AboutDerrick Holland Expertise I was raised in the religion known as Jehovah`s Witnesses for 13 years. Since becoming a born-again Christian, I have researched extensively this religion, especially their doctrines and their history. I can answer questions about their doctrines from the perspective of Biblical Christianity.
Experience 23 years of Biblical research into the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, and how they differ from the teachings of the Watchtower.
Question what are the main differences between christiananity and jehovah witness? please cite specific examples or disparities in the bible. i haven't heard anything positive about JW yet if someone asked me why I couldn't answer it. i just dont believe it to be accurate info. thanks carmen
Answer Hello Carmen. Let me begin by apologizing for the delay in getting back to you. I was busy with church youth activities most of the week-end, and just now have had time to sit down and get caught up on answering my questions.
I want to say that there are some positive things about many JWs, as people, but not much positive about the religious doctrines that they hold to. Most of them are decent and honest people, with good moral standards. Of course, there are exceptions to this in all religious denominations, including the JW religion. Also, I must commend them for the zeal that they show for what they believe. The problem arises, in that they CLAIM to believe in the Bible as the final authority in all matters, but this is not actually what they do in practice. Instead, it would be more accurate to say that they follow strictly what the Watchtower publications SAY that the Bible says, and when a JW is shown a contradiction between the Bible and their own publications, they will usually try to explain it away, rather than be willing to change their beliefs. It is a question of authority. To the JW, the Watchtower Society IS the authority on the Bible, and the Bible can only be understood through the Society's publications.
There are MANY doctrinal differences between Christians and Jehovah's Witnesses, and I will list the main ones here....
A. God
1. The JW belief about God is that only the Father is God. They do not believe the Son is God, nor do they believe that the Holy Spirit is a living personality, but rather a force.
2. The Christian belief states that there is 1 God, whom the Bible has revealed in 3 separate and distinct persons, namely, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. These 3 persons are not 3 separate Gods, but 3 persons uniting as the one true God of creation. Just as 1 family may have many different members, each a separate person, but not a separate family. The many members would unite as 1 family, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit unite as one God.
B. Jesus Christ
1. The JW belief about Jesus Christ is that He was created by the Father in the beginning, is the same being in Scripture as Michael the Archangel, and came to earth and died on an upright pole (They do not believe He died on a cross). They believe He was not raised in a fleshly body, but rather as a spirit being. They believe that Jesus will never return to this earth in the flesh, but instead, has been ruling the earth invisibly from heaven since the year 1914.
2. The Christian view about Christ, is that He is fully God, and was always in existence in the beginning with God (John 1:1-3). He is not a creation, but rather the Creator. We do not believe He is Michael the Archangel, or any other angel. Instead, He is above the angels of heaven, and is to be worshipped by them (Hebrews 1:4, 6, 8). Christians believe that He died on the cross, rose again in the flesh (Luke 24:36-39; John 2:19-21), and will return to this earth in power and judgment (Rev. 1:7, 19:11-16). Christians also believe that putting one's faith in the death of Jesus Christ as an atonement for sin, is the only way by which we can enter the kingdom of God. It is not by our good works, but by His work on the cross.
C. The Bible
1. The JW belief about the Bible is that it is the Word of God. It should be mentioned, however, that they have produced their own translation of the Bible, in which many verses have been changed to support their beliefs. It is called the NEW WORLD TRANSLATION, and it is the one that they believe in. They also believe that the Bible cannot be interpreted by the individual, but must be interpreted with the help of the publications of the Watchtower Society, which they view as the “faithful and wise servant” of Matthew 24:45-51 and Luke 12:42-48.
2. The Christian view of the Bible is that is the infallible, inerrant Word of God, and that it alone can “make us wise unto salvation” (1 Tim. 3:15-17). It should be read and studied diligently, and is meant to be understood. It is God's will that all people be saved, and He will not hide the message of eternal life from anyone who desires to know Him (John 17:3, 2 Peter 3:9).
D. Heaven
1. The JW belief concerning Heaven, is that it is reserved for only 144,000 select individuals, while the rest of saved mankind (faithful JWs) will live forever on a paradise Earth. These with an Earthly destiny are called the “Great Crowd” (Rev. 7:9), or the “other sheep” (John 10:16), and have no hope of ever going to Heaven or seeing God.
2. Christians believe that anyone who puts their faith in Christ's death and resurrection, and lives for Him, can enter the Heavenly kingdom of God. We believe that Christians go to Heaven immediately at death, and those who live until the return of Christ, will be “caught up” (raptured) to Heaven to be with Him (1 Thess. 4:13-18). There will be a Tribulation period of 7 years on this Earth, and at the conclusion of this period, Christ will return and set up a kingdom here for the duration of 1,000 years. At the conclusion of this time, Satan will be allowed to tempt mankind one final time, after which himself and those who follow him, will be cast into everlasting punishment. There will then be a “new Heavens and a new Earth”, where righteousness will last for eternity. All Christians will be able to enjoy Heaven, and a paradise Earth (Rev. 19-22).
E. Hell
1. JWs do not believe in a literal Hell, but that Hell only represents the grave.
2. Christians believe that there is a literal Hell, which was prepared for “the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). It is not God's will that any human go to Hell, and by accepting Jesus Christ and His sacrifice, we will escape Hell. Those who reject Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will have no atonement for their sins, and will be under the judgment of God (Rev. 14:9-11). But by making Jesus Christ the Lord of one's life, he/she can live forever in God's kingdom.
F. Holidays
1. JWs forbid their members from celebrating almost every holiday, including the individual's own birthday.
2. Christians believe the principle found in Romans 14:4-6, namely, that days of celebration are an issue for each person to decide for him/herself, provided that they use that day to honor God. Certainly days which have occultic connections, such as Halloween, would not be honored by those who are true servants of God. But when it comes to celebrating days which remind us of Christ's birth or resurrection, each Christian has the freedom to do this if he wishes.
G. Medicine
1. JWs, in the past, forbade their members from receiving vaccinations against diseases, or life-saving organ transplants. It was taught that these procedures were “against God's law”, and many loyal JWs died as a result of their obedience to these teachings. Though these procedures are no longer forbidden by the Watchtower Society, they do forbid the practice of blood transfusions. Today, a loyal JW will allow himself, or even his child, to die rather than accept a blood transfusion. Just as JWs many years ago on the issue of vaccination and organ transplants, the loyal JW today is taught that blood transfusions are “against God's law”. A JW believes that, to accept a blood transfusion, would be jeopardizing his chances of everlasting life.
2. Christians recognize the Old Testament prohibition against eating blood, which was given to the Jews. They do not, however, extend this command to the practice of blood transfusions.
For a detailed discussion on WHY JW doctrine is wrong from the Scriptures, I want to refer you to my web page at www.jehovahswitnesses-thetruth.com, where I have taken many of the JW doctrines and compared them with what the Bible says.
The thing that makes their teachings so dangerous to someone not well-versed in the Scriptures, is that their beliefs APPEAR on the surface to be Biblically based. This is done, usually by taking a Scripture out of context, or by using only a portion of the Scripture.
For example, JWs use A PART of John 14:28 to disprove the deity of Jesus Christ. They quote only the last phrase in the verse, which reads "....for my Father is greater than I". I am yet to meet a JW who can even quote the entire verse, or tell me what the context was in which Christ made this statement. Yet, they quote this verse as though it proves that Jesus is not God. And when shown verses that clearly call Jesus God, they either explain them away, or re-translate them in their New World Translation of the Scriptures. Many, many more examples could be given.
If I can clarify this answer further, or answer any more questions on this subject, please let me know. Thank you for writing, and have a great day.
