Why is it that on Yahoo answers that the Jehovah's Witnesses refer to someone as a "born again" in a derrogatory manner?
The scripture says this:
John 3:3, "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God."
((IF you're not born again YOU WILL NOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD!!! That's what Jesus said.))
The scriptures say this:
1 Peter 1:23, "Being BORN AGAIN, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."
Don't you believe what Jesus said? Don't you believe what Paul wrote? I thought you believed in the Bible.
Also, to be termed an "apostate" don't you have to have been a former member?
I am not a former member--how do I qualify for the term apostate when I follow and read the scriptures?
2007-10-01 01:23:59 · 13 answers · asked by steinbeck11 6 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Interestingly, Jehovah's Witnesses' own statistics count about 1 million active Witnesses in the United States, but about 2 million associate themselves by meeting attendance. Secular surveys generally note that about 1% (or 3 million) Americans identify themselves with Jehovah's Witnesses. In summary:
...1 million practice
...2 million attend
...3 million identify
Clearly, there are many who identify themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses while having little or no formal connection with the religion. This questioner is to be commended for seeking information about Jehovah's Witness beliefs, but should be cautioned that such information may be of limited use in understanding the assertions of a person who is only tangentially committed to the faith.
No person who believes and obeys the Scriptures (in their entirety) is an apostate. During 2006, Jehovah's Witness statistics reported more than eight thousand born-again Christians within their ranks.
http://watchtower.ca/e/statistics/worldwide_report.htm
Perhaps the only real confusion concerns different definitions for the term "born agains" and "apostates".
Learn more:
http://watchtower.ca/e/20050508/article_01.htm
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/membership.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/index.htm
http://watchtower.ca/e/20060401/article_01.htm
http://watchtower.ca/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_08.htm
2007-10-01 04:56:01 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 4⤊ 2⤋
We don't degrade anyone for using that term. It may sometime be read as on the mean side, my answers are not meant to be. Sarcastic probably.
People using the term frequently mix things up. In Jesus' reference, he was talking about going to heavenly life. The Bible shows in 1 Cor. 15:50 that "flesh and blood cannot enter into heaven." A human must first die in the flesh and be resurrected into a spirit form of life. Come on. Admit it. No matter how impolite it is, a portion inside of one who understands this chuckles when someone declares with both hands raised they have been born again. They aren't spirits, just same old human forms.
I slip on a banana peel, I expect someone to laugh. That is justice and funny.
As for apostate(s), it is defined and mentioned throughout the Bible as teaching against the true God. Isaiah 32:6; Jer. 23:15; Daniel 11:32; Acts 21:21; 2Thes. 2:3; Job 13:16; 17:8; 27:8; Isaiah 10:6; Ps. 35:16; Proverbs 11:9; Isaiah 9:17; 33:14.
They don't have to be ex-JWs. They simply have to know what they are saying is not true and deliberately lie.
2007-10-01 06:01:07 · answer #2 · answered by grnlow 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
What Is the Bible’s View?
What Does It Mean to be “Born Again”?
A BASIC requirement for gaining entrance into the heavenly kingdom is one’s being “born again.” Said Jesus Christ to the Jewish ruler Nicodemus: “Most truly I say to you, Unless anyone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3) But what does it mean to be “born again”? To answer this question, we must examine what else Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus.
Reporting on the conversation between the Son of God and Nicodemus, the apostle John wrote: “Nicodemus said to him: ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter into the womb of his mother a second time and be born, can he?’ Jesus answered: ‘Most truly I say to you, Unless anyone is born from water and spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. What has been born from flesh is flesh, and what has been born from the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel because I told you, You people must be born again. The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone that has been born from the spirit.’”—John 3:4-8.
Jesus’ words indicate that a spiritual rebirth is involved and that both water and spirit play a role in this. But how is a person “born from water and spirit
2007-10-01 01:35:37 · answer #3 · answered by sceneofdarhyme 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My Wife and I got baptized in Aug. 1996 as Jehovah's Witnesses. We searched long and hard for the truth. And after studying with Jehovah's Witnesses we knew they had the truth.
When we went to the Kingdom Hall for the first time it was obvious that they had God's Holy Spirit.
They displayed the fruits of God's Spirit.
Gal 5:22 On the other hand, the fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 mildness, self-control.
We invite all people to ask for a free home bible study and make an honest decision about our beliefs and worship.
Even in this troubled world, you can gain happiness from accurate Bible knowledge of God, his Kingdom, and his wonderful purpose for mankind.
You can find the link in my profile to our official web site.
Thank you very much for asking ACTIVE JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES ABOUT OUR BELIEFS.
Have a nice day.
2007-10-01 07:05:18 · answer #4 · answered by Jason W 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
JW's are taught that only the 144,000 are born again, because they believe that only this number will make up God's new government or new heavens, based on Rev 7:4. They therefore are, and they are, I speak from personal experience, derrogatory about anybody who claims to be born again unless they are a JW who purports to be one of the 144,000. They are clearly misled by the Watchtower society on two counts. One being that, as you correctly point out, Jesus taught that all men need to be born again to see the kingdom of heaven, wit, I believe, the emphasis on SEE. Whether 144,000 reign in heaven is irrelevant because the earth they rule over will also be part of the kingdom of heaven. To claim that Gods new kingdom will only consist of the heavens denies scripture, Rev. 21:1, 'a new heavens and a new earth'. To say this is akin to saying that our govenment is the only body that makes up the U.K., when in reality a kingdom consists of a government or rulership AND it's subjects. To deny the subjects the ability to be born again is, according to the scripures you quoted, to deny them life. Therefore, if the society is right about only 144,000 going to heaven to rule over the earth, they will find they have no subjects. As for the 144,000, is not likely to be a real number, but is probably symbolic seeing as all the other numbers in Rev. are symbolic, as is the list of Israelite tribes. I can only pray that individual JW's wake up and realist that their society is, according to the very scripures they claim they believe in, condemning millions of people to die when Christ returns. May the Holy Spirit work upon them all so that their eyes will be opened.
2007-10-01 02:20:43 · answer #5 · answered by the truth has set me free 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
I want that everybody in yahoo answers would know the meaning of the word ' born again ' which is misinterpreted by many existings false religionslike the Jehovah witness , born again christian and other related religions in the whole world.
What it means in John 3:3 is about the word of Jesus born again. Born agains means the baptism. He said verily (truly), I say unto you that if a man shall not be baptized, He can no go to Heaven for eternal life.
In 1 Peter 1:23 it is the same word that being baptized spiritually in His name and water as it is the word of Go to mankind while living and it should be abided to all mankind.
for your proper information on the matter about the word born again.
jtm
2007-10-01 01:46:58 · answer #6 · answered by Jesus M 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
Hi. I personally don't recall seeing someone purporting to be a Witness use the term "born again" as a derrogartory term. Could you give an example??
Well in general yes, though the term is used at times by some to refer to persons who simply make things up that aren't true/tell purposefull lies/intentionally give misleading information
2007-10-01 01:31:52 · answer #7 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 2⤊ 3⤋
I like your question. Their fruit shows they aren't Christians. I like what Unsilenced Lamb said and I know for a fact the she's been labeled an unfairly labeled an "apostate."
The JW's believe in a different bible, different jesus, different doctrine and it's not the doctrine of Christ. They don't believe that Jesus was God in human flesh. They are antichrist! 2 Jn. 7,9.
They call anyone apostates whether they are former JW's or people who disagree with them Scripturally. I always show them who the apostate really is and they get irritated. Like you, I read and obey the Scriptures and I study to be a workman approved by God.(2 Tim. 2:15)
The common jw or mormon can turn the average Christian into a doctrinal pretzel. This shouldn't happen! We need to study the Word and call the cults out and use their own teachings against them. I personally like doing this. It allows everyone to see who the apostate really is. Then the cults tend to shriek, spin, squirm, and run.
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Heb. 4:12
2007-10-01 03:46:41 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 6⤋
I don't think I've seen anyone who is one of Jehovah's Witnesses refer to anyone who claims to be "born again" in a derogatory way.
I have had some who claim to be "born again" who have acted in a manner that would belie such a claim, including some here on Yahoo Answers.
2007-10-01 02:58:51 · answer #9 · answered by NMB 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Question for you, Abraham, Noah, David are not born again, the Bible didnt' say so nor used that term "born again" for them, so are you saying that these faithful followers of God are not going to be saved nor can inherit God's kingdom?
2007-10-01 07:56:32 · answer #10 · answered by trustdell1 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋