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Two Major Errors of Jehovah's Witnesses

Those nice people who come to your door attempting to convert you to the One True Church™ are usually cultists, and the two most likely groups are Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. Some people boast about slamming the door in their faces, but that is a lousy Christian witness. Also, they put most professing Christians to shame because they are actively sharing their false beliefs while so many of us wallow in our complacency. Sadly, both groups are working toward earning their salvation. Desert View Watchtower, Flickr / Grand Canyon National Park  ( CC BY 2.0 ) Jehovah's Witnesses reject evolution, but are also not friendly toward biblical creation. This is most likely due to isolation efforts of this and other cults; your JW coworker will not be attending a social club or (shudder) your church with you. Their rejection of voting, standing for a National Anthem, refusal to participate in Christmas and birthdays, and several other isolating peculiarities are famous. JWs are adama

Emotionally-Based Belief Systems

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited January 2, 2015 Many times in social media posts, videos, articles and so on from anti-creationists and militant atheists, they act like they're doing the world a favor by ridiculing Christians and creationists. Many will go on crusades to rid the world of that nebulous phantom of "religion" that " causes all the wars ", or attack biblical creationists for the sake of protecting "science" (they are not protecting "science" at all, they conflate their religious views of evolution with science, and try to protect that from scrutiny). Purveyors of "reason" use very little of it, and rely on emotionalism and bigotry to persuade people of their views. Many of these keyboard warriors are unwilling to be obstreperous in person, saving their vituperative remarks for safe locations and (frequent) anonymity. It's mighty interesting to see that people who deny God (without whom logic and science are i

Why Do Cults Shun Christmas?

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited 10-23-2015 Most Christians (and many non-Christians) celebrate Christmas. There are some Christians who choose to avoid it. Unfortunately, there are also legalistic, judgmental Christians who scorn those of us who choose to celebrate, but this is based on a misunderstanding of Scripture and history (and maybe a prideful desire to feel "better" than others). Some of those people are influenced by atheistic dishonesty and cult propaganda. I've seen cults actually start with a foundation of blatant lies, and then build an "argument" against Christmas with "logic" that is cringe-worthy. Some legalistic Christians (as well as the Jehovah's Witnesses) proudly assert that everyone else is wrong and they  are right in avoiding Christmas. They assert alleged pagan associations with the holiday, and even torture the text of Jeremiah 10:1-16 to get it to confess that Christmas trees are evil. Except that their use is a

Bad Pairings and Sharing the Gospel

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. — 2 Cor. 6.14-18, HCSB 1 Cor. 6.14 KJV is often used as a warning by Christian parents to their dating-age children. "Unequally yoked" yields quite a few illustrations, especially for people who are familiar with working the land (Deut. 22.10). The version at the top

A Cult on Facebook Claiming to be Creationist

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen  Edited 23 February 2022, some links removed because that cultist Page is gone. This article will be rather heavy on graphics, so I will use lower resolution images as much as possible. Screenshots are under federal Fair Use provisions for information and educational purposes. They are necessary, since the cultist under discussion has been known to change or delete items when caught. These things are difficult to write. Not only do they take a great deal of time to compile links, Bible verses, screenshots and so forth, but I have to be certain that I am being accurate, doing the right thing and, above all, seeking glory to God, not glory to Bob. They are not fun to write. When it comes to disagreeing on matters of doctrine, a Christian must be very careful and write about the teaching themselves rather than rail against a brother or sister in Christ — especially regarding nonessentials.  This is different. Exposing false teachings is necessary, even tho

Side Issues Part 2 — Information and Discernment

— Cowboy Bob Sorensen In Part 1 , I defined theological "side issues" as things that are not essential to salvation, but are varying in importance. Some are extremely important, some not at all, and some are not important but vital in the eyes of adherents. One of my main points was that creation science is a side issue, but it is extremely important because Genesis is the foundation of almost all major Christian doctrines. This article will draw from some of my own experiences (some recent) and observations to emphasize the points I am making. Some people are so focused on their prize nonessentials that they elevate them to supreme importance. Many put aside instruction in sound doctrine, glorify themselves (which sounds to me like, "I am so clever because what I believe is a vitally important truth") and put others down for disagreeing. As I have discussed here before, one of the reasons that I put aside the Christian faith for about fifteen years was becau

Hell, Creation and Side Issues

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen Edited 1-11-2017 This article will undoubtedly upset some people. Do creationists have any business complaining about others who emphasize theological "side issues", when creation science is one of them? Absolutely! There are different kinds of side issues, some marginal importance and others with tremendous importance. Ancient of Days / William Blake, 1793 What is a "side issue"? People have their own opinions about and definitions for the term "side issue". One frequent connotation is that a side issue means something is not important. People are offended when they are told that the item they brought up is "just a side issue" and dismissed. For me, the best usage of "side issue" means that the subject under discussion is not essential to salvation. For example, belief in a literal six-day recent creation, belief in annihilation as opposed to eternal punishment in Hell, social concerns, speaking i