Does the JW public talk "Who are the Real Followers of Christ?" say anything about worshipping him?

Question

I got an invitation to the Jehovah's Witnesses summer assembly but could not attend. If anybody has already heard the public address, can you say if one identifying mark of a real follower is that s/he worships Christ as Savior and Lord (based on the fact of Christ's deity)? If worshipping Christ is still forbidden in JW circles, did the public talk explain how it is possible to have a god that is not worshipped?

If this public talk (or the new book of the same title, I understand) tells JWs they should give Jesus any degree of worship, they merely have to say "Yes". If the talk and the book point out that actual worship must be avoided, all I need is for a JW to simply say "No".

But non of the JWs here (so far) are facing up to the question. Why not? Is it because they are actually aware of the problem that arises from their theology of Jesus being 'a god' (Jn 1:1 NWT) and 'Mighty God, Everlasting Father' (Isa 9:6) yet they've been told NOT to worship him?

Answer 1

The local assembly won't be held here in time for me to nip along and check it out, unfortunately. It's not for another six days and I guess this Q will be closed by then. However, I know from extensive JW contacts over many years, and the perusal of much JW literature, that IF anything is said about worshipping Jesus, JWs will need to have it spelled out very clearly. Since the early 1900s they have taken a public stand denying the deity of Christ (as per the Trinity doctrine). Instead, they say Christ was merely 'a god' with a small 'g', and a completely different person to God the Father, who they say, created Christ as the first of all creation. So - to JWs - Christ is a creature, created by God. Mere creatures must not be worshipped! True.

IF worship is now to be given to Christ, we all need to know because this will be revolutionary "new light"! (Well, for them, anyway. It won't be for Trinitarians.) It's interesting to see how JWs deal with the word 'worship'. If Jehovah is the object of worship then they freely say it includes reverence, obedience, prayer, song-singing and exclusive devotion. When they speak of Christ, however, they speak of obedience, respect, obeisance, and offering prayers to Jehovah in Jesus' name. Yet they balk at actually worshipping Jesus. This is logical. They see the problem (and it is very clear). The Bible says there is only ONE God (Jehovah to them) and he demands exclusive devotion (i.e. worship). All other gods are false gods. There is no middle ground.

Yet the Bible ALSO says Jesus is God as you pointed out in your additional comments. The only way this cannot be a contradiction inherent in holy scripture is for Jesus to be the SAME God as Jehovah - God manifest in flesh - incarnated - as the Trinity teaches. That is why Trinitarians do not commit polytheism when they pray to Christ and worship him. That is why JWs can never REALLY follow Christ until they realise just who he is, and start worshipping him.

Alas, I'm not expecting any "new light" with the talk or the book. I just expect volumes of details about how devoted they are to Christ, how obedient they are to his commands, how much they believe in his sacrifice etc - but talk proves nothing. Their leaders will completely avoid the issue of the absurdity of claiming divinity for Christ whilst forbidding actual worship of him. To them, Christ is 'a god' in name only. In practice he's just a perfect man (who used to be an angel) whom God has resurrected in spirit-form to a secondary position in heaven as a reward for his sacrifice. If I'm wrong and there's 'new light' this summer, I'd appreciate any JWs emailing me to say just how wrong I was.

Answer 2

I would refer you to all the answers that correctly say that there is only one God the Father and that Jesus himself said that we should not worship him but worship The Father. However, Jesus is right now ruling as our King in Heaven, he sits at the right hand of God,whilst this may not be worship in the sense you mean he is exalted above all other creatures with the exception of Jehovah. It would be wrong to say that we do not recognize his right to rule us or his exalted . position as Jehova Gods firstborn and our King. The mark of a Christian is someone who adopts Christian principles and follows Christs example, and that includes accepting that Jehova God is his, and our father and creator. I will not quote or direct you to scripture as many have already done this.

Answer 3

JW's are a cult. I will give them credit they do study the bible, and it does say that God is God and Jesus is the son of man, so no they don't believe that Jesus is God, but they are considered X-ians. They take the bible as a literal book.

Answer 4

Due to illness, I could not go either but my aunt did and will bring me the book version today. I will get the assembly including that talk on DVD as soon as is available.

Christ gave all glory and honor to his Father, Jehovah, just as we must do as Christ's real followers. Christ is now King of God's Kingdom, given power by Jehovah Himself. That makes him the second most powerful creature in the universe. This is nothing to sneeze at.

Jesus stills worships his Father. Why are you seeming to imply humans should do something different?
___________edit________________________________
Got the book. It is good. Questions raised differently may make people think, which is always a good thing.

Answer 5

a pair of motives. First, the terrific protection once you're backed right into a nook is to launch an reliable offense. That way, mutually as the different side is busy protecting itself, it would overlook what it substitute into combating for interior the 1st place. 2d, there's a word in psychology talked approximately as "cognitive dissonance" and its premise is this: the human strategies, while confronted with 2 conflicting suggestions, stories dissonance. with the intention to come lower back to a determination this concern, one in each of two issues might desire to take place. the two, the human strategies outrightly rejects the concept conflicts with the single it has held for the longer volume of time. Or, if the guy has a tendency to be open minded, he/she might attempt to reconcile the two suggestions. ultimately, as they see the validity of the opposing perspective, and in the event that they arrive to attain that it makes greater sense than their previous concept, they might even reject the previous stance in want of the hot. that's what "apostates" have finished. for this reason the WT sternly warns its adherents to stay far flung from "apostates", from Bible interpreting on my own, from "Christendom", etc. The WT is familiar with that adherents will see it for the lies it promotes in the event that they're able to work out issues from yet another perspective and to ascertain that the WT has been mendacity to them, no longer in basic terms approximately itself, yet with regard to the character of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, "Christendom", "apostates", the Bible, and the Gospel message.

Answer 6

I am Going to answer your question as I understand it..Is this a call for JW's to worship Jesus? If it is, it would go against their fundamental belief, because it would be Idolatry to worship any but Jehovah.
To worship Jesus would in their eyes be an act of herasy.....They ignore the scriptural proof that Jesus was worshiped.

To them Jesus was a created angel, not our God in human form.....Hope this helped......

Answer 7

Each public speaker among Jehovah's Witnesses is given an outline which he develops and presents himself. Wide variety seems likely between the THIRTY different presenters at EACH of the THOUSANDS of Jehovah's Witnesses' district convention series which began in May 2007.

Jehovah's Witnesses have arranged for literally THOUSANDS of conventions worldwide presenting the 2007-2008 theme "Follow the Christ". Hundreds of conventions will be held across the United States:
http://jw-media.org/region/americas/usa/english/releases/events/usa_e070531a.htm

During 2006, more than 2.3 million attended Jehovah's Witness conventions in the United States, meaning that active Jehovah's Witnesses made up less than half of that attendance. The entire 2007 "Follow the Christ" program clearly admonishes its audience to follow Jesus Christ.

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/19990701/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_07.htm

Answer 8

how it is possible to have a god that is not worshipped?

Jesus said:(John 4:23) “. . .Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father

(1 Corinthians 8:5,6) Even though there are those who are called "gods," whether in heaven or on earth, just as there are many "gods" and many "lords," there is actually to us one God the Father

Does the Bible teach that each of those said to be part of the Trinity is God?

Jesus said in prayer: “Father, . . . this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:1-3)

1 Pet. 1:3, RS: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Repeatedly, even following Jesus’ ascension to heaven, the Scriptures refer to the Father as “the God” of Jesus Christ.)

At John 20:17, following Jesus’ resurrection, he himself spoke of the Father as “my God.” Later, when in heaven, as recorded at Revelation 3:12, he again used the same expression. But never in the Bible is the Father reported to refer to the Son as “my God,” nor does either the Father or the Son refer to the holy spirit as “my God.

Answer 9

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe that Jesus is God as the Bible does not teach this. The Bible also does not teach that Christ should be worshipped, Jesus gave all the glory to his Father.

If you go along to your local Kingdom Hall, the witnesses will happily explain this to you, using your Bible if you prefer.

Answer 10

Correct me if I'm wrong but the bible tells us to worship God not Jesus