Jahovahs Witnesses (cult or religion) WHY?

Question

The reason I was given Isaiah 9:6 to read by a christian...i got confused? HELP

i think people here are thinking im be littled anything. Im just confused and am interested...how can God be Jesus and the son. Im not knocking down no one..im curious

Answer 1

A Christian Cult. Check out the main page here: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/j02.html

They deny many essential doctrines that make the christian religion. Here is the comparison of many doctrines from the website above.

When an organization like the WTB&TS claims to be the only true religion and the sole source of correct Bible teaching, we must carefully examine its beliefs. If its doctrines are true, they will be found in the Bible, and its teachings will be consistent and unchanging year after year. Jehovah's Witnesses, however, deny or twist many of the Bible's basic teachings, and their beliefs conflict with those held by orthodox Christians down through the centuries. Consider the following comparisons.

The Nature of God. The Bible teaches that there is only one true God (Isa. 43:10-11; 44:6,8). Father, Son and Holy Spirit are identified as distinct Persons within the one Triune Godhead (Matt. 3:16-17; 2 Cor. 13:14). Throughout the New Testament the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father are separately identified as God. The attributes and prerogatives of Deity are ascribed to each (Son: Mark 2:5-12; John 20:28; Heb. 1:8; Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 3:17-18).

By contrast, the WTB&TS denies the triune nature of God and teaches that such a belief is inspired by Satan.14 It teaches that Jehovah, the name of the one true God, corresponds only to God the Father. The Society also denies that Jesus is God (see next point). They deny the Holy Spirit is a person, and instead teach he is merely God's active force, analogous to electricity.15

Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is God come in the flesh, and is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-3, 14; Col. 1:16). While never less than God, at the appointed time He laid aside the glory He shared with the Father and took on a human nature (John 17:3-5; Phil. 2:6-11; Col. 2:9). Following his death, Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave, appeared to and was recognized in his body by over 500 people. This fact was crucial to both the preaching and faith of the early church (Luke 24:39; John 2:19-21; 1 Cor. 15:6, 14).

By contrast, the WTB&TS denies the deity of Jesus Christ and teaches that Jesus is a created being. He first existed as Michael the archangel then later was born as a perfect man. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that after Jesus was buried, God disposed of his physical body. Jesus was raised a spirit creature and "materialized" a fleshly body to make himself visible. Now in heaven he is again known as Michael the archangel.16

Salvation. The Bible teaches that the atoning work of Christ alone provides the solution for man's sin problem. Jesus Christ took the personal sins of all men — past, present and future — in his own body on the tree (1 Pet. 2:24), and as perfect God and perfect man he fully met the demands of Divine justice for us (Rom. 3:22-26). Therefore, any and all who receive him by simple faith (John 1:12; Acts 16:31), can be forgiven, declared righteous and restored to fellowship with God (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:24-26).

By contrast, the WTB&TS teaches that only an elite group of Witnesses, known as "the 144,000," or the "anointed ones" are presently credited with Christ's righteousness. Only the 144,000 are born again and expect to reign with Christ in heaven. For the vast majority of remaining Jehovah's Witnesses, known as the "other sheep" or the "great crowd," the atoning sacrifice of Christ only provides a chance at eternal life on earth.17

The Bible also teaches that we are saved by grace alone apart from any self-righteous works; salvation is God's gift. There is nothing we can do to contribute to our salvation because apart from Jesus Christ we are "dead in our sins" (Eph. 2:1-9).

By contrast, the WTB&TS teaches that we must earn our own salvation; salvation will "depend on one's works." A person must first "come to Jehovah's organization for salvation"18 and then comply with everything they teach. In this way, a relationship with the Jehovah's Witnesses organization, rather than a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, is presented as the basis of salvation.

The Human Spirit & Eternal Punishment. The Bible teaches that the human spirit continues to exist consciously after death (Luke 16:19-31; 2 Corinthians 5:6, 8; Philippians 1:23-24; Rev. 6:9-11). Those who have rejected God's gift of eternal life will suffer conscious eternal punishment (Matt. 25:41,46; Rev. 14:10,11; 20:10,15).

By contrast, the WTB&TS denies eternal punishment and teaches that man does not have a spirit that survives the death of the body. Witnesses believe that death ends all conscious existence. Hell refers to the grave, and those who are ultimately judged by God will be annihilated and simply cease to exist.19

The Bible. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit's anointing enables individual Christians to understand God's Word and properly apply it to their lives (John 16:13; 1 John 2:27).

By contrast, the WTB&TS teaches that the Bible can only be interpreted by the Watchtower Society, and no individual can learn the truth apart from them.20

Answer 2

Cult because by looking at the scripture you mentioned (Isaiah) he wrote about the Son who was coming who was to be named Mighty God. If this is hatred as some of your answers would believe then Isaiah was false and the religion formed only recently called the Jehovah Witnesses is true. Would you pick the Watchtower over Isaiah? I wouldn't but it is the Watchtower that writes at the authority in the Witnesses religion who say that Jesus is not God but the archangel Michael.
But it is also written that their is only one God and if that isn't Jesus as part of the trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) then either Isaiah amongst a whole multitude of contributors to the Bible are wrong or the Watchtower is right. And considering that you have to need the Watchtower to get to their assumptions otherwise by reading the Bible along you will conclude the trinity is correct (as admitted by the Watchtower) then you will see why they are a cult and definitely not Christian either.

Answer 3

NO! jehovah's witnesses are NOT a cult! That's a disgusting term to use.J.W's do well to follow exactly what the bible says. It is false religion who dirty the bible with their own thoughts and opinions of the bible. They twist God's word to better fit their lifestyles. For example: The bible clearly states that "men who lie with men... will not inherit the kingdom of God".- 1st Corinth. 6:9,10. However, clergymen make it seem ok, reasoning that God loves everyone. Which is true indeed. But, the bible also says that God is not changing. He's the same he was 100, 1000, or 100000 years ago.

Exactly- God and Jesus cannot be the same things. Jesus spoke in parables, which throws many off. People reason that the bible is too hard to understand in this sense, but they are wrong.

Please, I encourage that you seek a Jehovah's Witness (if they don't come to u first) and study the bible w/ them. Ask them to explain ANYTHING you don't understand. ANYTHING. If you don't like what they teach (which is directly from the bible) then leave. What's the worst that could happen?

*please read some of my other posts that I have answered regarding religion...

Answer 4

Way down at the bottom of a thoughtfully considered topic.

BUT WORTH READING.

So, grab your Kingdom Interlinear Greek/English New Testament (or equivalent), buckle up, and hold on.

I see near the top of this topic that JW's defend their faith as the one that takes the Bible word for word. That belief is, in fact, the catch that makes it so hard to convince a JW that they are deceived, because it is actually true.

Even an elementary study of Greek will identify "the article" as being neither definite nor indefinite. One issue that should be considered by JW's is that the New World Bible Translation Committee inconsistently translates it in the John 1:1 (Quoting from the New World Translation I own) "Originally, the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a God."

THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW. In John 1:1 alone "the article" appears 3 times in the same form ("o"). Twice it is translated "the." Once it is translated "a."

I'll let you decide why that is.

Answer 5

Has your minister, priest or religious leader mentioned this wonderful hope to you? Of course they have not, most clergymen say nothing about it. In fact, many do not even believe the Bible. This is an important reason why Jehovah’s witnesses call at the homes of people of other religions.

The efforts of Jehovah’s witnesses to approach people in public and at their homes are rooted in the Word of God. Jesus himself went directly to the people, and he instructed his apostles and disciples to do likewise.



The Witnesses’ beliefs, based entirely on God’s Word, the Bible, prevent them from falling into the trap of becoming a sect or a cult. They take a kindly interest in all other people, of whatever religious persuasion. No, they do not try to force these people to change their viewpoint. They endeavor to imitate their Leader, Christ Jesus, by presenting Scriptural evidence of the trouble-free Paradise that will soon be established on earth.—Matthew 28:19, 20; 1 Peter 2:21.

Answer 6

The only clear difference between a religion and a cult is in the structure of the community or church. As long as a religious group does not practice aggressive brainwashing, heavy peer pressure and extortion of money to fund lavish life style of their leader, their system of beliefs is a religion - whether your pastor or imam or rabbi thinks those peopple are a bunch of evil perverts or a choir of angels incarnate.

As an old joke goes: "A cult is a church down the street from yours". If you believe that and you are not a Jehovah's Witness yourself, then yes - to you they probably will be a cult.

Answer 7

Jehovah’s Witnesses freely admit that they have made failed predictions in the past. Is this enough to categorize them as false prophets?

Deuteronomy 18:22 states that a false prophet is one who, in the name of the Lord, makes a prophecy which does not take place and is not true. How does all of this square with the Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that just because they have made a few errors does not mean that they are therefore false prophets?

First of all, the Watchtower (which is the organizational name of Jehovah’s Witnesses) claimed to have been acting as God’s uniquely-appointed official, or modern-day prophet, when it issued its numerous false predictions. This alone, according to Deuteronomy 18, is enough to qualify them as false prophets. But there’s more.

The prophecies proclaimed by the Watchtower were not considered by the organization as “optional.” In other words, to remain a Jehovah’s Witness in good standing, you must wholeheartedly believe in and uphold these prophecies made by the Watchtower. They were certainly not expendable.

You see, the prophecies themselves concerned important events holding significant implications. For example, the Watchtower initially proclaimed that Jesus’ second coming happened invisibly in the year 1874. Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses believed this event actually took place in the year 1914. It’s important to note that Paul issued very strong warnings about those setting false dates concerning Christ’s return (2 Thes. 2:1-3).

Fourth, the Watchtower’s false prophecies have produced nothing but despair and disillusionment, and have caused many Jehovah’s Witnesses to resort to drastic measures which they would not have taken otherwise. Numbers of Jehovah’s Witnesses, for instance, quit their jobs and liquidated their personal belongings as they anticipated the world to end in the year 1975. Needless to say, that prediction never materialized.

Well, when all the facts are considered, it becomes readily apparent that Jehovah’s Witnesses are false prophets who fill people “with false hopes” (Jer. 23:16).

Answer 8

we as Jehovah Witnesses are a religion. we worship Jehovah God and his son Jesus Christ. a cult worships a man and lives all together in one area. we as Jehovah Witnesses live in 235 lands and countries and we live in our own homes. Jehovah did not make us into robots so we are not brainwashed like people seem to think we are. we cry and laugh, we pay bills and shop in the same stores as you do. your next door neighbor may be a Jehovah Witness. we don't walk around with signs on saying that we are Jehovah Witnesses. we do what Jesus commanded us to do at Matthew 28 verses 19 and 20. we love our families. we are not murders. we don't worship the flag, but have you ever heard of a Jehovah Witness stepping, or burning the flag. no you have not. we are one big family from all facts of life, either you are black or white,Spanish,Chinese, or whatever you are we are all brothers and sisters. also learn how to spell God's name. it is Jehovah and you can read it in the King James bible also at ps 83 verse 18. anyone who talks bad about us are disfellowshipped or don't know anything about us. don't listen to their lies. the devil wants you to believe lies. remember the devil is the father of lies. idog96, I don't know where you got your facts but they are a lie.

Answer 9

The term "cult" is an insulting synonym for "religion". The term has no place in polite conversation, and Jehovah's Witnesses correctly consider it an insult. Similarly, Witnesses recognize as an insult when others state or imply that Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians.

Generally it is Trinitarians who repeatedly pretend that Witnesses are not Christian. Trinitarians use an artificial, trinity-specific definition of the term "Christian" which excludes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century pretended that Christ's followers were Atheists(!) because the Christians had a somewhat different idea from the pagans about the nature of God.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that no salvation occurs without Christ, that accepting Christ's sacrifice is a requirement for true worship, that every prayer must acknowledge Christ, that Christ is the King of God's Kingdom, that Christ is the head of the Christian congregation, that Christ is immortal and above every creature, even that Christ was the 'master worker' in creating the universe! Both secular dictionaries and disinterested theologians acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion.

The Trinitarian arguments are intended to insult and demean Jehovah's Witnesses, rather than to give a Scripturally accurate understanding of the term "Christian".

In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all the times the bible uses the term "Christian" and note that the context connects the term with:
"declaring the good news"
'teaching quite a crowd'
'open eyes, turn from dark to light'
"uttering sayings of truth"
"persuade"
"keep on glorifying"

(Acts 11:20-26) [The early disciples of Jesus] began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus... and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.

(Acts 26:17-28) [Jesus said to Paul] I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God... Paul said: “I am not going mad, Your Excellency Festus, but I am uttering sayings of truth and of soundness of mind. ...Do you, King Agrippa, believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” But Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian.”

(1 Peter 4:14-16) If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy... But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name


So why do anti-Witnesses try to hijack the term "Christian" and hide its Scriptural implications? Because anti-Witnesses recognize that it is the preaching work that makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded


That is also why the pejorative "cult" is used against Jehovah's Witnesses by their enemies. These anti-Witness enemies simply have no biblical basis upon which to hate these true Christians, and so they resort to childish name-calling.

Learn more!
http://watchtower.org
http://watchtower.org/library/ti/index.htm

Answer 10

Definitely a real religion.A cult focus on a leader who brain washes every one and gets them to believe things that r not fact,,,Jehovah witnesses will translate the bible word by word and Jehovah is the focus not the person who stands b4 the congregation.

Answer 11

Jehovahs Witnesses's religion is heretica; in other words, it isnt based off of what God told us, it's based off of what men wanted. That's really the root o sin; when man doesn't want to follow God's design, and makes his own rules instead.