If I am Christian and my friend is Jehovah's Witness - are we serving the same god with different names?

Question

I just dont understand why they call god, Jehovah. I know its in the bible but they use the name - God, Jesus wayyyyyyyyy more than Jehovah. I just dont feel right referring to God as Jehovah.

then why dont they refer to themselves as christians and why wont my J.W. friend allow her child to attend a "christian" school?

CAN A NON J.W. BE FRIENDS WITH A PRACTICING JEHOVAH WITNESS??????

Answer 1

Hopefully.

Adherents of the Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses are certain that they worship Jehovah God, and admit the possibility that other individuals please God and Christ.
http://jw-media.org/beliefs/beliefsfaq.htm

Jehovah's Witnesses generally distance themselves from other religious organizations because of the bad reputations they have earned for themselves.


With regard to "the Name"...
The proper and personal name of Almighty God is:
יהוה

The four Hebrew characters are generally transliterated as "YHWH" (that is, each Hebrew character is directly replaced by a different character with the same sound in another language's character set).

It is true that the Almighty did not say, "Listen, thousands of years from now when a new language called English comes along, they can pronounce my name as 'Jehovah' and that's fine." Instead, like with any and every personal name, different languages TRANSLATE personal names to fit their lingual tendencies. George becomes "Hor-hey" in Spanish or "Gay-org" in German and no one gets upset.

The name "Jehovah" was not fabricated "from whole cloth" (as it were). As speakers of English find it easier to say "Jesus" than "Yeheshua", so "Jehovah" seems to have originated as an honest attempt to pronounce "the Tetragrammaton".
http://watchtower.org/e/na/

The bible teaches that a certain kind of person would disrespect the divine name.

(Psalm 74:18) The enemy himself has reproached, O Jehovah, And a senseless people have treated your name with disrespect.


The bible also teaches what would happen to those who refuse to use and honor the name of Jehovah.

(Malachi 2:2) If you will not lay it to heart to give glory to my name," Jehovah of armies has said, "I shall also certainly send upon you the curse

(Psalm 83:16-18) Fill their faces with dishonor, That people may search for your name, O Jehovah. 17 O may they be ashamed and be disturbed for all times, And may they become abashed and perish; 18 That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, You alone are the Most High over all the earth.

(Isaiah 52:5,6) The utterance of Jehovah, "and constantly, all day long, my name was being treated with disrespect. 6 For that reason my people will know my name


According to the bible, what must ALL people do with regard to Jehovah's name?

(Psalm 29:2) Ascribe to Jehovah the glory of his name.

(Psalm 86:8-9) There is none like you among the gods, O Jehovah, Neither are there any works like yours. 9 All the nations whom you have made will themselves come, And they will bow down before you, O Jehovah, And will give glory to your name.


The bible also teaches that there are real benefits for those who appropriately use the name Jehovah.

(Romans 10:13) Everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved

(Acts 2:21) And everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.

(Joel 2:32) And it must occur that everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will get away safe

(Malachi 3:16) And a book of remembrance began to be written up before him for those in fear of Jehovah and for those thinking upon his name.

(Nehemiah 1:11) Jehovah, please, let your ear become attentive to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who take delight in fearing your name


Who can reasonably be called "a people for Jehovah's name"? What does the bible say about this people?

(Isaiah 43:12) There was among you no strange god. So you are my witnesses," is the utterance of Jehovah, "and I am God.

(Zephaniah 3:9) I shall give to peoples the change to a pure language, in order for them all to call upon the name of Jehovah, in order to serve him shoulder to shoulder.

(Micah 4:5) For all the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god; but we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.

(Isaiah 52:5-7) The utterance of Jehovah, "and constantly, all day long, my name was being treated with disrespect. 6 For that reason my people will know my name... 7 How comely upon the mountains are the feet of the one bringing good news, the one publishing peace, the one bringing good news of something better, the one publishing salvation

(Malachi 1:11) For from the sun’s rising even to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place sacrificial smoke will be made, a presentation will be made to my name, even a clean gift; because my name will be great among the nations," Jehovah of armies has said.


Here are some additional Scriptures that mention God's personal name. There are THOUSANDS MORE. Do any of these seem to imply that the name "Jehovah" is unimportant?

(Psalm 148:13) Let them praise the name of Jehovah, For his name alone is unreachably high.
(Micah 5:4) He will certainly stand and do shepherding in the strength of Jehovah, in the superiority of the name of Jehovah his God
(Psalm 9:10) And those knowing your name will trust in you, For you will certainly not leave those looking for you, O Jehovah.
(Psalm 34:3) O magnify Jehovah with me, YOU people, And let us exalt his name together.
(Zephaniah 3:12) A people humble and lowly, and they will actually take refuge in the name of Jehovah.
(Revelation 15:4) Who will not really fear you, Jehovah, and glorify your name, because you alone are loyal?. . .
(Micah 6:8,9) And what is Jehovah asking... the person of practical wisdom will fear your name.
(Psalm 96:2) Sing to Jehovah, bless his name.
(Psalm 105:1) Give thanks to Jehovah, call upon his name, Make known among the peoples his dealings.
(Psalm 54:6) I shall laud your name, O Jehovah, for it is good.
(Micah 4:5) For all the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god; but we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever.
(Psalm 118:26) Blessed be the One coming in the name of Jehovah
(Matthew 21:9) Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name!
(Matthew 23:39) Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name!
(Mark 11:9) Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name!
(Luke 13:35) Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name.
(John 12:13) Blessed is he that comes in Jehovah's name

Learn more:
http://watchtower.org/e/na/

Answer 2

God has had many names over the years, Jehovah and Yahweh are just a couple that you will find in your standard Bible. Jehovah Witnesses, Christians, Muslims and Jews all worship the same God but call him by different names. You say you don't feel comfortable referring to God as Jehovah and that's perfectly alright. Do what is most comfortable to you.

Your friend is not allowed to go to a Christian school because the teachings of Jehohvah's Witnesses and the teachings of standard Christianity differ quite a bit. That's okay. Don't let the difference in your religions get in the way of your friendship. She was raised one way and you were raised another and there is nothing wrong with that. Just enjoy each other's company and attend different churches on the weekends.

Answer 3

The beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses are different on many significant points from the beliefs of mainstream evangelical protestant Christians. (I will not expound on these because I do not have a good understanding of J.W. doctrine.) Many Protestants, as you have seen, will label J.W.'s a cult. Many J.W.'s will tell you that Protestants (and Catholics) have their theology all wrong and are going to Hell.

Are we all serving the same God? Probably, but we all have different ideas of who exactly God is and how we should serve Him.

Why won't she send her child to a "Christian" school? Probably because she doesn't agree with some rather large points of mainstream Protestant theology.

Is it okay for a (presumably) Protestant Christian to be friends with a J.W.? Well, if it's okay with you, and it's okay with her, then I see no reason why you can't be friends. I believe you'll have to agree to disagree about religion if you want the friendship to last, however.

Answer 4

JW's believe in a different Jesus than the Jesus that Christians believe in.

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).

Answer 5

when you read in the Bible the word “God,” you know that it is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim; the words “LORD,” “GOD,” “LORD GOD,” “LORD God” are from the Hebrew word Jehovah; and the word “lord” is from the word Adonai. Each of these words, Elohim, Jehovah and Adonai, describes the character of God and of His actions toward mankind, distinguishing between the saint and the sinner.
Jehovah is the personal name of God. It is that Name which is above every other name. The meaning of the word is Redeemer. Every time it is used in the Scriptures it is connected with deliverance by God: “And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out and the LORD [Jehovah] helped him; and God moved them to depart from him” (II Chron. 18:31).

In 1889, Jehovah's Witness founder C. T. Russell predicted that "...the final end of the kingdoms of this world, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God, will be accomplished at the end of A.D. 1914."
According to Pastor Russell, "Jehovah, the God of the true prophets, will put all false prophets to shame either by not fulfilling the false prediction of such self-assuming prophets or by having His own prophecies fulfilled in a way opposite to that predicted by the false prophets." Could he be describing himself?

Some of the dates and predictions which were FALSE

•1872 Beginning of the millennium. Wrong! Watchtower publications later changed the date to 1975, another date in which it did not happen.

•1874 Christ's second coming. Nothing happened. The Bible says His second coming will be seen by all.

•1914 All world governments to be overthrown. God will glorify His people and govern the world.

•1915 When man's governments were not replaced by God's in 1914, the date was changed to 1915. The Watchtower Society later admitted these prophecies "had not been fulfilled."

•1918 End of Gentile times, the churches to be destroyed.

•1920 The mountains, republics, and kingdoms were to disappear.

•1925 The kingdom was to be established in Palestine. Faithful men of the Old Testament were to return. It was later admitted that this and the 1918 prediction were wrong.

•1929 A house was built for the return of the Old Testament faithful. It was sold in 1948 because they did not return.

•1932 The Watchtower stated that the date for the overthrow of Christendom had been moved up from 1925 (previously 1918) to 1932 and that the overthrow did not happen in 1932 either.

•1975 Since the Millennium had not begun in 1872, the date was changed to 1975. Again nothing happened.


I consider them to be a CULT and they do not agree with the full bible and preach a different JESUS to the one in the bible and also do not beleive in Hell or believe that there is a devil.
I would not say your friend is Christian because she does not know the Jesus of the bible and is indoctrinated with lies.

Answer 6

At one time Christianity had anywhere from 1 to 365 different Gods. The 2 God version claimed that the Old Testament had a wrathful God and the New Testament had a loving God. So they believed that there were 2 Gods. God is what ever religion wants God to be. Our concept of God can get confusing when you mistake Religion for God. They are two different things. It's religion who assigns the names.

Answer 7

The name Jehovah comes from the hebrew name YHWH. In the new testament we use the name Jesus which means savior. If you are serving your savior then you are okay. But if the doctine you are taught does not refer to Jesus as your savior then it is incorrect. He is our sheperd - King - High Priest - Lord -teacher. But He is also our savior(redeemer). And He is God, not a god. He is THE Son of God.

Answer 8

I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I serve the God named Jehovah, the one described at Psalms 83:18 and Rev 4:11;

Psalms 83:18 - That people may know that you, whose name
is Jehovah,
You alone are the Most High over all the earth.

Rev 4:11- “You are worthy, Jehovah, even our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, because you
created all things, and because of your will they existed and
were created.”

Check in your own Bible- wherever you see LORD (the full word in capital letters) there was God's name there, which in English is commonly accepted as Jehovah.

Jehovah is not a 3-in-1 God, he is equal to none. Jesus Christ is his Son.

John 14:28- You heard that I said to you, I am going away and I am coming back to you. If you loved me, youw ould rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is GREATER than I am.

So if you believe the same as I do, then yes, we worship the same God. If not, then.......

EDIT: Baseball below here says we do not have parties???? That's how false stories about Witnesses get spread- we have parties- loads of fun!!! We just don't celebrate pagan holidays. God disapproves of those.

EDIT: Yes, we can be friends with people of other religions, we are not a secluded people. I have many non-JW friends, I get on very well with people who stick to the Bible's moral standards, I just avoid being too close with those who live immoral lives, don't want it to rub off on me.. But I still talk to them , help them out with school work or anything else. But I have limits.

Answer 9

there is nothing wrong with using Jehovah - it is one of God's names. I would say the answer to your question is "no" - if JW's don't believe Jesus is the Son of God.

I don't know much about them, but the things that I have heard do not jive with what I believe the Bible teaches. Jesus came to set us free, but they seem to live in bondage, no parties, no blood, etc.. They have put laws on themselves that I just don't see in the Bible.

Answer 10

Originally, the name Jehovah appeared in the Bible almost 7,000 times. Most Bibles have taken it out. Jehovah is God's name. Jesus is God's son.

Answer 11

No, Christians consider Jesus Christ, their Lord, God, and Savior. JW's consider Jesus a god, not the God.