I am not interested in converting, but I know that they don't believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, neither do they believe in the Holy Trinity. If such is the case, can JW's be considered Christians? But they do baptize members, and celebrate the Eucharist... Why would you do this if you don't believe in Him? This question is NOT to bash anyone, and I'm just asking out of curiosity
2007-02-07 05:49:04 · 19 answers · asked by Heidi D 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians; they teach that Christ was and is divine and of the same nature as 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!
Jehovah's Witnesses love and respect and honor Christ. However, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Scriptures quite plainly demonstrate that Jesus and the Almighty are separate distinct persons, and the Almighty created Jesus as His firstborn son.
(Colossians 1:15) the firstborn of all creation
(Mark 10:18) Jesus said to him: 'Why do you call me good? Nobody is good, except one, God.
(Revelation 3:14) the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God
(Philippians 2:5-6) Christ Jesus, who, although he was existing in God's form, gave no consideration to a seizure, namely, that he should be equal to God
(John 8:42) Neither have I come of my own initiative at all, but that One sent me forth
(John 12:49) I have not spoken out of my own impulse, but the Father himself who sent me has given me a commandment as to what to tell and what to speak
(John 14:28) I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am
(1 Corinthians 15:28) But when all things will have been subjected to him, then the Son himself will also subject himself to the One who subjected all things to him
(Matthew 20:23) this sitting down at my right hand and at my left is not mine to give, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father
(1 Corinthians 11:3) I want you to know that the head of every man is the Christ; ...in turn the head of the Christ is God
(John 20:17) I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.
(Deuteronomy 6:4) Jehovah our God is one Jehovah
(1 Corinthians 8:4-6) There is no God but one. For even though there are those who are called "gods," whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many "gods" and many "lords," there is actually to us one God the Father, out of whom all things are, and we for him
Thanks again for an opportunity to share what the bible actually says about the distinct persons of Jesus Christ the Son and Jehovah God the Father!
2007-02-07 08:17:02 · answer #1 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes. A Christian is a footstep follower of the teachings of Christ. Jehovah's Witnesses live their lives by those teachings. We do not go to war and kill our fellow human. We refrain from calling anyone "Father" in a religious sense as Jesus instructed his disciples not to do. We preach God's kingdom from door to door as Jesus early followers did.
Why don't Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the trinity? Because it is a pagan teaching that originated in ancient Babylon. Other nations eventually made their own trinities.
The "Christian" trinity is not based on the Bible. It is based on the man-made Athanasian Creed, which teaches that the Father, Son, and holy spirit are equal in substance, eternity, and power, AND that they all make God. Such a mentality is foreign to the Bible. It says that Jehovah is the Most High. (Ps. 83:18) At John 17:3, Jesus, the Son of God, called his Father the only true God. How then can Jesus ALSO Be the only true God?
According to the trinity, Jesus should be equal to his Father. But is he? At John 14:28, Jesus said: "The Father is greater than i am."
According to the trinity, all "persons" of the Godhead are all-knowing. If that's the case, why did Jesus say at Matt. 24:36 that the Father knew the "day and hour" but Jesus didn't? And why didn't the holy spirit know either?
Uninformed people claim Jehovah's Witnesses say we are not Christian. But we know better.
2007-02-07 05:51:34 · answer #2 · answered by LineDancer 7 · 4⤊ 3⤋
yes we as Jehovah Witnesses are christian. Jesus never said he was God but the son of the Most Holy Father Jehovah. we have a wonderful book about the Greatest Man That Ever Lived and it is about Jesus Christ life so yes we do believe in Jesus Christ.
2007-02-07 08:00:51 · answer #3 · answered by lover of Jehovah and Jesus 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
YES Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians; we believe in Christ. We don't believe in the Trinity because it is NOT a Bible teaching although the churches like to pretend it is. All you have to do is look in an Encyclopedia, even Catholic Encyclopedias to find out it developed over several centuries.
2007-02-07 06:01:45 · answer #4 · answered by la la la 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
To answer your question, you have to know what a true Christian is.
A true Christian believes that Jesus is the divine/holy Son of God, the Christ, the Way to the Father.
A true Christian follows and believes in the Bible as the Word of God.
A true Christian believes that Jesus' Father is Jehovah and he is the true God (John 17:3, Psalms 83:18)
A true Christian preaches and excercises faith to Christ, and the Father (John 17:26, John 3:16)
True Christians have faith in Jesus and his Father(John 14)
True Christians make Our Father’s name known so that the love of Christ be with them & Jesus be with those who showed faith (John 17:26)
Their form of worship is clean and undefiled and their teachings have no pagan roots (James 1:27).
True Christians are no part of the world (John 15:19)
True Christians believe that their salvation is from the Father and from the Son (Rev 7:10)
True Christians do the will of the Father, Jehovah as Jesus commanded in Mat 7:21
True Christians magnify Jehovah's name (Mat 6:9)
True Christians’ warfare is not of the flesh (2 Cor 10:3,4)
True Christians believe that we have to be in subjection to the existing human governments because they act as ministers also for our own good (Romans 13)
True Christians have love among themselves so they don't kill each other during times of war and distress (John 13:35)
True Christians bear good fruits (Mat 7:17-20)
True Chrisitians love God’s commandments and follow them (1 John 2)
True Christians preach about God’s kingdom.(Mat 28)
True Christians believe that there is only One God, not Three Persons (not a trinity) Deut 6:4
and many more…
Who among the existing religions show that? Jehovah's Witnesses fit those descriptions.
2007-02-07 07:13:56 · answer #5 · answered by trustdell1 3 · 5⤊ 2⤋
Yes we are Christians. We do not in the Trinity teaching because from what we have read, seen and learned it is not a Christian belief.
2007-02-10 16:23:14 · answer #6 · answered by Ish Var Lan Salinger 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Technically they are considered Christians because they follow Christ's teachings. They consider him a great prophet, but not as the son of god. The divinity of Jesus has not always been clear anyway though. In the days of the early Church, people did not consider Jesus as divine. It wasn't until the Trinity was established at Nicaea that this idea was spread.
2007-02-07 05:55:07 · answer #7 · answered by zucchero81 2 · 2⤊ 5⤋
The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Jesus was created as Archangel Michael / lesser God; became only a good man, died, ceased to exist, recreated as Michael again in heaven. They do not believe that Jesus is God. They deny the trinity.
No, they are not Christians. They do not believe in the Jesus of the Bible. They believe in another Jesus.
2007-02-07 13:20:02 · answer #8 · answered by Freedom 7 · 0⤊ 5⤋
You were doing so well until you asked:
"Why would you do this if you don't believe in him?"
Of course they believe in him!
It is a matter of WHAT precisely do they believe?
He is the promised messiah, king of God's kingdom, son of God and the main basis for forgiveness.
Is he also God?
No.
You may wish to reverse your first question.
It really should be:
If such is the case, can Protestants and Catholics be considered christians?
2007-02-07 05:54:23 · answer #9 · answered by Uncle Thesis 7 · 4⤊ 3⤋
No no no, if you take any religion course they are under "Non Christian religion. Please read about Charles Taze Russell and see what this "prophet" claimed.
Christianity for CENTURIES have belived in the Trinity and divinity of our Lord. It was until the late 1800's that a rebellous kid without ANY formal Bible training started a religion. And after False propecy after false propecy, he managed to start a false religion.
imagine, for over 1800 years history shows us that Jesus was CRUCIFIED....from the latin CRUX meaning cross. Painting of the Renassance show him on a cross only to have the JW's say he was nailed to a stake!!!
2007-02-07 05:58:15 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋