What exactly is a Jehovah's witness?

Question

I've heard of Jehovah's witnesses before, but is it a part of another religion, like Christianity or Judaism? What are the beliefs of a Jehovah's witness?
I'm Jewish, and I know that Jehovah is how you spell God's name in Hebrew. And a witness-does it literally mean a Jehovah's witness witnesses God?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses have the true religion. They are Christian (of course), but they are unique for their rejection of paganisms, use of God's personal name, and global preaching by every active adherent. No other religious organization can claim such purity of worship.

These facts about Jehovah's Witnesses are perhaps relevant to this question. The more one compares this Christian religion with others, the more remarkable it is shown to be.

1. Jehovah's Witnesses have no paid clergy. Yet they remain tightly organized with more than 6.5 million active Jehovah's Witness preachers (about 16 million associate themselves with the religion). Even fulltime preachers and workers at their branch offices are unpaid volunteers.

2. There is no elite class among Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the few 'anointed' among them enjoy no special privileges in their congregations on earth. An anointed person (one of those relative few with a heavenly hope) is not elevated above his fellow congregants in any way, and he may not even qualify for appointment as a simple 'deacon' or elder. There are no titles; EVERYONE is addressed as 'brother' or 'sister'.

3. No person benefits economically from the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses. Even the 8 to 20 men who serve on their Governing Body receive simply room, board, medical care, and reimbursement for certain personal expenses according to the exact same provision as every other branch volunteer.

4. About a hundred men have served on Jehovah's Witnesses' Governing Body committee during the past 125 years or so. The vast majority of them have spent the vast majority of their adult lives volunteering for their organization's purposes, and the vast majority have died faithfully and near-pennilessly while still under their legal 'vow of poverty'.

5. Amazingly, Jehovah's Witnesses did not splinter as a sect from some other religion. Instead, a truly tiny but sincere group of bible students studied only the Scriptures to determine the will of God. Thus their religion remains absolutely independent of and not carrying the sins of Christendom's history, yet carries the authority of Christ's teachings.

6. Despite the distortions of anti-Witnesses, throughout their modern history Jehovah's Witnesses have refused to claim divine inspiration or infallibility for their teachings. They have pointed to the bible (and not any particular translation) as the only inspired infallible means of knowing God's thoughts. For over 125 years, their teachings have been presented as merely the results of sincere bible research by imperfect but godly humans.


Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/article_07.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20040601/article_02.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/who.htm
http://jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm

Answer 2

I used to be one so you should listen to me. Jehovah's Witnesses do consider themselves to be Christians. I would call them a high control group (cult if you will). Their beliefs are different from other religions. They are much more strict than others. No relationship with ex members, not even family. They do have answers for everything because they are trained what to say. They call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses bacause of what is said at Isaiah 43:10.

http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm

What they will tell you:
Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians (although this varies - some JWs will not say this).

What they won't tell you:
They believe that all true Christian churches are of the devil.

They believe Jesus is not God, but is the Archangel Michael - the first being created by God.

They deny that God is a Trinity.

They believe Jesus died on a stake, rather than a cross.

They deny that Jesus rose bodily from the dead.

They believe that ony 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses will go to heaven. The rest will live forever in a paradise on Earth, never meeting the person who died for them - Jesus Christ.

They believe that salvation is impossible outside of the Watchtower.

They are not allowed to question the Watchtower leadership or teaching.

They claim you need to read the Watchtower's magazines and other material in order to understand the Bible correctly. If you don't read the Watchtower's books, you will "fall into darkness" - what they call reverting to normal Christianity.

They have falsely predicted the end of the world five times.

They have just changed a major Watchtower prediction that the end of the world would come before the generation of Witnesses born before 1914 died.


They used to forbid any vaccinations or organ transplants, even to save lives.

They are not allowed to have blood transfusions, even to save a child's life.

They are encouraged to visit homes for at least 10 hours per month distributing Watchtower materials.

They use their own special translation of the Bible which mistranslates the original texts.

They are well known to disown, shun, and ignore any friends and family leaving the cult.

They discourage tertiary education.

They are not allowed to be in the army or wear crosses.

They are not allowed to celebrate birthdays.

They are not allowed to celebrate Christmas - the date we celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ.

All this they will not tell you, and yet they still claim that "Before a person becomes one of Jehovah's Witnesses, the Bible standards are clearly explained."

Answer 3

I'm surprised you have never had the opportunity to question Jehovah's Witnesses personally, so that you could get a direct answer.

Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians in the sense that they believe in Jesus Christ, yet they differ from most mainstream Christian sects in that they deny His divinity. They use the name "Jehovah" precisely because they see God the Father as the center of their beliefs. They witness, not because they have seen Jehovah, but because spreading their message (mostly through house-to-house visit) is essential to their beliefs.

The following is from Yahoo:
Jehovah's Witnesses

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Christian group originating in the United States at the end of the 19th cent., organized by Charles Taze Russell, whose doctrine centers on the Second Coming of Christ. The Witnesses believe that the event has already commenced; they also believe the battle of Armageddon is imminent and that it will be followed by a millennial period when repentant sinners will have a second chance for salvation. The Witnesses base their teaching on the Bible. They have no churches but meet in buildings that are always named Kingdom Hall. There are no official ministers because all Jehovah's Witnesses are considered ministers of the gospel. Their views are circulated in the Watchtower, Awake!, and other publications and by house-to-house canvasing carried on by members. Since their beginning, the Witnesses have been the subject of harassment virtually everywhere that they have been active. Regarding governments as the work of Satan, the Witnesses refuse to bear arms in war or participate in the affairs of government. Their refusal to salute the flag brought about a controversy that resulted in a decision in their favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1943. The Witnesses insist upon a rigid moral code and refuse blood transfusions. Before 1931, Jehovah's Witnesses were called Russellites; abroad the movement is usually known as the International Bible Students Association. Active in almost every country in the world, the group has more than 1 million members in the United States.

Answer 4

Disfellowshipped JW
1982 Corning, CA Congregation
For cause, but not the ones some ex-JWs who want to put themselves on a pedestal, want you to believe, and know you will without question.

You could wait until next May when this program about Jehovah’s Witnesses is shown on PBS, or you can order a copy now. It was done by an independent film company.

http://www.knocking.org/
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=54714EBF23EFA251

Setting aside any Bible issues, they believe in obeying the law, even the inconvenient ones, such as speed limits when late for work.

They believe in paying taxes, even though there are many ways they could avoid them, as many religions do.

They believe in keeping their word, such as to the IRS that they will not promote politics in the church, and they actually mean it.

They teach their youth that waiting until marriage is preferable to using protection, and for the most part, the youths actually believe it. As a result, they have the lowest rates of out-of-wedlock births and STDs. Yes, there is the occasional ones who would rather have their fun now than wait, but there are far more who choose to wait.

They treat their youth with respect, not just "do what you're told!"

Youths are taught side by side with the adults, the Bible as a whole, and not just Bible stories. The very young may not understand what they are being taught, but by the time you reach the age of understanding, they have a good basic knowledge of the scriptures.

The congregations never get so large that the individual gets lost in the crowd. Since everyone is taught the same, it is easy to start a new congregation, with a set of elders.

Everyone knows everyone, whether in their congregation, or in their circuit. When Katrina happened, every Jehovah’s Witnesses living in New Orleans could be found in Texas, with every individual accounted for. How many other religions could say for certain they knew that none of those left behind belong to one of their churches?

They believe their Kingdom Halls should compliment a neighborhood, and not overwhelm it, so they are small and don’t include a lot of expensive decorative features. Each KH can hold up to four congregations.

They encourage all their members to read the Bible and submit their thoughts. This was before the NWT and when they were using the KJV, or Authorized Version. It should be noted that this version of the KJV was not the first, but the fifth. It took four revisions over a 150 year period, before it was approved by the Church of England.

JW may have their own Bible, but it came about as a result of reading the KJV by thousands of people and noting the contradictions as a result of errors in translation. A good example is the scripture that says “The Word” is a Mighty God. A Mighty God gets its power and existence from an Almighty God. As for revisions, to my knowledge, it had not been revised since it came out in the 50s. My mother still has her first JW Bible, though it is worn like all the others she has used since them. Witnesses generally wear out a Bible every few years, whereas those in Christendom may have the same Bible for generations.

The greatest difference between JWs and the rest of Christendom can be answered with just one question.

WHAT DAY DO YOU OBSERVE THE MEMORIAL ON?

Everyone else will falter around and perhaps come up with a day in May, but all JWs will say at sunset on Niacin 14, which falls on the first full moon after the vernal equinox, the Memorial of the Last Supper. This is the only day, aside from wedding anniversaries, that Christ said to continue keeping, yet Jehovah's Witnesses are the only Christian organization that does.

Whatever you may say about whether it is right or wrong to observe the man-made holidays created since the first congregations, the fact remains that Christendom does not observe the one day Christ said to keep. What does that say for the leaders of Christendom, that they ignore that one important day of the year, and don't even know what day it falls on?

The question of holidays gets asked a lot, yet the facts of why are clearly evident. Even the Churches of Christendom recognize that the holidays and observances are not in keeping with Bible teachings, yet they fear that doing anything about it will jeopardize their positions and power. Check any religious encyclopedia about the holidays and their history.

So the question is not why don't witnesses celebrate the holidays, but why does Christendom celebrate something not taught in the Bible? Further, why don't they know what day Christ said to observe and why don't you observe it on that day?

Whatever you may think of any of the other beliefs of JWs, you have to ask yourself is the need to observe these holidays more important than observing the day Christ said to keep?

Answer 5

Another Christian sect.

Taken from Wickapedia :-

The central theme of their preaching is God’s Kingdom with Jesus Christ as its king. The Witnesses believe this kingdom government began with the Second Coming or presence of Christ. Originally this was believed to have occurred invisibly in 1874 but this date was later revised to 1914. Many of their early beliefs were similar to other 19th century Adventist groups, but they have since developed a unique eschatology and dogma. The Bible is considered to be the inspired word of God with the New World Translation, produced by the group in 1961, believed to be the most accurate translation available. This translation has garnered extensive criticism by scholars. Other teachings include the recognition and use of God's personal name, translated as Jehovah in English, is vital for acceptable worship. They also teach that Jesus' death was necessary to atone for the sin of the first man, Adam, opening the way for the hope of everlasting life for mankind. Jehovah's Witnesses reject traditional doctrines such as the Trinity, eternal torment in hell and the immortality of the soul. Also taught is that only 144,000 people will receive eternal life in heaven with Jesus Christ. In the coming war of Armageddon the wicked will be destroyed and the survivors will form a new society and live forever in an earthly paradise.

I studied with them for a year, they are no different to any other Christian sect, they all have their little idiosyncrasies
check out the link for more info

Answer 6

Thank you for your sincere, intelligent question! As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, I have become accustomed to the confusion (and misinformation — be very careful of your sources) regarding our religion, the meaning of the name Jehovah's Witnesses, and exactly what it means to be called a Witness of Jehovah. I appreciate the opportunity to answer your question.

The theme of the entire Bible and the reason for the present state of affairs in the world today, relates to the universal issue of a challenge to God's Sovereignty. Thus, the term "witnesses" appears in the Bible in a legal context. In the inspired prophecy of Isaiah, Jehovah illustratively challenges the world's "gods" to a "controversial case" to provide proof of their godship:

"'Bring your controversial case forward,' says Jehovah. 'Produce your arguments,' says the King of Jacob. 'Produce and tell to us the things that are going to happen. The first things — what they were — do tell, that we may apply our heart and know the future of them. Or cause us to hear even the things that are coming. Tell the things that are to come afterward, that we may know that you are gods.'" —Isaiah 41:21-23.

In chapter 43 of Isaiah, the legal case continues. In verse 9, Jehovah commands the nations to be gathered together as in a court of law. Regarding the future events declared as part of God's purpose, Jehovah asks, "Who is there among them that can tell this? Or can they cause us to hear even the first things?” These national groups now have two choices. "Let them furnish their witnesses, that they may be declared righteous" if their "gods" can indeed meet Jehovah's challenge. Otherwise, their only other choice is, "let them hear and say, 'It is the truth!'" If the false gods cannot provide proof of their godship and the nations have no basis for the sovereignty, their only option is to accept the "truth" of Jehovah's rulership.

The fundamental issues of Jehovah's Godship and universal Sovereignty have not changed. False worship abounds, and the world's nations claim devotion and sovereignty that can only rightly belong to God. A witness of Jehovah is one who upholds the rulership of the only true God by his life and by his testimony to Jehovah's purposes and Godship. Our official website provides fine information about the true meaning of "Jehovah's Witnesses", and why the name and identity are so important. I earnestly invite you to learn more.

Answer 7

well jehovah witnesses consider themselves to be christians but they read from a different book called the new world translation. and jehovah witness come to people doors to witness to them as a means for them entering the new paradise. they beleive that heaven will be limited to only a 144,000 people. but paul in the scriptures states After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. also they do salute to the flag believe in having blood tranfusions or organ donations. they also dont beleive in the most important thing the divinity of jesus as part of the godhead (trinity) they believe he is a lesser god underneath the father.

Answer 8

Jehovah’s Witnesses

Definition: The worldwide Christian society of people who actively bear witness regarding Jehovah God and his purposes affecting mankind. They base their beliefs solely on the Bible.

What beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses set them apart as different from other religions?

(1) Bible: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the entire Bible is the inspired Word of God, and instead of adhering to a creed based on human tradition, they hold to the Bible as the standard for all their beliefs.

(2) God: They worship Jehovah as the only true God and freely speak to others about him and his loving purposes toward mankind. Anyone who publicly witnesses about Jehovah is usually identified as belonging to the one group—“Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

(3) Jesus Christ: They believe, not that Jesus Christ is part of a Trinity, but that, as the Bible says, he is the Son of God, the first of God’s creations; that he had a prehuman existence and that his life was transferred from heaven to the womb of a virgin, Mary; that his perfect human life laid down in sacrifice makes possible salvation to eternal life for those who exercise faith; that Christ is actively ruling as King, with God-given authority over all the earth since 1914.

(4) God’s Kingdom: They believe that God’s Kingdom is the only hope for mankind; that it is a real government; that it will soon destroy the present wicked system of things, including all human governments, and that it will produce a new system in which righteousness will prevail.

(5) Heavenly life: They believe that 144,000 spirit-anointed Christians will share with Christ in his heavenly Kingdom, ruling as kings with him. They do not believe that heaven is the reward for everyone who is “good.”

(6) The earth: They believe that God’s original purpose for the earth will be fulfilled; that the earth will be completely populated by worshipers of Jehovah and that these will be able to enjoy eternal life in human perfection; that even the dead will be raised to an opportunity to share in these blessings.

(7) Death: They believe that the dead are conscious of absolutely nothing; that they are experiencing neither pain nor pleasure in some spirit realm; that they do not exist except in God’s memory, so hope for their future life lies in a resurrection from the dead.

(8) Last days: They believe that we are living now, since 1914, in the last days of this wicked system of things; that some who saw the events of 1914 will also see the complete destruction of the present wicked world; that lovers of righteousness will survive into a cleansed earth.

(9) Separate from the world: They earnestly endeavor to be no part of the world, as Jesus said would be true of his followers. They show genuine Christian love for their neighbors, but they do not share in the politics or the wars of any nation. They provide for the material needs of their families but shun the world’s avid pursuit of material things and personal fame and its excessive indulgence in pleasure.

(10) Apply Bible counsel: They believe that it is important to apply the counsel of God’s Word in everyday life now—at home, in school, in business, in their congregation. Regardless of a person’s past way of life, he may become one of Jehovah’s Witnesses if he abandons practices condemned by God’s Word and applies its godly counsel. But if anyone thereafter makes a practice of adultery, fornication, homosexuality, drug abuse, drunkenness, lying, or stealing, he will be disfellowshipped from the organization.

Answer 9

we as Jehovah Witnesses are not a cult. a cult worships a mere man, like jim jones or charles manson. we are Christians and worship Jehovah and his son Jesus Christ. we do not celebrate holidays because they are pagan. Jesus was not born in DEC because the Shepard's where out in the field and in DEC it is the rainy and cold season. Jesus died on Nisan 14, the passover and he was 33 1/2 years old. in Hebrew it is YHWH which is in English Jehovah. we live in our own homes and have five meetings a week. one hour on Tuesday for a book study, two hours on Thursday and two hours on Sunday. if you want to learn more about Jehovah Witnesses feel free to see our website at www.watchtower.org. we follow the bible and yes we do not take of blood. even if I was not a witness I would never take of blood, they have bloodless blood that you can use. and we are christians

Answer 10

I'm one of them. So, you should listen to me cause I know better (and not those persons above me).
Jehovah's Witnesses? Yes, that is the way they refer to themselves. It is a descriptive name, indicating that they bear witness concerning Jehovah, his Godship, and his purposes. "God," "Lord," and "Creator"—like "President," "King," and "General"—are titles and may be applied to several different personages. But "Jehovah" is a personal name and refers to the almighty God and Creator of the universe.
Jehovah is the Creator and, rightfully, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe. “Jehovah” is translated from the Hebrew Tetragrammaton, הוהי, which means “He Causes to Become”. These four Hebrew letters are represented in many languages by the letters JHVH or YHWH.
This is shown at Psalm 83:18, according to the King James version of the Bible: "That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth."
The name Jehovah (or Yahweh, as the Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible and some scholars prefer) appears almost 7,000 times in the original Hebrew Scriptures. Most Bibles do not show it as such but substitute "God" or "Lord" for it. However, even in these Bibles, a person can usually tell where the original Hebrew text uses Jehovah because in those places the substituted words are written in large and small capitals, thus: GOD, LORD. Several modern translations do use either the name Jehovah or the name Yahweh. Hence, the New World Translation reads at Isaiah 42:8, "I am Jehovah. That is my name."

WHAT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE
Bible is God's Word and is truth 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21; John 17:17
Bible is more reliable than tradition Matt. 15:3; Col. 2:8
God's name is Jehovah Ps. 83:18; Isa. 26:4; 42:8, AS; Ex. 6:3
Christ is God's Son and is inferior to Him Matt. 3:17; John 8:42; 14:28; 20:17; 1 Cor. 11:3; 15:28
Christ was first of God's creations Col. 1:15; Rev. 3:14
Christ died on a stake, not a cross Gal. 3:13; Acts 5:30
Christ's human life was paid as a ransom for obedient humans Matt. 20:28; 1 Tim. 2:5, 6; 1 Pet. 2:24
Christ's one sacrifice was sufficient Rom. 6:10; Heb. 9:25-28
Christ was raised from the dead as an immortal spirit person 1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:9; Rev. 1:17, 18
Christ's presence is in spirit John 14:19; Matt. 24:3; 2 Cor. 5:16; Ps. 110:1, 2
We are now in the 'time of the end' Matt. 24:3-14; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Luke 17:26-30
Kingdom under Christ will rule earth in righteousness and peace Isa. 9:6, 7; 11:1-5; Dan. 7:13, 14; Matt. 6:10
Kingdom will bring ideal living conditions to earth Ps. 72:1-4; Rev. 7:9, 10, 13-17; 21:3, 4
Earth will never be destroyed or depopulated Eccl. 1:4; Isa. 45:18; Ps. 78:69
God will eliminate present system of things in the battle at Har-Magedon Rev. 16:14, 16; Zeph. 3:8; Dan. 2:44; Isa. 34:2; 55:10, 11
Wicked will be eternally destroyed Matt. 25:41-46; 2 Thess. 1:6-9
People God approves will receive everlasting life John 3:16; 10:27, 28; 17:3; Mark 10:29, 30
There is only one road to life Matt. 7:13, 14; Eph. 4:4, 5
Human death is due to Adam's sin Rom. 5:12; 6:23
The human soul ceases to exist at death Ezek. 18:4; Eccl. 9:10; Ps. 6:5; 146:4; John 11:11-14
Hell is mankind's common grave Job 14:13, Dy; Rev. 20:13, 14, AV (margin)
Hope for dead is resurrection 1 Cor. 15:20-22; John 5:28, 29; 11:25, 26
Adamic death will cease 1 Cor. 15:26, 54; Rev. 21:4; Isa. 25:8
Only a little flock of 144,000 go to heaven and rule with Christ Luke 12:32; Rev. 14:1, 3; 1 Cor. 15:40-53; Rev. 5:9, 10
The 144,000 are born again as spiritual sons of God 1 Pet. 1:23; John 3:3; Rev. 7:3, 4
New covenant is made with spiritual Israel Jer. 31:31; Heb. 8:10-13
Christ's congregation is built upon himself Eph. 2:20; Isa. 28:16; Matt. 21:42
Prayers are to be directed only to Jehovah through Christ John 14:6, 13, 14; 1 Tim. 2:5
Images should not be used in worship Ex. 20:4, 5; Lev. 26:1; 1 Cor. 10:14; Ps. 115:4-8
Spiritism must be shunned Deut. 18:10-12; Gal. 5:19-21; Lev. 19:31
Satan is invisible ruler of world 1 John 5:19; 2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31
A Christian ought to have no part in interfaith movements 2 Cor. 6:14-17; 11:13-15; Gal. 5:9; Deut. 7:1-5
A Christian should keep separate from world Jas. 4:4; 1 John 2:15; John 15:19; 17:16
Obey human laws that do not conflict with God's laws Matt. 22:20, 21; 1 Pet. 2:12; 4:15
Taking blood into body through mouth or veins violates God's laws Gen. 9:3, 4; Lev. 17:14; Acts 15:28, 29
Bible's laws on morals must be obeyed 1 Cor. 6:9, 10; Heb. 13:4; 1 Tim. 3:2; Prov. 5:1-23
Sabbath observance was given only to Israel and ended with Mosaic Law Deut. 5:15; Ex. 31:13; Rom. 10:4; Gal. 4:9, 10; Col. 2:16, 17
A clergy class and special titles are improper Matt. 23:8-12; 20:25-27; Job 32:21, 22
Man did not evolve but was created Isa. 45:12; Gen. 1:27; Matt. 19:4
Christ set example that must be followed in serving God 1 Pet. 2:21; Heb. 10:7; John 4:34; 6:38
Baptism by complete immersion symbolizes dedication Mark 1:9, 10; John 3:23; Acts 19:4, 5
Christians gladly give public testimony to Scriptural truth Rom. 10:10; Heb. 13:15; Isa. 43:10-12

PS: We are not a cult or a sect. We worship only God.