Common Misconceptions

Greetings:

TheOliveBranch and I were discussing the J------ Witnesses [uncomfortable typing that Word] and it would appear that:
1. I have a misconception about what the JW's believe.
2. I am not alone.

I was always told that JW's do not believe that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Only Begotten Son of God. Olive said that this is common; however, the discussion was really off topic, so we agreed to move this to another group.

What do they believe?
What other misconceptions do we have about the JW's?

JW's believe Jezus and the archangel Michael are one and the same.

They believe in salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. They believe that if they confess their sins, and believe that Jesus died for their sins, that they will be saved.

They believe that there is a hell and heaven.

They believe in the death, burial, and resurrection, and that baptism is a picture of this.

They know that they are looked upon as a cult.

If you key in Jehovah's Witnesses and do a search there is plenty of information about them and their beliefs and also their techniques of persusion.

Regarding the point about Jesus and Michael the Arch - Angel being one:

Christ received worship as God.
Jesus is worshipped by the angels (Heb. 1:6) and by man (Matt. 14:33), and yet only God is to be worshipped (Ex. 34:14). Christ Himself said that worship is due to God alone (Matt. 4:10), and yet He accepted worship. If Jesus in His pre-existent state were the archangel Michael, how could He have received worship, since angels are not allowed to receive worship (Rev. 19:10)? If Christ were not God, then worshipping Him would be idolatrous.

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Source:http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-r005.html

You may also be interested in the following sites:

http://www.probe.org/docs/jw-trin.html
http://www.carm.org/witnesses.htm

I hope this will help answer your questions.

Blessings

Followinghim

They believe in salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. They believe that if they confess their sins, and believe that Jesus died for their sins, that they will be saved.

They believe that there is a hell and heaven.

They believe in the death, burial, and resurrection, and that baptism is a picture of this.

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Not any JW's that I've ever met! They believe that they will become just like God when they die.

You have to realize when they talk about Jesus, it is not the Jesus of the Bible.

They do not want to be thought of as 'saved'. They have a 'Kingdom Hall' here in my town and I have witnessed to them for almost 30 years. They have some weird beliefs and they ARE a cult.

Here's some of their beliefs: http://www.watchman.org/profile/jwpro.htm

That includes a very detailed profile and info on the cult.

Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, Charles Taze Russell, Brooklyn, NY: Satan is the originator of the idea of the Trinity. The Father is the supreme God whose real name is Jehovah. Jesus is a created being known originally as Michael the Archangel; he is “a god,” not Jehovah. Jesus only rose spiritually, not bodily, from the dead. The Holy Spirit is the impersonal active force of God. Only the anointed class (or little flock) numbering 144,000 will go to heaven, while faithful “other sheep” will live eternally on a paradise earth; the lost will cease to exist (annihilationism). Publishes the Watchtower and Awake! magazines, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (their own version of the Bible), as well as numerous books. Originally called International Bible Students, followers today are called Jehovah’s Witnesses.

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Originally posted by TheOliveBranch:
They believe in salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. They believe that if they confess their sins, and believe that Jesus died for their sins, that they will be saved.

They believe that there is a hell and heaven.

They believe in the death, burial, and resurrection, and that baptism is a picture of this.

They know that they are looked upon as a cult.

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They do not believe in hell, people do not go to hell, they cease to exsist.
Yes, they beleive Jesus died, and was burried, He did rise from the dead, only His spirit did. But since He isn't God, His death can't be for our salvation.
Yes, they are a cult.

WHAT JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES BELIEVE

Christ is God's Son and is inferior to Him

Christ was first of God's creations

Christ died on a stake, not a cross

The human soul ceases to exist at death

Yet they say "Bible is God's Word and is truth" when everything so far is not biblical.

http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm

According to Jehovah's Witness' theology, God is a single person, not a Trinity, who does not know all things and is not everywhere. He first created Michael the Archangel through whom He created all "other things," including the universe, the earth, Adam and Eve, etc. This creative work took God 42,000 years. At one point, The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society taught that God ruled the universe from somewhere in the Pleiades star system.

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When it came time for the savior to be born, Michael the Archangel became a human, in the form of Jesus. Jesus grew and kept all the laws of God and never sinned. Finally, when Jesus died, it was not on a cross, but on a torture stake, where he bore the sins of mankind -- but this did not include Adam's sins. Jesus rose from the dead as a spirit, not physically (his body was dissolved and taken by God) and during his visitations to people on earth, he manifested a temporary physical body for them to see and touch. Thus began the true Christian church of Jehovah's followers.

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http://www.revealingthetruth.org/jw_summary.htm

There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386.

The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 406-407.


Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 306.


Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4.
Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150, 152.

The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.

There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80.

Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, pp. 150,152

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http://www.revealingthetruth.org/jwchurch_doctrine.htm


Changes JW's made to the bible

(Genesis 1:2)

BIBLE: "the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters"

JW VERSION: "God's active force was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters
(John 1:1)

BIBLE: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"

JW VERSION: "In the beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god"

(Titus 2:13)

BIBLE: "...the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ"

JW VERSION: "...glorious manifestation of the great God and of [the] Savior of us, Christ Jesus"

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http://www.cdu.jesusanswers.com/witness.html

Originally posted by I Am Blessed 16:
Not any JW's that I've ever met! They believe that they will become just like God when they die.

You have to realize when they talk about Jesus, it is not the Jesus of the Bible.

They do not want to be thought of as 'saved'. They have a 'Kingdom Hall' here in my town and I have witnessed to them for almost 30 years. They have some weird beliefs and they ARE a cult.

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This is a common misconception of people who think they know the JW's beliefs. They do not think they will become as God. Mormon's do. JW's believe they are saved, though, depending on how you present yourself and your beliefs, they will dance around the point trying to be proven. They have weird beliefs and they do know that they are called a cult.

What I believe and what they believe are different, though they will borrow the language of the religion you are and make themselves out to be the ones holding the truth.

Do you know that if you become an actual threat to what they believe, they will mark your home in their little record book and they will not visit you again, except for the elders. You may have witnessed to them, but they don't feel very threatened by what you have to say, or they wouldn't return. Some of the things you have stated also shows that you haven't been reading their literature. That's good.Keep giving them the tracts, Sue.

There is a great study on JW doctrine published by Regular Baptist Press (Not sure if it is still available) and written by John HartogII.If you can get it, it is well worth the order.Chapter 15 boils it all down to "a nutshell". Since it is copyrighted material, I'll not transcribe it here, but it points out that in Christology,pneumatology, angelology,
Satanology, anthropology, hamartiology, soteriology, and eschatology, they are in disagreement with the Bible and thus with the truths that Christianity holds dear.
Blessings.

Originally posted by donnA:
They do not believe in hell, people do not go to hell, they cease to exsist.
Yes, they beleive Jesus died, and was burried, He did rise from the dead, only His spirit did. But since He isn't God, His death can't be for our salvation.
Yes, they are a cult.

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What we are saying here is that there are common misconceptions of what the Jehovah's Witnesses believe. They do believe in hell, so if you were to go to one and say, "You don't believe in hell" they will reply, "Yes we do." And it throws your presentation off. You are correct in how they believe in man's relation to the place called hell. They do believe it was a place created for Satan and the fallen angels.

Yes, they believe Jesus rose as a spirit, but they do believe in the death burial and resurrection, the common misconception that they don't. And they will not argue that they are called a cult. I know they are, but the misconception is that they don't believe they are called that.

From the information I read they believe hell is the grave and nothing more.
Most people don't much about what JW's beleive, but they know theres something wrong with them. I get a visit every two or three years, I must be pegged as trouble.

I just tested on a course on the Jehovah's Witnesses, and , yes, there are weird.

No, they do not believe there is a hell. They believe that when you die, you cease to exist unless Jehovah deems you worthy to be resurrected.

As far as salvation, they believe that only those who "persevere" through thr Great Tribulation will be saved. That sounds familiar...

The JW believe that only 144,000 will live in heaven, bu that they are not Jews. They believe that the 144,000 mentioned in Rev. 7 are "spiritual Jews", not the real physical ones that are sealed during the Tribulation. Oh, and you can't become one, because all the positions are already filled. But if you work hard enough and "persevere, you can earn the right to live on the new earth...

The JW believe that the world entered global tribulation in 1914. They come up with that because their founder figured that one day of prophecy time equals one year real time (referencing to Ezekial lying on his side for forty days, one for each year). Taking that, he took what Daniel said about seven years being completes, and come up with 2520 days, which becomes 2520 years. Russell figured that the Jewish system of self-government ended 70 years into the Babylonian captivty, so if he went 2520 years forward from there, he got October of 1914. So in October of 1914, Christ began to rule, and tribulation began. They believe that the last seven years will be the Great Tribulation.

The JW do not believe in the Rapture.

The JW use 28 different translations of the Bible to make their points, including their own (whose names of the translators are anymous).Their translation is filled with editorial liberties, included to maintain "harmony."

Yes, they ARE a cult. And, NO, they do not knock on my door. Last time it was an elder, and when I showed him the great white throne judgement in his OWN translation, he was flabbergasted. That was about 5 years ago...

In Christ,
Trotter

A few weeks ago I stopped to talk to a JW in front of Duncan Donuts. I talked to him about the literature he was handing out, took the booklet and told him a little about what the Bible actually said about what he was using as his "line" to get people interested in what he was offering.

In this booklet, a Watchtower booklet, it stated the plan of salvation, to show that they truly could be saved, and for those who also read the book. The actual plan of salvation. They believe in Jesus Christ, who died for their sins, and all they had to do was confess their sins to God.

So, if you were to go to a JW, he will have already studied that booklet, and that plan of salvation. I do not believe they will be saved, but they will believe they are. The Watchtower has taken the language of born-again believers(a term they also use for themselves now) and has taught it to their followers. They are trained to take people by surprise, to thow you off. How would you answer them? Be prepared.

I always deal with them on the subject of:
1) Who is the Lord Jesus Christ?
2) Does the Old Testament describe Him?
3) Does the New Testament describe Him?

I once got the leading elder in my county so upset with the answers from the scriptures that he stated, "Isaiah lied!" (Speaking about Isaiah calling the Lord Christ "the everlasting Father") I never tell them where I attend church but they always tell me that they know who I am. They say, "we know now you are a Baptist". Wow!

Thanks ------Bart "The dueling society was a polite society"

Here is the article I read.

Jesus Saves- How?

The last paragraph states:"Jesus saves because he died for us. And what a valuable provision his death is! When we see it as a part of God's solution to the complex problem of Adam's sin, our faith in Jehovah and his way of doing things is strengthened. Yes, Jesus' death is a means of rescuing "everyone exercising faith" in him from sin, disease, old age, and death itself. (John 3:16) Are you thankful to God for making this loving arrangement for our salvation?"

Originally posted by Baptist in Richmond:
Greetings:

TheOliveBranch and I were discussing the J------ Witnesses [uncomfortable typing that Word] and it would appear that:
1. I have a misconception about what the JW's believe.
2. I am not alone.

I was always told that JW's do not believe that Jesus (Yeshua) is the Only Begotten Son of God. Olive said that this is common; however, the discussion was really off topic, so we agreed to move this to another group.

What do they believe?
What other misconceptions do we have about the JW's?

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Shalom, JW's do NOT believe in Hell nor do they believe in the Blood of Jesus Christ, at least not the way we do. They believe that the archangel Michael came to earth in the flesh as Jesus Christ and taught us right from wrong, then went back to heaven as the archangel Michael. They believe the second coming of Christ has already happened but it was a spiritual happening and that we are not in the kingdom. (this is not the official belief but is fast becomming such in the JW camp).

The believe that the Bible is mistranslated and is in great error (all verses that disagree with their views are wrong). Their magazine the watchtower has more providence concerning the word of God than the Bible does in their eyes.

They do not believe in the trinity, they do not believe in the Bible as the perfect word of God, and they follow after their prophets and teachers alone. They are a cult!

they do not believe in the Bible as the perfect word of God, and they follow after their prophets and teachers alone. They are a cult!

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Actually, they are taught that the Bible,(that is the false bible that JWs use), is the perfect Word of God, but that man is unable to understand it without their help. They consider it apostasy for a member to read the Bible without the watchtower as a guide. Here is a quote:

They say that it is sufficient to read the Bible exclusively, either alone or in small groups at home. But strangely, through such "Bible reading" they have reverted right back to the apostate doctrines that commentators by Christendom's clergy were teaching 100 years ago.... (The Watchtower, 15 Aug 1981, pg 28-29)

Interesting that they would make such a blunder Those "apostate doctrines" they are referring to are the Holy Trinity, salvation by grace ect, and these are the beliefs a person will come to without their help, if they depend on God's Word alone. Of course they claim that only the watchtower is able to accurately interpret the Bible:

Unless we are in touch with this channel of communication that God is using, we will not progress along the road to life, no matter how much Bible reading we do. (The Watchtower, 1 Dec 1981, pg 27).

Isn't this the same claim that every cult makes?

I had the priviledge (?) of engaging a JW in a chatroom last night.

He was all hot and heavy after a couple of people there, so I jumped in. He used the same old arguements, so I gave him the truth. Then he asked what I believed about the "blood ransom of Christ." I had no idea what he was talking about.

Apparently, this is their term for Jesus' death on the cross. Once he gave me a reference, I gave him answers, but he kept wanting to throw back that i didn't even know about Jesus' death on the cross.

Once they are beat, they try to duck and hide.

In Christ,
Trotter

The JW use 28 different translations of the Bible to make their points, including their own (whose names of the translators are anymous

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The "translators" of the New World Translation may be anonymous to most JW's, but they not anonymous. In fact, their names were leaked out of the Watchtower by former members. Of the men known to have been on the NWT committee none were proficient in Biblical Hebrew; nor could they translate Aramaic or Greek.

Originally posted by ByGrace:
The "translators" of the New World Translation may be anonymous to most JW's, but they not anonymous. In fact, their names were leaked out of the Watchtower by former members. Of the men known to have been on the NWT committee none were proficient in Biblical Hebrew; nor could they translate Aramaic or Greek.

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ByGrace - that is dynamite, but must be verifiable. Do you have a source for that?

Thanks!