I've noticed on this forum that a fair few ex-jw's still refer to the members of the non-christain cult known as the Jehovah's Witneses as Christians.
Im aware that current members may wrongly believe they are in fact Christians because the organisation leads them to believe they are serving God.
But for ex-members who are awake to the false teachings of this non-christain organisation, I thought they may be more prudent in their choice of words, and not refer to them as Christians.
I would have thought it is obvious to most that Jehovah's Witnesses are a non-christian cult because they refute and distort the essential doctrines of Christianity (trinity, diety of christ, holy spirit etc.) and instead push literature with altered doctrines, contradictions and false prophecies.
Are these merely slip-ups, or do most x-jw's still belive the organisation and its members are Christians?
JW's are not Christians
by Witch Hunter 52 Replies latest watchtower bible
-
Witch Hunter
-
professor
They are "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses" and believe in Jesus as saviour. He is "a god" but not God almighty. (John 1:1 when translated JW style)
-
Witch Hunter
okay, but Christians are ethical monotheistic, meaning they only believe in one God. So if what you say is true, then again these Jehovah's Witnesses are not Christians.
-
cypher50
I think you are missing the difference between using the term "Christian" and someone's beliefs. By dictionary definition, a Christian is just someone who professes a belief in Jesus Christ being the Son of God...whether you believe in the Trinity or the JW version, if you still believe that Jesus is the Son Of God then you are a Christian. That is why there are so many different teachings & sects of Christianity and yet they are all still called "Christians"...
BTW, the Trinity isn't an "essential" teaching of Christianity but rather an essential teaching of certain sects (like Catholicism)...there are certain Protestant sects who do not teach the Trinity.
-
professor
If you are asking if the JW's believe in the Trinity, they don't. But many "Christian" religions also do not. The Trinity is a relatively new teaching, much newer than Christianity. Also, many "Christian" religions do not believe in Jesus' Divinity. It depends on the individual's definition of the word.
JW's are not mainstream Christians by any means, but they do profess to be Christian.
-
Witch Hunter
Fair enough, i should have been more specific in the essential doctrines of Christianity, by that i meant the diety of christ, salvation by grace, the resurrection of christ and the gospel, as these are the only ones declared by scripture to be essential. So an organisation like the Jehovah's Witness that deny one more of these doctrines is not Christian. The JW's can claim to be Christians because they believe in Jesus, but they refute some of the essential doctrines which reference Jesus, they are not really Christians.
-
Crumpet
Jehovah's Witnesses are a non-christian cult because they refute and distort the essential doctrines of Christianity (trinity, diety of christ, holy spirit
Whilst they refute the trinity there has been no distortion over Jesus' diet whilst on earth that I am aware of.
-
El blanko
The way I read the Bible now, is that it is not for any individual human to judge anothers faith. If a man professes to believe in salvation through Christ, in whatever way shape or form, then let them choose how to worship?
For sure if somebody says they are a Christian and break key moral laws, then judge away my friend!
Often we are simply engaging in semantics or tearing apart subjective conceptual forms which by their very nature are invisible and cannot be objectively proven.
The key to the Christian faith is Godly love and just maybe there are individual JWs that fulfill that essential requirement?
-
homme perdu
Witchhunter you are trying to say that JW are not "true" Christians. Am I correct?
-
Narkissos
From a historical standpoint JWs are a Christian, Protestant, Adventist sect.
From a dogmatic standpoint Christianity is in the eyes of the beholder's Church.