Credibility: Difference between revisions

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=But didn't Abraham lie?=
=But didn't Abraham lie?=


This should be considered as a response out of [[Cognitive Dissonance]] (if you don't know what this is, please click on the link).
We have had many message ministers deflect the issue of William Branham's credibility by pointing to the flaws of some of the prophets in the Old Testament.  Such a response is clearly coming out of [[Cognitive Dissonance]] (if you don't know what this is, please click on the link).


Many message believers, when confronted with the clear facts that William Branham lied repeatedly state, "Abramham lied and he was the father of faith." This is effectively admitting that William Branham lied but that it is not a big deal if he lied.
When a message believers, confronted with the clear facts that William Branham lied, states, "''Abramham lied and he was the father of faith,''" they are effectively admitting that William Branham lied but that it is not a big deal.


The problem with this argument is that it is a [[Failed Prophecies|red herring]].
The problem with this argument is that it is a [[Failed Prophecies|red herring]].
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William Branham, on the other hand, appeared to have lied to uphold the claim that God spoke to him and that his prophesies were authentic.  William Branham lied to make himself look like a prophet so that people would follow him.
William Branham, on the other hand, appeared to have lied to uphold the claim that God spoke to him and that his prophesies were authentic.  William Branham lied to make himself look like a prophet so that people would follow him.


Under the new covenant that we find in the New Testament, lying is not acceptable behaviour because the Bible plainly tells us what is expected of Christian leaders:
Under the new covenant as outlined in the New Testament, lying is not acceptable behaviour because the Bible plainly tells us what is expected of Christian leaders:


:''Therefore an overseer must be above reproach...<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 3:2–3.</ref>
:''Therefore an overseer must be above reproach...<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 3:2–3.</ref>