JW and Christianity..

cutenconfuzed422

Hey, I'm new to this site, but I'm looking for the big differences between Christianity and Jehovah's Witnesses. I would like any information you have, and references to it if you have references. Thanks a lot. This will really help me. Lataz.

~Meg~

cutenconfuzed422

oh, and another thing, I've been told that the Jehovah's Witnesses have changed many things throughout the years, if you know what it was before it was changed and afterwards, and when it was changed I would really appreciate that. Thanks.

~Meg~

stillajwexelder

That is a massive subject -- if I can summarize in a sentence the big diff between JW and Christianity is JWs do not believe in the Trinity nor in Hell Fire -- main stream christianity does. JWs are agggresive proselytizers main stream christainity is not -- there are of course exceptions. Doctrinal changes ar emany --Read Ray Franz Book Crisis Of Conscience as a good starting point

Gamaliel

Welcome cutenconfuzed422,

Christianity motivates good attitudes, good words, good deeds, and good qualities. (Galatians 5:22)

Jehovah's Witnesses tend in practice to use peer pressure, rules, laws, principles, procedures, organization, reports, bureaucracy, pettiness and gossip to motivate works rather than a truly good spirit. It tends to produce an inner turmoil of sin/guilt/works from which true Christianity should be able to free one. (Rom 7:23)

Some JWs on the outside will seem very Christian, and many are no doubt truly Christians, even in their motivation, but experience tells us that the motivation for "acting Christian" is very shallow for a majority of them.

I think that you'll find some good exJW websites in the links section that will lead you a lot of information that backs this up:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/28/default.ashx

Welcome again,

Gamaliel

cutenconfuzed422

Thanks. So it is true that they have made many changes? Who says what should be changed and what should stay the same and how did they come upon that authority? Also, don't JW believe that Jesus was an arch angel? That's what I've been told. And I will definately try to read that book. Thanks again.

~Meg~

cutenconfuzed422

Thanks Gamaliel, I'll look at those websites.

Gamaliel

One of the best sites for changing doctrines is found at:

http://quotes.jehovahswitnesses.com/

because it uses quotes from their own publications almost exclusively.

(look under "Beliefs" in the menu, then "Oscillating Truths" for ones that have changed back and forth, almost everything they believe has gone through changes at least once, however.)

Technically, the authority the JW leaders claim is based on the idea that Jesus would grant a stewardship to a "faithful and wise servant" who gives food at the proper time to all the members of the household (Matthew 25). Naturally, they apply that idea to themselves. But even without that scripture, they would probably appeal to the idea that they have provided more "truth" than any other religion. That is typically what keeps the average JW believing in the "leadership" even if you could prove that "the faithful and wise servant" (faithful and discreet slave) has nothing to do with them. (In many ways they are more like a wicked slave, beating their fellow servants, anyway.)

Gamaliel

Euphemism

It all depends on your definition of Christianity, Meg.

Here's a quick list of the differences between JWs and Evangelical Protestantism:

DOCTRINE

1. JWs do not accept the doctrine of the Trinity. They believe that Jesus Christ is the Divine Son of God, but not God Himself, and that the Holy Spirit is a force, not a person.

2. They believe that only 144,000 people will go to heaven; the rest of saved humankind will live on a restored, paradisaic Earth. The damned suffer eternal unconsciousness, not torment.

3. Believers are divided into two classes; the very few 'anointed', who belong to the 144,000 who will live in heaven, and the 'other sheep', who form the buld of the organization. Only the 'anointed' partake of the Eucharist, which is only celebrated once a year.

4. They believe that Jesus' Second Coming was in 1914; he is currently directing the 'harvest work' (JW proselytization efforts), which will end at Armageddon, when He judges the world then alive. After that, there will be a thousand-year period in which almost everyone else who has ever lived will be resurrected, given a 'second chance', and eventually judged.

PRACTICE.

1. JWs believe that they are the only true religion today. All other Christians are corrupt and apostatized.

2. They are governed hierchically. The top of the hierarchy is an 11-man council called the Governing Body; there are several ranks below that, down to the Body of Elders that governs each congregation. There is no democratic governance, and all local decisions are subject to revision by the hierarchy.

3. Serious sins (fornication, adultery, drunkenness, drug use, etc.) must be handled by a secret ecclesiastical tribunal; if the tribunal decides that the sinner is unrepentant, they are 'disfellowshipped' (excommunicated), and other JWs are not allowed to speak to the disfellowshipped person, even to greet them.

4. Personal faith and private works are not sufficient for salvation. An individual must associate with the JWs, attend multiple weekly meetings, and share in their proselytizing work.

Victorian sky

Dear Meg,

The Governing Body (small group of men at the Brooklyn Headquarters) make the dotrinal changes that affect the lives of millions of Witnesses. Gamaliel explained the differences between JW's and Christianity very well. JW's do believe that Jesus is really Michael, the Archangel, and that Jesus is the son of God but not God himself. The dotrine changes are too many to list here, but the ones that have put lives at risk are the reversal on organ transplants, vaccinations and the present blood transfusion ban. Also a dotrinal policy that endangers family ties is the disfellowshipping arrangment which is shunning the JW who leaves the organization - many lose their entire family and the only friends they've ever known - cruel and terrible. It happened to my mom and I was pressured not to talk to her, can you imagine? JW's can't vote, serve in the military, have sex before marriage and even after marriage can only have it in certain positions (I kid you not) no holidays including birthdays. Must attend 5 meetings a week, go out in the preaching work and report the hours you spend each month, the list of rules goes on and on. For me, christianity brought freedom. - Victorian Sky

jgnat

To understand the differences between the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christians, you first have to be clear on what a Christian is. I use the definition of Orthodoxy stated here http://www.apologeticsindex.org///o00.html

If a church follows these core doctrines, they can properly be called Christian. There may be differences in practice and traditions, but the core will be the same. Quoted from that site:

Central doctrines include the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the bodily resurrection, the atoning work of Christ on the cross, and salvation by grace through faith. These doctrines so comprise the essence of the Christian faith that to remove any of them is to make the belief system non-Christian.

The Jehovah’s Witnesses digress from these doctrines in a number of ways.

They maintain that Jehovah God is one god, not three. So they deny the trinity, claiming that such a concept is borrowed from pagans.
Along with that, they deny that Jesus is fully God. They deny that angels ever bowed down to him.
They believe that Jesus died on a stake, rather than a cross, again claiming that Christians borrowed the cross symbol from pagans.
They believe in the salvation offered by Christ, but that the salvation is not complete without works. Hence the neverending field work.

And, yes, the WTBTS speculates that Jesus is Michael the Archangel. As for changing doctrines, there are too many to count. You could spend the next few months reading threads here, if you like.

A search under "flop" on JWD yielded these:

http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/12/37242/1.ashx
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/2955/1.ashx
http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/6/2974/1.ashx

By the way, a Jehovah's Witness does not believe you are a Christian unless you believe all their doctrines, including that the Faithful and Discreet Slave is the sole mouthpiece for Jehovah in our day.

JW and Christianity..

Share this