Are the Jehovah"s Witnesses Christians

[dianaiad]

The teaching that anyone can believe anything they want and still call themselves Christian is a little silly. The proof that that doesn’t work is that Mormons call themselves Christian.

Yes we do, because we are. That doesn’t make us ‘saved,’ or ‘correct,’ or ‘true.’

but it does make us Christian.

Just as you being Catholic makes you Christian. It doesn’t make YOU ‘saved,’ or ‘correct,’ or ‘true,’ either, but…

Look, Ricko…we have the class ‘motor vehicles.’ At this point, the largest group of motor vehicles is 'automobiles" (ok, maybe it isn’t…I don’t really know. Just go with the flow, ok?)
Of 'automobiles," the largest group is, oh…Chrysler sedans, just for the sake of argument (and no, I don’t want to hear how there are more Fords on the road, OK?)

Now all the Chrysler sedan owners have decided that since they’ve been around the longest (which may or may not be true) and because there are more of them, then they are the only true automobiles. Any other automobile is something else…but not an automobile, because only a Chrysler sedan can be a true automobile.

Which of course means that all the Ford, Volkswagon, Honda and BMW owners out there have a problem. After all, here they have these vehicles that propel themselves; auto-mobiles. That’s the definition. Who decided that in addition to propelling themselves, they had to have all these add-ons to be 'true automobiles?"

Now some people who think that Chryser sedans are pretty sucky have decided that they are not automobiles, because true automobiles have to have a stylized “H” on the front. Which of course means that only Hondas can be true automobiles. So the two groups exclude each other from the automobile club.

It is a truly silly state of affairs. What in the world is a Honda, if it’s not an automobile? A motorcycle? A truck? A boat?

Now take the above story, and substitute “theism” for “motor vehicles,” “Christianity” for 'automobile" and the various car brands for the Christian sects…like Catholicism, Lutheranism, Baptists, Mormons…

How is the story any less silly when you substitute religion for cars?

Easy answer; it isn’t.

“Christian” is a word that describes the whole of Christian thought; that is, everybody who claims to be Christian; the one or two things that EVERYBODY who claims to be a Christian believes in, or has in common; the one or two things that non-Christians, looking at us from outside, would agree must be present in every Christian.

Oddly enough, those things are found in the dictionary definition of the word: someone who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and who claims the name.

Someone who, when asked his or her religion, will say “Christian” at some point in the explanation, the way a Sunni or Shi’ite will say 'Muslim," or the way all the people who have favorite deities will still say “Hindu,” when asked.

You may not like it, Ricko, but you don’t get to make that decision for the rest of us. You do not get to tell me that I’m not a Christian *and make me agree to it. *

You can think it all you like, of course, but you’d be wrong.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Depends entirely on who is standardizing the sizing…

Well now, that begs the question, doesn’t it? Who is in charge of issuing the trademark?

I don’t see why. The only way that they, or their doctrine, could possibly be scary is if it’s true and you don’t join up. Do you have any worries about that?

No?

Then they aren’t scary. They are simply good people who believe incorrect things. If believing those incorrect things is prompting them to do nasty stuff to you, then they’d be scary, but I hardly think that little old ladies standing outside the supermarket with an *AWAKE! * magazine in their hands is going to ruin anybody’s day–or even minute.

They believe that birds will pick the flesh off the unbelivers. Their definintion of unbeliever is a bit different than nearly any other community.

That makes for a messed up and scary day if you ask me.

But, to each his own I always say!

 

[dianaiad]

They believe that birds will pick the flesh off the unbelivers. Their definintion of unbeliever is a bit different than nearly any other community.

Well, I sincerely hope they think we are dead when that happens…

That makes for a messed up and scary day if you ask me.

But, to each his own I always say!

Perhaps it does…for them. However, I don’t happen to share their opinion of exactly who the unbelievers are, and have a great deal more optimistic viewpoint, I suppose.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Yes we do, because we are. That doesn’t make us ‘saved,’ or ‘correct,’ or ‘true.’

but it does make us Christian.

Just as you being Catholic makes you Christian. It doesn’t make YOU ‘saved,’ or ‘correct,’ or ‘true,’ either, but…

Look, Ricko…we have the class ‘motor vehicles.’ At this point, the largest group of motor vehicles is 'automobiles" (ok, maybe it isn’t…I don’t really know. Just go with the flow, ok?)
Of 'automobiles," the largest group is, oh…Chrysler sedans, just for the sake of argument (and no, I don’t want to hear how there are more Fords on the road, OK?)

Now all the Chrysler sedan owners have decided that since they’ve been around the longest (which may or may not be true) and because there are more of them, then they are the only true automobiles. Any other automobile is something else…but not an automobile, because only a Chrysler sedan can be a true automobile.

Which of course means that all the Ford, Volkswagon, Honda and BMW owners out there have a problem. After all, here they have these vehicles that propel themselves; auto-mobiles. That’s the definition. Who decided that in addition to propelling themselves, they had to have all these add-ons to be 'true automobiles?"

Now some people who think that Chryser sedans are pretty sucky have decided that they are not automobiles, because true automobiles have to have a stylized “H” on the front. Which of course means that only Hondas can be true automobiles. So the two groups exclude each other from the automobile club.

It is a truly silly state of affairs. What in the world is a Honda, if it’s not an automobile? A motorcycle? A truck? A boat?

Now take the above story, and substitute “theism” for “motor vehicles,” “Christianity” for 'automobile" and the various car brands for the Christian sects…like Catholicism, Lutheranism, Baptists, Mormons…

How is the story any less silly when you substitute religion for cars?

Easy answer; it isn’t.

“Christian” is a word that describes the whole of Christian thought; that is, everybody who claims to be Christian; the one or two things that EVERYBODY who claims to be a Christian believes in, or has in common; the one or two things that non-Christians, looking at us from outside, would agree must be present in every Christian.

Oddly enough, those things are found in the dictionary definition of the word: someone who believes in the teachings of Jesus Christ, and who claims the name.

Someone who, when asked his or her religion, will say “Christian” at some point in the explanation, the way a Sunni or Shi’ite will say 'Muslim," or the way all the people who have favorite deities will still say “Hindu,” when asked.

You may not like it, Ricko, but you don’t get to make that decision for the rest of us. You do not get to tell me that I’m not a Christian *and make me agree to it. *

You can think it all you like, of course, but you’d be wrong.

It seems offensive to me that you discount all the early martyrs as not being the right “brand”

Which brand where they?

Not Mormon.

 

[dianaiad]

It seems offensive to me that you discount all the early martyrs as not being the right “brand”

Which brand where they?

Not Mormon.

Now exactly where did I claim that the early martyrs were not Christian?

You are accusing me of a crime that you are guilty of, not me, sir. After all, there were many martyrs in the early church who were NOT Catholic…I’d call the Albegensians martyrs, as were many other protestants at the hands of Catholics, and in return, Catholics at the hands of Protestants…and Puritans, Quakers, Shakers (oh, yes, and Mormons, too) at the hands of other Christians.

Yet you not only claim that they are the wrong ‘brand,’ you insist that they were not Christian at all.

You need to be careful of making such statements—you are shouting at a mirror.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Now exactly where did I claim that the early martyrs were not Christian?

You are accusing me of a crime that you are guilty of, not me, sir. After all, there were many martyrs in the early church who were NOT Catholic…I’d call the Albegensians martyrs, as were many other protestants at the hands of Catholics, and in return, Catholics at the hands of Protestants…and Puritans, Quakers, Shakers (oh, yes, and Mormons, too) at the hands of other Christians.

Yet you not only claim that they are the wrong ‘brand,’ you insist that they were not Christian at all.

You need to be careful of making such statements—you are shouting at a mirror.

I would like you to submit your proof I insist that they were not Chrisitan at all firstly, before I discect your post to bits.

 

[dianaiad]

I would like you to submit your proof I insist that they were not Chrisitan at all firstly, before I discect your post to bits.

A martyr is someone who chooses to die rather than renounce his or her faith. A martyr is also someone who is killed because of his or her faith, whether or not a choice to renounce it is given.

You have stated that Mormons are not Christian. You have stated that the church (2000 years worth) has defined 'Christian." well, there is only one organization that claims to have been around that long without interruption, and THAT church declared that the Albegensians, etc., were not Christian.

Therefore, by your own statement, you have called the martyrs of faiths other than Catholicism (or the specific brand of Christianity that you cling to) ‘not Christian.’

Please; go ahead and “discect (sic) [my] post to bits.”

I will be interested to see that.

 

[StrawberryJam]

A martyr is someone who chooses to die rather than renounce his or her faith. A martyr is also someone who is killed because of his or her faith, whether or not a choice to renounce it is given.

You have stated that Mormons are not Christian. You have stated that the church (2000 years worth) has defined 'Christian." well, there is only one organization that claims to have been around that long without interruption, and THAT church declared that the Albegensians, etc., were not Christian.

Therefore, by your own statement, you have called the martyrs of faiths other than Catholicism (or the specific brand of Christianity that you cling to) ‘not Christian.’

Please; go ahead and “discect (sic) [my] post to bits.”

I will be interested to see that.

I have to laugh with you here, not at you. Because I dont see where I stated Mormons are not Christians. Let alone anything else.

 

[Ignatius]

Actually, the Church was formed in 33 AD. Have you read the Church Fathers, such as Ignatius or Augustine, or perhaps Pope Clement, Student of Paul ?

You beat me to it. It amazes me how many people don’t know this!

 

[StrawberryJam]

I thought the Dominicans wiped out the Albegensians.

 

[xong111]

how many CREDIBLE greek scholars have actually approved the NWT? besides their so-called scholars within the organization?

 

[StrawberryJam]

how many CREDIBLE greek scholars have actually approved the NWT? besides their so-called scholars within the organization?

They will simply say that is because the entire chrisitan operation is corrupt, and they alone have the “real deal”.

There is no end to the marketing of Christ.