Controversies regarding Jehovah's Witnesses.pdf

Controversies regarding Jehovah's

Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses have beliefs and practices that are commonly

regarded as controversial by mainstream Christians for their doctrines that

differ from mainstream Christianity, by governments for their refusal to

participate in 'patriotic' activities and by the general public for their beliefs

about blood transfusions and their treatment of members who "disassociate".

The most prominent divergences from mainstream Christianity are in regards

to their disputing the doctrines of the Trinity and hell . Many believe that their

version of the Bible, the New World Translation , has several errors when

compared to original Greek and Hebrew as well as other widely accepted

translations.

Fast Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses

Date founded

1879

Place founded

Pittsburgh

Founder

Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916)

Adherents

6.4 million practicing members in 2003 {1}

Headquarters

Brooklyn, New York

Main location

USA

Major sects

none

Sacred text

New World Translation of the Scriptures

Other texts

The Watchtower; Awake!

Original language

English

Clergy/leaders

Elders

Organization

Body of elders supervises a congregation of up to 200 members.

About 20 congregations form a circuit, 10 circuits form a district.

Highest authority is governing body of elders at Brooklyn headquarters. {2}

Meeting place

Kingdom Hall

Theism

Strict monotheism

Jesus

The Son of God, God's first creation

Ultimate reality

Jehovah God

Human nature

Sinful since Adam

Purpose of life

Live forever after death instead of being annihilated

How to live

Live morally and in accordance with Jehovah's commandments, spread the

good news of the Kingdom to others.

Afterlife

144,000 elect will reign in heaven and have spirit bodies. Other Witnesses will

live forever on a restore paradise on earth. All others will be annihilated. Hell

does not exist. {3}

Symbols

The watchtower. Cross rejected as a pagan symbol.

Major holidays

Memorial of Christ's death, celebrated annually. All Christian or other

religious-based holidays are rejected as unbiblical and pagan.

Ethics

Divorce only in cases of adultery, no premarital sex, no homosexuality. {4} No

gambling or drinking to excess. Against abortion. {5}

Practices

No blood transfusions, no celebration of non-JW holidays, no use of crosses

or other religious images. Baptism of initiation, worship once per week, strong

focus on evangelism.

Doctrinal differences

Jehovah's Witnesses have a number of doctrines that differ from those of

mainstream Christianity ( Roman Catholicism , Eastern Orthodoxy and

Protestantism ). Some of these doctrines differ on points which are

considered to be of central importance; others are relatively minor. The

table below shows a comparison of a number of doctrines of Jehovah's

Witnesses vis-à-vis those of mainstream Christianity which are

considered to be controversial, and of major importance.

These Witness beliefs are typically considered by mainstream Christians

to be blasphemous or heretical in nature. For this reason, many Christian

denominations consider these beliefs to place Jehovah's Witnesses

outside of true Christianity, often labeling them as a cult in the sense of a

non-Christian religion.

Mainstream Christian teaching

(Roman Catholic, Eastern

Orthodox and Protestant

churches) [1]

Corresponding Jehovah's

Witnesses teaching

Nature of God

God is a unity of three equal

persons, the Father being God, the

Son being God, the Holy Ghost

being God, but there is only one

God. ( see Trinitarianism )

The Father of Jesus, Jehovah, is

the only true God. [2]

Jesus (the Son) is God in the flesh.

During his life on earth he was both

fully God and fully human. He is

eternal and equal in power to God.

Jesus is God's Son, but not God

the Almighty. [3]

The Holy Spirit is a person of the

Trinity. The Holy Spirit is eternal

and equal in power to God.

The holy spirit [4] is God's

impersonal, "active force", always

subject to his will. [5]

Jesus

Jesus is God's Son. He is God in

the flesh.

Jesus is God's firstborn Son; he

has divine nature but he is not

equal to God. Jesus was the "angel

of Jehovah" in Exodus 23:20-22,

archangel Michael [6] , the Word, or

Logos, as well as

Apollyon / Abaddon , mentioned in

Revelation 9:11. [7]

Jesus was crucified on a cross.

Jesus was nailed to a torture stake .

The religious significance given to

the instrument of Jesus' execution

and torture is a heathen heritage. [8]

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