What are JW's basic beliefs?

Question

Do they study the bible?

Do they have more scripture?

What makes them different from main stream christian?

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Wow! Thanks for all of the answers! (except for those who attacked)
I don't know how I'm going to choose the best answer!

Answer 1

Jehovah's Witnesses base their beliefs only on the Bible (not on traditions like other religions) which is the inspired Word of God.

"All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness, that the man of God may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work." -- 2 Thimothy 3:16, 17


*They worship Jehovah as the only true God. They address their prayers only to Him through Jesus Christ (not through an icon).

“I am Jehovah. That is my name; and to no one else shall I give my own glory, neither my praise to graven images." -- Isaiah 42:8

"Jesus said to him: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -- John 14:6


*They freely speak to others about God's purpose concerning the mankind. They are famous for going from door to door following Jesus' and his disciples' example spreading "the good news".

"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." -- Matthew 28:19

"And every day in the temple and from house to house they continued without letup teaching and declaring the good news about the Christ, Jesus." -- Acts 5:42


*They believe that there is only one true God, Jehovah, that Jesus is His Son, the firstborn of all creation, that the holy spirit is God's active force.

"....If YOU loved me, YOU would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am." -- John 14:28

"When the helper arrives that I will send YOU from the Father, the spirit of the truth, which proceeds from the Father, that one will bear witness about me." -- John 15:26


*They believe that God will soon destroy the human governments; they will be replaced by God's Kingdom in a new system in which people will live on an earthly paradise.

"Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth." -- Matthew 6:10

"And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." -- Revelation 21:4


*They believe that the only ones who have a heavenly hope are the 144,000 (the anointed) who will rule as kings with Jesus.

"And I saw, and, look! the Lamb standing upon the Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand having his name and the name of his Father written on their foreheads... And they are singing as if a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders; and no one was able to master that song but the hundred and forty-four thousand, who have been bought from the earth." -- Revelation 14:1, 3


*They believe that men don't have an immortal soul, but that they are a soul. The dead are conscious of absolutely nothing. They exist only in God's memory who at the right time will resurrect them.

"For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten." -- Ecclesiastes 9:5

"I have hope toward God, which hope these [men] themselves also entertain, that there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous." -- Acts 24:15


*They don't get involved in politics or war following Jesus' example.

"They are no part of the world, just as I am no part of the world." -- John 17:16


*They offer free Bible studies to those who are interested.

"Philip ran alongside and heard him reading aloud Isaiah the prophet, and he said: “Do you actually know what you are reading?” He said: “Really, how could I ever do so, unless someone guided me?” And he entreated Philip to get on and sit down with him." -- Acts 8:30, 31


For more information go to:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/article_03.htm

Answer 2

yes we as Jehovah Witnesses do study the bible everday. we do not have more scriptures. we follow the bible. Jehovah God is the True Father and Jeus Christ is the son. read ps 83 verse 18. if Adam and Eve did not disobey we would not be growing old and dying. Jehovah did not change his mind and we will live forever. the bible told us that the meek shall live forever on a paradise earth. only 144,000 of the anointed will go to heaven with Jehovah and Jesus Christ. we will get to see our love ones again here on earth. we also do what Jesus Christ commanded us at Matthew 28 verse 19 and 20. we do not change your religion. that is between you and Jehovah God. we are not a cult or brainwashed as people always say. we live in our own homes and many work. our love ones are in the coffin waiting to be told to come out of the coffin to live forever. they are not heaven. hell is the common grave. if you want more information visit a kingdom hall and have a study with a Jehovah Witness or visit www.watchtower.org. we have five meetings a week, one on tuesday for a book study which we are learning about Revelation, two on thursday and two hours on Sunday. an Elder from our kingdom hall or a visiting Elder from another kingdom hall will have a talk, we never have one Elder giving the talk like churches have one person. then we read the watchtower and everyone can answer.

Answer 3

Yes, we study the Bible.
We are ardent students of the Bible.
With No other Scripture.
We r witnesses' for Jehovah God.
Jehovah is the personal name of God Almighty.
Its not a title like God or Lord.Ex.3:13,15
We do Not believe in the Trinity, not a biblical teaching.
Because of this, many say we r not Christians.
We do know/believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God.

Whatever the cost, Jehovah's Witnesses' adhere closely to the Bible. They have not invented a new religion. They merely follow what is written in the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel, which is the foundation of true religion.

Answer 4

There basic beliefs can be found at :
www.watchtower.org
they believe they have the truth.
They teach that Jehovah in the end will destroy everything that offends and is destroying the earth.
They teach that 144,000 will go to heaven to be a co- ruler with Christ ( the little flock).
they teach that the great flock, other Jehovah's witnesses will live on a cleansed paradise earth.
They teach against celebrating pagan holidays.
They will celebrate a aniversary of a fellow JW.
They will not step foot in a church other than the Kingdom Hall.
They will not pledge alliegence, vote, and don't believe in fighting in a war.
The website at the top tells more about them.
Yes , they study the bible , and compare many versions of the bible.
Yes, they know many scriptures, and they try to get people to study and compare.They also offer home bible studies to enlighten people to show them the have truth that others do not.They told me that some people study to try to convert them , but usually end up joining them instead.

Answer 5

The entire bible and any bible.

2Ti 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God.

There is no Trinity or Duality in the Scriptures.

Mar 13:32 But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

JWs follow Jesus example of preaching about the good news of the kingdom.

Mat 10:7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Answer 6

JWs certainly study the Bible with the aid of myriad Watchtower Society publications that explain it for them. It is those publications that "add to" the Holy Scriptures of the Bible, but they would insist they have no more Scripture than the Bible.

Their basic beliefs (as already explained by many JWs here) are sometimes similar to Christian ones (e.g. that the Kingdom of God is a real government that really rules and will yet be established over the whole earth, and that Christ is the King of that Kingdom) but there are unorthodox beliefs (e.g. soul annihilation after physical death) and a few unique beliefs (e.g. death must be chosen rather than accept a whole blood transfusion). The single most important differentiation between their beliefs and those of mainstream Christianity lies in their view about the Trinity doctrine. Regarding the Person of Christ, they deny that he is God with a capital 'G' - he is only a small god with a small 'g'. Regarding the Holy Spirit, "it" is merely a force, like electricity, with no personality. The second most important belief that puts them beyond the pale of orthodox Christianity is their insistance that God has limited the heavenly hope to 144,000 people from earth, from the time of Christ till now. They add that millions of other people will stay on a paradise earth IF they are faithful, baptized JWs who survive Armageddon, yet those ones cannot have Christ as the Mediator for their sins. Only the 144,000 have that privilege.

Answer 7

I haven't read all the other answers because I didn't want to be influenced by what they said, or didn't say...first of all, let me just say that ALL of our beliefs come from the Bible. We do not use any Scriptures other than the accepted Hebrew and Christian Greek Scriptures of the Bible. We follow it as closely as humanly possible...we apply what it teaches to our lives. We don't think of our faith as a religion as much as we do a WAY of life. To have knowledge is one thing, but to apply that knowledge to one's everyday life is quite another. I guess the main difference in us and mainstream religions is that learning the truth has set us free from many of their false teachings, such as a fiery place of eternal torment, the trinity doctrine, the soul living on after death, and we know what our future holds for us and we know God's purposes for the earth and mankind.

You seem genuinely interested in finding accurate information about our beliefs, so I will ask you to please visit our official website and explore for yourself. However, the very best way for you to really learn what we believe (what the Bible really teaches) is to have a free in home Bible study of your own! You will be able to ask any questions that may come up personally, and have someone give you Scriptural reasons for our beliefs. You may use whatever version of the Bible you feel comfortable with.

Here is the link to our official website, and also one to a form to request your own Bible study...or if you chose, call or go by your local Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses and speak with anyone there. We absolutely love to help people come to an accurate knowledge of the Bible, God's Word!

Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses...
http://www.watchtower.org/

Request Bible Study link...
https://watch002.securesites.net/contact/submit.htm

(John 17:3) “. . .This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”

(John 4:23-24) “. . .Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for, indeed, the Father is looking for suchlike ones to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit, and those worshiping him must worship with spirit and truth.””

~wannaknow~

Answer 8

Yes, we study the Holy scriptures.
No, we do not have any more inspired Scripture.

Our basic beliefs r as follows:
No Trinity; Jehovah our God is one Jehovah--Deut. 6:4

No Immortal Soul; The living r concious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are concious of nothing at all--Ecc. 9:5

Resurrection; there is going to b a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous--Acts 24:15

No Hellfire; a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart--Jer. 7:31

No Fate; each of us will render an account for himself to God--Ro. 14:12

No Clergy Class; God will judge adversely those who through religion elevate themselves over others--Matt. 23:4-12

No Idolatry; God is a spirit, and those worshipping him must worship with spirit and truth--John 4:24

Neutral in Politics; Jesus said followers would be "no part of this world"--John 17:16

High Moral standards; This is my commandment, that u love one another just as I have loved you--John 15:12,13
The fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, mildness, self-control--Gal. 5:22,23

The Approaching End of This World; Dan. 2:44

All of thee above, makes us stand out differently from mainstream Christianty. We r not part of Christendom.

Do the things we do please God?
God is one, and there can only be one true religion.
This religion cannot be out of harmony with the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel.
Hence, we must examine that Word. That is what Jehovah's Witnesses do. Whatever ur religion, you need to do the same. Nobody can make this decision for u in this regard.
No individual is born a Witness of Jehovah.
Every single Witness makes a personal decision. After making an honest search of God's Word, the searcher recognizes truth, and on this basis he dedicates himself to the true God, whose name is Jehovah.
If u would like to know more, contact ur local Kingdom Hall.

Answer 9

They do not have additional "holy books" than the bible.

Not only they study the bible, they also need you to study the bible before converting and become one of them.

Their beliefs as follows:

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

Answer 10

their knowledge of the bible and the application of its principles fully with heartfelt obedience, not out due to obligation distinguishes them.
They believe that Adam sinned and this when he was a perfect man with the prospect of living forever on earth filling it with his progeny as god intended.
As Adam had Eve had borne no children BEFORE the sin, all children were born after this point in our human history inheriting from their parents dying bodies.
Only Jesus sacrifice can release by ransom mankind. the lamb of god that takes away the sin of the world.
All worship and praise and thanks is directed to the Almighty , Jehovah, only.