Campus Bible Fellowship

Jehovah’s Witnesses: History and Basic Beliefs/Practices

Introduction: It’s very likely that you have encountered a Jehovah’s Witness at some time in your life. They are aggressively involved in spreading their message through literature and door to door visits. They claim to be Christians, and can provide multiple verses to try to support their teaching and to convince you that they are right. But what do they actually believe, and are they truly Christians who believe the Bible?

1. History
   1. In the 1870’s a small Bible study was held in Allegheny Pennsylvania, headed by Charles Taze Russell. In 1879 the first edition of Zion’s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ’s Presence came into circulation. In 1881 the organization was officially formed, and now goes by the name of Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society
   2. The name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” was taken in 1931 by Russell’s successor, Judge Rutherford, to distinguish the true followers from all other denominations.
   3. Its headquarters are located in Brooklyn, New York. The current membership is around 6,000,000 people
2. Basic Beliefs and Practices
   1. Bible
      1. They appear to teach that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, and that it should be the sole authority for all matters in life.
      2. In the 1960’s they made their own translation of the Bible, called the New World Translation, though they apparently had no Greek or Hebrew scholars in their organization. This translation has several obvious deviations in interpretation/translation from almost any other translation. (e.g., John 1:1 “The Word was a god.”)
      3. They claim that the Bible can only be properly understood through the teaching of the Watchtower and Russell’s six volume Scripture Studies. Russell claimed in the Sept. 15, 1910 edition of the Watchtower that those who read the Bible by itself, even after studying the Scripture Studies for 10 years, inevitably leave the teaching of the Scripture Studies within 2 years. But if a person read the Scripture Studies without reading one page of the Bible, he would still be “in the light,” meaning he would still believe what the Watchtower teaches.
   2. God
      1. They believe strongly that the true followers of God call Him by His name, Jehovah. Thus, they use that name throughout their translation, even in the New Testament, claiming that the original New Testament documents included the name Jehovah but were later changed by the church to the Greek word for “Lord.”
      2. They deny the Trinity
         1. “Is Jehovah a Trinity—three persons in one God? No! Jehovah, the Father, is “the only true God.” Jesus is His firstborn Son, and he is subject to God. The Father is greater than the Son. The holy spirit is not a person; it is God’s active force.”  *
   3. Jesus Christ
      1. They believe that Jesus Christ was the first being God created, and Jehovah created the rest of the world through Jesus.
      2. Many believe that Michael the archangel was Jesus before he came to the earth.
      3. They believe that Jesus Christ became a mere man, and lived a perfect life on this earth.
      4. Jesus is not God, and is not infinite, all-knowing, or omnipotent.
      5. Christ is now a King, and someday he will return to set up a kingdom on earth, will rule during the millennial reign, and will then give the kingdom to God.
      6. In 1914, Jesus invisibly returned to the earth. Now we are in the last times, but not the millennial kingdom.
      7. “Jesus lived in heaven as a spirit person before he came to earth. He was God’s first creation, and so he is called the “firstborn” Son of God. Jesus is the only Son that God created by himself. Jehovah used the prehuman Jesus as his “master worker” in creating all other things in heaven and on earth.”
   4. Christ’s death
      1. “Jesus did not die on a cross. He died on a pole, or a stake. The Greek word translated “cross” in many Bibles meant just one piece of timber. The symbol of the cross comes from ancient false religions. The cross was not used or worshiped by the early Christians. Therefore, do you think it would be right to use a cross in worship?”
   5. Christ’s resurrection
      1. They believe that Jesus did rise from the dead, but only in his spirit. His body remained dead as a ransom for Adam’s sin.
      2. “Jesus died and was resurrected by God as a spirit creature, and he returned to heaven.
   6. Holy Spirit
      1. They do not believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, but is rather the active force of God’s power. They liken a spirit to electricity, and claim that the Holy Spirit is God’s spirit just as man has a spirit.
      2. “The holy spirit is not a person; it is God’s active force.”
   7. Salvation
      1. “To become a friend of God, you must obtain a good knowledge of Bible truth, put faith in the things you have learned, repent of your sins, and turn around in your course of life. Then your love for God should move you to dedicate yourself to him.”
      2. Their main thrust is for you to study the Bible to find out about God (or what they tell you about God) and then to serve Him like He said you should in the Bible (or what they say He said in the Bible.) Those who do this will be spared in Armageddon, but everyone else will be annihilated.
      3. “After you have made a dedication, Jehovah will expect you to live up to your promise…For all eternity you thus can do the things that God requires of you!”
   8. Heaven
      1. A chosen few, 144,000, will go to heaven to live and rule in eternity. All others who are saved will live on the earth forever in “Paradise.”
      2. “Jehovah has also selected some faithful men and women from the earth to go to heaven. They will rule with Jesus as kings, judges, and priests over mankind. Jesus called these corulers in his Kingdom a “little flock.” They number 144,000.”
   9. Hell
      1. Hell does not exist. It is a pagan philosophy. When the Bible talks about hell, it is merely referring to the place of the dead, not a place of eternal punishment.
      2. If hell were a place of eternal torment, that would actually be eternal life for people, which would be more of a reward than punishment.
      3. A loving God would not torment people for eternity.
   10. Death
       1. When you die, you literally cease to exist. Even saved people who die before Christ’s return cease to exist.
       2. All those who have died will be resurrected when Christ returns and given a chance to live by his laws, and if they succeed, then they will live in Paradise. If they choose not to live by his laws, they will be annihilated again.
       3. “The dead cannot do anything or feel anything. We cannot help them, and they cannot hurt us. The soul dies; it does not live on after death.”
       4. “During Jesus’ Thousand Year Reign, faithful humans will work to turn the whole earth into a paradise. Also, millions of dead ones will be resurrected to human life on the earth. If they do what God requires of them, they will continue to live on earth forever. If not, they will be destroyed forever.
   11. Holidays
       1. Jehovah’s witnesses do not celebrate common holidays, like Christmas and Easter, and do not celebrate birthdays. Recognizing these holidays can cause a person to be shunned.
       2. “ Jesus was not born on December 25. He was born about October 1, a time of year when shepherds kept their flocks out-of-doors at night. Jesus never commanded Christians to celebrate his birth. Rather, he told his disciples to memorialize, or remember, his death. Christmas and its customs come from ancient false religions. The same is true of Easter customs, such as the use of eggs and rabbits. The early Christians did not celebrate Christmas or Easter, nor do true Christians today.”
       3. “The only two birthday celebrations spoken of in the Bible were held by persons who did not worship Jehovah. The early Christians did not celebrate birthdays. The custom of celebrating birthdays comes from ancient false religions.”
   12. Government
       1. Exp: Since Jesus returned invisibly to earth and kicked Satan out of heaven, all human forms of government are products of Satan and should not be served by “true Christians.” Therefore, Jehovah’s Witnesses will not serve in the military, hold political office, vote, or salute the flag.
   13. Blood transfusion
       1. Practicing Jehovah’s witnesses are not allowed to have blood enter their body in any way, including human blood. Therefore they are not allowed to have other people’s blood enter their body, or even their own blood.
       2. “Is it wrong to accept a blood transfusion? Remember, Jehovah requires that we abstain from blood. This means that we must not take into our bodies in any way at all other people’s blood or even our own blood that has been stored. So true Christians will not accept a blood transfusion. They will accept other kinds of medical treatment, such as transfusion of nonblood products. They want to live, but they will not try to save their life by breaking God’s laws.”

Later this week I’ll post an evaluation of most of these beliefs based upon what the Bible teaches.

*All quotations are taken from “What Does God Require of Us?” Watchtower, 1996, electronic version. The Scripture references were removed from the quotations for two reasons: 1) to make them easier to read and 2) because most of the references are used incorrectly and could thus be misleading. If you are interested in knowing what verses the Jehovah’s Witnesses use to try to support their teaching, you can find the references in the above link to the brochure.

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