Jehovah's Witness

It happened when I was in the second grade, but I remember it as clearly as if it were yesterday. >>> “I don’t like her,” my classmate said. “She’s weird.” >>> “What do you mean?” I asked. Melissa* seemed all right to me. Just an average, red-haired, freckle-faced girl. >>> “She doesn’t believe in birthdays or Christmas. And she said that Jesus died on a stake!”

That was my first introduction to Jehovah’s Witnesses. If you know any Jehovah’s Witnesses, you may have had a similar experience. You may have seen someone in class refusing to pledge allegiance to the flag or leaving the room during a Christmas party. It’s easy to dismiss these differences as just weird, but a closer look at their religion may help you understand these actions and the beliefs behind them.

Being a Jehovah’s Witness is not popular in today’s world. Jehovah’s Witnesses, or members of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, have beliefs not held by most Christians, or even North Americans. Many people have even come to see them as “anti-patriotic” because they refuse to pledge to the flag or serve in the armed forces. In fact, many countries throughout history have had a negative view of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Nazi Germany even targeted them (along with Gypsies, Jews and homosexuals) for extermination in concentration camps.

Mass extermination isn’t a threat to Jehovah’s Witnesses in North America today, but rejection is. That is where the challenge to Christians comes in. Instead of shunning these people, many of whom are our family and friends, we need to love them and point them to the even greater love of Christ. Check out the beliefs chart and the “FAQ” section to learn more about the Watchtower Society.

COMPARISON OF BELIEFS
watchtower society	Christianity
Their version of the Bible (New World Translation which contains many changed and added words) is inerrant and infallible.	Revelation 22:18 >>> “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.” (Also see 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Jesus was not God.	John 1:1, 14 >>> “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
The Holy Spirit is not a Person (of the Trinity).	John 14:16-17 >>> “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
Salvation comes through faith and association with the Watchtower Society.	Ephesians 2:8-9 >>> “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Salvation is not guaranteed to anyone.	1 John 5:13 >>> “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
“Hell” is simply the grave. Anyone not resurrected by God at the millennium (the time when the “elect” reign with Christ) will simply be annihilated.	Matthew 25:41,46 >>> “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

How are Jehovah’s Witnesses related to the Mormons?
Not at all, except that they are both “new religions” that started in America. Mormons (Latter-Day Saints, or LDS) and Jehovah’s Witnesses do not share any major points of theology. In fact, the LDS has worked hard to become socially acceptable with a positive image in mainstream American life and emphasize the importance of being good American patriots. The Watchtower Society stresses nonconformity and appears to many people as antisocial because of its stances on military service and blood transfusions.

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses use a special translation of the Bible?
The New World Translation, the official version of the Watchtower Society, contains paraphrasing and changes in key terms that support Jehovah’s Witness theology. Mainstream and secular biblical scholars agree overwhelmingly that the New World Translation is not an accurate or legitimate rendering of biblical texts. Several passages in the NWT add words that do not appear in original texts, changing the meaning radically.

Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate Christmas or Easter?
Actually JWs don’t celebrate any holidays, including birthdays, because they condemn them as pagan practices. This doctrine started gaining acceptance in the 1920s. (Before that time, they actually sold Christmas cards and encouraged giving their materials as Christmas gifts.) While their criticisms of the pagan origins of some practices (Christmas trees and Easter eggs) may be valid, they also reject the ways that Christians have reinterpreted these symbols to celebrate and honor God.

Why can’t they accept blood transfusions?
JWs believe that people who transfuse blood are in danger of eternal damnation. This comes from their reading of Acts 15:29: “You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.” Most Christian scholars agree that the blood mentioned here refers to drinking blood as a ritual, not transfusions (in which the blood is not digested).

Why don’t they believe Jesus died on the cross?
JWs believe that Jesus was not crucified in the traditional understanding, but rather was tied to a stake. Scholars disagree on the exact shape of the cross used in Jesus’ execution, as it could have been a single pole, two diagonal timbers forming an “x,” or a t-shaped construction. It is not clear why the manner of Jesus’ death is debated, because the importance of Christ’s death is the reason for the sacrifice ...and that He did not stay dead!

Listen. Give them a chance to share their message—you’ll want the same respect. It also shows that you don’t have to be defensive if you have truth on your side. Be sure to explore the common ground of the Bible, even though they will be using a different translation than yours. (Take your own!)

Be Christlike. In all contact with any unbeliever, use compassion and good judgment. Don’t just be polite, but pray for your friend that he/she will see the truth. Remember, it is not you, but Christ in you that will impact your friends.

Know what you believe. Half-truths are as bad as whole lies. It will be easy for Jehovah’s Witnesses with knowledge of their Bible (the New World Translation) to convince you that they are right if you aren’t familiar with the Bible yourself. Pay special attention to what the Bible says about the Trinity and who Jesus is.

Give them hope. Watchtower theology doesn’t give very much hope, even for those people that believe it. They say only 144,000 believers will be saved in the end to rule with God. So ask them: Have these beliefs made them confident in their salvation? Do they feel fulfilled?

Respect them. Jehovah’s Witnesses face a lot of criticism and insults from the average person anyway—it’s not exactly fashionable or well-accepted. The love that you show to them may be the thing that makes them willing to hear what you have to say.

Get some accountability. Jehovah’s Witnesses can be persuasive and finding out about another religion is sure to bring up questions in your own life. Talk to your youth leader, your pastor or a believer that you trust. They can help you to grow from your questions and keep your faith strong.