JWs
The most people know about the organisation of the Watchtower Society [WTS] that calls themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses is when they turn up on your doorstep or are in a public area with their magazine trolleys. They really are committed and zealous for their faith. But then, why would they not be? They are taught by the organisation that their work for ‘Jehovah’ contributes to & dictates whether they are saved or not! They are even judged on whether they are spiritually superior by the organisation elders by their commitment & record of ‘publishing’. But Christians know that being saved is totally based on Jesus and what he has achieved on a Roman cross of execution some two thousand years ago. Jesus saves, not us! It is by the grace of Jesus those who are called to believe are saved. We cannot contribute one iota to our salvation. So fundamentally Jehovah’s Witnesses do not know the Gospel; they are seriously misled to striving for their own eternity with God. But their philosophy is not new – it is almost as old as Christendom.
The Jehovah’s Witness movement or “The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society” [WTS] as is its full title, began in the 1870s. It was founded by Charles Taze Russell in America who printed a monthly magazine and taught that his biblical interpretation was God’s only correct teaching. In fact Russell’s teachings are Arianism – a philosophy based on the philosophy of Alexandrian Bishop Arias who too denied the divinity of Jesus way back in 325AD. If Christians did not now have the revealed, received scriptures & text the WTS teachings would indeed be a plausible alternative philosophy made by man – especially to those who do not have any knowledge of true biblical teaching and the ‘Good News’ - the Gospel. Since then WTS have re-written many parts in their scriptures beginning in the 1930’s+ under then WTS leader Nathan Knorr. He, with his students, compiled their bible called The New World Translation where they had no compunction of conscience to even change scripture to fit WTS doctrine. They continue to amend its contents as their teaching is updated & ‘made more readable and relevant to the modern age’. The movement has grown to around 8 million+. The organisation teaches that to truly understand the Bible, you need to be a Jehovah’s Witness and only follow the Watchtower Society’s teaching and not entertain any other. We see this quotation in their publications:
“Only this organization functions for Jehovah’s purpose and to his praise. To it alone God’s Sacred Word, the Bible, is not a sealed book,” (Watchtower, July 1, 1973, p. 402).
And here:
“Thus the Bible is an organizational book and belongs to the Christian congregation as an organization, not to individuals, regardless of how sincerely they may believe that they can interpret the Bible,” (Watchtower, Oct. 1, 1967, p. 587).
The WTS teaches & believes that Salvation is ultimately only found in their movement and that there is a division between those that are born again, “the 144.000, that will be with Jehovah in heaven” and the rest of the WTS’s “great crowd” that will be on a “paradise earth” at the end of all time. They deny the Deity of Christ [WTS: Jesus is ‘a created being’] and that the Holy Spirit [WTS: Holy Spirit is ‘an active force’] is not divine nor a personal being nor that God’s essence is three persons. But they do believe in many social imperatives and doctrines that impact on their members, their family lives and their relations with all other people in the outside world* [which, they believe, ‘the devil controls’]. They also believe Jesus was executed on a “torture stake” and not on a cross [cp. 1 Cor 1v18 etc.] and further believe Hell does not exist and that all people who are not Jehovah’s Witnesses will be annihilated at the end of time. So there is no final judgement – and no eternal consequence, apart from immediate annihilation, for our rebellion & separation from God due to our sin despite their own scriptures affirming a place of “everlasting anguish and torment”.
So as Christians we must love these wayward souls who have been so misled by an organisation that is based on men’s ideas and take to heart what the scripture that says “..snatch others from the fire and save those who are perishing..” Jude 22
In that respect, as you feel able, and as you would with any unbeliever, talk with them and focus only on Jesus and His sovereignty and salvation, do not be deflected – they have rehearsed a script. So can you! Have a scripture in mind. Tell them your wonderful testimony! But do remember that JW’s believe they are true Christians but actually have been schooled in a very different bible and taught that only they as “God’s chosen witnesses” are correct. But we must lovingly try and show all Jehovah’s Witness our desire to respectably point them to Christ Jesus and show that no works or any organization will be able to save anyone. The true Bible says of Jesus: “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
The following website, written by ex-JW’s, now Christians, might help you with further reading: http://www.cults-investigated.com/jehovah-witnesses/
*When released, the film “Apostasy” will give most people further understanding of the culture of the Watchtower Society and the control they have on their followers. The film is made by ex-JW’s so they do know what they’re talking about and the DVD is available from Amazon and other outlets. The reviews, some from JW’s, is reassuring and informative:
MJG with inclusions
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