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When John 1:1-4 says :

the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He was in the beginning with God.

All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be

through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;

If the holy spirit is God's impersonal active force, why is the holy spirit referred to as "he" and "him" in Jn 16:7-8 and Jn 16:13-14?

If Christ was created by God and was the wisdom of God (Prov 8:1-4 and Prov 8:22-31), then before Jesus would have been created, God would have had to have been without wisdom. How is it possible that God could have ever been without wisdom?

On page 7 of the booklet Should You Believe in the Trinity?, unreferenced quotes from Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, Hippolytus, and Origen are made. Why are these quotes unreferenced? Also on page 7 of this same booklet, the statement is made, "Thus, the testimony of the Bible and of history makes it clear that the Trinity was unknown throughout Biblical times and for SEVERAL CENTURIES thereafter." Based on the quotes below (taken from The Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Roberts and Donaldson, Wm. B. Eerdmans publisher), how can the Watchtower Society make these claims?

The WTS makes the claim, "So there was no clergy class within Christian congregations of the first century." (Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom, pg. 35). Based on the information below, how can the Watchtower Society make these claims?

Bishop - comes from the Greek word "episkopos" - Acts 20:28, Phil 1:1, 1Tim 3:1,2, Tit 1:7. See Gr-Engl Interlinear. Also, see footnote on pg. 35 of Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom to see how the present English word "bishop" came from the Greek word "episkopos".

Priest - comes from the Greek word "presbuteros" - Acts 16:4, 1Tim 5:17, Jas 5:14, Tit 1:5, 1Pet 5:1. See Gr-Engl Interlinear. Also, see footnote on pg. 36 of Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom to see how the present English word "priest" came from the Greek "presbuteros".

Deacon - comes from the Greek word "diakonos" - 1Tim 3:8,10,12, Phil 1:1. See Gr-Engl Interlinear.

In the NWT (the Jehovah's witness version of the bible), almost every time the Greek word "theon" appears, it is translated as "God" (Mt 22:37, Lk 10:27, Jn 1:1b, 8:41, 14:1, 17:3, 1Jn 4:7, 4:12, 5:2, Rev 14:7). But in Jn 10:33 the same Greek word "theon" is translated as "a god" (See Gr-Engl Interlinear). Why the inconsistency in the translation? If the NWT were consistent and translated "theon" of Jn 10:33 the same way it is translated in all the other verses above, how would Jn 10:33 read?

"Christ is God's Son and is inferior to him." Given in support of this position are these verses: "And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'" (Matt. 3:17). "I proceeded and came forth from God" (John 8:42). "If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17). "The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3). "When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one" (1 Cor. 15:28).

But what about John 10:30: "I and the Father are one"? Or, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9)? Or, "All that the Father has is mine" (John 16:15). Or, "The Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:18)? Or, "[Jesus], though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped" (Phil. 2:6).

The God of the Israelites, revealed to Moses was four Hebrew consonants "YHWH" (Used in the Old Testament 6639 times) called the Tetragrammaton. After the exile (6th Century B.C.), and especially from the 3rd century BC on, Jews ceased to use the name Yahweh for two reasons. As Judaism became a universal religion through its proselytizing in the Greco-Roman world, the more common noun elohim, meaning "god," tended to replace Yahweh to demonstrate the universal sovereignty of Israel's God over all others. At the same time, the divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered; it was thus replaced vocally in the synagogue ritual by the Hebrew word Adonai ("My Lord"), which was translated as Kyrios ("Lord") in the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament

When Fundamentalists study the writings of the "Reformers" (or founders of their particular sect) on Mary, the Mother of Jesus, they will find that the "Reformers" accepted almost every major Marian doctrine and considered these doctrines to be both scriptural and fundamental to the historic Christian Faith.

Martin Luther:

Mary the Mother of God

Throughout his life Luther maintained without change the historic Christian affirmation that Mary was the Mother of God:

"She is rightly called not only the mother of the man, but also the Mother of God ... It is certain that Mary is the Mother of the real and true God."1

Perpetual Virginity

Again throughout his life Luther held that Mary's perpetual virginity was an article of faith for all Christians - and interpreted Galatians 4:4 to mean that Christ was "born of a woman" alone.

"It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a Virgin."2

The Immaculate Conception

Yet again the Immaculate Conception was a doctrine Luther defended to his death (as confirmed by Lutheran scholars like Arthur Piepkorn). Like Augustine, Luther saw an unbreakable link between Mary's divine maternity, perpetual virginity and Immaculate Conception. Although his formulation of the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was not clear-cut, he held that her soul was devoid of sin from the beginning:

"But the other conception, namely the infusion of the soul, it is piously and suitably believed, was without any sin, so that while the soul was being infused, she would at the same time be cleansed from original sin and adorned with the gifts of God to receive the holy soul thus infused. And thus, in the very moment in which she began to live, she was without all sin..."3

Assumption

Although he did not make it an article of faith, Luther said of the doctrine of the Assumption:

"There can be no doubt that the Virgin Mary is in heaven. How it happened we do not know."4

Honor to Mary

Despite his unremitting criticism of the traditional doctrines of Marian mediation and intercession, to the end Luther continued to proclaim that Mary should be honored. He made it a point to preach on her feast days.

"The veneration of Mary is inscribed in the very depths of the human heart."5

"Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honoured? This is the woman who crushed the Serpent's head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing."6 Luther made this statement in his last sermon at Wittenberg in January 1546.

John Calvin: It has been said that John Calvin belonged to the second generation of the Reformers and certainly his theology of double predestination governed his views on Marian and all other Christian doctrine . Although Calvin was not as profuse in his praise of Mary as Martin Luther he did not deny her perpetual virginity. The term he used most commonly in referring to Mary was "Holy Virgin".

"Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary was at the same time the eternal God."7

"Helvidius has shown himself too ignorant, in saying that Mary had several sons, because mention is made in some passages of the brothers of Christ."8 Calvin translated "brothers" in this context to mean cousins or relatives.

"It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor."9

"To this day we cannot enjoy the blessing brought to us in Christ without thinking at the same time of that which God gave as adornment and honour to Mary, in willing her to be the mother of his only-begotten Son."10

Ulrich Zwingli:

"It was given to her what belongs to no creature, that in the flesh she should bring forth the Son of God."11

"I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin."12 Zwingli used Exodus 4:22 to defend the doctrine of Mary's perpetual virginity.

"I esteem immensely the Mother of God, the ever chaste, immaculate Virgin Mary."13

"Christ ... was born of a most undefiled Virgin."14

"It was fitting that such a holy Son should have a holy Mother."15

"The more the honor and love of Christ increases among men, so much the esteem and honor given to Mary should grow."16

"The Lord's Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming" (Southern Baptist "Faith and Message," June 14, 2000).

Was it not in the breaking of the Eucharistic bread that the disciples might catch a fleeting, nearly mystical, glimpse of the Risen Lord (Luke 24:30-31)?

Was Paul lying when he told us that when we partake of the Eucharist, we are partaking of the substantial and quite material presence of Christ Himself: "The blessing-cup, which we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ; and the loaf of bread which we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ" (1 Cor. 10:16)? Does Paul say anything about the Eucharist being a mere symbolic act? Or does he use stark and clearly simple language that suggests a sharing in the material body and blood of Christ?

Do not Paul and the three Synoptic Gospels use equally clear and simple language when they record the words of consecration, "this IS my body"? Is not the simplest, clearest interpretation of the Bible usually the best?

Was Paul misleading us when he severely warned that, "anyone who eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily is answerable for the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone is to examine himself and only then eat of the bread or drink from the cup, because a person who eats or drinks without recognizing the body is eating and drinking his own condemnation" (1 Cor. 11:27-29)? Does Paul say that we are profaning a symbol, or are we are actually profaning the body of Christ? Does Paul not go on to say that partaking of the Lord's Supper without recognizing that body, upon self-examination, is itself to eat and drink condemnation unto oneself?

When he did not bring forth any signs produced in a supernatural way, which alone fittingly gives witness to divine inspiration; for a visible action that can be only divine reveals an invisibly inspired teacher of truth.

- That Christ returned invisibly in 1874? - The Finished Mystery, 1917, pg. 54, 60, 68

- Against vaccinations? - Golden Age, Feb 4, 1931, pg. 293

Golden Age, Jan 5, 1929, pg. 502

- Against organ transplants? - Watchtower, 11/15/67, pg. 702

- That it was okay to celebrate Christmas and birthdays?

- That Christ was crucified? - The Finished Mystery, 1917, pg. 68

- That Christ is the almighty of Rev 1:8? - The Finished Mystery, 1917, pg. 15

- That the pyramid of Gizah was God's witness and was used to predict the year of

Armageddon? - The Finished Mystery, 1917, pg. 60

Since the WTS no longer teaches the above as "the truth", does this mean that the above teachings are false teachings? If so, does this mean that while the WTS taught the above as "truth", that they were really guilty of false teachings? How could the Watchtower Society ever be guilty of false teaching if it is Jehovah's organization and being directed by Jehovah God?

Alma 16:13: "And Alma and Amulek went forth preaching repentance to the people in their temples, and in their sanctuaries, and also in their synagogues, which were built after the manner of the Jews."

This statement assumes that these inhabitants of ancient America were aware of how the Jews built their synagogues.

Synagogues were an integral part of Jewish society in the times of Jesus as we see in the New Testament. The synagogue was established for the study of the Law, and differed very much from the temple worship of the Old Testament period, which involved many sacrifices in keeping with the Law of Moses. Scientific and archaeological evidence points to the origin of synsgagues as being about the latter part of the intertestamental period.

How could Alma and Amulek know how the Jews built thier synagogues when the Jews themselves weren t building them before Lehi (supposedly) left for the Americas in 600 BC?

"If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Deut. 18:22

The following is a list of false prophecies made by the Jehovah's Witnesses over the past century..

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In 1972 the Jehovah's Witness Watchtower claimed to be the prophet of God (The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197).

1897 "Our Lord, the appointed King, is now present, since October 1874," (Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 4, page 621).

1899 "...the battle of the great day of God Almighty' ( Revelation 16:14 ), which will end in A.D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of earth's present rulership, is already commenced." (The Time Is at Hand, page 101 (1908 edition)).

1916 "The Bible chronology herein presented shows that the six great 10000 year days beginning with Adam are ended, and that the great 7th Day, the 1000 years of Christ's Reign, began in 1873." (The Time Is at Hand, page ii, (forward)).

1918 "Therefore we may confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the Apostle in Hebrews 11, to the condition of human perfection." (Millions Now Living Will Never Die, page 89).

1922 "The date 1925 is even more distinctly indicated by the Scriptures than 1914." (The Watchtower 9/1/22, page 262).

1923 "Our thought is, that 1925 is definitely settled by the Scriptures. As to Noah, the Christian now has much more upon which to base his faith than Noah had upon which to base his faith in a coming deluge." (The Watchtower, p. 106 4/1/23).

1925 "The year 1925 is here. With great expectation Christians have looked forward to this year. Many have confidently expected that all members of the body of Christ will be changed to heavenly glory during this year. This may be accomplished. It may not be. In his own due time God will accomplish his purposes concerning his people. Christians should not be so deeply concerned about what may transpire this year." (The Watchtower, 1/1/25, page 3).

1925 "It is to be expected that Satan will try to inject into the minds of the consecrated, the thought that 1925 should see an end to the work." (The Watchtower, Sept, 1925 page 262).

1926 "Some anticipated that the work would end in 1925, but the Lord did not state so. The difficulty was that the friends inflated their imaginations beyond reason; and that when their imaginations burst asunder, they were inclined to throw away everything." (The Watchtower, page 232).

1931 "There was a measure of disappointment on the part of Jehovah's faithful ones on earth concerning the years 1917, 1918, and 1925, which disappointment lasted for a time...and they also learned to quit fixing dates." (Vindication, page 338).

1941 "Receiving the gift, the marching children clasped it to them, not a toy or plaything for idle pleasure, but the Lord's provided instrument for most effective work in the remaining months before Armageddon." (The Watchtower, 9/15/41, page 288).

1968 "True, there have been those in times past who predicted an end to the world', even announcing a specific date. Yet nothing happened. The end' did not come. They were guilty of false prophesying. Why? What was missing?..Missing from such people were God's truths and evidence that he was using and guiding them." (Awake, 10/8/68).

1968 "Why are you looking forward to 1975?" (The Watchtower, 8/15/68, page 494)

The excuse often given for these false prophecies has been to quote Proverbs 4:18 :"But the path of the righteous ones is like the bright light that is getting lighter and lighter until the day it is firmly established."

However, this is not a valid excuse as it in no way refers to the making of false prophecies, but rather refers to the growth in faith of the righteous

Eucharistic miracles involve incidences in which the Host has "turned into human flesh and blood". Of course we as Catholics believe that the consecrated Host is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of our Lord, under the appearances of bread and wine. Therefore, Jesus, through these miracles, merely manifests His Presence in a more tangible way.

If the Mormon Scripture reveals that God the Father has a tangible body of flesh and that He cannot dwell in a man's heart. (D&C 130:3,22,23). Then the Holy Bible says.

John 4:24.

God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth."

It is a mockery before God to baptize little children (Mormon teaching manual Chapter 20). When the holy bible saids.

"Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children and to all that are far off, every one whom the Lord our God calls to Him." [Acts 2:38-39]

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." [Acts 16:31]

...and he (the jailer) was baptized at once, with all his family. [Acts 16:33]

Now these baptisms were performed with a sense of urgency. If baptism were not necessary for salvation, then why did St. Paul baptize the jailer and his family almost immediately during the midnight hour? Since baptism is a one-time event for a person, it was more expedient for St. Paul to simply baptize the whole family than to tell the jailer that baptism is necessary for salvation.

This particular passage leads into the second issue: infant baptism. Even though the Bible does not directly address the issue of infant baptism, it does record the baptisms of three different families. As quoted above all of the jailer's family were baptized (Acts 16:33). Also the family of Lydia (Acts 16:15) and the family of Stephanas (1 Cor 1:16) were baptized. Typically a family includes children. These three passages infer infant baptism, even though they may not explicitly indicate the baptism of children. There are no indications that only adults were involved. Now it is possible that a family may be childless; however, the chance that these three families had at least one young child is greater than the chance that all three had no children. A Christian, who objects to infant baptism, must interpret these three Bible passages with the assumption that each family had no young children.

Elsewhere Jesus said:

"Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it. [Luke 18:16-17; also see Matt 11:25]

To all Protestants and other non-Catholics claiming to be followers of Christ:

Take this simple test to see if your church is truly a biblical church!

(1) "And they shall bring all your brethren out of all nations for a gift to the Lord, upon horses, and in chariots, and in litters, and on mules, and in coaches, to my holy mountain Jerusalem, saith the Lord, as if the children of Israel should bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. And I will take of them to be priests, and Levites,

saith the Lord." (Isaias 66:20-21)

The Old Testament prophesies that in the New Covenant, there will be a ministerial priesthood. Does your church have a ministerial priesthood?

(2) "And in those days cometh John the Baptist preaching in the desert of Judea. And saying: Do penance: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (St. Matthew 3:1-2)

The bible describes the Church as a kingdom, a monarchy. Does your church resemble a monarchy? A democracy? Anarchy?

(3) "For from the rising of the sun even to the going down, my name is great among the Gentiles, and in every place there is sacrifice, and there is offered to my name a clean oblation: for my name is great among the Gentiles, saith the Lord of hosts." (Malachias 1:11)

The Old Testament prophesies that in the New Covenant, a "clean" (pure) oblation and sacrifice will be offered up from East to West. Does your church offer up a spotless sacrifice and oblation when it meets?

(4) "And when thy days shall be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will raise up thy seed after thee... He shall build a house to my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom fore ever." (2 Kings [2 Samuel] 7:12-13)

"And my servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd." (Ezechiel 37:24)

"Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb and shalt bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus... And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father." (St. Luke 1:31-32)

"But you are come to mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the company of many thousands of angels." (Hebrews 12:22)

The Bible teaches that Jesus came to restore the Davidic Kingdom, and to elevate it to a heavenly plane. Does your church manifest this restoration of the Davidic Kingdom?

(5) "And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will call my servant Eliacim the son of Helcias, and I will clothe him with thy robe, and will strengthen him with thy girdle, and will give thy power into his hand: and he shall be as a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Juda. And I will lay the key of the house of David upon his shoulder: and he shall open, and none shall shut: and he shall shut, and none shall open." (Isaias 22:20-22)

The Bible teaches that the Davidic Kingdom which Jesus restored includes a Prime Minister, one who holds "the key of the house of David," who is given "power," who is "as a father" to the citizens of the kingdom. Does your church acknowledge such a Prime Minister, and the authority of the keys?

(6) "And Jesus said to them: Amen I say to you, that you who have followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the seat of his majesty, you also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (St. Matthew 19:28)

The Bible teaches that this restored Davidic Kingdom has princes that rule over the kingdom. Does your church acknowledge these princes?

(7) "Then Bethsabee came to king Solomon, to speak to him for Adonias: and the king arose to meet her, and bowed to her, and sat down upon his throne: and a throne was set for the king's mother, and she sat on his right hand.

And she said to him: I desire one small petition of thee; do not put me to confusion. And the king said to her: My mother ask, for I must not turn away thy face." (3 Kings [1 Kings] 2:19-20)

"And Roboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Juda... And his mother's name was Naama, an Ammonitess." (3 Kings [1 Kings] 14:21)

"Now in the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, Abiam reigned over Juda... the name of his mother was Maacha, the daughter of Abessalom." (3 Kings [1 Kings] 15:1-2)

"So in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, reigned Asa, king of Juda... His mother's name was Maacha, the daughter of Abessalom." (3 Kings [1 Kings] 15:9-10)

The Bible teaches that the Davidic Kingdom includes the office of the Queen Mother. Does your church

acknowledge the Queenship of the Mother of the King?

(8) "But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)

The Bible teaches that the Church is the "pillar and ground of the truth." Does your church teach this elevated authority of herself?

(9) "Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle." (2 Thessalonians 2:14)

The Bible teaches that apostolic tradition is to be held to, whether it comes by "epistle," or by "word." Does your church hold to both written as well as oral traditions?

(10) "And Mary said... for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." (St. Luke 1:46, 48)

The Bible teaches that all generations will call Mary "blessed." Does your church encourage you to bless the Mother of God?

If your answer to any of these questions is NO, then you better become Catholic now!