The Trinity

What trinitarians believe, is misrepresented by those in the LHMM. They spend time refuting a form of modalism, which is different than the trinity doctrine. Arguments like, "How could Jesus pray to himself, while here on earth?" is based on refuting modalism, and not the trinity doctrine. They set up a straw man argument and then proceed to defeat it with logic. If you don't understand the trinity doctrine and then proceed to disprove your misunderstanding you haven't really accomplished anything.

The following scripture passage strongly supports the Trinity.
“I and the Father are one.” Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." John 10: 30-33 (NIV)
The verse “I and the Father are one” can not mean one IN PURPOSE as the LHMM claims. If it did, then the Jews would not wish to stone Jesus. In fact, they would be happy that he considers himself in the Father's will as they would also desire to be. Wouldn't the Jews, who lived in the time of Jesus and spoke his language understand better what he meant than we could today?

The Bible speaks clearly about The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are all spoken of with some similar attributes that can be used in reference to God only. The Bible also tells us clearly that there is one true God. The dilemma is then...how can we reconcile this apparent contradiction? The doctrine of the trinity does this by stating that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three different expressions or personalities of the one true God. "For there are three who bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." 1 John 5:7-8

This solves several issues and problems in interpretation and practice for Christians. For example, Who do you worship or pray to? Jehovah the Father or Jesus? The trinitarian answer is that it is OK to worship or pray to both since they are expressions of the same God. Jesus accepted this idea when Thomas said "my Lord and my God!" John 20:28

An advantage of the Trinity is that it makes God very personal and caring. The idea that God Himself totally sympathizes with us and understands us...so much so that he is willing to enter our world and sacrifice even more than his Son...in a sense himself. In that way Christianity is totally unique from any other religion...in that God Himself came into our world to save us and in the process came to know us intimately. 1 Tim 3:16 "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory."

Does this seem so unreasonable? Isn't it somewhat attractive? When you look at the fruit of many Christians that believe in the Trinity you will see the doctrine does not do damage to the Christian faith. They often have more zeal for spreading the Gospel than those in the LHMM who call themselves missionaries and yet do little real missionary work.

LHMMers that do not believe in the Trinity often think they have more understanding about God and who He is than Trinitarians. This is an illusion. By stating the definitions of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in a different way it doesn't really mean you know any more. There is just as much mystery surrounding God that way. Often in life we will assign something a name and then somehow think that we know more about it when we don't. The more we understand, the greater we realize how much we do not know. Coming to terms and being OK with not knowing and fully trusting in God is the next step.

How important can the Trinity doctrine be for Christians if there is no way to understand it correctly without the aid of Russell or Johnson's writings?
A plain reading of the Bible will easily lead one to believe that Jesus is God. "For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself EQUAL WITH GOD." John 5:18 What about all the people that are just now getting the Scriptures in their native language? What hope is there for them to possibly understand God's Word?

Check out the sermon "Jesus: Avatar or God?" for an interesting discussion.

The Great Pyramid

One of the beliefs of the LHMM is that the plan of God is illustrated by the Great Pyramid in Egypt. They believe that it Is referred to in the Bible by
Isaiah 19:19 "In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the heart of Egypt, and a monument to the LORD at its border."
Besides symbolism of the passages to various features of God's plan there are also measurements that they believe correspond to time features of God's plan down the the year, month, and day.

It is possible that there are some demonstrable and amazing scientific design features of the pyramid. This is good evidence to show that man is quite intelligent, ingenious, and even inspired even so long ago. Unfortunately, what they believe to be an amazing witness to God is not. Today it is a witness to Satan, the New Age movement. etc. It does not draw people to Christ. It is a distraction from Jesus for those that spend a lot of time studying it.

The people that studied the pyramid the most and wrote the major work entitled "Great Pyramid Passages" were John and Morton Edgar. They and others went overboard measuring things with precision entirely impossible to verify. A Swiss brother that came up with some of these ideas went to the extreme of calculating 20 decimal places of accuracy for the coffer. There are several verifiable errors in their writings regarding prophecy predictions using the pyramid, etc. None of these have been corrected or even pointed out in later writings.

In the Russell section on pyramids at watchthetower.com it shows scanned copies of the original volumes and how Russell changed the measurements in the Great Pyramid over time.

One of the most important classes to the LHMM is the Great Company...they even receive a heavenly reward. They are not represented anywhere in the Great Pyramid.

The LHMM teaches the death of Paul S.L. Johnson and Raymond Jolly are verified by time measurements in the Great Pyramid. If their death is symbolized in the Great Pyramid, it puts them on the same level as Christ in the symbolism. In addition, the method of determining the death of Jolly is a random measurement with no symbolism to the passages. Why isn’t Russell’s death shown if Johnson and Jolly were?

Other groups believe in the testimony of the Great Pyramid. The ISKCON (International Society of Krishna Consciousness) claim that the birth of Krishna and other incarnations of their gods are marked in the Great Pyramid. Bahai (a mix of Christian & Muslim faiths) have found teachings in the Great Pyramid as do the Freemasons.

Even if the Great Pyramid was truly what they say it is, it is quite an ineffective witness to God in today's world.

Worship of Leaders

The LHMM places such a high value on the lives of Russell and Johnson that it approaches worship. At times they set up special memorial services to honor their death long after they have been gone. Why wouldn’t one do this for the Apostle Paul for example? After all, he wrote a large portion of the Bible. Russell and Johnson were not even inspired.

Some LHMM followers and many Bible Students hang a picture of Russell on the wall of their homes. It’s interesting to note that these same people often do not have an image of Jesus on the wall. Who is more important?

Reasoning

Often the LHMM places the writings of Russell and Johnson above the Bible, reason, and facts. What are our REASONS to believe? Many times the arguments presented in meetings get so complex that it is difficult to simply state the reason a doctrine might be true.

Here’s an exercise in reasons that should really help: Pick a subject or doctrine you feel strongly about. List three reasons why you believe that is true. Reasons can be Scriptures, facts, logic, etc. If you can’t think of three reasons then you really don’t understand WHY you believe that. It may be that you accept it as fact entirely on FAITH. If that is the case, you need to admit it...and also admit that someone else that doesn’t believe what you do, but has some reasons behind his/her belief could be right as well.

The REASON you believe something should NOT be because Russell or Johnson said so. If you can’t explain it to others then you don’t really understand it. FAITH needs to be based on something otherwise it is a blind faith.

Hell

The LHMM believes that one of their major doctrinal purities comes in their unique view of hell as a place that is not eternal torment. This idea is not unique to the LHMM. In fact, other churches believe it and it is still debated today. The view is known as Annihilationism.

Greg Boyd discusses this view in depth in a recent sermon with some good commentary on theological debate.

Other churches state that hell is eternal separation from God without necessitating literal fire. Billy Graham was quoted in TIME magazine (November 15, 1993) "When it comes to a literal fire, I don't preach it because I'm not sure about it."

"Hell is not eternal torment, but it is the final and irrevocable choosing of that which is opposed to God so completely and so absolutely that the only end is total non-being...Annihilation might be a truer picture of damnation than any of the traditional images of the hell of eternal torment. If God has created us with the freedom to choose, then those who make such a final choice choose against the onl source of life, and they have their reward." -- "The Mystery of Salvation," the third 'Report by the Doctrine Commission of the General Synod of the Church of England," published 'under the authority of the House of Bishops and is commended by the House to the Church for study.

U.S. News and World Report had a cover story from 1/31/00 about Hell and changes in doctrinal views over time called "Hell Hath No Fury—With fire and brimstone out of fashion, modern thinking says the netherworld isn't so hot after all"

Heaven

One of the biggest differences between the LHMM and mainstream churches is the idea of who goes to heaven. Present day LHMMers do not believe that they have the opportunity to go to heaven. They believe that time has passed and a limited number of people (144,000) and some others (in a group called the Great Company) already have been selected for this reward.

The number of the 144,000 comes from three scriptures (NIV):
Re 7:4 Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Re 14:1 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
Re 14:3 And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No-one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.
Wikipedia has a pretty good explanation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/144,000

This term "144,000" is used to refer to The Church. Other terms for the same group are Little Flock and those that tried out for the High Calling.
LHMMer appeal to a Present Truth article that offered "88 proofs" that the High Calling was closed and ended. These "proofs" are actually more of indications. None of them are plain or easy to understand. Most of the logic involves a prior belief that the antitypes shown are true and then a mental jump is required to get the date.

Sometimes they appeal to an argument from Mt 7:14 "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." and say that this shows that few would go to heaven. The number of all Christians in the world today could be defined as few in comparison to the entire world population. According to some sources Christians of all denominations make up only 33% of the world today and it is dropping while other religions such as Islam are growing. How do you define few?
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html

Some LHMMers argue that you can see the faithfulness of those that had the opportunity to go to heaven because of the amazing trials they experienced that we do not have today (example martyrs who died for their faith, etc.) This is a view that is not up-to-date or uniformed.
"Modern-day persecution is well documented, despite some reports to the contrary. In fact, it is estimated that more Christians were martyred in the 20th Century than in the prior 1,900 years combined." http://www.persecution.com/
Also see the Persecuted Church resource.

Here are some issues with the LHMM teaching about heaven:
1. Revelation is a book of symbols. Why does this number (144,000) suddenly become literal and refer to an actual limited number of people that have the opportunity to go to heaven?
2. The concept of a limited number of people in heaven is based heavily on Bible chronology and the time period WHEN that opportunity is available. Since there are major problems with the chronology, it doesn’t hold true.
3. Dividing people into classes of those that are more or less faithful and who will receive greater or lesser rewards from God is not helpful. It encourages separation, pride, and spiritual abuse because some people are considered more important than others. There is no reason why we should need to know the kind of reward that God gives us. It can mainly have harmful effects one way or the other.
4. What about the Great Company? It is also a heavenly class and the only reason they believe it is closed is because Jolly said he was the last one. If he wasn't the last one, then there could be a lot more people going to heaven according to their own teachings.
5. How do you define heaven? If the future presents "a new heaven and new earth" then where will those that have believed in Jesus as their Savior spend eternity? Is a new restored earth a "part of heaven" that Christians could enjoy as well?
Maybe we have to leave some of the details in God's hand. The Bible doesn't specify so we don't really know. It is possible.
2Pe 3:13 Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Re 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
Isa 65:17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.

A Cult?

Is the LHMM a cult? The answer depends on how you define a cult. The dictionary defines a cult as "A group of followers." Psychologists define a cult "as a group which deviates from cultural norms." Another definition is that "A cult is a spurious or unorthodox system of religious beliefs and ritual." The word cult is pejorative, labeling, and emotional loaded. There is not universal agreement on what group is a cult.

Many Christians would say the LHMM is a cult primarily because they do not believe in the Trinity. So for theological reasons it could be characterized as a cult because its views differ in some major respects from mainstream Christianity. The LHMM may be more of a sect than a cult. They claim to be non-denominational and non-sectarian but in practice they are not. For example, you won't find any Catholics or Lutherans among their fellowship. They believe you must leave those other churches for the purity of doctrine within their own group.

There is a large difference between theory (teaching) and practice within the LHMM. Here are four categories of typical cult traits and explanation of how the LHMM does not conform ...

1. Taking advantage of members:

• No breaking of the law or sexual abuse
• No stockpile of weapons
• No physical violence
• No financial pledges or tithing of members required
• Church meetings are not wild, but quiet rational discussions or lectures on beliefs

The LHMM is relatively harmless in this way.

2. Non-authoritarian:

• No clergy or bishops
• Democratic voting in church matters
• Shared leadership in giving talks, leading meetings

In practice, disagreements with the are not tolerated and will lead to disfellowship or loss of position. The democratic nature of the group is contradicted by the star-member teaching.

3. No overt mind control:

• No creed to subscribe for membership
• No creed to be elder or speaker for movement
• Teaches that one should prove all things and not to accept with unquestioning minds the teachings of the church
• Questions encouraged in church meetings and conventions
• Lengthy debating done at mealtimes on beliefs

In practice, you must believe in the writings of Russell, Johnson, Jolly, etc. as the final authority. Those that were "star members" have more authority as do those that are of higher classes. The the freedom of thought is contradicted by the star-member teaching and the repeated study of the same volumes.

4. Non-exclusive:

• Does not keep any membership rolls
• Accepts as brother any who profess Jesus as savior
• Little proselytizing
• Believes there are Christians in other churches
• Does not condemn to hell all those outside group
• Believes that heathen and unbelievers can be saved
• Teaches that God loves all mankind
• Believes that God has given certain truths to each denomination

In practice, people in other churches are looked at as in error and with a somewhat prideful attitude. The thought is that if those people were truly serious about studying the Bible, then God would lead them into the truth as the LHMM understands it. The non-exclusive nature of the LHMM is contradicted by their teaching that God has cast off the churches, they are Babylon (and will be destroyed soon), the Great Company, revolutionism, and sifters.

One cult characteristic is that they have a charismatic leader. It can be argued that Paul Johnson was this leader from the respect given to him and way people that met him talk about him. He died in 1950 and so the LHMM's charismatic leader only has influence through his writings.

A cult mindset is shown through the unquestioning acceptance of authority, the dependence of a fixed pattern of thought or behavior, and a willingness to rationalize unethical behavior. Some of these characteristics are present in the LHMM. The antidote against this mindset is the willingness to question accepted ideas, a priority given to truth over personal wishes, and a refusal to justify means over ends.

Following are some good resources to look at and see if they apply:

Abusive Churches and Control Oriented Leadership

Cults and Spiritually Abusive Churches

The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse

Ask yourself these questions: Can you leave the LHMM? If not, why not?
Is the idea of being associated with a group that is a known as a cult to anyone beneficial to witnessesing?