Church or Club?

Menotu · Post by **Menotu** » Sun Mar 01, 2020 10:43 am

It's Sunday. We see many people going to church. Once there, they socialize, sing, laugh, eat, cry...compare hats, ask where he bought that blazer.

But are they there for the right reasons?

It seems, in many churches these days, it's more of a social club than a place of worship.

I've been to churches where people literally in front of me were talking bad (gossiping) about the people a few pews away.
I've seen people 'hit on' others for dates.
I've seen people cursing immediately afterwards (or before) service. I see people singing their hearts out for 1Â½ hours or so, but later, you wouldn't be able to tell they were Christian much less part of a church once the service is over.

To be fair, I've also seen much love and compassion. But it seems this is the exception many times more than the rule.

It makes me wonder: are churches today more of a social gathering and less of a place of worship?

What's your opinion?
What's your experience?

r1xlx · Post by **r1xlx** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:20 am

[Replying to post 16 by onewithhim]

JWs are Satan's most devious trick!
Far from being Christian they are Satanists!
They twist and pervert the Bible just as they protect many twisted perverted pedophiles and fornicators.
Their magazines and books are full of graven images of demons and creeping things just like that wondowless room of Ezekiel 8 was.
Putting the creeping things in the magazines that the JWs worship makes every JW an idolater.

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:21 am

Red Wolf wrote:I doubt you sell your homes and give the proceeds away to others. I doubt you eat your meals together.

We dont interpret the scriptures as you seem to, we dont believe that selling our homes or eating every meal together as a congregation is a christian mandate.

Would the "Acts model" allow for Christian ownership of houses?
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 13#p980613

JEHOVAHS WITNESS

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onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:32 am

Red Wolf wrote:
onewithhim wrote:
Red Wolf wrote:
Overcomer wrote: I think the problem is that churches are made up of flawed individuals. Since I myself am a flawed individual, I'm glad of it. Otherwise, no one would let me in the door!

However, it is true that some are preferable to others. I want a church where the Holy Spirit is present, where the Bible is believed and taught rightly, where Christ is understood correctly and preached accordingly, and where people are truly trying to live out the gospel.

Christianity was meant to be practiced in a community. But, as I said, none of those communities will ever be perfect as long as imperfect people attend them.
Did you ever find a Church like the original church in Jerusalem?
Acts chapter 2
44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people.

I've never seen such a church....have you?
Yes. Jehovah's Witnesses.

.
I doubt you sell your homes and give the proceeds away to others. I doubt you eat your meals together.

We do what the situation calls for. Some of us have sold their homes to be missionaries and to preach the Good News like Jesus commissioned Christians to do (Matt.24:14). This preaching helps other people as much as anything they could do otherwise. Then there are many of us who volunteer to help clean up and rebuild in areas hit by natural disasters. We often eat meals together.

.

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:40 am

[Replying to post 21 by r1xlx]

All I can say to you, apparently a minion of the Resister, is this:

Jesus said: "Happy are you when people reproach you and persecute you and lyingly say every sort of wicked thing against you for my sake. Rejoice and leap for joy, since your reward is great...; for in that way they persecuted the prophets prior to you." (Matthew 5:11,12)

I am rejoicing.

.

Elijah John · Post by **Elijah John** » Tue Mar 03, 2020 12:36 pm

brianbbs67 wrote:
One, I like your input here, I know a few JW's. You guys are 100% indoctrinated and controlled. You are being used by others to further their lives. No dissension ? Are you kidding me? Everyone disagrees with others around them?

I ask God to open your eyes and see.

Moderator Comment

Please avoid blanket statements like these. Also the second passage I quoted here is a bit preachy.

Please review the Rules.

______________

Moderator comments do not count as a strike against any posters. They only serve as an acknowledgment that a post report has been received, but has not been judged to warrant a moderator warning against a particular poster. Any challenges or replies to moderator postings should be made via Private Message to avoid derailing topics.

Menotu · Post by **Menotu** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 5:12 pm

r1xlx wrote: [Replying to post 16 by onewithhim]

JWs are Satan's most devious trick!
Far from being Christian they are Satanists!
They twist and pervert the Bible just as they protect many twisted perverted pedophiles and fornicators.
Their magazines and books are full of graven images of demons and creeping things just like that wondowless room of Ezekiel 8 was.
Putting the creeping things in the magazines that the JWs worship makes every JW an idolater.

To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.
What's harder is getting people to believe in those twisted stories. But the human race is able to believe in anything that fits their chosen lifestyle

JehovahsWitness · Post by **JehovahsWitness** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 5:19 pm

Menotu wrote:
To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.

As Jehovah's Witnesses we dont twist the bible, or try and give it a meaning for our own convenience. We always try and let the bible interpret itself.

JEHOVAHS WITNESS

Checkpoint · Post by **Checkpoint** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 6:40 pm

JehovahsWitness wrote:
Menotu wrote:
To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.
As Jehovah's Witnesses we dont twist the bible, or try and give it a meaning for our own convenience. We always try and let the bible interpret itself.

JEHOVAHS WITNESS

Yes, you do try, and do succeed sometimes.

However, your history shows the organization has given some passages "a meaning for our own convenience".

Most of these took place because past expectations related to future events were not realised.

Menotu · Post by **Menotu** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:26 pm

Checkpoint wrote:
JehovahsWitness wrote:
Menotu wrote:
To be fair, it's not hard to twist biblical stories and use them for different purposes (the bible has done that itself). It's not even creative - it's rather trite.
As Jehovah's Witnesses we dont twist the bible, or try and give it a meaning for our own convenience. We always try and let the bible interpret itself.

JEHOVAHS WITNESS
Yes, you do try, and do succeed sometimes.

However, your history shows the organization has given some passages "a meaning for our own convenience".

Most of these took place because past expectations related to future events were not realised.

If someone can't succeed in twisting the words of the bible

well, let's just say they shouldn't quit their day job.
The REAL work is getting people to believe it. Not everyone is that good.

onewithhim · Post by **onewithhim** » Sun Mar 08, 2020 7:56 pm

[Replying to post 29 by Menotu]

Menotu, I think that if you really looked into it, you'd come to realize that what JWs did with the New World Translation is the closest thing to the original Hebrew and Greek that you can get. That has been realized by more than a handful of scholars that have been brave enough to speak up.

(Check out the book Truth in Translation by Jason BeDuhn, a non-Witness.)