- Topic
I figured it might be easier to discuss this in a separate thread.
144000 wrote:
Simon,
Which would be 1.7 million versus 150, to be precise.
144,000, how does the wms define a "member"? Are you saying that the wms currently has 1.7 million active members? What would criteria do you use to determine whether or not a member is active? Does the wms subtract from the total number when a member leaves?
They added to the definition of talent all throughout 2010 we ended up with four definitions
They didn’t teach tithing to me right away because I kept down talking churches that talk about nothing but tithe. In fact, I don’t even think they talked much about it to me. However, they went about it a different way.
My husband was asked to tithe at the wmscog in Chicago even though he doesn't attend the Zion (we live over a thousand miles away) and he doesn't even believe in the religion. He just attended there a few times because he was asked to by our son while we were visiting. So even though he wasn't recruiting for the church, attended only once or twice a year, and wasn't even a believer, they thought he might want to tithe anyway. How totally ridiculous and presumptous!
Also, they asked my husband to tithe when they knew full well it would cause major problems in our marriage if he did. (My husband would never do that without my consent, so it caused no problems. But others have done it without consulting their wives, and it has caused major problems, so I hear.
Sarah2013 wrote:
They didn't teach tithing to me right away because I kept down talking churches that talk about nothing but tithe. In fact, I don't even think they talked much about it to me. However, they went about it a different way.
I found this info on a site that doesn't mention this group. Tell me what you think, Sarah:
"Members will be expected to give substantial financial support to the group. This could be compulsory tithing (which is checked);
signing over all their property on entering the group; coercive
methods of instilling guilt on those who have not contributed;
selling magazines, flowers or other goods for the group as part of
their "ministry".
At the same time bible-based cults may ridicule churches that take
up free-will offerings by passing collection plates and/or sell
literature and tapes. They usually brag that they don't do this. This
gives outsiders the intimation that they are not interested in money."
Questioningla: Here is what I do understand and have seen with some organization that are money hungry. There is an avenue of tactic used to manipulate one into feeling guilty, obliged, compelled (indirectly), and a needed godly security in doing something. There are many churches today, yes many, that uses these tactic to pluck poor souls into this mindset. It's a harsh world, you see. In the minds of some of these organization from what I have studied and observed, they feel well within their justified rights to do this, after all the Bible condones this, they say. I have no problem giving to God and never have, as I know it isn't really for God as He, God has no use for our money. It is for building His kingdom while on earth, and not to extra-large our pockets. However, this is not mostly the case and has been highly abused.
A real Bible based church ought to focus more on the members and their need for God in their lives; after all, it’s a very trying world. If the church needs help with infrastructure, there is nothing wrong in bringing this to the attention of its members. Yet, such members deserve to see proof of what is being done with their hard earned money. In hind sight, tithes ought to be enough to handle a lot of these issues but it’s never enough. Too often we find that a lot of organizations gear toward quantity rather than quality which raise a lot of disturbing questions. The people’s Temple (Jim Jones) is without a doubt a good example of selling all your properties. While not all churches do this, it is still happening today. The problem with this school of thought is twofold: Those who cannot contribute as much as other’s are not regarded as highly as the ones who can. Secondly, those who can are automatically given higher positions and things like that. It posses a lot of duress especially for those who are not able to do as much; I am yet to find a commoner who upheld a high position in any of these organizations who have this same mindset. And if they did have a commoner, it will be for the basis of recruitment. Denial: Most people who are guilty of such exposition will never admit or view it this way. This is by far different from how Jesus dealt in His days. I must say, the way of such organizations are uniquely and cleverly bad.
At the end of the day, I resort to one word – mendacity.
Wow so out of the same mouth that you guys criticize us about having “too many” members to be the true church.
You then turn around and claim that we DO NOT have 1.7 million or more?
Your original argument was stupid enough on its own without you having to prove yourselves wrong with yet even more unfounded assumptions.
Not only are you again wrong on both accounts but in your desperation to slander us you contradict yourselves.
try reading again carefully
@ Simon: Lol.
I was told tithing was the "stairway to heaven" according to Ahn himself! maaannn what a shamble
144000 wrote:
Wow so out of the same mouth that you guys criticize us about having "too many" members to be the true church.
You then turn around and claim that we DO NOT have 1.7 million or more?
Your original argument was stupid enough on its own without you having to prove yourselves wrong with yet even more unfounded assumptions.
Not only are you again wrong on both accounts but in your desperation to slander us you contradict yourselves.
In a forum, whenever one comments on a post, unless the post immediately pecedes (in which case one should starte the post with a caret '^'), it makes sense to either use @username or quote a part or whole of the post about which one is commenting. As it stands, your post is hanging without a hook, and I for one do not know what you are commenting about.
Regarding your comment, it is your church which makes the claim that the true church has to be one with a few members. Besides, how exactly you guys figure that you have 1.7 million members itself is suspect. Former members can hardly be faulted for wondering about it given their personal experiences about the so-called BoL and 10 talents.
Hal wrote:
The only stairway to heaven is through the Led Zepplin…
WMSCOG does not have 1.7 million members. 1.7 million baptized members yes. But as already mentioned most of these people leave. The only reason why it seems like is alot of members at some churches is because it is a gathering of more than one church, with the exception of Korea, Chicago, New York, LA and a few others all the rest are small. The church I attend probably has 50 members who always attend but in the pictures it looks like about 300 because it is a gathering of about 4 or 5 other churches.
Even the Chicago Zion doesn't have all that many people attending, except when they have gatherings of other churches there to "fill the seats" so to speak. The roll taker likes to try to inflate the numbers though.
Wow really. And we are always told how big it is.
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