Jehovah's Witness

Jehovah's Witnesses

Founder: Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916)
Beginning: 1878, under the name of "Dawn Bible Students", in Pittsburg, Penn.(the group went through many name changes until finally taking on the name of "Jehovah's Witnesses)
Membership:5,413,769 (end of 1996)

Having their small beginning under the leadership of Charles T. Russell, the Jehovah's Witnesses have grown to a formiddable size. And with the rapid dissemination of their periodicals, their growth is bound to continue at a rapid pace.

Not accepting of blood transfusions, the Jehovah's witnesses by this teaching have caused more adherents to die than Jim Jones and David Koresh doubled.

Many people are under the impression that the Jehovah's Witnesses accept the Bible as their final authority. They don't. They accept the Watchtower's interpretation of the Bible as their final authority, which is given in their semi-monthly publications "Watchtower" and "Awake". As a matter of fact the Witnesses do very little Bible reading without the Watchtower magazine.
So what we're dealing with is a group a people who are bound under a doctrinal system given to them, not from scripture, but mostly from their founder Charles T. Russell and by succeding presidents by way of their magazine publications.

Russell was raised in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, and as a member of the Congregational Church as a child, and as a young man became the manager of several clothing stores in North Pittsburgh. He eventually got involved in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and became a Bible teacher, though he was never formally ordained. It was very evident that most of his writings had a strong Adventist flavor to them. He first produced his own magazine in 1879, Zion's Watchtower and Herald of Christ's Presence. In 1884 he founded Zion's Watchtower Tract Society. In 1896 the name was changed to Watchtower Bible and Tract Society and the headquarters were moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1908.

One of his most influential writings was entitled Studies in the Scriptures. Russell was a very dynamic speaker, which is why he gained a large following. Many JW's today attempt to disconnect themselves from having anything to do with Russell, mainly because of his fraudulent activities, and lying in court. He was charged with fraudulent activites by the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and in court testified that he knew the Greek language, but when asked to indentify Greek letters, he retracted. He was successfully sued for divorce by his wife in 1913 on the grounds of adultery, conceit, egotism and domination. Witnesses today attempt to deny any connection with Russell, but the teachings of the Jehovah's Witnesses today are identical to the teachings of Russell back then.

Russell was succeeded as president by Joseph Franklin Rutherford in 1917. Rutherford was a lawyer and assistant judge in Booneville, Missouri ( which is how he got the name "Judge Rutherford"). Rutherford was succeeded by Nathan Homer Knorr, who became the Society's third president in 1942. Under Russell and Rutherford, the Society outwardly denounced other christian churches, but under Knorr's leadership they began a softer more gentler tone of message. However, they still matain the belief that one must be a member of their church in order to be saved.

Today, the Society trains and ordains their ministers in South Lansing, New York's "Gilead Missionary Training School". Their churches are called "Kingdom Halls". They don't celebrate Christmas, Easter, birthdays and don't participate in the armed forces. The Jehovah's Witnesses are one of the most mysterious religous organizations to the christian church. Many christians don't know what the Jehovah's Witnesses actually believe.

Many are unaware (and that with good reason, for the JW's have done their best to hide it) that the group has a history of making false predictions. Having said that the world would come to an end in 1914, 1918, and 1975, its amazing how the Witnesses have kept this hidden from the knowledge of the general public. The Jehovah's Witnesses have made it clear in the past that they are God's Prophet in the earth. However the Bible teaches that if one has made a prediction for an event to happen at a particular time, and it does not happen, that individual is a false prophet. Duet.18:21-22

However, in order to deal with, witness to, or defend the faith effectively against the Witnesses, one needs to know a little about exactly what they believe. It must be mentioned at this point that if you want to witness to a JW, you must first help the JW to see that the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society(their corporate name) has made FALSE PREDICTIONS. And then once that individual has seen that they have made false predictions in the past, then you can move on into matters of doctrine with a JW. For until then, you'll only be throwing scriptures at each other, for the JW sees the organization as "God's Prophet" and sees all scripture through the organization's interpretation.

Now, what exactly is it that the Jehovah's Witnesses believe???

JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES	THE BIBLE
1.)Deny the teaching of the Trinity 1. "The doctrine, in brief, is that there are three gods in one: ‘God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost,’ all three equal in power, substance, and eternity" "The obvious conclusion is, therefore, that Satan is the originator of the Trinity doctrine" (Let God Be True, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1946 ed., 100).	1.) Teaches the Trinity Matthew 28:19, St. John 1:1,14 John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
2.) Deny the Deity of Jesus Christ 1. "The true Scriptures speak of God’s Son, the Word, as ‘a god.’ He is a ‘mighty god,’ but not the Almighty God, who is Jehovah" (The Truth Shall Make You Free, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1943, 47)	2.) Teaches the Deity of Jesus Christ Colossians 1:16, I Timothy 3:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. Col.2:8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. .
3.) Deny the Person of the Holy Spirit 2. "As for the ‘Holy Spirit,’ the so-called ‘third Person of the Trinity,’ we have already seen that it is not a person, but God’s active force" (The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1968, 24).	3.) Teaches that the Holy Spirit is a Person. St. John 16:7-11, Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
4.) Deny salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. . "To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it" (The Watchtower, February 15, 1983: 12).	4.) Teaches salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. Romans 3:21-28, 4:16, 10:9, Ephesians 2:8, Titus 3:5 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
5.) Deny the existence of a hell with eternal torment and conscious suffering. "Those who have been taught by Christendom believe the God-dishonoring doctrine of a fiery hell for tormenting conscious human souls eternally" "It is so plain that the Bible hell is mankind’s common grave that even an honest little child can understand it, but not the religious theologians" "Who is responsible for this God-defaming doctrine of a hell of torment? The promulgator of it is Satan himself."(Let God Be True, Brooklyn: Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1946 ed., 88-98).	5.) Teaches that hell is a place where souls are tormented eternally and are conscious of the suffering. Luke 16:23-31, Revelation 14:11, 20:10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: