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[[Image:Credibility.png|thumb|right|250px]] | |||
In our search to find out the truth and to separate fact from fiction as it relates to William Branham's ministry, the biggest issue that we have run across is whether William Branham was credible with respect to the various stories he relates describing his supernatural experiences. | In our search to find out the truth and to separate fact from fiction as it relates to William Branham's ministry, the biggest issue that we have run across is whether William Branham was credible with respect to the various stories he relates describing his supernatural experiences. | ||
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Credibility refers to the believability, trustworthiness and reliability of a person or message. | Credibility refers to the believability, trustworthiness and reliability of a person or message. | ||
=Was William Branham credible?= | |||
'''''If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.''''' - Mark Twain | |||
Because William Branham was a minister of the Gospel, one starts off with the assumption that he was credible. But that assumption must be discarded if it can be demonstrated that, at times, he did not tell the truth. | |||
William Branham portrayed himself as a simple, honest, uneducated man who was sent from God as a prophet to forerun the second coming of Christ. However, many of the stories that he told have been proven to be untrue and many of the doctrines that he said he received directly from God were, in fact, [[Plagiarism|plagiarized]] from other ministers. Another significant issue is that many of [[Different Stories|William Branham's stories changed dramatically over time]]. Why did this happen? | |||
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): | ||
#[[1933 Ohio River Experience|Did anyone hear the voice on the Ohio River in 1933?]] | |||
#[[The Cloud|Why did William Branham say that he was under the cloud when they took its picture, when he clearly wasn't?]] | |||
#[[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?]] | |||
#Why did William Branham change the story of [[Congressman Upshaw]]'s healing? | |||
#[[Roy Davis|When did William Branham embrace Pentecostalism?]] | |||
#Was [[Donny Morton]] really healed? | |||
#[[William Branham speaks in tongues|Did William Branham speak in an unknown tongue that a Finnish woman understood?]] | |||
#[[Was William Branham Honest|Was it reasonable for William Branham to blame his poor grammar on his dad?]] | |||
#Did William Branham prayer for [[King George VI|King George VI and was he really healed?]] | |||
#[[Kari Holma|Did William Branham raise a boy from the dead in Finland?]] | |||
#Who was [[Hope Branham's Nurse]]? | |||
#Was [[Florence Nightingale]] the granddaughter of the original Florence Nightingale? | |||
#[[The Pillar of Fire|Did the Pillar of Fire really appear above William Branham's head in Houston? Why did other pictures from that evening appear in the newspaper, when he said his picture was the only one that turned out?]] | |||
#[[Proposing to Hope Brumbach|Was William Branham truthful about asking Hope's parents for her hand in marriage?]] | |||
#[[William Branham's Double Standard#William Branham in Shorts|If only sissies wear shorts, why did William Branham wear them?]] | |||
#[[Leo Mercer|How could William Branham have allowed Leo Mercer to be part of his ministry?]] | |||
#[[An Uncertain Sound|Did William Branham claim to be a prophet?]] | |||
#[[The Nazarite Birth|Was William Branham born under a Nazarite Vow?]] | |||
#[[Discernment errors|Was William Branham's discernment 100% accurate?]] | |||
#[[Guessing the disease|Was William Branham's ministry always 100%?]] | |||
#[[The Mystery of the Empty Cornerstone|What was in the cornerstone of Branham Tabernacle?]] | |||
#[[William Branham's Travels|Did William Branham travel around the world seven times?]] | |||
#[[Billy Paul Branham|Why was William Branham dishonest about his son's first marriage?]] | |||
#[[Prophecy of the Cloud|Why was the vision of the five angels changed to a vision of seven angels?]] | |||
#[[Rattlesnake Mesa|Why did William Branham say that he was at Sunset Mountain when he was actually at Rattlesnake Mesa?]] | |||
#Why did William Branham make up [[The Story of the Pyramid Box|the story of the Pyramid Box]]? | |||
#[[Different Stories|Why did William Branham's stories change so radically over time?]] | |||
#[[The Perfect Man|Was William Branham really the first fruits of spiritual maturity? The perfect man?]] | |||
#[[The Houston Photograph|Was the photo from Houston supernatural or just the out of focus picture of a flood light?]] | |||
#[[The Amber Light|Did William Branham see an amber light?]] | |||
#[[Jim Jones|Did William Branham help to launch the ministry of Jim Jones?]] | |||
#Was Marshal [[Matt Dillon]] from Gunsmoke a real person? | |||
#[[Is Joseph Branham a prophet?]] | |||
#Was there a [[Mormon prophecy about William Branham]]? | |||
#[[Prophecy: Danny Henry|Danny Henry message]] | |||
#[[William Branham's View of Himself|How did William Branham view himself?]] | |||
#[[William Branham and Money|Was William Branham a wealthy man when he died?]] | |||
#[[William Branham Speaking as God|If God spoke through William Branham, why did he mess up?]] | |||
#[[William Branham's Double Standard#William Branham the Hunter|If it was wrong to kill animals for sport, why did William Branham do it?]] | |||
#[[William Branham's Double Standard#William Branham at the Theatre|Why did William Branham deny that he went to movies 3 weeks after admitting that he did?]] | |||
#[[William Branham's Double Standard#William Branham, sold out for a Cadillac|Why did William Branham criticize those who drove Cadillac's when he owned one?]] | |||
#[[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?]] | |||
=But didn't Abraham lie?= | =But didn't Abraham lie?= | ||
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Why did Abraham lie? Because he feared that his life was in danger. | Why did Abraham lie? Because he feared that his life was in danger. | ||
William Branham, on the other hand, 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 | 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: | ||
:''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> | ||
:'' | :''An elder must be blameless...<ref>Titus 1:6 (NET)</ref> | ||
:''For the overseer must be blameless as one entrusted with God’s work...<ref>Titus 1:7 (NET)</ref> | |||
:''Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, '''liars''', perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 1:8–11.</ref> | :''Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, '''liars''', perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, 11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.<ref>The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), 1 Ti 1:8–11.</ref> | ||
Also, | Also, because many of William Branham's prophecies failed, we must also deal with [[Prophecy|Deuteronomy 18:20-22]]. | ||
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