Recently on Yahoo JWs have said, "JWs worship Jehovah and Jesus Christ" and, "JWs do believe that Jesus was divine as John 1:1 says. Divine does not mean the almighty, just that he was a spirit being. If Jesus was God no salvation would be possible..." and, "Jesus Christ was and is divine and of the same nature as God". (I can provide their Yahoo! names but I don't want to get any of them into trouble.)
I thought they insisted that only Jehovah is to be worshipped as God, because to worship anyone else would be polytheism, which the Bible, Jehovah and Jesus condemn. Yet they say Jesus is "a god" and "the Mighty God" but he is a distinct person from the Almighty God, Jehovah! So if they are really monotheists, they cannot give Jesus any form of worship whatever. If they give Jesus any worship, they are polytheists. This is why they never pray to Jesus. (In anticipation - respect and obedience is NOT worship - I respect and obey my husband but I do NOT worship him!)
2007-06-04 03:02:22 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I spotted that too, and wondered how on earth they could possibly have thought that JW's worship Jesus because they absolutely, categorically do not. Perhaps they are just studying with the Witnesses and haven't yet sussed out the JW position on the person of Christ. They almost certainly aren't baptised Witnesses so I don't think they will be disfellowshipped - just taken to one side and lovingly and gently shephearded till they see the error of their ways.
Liked the comment about respecting and obeying your husband - which is not worship. Prayer, of course, is worship. Now, I may be wrong here, but I thought when Christians pray they do so through Jesus Christ, who intercedes for us. Well, if Jesus Christ is not deserving of our worship, then how come we pray in his name when approaching God? How come we need Jesus Christ to approach God?
It makes perfect sense to pray in and through Jesus Christ when you realise the triune nature of the Godhead (not three separate or distinct beings) because God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one and the same. After all, was not Jesus Immanuel, God with us 2,000 years ago? And is not the Holy Spirit, the promised Comforter, God with us now? To worship God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is not polytheism when you realise that they are one and the same.
2007-06-04 06:55:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 7⤊ 7⤋
I've never heard of JWs worshiping Jesus.
Maybe the answers either have been misinterpreted by the reader or the answers are from someone claiming to be a JW when in fact they aren't.
I've read quite a few answers that the JWs have written on here & not seen that so maybe it's been misinterpreted by the reader. That's easily done.
2007-06-04 03:58:43 · answer #2 · answered by Purple.Diamond 3 · 7⤊ 1⤋
If the Greek word proskuneo renders only sacred worship only to God, then why was it rendered as sacred worship for John's Revelation in front of an angel and why did the angel rebuke him for the act of proskuneo? Also the devil used the same Greek word in Matthew when he commanded Jesus to worship him, so proskuneo can mean sacred worship for the devil, an angel or for God...but according to the JWs it is not meant for Jesus? The Watchtower doctrines for Jesus are very heavily biased. The NWT footnote for Hebrews 1:6 had to make use of the word "worship" because the actual word worship was used in the Old Testament, and this is one thing the WBTS would dare not change. They would also have to re-write the Septuagint texts in Deuteronomy 32:43 where this verse originated. ...καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες υἱοὶ θεοῦ· εὐφράνθητε... What's interesting is how the NWT will avoid the Septuagint of Deut. 32:43 and only display the verse in the Hebrew version in English... 43 Be glad, YOU nations, with his people, For he will avenge the blood of his servants, And he will pay back vengeance to his adversaries And will indeed make atonement for the ground of his people.” But then the NWT will place the Septuagint counterpart in English in the footnote... Footnote Rbi8 Deuteronomy 32:43 “Be glad, O heavens, together with him, and let all the angels of God worship him. Be glad, you nations, with his people, and let all the sons of God strengthen themselves in him,” LXXBagster. Compare Heb 1:6. They deliberately hid the word "worship" both times in their two hidden footnotes (Deut. 32:43 and Heb. 1:6), only displaying in their verses showing the Hebrew version in Deut. 32:43 and the "obeisance" word in Heb. 1:6. Displaying a crafty way of hiding the word "worship" in the footnotes is a very deceitful act against the Christ. _____________ The JWs are saying the word worship is obeisance in Hebrews 1:6. The JWs are also saying here they do not worship Jesus. If obeisance is an act of worship then they are denying they are doing obeisance to Jesus as well. Why is it so hard to say they do worship Jesus unless that word "worship" really does have a significant meaning to them in the first place? Then we can all notice how all the worships of Jesus were rendered "obeisance" in the four Gospels. If the word "worship" was not significant to the WBTS which I know it is, they would have added footnotes with the words "or worship" to every single "obeisance" rendered for Jesus. This was never done as far as I know, so they do have a lot to hide whenever worship is rendered for Jesus.
2016-05-21 00:33:20 · answer #3 · answered by nell 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Perhaps it's just me, but it seems as though you're trying to catch some1 in a technicality. The official "brainwashed" answer that any JW will provide is that Jehovah God is Almighty and He alone deserves all worship. All prayers are directed to Him through Jesus Christ.
True, Jesus is a 'god' in the sense that he is divine, but he is not actually to be worshipped. His position as our Savior is to be recognized, but we direct all worship to Jehovah.
By the way, as far as getting any1 in trouble or disfellowshipped, its not that easy/simple...
2007-06-04 03:08:31 · answer #4 · answered by DwayneWayne 4 · 6⤊ 3⤋
I don't think so, as long as they retract it, but it's surprising that one said that in the first place.
Maybe they read the 1950 (Aug 1) WT, p. 236
where it says that God commanded all the angels to worship Jesus and refers to Hebrew 1:6. It's easy to get confused.
2007-06-05 18:36:11 · answer #5 · answered by steervase 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I've never heard of any Jehovah's Witness worshipping Jesus, though they do believe he is integral to the out-working of God's purposes.
It is of interest to note, as does Canon Theologian of Coventry Cathedral H. W. Montefiore, that “very seldom indeed is Jesus called God in the New Testament.”
In a lecture at the University of Manchester, visiting Professor of Theology G. H. Boobyer explained: “Some nine or ten passages occur in which Jesus is, or might be, alluded to as ‘God’ (‘theos’). . . . Two or three of these, however, are highly dubious, and, of the remainder, varying degrees of . . . uncertainty attach to all save one, which is Thomas’s adoring acclaim of the risen Jesus in John 20:28 as ‘My Lord and my God!’ Distinguishing this passage from the others, Vincent Taylor—a moderately conservative scholar on christological problems—speaks of it as ‘the one clear ascription of Deity to Christ’ in the New Testament.”
But does even this one apparently “clear ascription of Deity to Christ” prove that he is the Almighty God? John Martin Creed, as Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge, observed: “The adoring exclamation of St. Thomas ‘my Lord and my God’ (Joh. 20:28) is still not quite the same as an address to Christ as being without qualification God, and it must be balanced by the words of the risen Christ himself to Mary Magdalene (v. 17): ‘Stop clinging to me. For I have not yet ascended to the Father. But be on your way to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God."
When Jesus was on earth, people tried to seize him to make him King, but he fled. He always gave glory to God and never took it for himself.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus had a pre-human existence and, after he died, he ascended again to heaven and has been there ever since. This is all pretty basic stuff.
Perhaps what you read was from someone pretending to be a Jehovah's Witness and feeding you false information. It happens. Or maybe someone mis-typed something. The best thing to do is to ask Jehovah's Witnesses next time they are at your door, they will happily explain their beliefs from the Bible. Your Bible if you prefer.
2007-06-04 03:22:12 · answer #6 · answered by Iron Serpent 4 · 8⤊ 1⤋
It depends on how you define worship.
The narrow minded define worship narrowly as in only to God.
The not-narrow minded such as Jehovah's Witnesses define it properly.
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English worshipe worthiness, respect, reverence paid to a divine being, from Old English weorthscipe worthiness, respect, from weorth worthy, worth + -scipe -ship
Oh, so it is based on worthiness and respect. Yes, we pay respect to Jesus according to his worthiness and that is not as God.
Done. Next.
2007-06-05 11:34:33 · answer #7 · answered by sklemetti 3 · 3⤊ 1⤋
We don't worship Jesus - we respect the position Jeh has given him and acknowledge his authority but we recognise Jeh as the almighty not Jesus, Jesus acknowledged this too very regularly throughout his time on earth.
The book of Revelation actually explains all of this - the positions and authority. I promise you there is no polytheists within our religion.
2007-06-04 03:10:47 · answer #8 · answered by dollymixture 4 · 6⤊ 2⤋
Jesus taught us to worship his father as he does.
That all obeisance and glory and devotion goes to the Sovereign of the Universe and not to his angelic begotten son.
**The angels even warned men not to bow down to them...Jesus said it is to Jehovah alone we render sacred service.
We give honor and thanks to our fellow worshiper Jesus for coming from heaven to die for us.
We are to obey Jesus in his 1000 year rule when he resurrects the dead for Jehovah and brings the human race and the earth back to perfection as was Jehovah's original purpose. The Jesus will turn everything back to God forever.**
2007-06-04 05:01:48 · answer #9 · answered by debbie2243 7 · 5⤊ 2⤋
True Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) acknowledge the need to pray "through Jesus" or "in Jesus' name" to effectively reach Jehovah God the Father (see John 14:6; 15:16; 16:23). But there is not even a single instance anywhere in the bible where any human ever addressed Jesus, apart from those instances when Jesus seemed to be right there in the presence of the person who was talking. There is absolutely no Scriptural precedent for "praying" to Jesus.
The answer to the larger question is "no".
A baptized individual among Jehovah's Witnesses would not be disfellowshipped (or considered to have disassociated himself) if he said that Jehovah's Witnesses worship Jesus, when the term "worship" is defined biblically. Sadly, few etymologists adhere strictly to a biblical view and so Witness publications reflect that.
Dictionaries define "polytheism" as worship of more than one god. As this question implies, Jehovah's Witnesses officially reserve the English word "worship" to describe a Christian's unique devotion to Almighty God the Father; thus it would seem that Jehovah's Witnesses are quite careful to assure that they will not be perceived as polytheists.
The Scriptures quite plainly show that true religion is uniquely devoted to the person of Almighty Jehovah God the Father. His Son, Jesus, personally taught that Jehovah deserves a unique form of "sacred service".
(Matthew 4:10) Jesus said... ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’
(Luke 4:8) Jesus said... ‘It is Jehovah your God you must worship, and it is to him alone you must render sacred service.’
(Exodus 20:5) I Jehovah your God am a God exacting exclusive devotion
The bible teaches that Jehovah has given Jesus extraordinary authority, and so true Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) work to demonstrate their devotion, love, obedience, and obeisance to Jesus.
(Hebrews 1:3-4) [Jesus] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty in lofty places. 4 So he has become better than the angels
(Matthew 28:18) And Jesus approached and spoke to them, saying: "All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth [by God the Father]
(Acts 2:36) God made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you impaled.
(John 3:35) The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.
(Acts 5:31) God exalted this one as Chief Agent and Savior to his right hand
(Psalm 2:2-6) The kings of earth take their stand And high officials themselves have massed together as one Against Jehovah and against his anointed one... Jehovah himself will hold them in derision..., Saying: "I, even I, have installed my king [Jesus]
(Hebrews 1:6) When [God] again brings his Firstborn [Jesus] into the inhabited earth, he says: “And let all God’s angels do obeisance to him.”
Thanks for another opportunity to effectively demonstrate that Jehovah God the Father is a distinct person from Jesus Christ the Son!
Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_05.htm
2007-06-04 08:01:15 · answer #10 · answered by achtung_heiss 7 · 5⤊ 3⤋