are cult religions such as Jehovah's Witnesses just a by-product of different sects of Bible-fundamentalists?

Question

nevermind the "cult" word. please just answer the question. are they a by-product of different sects of bible-fundamentalists?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses reject traditional Christian doctrines such as the Trinity, eternal torment in hell and the immortality of the soul.

In the early 1870s, Russell organized a Bible study group of Second Adventists in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. An interest in Bible prophecy was sparked, in part, by Jonas Wendell. In 1876, Russell met Nelson H. Barbour and subsequently adopted Barbour's eschatology. Barbour had predicted a visible return of Christ for 1873, and when that failed to occur, he revised the prediction to 1874. Soon after the second disappointment, Barbour's group decided Christ had returned invisibly to Earth in 1874. They differed from most Second Adventists by teaching that all humankind descending from Adam would be given a chance to live in a paradise on Earth. The year 1914 was seen as the final end, marking a forty-year period from 1874.

A number of doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses differ from that of mainstream Christianity. Possibly the most controversial doctrinal differences relate to the nature of God and of Jesus, particularly the Jehovah's Witnesses' rejection of the Trinity doctrine. Other differences involve their beliefs concerning death and judgment. Many of these doctrines are considered heresy by mainstream Christian denominations and, as a result, many label Jehovah's Witnesses as a cult.

Answer 2

Yes, just as Christianity is a by-product of different sects of the Jewish Faith. They branched off Judaism, forming what Saul of Tarsus, a highly educated man in the religion arts, believed was a cult and false religion started by a man without any religious education and taught by mostly uneducated low class workers, such as a former fisherman (Peter) and tax collector (Matthew).

The leadership of JWs are similar, in that these individuals also come from various backgrounds and are not taught in a school of theology for individuals whose plans are to get paid to preach, rather than do so from the generosity of their hearts.

Just because there are individuals who claim the educated authority to know who is and is not a cult, does not make it correct. Look at Saul, who had to learn the hard way that he was wrong about the Christians, and became the Apostle Paul. Of interest, most of Christendom refuses to follow his teachings, such as avoiding man made holidays and all Christians teaching house to House.

Answer 3

we are not a cult. a cult lives in one state and all together. we live in 236 lands and in our own homes. we work on jobs just like you do. I am getting tired of people saying we are a cult. we are a real religion. we worship Jehovah and Jesus Christ and do what Jesus commanded us to do at Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20. we are not a spin off of any religion. we follow Jesus Christ and worshp his Jehovah his Father

Answer 4

Trinitarians try to use the term "cult" like a sledgehammer to obliterate any thinking analysis of what the supposed "cultist" actually believes. Trinitarians embrace a bizarre, non-etymological, quite arbitrary definition of the term "cult" which includes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century slandered Christ's followers with the insulting term "Atheist" (!) because the Christians had a somewhat different idea from the pagans about the nature of God.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe! Secular authorities in academia and government routinely acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion. With more than 16 million associating with Jehovah's Witnesses, the term "cult" seems very out of place in a fair discussion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians.

Sadly, Trinitarians seem more interested in perpetuating their human traditions, Greek philosophy, and Babylonish fetishes rather than reasonably examining the Scriptural definition of "Christian". In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all the times the bible uses the term "Christian" and note that the context connects the term with:
"declaring the good news"
'teaching quite a crowd'
'open eyes, turn from dark to light'
"uttering sayings of truth"
"persuade"
"keep on glorifying"

(Acts 11:20-26) [The early disciples of Jesus] began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus... and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.

(Acts 26:17-28) [Jesus said to Paul] I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God... Paul said: “I am not going mad, Your Excellency Festus, but I am uttering sayings of truth and of soundness of mind. ...Do you, King Agrippa, believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” But Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian.”

(1 Peter 4:14-16) If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy... But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name


So why do anti-Witnesses try to hijack the term "Christian" and hide its Scriptural implications? Because anti-Witnesses recognize that it is the preaching work that makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded

Answer 5

Some religions probably are based, or have roots in or connected to other religions. We witnesses have grown, and had to change, in accordance with learning more and more about the Bible.

Answer 6

no

Jehovah;s witnesses are a splinter of a splinter of Seventh Day adventists, most of the members not knowing it

the JW have a different view of the nature of Jesus even than 7th day adventists who have a more orthodox view of the nature of God and the JW have a different gospel and a different Jesus who is not God

very different and in no way a splinter of conservative Christianity

conservative Christianity tends to have substantial schoarship when it comes to Bible translations, historically, yet the JW have an anonymously translated Bible... I would recommend a healthy skeptism about an anonomously trnslated Bible and owuld want to have some assurance a translation was done with substantial care and by qualified people not just by people who feel strongly one way

Answer 7

No. The Fundamentals of the Bible are right there for all to see. Jesus is the Word and the Word is God and the Word was made flesh (and dwelt among us).

JW's changed the wording and added a non-existent definite article "a" where there is none in the Greek text - twisting Scripture.

That's hardly fundamentalism.

Answer 8

since when have they become a cult o_O
id always thought it was a religion

Answer 9

attacks on religion...

make a will save of DC 15.

Answer 10

I don't think they are a cult.