Differences between Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses

by Badfish 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  Badfish

  Christians are saved by grace alone though faith alone in Christ alone to the glory of God alone.

  JWs are “saved” by their faith in the men in Brooklyn, NY through their works (number of hours spent in field service, record of meeting attendance, and moral excellence or law-keeping (not breaking the long list of rules made by those men in Brooklyn).

  Christians believe that Jesus is capable of paying for the sins of mankind because he is God manifest in the flesh. Christians believe that the temple of Jesus’ body was torn down and raised again on the third day, thus fulfilling the Scriptures.

  JWs, on the other hand, believe that Jesus is the created being, Michael the Archangel, manifest in the flesh, and that although he became a man and underwent physical death, he was not physically raised from the dead.

  Christians read Jesus’ words: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.“ Therefore, Christians partake in communion.

  JWs, on the other hand, have a yearly ritual ceremony in which they publicly reject communion. They make a public spectacle of refusing the New Covenant.

  Christians believe that salvation is monergistic - that God works through the Holy Spirit to bring about the salvation of an individual through spiritual regeneration, regardless of the individual's cooperation. It is a free gift that cannot be earned through good works or by refraining from sinning, or anything else that originates from one’s self. Salvation begins and ends with God alone - from God, through God and for God alone.

  JWs believe that salvation is synergistic - that salvation is achieved through a combination of human will and divine “undeserved kindness” (I would even argue that JWs lean more toward human will than a number of other synergistic faiths). JWs believe that a person must first clean themselves up and make themselves pleasing to God first before he will accept them. Then they must maintain their own salvation to the very last day, and every time they slip up, they lose their salvation and must clean themselves up again in order to earn back their salvation.

  These are just a few differences between Christians and Jehovah’s Witnesses. Can you think of some other major theological differences?

  Note: I’m talking about Protestant Christians here.
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  Rocketman123

  True Christians are not false prophet apostates enacted through corrupt charlatanism like the JWS.

  They heed to Jesus's instructions of preaching his new Kingdom word for word.
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  carla

  Good post, jw's often think they are Christian and the above tells the Protestant view of why they are not Christian in the view of many.

  Not sure if all jw's feel this way but my jw has said the he is not an 'intentional sinner'. I was brought up (Protestant) with the view that we all are sinners and all fall short. If they are capable of 'saving' themselves through their works, obedience to the org and their own death they don't really need Jesus at all do they?
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  Badfish

  Food for thought:

  1. God created time and space when the universe came into being;
  2. JWs admit that the universe was created through the pre-incarnate Jesus;

  So do JWs believe the pre-incarnate Jesus was outside time and space? If so, he is eternal. In order to argue against this, they need to answer the question: When was he created, if he himself was not bound by time and space? (If they are intellectually honest, the answer will be “he has existed from eternity past.”)

  If JWs argue that the pre-incarnate Jesus was bound by time and space, then how was it created through him? How could he be bound by his own creation? This is a contradiction, because a created being bound by time and space cannot create time and space. Yet many JWs say they believe the Big Bang Theory - that it was the creation of the universe by God - and that time and space begin at the Big Bang. So where was Jesus? Did he come before or after the Big Bang?

  To the contrary of what JWs teach, Hebrews chapter 1 says this about Jesus:

  “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,

  and the heavens are the work of your hands;

  they will perish, but you remain;

  they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up,

  like a garment they will be changed.

  But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

  (Hebrews 1:10-12)
  
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  john.prestor

  Oh for Christ's sake, Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be Christians, they talk about Jesus and God, do we really need to do this comparative thing? Most to all of us can agree that their teachings and practices are problematic without calling them non-Christians when they evidently are.
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  Jerryh

  Badfish they apparently think God is subject to space time.

  So do JWs believe the pre-incarnate Jesus was outside time and space?

  *** Watchtower 1981 2/15 p. 6 How Real Is God to You? ***

  Actually, by teaching that God is omnipresent Christendom has confused matters and made it more difficult for God to be real to his worshipers. How could God be present everywhere at the same time? God is a spirit Person, which means that he does not have a material body, but a spiritual one. A spirit has a body? Yes, for we read, “If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.” (1 Cor. 15:44; John 4:24) God being an individual, a Person with a spirit body, has a place where he resides, and so he could not be at any other place at the same time.

  
  
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  Steel

  So when god is visiting the governing body and giving them instruction , that is perfect time for me to get a quick toss in.

  Good info to know.
  
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  Badfish

  Jerryh11 hours ago
  

  Badfish they apparently think God is subject to space time.

  So do JWs believe the pre-incarnate Jesus was outside time and space?

  *** Watchtower 1981 2/15 p. 6 How Real Is God to You? ***

  Actually, by teaching that God is omnipresent Christendom has confused matters and made it more difficult for God to be real to his worshipers. How could God be present everywhere at the same time? God is a spirit Person, which means that he does not have a material body, but a spiritual one. A spirit has a body? Yes, for we read, “If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual one.” (1 Cor. 15:44; John 4:24) God being an individual, a Person with a spirit body, has a place where he resides, and so he could not be at any other place at the same time.

  Wow! I knew they had a low view of God, but I didn’t know it was that low! Thanks for the information.

  The funny thing is that the verse they quoted is not speaking about God, it’s speaking about the resurrection. If they actually did a full exegesis of 1 Corinthians 15 for the reader instead of pulling one little line out of context, they would have to completely change their teachings about the resurrection.
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  carla

  Simply talking about Jesus does not make one a Christian. Even Muslims believe Jesus was a real person and a prophet of God but not the Messiah, doesn't make them Christian does it?

  I don't know anyone who goes to a mainstream church of any variety that thinks jw's are Christian once they have the slightest understanding of what jw's do believe. Naturally you won't get their beliefs from them personally you must look up what their beliefs are today because they may change tomorrow depending on the boys in NY.