Do you have to believe in the Holy Trinity and in the divinity of Jesus Christ to be considered a Christian?

Question

What about the Jehova's Witnesses? Are they Christian?

Do JWs believe in the Trinity? Do they believe in the divinity of Christ?

Vot Anarx. John 1:1 says "In the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God." The Word refers to Jesus Christ.

Vot Anarx,

"The Word was with God." This means that Jesus was a distict person from the Father. "The Word was God." Jesus was (and is) God. The Christian concept of the Holy Trinity is that the 3 divine persons are distinct from one another and yet they are one.

The Trinity doctrine basically says that there is one God. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. Hence God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Three, but they make up one God. Each is co-equal and co-eternal. God is described as a class or family made up of these three personalities.

We know that the doctrine of Trinity was believed by the early Christians.

But I am not trying to prove the Trinity. I merely want to know if people here in RS consider the belief in the Trinity and the divinity of Christ as prerequisites to being considered Christian. I expect the JWs to answer no. I am not sure how the Mormons will respond.

Answer 1

No
(to the first question in bold).

Sadly, 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.org/e/ti/index.htm?article=article_04.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/20050422/article_02.htm
http://watchtower.org/e/pr/index.htm?article=article_04.htm

Answer 2

First of all, the word "Trinity" itself appears nowhere in the Bible and is an invention. But what about the concept of Trinity? Does the Bible really states that God is a trinity?

Well, there sure are a few verses that *could* be interpreted that way. However, the Bible explains and completes itself and other verses make it crystal clear that Jesus is not God.

Colossians 1:15 says: "He [Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation". How can he be the firstborn of all creation if he is God? This verse clearly states that Jesus was created by God and therefore he can't be God.

Also think of Jesus' life on Earth. If he was God, would it make sense that the Devil tried to tempt him into betraying God? Not at all. Also, would it make sense that Jesus kept talking about God as his Father stressing the fact that his Father is greater than him? Also, why would Jesus have prayed God all the time if he was God? It doesn't make much sense to pray to yourself.

Those are just a few points showing that Jesus can't be the same person as God. The Bible is full of other proofs. As for the few verses that seem to show that Jesus is God, review them thoroughly with a different point of view and you will see that there is more than one way that one can understand them and they are therefore no proof of Trinity.

Therefore, you don't have to believe in Trinity to be a true Christian. Actually, if you believe in Trinity, you are seeing the Christ as what he is not: God. (By the way, "Christ" means "The chosen one". If he is God, who chose him?)

Answer 3

"Did Jesus himself refer to the holy trinity?" This answer can go deep. In essence, the term 'Holy Trinity' hadn't been invented yet. But if you read the Gospels, you will find that a form of the concept is axiomatic. "Did Jesus actually claim to be the son of God? " Yes. In more places than one. John 3:16 after all! "Did he also claim that that was the same thing as God?" Yes. John 8:58 "Or is this just a Christian invention to big up their man?" It's either that or the truth.

Answer 4

The divinity of Christ, yes. Christianity has become so factionalized though, that the term has come to encompass a broad group of people.

You really can't get a right or correct answer here, because each religion will give you a different answer.

For example. I was raised Roman Catholic, and part of believing in God was believing in the Trinity. I know this not to be true of Protestants.

Case in point, you really have to take everything with a grain of salt, but better yet, study the bible for yourself! :)

Answer 5

The recognized Christian church, which was originally recognized and made the official state religion of ancient Rome by the Emporer Constantine and codified its beliefs at the Council of Nicea, around 345 E.C., at that time declared that the Holy Trinity was a dogmactic belief and must be accepted for ones salavation. They also put forth thte idea that unless one was a Roman Catholic, one could not be saved.

Further at that same council, it was also put forth the the person of Jesus was both God and man, therefore divine and that any other belief was heresy (and punishable by death).

When the Proptestant Reformation came about, thanks to Martin Luther and the printing press which allowed the laity to read the Gospels, even though these were the same Gospels as canonized by the Roman Catholic chruch, Christians still accepted the Trinity as the nature of the Godhead and the divinity of Jesus as dogmatic truths that one must accept so as to be Christian.

Jehova's Witnesses are a cult based upon the misinterpretation and inaccurate translations of Hebrew and Greek by the founder of said cult.

This cult has added many things to the "teachings" of Christianity, twisted others and promoted what appears to be non-revealed truths about God.

Although they may personally claim to be Christians, by their teachings, practices and beliefs, they are not.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (i.e., the Mormons) despite what former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney may say to try to get votes and gain popular support for his bid for the presidency of this naiton, is also not a Christian church for the same types oreason that the Jehova's Witnesses are not.

There are also many other groups which claim to be Christian but who do not profess these dogmatic truths of said faith.

My apologizes for those who feel upset about this posting, however, historic fact is historic fact, just as theology is theology.

Answer 6

I have looked very deeply in to the JWs as i was not happy when my mother became one.
Whilst i am not one because there is a few issues i have that hold me back ,i must say that i have never met a more Christian group of people.
They are different to other Christians & i think it is the great knowledge & obedence to the bible.
If there is such a thing as a true Christian religion it is the JWs .
Their logical bible explanations make so much sense when i checked them out i found myself saying how did i misunderstand that. Trinity & hell must be the two biggest misunderstanding or lies about the bibles teachings ever told.
I would go so far to say they are the only Christian religion.
That is my view for what it is worth.

Answer 7

Well evidently from the point of the world that wants to believe God,Jesus and the Holy spirit are one, you have to believe but from the stand of Jesus himself you don't. how can people try to MAKE him be something he's obviously not, and then expect to him to except it? John 14:28 plainly Jesus tells us his FATHER is GREATER than HE is. SO WHAT IS THE PROBLEM PEOPLE, don't you listen? Therefor Christians ARE the ones that follow what he says and he says they ARE NOT EQUAL!!!!!! SO OOOOO there goes that trinity theory.

Answer 8

The Holy Trinity is true. God is true. I think the Jehovah's Witnesses are considered Christian, but not considered a part of mainstream Christianity. The Jehovah's Witnesses are more like a Christian sect.

Answer 9

You have to believe what God said to be a Christian.

The Bible is FULL of references to the tri-une nature of God, but you would need to know Hebrew to see it, as the english translation falls short of the original. In fact, that's why there ARE so many english translations, come to think of it.

You DO have to believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, for "Every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father."

JWs do NOT believe the Bible. They have changed too much of it to suit their own pre-biased opinions. Therefore, I have to conclude that the are NOT Christian; and no, I am NOT bashing the JWs. Facts are facts, and you either get in or get out of the way, so to speak, or the truck will run you over.

Answer 10

To be Christian, you have to be "Christ-like"

We do not deny the divinity of Jesus. He is a powerful spiritual creature. But he is not God Almighty.

Did Jesus say he was God?

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, you would rejoice that I am going my way to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am

John 20:17- Jesus said to her: “Stop clinging to me. For I have not yet ascended to the Father. But be on your way to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.’”

Did the first-century Christians believe that Jesus was God? What did they say about Jesu after his return to heaven?

1 Cor. 11:3, RS: “I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.”

Clearly, then, Christ is not God, and God is of superior rank to Christ. It should be noted that this was written about 55 C.E., some 22 years after Jesus returned to heaven. So the truth here stated applies to the relationship between God and Christ in heaven.

1 Cor. 15:27, 28 RS: “‘God has put all things in subjection under his [Jesus’] feet.’ But when it says, ‘All things are put in subjection under him,’ it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one.”

True Christians hold to what the Bible REALLY says, not to what their pastor says it says.

EDIT: How can you be WITH someone and BE that person at the same time? If someone said that today, you'd say he's schizophrenic!

What version are you using? Check out these;

1808: “and the word was a god.” The New Testament in an Improved Version, Upon the Basis of Archbishop Newcome’s New Translation: With a Corrected Text.

1864: “and a god was the word.” The Emphatic Diaglott, interlinear reading, by Benjamin Wilson.

1928: “and the Word was a divine being.” La Bible du Centenaire, L’Evangile selon Jean, by Maurice Goguel.

1935: “and the Word was divine.” The Bible—An American Translation, by J. M. P. Smith and E. J. Goodspeed.

1946: “and of a divine kind was the Word.” Das Neue Testament, by Ludwig Thimme.

1958: “and the Word was a God.” The New Testament, by James L. Tomanek.

1975: “and a god (or, of a divine kind) was the Word.” Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Siegfried Schulz.

1978: “and godlike kind was the Logos.” Das Evangelium nach Johannes, by Johannes Schneider.

P.S: I left out one other translation on purpose, we don't to be "biased", right?