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[[VOGR Because he said so 1.jpg|thumb|250px|right]] | |||
In 2012, Voice of God Recordings published a newsletter entitled, "Because He Said So" in an attempt to offer a defense against those who have discovered William Branham's twisting of scripture, failed prophecy, fictional life stories, and other fundamental issues with the material they publish around the world. It appears that this newsletter has been removed from the website after the repercussions of this publication -- cult followers began to notice that the newsletter was not so much of a defense as it was a blatant attack on the Holy Bible. | |||
We were recently asked about this newsletter. One ex-cult member giving their testimony mentioned that this was the very thing that made him realize that they are uplifting a man rather than pointing to Christ. Others, curious to see it, are struggling to find it. | |||
Since this publication is no longer easily accessible to the public, we plan on discussing each section of the newsletter. Their attack on the Bible presented many questions concerning scripture to readers, and offered little in the way of answers to either the fundamental questions of William Branham's ministry or what Voice of God Recordings considers to be flaws in the Holy Writ. | |||
The first section asks the question: "So if God did, in fact, send a prophet, shouldn't we believe all that he says?" And then, referencing a scripture in Genesis where the serpent deceives Eve through words, proceeds to mislead cult members by using very similar tactics. | |||
The opening question of this article is misleading, as it guides the reader into the assumption that all prophets claiming to be from God are actually from God. Throughout the entire publication, there is one critical element missing: following the scriptures instructions to test the prophets to confirm that they are, indeed, from God. | |||
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." - 1 John 4:1 | |||
It is also misleading, because it leads the reader to assume that apologetic websites exposing Branham's failed prophecies would exist even if William Branham was sent by God -- and of the Christians who are dedicating huge portions of their lives towards exposing falsehood, I cannot think of a single one who wouldn't listen to a prophet of God that met the scriptural test. Simply put, William Branham did not. In fact, the very reason this publication was necessary confirms that there are issues in the ministry. | |||
The author of this publication would have you believe that by comparing the serpent's tactic of "planting seeds of doubt" to examining the words of a prophet, those who question William Branham are also "planting seeds of doubt." Correctly worded, William Branham planted the doubtful seed, the examiners are the ones who are simply examining the fruits of that seed. | |||
I truly believe that the reason this publication is no longer freely available has to do with the trail this author is leading you through the first section. "Doubt has an open door to spread from Genesis to Revelation. True to form, he is doing the same thing with the Gospel today." | |||
Cult followers are starting to notice that the vast majority of the people who flee the cult of William Branham are making their exodus into Christian churches that uplift the Bible and would NEVER .. absolutely never .. publish a newsletter that discredits the Bible to make it look worse than the fundamental issues in the message. This article was praised by many in the cult when it was first published, as it made a general comparison between those leaving the message and atheists. This does not sit well with a family who watches their sons and daughters leave to become Christians who love Jesus Christ with all their heart. | |||
The opening statements, with a large, bold, heading "BECAUSE HE SAID SO," sets up the theme for the rest of the publication. It does not matter if a prophecy failed. It does not matter if a lie was discovered -- even if that lie was bound to a (fictional) supernatural event. Because he said so, you are not to question. And those who do are like atheists, because WE [VOICE OF GOD RECORDINGS] say so. | |||
[[Image:VOGR Because he said so.jpg|thumb|250px|right|VOGR throws the Bible under the bus]] | [[Image:VOGR Because he said so.jpg|thumb|250px|right|VOGR throws the Bible under the bus]] | ||
The method used by most fundamentalist or evangelical churches is the belief of "Scriptural Inerrancy." Ironically, this is the same belief proclaimed by Branham cult pastors -- at least until the publication of this article. Many ministers that have proclaimed Scriptural Inerrancy for the past fifty years have now changed their tune: they claim that because their bibles have error, William Branham was justified in his wrongdoing. | The method used by most fundamentalist or evangelical churches is the belief of "Scriptural Inerrancy." Ironically, this is the same belief proclaimed by Branham cult pastors -- at least until the publication of this article. Many ministers that have proclaimed Scriptural Inerrancy for the past fifty years have now changed their tune: they claim that because their bibles have error, William Branham was justified in his wrongdoing. | ||