Jehovah's Witnesses - Do you have to be a JW to be saved?

Question

Do you claim to be Christians? Are any people before Jehovah's Witnesses started (in 1896) saved? Why did the Watchtower have to start in 1896 if this were already true and being praticed. If something is from God how will it just vanish? Why are Jehovah's Witnesses not allowed to read the KJV of the bible and have to read the NWT?

Answer 1

I am not a Jehovah Wittness, I am a full gospel Pentacostal. BUt I know a lot about their teachings. and from reading the above answers, I can state my case . Note all the talk about the watchtower organization. They put that above God and not thats what they talk about,on and on and on. They insist about the name Jehovah, and yes that was the correct name, but so what> God is more than a name of a title.
The Bible tells us in second John about religion that doesnt teach the teachings of Jesus. They dont believe Jesus was God, yet that is in the Bible, and I can show it to you. SO is the Holy spirit God. there are three in the Godhead, which is the title. But all three have different purposes to do to complete the plan of God for us all. WHen any church wont say Jesus is God, that is an abomination. WHen they wont say Jesus was God and came as a man, GOd made mannifest in the flesh, that is an abomination. When they say Jesus came in secret, in parousia, that is a lie. They put the teachings of their prophet and their organization above the truths of God. God said that is abomination and it is part of the antichrist, we are to flee it and not even pray with them. we can pray for them, but not with them. Evil spirits enter in when lies are taught about God. I dont say this based on my own opinion, I base it on Gods word, and I base it on the many Jehovah wittnesses I have talked to that tell you the Watchtower had final say and authority. God says that is wrong and false and we arent to hear it or be around it.
Just because a mere man wrote all that stuff and got ppl to believe it , doesnt make it so. They wont believe Jesus is GOd, but they can believe their prophet is ok to say things different than God, and God tells us His gospel never changes, and any who change even a dot or a tittle, will be put to death, unless they repent. SO all we can do is pray and refuse to hear their stuff. When you point to that scripture about what God about those teaching God without teachings of Jesus, they have little to say. Just live truth and speak truth, and God takes care of the rest. amen

Answer 2

>Do you have to be a JW to be saved?

Since the Scriptures indicate that Christ gathers all of his chosen brothers into one congregation, that means that there is only one organized religion that Christ recognizes as belonging to himself.

It is not a matter of "joining" some religion, but if you believe in Jehovah and his Messiah, as you claim, then at some point, in order to gain salvation you will also have to recognize who Jesus' brothers are and demonstrate your support of them during their hardship.

Eph 4:5 - "One Lord, one faith "

>Do you claim to be Christians?

JWs worship Jehovah and follow Christ.

>Are any people before Jehovah's Witnesses started (in 1896) saved?

Yes, Abel.

"only a shadow of the good things that are coming, not the realities themselves…because it is impossible for the blood of [animals] to take away sins." (Heb. 10:1,4)

>Why did the Watchtower have to start in 1896 if this were already true and being praticed?

Jesus said there would be a separation.

Mat 25:33 - "And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left."

>Why are Jehovah's Witnesses not allowed to read the KJV of the bible and have to read the NWT?

JWs used the KJV decades prior to the NWT and still continue to do so.

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

Answer 3

Jesus, Paul, John all said that there would be false teachers,

Both Paul and John said that IN THEIR DAY imitation Christians were teaching falsehood.

Paul added that Christ wasn't returning until the great apostacy happened.

Prior to the 1930's JWs were known a 'Bible Students' or 'International Bible Students'

Jehovah's Witnesses leave all judging to Jehovah.

We do though agree with Paul who said if you practice sin, there is no salvation.

We do though agree with Jesus who said 'Do the things I said'

John said Christians would be Kings and Priests to the God and Father of Jesus. (Rev 1:6)

● Is it true that the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses are based on the New World Translation of the Bible?

The fact that the New World Translation bears out teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses does not prove that the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses are founded upon this Bible translation. Since 1879 The Watchtower has been published, setting forth the things that Jehovah’s witnesses believe and teach. The New World Translation, which the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society has accepted as a gift from the New World Bible Translation Committee, first began to be published in part in 1950, and volumes of it have been coming out from time to time since then. Consequently, the formulation of the Bible doctrine of Jehovah’s witnesses did not wait upon the New World Translation, beginning in 1950.

Up until 1950 the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses were based mainly upon the King James Version of the Bible, but in the course of years the publications of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society in English alone have quoted from more than seventy different Bible translations produced in Christendom. This does not take into account the fact that our literature is published in more than 125 languages and that these foreign languages do not have the English New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. In all parts of the world Jehovah’s witnesses are proving their Bible-based beliefs to the people by the copy of the Bible that the householder may have or that he may recognize as authoritative. So the New World Translation comes along merely as a confirmation of the correctness of the teachings of Jehovah’s witnesses and does not constitute the foundation of their teachings.

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Answer 4

No, Jehovah's Witnesses do not assume that God and Christ are limited in who they may choose to save.
Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians.
Yes, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that nearly everyone in the grave will be resurrected.

True Christianity did not spurt into existence in 1896 or any other recent year. True Christians (such as Jehovah's Witnesses) have been able to advocate bible truth using tools especially available since the late 1800's.

Jehovah's Witnesses are certainly "allowed" and even encouraged to read the King James Version, or any other bible an individual Witness may prefer. While bible reading is considered almost indispensable, no Jehovah's Witness is "required" to read the NWT or any other particular translation.


Jehovah's Witnesses do not pretend that they know which individuals will survive Armageddon and which will not. Witnesses believe the bible to teach that nearly all dead humans will be resurrected to perfect bodies in a restored paradise earth.

Jehovah's Witnesses well-recognize the plain bible truth that a Christian can disqualify himself from salvation, particularly as that applies at Armageddon (emphasis added to following citations).

(Matthew 24:13) But he that has endured TO THE END is the one that will be saved.

(Philippians 2:12) Keep WORKING OUT your own salvation with fear and trembling

(Hebrews 5:9) [Jesus] became responsible for everlasting salvation to all those OBEYING him


Learn more:
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/1996021/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/rq/
http://watchtower.co.uk/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_09.htm

Answer 5

First of all, who told you we can't read the KJV? That is a lie. If you would prefer to use your KJV, go ahead. But tell me this, do we speak the way the KJV does? No. We used to use the KJV ourselves, and in some lands, we still do. But the NWT has won awards for its accuracy and is easier to understand (it is in today's english).
Yes, we are Christians. If you read in the Bible what Christ taught, you will see that we do follow Christ's teachings. (Preaching the good news-Matthew 24:14; 28:19,20 as an example). He also taught that those who served God would be persecuted (Matthew 5:11; Luke 21:12; John 15:20)
Yes, people before 1896 were saved. Of course they were. Look at Job, Abraham, and John the Baptizer. The Bible teaches that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous (Acts 24:15)--not saying that those men were unrighteous, of course.
The Watchtower is based on scriptures. For each and every one of our teachings, we will give you a scripture (probably many more) that it is based upon. The Watchtower gives encouraging experiences, scriptural advice (citing scriptures, of course), etc. They teach about a number of things. The Watchtower is mainly based on spiritual subjects. It always seems to offer the right scriptural encouragement at the right time (at the Kingdom Hall, you will almost always find someone that has needed just what that Watchtower has stated--we recently had one on parent's coping with grief cause by losing a child--there have been a few in our Kingdom Hall who have lost children within the last year). The Awake has much on secular subjects, but it offers a scriptural view of these (and it, too, cites scriptures, as do all of our publications).

I was raised as a Witness. I have been baptized for almost 2 years. And I love my religion.

ADDED: Shirley, God and his Son, Jesus, are the reason why we do/act the way we do. Do you think it's easy to go to complete stranger's doors day after day, and, most of the time, get the same response? No. Other religions have tried this fundamental teaching of Jesus, but they could not maintain it. Also, I believe you will use John 1:1 to teach the trinity, if I'm not mistaken. First, go to verse 2. It tells us that in the beginning the Word (meaning Jesus) was WITH God. And go farther into the book of John to 14:28. At that scripture, Jesus himself tells us that the Father is greater than he is. I could go on and on. And I would like to add, the full name of the Watchtower is The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom. And if you look on the inside cover, you find out what the purpose of the Watchtower is: "The purpose of The Watchtower is to exalt Jehovah God as Sovereign Lord of the universe. It keeps watch on world events as these fulfill Bible prophecy. It comforts all peoples with the good news that God's Kingdom will soon destroy those who oppress their fellow men and that it will turn the earth into a paradise. It encourages faith in God's now-reigning King, Jesus Christ, whose shed blood opens the way for mankind to gain eternal life. The Watchtower, published by Jehovah's Witnesses continuously since 1879, is nonpolitical. It adheres to the Bible as its authority." We don't go to your doors to place literature--actually, if you are not going to read it, we would rather you not take it. We aren't Bible-salesmen. We feel that we have learned something so important that we just cannot hold it inside--we must preach because that is what Jesus told us to do. If you read Matthew 24:14 it tells us: "This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations." Then, it goes on to tell us how we will know when our commission to preach is fullfilled. The end of that verse says: "and then the end will come."

Answer 6

As someone who grew up a JW and left it when I got out on my own, I feel qualified to answer.

1. JWs believe they are Christians because they believe that Christ came to earth and died for our sins, just as Christians do. Unlike Christians, however, they believe that he was little more than a perfect human and not God incarnate. They believe that he had a pre-incarnate existance as Michael the Archangel.

2. They believe that OT faithful will be resurrected to the earth just as faithful JWs will be. (Do a search on the San Diego mansion built during the tenure of Joseph Rutherford. It's called Beth Sarim). The only exception is the 144k "anointed" JWs who go to heaven when they die to be co-rulers with Christ. Everyone else sleeps in death because they don't believe in an immortal soul that survives the body. Those who sleep in death will be resurrected to judgement and destruction--it matters not that you believe in God if you are not a JW. Furthermore, a back-slidden JW is in danger of losing God's favor and being condemned to the same fate. They do not believe in the assurance of salvation because they believe that works is a stronger indicator of salvation than is faith/grace.

3. The NWT is the translation written by and prescribed by the Watchtower Society who says that all other translations are corrupt. However, if you are conversing with a JW and you object to using the NWT, they will reluctantly allow you to use a KJV. There are 4 places in the KJV that use the name "Jehovah", and they like to show you these references to prove to you that the name is in your own Bible.

Answer 7

All I know is that Jehovah Witnesses are a cult. They are not saved!!!!