My critics ask me why am I writing this. I should answer that first. . . . Because I want to do for others what I would want someone to do for me if I were in their place. 'Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.' |
How should we talk to such persons? The Bible gives guidelines showing
how to present the real truth of the Bible. We should be gracious and respectful
(Colossians 4:5,6;
The principle underlying this presentation method is Jesus' statement
"No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love
the other . . ." (found at
I start by asking them to explain two specific doctrines, doctrines that I have chosen very carefully and ones they also desire to discuss. These two doctrines are self-contradicting. I am careful to take the attitude of a newspaper interviewer and have them detail the implications of believing those doctrines.Then I ask them which one I should believe. To believe one of the doctrines with its natural consequences prevents one from believing in the other. They cannot believe both doctrines at the same time, they can accept one but must reject the other.
At the end of the discussion, I ask this final question:
"At first you said that one must believe <issue One> and to be a
member in your religion I must hold to that. But regarding <issue Two>
you said that I must do (or believe) differently. So my question
is this, if I were to believe <issue One> as you taught me, with all
of the natural implications, would I be welcome in your religion?
Every (informed) member of that church has answered me in effect. . . "No, if you were to believe the doctrines that we first taught you, along with the natural implications, we could not welcome you as a member in our religion and if you were already a member, we would expel you." |
Why talk to them this way instead of immediately challenging them with Bible scriptures that challenge their views? Because it is easier for a person to examine his own beliefs than yours and it is easier to lead a person to affirm doctrines he is supposed to believe than it is to persuade him of doctrines he has been taught to refute.
For the Jehovah's Winesses I no longer have a text document but
have a YouTube channel instead. Watch the videos in order to see how to
witness to the Jehovah's Witnesses
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1D5F76A69920791B&feature=mh_lolz
For the Mormons - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS) - I ask this:
1) "If I were to accept your teaching that the Book
of Mormon is the most correct book on the planet and was translated into
English by a prophet of God for us to understand and if I were to accept
the words in that book at 3 Nephi 11:21-28 as being true and authoritative
and if I were to be baptized exactly as stated there according to those
words - supposedly spoken by Jesus - then would I be welcome in the LDS
church?" . . . Their answer is 'NO'.
2) "If I view the the sacrament (Lord's supper) as holy and wished to have a clean conscience while taking it and wanted to eat it the way Jesus, Paul (and Joseph Smith?) did with unleavened bread -- eating leavened bread for the Lord's supper makes me feel unclean since it represented sin (1 Corinthians 5:7,8) -- would I be welcome in the church?" . . . Their answer is 'NO'. |