Word of Faith is no More Heretical than Mainstream Christianity

John R. Houk

© September 5, 2012

I gladly admit I became a Born Again Christian through the Word of Faith (WF) Movement. When I became a Christian quickly began to understand the WF was controversial because of the view of Faith, Charismata (Holy Spirit Gifts) and the Prosperity Message.

Because of these controversies faith witch hunters have become numerous labeling WF as a heresy in Christianity. In fact if you Google “Word of Faith Movement” you will be guided to site after site that calls WF a heresy.

Labeling WF a heresy is somewhat like a Roman Catholic labeling the Eastern Orthodox Church and various Protestant Churches as heretical. The fact is all three versions of Christianity believe in the death of Christ on the Cross, Jesus’ dead body was laid in a tomb for three days and that on the third day Jesus Christ resurrected to a fully human life and is just as much God as He is human. The three major strains of Christianity believe Christ told the Apostles and Disciples to go throughout the world and share the Good News (Gospel) that Jesus arose from the offering His Blood as a once and for all sacrifice to redeem humanity from the Fallen Age of Satan that occurred when the first man (Adam) fell from fellowship with God transforming from immortal to mortal. And that the curse on Adam also became a curse on all the Earth. The three strains of Christianity believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. They believe the Trinity is Three Persons that are One God.  AND that the Resurrected Christ will return again to reign on Earth from the Throne of David centered on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. THEN whether it is after a millennial rule or simply at the end of the age, God will create the New Earth and the New Jerusalem. AND the New Heaven will come upon the New Earth and God will reign in Eternity and humanity will KNOW God. God and humanity will be as one with humanity knowing the Will of God instinctively.

As much as Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox and Protestants accuse each other of being heretics, the basics of Salvation are agreed upon. Guess what: The Word of Faith Movement also believes the simplicity of Salvation in Christ Jesus.

Among Protestants the basics are agreed upon, it is in dogma variations within Protestantism that various Denominations will call another Denomination in error. In the modern era this called agreeing to disagree; however not too long ago various Denominations would call differences of dogma heresy.

Now the next logical argument might lead one to say if WF is not a heresy in the basics why shouldn’t we basic Christians consider Mormonism (Latter Day Saints), Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christian Science, Unitarian and other derived sects from Christianity that do NOT follow the basics as non-heretical?

Briefly let’s look at some of these Christian offshoots that ignore the basics.

Mormonism (From Contender Ministries):

Mormon                                                                      Mainstream Christianity

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The Church has 4 Standard Works that are authoritative:  The Bible (in so far as it is translated correctly), the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price.  Speeches and writings of the current president of the church are also authoritative.  The Bible is far below the other standard Works because it is full of errors (wherever it disagrees with Mormon doctrine).	The only authoritative scriptures given by God are the 39 books of the Old Testament and the New Testament of the Bible.  God promised to preserve his word and to suggest that the Bible was mistranslated and corrupted would be to call God a liar.  If God were to give additional revelations they would be consistent with any prior revelations thus eliminating Mormon writings, since they stand in direct opposition to the divine revelation that has already been given in the Bible.
One God
There are many Gods. Brigham Young-Journal of Discourses 7:333 "How many Gods there are, I do not know.  But there never was a time when there were not Gods.	There is only one God.  (Dt 6:4; 33:26-27; Isa 43:10; 45:5; 46:9; 1Ti 2:5)
The Nature of God
God the Father is an exalted man (a man who has progressed to godhood) with a body of flesh and bones. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 1973 ed., p. 346 - "God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man...I say, if you were to see him today, you would see him like a man in a form-like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man." D & C 130:22  "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also."	The Bible is most explicit in stating that God is not a man (Nu 23:19; 1Sa 15:29; Hos 11:9).  God the Father, the eternal God is Spirit (Isa 55:8-9; 6:1-5; 57:15; Pss 90:2; 113:5-6; 123:1; Jn 4:24: 8:23)  Jesus said that a spirit does not have flesh and bones (Lk 24:39)
God the Father became a God after learning truth, aggressively pursuing godhood, and being obedient to the laws of the gospel.	God the Father has always existed as such (Dt 33:27; Isa 43:10; 44:6; 45:5, 21; 46:9; Mal 3:6; 1Co 8:4; 1Ti 2:5; Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13). As Psalms 90:2 and 93:2 state, God has been God "from eternity to eternity."
God the Father has a wife, through whom he procreates spirit children. "Implicit in the Christian verity that all men are the spirit children of an Eternal Father is the usually unspoken truth that they are also the offspring of an Eternal Mother.  An exalted and glorified Man of Holiness (Moses 6:57) could not be a Father unless a Woman of like glory, perfection, and holiness was associated with him as a Mother" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p. 516)	The Godhead determined to make man in their image, not to procreate spirit children (Ge 1:26).  Nowhere does Scripture even hint at the existence of an Eternal Mother.
God is not a uniquely eternal being.  All spirit is self-existent matter and is eternal (without beginning or end).  Such "matter (called intelligences) sometimes becomes organized into a spirit being through birth to celestial parents.  Then that spirit is born through human parents on earth.  Like all people, God took this course and eventually reached Godhood. God would stop being God if intelligences stopped supporting him as God. (D&C 93:29, 33; Abraham 3:18-23; Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed. p. 751)	God is not God unless He is all-powerful, all knowing, absolutely in charge.  If God exists only as God because of support given from other intelligent forms, He is not God at all (Isa 44:6; Ro 3:4; Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13) God is unchangingly omnipotent, and no purpose of His can be thwarted.  He is not overruled by anyone (Ge 17:1; Job 36:22-23; 42:2; Isa 14:26-27; 40:13-14; Jer 32:27; Mt 19:26; Lk 1:37; Ac 17:24-25; Rev 19:6)
Man and Sin
Man was also in the beginning with God.  Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be"  (D&C 93:29) Life, intelligence, mind, the 'light of truth' , or whatever name one gives to the center of the personality of man, is an uncreated, eternally existent, indestructible entity...In the first stage, man was an eternally existent being termed an intelligence...The next realm where man dwelt was the spirit world....eternally-existing intelligences were clothed with spirit bodies...numerous sons and daughters were begotten and born of heavenly parents into that eternal family in the spirit world" (The Gospel Through the ages, pp.126-127)	Man is a finite being, not an eternal one.  The first man Adam was created at a specific point in time (Ge 1:26-27; 2:7; 1Co 15:45-49).  Man did not exist in the beginning when God was creating the universe, for if he had, God's question to Job would have made no sense (Job 38:4).  Man was created lower than the angels, so that David wondered why God is even mindful of him (Ps 8:3-5; 144:3).  Not a single verse in the Bible suggests that God has a wife, but Isaiah 44:24 explicitly says that the Lord made all things by Himself.  Moreover, several passages in Isaiah indicate that there is only one God and there is none beside Him (44:8; 45:6) or like Him (46:9).
"...these spirit children were organized, possessing divine, eternal, and godlike attributes, inherited from their Heavenly Father and Mother.  There in the spirit world they were reared to maturity, becoming grown spirit men and women prior to coming upon this earth" (The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 127). "Jesus is man's spiritual brother.  We dwelt with Him in the spirit world as members of that large society of eternal intelligences, which included our Heavenly Parents and all the personages who have become mortal beings upon this earth or who ever shall come here to dwell...Jesus was the 'firstborn,' and so He is our eldest brother" (Ibid., p.21)	Jesus was and is Almighty God from everlasting to everlasting.  He is the creator of all that exists and is "firstborn" over all creation in the sense that He is the preeminent originator of life and the universe (Mic 5:2; Ps 90:2; Jn 1:1-3; Ac 3:14-15; Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:2).  This meaning for the word "firstborn" can be understood by comparing Genesis 41:51-52, which states that Manasseh was Joseph's "firstborn" son while Ephraim was the second, with Jeremiah 31:9, where God calls Ephraim the "firstborn."  Obviously, "firstborn" does not always mean the one literally born first.
Death and sin came through the fall of Adam and Eve.  But their deed was not actually a "sin."  It was really a blessing because it enabled man to continue progressing on toward eternal life.  "They (the Christian world) have been long taught that Adam and Eve were great transgressors...We, the children of Adam....should rejoice with them, that through their fall and the atonement of Jesus Christ, the way of eternal life has been opened up to us" (Articles of Faith, p. 476)	Rejoicing is hardly the proper response to Adam's sin.  Because of that sin, both Adam and Eve died spiritually and their physical bodies began to deteriorate.  Eve was given pain and sorrow in child-bearing, Adam was required to work and sweat in order to eat, the entire creation was cursed, they were thrown out of the Garden forever, and the entire human race was destined to be born dead in sins and children of god's wrath by nature.  To rejoice in the fall of man is to embrace Satan's lie.  It was Satan who deceived Eve by convincing her that sin was good and would bring her knowledge and reward.  (Ge 3:16-24; Ro 3:23; 5:12-15, 17-19; 8:19-22 Eph 2:1-5; 1Jn 3:4)
The Doctrine of Salvation
Christ's death on the cross (the atonement) canceled the penalty of death imposed on ALL men through Adam's sin, thereby ensuring that all men would be redeemed - resurrected and given immortality (the reuniting of spirit with body)-as a gift. "If there had been no atonement, temporal death would have remained forever, and there never would have remained forever, and there never would have been a resurrection.  The body would have remained forever in the grave" (Mormon Doctrine, 1977 ed., p.63) "Redemption from death, through the sufferings of Christ, is for all men, both the righteous and the wicked" (Ibid., p. 65) "Immortality is a free gift which comes by grace alone without works on man's part" (Ibid., p. 377)	Not everyone is blessed through Christ's crucifixion.  Only those who accept His sacrifice and surrender themselves to Him (Ro 10:9) will receive the benefit of Jesus' death and resurrection, which is forgiveness of sins (Ac 10:43) and salvation (Ro 3:24).  Eternal life "in Christ," and not just simply eternal existence through resurrection, is the gift offered by God to humanity (Ro 6:23).  This gift is obtainable only by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-10). Jesus' death serves to reconcile all believers to God (Ro 5:10).  In dying, Jesus broke down the wall of separation between us and God that was present through man's disobedience to the Law (Eph 2:11-22)

As you can there is NO WAY Mormonism follows the basics of Christianity.

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Jehovah’s Witness and Christianity (From AllExperts.com)

A.  God

    1.  The JW belief about God is that only the Father is God.  They do not believe the Son is God, nor do they believe that the Holy Spirit is a living personality, but rather a force.

    2.  The Christian belief states that there is 1 God, whom the Bible has revealed in 3 separate and distinct persons, namely, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  These 3 persons are not 3 separate Gods, but 3 persons uniting as the one true God of creation.  Just as 1 family may have many different members, each a separate person, but not a separate family.  The many members would unite as 1 family, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unite as one God.


B.  Jesus Christ

   1.  The JW belief about Jesus Christ is that He was created by the Father in the beginning, is the same being in Scripture as Michael the Archangel, and came to earth and died on an upright pole (They do not believe He died on a cross).  They believe He was not raised in a fleshly body, but rather as a spirit being.  They believe that Jesus will never return to this earth in the flesh, but instead, has been ruling the earth invisibly from heaven since the year 1914.

   2.  The Christian view about Christ, is that He is fully God, and was always in existence in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3).  He is not a creation, but rather the Creator.  We do not believe He is Michael the Archangel, or any other angel.  Instead, He is above the angels of heaven, and is to be worshipped by them (Hebrews 1:4, 6, 8).  Christians believe that He died on the cross, rose again in the flesh (Luke 24:36-39; John 2:19-21), and will return to this earth in power and judgment (Rev. 1:7, 19:11-16).  Christians also believe that putting one's faith in the death of Jesus Christ as an atonement for sin, is the only way by which we can enter the kingdom of God.  It is not by our good works, but by His work on the cross.


C.  The Bible

   1.  The JW belief about the Bible is that it is the Word of God.  It should be mentioned, however, that they have produced their own translation of the Bible, in which many verses have been changed to support their beliefs.  It is called the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION, and it is the one that they believe in.  They also believe that the Bible cannot be interpreted by the individual, but must be interpreted with the help of the publications of the Watchtower Society, which they view as the “faithful and wise servant” of Matthew 24:45-51 and Luke 12:42-48.

   2.  The Christian view of the Bible is that is the infallible, inerrant Word of God, and that it alone can “make us wise unto salvation” (1 Tim. 3:15-17).  It should be read and studied diligently, and is meant to be understood.  It is God's will that all people be saved, and He will not hide the message of eternal life from anyone who desires to know Him (John 17:3, 2 Peter 3:9).


D.  Heaven

    1.  The JW belief concerning Heaven, is that it is reserved for only 144,000 select individuals, while the rest of saved mankind (faithful JWs) will live forever on a paradise Earth.  These with an Earthly destiny are called the “Great Crowd” (Rev. 7:9), or the “other sheep” (John 10:16), and have no hope of ever going to Heaven or seeing God.

   2.  Christians believe that anyone who puts their faith in Christ's death and resurrection, and lives for Him, can enter the Heavenly kingdom of God.  We believe that Christians go to Heaven immediately at death, and those who live until the return of Christ, will be “caught up” (raptured) to Heaven to be with Him (1 Thess. 4:13-18).  There will be a Tribulation period of 7 years on this Earth, and at the conclusion of this period, Christ will return and set up a kingdom here for the duration of 1,000 years.  At the conclusion of this time, Satan will be allowed to tempt mankind one final time, after which himself and those who follow him, will be cast into everlasting punishment.  There will then be a “new Heavens and a new Earth”, where righteousness will last for eternity.  All Christians will be able to enjoy Heaven, and a paradise Earth (Rev. 19-22). 


E.  Hell

    1.  JWs do not believe in a literal Hell, but that Hell only represents the grave.

    2.  Christians believe that there is a literal Hell, which was prepared for “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).  It is not God's will that any human go to Hell, and by accepting Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, we will escape Hell.  Those who reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will have no atonement for their sins, and will be under the judgment of God (Rev. 14:9-11).  But by making Jesus Christ the Lord of one's life, he/she can live forever in God's kingdom.


F.  Holidays

    1.  JWs forbid their members from celebrating almost every holiday, including the individual's own birthday.

    2.  Christians believe the principle found in Romans 14:4-6, namely, that days of celebration are an issue for each person to decide for him/herself, provided that they use that day to honor God.  Certainly days which have occultic connections, such as Halloween, would not be honored by those who are true servants of God.  But when it comes to celebrating days which remind us of Christ's birth or resurrection, each Christian has the freedom to do this if he wishes. 


G.  Medicine

    1.  JWs, in the past, forbade their members from receiving vaccinations against diseases, or life-saving organ transplants.  It was taught that these procedures were “against God's law”, and many loyal JWs died as a result of their obedience to these teachings.  Though these procedures are no longer forbidden by the Watchtower Society, they do forbid the practice of blood transfusions.  Today, a loyal JW will allow himself, or even his child, to die rather than accept a blood transfusion.  Just as JWs many years ago on the issue of vaccination and organ transplants, the loyal JW today is taught that blood transfusions are “against God's law”.  A JW believes that, to accept a blood transfusion, would be jeopardizing his chances of everlasting life.

    2.  Christians recognize the Old Testament prohibition against eating blood, which was given to the Jews.  They do not, however, extend this command to the practice of blood transfusions.

AGAIN Jehovah’s Witnesses is definitely not part of the basics of Christianity.

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Christian Science (From OnceDelivered.net)

What the Bible says about God:	What Christian Science says about God:
There is one true and living God, who exists as three distinct, co-equal, co-eternal persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Deut. 6:4; John 1:1-3, 6:27, 20:28; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:13; 1 Peter 1:2).	Christian Science teaches that “the theory of three persons in one God (that is, a personal Trinity or Triunity) suggests polytheism, rather than the one ever-present I AM…. Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God” (Science and Health, pp. 256, 361). Eddy also denied that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, since God is an impersonal “principle.” The Trinity is redefined as life, truth, and love.
What the Bible says about Jesus:	What Christian Science says about Jesus:
He is the virgin-born Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-23; Luke 1:35).  He is eternal, the Creator, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Holy Spirit (John 1:1-14; Col. 1:15-20; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 1:1-13). Jesus died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3), rose physically from the dead (Matt. 12:38-40; Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:4-8; 1 Peter 1:18-21) and is coming back physically and visibly one day (Matt. 24:29-31; John 14:3; Titus 2:13; Rev. 19:11-14).	Christian Science denies the deity of Christ: “Jesus Christ is not God, as Jesus himself declared, but is the Son of God” (Science and Health, p. 361). It also denies His virgin birth: “A portion of God could not enter man; neither could God’s fullness be reflected by a single man, else God would be manifestly finite, lose the deific character, and become less than God…. Jesus was the offspring of Mary’s self-conscious communion with God” (Science and Health, pp. 336, 29-30).Christian Science minimizes Christ’s work at Calvary: “One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin…. The material blood of Jesus was no more efficacious to cleanse from sin when it was shed upon ‘the accursed tree’ than when it was flowing in His veins…. One sacrifice, however great, is insufficient to pay the debt of sin” (Science and Health, pp. 23, 253).Eddy taught, “If there had never existed such a person as the Galilean Prophet, it would make no difference to me” (First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, pp. 318-19).Finally, Christian Science denies that Jesus died and rose again: “His disciples believed Jesus to be dead while he was hidden in the sepulcher, whereas he was alive, demonstrating within the narrow tomb the power of Spirit to overrule mortal, material sense…. Jesus’ students … learned that He had not died” (Science and Health, pp. 44-46).
What the Bible says about salvation:	What Christian Science says about salvation:
Christ’s death at Calvary completely paid our sin debt so that salvation comes by grace through faith in Jesus (John 3:16, 5:24; Rom. 4:4-5; 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).	Since sin and death are false beliefs (illusions), salvation involves overcoming the false idea that they exist with the realization of man’s divine spirit and mind. “Man as God’s idea is already saved with an everlasting salvation” (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 261).
What the Bible says about man:	What Christian Science says about man:
God created man in His image – with a human spirit, personality and will. A person’s life begins at conception and is everlasting, but not eternal; that is, our lives have no end, but they did have a beginning (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 139:13-16).	People are divine spirits, or part of God. “God is the principle of man; and the principle of man remaining perfect, its idea or reflection – man – remains perfect” (Science and Health, p. 466). Eddy further taught, “Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual” (Science and Health, p. 468).
What the Bible says about the Bible:	What Christian Science says about the Bible:
The Bible is the inerrant, infallible, inspired Word of God, and is His sole written authority for all people (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21).	Christian Science interprets the Bible in light of Eddy’s writings, particularly Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In addition, Eddy expressed some doubts about the textual reliability of the Bible: “a mortal and material sense stole into the divine record, with its own hue darkening to some extent the inspired pages” (Science and Health, p. 139).
What the Bible says about sin:	What Christian Science says about sin:
Sin is violation of God’s holy standards. All humans are sinners (Rom. 3:10) and are under the curse of sin – spiritual and physical death (Gen. 2:17, 3:17-19; Rom. 3:23, 6:23). Only faith in Christ and His work on our behalf frees us from sin and its consequences (John 3:16, 5:24; Eph. 2:8-9).	Sin, along with death, disease and pain, are not real; they are merely illusions. “The only reality of sin, sickness, or death is the awful fact that unrealities seem real to human, erring belief…. They are not true, because they are not of God” (Science and Health, p. 472).
What the Bible says about death:	What Christian Science says about death:
Physical and spiritual deaths come upon all people as a consequence of their sin (Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23; Eph. 2:1). People become spiritually alive when they are “born again” (John 3:3-6; Eph. 2:1-5). At physical death, our souls and spirits separate from our bodies [which go into the grave to await resurrection and final judgment] and enter an everlasting state of blessedness [for those born again] or torment [for those who die in their sins] (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Cor. 5:8).	Death is an illusion. People, like God, are immortal spirit or mind and therefore do not die.
What the Bible says about heaven and hell:	What Christian Science says about heaven and hell:
Hell is a place of everlasting conscious existence where the unbeliever is forever separated from God (Matt. 25:46; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 14:9-11, 20:10).  As for Heaven, all believers have God’s promise of a home in Heaven, will go there instantly upon physical death, and will return with Christ from Heaven to earth one day (Luke 16:19-31; John 14:1-3; 2 Cor. 5:8; Rev. 19:11-16).	Christian Science teaches that “the sinner makes his own hell by doing evil, and the saint his own heaven by doing right” (Science and Health, p. 266). “The advanced psychist knows that this hell is mental, not material, and that the Christian has no part in it (The first Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 160). “Heaven is not a locality, but a divine state of Mind” (Science and Health, p. 291).

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Unitarian (Unitarian Universalist since 1961)

1. Source of Authority. The UUs deny the divine inspiration and absolute authority of the Scriptures. They claim the Bible was merely the creation of men, and therefore, the Bible contains many "inaccuracies, inconsistencies, and errors." They substitute human reason for revelation as their source of authority, and believe there are no absolute or infallible guides, including reason. [HJB] In fact, UUs desire a world religion that "draws from and honors the teachings of all of the great religious traditions."

2. Trinity. The UUs deny that one God exists in three Persons. Instead, they claim that Trinitarian doctrine was added by the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. [HJB]

3. God. The UUs hold a variety of liberal views about God: Some do not believe that He is a Person, but instead claim He is an impersonal spirit, a natural force, or a principle. Some even claim that He is a created being, not supernatural. Others even deny His existence completely.

4. Jesus Christ. The UUs deny the deity of Christ -- that He is not God and Savior, but only a good man and teacher. They claim that the apostles and other Christian writers added to the Scriptures the teachings concerning Christ's atonement for sin.

5. Salvation. The UUs teach that the essence of salvation is character development ("deeds not creeds"), rather than faith in Jesus Christ alone -- the "social gospel" reigns supreme in UU. This belief allows every person to do whatever is right in his own eyes as long as he is sincere about it (including homosexual behavior -- UU became the first denomination to call for the legal recognition of same-sex marriages [Associated Press:6/25/96]; as early as 1970, UUs called for an end to discrimination against homosexuals and bisexuals, and in 1980, UUs resolved that homosexuals should be ordained.).

6. Hell. The UUs hold the "universalist" belief that no one will be eternally condemned. They, therefore, deny the existence of hell, claiming it is unreasonable for a loving God to send people to a place of eternal torment. They believe that we suffer the consequences of sin in this life only. [HJB] (From RapidNet.com. See Also: Unitarian Universalist Beliefs and Practices and Unitarian Universalism Exposed.)

Yup, Unitarianism does not pass the Basic Christian test. There are other Christian off-shoots that are better described as a cult because they do not pass the Basic Christian principle. AND yet the Word of Faith Movement is labeled a heretical Christian off-shoot by what is known as Mainline Christians that follow the basics but have variations of dogma.

There are more Christian off-shoots that do not follow the basics of the faith but call them self Christian that I have not listed here. You can Google those other cults or you can take a look at a comparison chart I found HERE. However, even that chart lists some of the bigger cults and doesn’t show them all.

The point I am driving home is that the Word of Faith as a movement should not be labeled a heretical cult because various Protestant Denominations, Roman Catholics or the Eastern Orthodox Church consider WF principles as heretical. Trust me there are many Protestants that look upon Roman Catholicism as Popery or Papist heresy. There are many Protestants that reject the Eastern Orthodox concept of deification because of the belief it is heretical. Keep in mind the Eastern Orthodox Church is older than the Roman Catholic Church and definitely older than Protestant Denominationalism. Then there was the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox mutual excommunication of each other over something as simple as where the Holy Spirit proceeds from: e.g. does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father and the Son or just the Father.

Okay, I’ve set the tone in support of WF. Now in future posting I am going to examine the WF beliefs that are outside the basics of Christianity.

JRH 9/5/12

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