Hello again Adrian...
Hello Deeje, thank you for dropping in.
Thank you. Is there a line of reasoning that you would like to explore?
I don't know if you got the gist of the conversation I have been having with @siti who used to be a JW. I think you probably have as we were discussing how far apart the JWs and Baha'is are from each other. That would lead to each other's theologies appearing somewhat strange or unusual to each other. Regardless of this difference it was still possible for us to converse and simply share our beliefs and agree to disagree. That was my experience and that was important as even though our discordant views frequently clashed, we still had the patience to carry on an extended conversation with each other. Like many, I have talked to JWs who go door. However the discussion we had enabled me to learn a lot more about your faith.
Indeed. I had heard of Baha'is but it never dawned on me that they were an offshoot of Islam. For some reason I thought they were more of an Eastern religion, rather than a Middle Eastern one. I have never encountered a Baha'i believer in my local neighborhood where we preach.
Clearly you have not met any Baha'is and it sounds as if you learnt a thing or two from our discussions about the Baha'is even though there here major disagreements. Christianity has Middle Eastern origins too of course.
The Bible is our guide in everything. How did God handle unrepentant wrongdoers in Israel?
"God took expelling, or disfellowshipping, action in numerous instances. He sentenced Adam to death and drove him and his wife Eve out of the garden of Eden. (Gen 3:19, 23, 24) Cain was banished and became a wanderer and a fugitive in the earth. (Gen 4:11, 14, 16) The angels that sinned were thrown into Tartarus, a condition of dense darkness in which they are reserved for judgment. (2Pe 2:4) Twenty-three thousand fornicators were cut off from Israel in one day. (1Cor 10:8) Achan was put to death at Jehovah’s command for stealing that which was devoted to Jehovah. (Joshua 7:15, 20, 21, 25) Korah the Levite along with Dathan and Abiram of the tribe of Reuben were cut off for rebellion, and Miriam was stricken with leprosy and eventually might have died in that condition if Moses had not pleaded for her. As it was, she was expelled from the camp of Israel under quarantine seven days. Num 16:27, 32, 33, 35; 12:10, 13-15.
Under the Law, for the penalty of cutting off to be carried out, evidence had to be established at the mouth of at least two witnesses. (Deut 19:15) These witnesses were required to be the first to stone the guilty one. (Deut 17:7) This would demonstrate their zeal for God’s law and the purity of the congregation of Israel and would also be a deterrent to false, careless, or hasty testimony.
Based on the principles of the Hebrew Scriptures, the Christian Greek Scriptures by command and precedent authorize expulsion, or disfellowshipping, from the Christian congregation. By exercising this God-given authority, the congregation keeps itself clean and in good standing before God. The apostle Paul, with the authority vested in him, ordered the expulsion of an incestuous fornicator who had taken his father’s wife. (1Co 5:5-13) He also exercised disfellowshipping authority against Hymenaeus and Alexander. (1Tim 1:19, 20)"
Excerpt from Expelling — Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Thank you for your very detailed and clear explanation of disfellowshipping. I can see the biblical basis and logic behind it, although it is not how the Baha'is would approach such problems. You would expect that. Our theology is derived from Baha'u'llah, a Persian Prophet, who Baha'is consider to be a 'Manifestation of God' alongside Jesus and Muhammad.
I was married to an unbeliever for almost 45 years. He respected my views, I respected his. I became a JW after we were married. It is always easier to be married to a fellow JW, since we would not have conflicting ideas or goals. I believe that serving God together strengthens a marriage.
I agree that it can be easier to be married to someone who is the same Faith and that is the ideal if possible. I didn't realise you were married to a non-believer and I suspect that marriage gave you a better capacity to relate to diverse people with differing Faiths as it has for me.
JW's are good neighbors and work colleagues but reserve most of their social interaction for fellow believers. We have little in common with those who do not share our faith, so we do not naturally gravitate to them. You can't have friendships with people you have difficulty communicating with, or who don't share common interests.
That is what I figured and I think quite a lot of religions are like that. The Baha'is are quite gregarious as Baha'u'llah taught us to have a world embracing view and to consort with peoples of all Faiths in a spirit of love and fellowship.
From our perspective, we cannot "bridge gaps" because the gaps are too wide. What Baha'is believe is not even close to what we accept as truth. You have a wide range of views embracing other religious beliefs and leaders, whereas we have one simple faith based entirely on the teachings of Jesus Christ whom we believe was God's last prophet.
We do not believe that God would sent messengers into the world with conflicting messages. There was one faith in Israel and one faith in Christianity....we have one faith expressed in one global brotherhood where all believe the same things, and worship God Jehovah in the same way.
Ha ha. I won't even begin to deconstruct those words, except to say, we may be closer than you think, and we may be further apart than I think. May the One True God through Christ be upon you and continue to bless you.
Thank you so much for dropping by.
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