Is the Jehovah's Witness religion Christian? The answer to the question is, "No.
It is not Christian." Like all non-Christian cults, the Jehovah's Witness
organization distorts the essential doctrines of Christianity. It denies the
deity of Christ, His physical resurrection, and salvation by grace. This alone
makes it non-Christian. To support its erring doctrines, the Watchtower
organization (which is the author and teacher of all official Jehovah's Witness
theology), has even altered the Bible to make it agree with its changing and
non-Christian teachings.
Typical with cults that use the Bible to support its position is a host of
interpretive errors:
Taking verses out of their immediate context.
Refusing to read verses in the entire biblical context.
Inserting their theological presuppositions into the text.
Altering the Biblical text to suit their needs.
Latching onto one verse to interpret a host of others.
Changing the meanings of words.
Proclaiming some passages to be figurative when they contradict their doctrines.
Adding to the Word of God.
Additionally, the Jehovah's Witness organization requires of its members regular
weekly attendance at their "Bible Study" meetings where they are repeatedly
indoctrinated with anti-Christian teachings. This is done by reading the
Watchtower magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it
asks, and reciting the answers it gives. In other words, the Watchtower
Organization carefully trains its members to let the Organization do their
thinking for them.
The Witnesses are told they will be persecuted when they go door to door
teaching their doctrines. They are further told that this is simply the enemy
fighting against God's organization because they are in "the truth." So, when
someone disagrees with them, they are conditioned to reflect on what the
Watchtower has told them. They then feel confirmed in being in God's true
organization on earth (like all cults claim). They are strongly encouraged to
have friends and acquaintances that are only JW’s, thereby keeping outside
examination to a minimum. They are told to shun those who leave their group,
that way, there is no way to see why someone has left and no way to find out
that they are in error from those who have found the truth in Christ. They are
conditioned to shy away from any real biblically knowledgeable person. An
example of this is frequently found on the Internet. I was once banned from a
Jehovah's Witness chat room after I not only answered their objections to the
Trinity and deity of Christ, but challenged them in return. Subsequently, my
name was passed around to all other Jehovah's Witness rooms where I was banned
from them as well. This is a frequent occurrence on the Internet where the
Jehovah's Witnesses are alive and well. It is obvious that critical examination
of their doctrines is not encouraged by the Watchtower Organization.
The Jehovah's Witnesses consider themselves to be Christians because they
believe they are serving the true and living God. Like many cults, they think
they are the only true church on earth. Yet, they deny the Trinity, the deity of
Christ, the personhood of the Holy Spirit, Jesus' physical resurrection, and
salvation by grace through faith.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged from looking into Jehovah's Witness
history or old Watchtower literature which is replete with contradictions,
altered doctrines, and false prophecies. Instead, they are indoctrinated
repeatedly against basic Christian doctrines (Trinity, deity of Christ, etc) and
into the notion that they alone are the true servants of God and that all others
are either in "Christendom" or simply unbelievers.
Primarily, the Jehovah's Witness organization is a mind control organization
that uses its people to pass out literature and send in "donations" to the
headquarters in Brooklyn, New York.
"Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian
congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely
they may believe that they can interpret the Bible." The Watchtower, Oct. 1,
1967. p. 587.
The Watchtower organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses is a non-Christian
organization that uses its people to promulgate false doctrines, and collects
"contributions" for distribution of a multitudinous amount of literature, and
expand its grip into the lives of its members and their families.
It is a non-Christian cult.
_______________
( Take 2....)
The Witnesses were the first of the pseudo-Christian sects that realized a
proprietary translation of the Bible could be used to further their theological
agenda. Previously known as the Dawn Bible Students, the group was founded on
the teachings of a man named Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916). The Russellites
(as they became known in the early days) taught that because the Christian
denominations of the world had moved away from the "original" gospel, their
group was to be the last days religious vehicle for God, and the sole voice of
Jehovah in the world.
The group formally predicted the end of the world in 1874, 1914, 1918, 1925,
1941, and 1975. This is a powerful indicator of the true nature of this
religion. The JW's have long taught that the 144,000 of Revelation is solely
comprised of their members. Based on almost any definition of the word, the
Jehovah's Witnesses group would have to qualify as a large cult; however, what I
refer to as the Culting of Christianity has made the term virtually meaningless.
Based on current realities, it is linguistically more accurate to refer to them
as a sect with major scriptural errors. Pragmatically speaking, it seems a
misnomer to refer to a distinctive religion with 5.8 million members in over 200
countries as a cult. Although it carries the trappings of Christianity, the
Watchtower Society (the corporate head of the Jehovah's Witnesses) is simply
another religion preaching another gospel.
Because the Jehovah's Witnesses have repeatedly claimed to be the exclusive
channel of the Lord's communication with mankind, they must be viewed in the
light of Deuteronomy 18 - the famous chapter usually thought to apply to false
prophets. Actually, Deuteronomy 18 is a prophecy and set of characteristics to
be applied to the Messiah - but since the group claims to be the mediator
between God and man (thereby replacing the role of Jesus), they should be judged
based on this chapter. Verse 22 says "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the
Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the
Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt
not be afraid of him." Using this chapter as a yardstick, it is easily
demonstrated the Jehovah's Witnesses are a false group, led by false prophets,
bringing forth false doctrine.
My personal experience with Witnesses is that many of them are intellectually as
dishonest as their early leadership. In a fashion eerily reminiscent of speaking
with someone that has been thoroughly brainwashed, when it suits them, they
simply deny the facts concerning their own group. For example, in support of the
previous assertion demonstrating their claim to be the collective "prophet" for
the whole world, their own periodical, The Watchtower, said this:
"So, does Jehovah have a prophet to help them, to warn them of dangers and to
declare things to come? These questions can be answered in the affirmative. Who
is this prophet?...This 'prophet' was not one man, but was a body of men and
women. It was the small group of footstep followers of Jesus Christ, known at
that time as International Bible Students. Today they are known as Jehovah's
Christian witnesses..." (The Watchtower, 4/1/72, cited in Christian Answers
Newsletter V1#3).
But the duo at your door will never believe this unless you have the original
document in your hand! Even then, they'll probably claim it's a forgery!
The primary theological error of the Jehovah's Witnesses is found in the nature
of Jesus Christ and how His program of salvation works. Russellism teaches that
Jesus is not actually God, but he is a lesser god created by the Lord of the Old
Testament (Jehovah). This is a deadly error, for New Testament teaching firmly
states that an accurate understanding of the nature of Jesus is crucial to a
saving relationship with Him. For instance, Jesus said "...if ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24). This is a definite
reference to the Old Testament name of God, the great "I AM" spoken of in Exodus
3:14. When the Pharisees challenged the authority of Jesus, he said "Before
Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58). When 'doubting' Thomas knelt before Jesus, he
called Him "...my Lord and my God" (John 20:28). There are many other verses
clearly showing Christ as God.
Once they've rejected Christ as the exclusive mediator, the Jehovah's Witnesses
attempt to position themselves as having the relationship with God the Father
that was developed not by the grace repeatedly spoken of in the New Testament,
but by an elaborate system of works and good deeds.
Russellism teaches there is no Trinity. They also reject the Holy Spirit as the
third person of the Trinity. They believe that Jesus was never God, but actually
Michael the Archangel. CT Russell taught that Christ was not physically
resurrected nor will he return bodily at the second coming. Their illustrious
leader was also among the first to embrace pyramidology as a God given series of
measurements that have direct bearing on Christian prophecy. In the last
century, this error has made tremendous inroads into mainstream Christianity
through various teachers associated with the Rapture Cult.
Actually, even their name betrays them for in attempting to alliterate the
Hebrew name of the Lord, they've relied on a poor rendering of YHWH (the actual
name of God in Hebrew - known as the Tetragrammaton). Their linguistic abilities
are deficient in their manuscript selection as well for the New World Bible
issued by the sect is based on Vaticanus and Sinaiticus - the two most corrupt
manuscripts in existence.
Interestingly, there are aspects of the Witness system that are far closer to
the truth than mainstream Christian tradition. The group refuses to celebrate
current holidays (which are holy days) because of their pagan origin. Christmas
tree loving so-called Christians around the world point their finger at the
Witnesses and accuse them of being a cult on this basis. This is absurd, for
Jeremiah specifically warns against honoring the Christmas tree ritual in
chapter 10.
The group's rejection of the holidays extends to Easter because it was
originally the day of Ishtar (see Acts 12:4). Because they base their salvation
on works, the Witnesses are also Sabbath oriented. These facts tend to obscure
the truth of the Sabbath and the pagan nature of modern Christendom among
evangelical Christians because they reason 'the witnesses are a cult, the
witnesses keep the Sabbath, therefore Sabbath keepers are in a cult.'
This is one of Satan's cleverest tactics: to place enough truth in an otherwise
error-ridden group to discredit that truth among outside observers. The truth
is, virtually every "Christian" holiday does have pagan origins, and the
witnesses fervor in this matter is commendable; however the greater errors
concerning salvation and the personal relationship with Jesus Christ that is
available to far more than 144,000 is a fatal error. This group should be
avoided at every opportunity. "If there come any unto you, and bring not this
doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed" (II John
1:10).
( ©2002 CHRISTIAN MEDIA RESEARCH, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED )
________________
(Take 3....)
By Patrick Zukeran
History of the Watch Tower
One of the most aggressive and fastest growing cults is the Jehovah's Witnesses.
Today they have a worldwide organization that numbers about 3.5 million members
operating in 205 countries. Several factors account for this rapid growth. The
first is their zealous door-to-door evangelism. Second, we Christians have
failed to make a solid defense of our faith against their attacks when they have
come to our door. The result is the Witnesses continue unchallenged in the
propagation of their organization and deceive many. Third, the rise of the cults
are a fulfillment of the prophetic warnings given by Jesus and the Apostles.
In this essay I want to look at the beliefs of the Witnesses and then give the
reader practical witnessing strategies. The history of the Jehovah's Witnesses
begins with the founder of the organization Charles Taze Russell. He was a
member of the Congregational Church who came to reject the doctrine of hell and
eternal punishment. In 1870, with no formal education, he began a Bible society
which eventually named him pastor. In 1884, he founded Zion's Watchtower and
Tract Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is now the Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society headquartered in Brooklyn, New York. Since then they have
mushroomed into an organization which produces more literature in one year than
the Christian and Catholic churches combined. And, of all the cults, their
missionary forces are the most well trained in evangelism.
Witnesses deviate from biblical Christianity in several areas. I will discuss
some of their major doctrinal errors. First, like all the cults, they deny the
Trinity. They believe there is one God, Jehovah. Jesus, is actually Michael the
Archangel, the first of God's creation, who became flesh at the incarnation.
After the resurrection, He returned to heaven as Michael the Archangel. The Holy
Spirit is not God but an active force much like electricity or fire.
Second, Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection of Christ, but instead believe He
was raised as a spirit and manifested Himself several times in different
materialized bodies.
Third, they deny the existence of hell and eternal punishment, but believe in
total annihilation after death. Only the elite ruling class, the 144,000, are
allowed to go to heaven. The faithful Jehovah's Witnesses remain unconscious
after death till they are resurrected in the Millennium. Those who are not in
the organization are annihilated after death.
Fourth, Witnesses have a works-oriented salvation. Salvation is not based upon a
relationship with Christ, but found in the organization. One must serve the
society, and depending on one's faithfulness and absolute obedience, one may be
saved.
Fifth, they believe that Jesus returned invisibly in 1914 and established His
throne in heaven. At Armageddon, God will destroy all evil, and abolish all the
world's governments, and establish a new Paradise on earth. Then the living and
resurrected Jehovah's Witnesses will inherit Paradise earth. The 144,000
mentioned earlier will rule with Jesus. At this time all unbelievers who have
died will be raised (with some exceptions) and will study under the Witnesses
during the Millennium, a period of a thousand years. Studying with them will be
the unbelievers who have survived Armageddon. After the thousand years, their
faith will be tested because God will release Satan from the abyss. At that
point all unbelievers will have to choose between Satan or Jehovah. Those who
reject Jehovah will be annihilated.
Clearly the doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses deviate in critical ways from
sound biblical principles. Next, I want to discuss how to teach the truth to
Jehovah's Witnesses.
False Prophecies of the Watch Tower
One of the most effective ways to evangelize Jehovah's Witnesses is to destroy
their faith in the Society. Remember, salvation is found only in this
organization. The Watch Tower Society is seen as the spokesman for God. If you
can show Witnesses the serious errors of the organization, they will begin to
have doubts and questions. This can sometimes lead them to leave the Society.
Attacking the Society's record of false prophecy can cause JWs to to question
the organization. This approach is effective because they claim to have the true
understanding of the end times. If we can show them that the organization has
been constantly wrong in the area of prophecy, this will certainly make an
impact. When the Jehovah's Witnesses show up at your door again, begin first by
asking them, "Are you prophets of God?" Some will say, "Yes." Others may say,
"We are prophets in a sense." You must make it clear there is no such thing as
"a prophet in a sense." There are only true prophets and false prophets. Some
may deny being prophets. If so, show them a copy of the April 1, 1972, Watch
Tower article on page 297, which states clearly that they are prophets.
Second, define clearly what makes a true prophet and a false prophet using
Deuteronomy 18:20-22. A true prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah and predicts
future things which come to pass. A false prophet speaks in the name of Jehovah
and predicts future things which do not come to pass. Make sure they understand
this, for this is the most critical step.
Third, ask them, "Is there an organization that fits the character of a false
prophet?" That's when you say, "Let's take a look at the Watch Tower
Organization." Have handy copies of the articles mentioned here. The 1889 issue,
"The Time is at Hand," page 101 states, "The battle of the great day of God
Almighty (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A.D. 1914, with the complete overthrow
of earth's present rulership, is already commenced." This 1914 prediction of
Christ's return never came true.
Then the Watch Tower predicted that Christ would return in 1925. The 1918 issue
of, "Millions Now Living Will Never Die," p. 89 states, "Therefore we may
confidently expect that 1925 will mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and
the faithful prophets of old, particularly those named by the apostle in Hebrews
11 to the condition of human perfection." This proved to be another false
prophecy.
The Watch Tower made a third prophecy of the return of Christ; this one was to
occur in 1975. The August 15, 1968, issue of, Why Are You Looking Forward to
1975?, p. 494, predicted the return of Christ in 1975. Once again the Witnesses
were shown to be false prophets. If the Witnesses don't believe these articles
are real, tell them to look them up in their church's library.
Another interesting prophecy is found on page 154 of their book You Can Live
Forever in Paradise on Earth. Here they state, "Some of the generation living in
1914 will see the end of the system of things and survive it." Most of the 1914
generation are dead, and the few remaining are very old. In just a few years,
the Watch Tower will again have another false prophecy. When presented clearly,
the record of the Watch Tower's false prophecies is a very effective tool in
witnessing to JWs.
(If you would like these false prophecies, write us here at Probe. For a minimum
donation of five dollars, we can send you a copy of the original articles.)
The Name of God
Another effective avenue of witnessing to the Witnesses is in the name of God.
Jehovah's Witnesses state that God's true name is "Jehovah." They say the term
"God," is merely a title, and that the real name for God is "Jehovah." In fact
they go so far as to say that unless one calls on the true name of God,
"Jehovah," one cannot be saved.
Let's take a real close look at the name "Jehovah" and see if it is in fact the
true name of God. The term "Jehovah" is actually a false reading of the Hebrew
pronunciation of God, or YAHWEH. Allow me to explain where the word "Jehovah"
comes from. The words in the Hebrew Old Testament contained no vowels. The words
were constructed of consonant letters only. The Scribes knew what vowels to use
in the pronunciation of the words by the construction of the consonants, the
context, and memory. It was written this way until the fifth century when the
Masoretes added the vowels under the consonants in their version of the Old
Testament known as the Masoretic Text.
The name of God in the Old Testament spelled YHWH, was considered holy, and was
not to be read aloud. Instead, when the Hebrews came upon YHWH, they would say
ADONAY, which means "Lord." In order to indicate this substitution, the
Massoretes placed the vowels of ADONAY or the English equivalent of e, o, and a
underneath the consonants of YHWH. Later some Christian translators mistakenly
combined the vowels of ADONAY with the consonants of YHWH producing the word
"Jehovah." Now the term is recognized to be a late hybrid form never used by the
Jews. That's the origin of the word "Jehovah." Let's now look at what other
scholars say about the name "Jehovah."
Webster's Collegiate Dictionary: "Jehovah" -- False reading of the Hebrew
YAHWEH.
Encyclopedia Americana: "Jehovah" -- erroneous form of the name of the God of
Israel.
Encyclopedia Britannica: The Masoretes who from the 6th to the 10th century
worked to reproduce the original text of the Hebrew Bible replaced the vowels of
the name YHWH with the vowel signs of Adonai or Elohim. Thus the artificial name
Jehovah came into being.
The Jewish Encyclopedia: "Jehovah" -- a mispronunciation of the Hebrew YHWH the
name of God. This pronunciation is grammatically impossible.
The New Jewish Encyclopedia: It is clear that the word Jehovah is an artificial
composite.
According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, p. 680, vol. 7, "the true pronunciation
of the tetragrammaton YHWH was never lost. The name was pronounced Yahweh. It
was regularly pronounced this way at least until 586 B.C., as is clear from the
Lachish Letters written shortly before this date."
Therefore, for Jehovah's Witnesses to insist Jehovah is the true name of God and
that one is saved only if he calls on that name, is an error. When Witnesses
appear at your door explain to them the name "Jehovah" and read what the
scholars say about Jehovah. Also remember, God uses many names for Himself such
as, King of Kings, the Lion of Judah, the Alpha and the Omega, and others. When
JWs realize what the authoritative sources have to say, especially the
encyclopedia references, they will begin to realize the need to take a serious
look at this error in the organization.
The Bodily Resurrection of Christ
A third subject area for effective witnessing to Witnesses is the bodily
resurrection of Christ. Witnesses believe that Christ's crucified body was
disintegrated by Jehovah never to exist again. Accordingly, Jesus was raised as
a spirit who then materialized and appeared in several different fleshly bodies
as the angels had done. Indeed, it was in this form that He appeared to His
disciples; i.e., He wasn't in a human body; He just appeared to be human. He
ascended into heaven as a spirit and once again became Michael the Archangel.
This doctrine can be easily disproved.
First, in Luke 24:36-43, Jesus clearly states in verse 39 that He is not a
spirit but a man of flesh and bone. He even ate food to prove that He was not a
spirit but had a physical body. In John 20:24-27, Jesus shows Thomas His wounds.
Jesus is clearly demonstrating to His disciples that the body previously on the
cross had been resurrected. If Jesus had a different body than the one on the
cross, He would have been deliberately deceiving the disciples. Ask the Witness,
"Would Jesus deliberately deceive His disciples into believing something that
was not true?"
Next, turn to some passages where Jesus predicts the resurrection of His body.
In John 2:19-21 Jesus says, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise
it up." See Acts 2:26-27, another prophecy of the Messiah's bodily resurrection.
Clearly the prophecies and Jesus' appearances prove a bodily resurrection.
Witnesses cite 1 Peter 3:18 and 1 Cor. 15:44-50 to back up their belief. In 1
Peter 3:18 we read, "Christ died once and for all... he being put to death in
the flesh but made alive by the spirit." This verse does not prove Jesus is a
spirit. This verse says that Jesus was raised in the Spirit and by the Spirit of
God who gives life. Romans 8:11 states that the Holy Spirit was involved in
raising Jesus from the dead. Jesus was not raised as a spirit but by the power
of the Holy Spirit.
According to 1 Cor. 15:50, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God."
Since Jesus is in heaven, Witnesses say He must be a spirit. They are correct in
saying that the earthly body cannot enter heaven. However, when Jesus rose, He
had a glorified body (Luke 24:39). Therefore, He can dwell in heaven because of
His glorified state. According to 1 Cor 15:39, "All flesh is not the same: Men
have one kind of flesh, animals have another.... There are also heavenly bodies
and there are earthly bodies." Christ's glorified body allows Him to travel in
the earthly and heavenly dimensions. Some verses indicate that Christ exists in
heaven in bodily form. "For in him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily
form" Colossians 2:9. The verb "dwells" in the Greek is katoikei, and is in the
present tense. In other words, Jesus has a glorified body in heaven, the one
that was resurrected. Note also 1 Timothy 2:5, "There is one God and one
mediator, the man Christ Jesus." The verb "is," is a present tense verb also.
How can Jesus be a man if He is Michael the Archangel? Seeing these errors may
prompt them to seek the truth.
The Holy Spirit
A fourth avenue of effective evangelism with Jehovah's Witnesses is the subject
of the deity of the Holy Spirit. As I mentioned earlier, the Jehovah's Witnesses
believe that the Holy Spirit is not a person because they see the Holy Spirit as
a force--much like electricity or fire. Here is what Jehovah's Witnesses say
about the Holy Spirit.
In their book You Can Live Forever In Paradise on Earth, they state, "As for the
`Holy Spirit,' the so-called third person of the Trinity, we have already seen
that this is not a person but God's active force."
In their magazine Why Should You Believe in the Trinity? they state, "To a
certain extent it (Holy Spirit) can be likened to electricity, a force that can
be adapted to perform a great variety of operations."
Here are some verses that are effective in proving the deity of the Holy Spirit.
In Acts 5 Ananaias and Sapphira lied to the church about the amount they sold
their land for and the amount they gave to the church. Peter confronts them on
this issue and states in 5:3, "Ananaias, how is it that Satan has so filled your
heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit...?" Peter later states in the next
verse, "You have not lied to men but to God." Here the Holy Spirit is called
"God" with a capital G both in our Bibles and in the Witnesses' Bible. Another
interesting question to ask Witnesses is, "Can you lie to a force like fire or
electricity?" The answer is "No." You can only lie to an intelligence, a person.
In Acts 13:2 the Holy Spirit speaks, "While they were worshipping the Lord and
fasting, the Holy Spirit said, `Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work
to which I have called them.'" Ask the Witness, "When was the last time
electricity or fire spoke to you?" It is obvious only an intelligent person can
communicate in language.
Ephesians 4:30 states, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God." Any logical
person should realize you can only grieve a living being. Ask a Jehovah's
Witness, "How can you grieve or bring sorrow to an impersonal force like
electricity?"
When you put all these facts together, the fact that the Holy Spirit is called
God, He can be lied to, He speaks, and He can be grieved, the evidence shows
that the Holy Spirit is a person, not an inanimate force. When presented
clearly, I have not met any Jehovah's Witnesses who have been able to refute
these verses.
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