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Credibility: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Credibility.png|thumb|right|250px]] | [[Image:Credibility.png|thumb|right|250px]] | ||
In our search to find the truth and to separate fact from fiction as it relates to William Branham | In our search to find the truth and to separate fact from fiction as it relates to William Branham and his ministry, one of the the most important issues that has to be addressed is his credibility. This need to be examined in relation to the various stories he tells in describing his supernatural experiences. | ||
''To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.'' — Edward R. Murrow | ''To be persuasive, we must be believable; to be believable, we must be credible; to be credible, we must be truthful.'' — Edward R. Murrow | ||
Credibility refers to the believability, trustworthiness and reliability of a person | Credibility refers to the believability, trustworthiness and reliability of a person. | ||
=Was William Branham credible?= | =Was William Branham credible?= | ||
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The following items have caused us to question William Branham's credibility (click on the links to read a detailed explanation of the issue): | The following items have caused us to question William Branham's credibility (click on the links to read a detailed explanation of the issue): | ||
#Did William Branham visit the Vatican and see the inscription "''[[VICARIVS FILII DEI]]''" above the throne of the Pope? | |||
#[[William Branham and Billy Graham|Did William Branham lie about his prophecy regarding Billy Graham?]] | |||
#[[1933 Ohio River Experience|Did anyone hear the voice on the Ohio River in 1933?]] | #[[1933 Ohio River Experience|Did anyone hear the voice on the Ohio River in 1933?]] | ||
#Did William Branham see [[Stories about Eagles|a mother eagle carry her babies on her wings?]] | |||
#[[The Cloud|Why did William Branham say that he was under the cloud when they took its picture, when he clearly wasn't?]] | #[[The Cloud|Why did William Branham say that he was under the cloud when they took its picture, when he clearly wasn't?]] | ||
#Did William Branham travel [[William_Branham's Travels#Around the world seven times?|around the world seven times?]] | |||
#[[Bible saved from the flood|Was William Branham's Bible saved miraculously in the 1937 flood?]] | |||
#[[The Man from Windsor|Why did the story of the man from Windsor change so drastically over time?]] | #[[The Man from Windsor|Why did the story of the man from Windsor change so drastically over time?]] | ||
#[[Plagiarism|Why did William Branham say that he received his revelations from God when he took many of his doctrines from other men?]] | #[[Plagiarism|Why did William Branham say that he received his revelations from God when he took many of his doctrines from other men?]] | ||
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#[[William Branham's Double Standard#Trimmed Hair & Short Skirts in the Branham Family|Why did William Branham criticize women that cut their hair and wore short skirts, when his own family did?]] | #[[William Branham's Double Standard#Trimmed Hair & Short Skirts in the Branham Family|Why did William Branham criticize women that cut their hair and wore short skirts, when his own family did?]] | ||
#[[Arvel Mosier|What actually happened to Hattie Wright's boys?]] | #[[Arvel Mosier|What actually happened to Hattie Wright's boys?]] | ||
#[[William Branham on Suicide#Inaccuracies about William Cowper's death|Why did William Branham say he went to William Cowper's grave when he didn't?]] | |||
#[[William Branham on Suicide#Inaccuracies about William Cowper's death|Why did William Branham say William Cowper committed suicide when he died of heart failure?]] | |||
#[[William Branham on Suicide#Stephen Foster|Why did William Branham state the Stephen Foster committed suicide, when this is not true?]] | |||
#Was there really a connection between [[The Pope and the Lunar Eclipse|the Pope visiting israel in 1964 and the lunar eclipse that preceded his visit?]] | |||
=But didn't Abraham lie?= | =But didn't Abraham lie?= | ||
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). | |||
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 | 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> | ||