Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons?

Question

I am a Christian though not very good with debate. Could someone outline the main points of these that do not line up with Christianity? So I will know when I am asked what's so wrong with JW'S OR Mormons again,.

Answer 1

I think largely it depends on your views on what it is to be "christians". For instance one woman explained that she felt that giving cookies to neighbors is what Good Christians do. She has no problem lying to others, for she feels God knows her and forgives her. While this is true I think too often some see Him as their personal Genie (I actually had someone start IMing me ordering me to buy him things or God would kill me)

I think your best bet is to go to the respective websites of the religions you refer to and see what they say they believe. Also try talking to members of those faiths and compare what you feel it means to be Christian with what they believe.

I personally am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. All my spiritual beliefs are Bible Based. As a Witness I know the value of reading the Bible and following it's laws.

PS Please make a list of the points that you feel are unChristian as if you are willing to share with us (politely:D) one of 2 things will happen. We will see that you are correct and will gladly try to align our beliefs closer with the Bible or you might find that what we believe is Christian just unfamiliar

PPSS Thanks for being kind about things, and for showing an interest in Jehovah.

Answer 2

Setting aside any Bible issues, my guess is that some of the irritating issues people have with them could be:

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 Nasin 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

Please clarify your question. Do you want to know how JWs don't line up with Christianity, or, as most people mean, how they don't line up with Catholicism? (I will assume that's what you meant, since all christian denominations believe different things)

Witnesses are Christians, but they differ from Catholicism in many key ways:
1) Witnesses believe that Jesus is God's son, as he himself stated, not God himself.
2) Witnesses do not believe in the Trinity. (Note: The Christians taught directly by the apostles didn't either... the doctrine itself was later introduced from outside Christianity... Look it up)
3) Witnesses take Jesus' command to preach God's word seriously. Nearly every book in the NT highlights the importance of preaching, but most "Christians" completely disregard it in this day and age.
4) Witnesses actually require their members to live Godly lives. Those who choose to practice fornication, take drugs, steal, etc, are given an opportunity to turn themselves around, or they get the boot.
5) Witnesses are expected to be honest at all times - no exceptions. For Witnesses there are no "white lies". A "false tongue" is listed as one of the seven things God hates, and as such is considered serious. (This includes not lying to children about the existence of Santa Claus)

As you can see, a grossly maligned religion...

Answer 4

If you want to get the real facts about Jehovah's Witnesses, this is not the place to get accurate information about them. So far, the people who have already given their 2 cents worth have been way off. The next time Jehovah's Witnesses are in your area, invite them in, and ask any question that comes to mind. Or, go to the local Kingdom Hall. There, you can get any information you'd like about them.

Answer 5

Sadly, trinitarians repeatedly pretend that Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian. Trinitarians use an artificial, trinity-specific definition of the term "Christian" which excludes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century pretended that Christ's followers were Atheists(!) because the Christians had a somewhat different idea from the pagans about the nature of 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! Both secular dictionaries and disinterested theologians acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion.

The Trinitarian arguments are intended to insult and demean Jehovah's Witnesses, rather than to give a Scripturally accurate understanding of the term "Christian".

In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all three times the bible uses the term "Christian" and note that the context connects the term with:
"declaring the good news"
'teaching quite a crowd'
'open eyes, turn from dark to light'
"uttering sayings of truth"
"persuade"
"keep on glorifying"

(Acts 11:20-26) [The early disciples of Jesus] began talking to the Greek-speaking people, declaring the good news of the Lord Jesus... and taught quite a crowd, and it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians.

(Acts 26:17-28) [Jesus said to Paul] I am sending you, to open their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light and from the authority of Satan to God... Paul said: “I am not going mad, Your Excellency Festus, but I am uttering sayings of truth and of soundness of mind. ...Do you, King Agrippa, believe the Prophets? I know you believe.” But Agrippa said to Paul: “In a short time you would persuade me to become a Christian.”

(1 Peter 4:14-16) If you are being reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy... But if he suffers as a Christian, let him not feel shame, but let him keep on glorifying God in this name


So why do anti-Witnesses try to hijack the term "Christian" and hide its Scriptural implications? Because anti-Witnesses recognize that it is the preaching work that makes it clear that the relatively small religion of Jehovah's Witnesses are by far the most prominent followers of Christ:

(Matthew 28:19,20) Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded

Answer 6

Don't get into that discussion!

In the Bible, Not a version of the bible (King James), or the American Bible, Just Bible,
In the book of Revelation, last Chapter, last verse, it says, 'This is the word of GOD, nothing shall be added and nothing shall be taken away"

Therefore, King James is out! Where did the authority come from for his followers to come up with a VERSION? Any group/one trying to justify any writings other than the BIBLE, imply that GOD did not know what he was doing when HE guided the writing of the Bible!

Too, that violates the book of revelation!

Answer 7

First, what's wrong with YOU? How can you do the book report when you don't know what is in the book?

Second, Bible bashing with Mormons is a waste of your time. We don't like to do it. We believe that a soft answer turneth away wrath and we believe in being taught by the Spirit (of God).

Moreover, if you want to know (and I'm taking a stab) what these religions believe try looking them up. If you want to refute them, you are not going to be able to do it if you are ignorant.

Answer 8

JWs are Christian so you will not find any difference between them being followers of Christ teachings and commandments.

They use the entire bible and any bible (not just nwt)
All their beliefs are taken from the bible such as:

Jesus-
They do believe Jesus is a God. (John 1:1, Isaiah 9:6, 7)
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)

Father son releationship-
There is only one GOD the father and one LORD the son.
(1 Cor. 8:4-6)
The Son even though existed in God's form is not equal to the father. (Phil 2:5-6, John 14:28, 1 Cor 11:3)
Jesus is the son of God, not God himself (John 20:31, Mark 13:32)
Jesus will or wish is different from his father's hence no Trinity
(Luke 22:42)
No man has seen Jehovah God at any time hence no Trinity
(John 1:14,18)
When Jesus died his father had to resurrect him (Ecc 9:5)

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 (2 Cor. 6:14-16):

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 9

I am a LDS Mormon, since you mention the JW and us, I just have to say something.

JW and LDS are different, but there is one common thing they do, that is missionary work.

I do not see other churches do as much missionary as the JW or LDS, now , who is so right that they do not do missionary work???

Answer 10

Here are the main differences.

1. JW's believe that only 144,000 people get into Heaven. This is why many consider it a cult. Often times, former JW's need to go to a support group to break away from this mentality.

2. Mormons believe that the United States a America, is the promised land the the new Jerusalem. Mormons also have a secret aspect, meaning that the longer you are in, the more you are allowed to know.

The Main difference is that Christian Salvation is based on Grace because we are all guilty of sin, whereas JW's and Mormons have a "Works" based system whereby only the people who do the most "good works" go to heaven.