Christians - Are JW Jehovah's Witnesses and LDS Mormons true Chritians or a cult? Why or Why not?

Question

Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus was not God, but an angel.
True Christians believe Jesus was God.

Jesus is Almighty God manifest in the flesh.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-3

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Preached among the Gentiles,
Believed on in the world,
Received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:5-7

Mormons believe they can become a god like Jesus.
“ Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘ I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)

Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one. (Isaiah 44:8)

Aslo see Isaiah 45:5; 45:14; 45:21; 45:22; 46:5; 46:9; 43:10 all of these verses say there is only one God

Yet part of the mormon doctrine of God is the belief that every male mormon can become a god himself? joseph smith said, " You have got to learn to become gods yourselves the same as all gods before you." Brigham Young said, " The Lord created you and me for the purpose of becoming gods like himself. We are created to become gods like unto out father in heaven.

Why do Jehovah's Witnesses use this verse to think Jesus is not God?
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. (Colossians 1:15) If you stop here and listen to what you are told this means you could fall trap to this think of jesus is not God. if you keep reading what the bible says after this verse you will not think you will know Jesus is God.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17

Here is the big verse you are missing to Think Jesus was Born and not God: And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Colossians 1:18 This verse tells us that Jesus was firstborn from the dead and Jesus is the beginning.

Answer 1

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?He is an-ti-christ,that denieth the Father and the Son.1John 2:23.

Answer 2

Any religion that believes that they are the chosen few is a cult. Religion is mainly a selection of books (their bibles) which set out how a person should live their life - written during those times when most people could not read and were reltaively ignorant. These books have basic rules of behaviour and the true religious person accepts these rules. A few religions have sects who go over-board - some turn to terrorism, suicide, and some are crazy enough to believe they are the Chosen Ones and will become gods themselves. The idea of anyone becoming a God surely should have gone out of fashion after the Greeks made twits of themselves, but obviously not. Since all the books express the human fault of sin, therefore there cannot be any religion which is the chosen religion. All men are equal solely because there are sinners amongst us all. It is individually up to each and every person how they choose to lead their lives and any who believe they are better than anyone else really should go and see a shrink. The Mormons belief that they will becomes gods is pathetic. The Jehovah's Witnesses do a lot of good work but once again discriminate which makes them a cult albeit a harmless cult. Having once been a Jehovah's Witness I definitely believe in their belief that we should not `eat` blood (transfusions) as so much blood is tainted with disease, but I do not aprove of their attitude towards outsiders. The major religions of the world do not discriminate against those who are not of their religion because they are taught to respect others. Those that do not have not understood what their God has had written for them to read. The whole point of religion is to teach us how to live life happily and peacefully but unfortunately human weakness prevents this. Human weakness is in many forms - from the ignorance of the poor right through to the need for power in the presidents and statesmen.

Answer 3

True Christians believe that Jesus Christ is their personal Savior. This is something Jehovha's Witness and Mormons have in common with the rest of the Christian world. Study Christianity before you start talking about what you don't know.

As for your statement about cults. ALL religions are cults. Learn how to read and use a dictionary. But since you don't know how yet, here is the definition of a cult:
1: formal religious veneration : worship
2: a system of religious beliefs and ritual; also : its body of adherents
3: a system for the cure of disease based on dogma set forth by its promulgator
4 a: great devotion to a person, idea, object, movement, or work (as a film or book); especially : such devotion regarded as a literary or intellectual fad b: the object of such devotion c: a usually small group of people characterized by such devotion

I may be LDS now, but have studies ALL Christian and many non-Christian faiths prior to determining that LDS is the only one that makes complete sense and does not contradict the church down the street with the same name as almost all other "Christian" faiths do.

Answer 4

I can speak for Jehovah's Witnesses. They are called a cult because they do not originate with the spirit of the world.

They do not accept the concept of the trinity. Even though John 1:18 says no man has seen God. And though God is they say three persons yet one God. How can they be for example at Jesus' baptism, the Son was in the Jordon River the holy spirit came down from above and God was in heaven approving himself.... So all 3 persons which are supposed to be one are now at that time 3 separated entities.

They preach the Kingdom coming as described in Daniel 2:44

They keep apart from the nations and it's political, military and commercial influences. I mean as a follower of a certain church could you bomb or shoot people who could be your brethren?

Answer 5

Go find an independent and unbiased definition of "Christian" and use that to guide your answer.

Every religion has it's own unique belief's and idiosyncrasies. Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses are both Christian organizations.

The "Mormon" church is officially called:

The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints

Funny name for a non-Christian church, don't you think???

Answer 6

"... from time indefinite to time indefinite you are God" -- Psalm 90:2 (Also Psalm 93:2)

"He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation." -- Colossians 1:15

If God has no beginning and if Jesus has, than they are two different persons.

The next verse from Colossians says that God used Jesus to create the Universe. It does not confirm the fact that Jesus is God.

"because by means of him all [other] things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the things visible and the things invisible, no matter whether they are thrones or lordships or governments or authorities." -- Colossians 1:16


Jesus is God's first creation, thus is appropriate to be named the "beginning". No one prior to Jesus Christ was raised to immortal life in the heavens. Because he was the first to experience a resurrection to perfection of life, he is "the firstborn from the dead".

"... he is the head of the body, the congregation. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that he might become the one who is first in all things." -- Colossians 1:18


I must correct you. TRUE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE THAT JESUS IS NOT GOD.


John 1:1 actually says: "In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god."


"A cult is a religion that is said to be unorthodox or that emphasizes devotion according to prescribed ritual. Many cults follow a living human leader, and often their adherents live in groups apart from the rest of society." -- Reasoning

Jehovah's Witnesses follow Jesus Christ, not a human leader. They don't isolate themselves. They actually go from door to door to talk about God's purpose for earth and humankind, something that Jesus commanded his disciples to do.

"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." -- Matthew 28:19


http://www.watchtower.org/e/jt/index.htm?article=article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/ti/article_03.htm

Answer 7

Often in our minds we think of a cult as a group that worships Satan, sacrifices animals, and takes part in evil, bizarre, and pagan rituals. In reality, though, most cults appear much more innocent. The specific Christian definition of a cult is a religious group that denies one or more of the fundamentals of Biblical truth. Or, in more simple terms, a cult is a group that teaches something that will cause a person to not be saved if they believe it. In distinction from a religion, a cult is a group that claims to be Christian, yet denies an essential truth of Biblical Christianity.

The two most common teachings of cults are that Jesus was not God and that salvation is not by faith alone. A denial of the deity of Christ results in Jesus’ death not being a sufficient payment for our sins. A denial of salvation by faith alone results in salvation being achieved by our own works – something the Bible vehemently and consistently denies. The two most well-known examples of cults are the Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons. Both groups claim to be Christian, yet both deny the two key doctrines mentioned above. Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons believe many things that are in agreement with and/or similar to what the Bible teaches. However, the fact that they deny the deity of Christ and salvation by faith alone qualifies them as a cult. Many Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and members of other cults are “good people” who are genuinely seeking God and genuinely believe they hold the truth. Our hope and prayer is that many people involved in the “Christian” cults will see through the lies and will be drawn to the truth of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Recommended Resource: The Kingdom of the Cults, revised and updated edition.

Answer 8

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormonism) is a beautiful Christian religion, not a cult. This very question has been in the news lately; several reporters have pointed out that even the Southern Baptist Convention (a very large evangelical organization in the United States) lists Mormonism under the category "newly developed religions," not "cults and sects." You should be extremely careful when trying to learn about Mormons from others. There are many who hate the Mormons and spread lies, distortions, and conspiracy theories about them. Others think they understand Mormon doctrine because of "what they've heard," but are actually misinformed.

Because Mormons are Christian, we believe in most of the things that Christians believe, including:

1) Christ is divine and salvation comes only through Him.
2) The Bible is the word of God.
3) Men ought to love one another.

Mormons are a unique branch of Christianity, however. We are neither Catholic nor Protestant, so naturally we have some different beliefs. Most of the differences are minor. One significant difference has to do with the authority to act in God's name. Mormons believe that soon after the death of Christ and His apostles, the early Christian Church was greatly influenced by Greek and Roman philosophies and political pressures. Despite the efforts of many good men and women, the true Church of Christ was eventually lost because of these outside pressures and internal, man-made changes. Mormons believe that God reestablished the original Church of Christ in 1820 through a man named Joseph Smith.

Additionally, your statement about Mormons becoming gods is misleading. Like many other Christian denominations (specifically the Orthodox and Eastern Catholic branches of Christianity), Mormons do believe in "theosis," the idea that man can progress to become more like God. Historically, this concept was had among the earliest Christians.

Mormons believe in the Bible, which teaches: "To him that overcometh will I [Christ] grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." So we believe that we can become like God through the power of Christ, but not that we will ever be greater than God. We will always worship God the Father and Christ the Son. To use traditional Christian terminology (and not terminology that only Mormons understand), it would probably be more accurate to say that Mormons believe they can become angels in the next life (although that phrasing doesn't exactly capture Mormon belief either, and is explicitly inaccurate if one uses the Mormon definition of "angel"). It is not true that Mormons believe men and women can progress to become equal to God. We will always worship God.

To learn more about Mormons, visit my site at http://www.allaboutmormons.com !

Hope this helps! Mormon Christianity has changed my life by helping me better follow Jesus Christ.

Answer 9

Just thought that this is a great 'indicator' the cult can't pass the Christianity test...They are not of Christ. Mormons. Nice people but not saved.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=8YPyvJacwUI

The JW I talked and talked to still says the same things...I am not going to heaven, I am not good enough--so denial of the Cross.
God-Jesus- Holy Spirit=1
Just as...
Water-Ice-Steam=1
How many time in the Bible does it say:
BE NOT DECEIVED???????
Sad, but many are deceived.
A good person might be good, but to enter in the narrow gate you have to be walking with the Lord God/Jesus...
If these people had the Holy Spirit, they would know they are in a cult....but they don't know.

Answer 10

To me there is no clear line in the sand that separates a cult form a religion. at first inspection I would think it is in the intensity of the followers. But that would make all religions cults.
About Mormons & JW's they are both clearly teaching things that are appealing to man, but are not substantiated in scripture or tradition. But the same could be said of all Organized religion, from Judaism, Christianity, Islam, even Wicca.

Answer 11

True Christians are primarily interested in WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES (see Scriptures below).

Meanwhile, trinitarians repeatedly pretend that Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christian. Trinitarians use an artificial, trinity-specific definition of the term "Christian" which excludes anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God Himself, rather than the Son of God. Interestingly, pagans in the first century pretended that Christ's followers were Atheists(!) 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! Both secular dictionaries and disinterested theologians acknowledge that Jehovah's Witnesses are a Christian religion.

The Trinitarian arguments are intended to insult and demean Jehovah's Witnesses, rather than to give a Scripturally accurate understanding of the term "Christian".

In fact, the bible most closely associates being "Christian" with preaching about Christ and Christ's teachings. Review all three 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.co.uk/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_04.htm
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http://watchtower.co.uk/e/pr/index.htm?article=article_04.htm