What are key differences, key concepts of Jehovas Witnesses?

Question

I know they do not celebrate Holidays and birthdays, but I don't know why.

I know they call God Jehovah, and I know about that.

I just don't see any major differences between this religion and Christianity. I am asking because I am looking.

Can you tell me the key beliefs?

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses are unique in understanding God's Messianic Kingdom by Christ Jesus to be a real functioning government which will really solve mankind's problems.

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 2

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 3

SEARCHING FOR BIBLE KNOWLEDGE AND TO HAVE A DECENT EDUCATION

Can you find a person in the bible that had faith in God that made their birthday known?

The birth year an death year of all people that have faith in God is in the bible, but no
birthday, just as with Jesus, his death is given, but not his birthday. Heb.11:1-40; 12:1,2; All who had faith in 4,150 years can be listed on one sheet of paper.

Bible is bible and a student is a student, one who examines the scriptures to see what is and what is not, what does God or Jehovah say, or what does Jesus say about his God and Father. [ What of a heaven and hell, trinity, rapture and souls this, that or the other and the same with the spirit, what is the truth about such so often used? and is it to be examined for true meaning or a necessary thing to know ]?

Can a person learn the bible, or the key beliefs in the bible?
Can you study the bible and know it well enough to examine organizations of the world to see which one is most in harmony with the bible. John 8:32; 17:17;
No matter what the world does, what does the bible say do, what do you do about things you are not sure of?
Can you become so acquainted with God and Jesus that you know how to make the best decisions to show the most honor to them in all the efforts they are putting forth to save all that has been lost from Eden, where it was all perfect, and all must be made perfect again?
Can you determine how all was LOST, what was LOST and what must be made perfect again and why?
Jesus was no part of this world that will end, so what is in this world that one who will show honor to God and his son Jesus, might not want to take part in or be a part of?
Does Jesus have a genealogy from Adam to Noah #10, to Abraham #20, to David # 34,
To Babylon Empire #3 captivity involving son #48, Matt.1:1-17; [ Mary that gave birth to Jesus, was from Nathan the son of David ];
Aaron the priest line and brother of Moses the prophet Judge, Aaron married the daughter of Amminadab Ruth 4:18-22 [ the sister of Nashon and these of the Judah tribe and in the king line family of David ], so as to bloodline, Jesus was son #62 born under Roman Empire #6. How thorough is the genealogy of Jesus?
Does the bible give the history of the world?
There are thousands of questions to ask about the bible and about organizations and how they use the bible, it is not easy 2007 years after Jesus was in Roman Empire #6,
to know how many Empires the world is going to have, and which organization knows the most about it so that at Jesus second coming he can began his kingdom with those
most in harmony with his purpose. Study to show thy self approved 2Tim.2:15;

Answer 4

I'm one of them.
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. 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. We worship only God.

Answer 5

holidays are man made (pagan holidays) we worship Jehovah and his son. we give gifts during the year and have parties. we follow the bible. we love our neighbor as ourselves. we work and live in 236 lands. we may be your next door neighbor. we celebrate Jesus Christ death because he told us to do it each year on Nisan 14. which is April 2 this year. we don't know when he was born. he died Nisan 14 at the age of 33 1/2 and we count six month forward and we get Oct. but Jesus said to celebrate his death not his birth because he died for our sins.

Answer 6

JWs use the entire bible and any bible (not just nwt)

Unlike Jews they do not cut out the Greek testament
Unlike Muslims or Mormons they do not replace the Bible.
Unlike Catholics they use the book of revelation.

All their beliefs are taken from the bible such as:

Jesus-
They do believe Jesus is a God. (John 1:1)
They believe Jesus is God’s Son. (Matthew 26:63,64)
Jesus is the Messiah (John 4:25,26)
They believe Jesus father created him prior to the heavens and the earth. (Col 1:15)
Jesus "the word" was with God to make the heavens and the Earth. (John 1:1)
There is no Trinity in the bible (John 14:28 Mark 13:32-33)
Jesus was a pacifist so is JWs. (Mark 14:47,48)

Jesus commanded all Christians to Preach about his kingdom-
Proclaim the good news (Matt 28:19, 1 COL 16:23,24)
Rejection is to be expected when preaching the gospel.
(1 Corinthians 1:23)
Preach to people whether or not it is convenient for them or us. (2 Timothy 4:2-4)

God’s Name-
"Jehovah" is the best-known English pronunciation of the divine name, although "Yahweh" (YHWH) is favored by most Hebrew scholars. In the 17th century The letter I was replaced with “J”. From Iehovah to Jehovah.

God’s Son’s Name-
“Jesus” is the best-known English pronunciation of God’s son’s name, although "Yashuwa” is favored by most Hebrew scholars. In the 17th century The letter I was replaced with “J”. From Iesus to Jesus.

Government-
JW pay their taxes and honor the country they live in. (Matt 22:21)
Will not salute a flag. Which will give honor to Satan kingdoms not God’s. (Matthew 4:8-9)
Will not kill or join the military to kill a neighbor. (Mark 12:29- 31)

Jesus death on a stake or pole-
Jesus carried a “stauros” Greek word for pole not the “patibulum” or upper part that would make a cross.

Heaven and Hell-
Hell is the grave where we are like in a sleep like state but have no conscience thought. (John 11:11)
No one but Jesus went to heaven when they die. (John 3:13)
The Earth was created for the single purpose for humans to live on it. (Matthew 5:5)

144,000-
Since the representations of the Jews (Their religious leaders) rejected Jesus teachings only 144,000 people from any tribe or country will rule with Jesus in heaven (Rev. 7:4-8)

Great Crowd-
Since God went to all the trouble of making the earth an earthly paradise for us it make sense that the rest of Jesus followers (who are not among the 144,000 and obeyed Jesus first two commandments) will inherit the earth. (Rev 7:9 Matt 5:5)

Excommunication/disfellowship -
When a member confesses or is accused of going against bible principles they will be told to stop their behavior. If they refuse they will be removed (disfellowship) so as others will not pick up on the same bad practices. (1 Corinthians 5:11)

Blood-
Prior to all commandments God gave direction of handling blood. (Gen 8:20-9:17)

Celebrations-
Christmas is not Christ birthday nor do people give gifts to him rather it’s a pagan roman holiday (The Worship of Mithros) adopted by the roman catholic church as is all religious holidays.

Other pagan celebrations the Roman church adopted that JWs will not participate in:

Day of the Dead (Halloween), The Spring Equinox of Ishtar (Easter), The Day Between Years (New years), Festival of Lights (St. Valentine's Day), The Feast of Brigid (the Pagan Trinity doctrine), Oimelc (ground hog day), Lughnasadh (Thanksgiving), Worship of Rhea (Mother's day), ect....

Answer 7

Jehovah are the different names of God in the Old Testament. Each one describes a character trait. In the New Testament, God comes to us as Jesus Christ. All of His Old Testament names rolled into one. Jesus Christ means annointed Savior!! It is through Him that we recieve our Salvation. And If anyone believes that Jesus isn't the Christ, he is an anti Christ and will not be saved!!