“There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is “born again,” he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3: 1-8) KJV
DLM Christian Lifestyle is my favorite online ministry. “Born again,” Christian minister Daniel covers every topic and while he speaks, Bible verses are quoted. I enjoy being at home in study on my own learnIng this way the most. At John 17:3 Jesus says, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
“Born again” Christians’ Bible studies are predominantly among themselves, at least what I experienced with a Church of Christ and a Pentecostal church. They don’t get out of their church and do the preaching work like the apostle Paul, and the apostles did with the public to zealously “make disciples.” At several women’s bible studies I attend with “born again” Christians, I emphasized preaching the “good news” with others on the outside. They never had any response. It seemed to me it was foreign news to them. There is no organization of “going out and doing the preaching work” to start Bible studies with any denomination of “born again” Christians that I have witnessed at any church, but I could be wrong. One church in particular appeared to me to be a “social club,” a party place to feast at, and take in a Bible study once a week or listen to a pastor for an hour on Sunday. No zeal for the preaching work at all. Their pastors are paid employees.
No Christian denomination does the “preaching work” better than Jehovah’s Witnesses. That’s what I’m used to, starting in my twenties, going door to door and more, “making disciples.” There are many films and documentary on Jehovah’s Witnesses and what their lives entails. We were literally in full-time school with all the constant Bible studies, and meetings. We really were slaves to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society though, and their Governing Body, not knowingly. No one was paid. The Kingdom Halls were low maintenance and we built the Halls ourselves, for free; “quick builds,” they’re called. My husband at the time was an overseer. The Theocratic Ministry School, which we studied for and prepared for prior to each week, trained us to talk at doors, and start and conduct Bible studies. Women did skits on stage, and boys as young as 4 and men dressed in suits and ties were trained in speech and speaking on stage. Constant “mind control cult” pressure, such as, “if you love Jehovah, you’ll talk about His Kingdom” was always on the forefront. This is Biblically accurate, “Go therefore and make disciples,” the call to action, compelling believers to actively spread the Gospel to all people and nations. Boy, did we ever too. All dressed up to meet early in “field ministry” we called it. Placing Watchtower and Awake magazines, books and tracts everywhere and conducting Bible studies in private homes.
Problem is with Jehovah’s Witnesses, they’re not actually Christians, come to find out after decades. The witnesses are very loving fine people who are so controlled by this “mind control cult,” they don’t take the time to research their beliefs or the Watchtower organization. Is Jehovah really God’s name, for instance? Absolutely not ! The name Jehovah first appeared in the early 1200’s by a monk named Raymundus Martini. The witnesses are so controlled that if one has a different opinion than the Watchtower, or questions the Watchtower, they’re disfellowshipped and shunned.
Run away ! Become an “inactive publisher.” Only Jesus judges us.
In my case, the situation ended up to be due to the “mind-control,” of always being told not to listen to “apostates” on the internet, when I did. I did start listening to apostates on YouTube. I was shocked to find out that Watchtower Bible and Tract Society were harboring pedophiles and sex offenders using a “two witness rule.” If there was a child alone with an adult, and the child was molested, the elders would say they will contact Watchtower headquarters for instruction, and the message was always the same, and clear from Watchtower Headquarters to, “do not contact the police and put reproach on Jehovah’s name.”
I experienced extreme “cognitive dissonance” after learning this. I told a few of my besties about the hiding of sexual assault and wondered when I would be at the Kingdom Hall, “do elders know about this?” Their husbands were elders too. Their response was that they never heard of any harboring of pedophiles, but they are aware of the “two-witness rule.” How can they possibly believe that this applies to assault ? This is when I woke up and deeply delved into Watchtower, the false prophets with their own version of the Bible, the New World Translation. Jesus warned about false prophets coming after him. They all have their own books, such as, the Book of Mormon, the Quran and others such as Scientology. Satan is very busy misleading many. (Revelation 12)
I started listening to “apostates,” and their experiences and their feelings and opinions. I experienced “cognitive dissonance,” and it was traumatic. I was shocked when listening to a former witness who was in the writing department at Bethel in New York. She had located thousands of files on sexual offenses that occured in the U.S.A. with active congregation members that were never reported to police. I woke up and began investigating and “thinking outside the box.” My eyes were open and I was floored. Watchtower are “false prophets.” That’s it. They have their own version of the Bible and they actually caused us to believe there are “two classes” of Christians and the governing body (name of a legal entity governing a corporation) only go to heaven, not the “other sheep” as they call those who will live on earth during the millennial reign. All bogus.
You just cannot believe their deceit can be that wicked. We were sincere Bible students. When a person doubts or sins, the elders form a judiciary committee and judge the person either to disfellowship them, do a public reproof or do nothing. I never was in a judicial committee my whole life. When I finally wanted to disassociate myself with the Watchtower, I just left and didn’t say anything. I spent time inactive and then sold everything I had or gave it to the poor and hit the road. I was outta there.
All of my best friends for years and years, I left behind. I didn’t want them involved or hurt because they are the best people on earth. They were my family.
Watchtower breaks up families too. When I left Catholicism, I was 18 years old. At that time of my life, I had been through so much emotional and physical trauma and heartache, I thought it was the “truth” as Watchtower call themselves. From 18 years on, I didn’t celebrate holidays. I do celebrate a few now though. My biological family are Catholics and never had interest in God really. It has been such a tragedy, come to think about it, but I know the Bible and I know God, my family does not.
When I left Watchtower, I didn’t leave God. God was always my goal since I was a child, but my beliefs did a 100 degree turnaround. I was SAVED. I became “born again.” (John 3:3) I put the plow in the ground and didn’t look back. (Luke 9:62) I walked away from Watchtower, my life and my friends. They didn’t know why, except for my closest friends, some who were missionaries in foreign countries. They didn’t say much, but not realizing they’re “mind controlled” in a high-control cult.
Thereafter, I questioned everything I knew. There is no way that I would ever allow an organization I gave my entire life to “shun” me. I cannot be bamboozled by any church organization.
There are approximately 1.25 million “active ministers,” of Watchtower Bible and Tract Society called Jehovah’s Witnesses in America and 11,803 congregations. No contributions go to the poor or help any congregant. No one is paid or employed by Watchtower. Who is behind Watchtower? Satan is.
There are 1.2 million Church of Christ ” predominantly not-active ministers” in America with over 11,776 congregations. The pastor is a paid employee. Almost exactly the same amount as Jehovah’s Witnesses in America.
There are 61.9 million Catholics in America and 20,000 parishes and no one knows the Bible much at all. At least that was my experience growing up in Catholic school and attending church. The Catholics literally burned the Bible and Christians were martyred, tortured and burned alive for heresy during the Spanish Inquisition from 1478 to 1834. Satan’s empire of false religion, Babylon the Great ? Absolutely ! They harbor pedos worldwide too.
For the most part, most people who are members of the above denominations were born into them. The members of most churches are on the decline worldwide. People stay home and worship.
Bottom line: I am not a slave to any church denomination. I am part of God’s church. I am ‘born again.” I am saved. I am a Christian.
Always with love and Christian at Anne Fisher Foundation.