Why Jehovah witness, one of the Christian denominations, has to adopt Jehovah as the name of God?

Question

when the rest simply calls Him God? Is this some kind of exclusivity/elitist issues?

Answer 1

The Watchtower admits that "Jehovah" is actually God's name but they had already invested far too much into declaring it they could not back out.

In reality, GOD would rather have a relationship with is then have us observe a formal "religion" After all, it is possible to be close friends with someone and not even know their name.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent

The Watchtower translates this as "gaining knowledge of God"

I ask, how much knowledge must we gain? Actually we could gain enough knowledge of someone that we could remind them of themselves but we would not "know" them. In order to know someone, we need some sort of relationship with them.

We gain a relationship with God by trusting His Son, Jesus for full payment for our sin. (see link below) Then we are adopted into GOD's family based upon the finished work of Jesus when HE paid for our sin.

Oh, we can learn that God's name is Jehovah but we will also learn HE has many names,

When John F. Kennedy was president, his son John John was around 3 y/o. I am sure president Kennedy loved to hear people call him MR PRESIDENT. (People with MD degrees like to be called DOCTOR...) but I think the name President Kennedy loved to be called most is DADDY. I can imagine the president sitting in the Oval
Office with very important people... all calling him Mr President. All of these "important" people needed an appointment to see him...yet there was two people I am sure did not need an appointment..Carolyn and John John.

I can even imagine John John falling and scraping his knee and then going into the oval office and saying to the secretary outside the office I need an appointment with the president. When John John was able to get into the office itself...I am sure he went up to the desk and said MR PRESIDENT... I have hurt my.....hey wait a moment...I am sure he was able to go right into that office and say DADDY I NEED YOU...I HAVE ABOO BOO.. and the President would have had his VIP guest wait until he attended to his SON. (or daughter)


Can you not see that THIS is the relationship Almighty God wants with US? HE wants so much for us to be FAMILY.. I never called my father JOHN and I do not want my
children to call me Ken or Mr.... I want them to call me daddy....that is the name I love to hear from their lips...Jesus Himself taught us to pray "our FATHER"....to
address God on an intimate basis which the Jews were shocked by...it is based on a relationship with God. One that can only be obtained by mankind by adoption.


Romans 8 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit
itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

Abba Father equals DADDY!

If you do not have this relationship with God, please check the first link below and find out how you can have this intimate relationship too.

Check the last link to other names for God


Regarding Psalm 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Please note that " whose name alone is JEHOVAH" is enclosed with coma's which is additional information but the verse would make full sense if we excluded it.

" That men may know that thou art the most high over all the earth"

If we HAD to know His name was Jehovah, would it not be written:

That men may know that your name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth

Answer 2

I am a jehovahs witness so here is your answer from the horses mouth, so to speak. Where did that expression come from anyway? Look in almost any bible in psalms 83:18 It says very plainly Gods name is jehovah. It is used all over in the early scrolls and even some of the first translated whole bibles but the name was soon replaced with god or lord because of superstitions that it was too holy for common people to be speaking it on a regular basis. Calling Jehovah (GOD) is not proper because it is not a name, it is a title. The bible calls jesus a god, and even satan the god of this system of things. We are called Jehohvahs witnesses because we do just that, witness or in other words tell about Jehovah and his purposes to everyone who listens. And no, we are not elitist at all, just trying to show people the truth about things. By the way, if you need more convincing even hollywood reconizes this truth as Jehovahs name is used commonly in movies, Indiana jones movies for example. I just read some of the other answers and alot of them are dead wrong, first, witnesses are not a cult, second we most definately are christain, and the meaning of jehovahs name is (causes to become). If you want to know the truth about things ask a witness yourself what ever you want and then and only then make up your mind who is telling the truth. Look at it this way, does a judge hear only one side of a story and then pass jugement? How would he know whats is truth without testing one side of the story against the other?

Answer 3

KJV Bible 1611 published + 303 years is 1914 CE an excepted translation to see the world through WW1, WW2 and the holocaust of German Nation Hitler, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Somalia, Afghanastan, Desert storm and Iraq at the Euphrated to continue to Rev.9:1-5 [5x 30 = 150 ]; 12-16 [ 391 ]; 16:12-16;
KJV Bible published 1611 + 395 is 2006 after Christ gave Matt.6:9-13 [ Hallowed be thy name ];
It is an excepted translation by law of God and man, meaning God knows it is his name in your language Gen.22:14; Exo.6:3; 17:15; Judges 6:24; Psm.68:4; 83:18; Isa.12:2. 26:4; IN THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES.
John 17:1-16 [ Rev.14:1-7 ];

Answer 4

No and YES. it is a kind of exclusivity issue.
Before Moses created monotheism(Yahweh). There was a duality in the Jewish religion. read the first part of Genesis about the Creation. ( let us , we). one half was called Jehovah the other Yahweh.
Before that the Israelites( JEWISH )were a matriarchal society and had two Feminine names for the creative forces.
during translations from the different countries the cover word God was put in place to cover all the different names into one idea. The SELF CREATED ONE, The ANCIENT of DAYS, THE CREATOR OF ALL THINGS.
They said I have as many names as their are stars in the sky and grains of sand in all the oceans.

Answer 5

The bible uses the personal name of Almighty God nearly 7000 (seven THOUSAND) times; its use cannot really be considered an exclusivity issue since the past 400 years have seen hundreds of millions of copies of the bible distributed which contain the name "Jehovah" (noticeably at Psalm 83:18, KJV).

The name "Jehovah" is an English translation of the Hebrew name pronounced as or similar to "Yahweh" or "Yehowah"; the exact original pronunciation is unknown. The four Hebrew characters corresponding to the letters "YHWH" are well-recognized as the biblical personal name of Almighty God, and are universally designated as "the Tetragrammaton" or "the Tetragram".

For centuries, most Jews have superstitiously refrained from pronouncing aloud any form of the divine Name. They base that superstition on the third of the Ten Commandments given to Moses:
(Exodus 20:7) You must not take up the name of Jehovah your God in a worthless way
http://watchtower.org/e/bible/ex/chapter_020.htm?bk=Ex;chp=20;vs=7;citation#bk7

Over the centuries, that Jewish superstition has expanded to also forbid writing or engraving any form of "YHWH", even when simply copying from one of the nearly 7000 occurrences in the Hebrew Scriptures. In recent centuries, some superstitious Jews have even forbade unabbreviated EUPHEMISMS for "YHWH"; capitalized terms such as "Tetragrammaton" and (amazingly) even "the Name" are forbidden by such superstitions.

More recently, the Jewish superstition has ballooned out of all reasonableness by also forbidding respectful impersonal TERMS referring to the Almighty; thus many Jews insist upon writing "G-d" or "G~d" rather than "God". They may even refrain from capitalizing impersonal terms such as "Creator" and "Almighty".

Naturally, the religious and superstitious practices of a person are between him and his Creator. However, in recent decades these superstitious Jews have worked to impose their superstitious sensibilities beyond their religious communities, and onto the entire populace. Thus, although "YHWH' is unanimously recognized as the personal name of God, few today use any form of it in their writings and conversation.

Interestingly, Christendom has largely joined with superstitious Jews in suppressing the use of "Yahweh" and "Jehovah". However, it seems that Christendom's anti-YHWH bias largely devolves from their hatred of Jehovah's Witnesses, the religion almost single-handedly responsible for the growing public recognition that the Almighty God of Judaism and Christianity actually does a personal name.

It seems that too many are more interested in coddling superstition than in allowing intellectual honesty and respect for the Almighty.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/na/
http://watchtower.org/e/20040122/

Answer 6

Not if you believe the Bible, personal opinions do not replace the Holy Scriptures.

Psalm 83:18 (King James Version)
King James Version (KJV)
Public Domain

18That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

It's also in dictionaries and encyclopedias and even the Catholic encyclopedia. Indiana Jones III used it when he had to walk in the name of God and History of the World movied used it in the beginning when Moses (Mel Brooks) dropped the third tablet with 11th to the 15th commandments. Jehovah is the Father and God of Jesus the one that resurrected him. Remember just before he died he prayed, "My God my God why have you forsaken me...."

Answer 7

For starters JW are not christians...Lovely people, like anyone else, but not christians...simply because they have totally changed the doctrines of Christianity and understanding of who and what God is, that they cannot relate to it at all; thus they fall into the rechnical meaning of 'cult'.

Secondly...'Jehovah' is a name of God from the Old Testement...but it was only used cautiously and VERY briefly because it was also written in Old Testement that one should not dare use, and thus Christian denominations only refer to the Deity as 'God' or Heavenly Father within the Trinity known as God. (Trinity, another thing the JW reject and thus are not considered christian)

I hope this help...God bless you my friend and guide you in your journey of truth seeking.

Answer 8

In the Bible Jesus Christ is also known as Jehovah. That name is used by other Christian religions as well. God, Jesus Christ's father is known as Elohim. Both are referred to as "God", as they are both Gods. It can get a little confusing sometimes, but I think it helps to remember that we're talking about two individuals, Father and Son.

Answer 9

The four consonantal Hebrew stem YHWH originally represented the four members of the so called Heavenly family made of EL (Y, the father), ASHERAH (H, the Mother), HE (W, the Son) and ANATH (H, the daughter)... then, when Hebrews decided to switch to
monotheism around 586-536 B.C. during their 50 years of captivity in Babylon, they decided to use YHWH as the name of their new male God; from YHWH stems Jehovah.

Answer 10

Jehovah\ n. God 1[new Latin,from Hebrew Yahweh]
It appears in the bible seven times each time it is used as another name for God... It means God.. Bless you and peace be with you all your days..