Jehovah Witness, OK I'm confused, why do many think they are a cult?

Question

Is it only because they say Jesus and God aren't the same being? I can't put my mind around that either. Is this the only reason? Do the JW think Jesus is God's son and the savior/christ?
Thanks.

Answer 1

It is not uncommon for Jehovah's Witnesses to be labeled as a non-Christian religion or even a cult. According to Trinitarians Jehovah's Witnesses distort the essential doctrines of Christianity.

What "essential doctrines of Christianity" have Jehovah's Witnesses distorted? The next sentence enumerates three: "It denies the deity of Christ, His physical resurrection, and salvation by grace. This alone makes it non-Christian."

So, according to Trinitarians criteria for determining what constitutes true Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses' teachings are not Christian because we deny the deity of Christ; the nature of Christ's resurrection and "salvation by grace."

Briefly, let us examine each point.

Accusing Jehovah's Witnesses of denying the deity of Christ is akin to saying that Jehovah's Witnesses deny that Jesus was an alien being from Mars, which is, of course, true:

We deny that Jesus was a Martian. But we do not deny that Jesus is the Son of God. The reason we are accused of denying the so-called "deity of Christ" is because Jesus never personally claimed to be God; so why should anyone else make that claim? It is simply not a Bible doctrine. It is a human doctrine.

Consider, too, that in the four gospel accounts Christ never once said that he was God—not so much as once! He certainly had many opportunities to do so, and no doubt he would have plainly stated that he was God if it were true. Jesus wanted people to know the truth about himself and his unique relationship with God. That is why he frequently declared that he was the Son of God—and a worshipper of Jehovah God.

Thinking persons would do well to consider why it is, then, that Trinitarians have made Jesus' supposed godship one of the "essential doctrines of Christianity."

The fact that Jesus repeatedly declared himself to be God's son means nothing to a person who has been mentally conditioned to believe that Jesus is God.

In reality the Bible says absolutely nothing about some mysterious triplets making up a single god. Certainly the apostles and first century Christians made no mention whatsoever of any sort of divine trio comprising a single godhead.

What about the resurrection of Jesus?

According to the Trinitarians, Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians because we deny that Christ was physically resurrected. That is a misleading statement. It might give uninformed persons the impression that Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was only symbolically resurrected, or something of that nature.

Apparently, the Trinitarians intend to give the impression that Jehovah's Witnesses deny Christ's resurrection. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Jehovah's Witnesses most certainly believe and teach that Jesus was put to death and on the third day Jehovah resurrected him.

What does the Bible say about the resurrection of Jesus? It plainly says that Jesus was a spirit (as the Logos or Word) before he came to the earth, and upon his death and resurrection he returned to heaven—as a spirit. For a brief period of 40 days following his resurrection Jesus materialized as a human—often unrecognizable by his disciples—in order to convince them that he had indeed been raised from the dead.

And it is true that Jesus visibly ascended into the clouds with 500 earthly observers as witnesses of his ascension. How else could his skeptical disciples be convinced that Jesus ascended back to heaven unless they saw it with their own eyes?

Unfortunately, the same people that insist that God is a mysterious amalgam of three persons rolled into one also believe that Jesus was raised up as a glorified man and not a spirit. This is in spite of the fact that in the 4th chapter of John, Jesus very simply stated "God is a spirit."

What about salvation by grace?

Do Jehovah's Witnesses deny that? Absolutely not. The Witnesses of Jehovah have always taught that salvation is a result of Jehovah's undeserved kindness.

Answer 2

No need, to be confused, the Jehovah Witness, believe, that they Religion is the only right one. It;s really scary because they changed the Scriptures, and God said do not add, nor take away any thing from the Bible and they did that, So if you do that, God said you are a False Prophet , one of Jehovah- Witness, Prophesied some thing in either 1922 or 1932 some thing like that, and guest !what it didn't, happens , and people today are still waiting, so until it happens, they are the false ones God speaks about in the Bible. and they, also believe, that Jesus is not the son of God; theybelieve that he is just a prophet, and a lot of people make fun of the catholic church, but at least all of they prediction came through, you know !what ia'm talking about, those 3 kids(spanish), that the Virgen Mary appear to and she did a miracle so every one could, believe. be bless.

Answer 3

I am a Christian, one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Honestly, outside of Y!A, or the net in general, I can't think of ANY times I have had my faith refered to as a Cult. It seems the defernition of Cult here is "Anyone who I have been told believes differently from me".

Yes, we do recognise Jesus as the son of God, and the savior.

Ya know, a funny thing, I have seen quite a few instances where other denominations have reffered to Christ as the son of God, but I don't see people calling them cults.

Answer 4

Jehovah's Witnesses and mainstream Christianity differ on their definition of a cult, and this must be agreed upon before your question can even be answered. And Jehovah's Witnesses will tell you that "a cult follows a man" but this is misleading since organizations that are not considered cults, do look to scholars that have defined their own faith. Webster's may provide an exact definition, but there are also other traits that describe cults and Jehovah's Witnesses do fit within these traits:

- An overly fervent belief that looks at conversion as absolutely imperative to salvation.
- Hostility toward those who refuse to believe, or leave the organization.
- A discouraging of "worldly pursuits" (advanced education, for instance), and mandates of close adherence to the organization's dogmas.
- Reclusiveness as an organization, with no interest whatsoever in dialogue with other faiths.
- A belief that theirs is the only religion that saves.

There is a book by Walter Martin, "Kingdom of the Cults," that goes into a fair amount of depth concerning Jehovah's Witnesses and how they can be considered a cult.

Answer 5

The wordly religions of christendom appose Jehovah's Witnesses because of the true standard of worship Jehovah's Witnesses maintain and they abstain from the influence of worldly politics.
Because Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to do the will of the nations but instead do the will of God they are hated and opposed.

Answer 6

Close scrutiny of their doctrinal position on such subjects as the Deity of Jesus, Salvation, the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, the Atonement, etc., shows beyond a doubt that they do not hold to orthodox Christian positions on these subjects. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is Michael the archangel, the highest created being. This contradicts many Scriptures which clearly declare Jesus to be God (John 1:1,14; 8:58; 10:30). Jehovah’s Witnesses believe salvation is obtained by a combination of faith, good works, and obedience. This contradicts countless Scriptures which declare salvation to be received by faith (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Jehovah’s Witnesses reject the Trinity, believing Jesus to be a created being and the Holy Spirit to essentially be the power of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold to a ransom theory of the atonement, in which Jesus' death paid only for what mankind lost when Adam sinned - namely, the right to perfect life on earth. Thus, they believe in a faith + works arrangement, where sin and death are freely atoned for by Christ, but physical perfection is attained through personal effort, coupled with faith in Christ.

Answer 7

They believe that Jesus is the Archangel Michael.

Hebrews 1:5-6, "For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."

God NEVER allowed worship of an angel. The worship of Jesus proves he is the LORD.

Hebrews 2:7a, "Thou madest him(JESUS) a little lower than the angels"
Hebrews 2:16, "For verily he took NOT on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham."


They say they follow the Bible--but they only follow the New World Translation--which was written by the Watchtower Society and not only contradicts itself but contradicts all other Bible translations that exist.

They do not believe you can interpret the scriptures for yourself--that if you are NOT part of the Jehovah Witness organization--that you will not live on paradise earth.

They believe the Watchtower organization is the ONLY spokes person for God on earth. They call themselves a prophet (Watchtower April 1st, 1972).

Yet, God's test of a prophet is whether or not what has been predicted comes to pass--

The Watchtower Society's failed prophecies concerning 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920, 1925 and 1975 prove beyond a doubt it is a false prophet.


Here is a list here:
http://www.carm.org/jw/false_prophecies.htm

Answer 8

There are many models used to identify cults. Here is one:

BITE model

1. Behaviour modification/control
2. Information Control
3. Thought Control
4. Emotional Control

Behaviour modification/control -

A. Do the JWs try to control or modify where, how and with whom the member lives and associates with?

B Do the JWs try to control or modify what clothes, colors, hairstyles the person wears? Are people castigated or shunned for not following certain rules in this area?

C. Do the JWs try to control or modify time spent on leisure, entertainment, vacations? Is your time with family even children limited by doctrinal sessions?

_______

I will state this; JWs will tell you to ask them and not a non JW about the JWs. Is this is the first move toward info control?

=

Interestingly the apologists for the main leaders are often quite blind to information control.

Information Control - second in the BITE cult model.

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Do the JW's under the Guidance of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society use deception about various doctrines and events such as how they deal with child abusers and frequency or the use of blood when teaching a person the dogma?

Is this:
Deliberately holding back information?
or
Distorting information to make it acceptable?
or
Outright lying?

===

Do the JW's under the Guidance of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society limit access to non-cult sources of information? Is this minimized or discouraged?

Such as:

Books, articles, newspapers, magazines, TV, radio?
or
Critical information - information that shows errors or a pattern of errors or mistakes? Are these excused and minimized?
or
c. Discourage information from former members that they deem detrimental to adhesiveness or continued existance?
or
d. Keep members so busy they don’t have time to think such as meetings, studies, door-to-door work and other activities centered only on the group.

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Do the JW's under the Guidance of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society use the compartmentalization of information; Outsider vs. Insider doctrines?

Such as:

Information is not freely accessible such as guides for elders, overseers, and headquater reps? What books or guides are released to a select few?
or
Does this Information vary at different levels and missions within the leadership pyramid?
or
Does the Leadership decides who "needs to know" what and questions are staunched and discouraged?

===

Do the JW's under the Guidance of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society encourage spying on other members and to report any activities from a list of acceptable actions or conversation?
or
Is there pairing up with "buddy" system to monitor and control people and certify actions? Is there a two or more witness doctrine?
or
Is reporting deviant thoughts, feelings, and actions to leadership

===

Do the JW's under the Guidance of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society suggest extensive use of cult generated information and propaganda?

What is the information limited to...?

Are these Newsletters, magazines, journals, audio tapes, videotapes, etc.?
or
Are there misquotations, statements taken out of context from non-cult sources?
or
Are past "sins" used to manipulate and control; no forgiveness or absolution and always judged by prior actions?
________
The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publishes the doctrinal material followed by Jehovah's Witnesses. Within these you will find the answers to each of the above Questions.
I am pretty sure that from among nonJWS, exJWs, and antiJWS they can paste an article or a paragraph from Watchtower Bible and Tract Society publication that verifies "yes" or "no" to the above Questions.

The info above is based on (a couple of comments added):

Answer 9

Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians.

Trinitarians try to use the term "cult" like a sledgehammer to obliterate any thinking analysis of what the supposed "cultist" actually believes. Trinitarians embrace a bizarre, non-etymological, quite arbitrary definition of the term "cult" which includes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century slandered Christ's followers with the insulting term "Atheist" (!) 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! Secular authorities in academia and government routinely acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion. With more than 16 million associating with Jehovah's Witnesses, the term "cult" seems very out of place in a fair discussion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians.

Sadly, Trinitarians seem more interested in perpetuating their human traditions, Greek philosophy, and Babylonish fetishes rather than reasonably examining the Scriptural definition of "Christian". In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all the 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


Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/20000622/
http://watchtower.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_04.htm

Answer 10

I'm glad to see someone is catching on! ( Your first answer)

We are all cultists in one form or another. I think that the word applies to everyone. I see it as only those who are too proud think otherwise.

Let's see how many definitions of the word applies to you - only you will know:
noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology. a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
–adjective
9. of or pertaining to a cult.
10. of, for, or attracting a small group of devotees: a cult movie.