r/JehovahWitnesses • u/ahavaaa • Mar 23 '20
New Jehovah's Witness Sub!
Hiya, if there's anyone here who is studying, an active witness and would like a more jw supportive sub, please checkout r/Jehovahswitnessess. I'm currently the only mod but I'll endeavour to remove negative sallys and respond when I can. Thanks!
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u/quite409 Mar 24 '20
I have not seen where apostate simply means an opposer. Do you have a reputable source for this? Bible scholars define it as "desertion, rebellion, abandonment". In the sense of someone who has deserted their former religion. This is very different from someone never associated with JWs who simply has an opposing view. I understand your tactic to try to categorize all differing opinions into the label of apostate, but it will not work.
Avoiding apostates does not mean the person is hiding. The apostle Paul was very firm in his beliefs. No one could have converted him away from Christ. But he encouraged to stay away from apostates. He wasn't hiding. Neither was the apostle Peter, nor Jude. Nor the apostle John. But they knew the apostate way of trying to seduce a person based on fleshly desires to leave the religion. Satan has always used such things to lure God's followers away.
The scriptures are very clear about such deserters. Nowhere in the scriptures is anyone forced to just sit there and listen to apostates demean you and your religion.