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Introduction History and Beliefs
With a well trained missionary force the Jehovah's Witnesses are a fast growing religious organizations numbering over 8.3 million members in 200 plus countries. They are also perhaps one of the most religiously diligent of all groups operating under the banner of Christianity but unfortunately have adopted several false doctrines, re-writing their Bible to support their teachings.
Salvation, God's Kingdom, The Second Coming, Heaven and Hell etc
The accuracy of the Jehovah's Witnesses' beliefs on these important issues range very widely. They can be absolutely correct on some issues, closer to the truth than the orthodox church (Note "closer" does NOT mean completely accurate) on others, and very far from what the Bible teaches on some very important issues.
The Deity of Christ
Part I
The Deity of Christ is a Crucial Issue
The Jehovah's Witnesses believe there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity. They are right. There isn't. However - and this is where the rubber meets the road - they also say they "follow the teachings and example of Jesus Christ" and honor him as their Savior and as the Son of God (Matthew 20:28; Acts 5:31) "but have learned from the Bible that Jesus is not Almighty God. This is a crucial issue because if our entire future hinges on our knowing God and the Messiah whom He sent, then we have to know exactly who this Messiah is.
Part II
The Strikingly Significant Parallels Between YHWH In The Old Testament and Jesus In The New.
God the Father and Jesus have common titles and attributes, common roles, and both are credited with being Saviour and Redeemer. In the end of days, both are said to come with their Holy ones, wreak vengeance on Their enemies, judge the world, give to man according to his ways and establish Their throne for all eternity. Can we really be talking about God and a somehow lesser being here? According to The Watchtower (JW online and print publication) evidence in the Scriptures leads to the conclusion that Jesus and the archangel Michael are one and the same being - God's very first creation . But...
Part III
Should Jesus be Worshipped?
The Watchtower's online library correctly states that God alone is worthy of exclusive worship. However, because the Jehovah's Witnesses believe Jesus is not God He should not be worshipped. The problem is...
Manipulating Scripture
In order to 'prove' their theories, the Jehovah's Witnesses have freely mis-translated verses in the New Testament that clearly indicate Christ's deity. This is done by adding, changing, or removing words. In some cases the English articles ('a', 'an', 'the') have been added in order to reflect preconceived ideas.
Body and Soul
Unlike most Christians who believe that the human soul is separate and distinct from the physical body, the Jehovah's Witness contend that humans are souls and that we completely and entirely cease to exist at the moment of physical death. That is, they deny that there is an immaterial soul or spirit which can exist as a personal being, apart from the body. This position is obviously contradicted by Jesus' promise to the thief that he (the thief) would be with Him in Paradise "today." The Jehovah's Witness solved this problem by simply placing the comma in a different place than every other translation does. But is this justified?
False Prophecies
Beginning with Charles Taze Russell who taught that Jesus had invisibly returned to earth in the autumn of 1874 and that Christians would be caught up to heaven three and a half years later, the organization has made several end of the world predictions. In 1920, president Rutherford published a book called Millions Now Living Will Never Die which taught that 1925 would mark the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the faithful prophets of old. in 1921, hid book The Harp of God maintained an 1874 date for Christ's return. Quite obviously all the prophecies failed to materialize. Even today the Watchtower teaches that that 1914 marked the end of the Gentile Times and the establishment of the Kingdom of God in the heavens. (Note Russel believed that the Great Pyramid of Giza corroborated Biblical testimony.)
Medical Quackery and Blood Transfusions
The accuracy of scientific statements in the Scriptures (many of which can only be understood in light of modern discoveries) is mind-boggling. On the other hand readers of The Golden Age/Consolation magazine were treated to a steady stream of erroneous and even bizarre health and medical advice. Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be God's especially chosen followers which makes one wonder how and why He have allowed them to print articles that very likely contributed to the ill-health and even death of some who followed their advice.
Because both the Old and New Testaments command us to abstain from blood and because God views blood as representing life. (Leviticus 17:14) the Jehovah's Witnesses avoid blood transfusions. However, their policy has changed over the years.
Also See
The Deity of Jesus Christ. Was He Lord, Liar Or Lunatic?
That Jesus Christ is Himself YHWH, God Almighty come in the flesh, is so obviously taught in Scripture that it is baffling to hear some who claim adherence to the Bible deny it.
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