Since 1931, they have called themselves Jehovah’s Witnesses. Founded in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916). JW’s publisher is the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, and their publications include "The Watchtower" and "Awake!" magazines, with their leaflets, booklets, and pamphlets easily recognizable by their distinctive color scheme.
Russell was a childless, divorced clothing manufacturer and merchant, originally a Presbyterian, then a member of an Adventist group expecting the end times, and finally the founder of the world’s largest printing and publishing conglomerate. He did not know Hebrew or Greek. His speculations were further developed by later leaders of the Watchtower Society (Rutherford, Knorr).
Their teachings deny every essential point of Christianity, so it is enough to mention the most important heresies. They deny the doctrine of the Trinity. God’s name is Jehovah (cf. Psalm 83:18, KJV), who is the only God. The Holy Spirit is not a person, but only God’s invisible "active force," "holy spirit" (cf. Acts 1:8, 2:2-4, etc.). Jesus Christ was a perfect man, but it was not God Himself, not Jehovah, who became flesh in him, but only God’s Son (cf. Matt 16:13-17). God’s Son is merely a "divine being," Jehovah’s "only-begotten" [firstborn], the first being created directly by Jehovah, who is none other than Michael the Archangel. Jehovah created everything else through him (cf. Col 1:15-16, Rev 3:14). According to JW, Jesus became the Anointed only from his baptism. He did not die on a cross, but on a "torture stake" (cf. the basic meaning of the Greek word stauros: stake). His death was the humble sacrifice of a perfect human life for sinful, imperfect humans condemned to eternal death. On the "scale of redemption," the sin of Adam, the first man, was balanced by the sinlessness and sacrificial death of the perfect man, Jesus, on behalf of others.
By nature, humans are sinful, their life imperfect without God’s blessings, and their punishment is eternal death beginning at the body's death. Humans are merely a temporary combination of dust and life force, the latter carried by the blood. There is no immortal soul; the dead exist only in God’s memory, in an unconscious state (cf. Eccl 9:5), awaiting resurrection for judgment. Their fate will be annihilation, not eternal suffering.
Redemption is deliverance from the power and consequence of sin: final death. The Redeemer was granted the right by Jehovah to resurrect humans to eternal earthly, physical life. Rebirth (see John 3:1-8) is nothing other than resurrection to heavenly life as a spiritual being.
However, this is not granted to every believer, only to the first 144,000 of the "heavenly class," who possess special privileges compared to the "great crowd," the millions of Witnesses (cf. Rev 7, 14:1-3, Heb 12:22-24, Matt 22:14, Luke 12:32). The privilege of the 144,000 includes rebirth, divine sonship, priesthood, kingship, inheritance; they are Christ’s Body, Bride, God’s Temple, and Church. The masses of the "earthly class" are rewarded with eternal life in an earthly paradise, complete health, peace, and constant material abundance (cf. Isa 2:4, 65:17-23, John 10:16). The approximately 8,000 remaining living members of the 144,000 have become worthy through their faithful, devoted service to receive the personal divine revelation that they have a "heavenly hope." Only they can participate in the annual "memorial" held on Nisan 14 (the Lord’s Supper, cf. Luke 22:29), while the "great crowd" are merely "observers."
Salvation is limited within the JW organization, but a Witness can only claim to be currently saved. Salvation can be lost due to one's own fault at any time. According to the Society, all other denominations and churches are erring and the work of Satan.
The Watchtower Society, based on speculations drawn from the Book of Daniel, initially predicted Christ's "second presence" for 1874 and then for 1914 (citing one meaning of the word parousia; they use this instead of "coming"), the destruction of Christian churches for 1918, and the beginning of Christ’s thousand-year reign (millennium, see Rev 20:1-6) for 1975.
The most important belief is that, according to them, Jesus Christ already returned invisibly in 1914 (cf. Rev 11:15). He exercises his rule through the fourteen-member Governing Body, which calls itself the "slave class" and, as the "faithful and wise servant" (cf. Matt 24:25), takes on the task of interpreting the Bible and making moral decisions on behalf of individual members. As a "theocratic organization," it proclaims Jehovah’s kingdom, the New World.
In 1914, "the last days of the current evil system began," and "the evil world will soon be destroyed." According to the organization, the battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:12-16) is imminent, during which all states and all people who do not do the will of Jehovah God will be destroyed. After this, God’s kingdom will visibly come to earth, and every Witness will enjoy eternal prosperity, material abundance, health, and peace. The "Watchtower" magazine has always presented the battle as an "imminent" event (1914, 1918, 1925, 1942, 1975).
The organization opposes all state power and social organizations that do not proclaim Jehovah’s kingdom. For them, Revelation 13:2 represents "human rulership, not individual governments, but the global system of political powers. Its ruler is Satan" (cf. John 14:30, 1 John 5:19, Rev 16:4). Members cannot hold public office, remain neutral in times of war, and will not bear arms. Singing the national anthem, standing for the anthem, or saluting the national flag are considered idolatry, thus prohibited for JWs for their salvation.
JW’s door-to-door preaching service is well-known. The service includes street literature distribution and door-to-door preaching. Two Witnesses regularly visit those interested to conduct Bible studies (teach).
One can become a Witness by adopting the Society’s teachings, showing signs of moral change and devoted service, and getting baptized. Baptism is essentially an initiation into the preaching service as a "herald of the kingdom." Congregation leaders, called "elders," encourage members to serve through constant training, reprimands, and praises. They must consistently meet a certain number of hours (cf. Ezek 3:18) and report to the elders with "field service reports" detailing the hours spent preaching, the number of publications distributed, the addresses of interested people, and the results of conversations.
Witnesses are classified based on their performance, which determines their esteem and, ultimately, their salvation. Only those Witnesses who are loyal to the organization and obey it in everything will be saved (cf. Zeph 2:3); therefore, no one can be sure of their salvation (cf. 1 Cor 10:12, but see 13).
Regular attendance at "Kingdom Halls" (places of worship and instruction) is mandatory. Participation in social and Christian holidays (Christmas, Easter, national holidays, name days, birthdays) is prohibited, as these are considered to honor pagan powers or customs.
Referring to the biblical prohibition of eating blood (Acts 15:28-29), Witnesses cannot donate blood, and in the case of accidents or surgeries, they can only receive blood substitutes. This belief has already caused many fatalities, as blood substitutes sometimes are not enough, and a full blood transfusion is needed. Witnesses authorize the organization’s legal representative with a written statement to prevent this form of medical aid. Since the 1950s, they can receive smallpox vaccinations, and today the acceptance of organ transplants is left to individual conscience. Witnesses can drink alcohol in small quantities, but smoking results in disfellowshipping.
The appeal of Jehovah’s Witnesses lies in the elitism and self-righteous mission consciousness of the chosen ones. Their activity and fanatical loyalty stem from the hope in a marvelous future (earthly paradise) and the constant fear of losing it due to their own fault (annihilation). Internal control within the organization is relentless; members immediately report any rule-breaking to the elders, acting as "each other's conscience." Due to the constant pressure to conform before the elders, many Witnesses eventually fear the organization more than God. Instead of Jesus' "refreshing and light yoke" (cf. Matt 11:28-30), they suffer under the yoke of modern Phariseeism. This likely explains why, according to their own data, thirty thousand Witnesses leave the organization worldwide each year, despite being warned by the elders that their fate will be annihilation, and no Witness will speak to them anymore, and their loved ones cannot even pray for them. The severe emotional wounds caused by leaving or disfellowshipping heal slowly, and many people suffer spiritually, with only a few able to take up the Bible or pray again.
The Society claims to answer all questions based on its many decades of Bible study experience and (alleged) knowledge of ancient Hebrew and Greek languages, thus taking on the interpretation of the Bible and the responsibility for it from the Witnesses. They completely trust the leadership and do not dare interpret the Bible without its explanations.
Today, the Brooklyn-based Watchtower Society has become one of the world’s largest printing and publishing conglomerates, a huge and successful economic enterprise that distributes the Society’s publications in the hundreds of millions monthly through the self-sacrificial service of Witnesses. The company is not profit-oriented; all income is reinvested in production for the sacred cause. Witnesses see only the Work in all this, in which they wish to function as small cogs.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE TEACH?
The fabricated explanations for unfulfilled prophecies cast doubt on the militant truthfulness of the "Serious Bible Students." The "Watchtower" is not "God’s mouthpiece" but that of false prophets.
The "New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures" (New World Translation) justifies the Society’s doctrines by distorting the original text's meaning. The critical parts of the NWT are justified using obscure, faulty translations by individuals, well-known blunders of common translations, selective quotations from professionally accepted Greek textbooks, a misleading series of "examples" that prove nothing, and works by liberal Catholic and Protestant authors who do not regard the Bible as God’s reliable word. Naturally, the large volume of "evidence" is very convincing to non-experts, and the Society remains silent about the fact that the authors of the referenced textbooks have already voiced their protests in open letters against falsifying the Bible by citing their works.
A Witness is only truly willing to accept Christian teaching when they dare to step out from under the shadow of the Society’s authority. However, this requires confronting nothing less than the Society's false prophecies and linguistic incompetence.
The Gospel and Jesus Christ
The Old Testament animal sacrifice system pointed forward to the Lamb of God: the sacrifice brought by God. In the God-man Jesus Christ, our Judge suffered in our place (John 1:29, 1 Peter 1:18-19, Hebrews 2:14-17, 7:27, 9:12-14, 10:11-14). Jesus, the Son of God, was never an angel (Hebrews 1:2-14); he is not merely the first, directly created "divine" being, but God himself. The secret of his perfect, sinless life, his sacrifice acceptable to God, and his immortality (John 2:18-22, 10:17-18) lies in his being the God-man.
Moreover, no creature could atone for the sins of other creatures. Sin is rebellion against God; the sinner owes God, and either God punishes the sinner, or he pays the debt himself by forgiving it, thus taking on the damage himself. If the offended party, God, had not paid our debt but rather another innocent creature, then God would be unjust by taking satisfaction "at the expense of another."
Salvation offered by grace is guaranteed by God himself from the first moment of faith until eternity (Philippians 1:6 cf. Romans 8:31-39). One cannot fall out of the Good Shepherd’s hand, who gave his life for him (John 10:11, 28-30), and does not have to live in fear of falling due to their own fault (1 Peter 1:5-9, 1 Corinthians 10:12-13). The God of the Bible knows what it means to be human; the Society’s god does not.
There is no first and second class in God’s kingdom. Whoever believes is adopted by God as his child (John 1:12-13), is a son of God (Galatians 3:26, 4:6, Romans 8:15-16), born of God (1 John 5:1, John 3:1-8), has received the Spirit (John 7:37-39), sealed by the Messiah with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22), baptized and filled with the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), Christ dwells in him (Ephesians 3:17), and has become the temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The 144,000 refer to Jews who convert during the great tribulation; according to the Society, they cannot be Jews because the tribal names do not match one Old Testament list. However, out of the twenty tribal lists found in the Old Testament, only three match (!), and Dan and Ephraim are likely missing due to idolatry. In Luke 12:32, the twelve disciples, as the new Israel, were indeed a "little flock" that relied on trust in God’s providence (see the context).
From the preceding parable in Matthew 22:14, it is clear who the "many invited" and the "few chosen" are; the invited (the contemporary Jews) did not come to the royal wedding, while the guests called in from the streets (the nations) received festive garments from their host according to the custom of the time. The silent "guest" who only consumes but does not participate in the celebration insults the host and is rightly thrown out; those who remain inside are the chosen ones—not the 144,000. The "other sheep" in John 10:16 do not refer to the JW’s "earthly class" but to the nations. In Revelation 7:9, the "great multitude" is indeed in heaven, "before the throne" (enópion), not merely in the throne’s "sight" (NWT), just like the 144,000 in Revelation 14:3 (enópion here as well, twice). 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14 does not refer to the 144,000 being chosen to "share in the [heavenly] glory of Christ." The previous verses speak of those who do not believe the truth but delight in wickedness, whom God delivers to delusion and whom Satan deceives; in contrast, the Thessalonian believers were "chosen from the beginning for salvation" (rescue). This is not about pre-selection (eklegomai is not in perfect tense), but about God’s selection during evangelization (haireó is in aorist tense, indicating a single choice between two options); unbelieving disobedience and believing obedience are contrasted, with no mention of the 144,000. 1 Peter 1:5-8 does not guarantee the salvation of the 144,000; Peter writes to scattered believers (1:1-2) who are born again (1:3) and who share the same precious faith as his own, who through this faith have become partakers of the divine nature and have escaped corruption (2 Peter 1:1,4). In Hebrews 12:22-24, the "festal gathering of the firstborn" has their names written in heaven, in the "book of life" (cf. Rev 20:11-15); if this "festal gathering" referred to the 144,000, then only they would be saved—no one else.
In the New Testament, the existence of heavenly and earthly classes would have necessitated clear references as to which verse, passage, or letter refers to and is addressed to whom. There are no such references, so either we must discard the New Testament due to the astonishing and misleading negligence of the sacred writers, or the doctrine of separation. Otherwise, considering the alleged privileges of the 144,000, the masses of Witnesses take the Bible into their hands completely unnecessarily, as only a fraction of it pertains to them. For the 5.6 million Witnesses, only the "Watchtower" remains to be read...
Furthermore, it is questionable how many of the 144,000 were converted during the first Christian generation, and where the count stood at the time of Russell and his followers' emergence.
Jesus’ return will be unpredictable, sudden, and immediately visible to everyone; cf. the meanings of the related words and nouns in these passages.
The most common is horaó - to see, look at, observe, cf. Matthew 24:15, 30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; John 1:39, 51; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 3:2; Revelation 1:7. According to the Society, in Revelation 1:7, "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him" does not refer to physical seeing, but to perception and recognition. However, this contradicts the Hebraism present in the Greek text. In Hebrew thought, "seeing" in some contexts means experiencing something in a specific way ("not see death/life"), but if someone "sees with their eyes" or "the eye sees" something, it refers only to concrete, physical sight, as in Revelation 1:7 (fainó - to appear, become visible, cf. Matthew 24:27, 30; Mark 16:9; Luke 9:8). According to Matthew 24:27, the coming of the Son of Man will be like lightning visible from one end of the sky to the other; according to verse 30, the sign of the Son of Man will appear (fainó) in the sky, and they will see (horaó) the Son of Man. The "sign of the Son of Man" (genitivus subiectivus) means that the sign is the Son of Man himself appearing and becoming visible (cf. Acts 2:38, "receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" means: "the Holy Spirit as a gift"). Other nouns also affirm the visible coming: epiphaneia - appearance (cf. 1 Timothy 6:14, 2 Timothy 4:1, Titus 2:13); apokalypsis - revelation, unveiling, becoming visible (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:7, 2 Thessalonians 1:7); parousia - coming, visit, appearance, (post-appearance) presence (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:13, 4:15, 5:23, 2 Thessalonians 2:1, 8).
On the Trinity
God is who He is. He is simply the "I Am" (Exodus 3:14-15). Out of reverence, the Jews always referred to Him as the Lord (Adonai) or the Name (Ha Shem). The Hebrew script originally recorded only consonants, so the original pronunciation of the word YHWH has been completely forgotten. The only certainty is that it was not "Jehovah," as this is a medieval theological term: when the text was provided with vowel marks, the vowels of Adonai or Elohim were written under the consonants YHWH, resulting in Jehovah or Yahweh. However, the problem is not with God’s name, as its pronunciation, regardless, is an important element of our faith.
According to JW, however, Jehovah or Yahweh and Jesus are not the same person, so faith in Jesus’ ransom, knowledge of Jesus’ name, and calling upon Jesus are not enough for salvation; one must call upon Jehovah for salvation. Yet, the meaning of Jesus’ Hebrew name (Yeshua, Joshua, or Yehoshua) makes His essence clear: in Him, "YHWH saves." To the question of who is the "First and the Last" in the Bible, that is, the one true God (Isaiah 43:10-11), every Witness would answer, "Jehovah." However, Jesus and "Jehovah" must be the same (Isaiah 44:6, Revelation 22:13); otherwise, when did "Jehovah," the First and the Last God, die and rise again (Revelation 1:8, 17-18), if not in Jesus’ human body? If a Witness understands this, they can accept that in Jesus, the Almighty became man for them, not just a creature. Then, through the Holy Spirit, they can finally call Jesus Christ "Lord" (Luke 1:48, 2:11, John 20:28, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Colossians 3:24), and they can kneel before Him, before whom every creature in heaven, on earth, and under the earth will one day bow their knees (Isaiah 45:23 cf. Philippians 2:9-11, Acts 4:12).
Other Matters
Regarding humans, their souls, and their fate after death, the "blood = soul" equation is not accurate, as the Bible never equates blood with the ruach (spirit), only with the nefesh (and the psyche), which most often denotes life or the person themselves. The correct translation of Deuteronomy 12:23 "the blood is the soul (nefesh)" is: "the blood is the life [force carrier]." Leviticus 17:11—"the life (nefesh) of the body is in the blood"—also states that the blood carries the life force.
The prohibition against eating blood aimed to prevent pagan blood magic (the incorporation of the life force of a killed animal or human) and to avoid infections from scavenging. Moreover, it upheld the significance of blood sacrifices (Hebrews 9:22), as God temporarily accepted the blood of sacrificed animals in place of the sinner’s blood (Genesis 9:3-4, Leviticus 17:10-11, Deuteronomy 12:23, Acts 15:19-20, 28-29, 21:25, 1 Corinthians 8:8). In the New Testament, the apostolic decree to "abstain from blood" (Acts 15:29) reiterates the Old Testament prohibition against consuming blood. Why should one make a sacrifice by rejecting life-saving blood transfusion, which God does not demand?
Although it has no theological significance, it is worth mentioning that Jesus did not die on a "torture stake" (NWT: torture stake). The Greek word stauros indeed means a stake or pole, but the Roman execution instrument was cross-shaped. Two 1st-century AD depictions of this have survived. One is a graffiti found in the Palatine Hill excavations in Rome, showing a figure with a donkey’s head crucified on a cross, with an inscription below: "Alexamenos worships his god." In Pompeii, destroyed in the AD 79 eruption, a Latin wooden cross was found embedded in the wall above the altar in one of the excavated houses.
Christian Holidays and Attitude Towards the State
The essence is this: our task is to live in and influence our surroundings without conforming to this world (Matthew 5:13-14, John 17:15, Philippians 2:15). Since no one knew the date of Jesus' birth, His incarnation began to be celebrated only from the 4th century. The festival of the "Invincible Sun" was filled with Christian content ("light of the pagans"). By the early Middle Ages, the celebration had lost its initial pagan roots, but from the 17th-18th centuries, even the Christian content began to wear off. Today, it seems to be a true civic holiday, a costly social event with a lot of running around. Nevertheless, it is traditionally the festival of love. If it is important for us that our neighbors notice something different, namely God's gift (John 3:16), amidst the great holiday rush, we can lovingly tell them that during this time, we rejoice in God’s love, and that’s why we gift each other—and them. It is not about trying to behave well during this time, but about having something to give to each other and others because we experience our Lord’s love. The good news for people weary of daily life and rightly feeling the holiday as collective hypocrisy is that God became man, "walked in our shoes," not that Christmas is pagan.
Attitude Towards Power
All authority is from God (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-14), and—optimally—those in administrative roles fulfill a God-given function with God-given talent. In subordination to God, for the common good, people give thanks to God for good governance. (This is not naive wishful thinking; there were times when kings were "by the grace of God," who could be rebuked by simple preachers if they forgot the King of Kings.) Nowadays, many people in leadership positions serve themselves rather than God or their country with their talent and position.
Even though we are also heavenly citizens (Philippians 3:20, Ephesians 2:19), it is our duty to pray for social order and justice and to strive for it with our lifestyle (1 Timothy 2:1-2, Titus 3:1-2). If the apostle demanded this attitude during the pagan Roman Empire, our attitude cannot be different in today's democracies. If our worldly task and talent call us to administration, and the existing system is not an anti-Christian dictatorship, we can perform our duties in God's name and with a clear conscience (Acts 5:29), having a beneficial impact on our world (Romans 16:23).
There is indeed a difference between systems, and Jehovah’s Witnesses should know this best, as they are still discriminated against in many countries—but not always and everywhere.
The history of great evangelical awakenings in modern and recent times all speak of Jesus’ transformative power, who can liberate entire regions from the devil’s power and cleanse them of all impurities. However, only those who regard Jesus Christ as the Lord God himself could and can receive such authorization (1 Corinthians 12:3, 13, Philippians 2:11, Matthew 28:18).