Joshua Bennett
Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their door-to-door preaching and their rejection of many mainstream Christian doctrines, including the Trinity, Incarnation of Jesus Christ, and the divinity of the Holy Spirit. They also refrain from celebrating Christmas, Easter, and other holidays, as well as rejecting blood transfusions as a violation of God's law. These beliefs are outlined in their literature, such as the booklet Jehovah's Witnesses in the Twentieth Century and their in-house Bible, the New World Translation. Jehovah's Witnesses view Catholics as practicing a belief system tainted with paganism, and they actively work to convert Catholics to their own religion. Catholics, on the other hand, view Jehovah's Witnesses as following a heretical form of Christianity, known as Arianism, which was condemned by the Church in the early 4th century. Despite their differences, both groups engage in dialogue and attempts at conversion, with Catholics offering guidelines on how to deal with Jehovah's Witnesses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Belief in God's name | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's name is "Jehovah", a corruption of the Hebrew "Yahweh". Catholics believe that God does not need a name to distinguish him from other gods. |
| Belief in the soul | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that man is a soul, not that he has a soul. They do not believe in the immortality of the soul. Catholics believe in the existence of the soul and its immortality. |
| Belief in hell | Jehovah's Witnesses deny the existence of hell. Catholics believe in the existence of hell and that those who are damned will suffer eternal torment. |
| Belief in the Trinity | Jehovah's Witnesses condemn the Trinity as pagan idolatry and deny Christ's divinity. Catholics accept the doctrine of the Trinity and Christ's divinity. |
| Belief in blood transfusions | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that taking blood into the body through the mouth or veins violates God's laws. Catholics do not share this belief. |
| View of general holidays | Jehovah's Witnesses believe that general holidays, such as St. Valentine's Day, are evil. Catholics do not share this view. |
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What You'll Learn
Jehovah's Witnesses believe in one God, called Jehovah
Jehovah's Witnesses believe in one God, whom they refer to as Jehovah. This name is derived from the Hebrew Yahweh, which means "He who is", and is considered a personal name for God. They believe that this name distinguishes the true God from other "gods".
The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded by Charles Taze Russell in 1872 in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Russell was raised in a strict Protestant family and underwent religious study, which led him to deny the existence of hell and the doctrine of the Trinity, instead expressing Arian views that rejected the divinity of Christ.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their willingness to share their religious beliefs. They believe that Jesus is God's Son but is inferior to God, and they reject the divinity of the Holy Spirit. They also deny several basic Christian doctrines, such as the immortality of the soul and the existence of hell. Instead, they believe that God will not punish sinners.
The group has a strong focus on Armageddon, which they believe is the final clash between good and evil. They expect the destruction of the old system of creation and the establishment of Jehovah's Kingdom, with a select group rising to heaven to rule with Christ.
Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their door-to-door preaching and their publications from the Watchtower Society, the parent organization of the Jehovah's Witnesses. They have a rigid theocratic structure and are forthcoming about their beliefs, which are outlined in booklets and charts.
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They deny the existence of hell and the doctrine of the Trinity
Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their denial of the existence of Hell and the doctrine of the Trinity. They believe that when a person dies, they simply cease to exist, much like animals. This belief is based on their interpretation of certain Bible verses, such as Ecclesiastes, which states that "the dead know nothing" and that "in the realm of the dead... there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom". They argue that the concept of Hell as a place of eternal torture and punishment is inconsistent with a loving God and that the word "Hell" is a mistranslation in the Bible, stemming from the Hebrew term "Gehinnom" or Sheol, which does not carry the same negative connotations.
The doctrine of the Trinity, which asserts that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together form one God, is also rejected by Jehovah's Witnesses. They consider themselves Unitarians, believing that Jesus Christ was the incarnation of the Archangel Michael and not equal to God. This belief is supported by their interpretation of Bible passages such as 1 Thessalonians 4:16, which mentions the "voice of the archangel" separate from God. They argue that the Trinity doctrine was formulated centuries after the completion of the Bible and that the Christian Bible, including the New Testament, lacks explicit trinitarian statements.
The rejection of Hell and the Trinity by Jehovah's Witnesses stems from their unique interpretation of the Bible and their focus on its literal meaning. They believe that their interpretations are more accurate and consistent with God's nature and the original text of the Bible. This sets them apart from other Christian denominations, including Catholicism, which generally accepts the existence of Hell and the doctrine of the Trinity.
Catholics, on the other hand, defend their belief in the Trinity by pointing to the Nicene Creed, formulated by the First Council of Constantinople in 381 C.E., which established the crucial formula for the Trinity doctrine. They argue that the doctrine was deemed necessary to define the complex relationship between God and Christ, which had caused divisions among early Christians. Additionally, Catholics assert that the Bible, when interpreted correctly, does support the concept of Hell as a place of torment for the damned, as described in Revelation 14:11.
The differences in beliefs between Jehovah's Witnesses and Catholics on these topics highlight the diverse interpretations and understandings of Christian theology. While Jehovah's Witnesses emphasize a literal interpretation of the Bible and reject traditional doctrines like the Trinity, Catholics uphold the importance of Church tradition and theological development, such as the formulation of the Nicene Creed, to clarify and define complex theological concepts. These contrasting approaches shape the distinct religious identities of these two Christian groups.
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They believe Jesus is God's son, but inferior to God
Jehovah's Witnesses are a sect founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell, a Pittsburgh draper. Russell was of Scottish and Irish descent and became an earnest worker in the Congregational Church. At 17, he tried to convert an atheist but lost his faith in the process. He became obsessed with the idea of hell, and at 20, he began preaching "the good news" without hell. He assumed the title "Pastor Russell" when he founded his new religion.
Jehovah's Witnesses are quite open about their religious beliefs. Their religion is not esoteric, with secret doctrines known only to a select few. Their beliefs can be found in their booklet, Jehovah's Witnesses in the Twentieth Century, which includes a chart listing their beliefs and their scriptural authority.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ is God's son but is inferior to God. They support this position with the following verses:
> "And lo, a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased' (Matt. 3:17). "I proceeded and came forth from God" (John 8:42). "If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God" (John 20:17). "The head of every man is Christ, the head of a woman is her husband, and the head of Christ is God" (1 Cor. 11:3). "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" (1 Cor. 15:28).
At first glance, these citations seem to support the view that Christ is inferior to God the Father. However, the New Testament also includes verses that show Christ and the Father to be equals. For example:
> "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). "The Jews sought all the more to kill him because he [...] called God his Father, making himself equal with God" (John 5:18).
These verses seem to contradict the idea of Christ's inferiority to God. To reconcile these differences, it is important to consider the dual nature of Jesus as both God and man. Verses that refer to his Godhead highlight his equality with the Father, while those that refer to his humanity emphasise his created nature and, therefore, his inferiority to God.
Jehovah's Witnesses also reject the Trinity and the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, as well as the divinity of the Holy Spirit. They deny several basic Christian doctrines, including the immortality of the soul and the existence of hell. They do not believe that God will punish sinners. Instead, they see hell as a place invented by the Devil for immortal souls.
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They do not believe in the immortality of the soul
Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in the immortality of the soul. They believe that the soul is mortal, and that when a person dies, their soul dies with them. This is based on their interpretation of the Bible, specifically the Old Testament, which they believe does not explicitly teach the concept of an immortal soul. Instead, they argue that the word "soul" in the Bible refers to a person or an animal, or the life that a person or animal enjoys.
This belief in soul annihilation is a significant departure from orthodox Christian doctrine, which holds that the soul is immortal and continues to exist after death. The concept of an immortal soul is central to Christian soteriology and eschatology, and Jehovah's Witnesses have been criticised for presenting a warped version of the Trinity doctrine. They argue that the doctrine of the immortal soul is an unscriptural lie of Satan, and that it makes the Bible's promise of a resurrection meaningless.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the majority of their followers will be resurrected after Armageddon and given a new body that will live forever on Earth. Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witnesses will go to heaven. This belief in soul annihilation is not new, and can be traced back to the early days of the religion when it was known as Bible Students. Their founder, Charles Taze Russell, taught that the soul is mortal and that there is no hell, and he wrote about these beliefs in numerous publications.
The rejection of the immortal soul is part of a broader pattern of Jehovah's Witnesses contradicting or ignoring basic Christian teachings. They are fundamentally unitarians, believing that there is only one God, whom they call Jehovah. They argue that "Jehovah" is a personal name for God, although this is not a biblical term and the original writers of the Bible used the term "Yahweh". They also reject the Trinity doctrine, believing that Christ is inferior to God and that they are separate entities.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their willingness to engage in dialogue about their beliefs, and they have published various leaflets and booklets explaining their doctrines. They are often approached by Catholics seeking to understand their beliefs or convert them to Catholicism.
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Jehovah's Witnesses view general holidays and celebrations as evil
Jehovah's Witnesses are forthcoming about their religious beliefs. Their religion is based on the Bible, and they consult it when deciding whether to celebrate a particular holiday. They do not celebrate holidays that violate Bible principles, and they do not participate in holidays that are based on unscriptural teachings. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible mentions celebration parties, and that God disapproves of them.
Jehovah's Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays, as they believe such celebrations displease God. They also do not celebrate Christmas, as they believe it has ties to paganism. They point to the story of the golden calf in the Bible, in which the Israelites constructed an idol to worship, dishonoring and disobeying God. They believe that Christians have committed a similar sin by recognizing annual celebrations. They also believe that the Wise Men were likely pagan astrologers, and that the star that led them to Jesus came from an evil source, possibly Satan the Devil.
Jehovah's Witnesses also do not celebrate holidays that are linked to the occult, such as Lunar New Year, Ch'ing Ming, and Chuseok. These holidays often involve rituals to dispel evil spirits and ensure good luck, which Jehovah's Witnesses believe are forms of divination that are condemned by the Bible. They also do not celebrate Loy Krathong, a Thai festival that commemorates a holy footprint left by the Buddha, and National Repentance Day, which "agrees with the fundamentals of Christian faith."
The Jehovah's Witnesses' avoidance of holidays and celebrations is part of their effort to worship Jehovah in a proper manner. They believe that worldly celebrations reflect the spirit of the world, not the spirit of God, and that they promote false religious beliefs and spiritism. They also believe that holidays are a human invention, and that only one commemoration is required of Christians: the death of Jesus.
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Frequently asked questions
Jehovah's Witnesses contradict almost every basic Christian teaching, including the divinity of Christ, the Trinity, and the immortality of the soul. They also reject many Christian practices, including Holy Communion, religious statues, and the celebration of Christmas and Easter.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that man is a soul, not that he has a soul. They deny the existence of hell and the doctrine of eternal torment, believing instead that God will not punish sinners.
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that taking blood into the body through the mouth or veins violates God's laws. They will refuse blood transfusions for themselves and their children, even if it means death.
