Jehovah’s Witnesses?

Question

Major difference w/ mainstream Christianity?

I am non-denominational Christian (grew up Baptist). Been really busy with life and law school and find it hard to go to church as often as I should. However, I am very determined to keep God at the forefront of my life and keep my radio on CSN. The other day a JW came to my door (normally I brush them off) this time however, I decided to listen because I want to absorb the word whenever I can. Question: Does anyone know the major difference between the two faiths or a website that lists them? In what way is JW not consistent with mainstream Christianity? I will definitely not convert; I just want to make sure I am not entertaining something that is not healthy for my faith. Perspectives?

Answer 1

www.watchtower.org

Answer 2

Papa G has the best answer thus far. Visit the website.

It sounds like the rest of the answers are very Pro (perhaps JW's themselves) or very anti (not too open-minded of them).

I believe the biggest difference with JW's is they do not believe in the Holy Trinity (God, Jesus & the Holy Ghost are 3 seperate entities to them). JW's also recognize that most common Christian holidays are from pagan roots, which is historically proven. The also adhere very strictly to the Bible, as do Baptists, with a few differences - JW's do not participate in weekly "annointment," they celebrate the Memorial of Jesus death & not the resurrection of him to heaven, the do not use any idols to symbolize their faith, they continue to "preach the word of God," and believe only 144,000 chosen people will go to heaven while the rest of the faith "inhert the earth" once it is restored to a setting described like that in the Garden of Eden.

Being raised Baptist, you are certainly familiar with the severe dedication to your beliefs. JW require this too. Most Baptist encourage open discussions about faith, whereas JW's frown on seeking out other religious "input." Are you harming your faith? Absolutely not... both religions believe in Christian lifestyles and you may learn a thing or two about the bible, as JW's read is every day and use it as their primary resource.

I think it's better to know you're making the right decision than be ignorant about your options, even if you are certain you won't chose that option. No need to convert - just learn & expand your mind.

Answer 3

I think it depends on what you consider mainstream. Most people I know and talk with think we Witnesses are "mainstream". We strive to follow the Bible. It is VERY important that we keep our beliefs free from non Christian teachings. Case in point, when we realised Christmas had Pagan roots, we stopped celebrating it.

If you are concerned about conversing with us, or anyone, about religion, here is something you can do. The next time a Witness comes have a Bible ready. If anything that is said does not coincide with the Bible then you know it is not Christian.

Please realise that many who talk of us know very little about our beliefs. I recently heard someone say "Witnesses can give gifts, only if in a paper bag" This is not true. It was kinda cute as it was a child but the point is if you wish to know us, Talk with us or go to http://www.watchtower.org

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 most 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, along with neighbors, living in New Orleans could be found in Texas, with every witness 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

Jehovah's Witnesses differ from mainstream Christianity on many things. The following are some differences that come to mind:
*Man IS a soul, he does not 'have' a soul (although having life is said to have soul), and so is mortal.
*God's original purpose was to have a perfect earth populated with perfect people who will not die and He still intends to do so.
*He (Jehovah God) has permitted the wickedness and badness that fills the world now for a reason, to allow enough time for all creation to see that mankind does not govern themselves to the good of all concerned and to answer the challenge issued to him by Satan that no one would serve God out of love but only out of personal gain.
*That only the kingdom or government that Jesus taught us to pray for will solve ALL the woes and right all the wrongs on the earth, therefore although Jehovah's Witnesses are subject to the government of whatever country or nation that they live in and they will obey the laws of whatever country they are in, their hope for true justice for all is in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Answer 6

According to Scripture, there is no such thing as "mainline Christianity." You are either Christian or you're not. Are JW's Christian? What does the Bible say?

Christians believe in and follow the teachings of its founder, Jesus Christ. Is that what JW's do? Consider:

Jesus said to call no man your father in a religious sense. (Matt.23:9) Do JW's obey that? Yes.

Jesus did not teach a trinity? He said nothing about being of the same substance, eternity, and power as his Father. He taught just the opposite. Jesus said at John 14:28: "The Father is greater than I am." He told Mary that the two of them both worshiped the same God. At John 20:17, he told her: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to MY GOD and YOUR GOD." Do JW's believe this. Oh, yes!

True Christians do not participate in war. Jesus said to "love your enemies and to pray for those hating you." Matt. 5:44 Do JW's believe and obey those words? Yes!

Jesus told his disciples to preach the good news of the kingdom. (Matt;28:19, 20) In the first century, this was done by going from house to house. (Acts 20:20) Do Jehovah's Witnesses do this? Yes!

Jesus did not get involved in politics. He commanded his followers to be "no part of the world." (John 17:16) Do JW's follow that command? Yes!

What other religion that professess to be Christian can honestly deny that Jehovah's Witnesses are NOT Christian?

Answer 7

The primary difference in the teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses and those of so-called "mainstream" Christendom is that Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's Messianic Kingdom by Christ Jesus is a real government ruling from heaven.

Jehovah's Witnesses understand the Scriptures to teach that God's Kingdom will soon replace all earthly governments.
(Daniel 2:44) God of heaven will set up a kingdom... It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite

That Kingdom will rule over the vast majority of mankind, most of whom will have been raised from the dead after Armageddon.
(John 11:23,24) Jesus said to her: “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him: “I know he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”
(Acts 24:15) There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.

Until that resurrection, there is no suffering in "hell", or the grave. Sometime after the resurrection, death and "hell" will themselves be destroyed.
(Ecclesiastes 9:5) For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all
(Ecclesiastes 9:10) there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol ["hell"]
(Revelation 20:14) And death and Hades ["hell"] were hurled into the lake of fire

While a limitted number of humans will be resurrected to heaven to share in ruling over mankind, the vast majority (literally more than 99.9%) of Jehovah's Witnesses expect an EARTHLY hope, the same hope given to Adam and Eve.
(Genesis 1:28) God blessed them and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many and fill THE EARTH and subdue it [caps added]
(Genesis 2:17) You must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die [so never eating from that tree means never dying]

Interestingly, the Scriptures are full of references to this earthly hope.
(Psalms 37:11) 'the meek will possess the earth'
(Proverbs 2:21) 'upright will reside in the earth'
(Isaiah 45:18) 'God formed the earth to be inhabited'
(Matthew 5:5) 'the mild will inherit the earth'
(Revelation 21:3) The tent of God is with mankind

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/lmn/index.htm?article=article_10.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/rq/index.htm?article=article_06.htm
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/trueworship.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/

http://watchtower.org/e/dg/index.htm?article=article_11.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/index.htm?article=article_07.htm

Answer 8

Why not go straight to the source and go to watchtower.org. and get the info you are requesting.
This is there site and plenty of info in regards to any questions you might have.
You will get a wide variety of answers here. Go straight to the source and make up your own mind and not limp on the answers of others opinions.
You seem to be an intelligent person, make up your own mind and not on the thoughts of others.
As one of Jehovah's Witnesses, We believe there is one God Jehovah, and His Son Jesus Christ, the one He sent forth to die a ransom sacrifice for all mankind.
The trinity is a false teaching.

Answer 9

IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'RE YEARNING FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL IN YOUR LIVE. I SUGGEST THAT YOU FOLLOW YOUR HEART. ONLY TROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT YOU WILL KNOW WHAT REALLY IS THE TRUTH. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A WORD OF ADVISE: DO NOT BRUSH OFF THE TWO MISSIONARIES OF THE ONLY TRUE CHURCH ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH WHEN THEY COME KNOCKING ON YOUR DOOR. TRUST ME IF YOU LISTEN WITH BOTH YOUR EARS AND YOUR HEART YOU WILL BE BLESSED. THIS GOES FOR EVERYONE WHO'S READING THIS ANSWER.
THE LORD KNOWS ALL OUR DESIRES.

Answer 10

Do research on Charles Taze Rusell and also on the many times they have predicted the end of the world which of course have failed to come to pass. 1914 for starters and a slew of other dates afterwords. Now let me ask you a question. If someone makes a prophecy that something will happen on a certain date, which fails to come to pass. Are they a true prophet or a false prohet? good luck and happy educating

Answer 11

Jehovah’s Witnesses today form an international organization that is completely separate from all other religious organizations. Since we are often misrepresented, it would be a mistake to expect to learn the truth about us from prejudiced sources. So we are pleased to explain to you some of our principal beliefs.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are 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.

(The above list briefly states some outstanding beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses but by no means all the points on which their beliefs are different from those of other groups.)

If you would like further information, please contact the local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses. Or visit their official web site - http://www.watchtower.org