that religion is very similar to the Jehovah's Witness prophet who founded the Watchtower Society. Both of these men came up with new definitions for God and a new system of trying to follow God. Just because it was new didn't make it true. These two prophets from the 19th century were good at "casting a spell" so to speak over their followers and getting them to stop being objective regarding the Bible and historic Christianity.
When a Jehovah's Witness or Mormon examines the other's man-made origin, it becomes easier to see how their own religion got started in a similar fashion. Both religions exist outside of Christianity, even though both religions employ many biblical terms that make their organizations sound "Christian."
If a Jehovah's Witness will look in the mirror of Mormonism, he will begin to see himself. If a Mormon looks in the mirror of the Watchtower, he too will start to see himself. The doctrines of the two organizations are different in the letter of the law, and yet extremely alike in terms of the "spell" that is cast upon the followers of both groups. The spiritual atmosphere within the two groups is eerily similar.
If you are a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness and you want to see how you are truly under a spell, just do this: Try to find other Christian denominations that recognize your organization to be legitimately Christian in doctrine. You won't find them. And yet, your leaders deceptively tell your missionaries to identify yourselves as "Christian." They do this because it is good for business. Never mind the fact that it is extremely unethical and dishonest. If your own leaders are teaching you to be deceptive, how can they possibly be doing God's will?
There are many times in life when we desperately need to see our situation for what it really is rather than simply seeing our perception of it. There is a saying that "perception is reality." What we see in the mirror is "our reality." That doesn't mean it is the true reality. We must open our mind and become willing to see it in a new light.
Albert Einstein said, "Reality is merely an illusion, although a very persistent one." Einstein was intelligent, but he got that one wrong. When it comes to the reality of Jesus Christ, He is not a "persistent illusion." He is eternally real and there is only One of Him. Unfortunately, there are cheap imitations that attempt to capitalize on His name for their own profit and the advancement of a man-made organization.
If a Mormon or Jehovah's Witness will study the other's religion, he will see himself in that mirror and be a step closer to meeting the real Jesus. You don't have to be afraid to look at things in a different mirror. That is the only way to come out from under the spell and to finally start seeing Christianity from God's perspective.
Dan Delzell is the pastor of Wellspring Lutheran Church in Papillion, Neb.
With this statement, this pastor has hit a homerun!
If Mormons or JWs were "Christian," there'd be some acknowledgement somewhere from supposedly other Christian denominations. But guess what? There's NOT!!!
Instead, Mormons deem JWs as a "cult." And JWs deem Mormons as a "cult." And mainstream Mormons deem the fundamentalist Mormons as a breakaway cult.
And yet tho no Christian denomination deems any of these groups as "Christian." Therefore, as this pastor says: ...your leaders deceptively tell your missionaries to identify yourselves as "Christian." They do this because it is good for business. Never mind the fact that it is extremely unethical and dishonest. If your own leaders are teaching you to be deceptive, how can they possibly be doing God's will?
Are any Mormons & JWs willing to answer that Q?
This is true for both the Watchtower Bible and Tract org based in Brooklyn as well as the highly hierarchical Mormon HQ in Salt Lake City. They present a “cheap imitation” of Jesus meant ”to capitalize on His name for their own profit and the advancement of a man-made organization.”
Jesus warned that imitation messiahs would be presented (Matthew 24). And we know Jesus can be treated as Gumby, twisted out of shape so that He is no longer recognizable.
From the article: When it comes to the reality of Jesus Christ, He is not a "persistent illusion." He is eternally real and there is only One of Him.
The Mormons like to emphasize this – that’s there’s only one Jesus. But just as contradictory things cannot both be true about our own identities, so also is true of Jesus’ identity. Therefore, at some point, we leave ”reality” -- discussing the real Jesus – and move on to how they are embracing the cheap imitation.
Here’s examples of imitation jesuses:
The "Jesus" of the Marharishi of TM is a Jesus who never suffered.
The "Jesus" of Guru Maharaj Ji supposedly merged with Krishna, Ram and Buddha.
The only difference between the Moonie "jesus" and the rest of us, says, Sun Myung Moon, is that Jesus had no original sin nature.
The "Jesus" of Christian Science think of themselves as "Christian," yet they don't believe Jesus is God.
The "Jesus" of the Jehovah's Witnesses is not Almighty and is "a god," but not "THE" God; nor did He bodily resurrect.
The "Jesus" of many gnostics would in no way incarnate a human body -- because that to them would be too "corrupt" of a thing to do.
The "Jesus" of Brigham Young is one redeemer-savior among who knows how many? "He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. On every earth. How many earths are there?...Consequently every earth has its redeemer..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 71, 1870) [Tell us, PD, what makes Brigham's "jesus" so universally unique?]
The "Jesus" of Mormonism is a pre-existent spirit-creature; a son of a God-man whose next-in-line brother is "Lucifer/Satan" -- a "Jesus" who had to work out his own salvation; and whose blood didn't cover all of our personal sins (thereby rendering him as an incomplete, inadequate "savior").
Tell, us, How can all these "Jesuses" be the same One? How can we have...
...a Jesus who suffers & a TM "Jesus" who doesn't?
...a Jesus who resurrects bodily & a JW "Jesus" who doesn't?
...a Jesus who transcends us in every way & a Moonie "Jesus" who only transcends us sin-wise?
...a Jesus who is united with the Father & the Spirit vs. a Hindu offshoot/New Age "Jesus" who merges as part of a divine flame or divine ocean?
...THE fully-God, fully-man incarnant son of God vs. a less-than-human embodied gnostic "Jesus"?
...a Jesus who is THE Savior vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who competes with ALL kinds of "saviors" on other planets (per Brigham) & ALL kinds of "saviors" on THIS planet (per Lds "prophet" John Taylor's description of Baptism of the dead "saviors")??
...a Jesus who is THE Creator vs. a Mormon "Jesus," a mere spirit-creature?
...a Jesus who is THE Savior vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who is touted by Lds leaders as a "saved being?"
...a Jesus who created Lucifer (Col. 1:16-17) vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who "lucked out" on being ahead of Lucifer spirit-birth assembly line, only because of spirit-birth order???
...a Jesus who died BOTH for our sin nature AND ALL of our personal sins vs. a Mormon "Jesus" who didn't?
Come on out. Mormons, look @ JWs – and you will see how your own org arose; JWs, look @ Mormons, and you will see how false prophets did arise in the 19th century. Your genesis can be found by looking in another mirror.
I wonder how the conversation goes when Mormon missionaries stop at a Jehovah’s Witness’ house or vice versa? I bet it’s fascinating.
I wonder how the conversation goes when Mormon missionaries stop at a Jehovah’s Witness’ house or vice versa? I bet it’s fascinating.
More like a cat fight. Been there. done that.
A pastor friend of mine says something like ‘Once a person is deceived, he does not recognize that he is deceived, because he has been deceived’. And if you think you can’t be deceived, you are being deceived. We must watch carefully, and check our foundation often...constantly...
Both the LDS and JW’s condemn other denominations as false churches. The only personal association with non-members they are supposed to have is for recruiting new members.
Neither use the Bible as a real source of their faith, they have “other books” for that.
So, no, they aren’t “Christian” any more than Scientology is. lol.
Like Charles Taze Russel and Harold Camping, however, FLDS/LDS Prophet Joseph Smith DID falsely proclaim that the second coming would be in 1891.
JW's, Mormons and Islam for that matter are nearly identical in that they do not allow the unpunished leaving of their church. Once a member, they will never let you go peacefully. They will break up families, excommunicate, heck Brigham Young (Like Mohammed) even preached decapitation for "apostates".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3BqLZ8UoZk
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw1Vg8HsMK4&feature=related
Peepstone profit placemarker
Mormon missionaries stop at a Jehovah’s Witness’ house or vice versa? I bet it’s fascinating.
More like a cat fight. Been there. done that.
_____________________________________________________
Its also interesting when the Mormons and the JWs get to fighting over a Christian...
Been there done that...
Both the Mormons and the JWs use to “visit” me once a month..
After a while a JW woman boasted to me one day that since I wouldnt leave Christianity and become a JW she had asked her male JW authority whomever if she could have me for her own personal slave in the JW hereafter...
Having gained permission she was passing on the glad news to me...
Oh joy !!!
That same week or so the usual Mormons turned up
One woman who have struggled manfully (LOL) with me by that time for a couple or so YEARS warned me if I didnt leave Christianity soon and join the Mormons I would wind up a slave in the Mormon afterlife...
(Now right here ya gotta wonder if the Mormons and JWs were in cohoots in some weird conspiracy)
I told the Mormonette “Too late. The JWs have already claimed me as their slave”
If I didnt know the Mormon woman quite well by this time what she said next may have come as Tomfoolery but she was sincere..
She begged me to reconsider and tell the JWs that I had changed my mind and was going with the Mormns as their slave..
Now all this without a health plan or promise of any bennies (No RomneyCare inn those days)
She expected me to choose them over the JWs...
and by acknowledging the slavery in each religion she was admitting the JWs were as valid to her as she thought Mormonism was..strange...
(I didnt laugh. I promise...although my head was exploding)
I told her I thought it was too late once Id been spoken for (or some such words)
She looked like she was going to cry...
and kept on begging for me to accept them instead...
You would have to understand how sorry I felt for those nice deluded women...
Well the Mormons started coming twice a month from that time on laying it on even thicker...
ROFLBMO
Good point, colofornian
Count-your-change, what would the Jehovah's Witness answer to this be?
cyc-- does the Watchtower give any explanation for the wrong 7 prophecies?
There, thank you, now I know how to do it.
There, thank you, now I know how to do it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.