The first and the most important lesson that you must learn in order to be a discerning person

is that you must know the Word of God, believe the Word of God as the absolute truth,

and test everything and measure everything by that word. Learning to discern must begin with knowing,

believing, and testing. And that is of vital importance to the young and to the old alike.

Why am I saying this? Because every cult, every sect, every offbeat group have one thing in common.

And it is this.

They say the Bible, yes, and three letter words.

The core teaching of every false religion will have the word and in it.

Discernment will cause you to have red light flashing as soon as you hear the word and.

As soon as you see the word or hear the word and you run a mile. Jehovah's witnesses,

for example, of whom I'm going to be talking a little bit more today, they say the Bible, yes,

and the interpretation of that Bible by Charles, Taz Russell, and Judge Rutherford.

In Mormonism, they would say the Bible, yes, and the Book of Mormon.

Or the Bible, yes, and as it is interpreted by Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.

And that is why all of those falsehoods appeal mostly to the non-discerning people.

So here is the first test about discernment, because these cults appeal both to the old and to the young alike,

and they look for certain characteristics among their prey.

And those are the times when they are lonely,

those who are discontented,

or those who feel neglected and passed by,

those who are looking for instant answers to life's complex problems, those who are looking for little neat formulas in order to get them

through their problems.

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