I have a family member who belongs to a little known cult (well, I consider it a cult) called the Christadelphian Ecclesias.
http://www.christadelphia.org/ecclesia.htm
They are very similar to JWs in that they do not believe in Hell. They believe the unsaved will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and be forever destroyed. I have had many debates with this person.
I have pointed out the story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16
Luke 16:19 There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: 20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, 21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; 23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. 27 Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: 28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
29 Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. 30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. 31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.
His group believes this to be a parable, I believe this to be an actual true story of two men. Funny thing is, they believe Lazarus to be the same Lazarus who Jesus raised from the dead. I pointed out that if this is the same Lazarus (I do not believe this), then this proves this is a true story and not a parable. But they are blinded, he insists it is just a parable.
I tried to point out then that the Lord Jesus would have told the most misleading parable of all time, as he mentions Hell itself, being conscious, in torments, and in a flame. Why would the Lord tell such a misleading parable if Hell were not a reality?
But he was not convinced.
They also do not believe Jesus is God, and they do not believe the KJB as the infallible Word of God. They insist that true faith is only demonstrated through works.
Quote:
The Christadelphians are a world-wide community of Bible students whose fellowship is based on a common understanding of the Scriptures.
We aren't some sort of branch cultic group, as we have no central organization telling us what to do and believe. Rather we are tied together everywhere by our distinctive beliefs, which are freely and independently arrived at.
The Christadelphians believe that Jesus the Christ is the son of God, who came to fulfill the Old Testament promises and covenants of God with mankind, primarily the covenants with Eve, Abraham and David.
We believe that Jesus is a man, who was tried and tempted as we are, yet who resisted sin even till death. Three days later, the only true God, the Father raised him to eternal life, after which Christ ascended to his Father's side to await the appointed time of his return.
The Christadelphians embrace the hope of resurrection to eternal life at the return of Christ. We believe that this will take place soon. At that time the kingdom of God will be established from Jerusalem, growing to encompass the whole world, offering freedom, hope and salvation to all mankind. The people of Israel, as the literal descendants of Abraham, will have a special place in this kingdom.
The Christadelphians believe that salvation is attained through faith in Christ. It is through faith that we are baptized into Christ for forgiveness of sins, and thereby participate in the promises to Abraham: to inherit the earth for ever.
Doctrinally, the Christadelphians are unique in Christendom in our understanding of the nature of Christ, and the way in which we are redeemed by his death. We reject as unbiblical the idea that Christ could die as a replacement sacrifice for us, thus covering all our sins forever with that one act. Certainly it is through his sacrifice that we may be forgiven, but only if we walk the path of self-denial that he marked out for us.
If you wish to know more about what we believe and preach, a detailed Statement of Faith is on line. We also have a compiled list of the Commandments of Christ. You can also get in touch through e-mail, and we'll happily send you some material on any of the above topics.
|
I told my family member that he was just a Jehovah's Witness really, and he got pretty angry. They are not identical, but very similar.