There are two damaging doctrines of the LHMM that have had the worst effect on its believers. These are the doctrines of:
(1) Pastor Russell being "that servant" mentioned in Matt. 24:46 and chosen as the Parousia Messenger.
(2) Paul S. L. Johnson being God's chosen "Epiphany Messenger"
These doctrines cause the following issues:
* Final authority on Biblical interpretation comes from what these men (Russell and Johnson) said or wrote...and not a plain reading of the text or even a "we don't know" response. This stops thinking and attempts to read or understand the Bible via reading of the text and studying on your own.
* It sets the stage for spiritual abuse. With this added "authority" of being God's special messenger, anyone who disagrees can be labeled a sifter and excommunicated or whatever. It provides undue spiritual power to the leader in question. There are many examples of this abuse taking place right in Johnson's own writings. It continues today with the present leader. There is nothing new under the sun. It would, however, be good to recognize this as a pattern that is destructive to people.
Johnson died in 1950. So where are the subsequent messengers? How do you know who to follow? Who are his rightful successors? Is God dealing with the LHMM anymore? It's become quite difficult to pull out scriptures that show authority at this time. The forces people to make their own decisions. Some choose "the channel" of the LHMM and other have not. It's just a more difficult question for them to answer at this time.
If the pastor of my church said that it was "his way or the highway" because his interpretation of Scripture was the only correct one on every minor detail then I would find another church. No church is perfect...but doctrines are not that simple. You need to be willing to discuss and defend certain doctrines...not die for every one.
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18 comments:
Dear friend, You have criticised Past. Russell and Past.Johnson. Appreciate your views. However, you have not mentioned 'WHY' you can not accept thier teaching except that they are ' Dead' now. For a better discussion it would be suggested to point out thier teaching one by one and check whether they are as per scriptures or not. It would be helpful if the discussions are totally based on Bible and spirit of Love.
Their teachings on 'The Two Phases of the Kingdom of God' itself is a very good example 'WHO' they are.
Awaiting to hear from you more.....
Thomas Mathew, India
For discussions of various doctrines, you may read other blog posts from the past. Certainly, there are some good things that you can find in their teachings but they are in no ways unique. These doctrines have been discussed, debated, and taught by many theologians and continue to be expounded upon today by people that help relate the Scripture to our present world. The teachings of Russell and Johnson are stuck in the time period that they were written and many things they wrote proved themselves to be incorrect over time. To continue to study them as if they are the only "present truth" is wrong and damaging to those that are stuck in that mindset.
I might ask you a question also. WHY do you accept their teachings given all their writings as a whole? Is it because you have proved them all from Scripture and come to the exact conclusions on your own and independent of their commentary? Or is it because you believe in their authority (which was self-proclaimed) and then agree with their comments?
Dear friend,
I would be interested to know something of the indoctrination process. Is one admitted to fellowship with LHMM upon profession of faith in Christ alone? If so, how long does it take for new ones to finally accept the authority of the "servants" as being God's channels? What is their status in the meantime? Are they accepted as brethren prior to acknowledging the authority of the two "servants"? Or, is there a required course of study before they can even attend meetings?
Your answers are appreciated.
There isn't any real process for becoming a member. Also, the group really isn't growing an any appreciable manner so there wouldn't be many new people to admit. Coming among those in the LHMM would start by attending a Bible study on a regular basis...and it would be expected that you believe in the answers presented in "the writings". If you had other opinions you would soon not feel comfortable studying with them. Fellowship would be based upon profession of faith in Christ in theory but in practice it is by agreeing with their exact set of doctrines and knowledge. Hope that helps.
Who is that servant?
We are simply stating the truth and freeing people to make an informed choice of who to follow. We believe the facts speak for themselves. There is no one best church. All churches are imperfect because they are filled with imperfect people. We do believe that some churches are better than others regarding the freedoms and opportunities that they afford. If a church points you to Christ and encourages a personal relationship with Jesus then they may be a candidate.
This is not what the Bible teaches. You present a false teaching here. You are just the same as Johnson, sincerity but false! You have feelings, so does Jehovah. Think of Him! What does He want from us?
This reminds me of Moses. God used Moses and the people questioned that fact over and over because they saw an imperfect man and ignored any evidence that he had been chosen for a specific work that required only one man for a time. Moses was not better than anyone else, it was God's choice.Brother Russell was used to gather many truths that had been proclaimed for many years and was used to revive what had been scattered thru the weeds of apostasy. The evidence is that God used an imperfect man. The question is can we accept that the way a small number of Israelites did or the large number who simply refused to accept Jehovah’s appointment.
The problem here is when we begin to look at Russell's writings as ranking with Scripture. They are not. There are obvious errors in them that have proven incorrect with the passage of time...yet people in the LHMM are largely unwilling to admit that and move on.
That is why I have questions about the writings that are not error. Why reject what he found to be a scriptural truth?
I understand the reasoning about the falsehood of Johnson, and I do not claim Br. Russell was infallible, the truth that he had ......why now reject it?
You should realize that Russell was not unique in his "discovery" of doctrines. In fact, discussions and understandings of the doctrine of the trinity, hell, soul, etc. continue to be debated today among Christians. Being willing to be honest that there is not one source or channel for truth that is always correct is where I have landed. I can look at these things and use my reasoning from the Scriptures to see both sides of the issue in many cases. Then I leave it to God. I can't believe that it is that important to know the "right answer" in order to rightly please Jehovah God. I would rather error on the side of a wider fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ than to cause arbitrary divisions based on minor doctrinal issues. Certainly, some denominations have more or less in common with my beliefs but I now look at people with more love and understanding than in the past.
I understand that we have an entire Bible of information. It is a guide book. From God's view it could be a childrens book in the sense that we are a lower form of life and His children. Just as a father will explain things in a way that a child can understand, the Bible is for us humans to understand.Russell did not figure out the truths but gathered them together. if all these different people understood only certain parts how did one man on his own bring it all together?
I should say that the real questions is, now that we know that the trinity is not a Bible teaching and hellfire and immortal soul, that they are all adopted from known pagan worship-How can a human say they respect the ransom and Jehovah and still "accept" these false teachings?
It's not that clear a line. Look among some of the other topics on this discussion forum regarding the Trinity and Hell. There are Scripture verses and reasoning that weigh in on either side. We can only do our best to understand...and leave the rest to God. Here's the point...when I look at the JWs, LHMM, Baptists, Catholics and try to choose one for the way you worship it's like choosing among the least of all evils. Not one group or individual may be entirely "right" in theology. We are all human and have limited capacity to know all the truth. I have chosen to worship with the group where I see the least damage to individual lives and the most freedom to study God's Word and apply it to our lives in an association of Christians that are all attempting to do God's will and show it through acts of service. It's not perfect but it's pretty good.
I have to say to the last comment that in a similar way, I feel that I worship a God that is not a mystery. someone that I can draw close to by looking intently at the conduct of His son as a human.
I would feel empty if I was choosing the lesser evil, as though I was involved in voting for the lesser of evils in the politics of this world.
That seems to be the root of the issue; many people choose to worship God the way they want to, not really trying to find out what God wants. God is looking for people to worship Him. Jn 4:23
Jesus did say at Mt 10:34-37 that he would divide families, it would not be accepted that the truth that Jesus taught, would unite all people, only those who accepted his teachings.
Jesus said that the Jews worshipped what they knew. No confusion. He introduced a new way of worship, not confusion that would cause division about who the True God is, or what happens at death.
These subjects had been made clear for centuries. The apostasy would cause the division, the twisted teachings. Acts 20:30 Dan. 11:32
LHMM is parachristian small sect.
I just see it for what it is: a cult. But, one man's cult is another man's religion; but another man's religion is another man's cult. What it all boils down to is what Jehovah God and the Lord Jesus Christ think of it all. - Matthew 7:21-23; John 4:23, 24; James 1:26, 27; Isaiah 8:20.
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