There was a point in my life in the year 2002 when I had my
first encounter with Jehovah’s Witnesses, when I heard things from them that
were very contrary and challenging to my belief system. I can’t forget that
experience because it birthed a new me, it challenged me to know why I believed
in what I believed in. Those series of meetings with my friends of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses pushed me to study the entire Bible for the first time. It
made me to query what I grew up to accept as my tenets of faith. I remembered
that I asked a lot of questions that period. I posted crucial questions that
pertained to their faith and to the beliefs I held; I also searched the Bible
for myself to seek the truth.
I appreciate God for my Sunday School teacher then, Mr
Olugbemiga Aliu who was always available at all time to answer my supposedly
silly questions. That experience birthed a new me, it laid a solid foundation
for me.
I believe everyone needs such experience. You must not have
an encounter with a Jehovah’s Witness to push you to study and find out for
yourself what and why you believe in what you believed in. However, when you
hear things that are contrary to your beliefs, instead of just attacking the
contrary view like most people often do, I think such time is an opportunity to
set down and ask if you have been deceiving yourself or not. And that should
not be based on what you perceived in your own head to be the truth, but it
should be based on research with an open and humble mind to learn and change.
It doesn’t matter what background or religion you are coming
from, be it Catholicism, Islam, Jehovah Witness, Pentecostalism, Hindu or
whatever. A time should come in your life, it’s a time of maturity, when you
need to sit down all by yourself and review all that you have been taught, all
your beliefs system and critically look at it in comparison to opposing views
and contrary beliefs that are opposite to yours and find the balance and the
truth for yourself.
This might entails you getting materials of the opposing
views. You don’t just study a one sided material; you shouldn’t be biased in
your studies. Personally, I have made study on Islam, Pentecostalism, Catholicism,
and several Christian Cults and other religions. All these were done to
challenge my belief system. I took stock on some doctrinal and religious
practise and looked at them in line with the Bible which is the bases of my
belief. I did all these to find the truth, not any man’s opinion or acceptable
traditions which are contrary to God’s standard.
Scrutinize the doctrines you are holding right now, is it in
line with God’s word?
Scrutinize what you have been taught by your great religious
leaders like your Pastors, Bishops, General Overseer, Imams, Teachers, Rabbi,
Priest, Scholar, Leader, Lord, Prophets, Chief and Grand Master, are they in
line with God’s acceptable standard?
Scrutinize the practices and activities in your Church,
Mosque, Meeting, Fellowship, Assembly, Shrine, Synagogue, Temple, etc; are they
in line with the truth?
Scrutinize the way you pray, is it scriptural? Take for
example, if you are one that prays against enemies to die; is that according to
God’s acceptable standard who loves all men?
Scrutinize the falsehood and superstitious believes you have
come to accept, is that the truth?
Do you believe that positive confession, prophesies and
imagination alone without corresponding action will lead you to greatness?
Scrutinize that also, is it according to the truth?
I strongly advice that you go review all your belief system;
you will become a better person afterwards.
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