Who are Jehovah's witnesses?

[Abdul-Raouf]

Who is Jehovah?

Who are Jehovah's witnesses?

Why are they called so?

According to them who is GOD?

How r they different from other christians?

[August]

Jehovah is the name of God translated from Hebrew into English. They believe that using this name is necessary for worship.

The Jehovah's witnesses are a heretical sect within (barely) Christianity.

Their name comes from their belief that all Jehovah's Witnesses are responsible for converting others and preaching. They even submit time sheets for how long they spent witnessing.

The JW's differ from most other Christians because they believe that Jesus was not the Son of God but was a creation of God, and that the Holy Spirit is God's power, not a member of the Trinity. So they deny the Trinity. Only God the Father is accepted as God by the JW's

Aside from their views about the Trinity, they differ a great deal in most beliefs. They believe that the end of the world is coming soon, and that it will end with an apocalyptic final battle. They also believe that only 144,000 people will go to heaven, with the rest of the JW's living in a paradise on Earth. They also have their own translation of the Bible, to change the parts that conflict with their views. They also won't: give or recieve a blood transfusion, celebrate any holiday, or salute a flag.

Hope that's enough info for starters.

[Woodrow]

I do not believe we have any members who are JWs. It would be interesting to know if we have any members that are former JWs and what their views are.

It is difficult to get an understanding as our views will just be our interpretation and not from any actual source.

[ummzayd]

I do not believe we have any members who are JWs. It would be interesting to know if we have any members that are former JWs and what their views are.

It is difficult to get an understanding as our views will just be our interpretation and not from any actual source.

:sl:

my oldest sister & her husband joined the 'Witnesses' when I was about 8, followed by another sister. Now I have loads of nieces who are witnesses as well. I did study the bible with them on & off for years. I must say brother August's views are not very ojbective. they study the bible a lot more than any other Christian sect I believe.

Their view of Jesus pbuh is interesting....although they dispute whether the bible actually teaches the trinity, they do believe that Jesus pbuh is a special creation of God, His first creation in fact. They believe that Jesus pbuh is the archangel Michael as mentioned in the OT & that Jesus pbuh created the universe ('nothing came into existence except through him' ie Jesus pbuh).

They do make a huge deal about God's name being Jehovah & how He wants His name known.....and they are the only ones following that command. however they also admit that 'Jehovah' is only an approximation of the 4 Hebrew letters signifying God's name in the OT (Y,H,W,H). If it was so important surely we would at least have the real, proper name, no? especially since Jesus pbuh is supposed to have spoken the name out loud, yet his followers didn't think of writing it down phonetically........

anyway, any specific questions I will be happy to have a stab at answering, or even better try & get an authentic JW to the board.....

:w:

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[Keltoi]

They claim to be the only true religion. They have a very un-Christian understanding of God's relationship with Jesus Christ. They believe Christ to be God's first creation, and was used by God to create everything else. They also believe Christ to have been the Archangel Michael in His pre-human existence. They reject the cross and believe he was killed on a single torture stake.

Their ideology revolves around the "last days", which they believe started in 1914. They believe all other nations will be destroyed by the United Nations and then they will be attacked, leading to Armaggedon.

I know this because my grandmother used to allow them to enter our house and tell us about their faith. My grandmother was a Methodist, and had no intention of becoming a Jehova's Witness, she was just too friendly for her own good sometimes.

They don't believe in nationalism, they do not salute a flag. They do not join any military organization. Those are just some of the facts that I know to be true.

[Woodrow]

I do have a cousin that joined them a long time back. But, she had stopped having any contact with any family members soon after joining and nobody in my family has had any real contact with her in over 40 years.

[Pk_#2]

You know on my street there are loads of jehovas witnesses they have meetings in the cathdral opposite ma docs i don't think they pray there though... :oS

Peace.

[Woodrow]

Jehovah’s Witnesses are an international religion that rejects much of mainstream Christianity in favor of what they believe is a restored form of First Century Christianity.[1][2] Jehovah's Witnesses are governed by their understanding of Scriptural laws and principles based on instructions received from the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. is a legal organization in use by Jehovah’s Witnesses for their ministry work.

The religion was developed in response “to what they saw as compromise and corruption in mainstream Christianity.”[3] They dispute doctrines such as the Trinity, hellfire, immortality of the soul, and clergy-laity divisions as illegitimate additions to the original Christian teachings.[4] The name, "Jehovah’s Witnesses", was adopted in 1931.[5] The Watchtower Society has been publishing religious materials since the late 1800's, their most widely known publications being the magazines The Watchtower and Awake![6][7]

Jehovah’s Witnesses count as adherents the number attending its meetings, which as of 2006 is some 16 million.[8][9] Of these adherents it counts as members those who report time preaching each month. As of August 2006 this membership is 6.7 million.[10]

The central theme of their preaching is the sanctification of God's name and the vindication of His sovereignty by means of His Kingdom, with Jesus Christ as its Ruler. The Witnesses believe that the reign of Jesus began with the Second Coming or presence of Christ which was marked prophetically as the end of the "Gentile Times." Originally, this was believed to have occurred invisibly in 1874, but this date was later revised to 1914.[11]

Other Witness teachings include the use of a personal name for God, translated as Jehovah–Yahweh in English–and the belief that such use is vital for acceptable worship. They believe that Jesus' death was necessary to atone for the sin brought into the world by the first man, Adam, thus opening the way for the hope of everlasting life for mankind. It is also taught that 144,000 people will receive immortal life in heaven with Jesus Christ as co-rulers guiding the rest of humankind to perfection on a paradise earth during the 1000 year reign. Witnesses believe that during the war of Armageddon, which they believe to be imminent, the wicked will be destroyed, and that the survivors of this event, along with individuals deemed worthy of resurrection, will form a new society ruled by a heavenly government and have the possibility of living forever in an earthly paradise.

Source:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah's_Witnesses

[Pygoscelis]

I have visited the local Kingdom Hall numerous times and I've had long conversations with many JWs. The truth is that many of them don't know themselves many of the details about their faith. The same holds true with mormons.

At the heart of it they are an offshoot of christianity that started as an end-of-the-world cult, has made numerous predictions about the world's end that didn't come true, yet hangs on and maintains a group identity despite that repeated failure. They rarely give dates now. THey just say "The world will end soon, and you must be saved", making them very similar to many other christians.

They have many of their own publications (again, a lot like the mormons) and tend to focus on the happy fuzzy gruop acceptance side of the christian doctrine. You don't often hear them talking about the uglier side of the bible like you do some other hardcore christians (ie fred phelps, falwell, robertson, etc)

They definitely cultish, in the brainwashing sense of the word, but they are mostly harmles when you get down to it. We're not at any risk of having Jehovas Witness suicide bomber attacks.

They claim to be the only true religion.

Few religions don't.

They have a very un-Christian understanding of God's relationship with Jesus Christ. They believe Christ to be God's first creation, and was used by God to create everything else. They also believe Christ to have been the Archangel Michael in His pre-human existence. They reject the cross and believe he was killed on a single torture stake.

This is essentially correct.

They believe all other nations will be destroyed by the United Nations and then they will be attacked, leading to Armaggedon.

I'm pretty sure this isn't the core of their doctrine, though it may be a belief many of them hold. Could be wrong about that. It isn't something you'll come across frequently at their kingdom hall or in their writings or from them at your door (its interesting that your grandmother did).

They don't believe in nationalism

Good on them. Neither do I :D

[Grace Seeker]

Who is Jehovah?

This Wikipedia article will give you a pretty good summary of where the name Jehovah comes from. It is an English corruption of the Hebrew name for God.

Who are Jehovah's witnesses?

They are a cult that sprung up around the teachings of a man, Charles Taze Russell, in the late 1800s. Of course, they would not consider themselves a cult, but true believers and everyone else that calls themselves Christians they would call apostates.

Why are they called so?

The following answer is lifted from their website:

Jehovah is the personal name of God, as found in the Bible. A witness is a person who relates facts from direct personal knowledge or proclaims views or truths of which he is convinced. Thus, the name Jehovah's Witnesses designates an organized group of Christians who proclaim the truth that Jehovah is a loving and just God, deserving of our love and obedience. They do this by sharing what they have learned from the Bible with friends and neighbors.—Isaiah 43:10-12.

According to them who is GOD?

Again from their website:

Jehovah is the name of the only true God, the Creator of all things. As such, he is worthy of our worship and devotion. His outstanding qualities are love, justice, wisdom, and power.—Psalm 83:18; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 4:11.

How r they different from other christians?

Well, while Jehovah's Witnesses would call themselves Christians, I woud not use that term to describe them. They have some things in common with Christians (but then so do Jews and Muslims), and they even use some of the same religious language that Christians do, but they often have different meanings for the terms and widely divergent interpretations of scripture from what Christians do. Some of those things, you, as a Muslim, may actually find yourself agreeing more with the Jehovah's Witnesses than historic Christianity, and that in and of itself ought to be a clue to you that they are not actually Christians.

Probably the first among those is that they reject the concept of the Trinity and the diety of Jesus. You can find a lot more about what they believe on their website.


My great-grandfather was a Jehovah's Witness. I have all of his old books. One of the things the JWs are big about is an expectation of the imminent end of the world. My great-grandfather sold everything he own for that end which was supposed to occur in 1914. Somehow he lived through that event, which is now explained as being the date that Jesus Christ invisibily returned, so we are living during the "end of the world".

So the "end of the world" does not mean the end of this world in destruction. If it did there would be no need to raise up witnesses for the "end of the world"
The Bible term "end of the world" means, here, a new time period, the "time of the end" of this old world. This time period had its beginning in 1914; it will close when this world ends in destruction. So 1914 marked the beginning of the "time of the end" for this world.

From Paradise Lost to Paradise Regained, p. 174

However, my great-grandfather's older books and publications (pre-1914) say something completely different. According to them,

Suppose that A.D. 1915 should pass with the the world's affairs all serene and with evidence that the "very elect" had not be "changed" and without the restoration of natural Israel to favor under the New Covenant. (Rom. 11:12,15) What then? Would that not prove our chronology wrong? Yes, surely! And would that not prove a keep disappointment? Indeed it would! It would work irreparable wreck to the parallel dispensations and Israel's double, and to the Jubilee calculations, and to the prophecy of the 2300 days of Daniel.... What a blow that would be! One of the strings of our "harp" would be quite broken."

from The Watch Tower, October 1, 1907

Well, Russell was wrong when he said that such a happening would be irreparable. They repaired it quite nicely, setting a new date for 1925, which my great-grandfather also believed. They have since quit setting exact dates and thus began the teaching of the invisible coming of Christ in 1914.

And though they don't present themselves to people when knocking on doors today, they have in the past been quite antagonistic toward all other beliefs:

There is no such thing in existence as "the Christian religion," because all religion [emphasis mine] proceeds from God's enemy the Devil. "Christian religion" is a misnomer, fraudulent and deceptive.... Religion is entirely out of place in the church of God.

J.F. Rutherford, Enemies, c. 1937, p. 130

I hope from the above statement by the then leader of the Jehovah's Witnesses you can see why I say that they have nothing in common with historic Christianity. They themselves have said that they don't want to be considered Christian. Though today, in the FAQ section of the website they answer the question, "Are you Christian?" with a "Yes". I guess times change. Though in 1945 they were still saying that " 'Religion' is the doing of anything that is contrary to Jehovah's will."

JWs claim that after God created the Son in heaven that then God became a father. The Son of God was put in the already conceived human embryo in Mary, but he was born a mere human creature, and the God begot him to be God's spiritual son once more, instead of a human son, at Jesus' baptism. Jesus did not die on a cross, but was executed by being impaled on a stake. God then removed Jesus' dead physical body from the tomb. Jesus was resurrected spiritually, not physically. And for the time that he was supposedly in the tomb he simply ceased to exist altogether. Since there is no bodily resurrection, there can be no physical second coming, which explains why people missed his invisible but spiritual return in 1914.


How are JWs different from Christians in their beliefs? It would be easier to tell you how they are alike. But I can't even tell you that both believe the other is going to hell, because JWs claim that those who are beyond redemption (like Christians and Muslims) simply cease to exist or to ever have existed and enter a state of complete annihilation of their being.

[wilberhum]

I love it when someone judges another’s religion.

They are a cult

It is a fine line between religion and cult.

true believers and everyone else that calls themselves Christians they would call apostates.

Now what is a "True Believer"? There is no proof that any of it it "True",

they often have different meanings for the terms and widely divergent interpretations of scripture from what Christians do.

Different meanings Well Proof comes to mind. Many say there religious beliefs are Proof. And what do Christians believe? There are thousands of deviations.

that in and of itself ought to be a clue to you that they are not actually Christians.

I always have a problem saying people are not that they say. That must simply be based on "I'm Right, so your Wrong".

the first among those is that they reject the concept of the Trinity and the diety of Jesus.

Not all Christians accept the Trinity and at the base, a Christian is someone who follows the teachings of Jesus and Jesus never said he was god. You need not accept the divinity of Jesus to be a Christian.

Why do we use god to separate us. Surly that is not what he wants.

[Grace Seeker]

Not all Christians accept the Trinity and at the base, a Christian is someone who follows the teachings of Jesus and Jesus never said he was god. You need not accept the divinity of Jesus to be a Christian.

By that definition, Muslims are Christians, as are many Buddhists, and certainly the Bahai. You can use that definition if you want to. But the rest of the world will not understand what you are talking about.

I always have a problem saying people are not that they say.

Did you not see where I quoted the founding leaders of JWs as saying that "There is no such thing in existence as 'the Christian religion' ?" How could they be Christians if there is no such thing as Christianity in their minds? It is they who rejected identification with historic Christianity, no one had to deny them their place in the Christian fold; they did not want it. Now they use it because they desire the social acceptance of the term; it enables them to get a better chance of a hearing when they knock on your door. They are also trusting that those who don't know any better, such as yourself, will call all groups that talk about Jesus as Christian, just like one might call all things that fly birds, regardless of any of their other traits.

I appreciate the sentiment behind calling people what they want to be called -- I call my Chilean friends Americans because that is what they like to be called -- but JWs have not wished to be called Christians until very, very recently.

[wilberhum]

I appreciate the sentiment behind calling people what they want to be called

Then my purpose for the post was accomplished.

[Keltoi]

While I personally don't have a problem with Jehova's Witnesses calling themselves Christian, as they do follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, I can also understand why many Christians are uncomfortable with that characterization. They stray pretty far from the recognized doctrine of traditional Christianity. However, if they consider themselves followers of Jesus Christ they can't be all bad in my book. I've known a few members of the faith, and they are as devoted to Christian morality as the traditional faithful. As always, it is between them and God.

[pswanton]

Hi, I notice there are several messages from some who may not know much about Jehovah's Witnesses. I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses and have been for over 40 years. I serve as an elder and a special pioneer. I would direct all sincere enquirers to www.watchtower.org or www.jw-media.org
Here you will find answers to most questions about who we are and what our faith entails. It is always good to hear from those who are in the organisation what they believe. For instance I would not think of asking a non muslim what muslims believe

Thanks for reading

[ummzayd]

It is always good to hear from those who are in the organisation what they believe. For instance I would not think of asking a non muslim what muslims believe

agreed, it is even worse to ask a Pentecostal what a Jehovah's Witness believes!

anyway, thanks for your input, I believe the official JW website was already mentioned and quoted from by one of our Muslim moderators.

In the same way that you do not just knock on doors to give people your website address, I hope you will stick around to answer specific questions on Jehovah's Witnesses that we may have.

for starters, is everything said here about the doctrine of the Witnesses so far correct, or are there any errors you would like to correct?

peace

[Phil12123]

When considering whether JWs are a cult, one charateristic of a cult is the control of information that the members are permitted to receive, which is a form of mind control. The hearing or reading of any opposing view is discouraged if not outrightly forbidden by the Watchtower organization (WT). That is because the WT teaches that to receive any teaching from any other source is to receive poison, rather than "meat [food] in due season" as they quote from their version of Matthew 24:45. So the rank-and-file JW is generally told to NOT read anything from any "Christian" church. The WT teaches that such a church is part of Babylon the great, the world of false religion. Most importantly, they are told NOT to read anything written by an ex-JW ("an apostate"), which the WT finds most deadly because the JW reading it might be forced to deal with all the WT's false prophecies and false teachings over the years, possibly leading to the JW also leaving what he then realizes to be anything but "God's Organization."

One refreshing aspect of this forum is the freedom to present different views for discussion and debate. We need not fear the TRUTH. Only organizations like the WT "can't handle the truth."

Peace