Athens, December 8, 2020
Photo: ajwrb.org In a statement issued over the weekend, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece notes that during the pandemic, it has received numerous complaints from throughout Greece concerning the systematic proselytization of the Jehovah’s Witnesses being carried out online.
Thus, “in its pastoral responsibility,” the Holy Synod reminds the Greek faithful that the teachings of the Jehovah’s Witnesses are dangerous and anti-Christian. At least one other statement on the matter has also come from the Metropolis of Patras.
In its statement, published by Romfea, the Holy Synod reminds the Greek Orthodox faithful that “All the religious beliefs of the so-called ‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’ are completely contrary to the Christian faith, while the Watchtower [magazine] is internationally known for its false prophecies about the end of the world.”
The Synod also recalls that the Jehovah’s Witnesses launched a “global defamation campaign” in 1986, “presenting Greece as a country in which religious freedom is persecuted.”
Further, the Jehovah’s Witnesses also refuse blood transfusions, claiming it as a Biblical teaching, which is especially dangerous given the current global health crisis, the Synod writes.
Regarding the propaganda work of heretics of all stripes, the Church reminds the faithful of the words of the Apostle Paul: Let no man deceive you by any means (2 Thess. 2:3).
In its own statement, the Metropolis of Patras, similarly writes that “The Jehovah’s Witnesses have nothing to do with Christianity. They use the title, which is false and misleading, ‘Christian Witnesses of Jehovah.’ However, they are also known by the name of ‘Millenialists,’ due to their beliefs.”
The Jehovah’s Witnesses “are a racist organization,” the statement, signed by Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patras reads, teaching that they will wash their feet in the blood of those who perish during Armageddon.
The statement then delineates 12 heresies of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, including their rejection of the Holy Trinity, and thus the Divinity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, their rejection of the Church and its Traditions, including the veneration of saints, icons, and the Holy Cross, and their teaching of the annihilation of the soul after death.
The Metropolis also notes that they refuse blood transfusions, and interestingly, also includes among their heresies: “They refuse to defend the Homeland, since they do not accept to carry a weapon.”
The faithful of the Metropolis of Patras are called upon to avoid the deceitful visits of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and stand firm in the Orthodox faith. They are also called upon to inform their parish priest or the Metropolis about their activities, and to inform their family and friends “about the perilousness of this teaching and about the satanic actions of Jehovah’s Witnesses, so that we can all face this attack of the devil united.”
In conclusion, the Metropolis reiterates that “there is no salvation far from Jesus Christ and outside His Church.”
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