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OK... lurking on this thread but had to clear a couple things up here.
1. Pretty close. The number of those with a heavenly future is correct. The timing of Armegeddon doesn't so much have to do with those "spaces" being filled up (as we believe they have already been chosen), as it does with God's timing.
2. Yes, but not in the traditional sense. We do believe there is a spirit realm (heaven), but that "hell" is simply the grave... not a fiery place of eternal torment.
3. Because we believe in a resurrection hope, the "billions of Chinese born before Christ" would have a resurrection hope. The bible speaks of 2 resurrections. One of the righteous (those that knew of & put their faith in god & Christ and kept it until death), and one of the unrighteous (those who didn't, like the Chinese
).
4. True. There are many reasons why we don't. I can get into that more specifically if anyone wants to know. Not trying to write a novel here.
5. True, but that doesn't mean that we don't value women. They make up the majority of our ministry "workforce" (for lack of a better word). They are truly at the forefront of our preaching & teaching work.
6. This sounds about right.
7. Yes, but see my my statement for 5. We value our wives. While we do hold to the traditional family head structure where the husband is the "head of the household", that doesn't mean we can be tyrants & domineering. I personally value my wife's input, and trust her to handle a lot of the day to day family stuff. But the overall responsibility for the family falls on my shoulders. We are encouraged to discuss with our wives our options when a major decision needs to be made, and consider their thoughts on the matter. Ultimately though... for better or worse, the decision is the husbands.
8. Wrong. The reason our Kingdom Halls are "small" (read simple) is because of several reasons. Cost being one. A lot of people think it's wierd that they don't have windows. This, too, is a cost feature. Commercial buildings don't require natural light... though that my be changing as energy guidelines become more stringent & use of natural light is favored in the code. Windows can be expensive. Plus, it's better security (fewer points of entry) and less maintenance. Another reason they are simple is that we don't feel the need to have a large, opulent places of worship. The focus is on our ministry... not where we worship. Also, we don't build them in one day. We used to be able to build them over a weekend. But as the building codes have become more complicated & in depth, we usually get it done within a week or two. We use all volunteer, skilled labor, and work closely with the local building officials to make it as smooth an operation as possible so that we can move as quickly as possible.
9. Completely false on the first part. We believe with our entire heart that Jesus Christ was the son of God. We do not believe that in the Trinity because the trinity is not taught in the bible. If he is God's son... how are they the same person... which is what the trinity teaching essentially says.
Hope I cleared up a couple things for you.
As for some of the other comments, we don't ban the ownership of weapons among our members. I own them, I know several in my area that own them. It is a personal decision. That said, we do hold the sanctity of life in high regard. That includes a criminal's as well as our own. While we are not pacifists, we do believe everything should be done possible to avoid situations that put us into any situation where we might have to harm someone. If we can't avoid it, we are not condemned for protecting ourselves. Which is pretty much common sense.
As for questioning the Watchtower Society, we are actively encouraged to do our own bible research. We don't blindly follow the teachings. Granted, some may, but we are strongly encouraged to prove to ourselves whether or not the teachings are true. Nobody is holding a gun to our head. We don't force people to stay in the congregation against their will.
1. Pretty close. The number of those with a heavenly future is correct. The timing of Armegeddon doesn't so much have to do with those "spaces" being filled up (as we believe they have already been chosen), as it does with God's timing.
2. Yes, but not in the traditional sense. We do believe there is a spirit realm (heaven), but that "hell" is simply the grave... not a fiery place of eternal torment.
3. Because we believe in a resurrection hope, the "billions of Chinese born before Christ" would have a resurrection hope. The bible speaks of 2 resurrections. One of the righteous (those that knew of & put their faith in god & Christ and kept it until death), and one of the unrighteous (those who didn't, like the Chinese
).4. True. There are many reasons why we don't. I can get into that more specifically if anyone wants to know. Not trying to write a novel here.
5. True, but that doesn't mean that we don't value women. They make up the majority of our ministry "workforce" (for lack of a better word). They are truly at the forefront of our preaching & teaching work.
6. This sounds about right.
7. Yes, but see my my statement for 5. We value our wives. While we do hold to the traditional family head structure where the husband is the "head of the household", that doesn't mean we can be tyrants & domineering. I personally value my wife's input, and trust her to handle a lot of the day to day family stuff. But the overall responsibility for the family falls on my shoulders. We are encouraged to discuss with our wives our options when a major decision needs to be made, and consider their thoughts on the matter. Ultimately though... for better or worse, the decision is the husbands.
8. Wrong. The reason our Kingdom Halls are "small" (read simple) is because of several reasons. Cost being one. A lot of people think it's wierd that they don't have windows. This, too, is a cost feature. Commercial buildings don't require natural light... though that my be changing as energy guidelines become more stringent & use of natural light is favored in the code. Windows can be expensive. Plus, it's better security (fewer points of entry) and less maintenance. Another reason they are simple is that we don't feel the need to have a large, opulent places of worship. The focus is on our ministry... not where we worship. Also, we don't build them in one day. We used to be able to build them over a weekend. But as the building codes have become more complicated & in depth, we usually get it done within a week or two. We use all volunteer, skilled labor, and work closely with the local building officials to make it as smooth an operation as possible so that we can move as quickly as possible.
9. Completely false on the first part. We believe with our entire heart that Jesus Christ was the son of God. We do not believe that in the Trinity because the trinity is not taught in the bible. If he is God's son... how are they the same person... which is what the trinity teaching essentially says.
Hope I cleared up a couple things for you.
As for some of the other comments, we don't ban the ownership of weapons among our members. I own them, I know several in my area that own them. It is a personal decision. That said, we do hold the sanctity of life in high regard. That includes a criminal's as well as our own. While we are not pacifists, we do believe everything should be done possible to avoid situations that put us into any situation where we might have to harm someone. If we can't avoid it, we are not condemned for protecting ourselves. Which is pretty much common sense.
As for questioning the Watchtower Society, we are actively encouraged to do our own bible research. We don't blindly follow the teachings. Granted, some may, but we are strongly encouraged to prove to ourselves whether or not the teachings are true. Nobody is holding a gun to our head. We don't force people to stay in the congregation against their will.
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