Jehovah’s Witness

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Jehovahs Witness

• Brian Haefliger
• Steven Ward
• Nikko Yanase
• Cody Caudill
• Jase Adams

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There are five important facts to remember about
the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Watchtower
Organization.

• 1. They have accepted the Organization as the
  Prophet of God.
• 2. They have accepted the Organization as God's
  sole channel for His truth.
• 3. They believe that to reject the Organization
  is to reject God.
• 4. They believe that only the Organization can
  interpret the Bible as individuals they are
  unable to do so.
• 5. They believe the Watchtower Magazine contains
  God's truth, directed by Him, through the
  Organization.

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History
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Timeline

• Begun in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell
• 1879-1st issue of Zions Watch Tower and Herald
  of Christs Presence published.
• 1896-Dropped Zion from name.
• 1909-Moved headquarters to Brooklyn, NY which is
  the current location.
• 1914-Predicted Second Coming of Christ (Christ
  returned invisibly and fought Satan in a heavenly
  battle and was victorious)

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Timeline cont

• 1916- Russell died on October 31 and Joseph
  Rutherford took over the presidency of the Watch
  Tower Society.
• 1925-Claimed that Abraham and other prophets were
  returning to Earth bought a mansion in San Diego
  and a car for them to drive in.
• 1931-Began calling themselves Jehovahs Witness
• 1940-Banned in Canada.
• Today-More than 700,000 Witnesses go door to door
  spreading the religion, and print out 100,000
  books and 800,000 magazines daily.

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Beliefs/Doctrine
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Beliefs

• There is one God in one person
• There is no Trinity.
• The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive
• Jehovah's first creation was his 'only-begotten
  Son'. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all
  other things",  
• Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man
• Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh
• Good works are necessary for salvation
• Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witness go to heaven.
• They also refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing
  the "Star Spangled Banner," or celebrate
  Christmas or birthdays. They are not allowed to
  serve in the armed forces.

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The Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe or teach
some of the very basic tenets of Christian
doctrine. They deny

• 1. The Trinity.
• 2. The Omnipresence of God.
• 3. The Deity of Christ.
• 4. The dual nature of Christ.
• 5. The bodily resurrection of Christ.
• 6. The visible return of Christ.
• 7. The person of God the Holy Spirit.
• 8. The Promise of Heaven to all believers.
• 9. The necessity of the New Birth for all
  believers.
• 10. The Lord's Supper for all believers. (only
  for the 144,0000).
• 11. The Eternal Security of the believer.
• 12. The conscious Eternal Punishment of the lost.

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Practices
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Shunning

• If a member leaves or denounces the religion,
  they are often never talked to again by that
  community.
• This act is said to be necessary for a person to
  grow when they proudly sin
• Although the Watchtower denies it, people who
  have left claim even to be subject to physical
  abuse and threats on their life.

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Baptism

• You must be of a responsible age and choose for
  yourself.
• After baptism you are expected to do and take
  care of the community as you are now confirmed.
• Looked at as a commitment not to be broken for
  the rest of your life.

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Witnessing Evangelism

• Believed it is important to make A disciple of
  all nations.
• You must be confirmed and firm in your beliefs in
  Jehovah to witness.
• There are Kingdom, Pioneer, and Special
  Publishers and are paid to Evangelize each
  holding a different rank and different amount of
  time spent.

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Kingdom Hall

• Can be a rented building, an auditorium, a
  gymnasium, or a simple building.
• Display no crosses in or on the building.
• It is carefully tracked as to how many people
  attend and statistics on hours preached.
• Jehovah's Witnesses usually meet three times a
  week, once on Sunday, twice during the week.
• Services consist of

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• Watchtower Study- a one-hour discussion of a
  recent article in the Watchtower magazine.
• Public Meeting- a 45-minute Bible-based lecture
• The services begin and end with prayer Worship is
  simple and includes little ritual.
• The Theocratic Ministry School and Service
  Meeting are held on weekdays, which is a student
  lead program where six students teach on an
  assigned topic.
• Service meetings are strictly about Evangelistic
  tatics.

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Culture
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Ideal

• Dress is well-arranged, chaste, and becoming
  of a christian, but can be both formal and
  casual.
• They value promptness, order, and scheduling.
• There are no special awards or recognitions.
  Titles are privileges not rewards.
• They focus on all family, and fellow members of
  the congregation are also important. Age is given
  status and respect.
• Informal greetings are handshakes. Formally they
  greet each other with a Holy Kiss and warmth is
  expected.

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Actual

• Acceptable dress conforms to the congregation.
  Formal wear is typically considered tasteless and
  out of fashion.
• They are very prompt and orderly.
• Positions and titles form from conformity and
  obtaining minimum service levels. Privileges
  depend on relationships with the power circle
  of the congregation.
• They focus on just the spiritual family, not many
  congregational ties.
• There are degrees of warmth that are
  situational. Those who are disapproved or shunned
  are not even given a glance.

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Controversies
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Within the sect

• False prophecies
• They profess to be the only true church, yet most
  of their prophecies have not been true.
• They say their doctrines only come from the
  Bible. But they really come from what the
  Watchtower says about the Bible.
• In Watchtower Literature there are many
  contradictions such as who the faithful and
  discreet slave is, Watchtower or Russell. Also
  they argue if Armageddon would be in 1914, 1915,
  or 1941.

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Outside the sect

• There have been scandals involving child abuse.
• Being silent is considered the right thing to do.
  Otherwise, you will be shunned.
• The Internet has become a bad place for Jehovahs
  Witnesses. Many former Witnesses are posting
  articles and other things that challenge their
  faith.
• This is causing many members to leave.

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Bible translations

• They use the New World Translation of the Bible.
• They have changed some of the verses in the Bible
  based on their beliefs
• Genesis-They replace Holy Spirit with active
  force because they dont believe the Holy Spirit
  is alive.
• Zechariah-They dont believe Jesus is God in
  flesh, so they change me to the one.
• Colossians-They add in other when they are
  referring to Jesus being created because they
  believe Jesus was created, not the creator of all
  things.
• Hebrews-They change worship to obeisance, meaning
  to honor because Jesus cannot be worshiped.
• This is a bad translation of the original Bible
  because they change it according to their
  theology.

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Holy Cannon the Biblecrossed out scriptures

• Matt. 1721
• Matt. 1811
• Matt. 2314
• Mark 716
• Mark 944
• Mark 946
• Mark 1528
• Mark 1126
• Luke 1736
• Luke 2317
• John 54
• Acts 837
• Acts 2829
• Romans 1624

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Differences with Christianity

• Jehovahs Witness
• Jehovah is their god.
• Reject Trinity
• Holy Spirit is Gods active force.
• Select few witnesses go to heaven, wicked souls
  are annihilated, rest live on paradise earth.
• Holidays- celebrate Memorial of Christs death
  only.

• Christianity
• Trinitarian god with Father, Son, and Holy
  Spirit.
• Holy Spirit is God, third person of Trinity.
• Believers go to heaven, non-believers go to hell.
• Holidays- Easter, Christmas, saints days, some
  others.

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Frequently asked questions(and answers from the
watchtower website)

• What does the name Jehovah's Witnesses mean?
• Jehovah is the personal name of God, as found in
  the Bible. A witness is a person who relates
  facts from direct personal knowledge or proclaims
  views or truths of which he is convinced. Thus,
  the name Jehovah's Witnesses designates an
  organized group of Christians who proclaim the
  truth that Jehovah is a loving and just God,
  deserving of our love and obedience. They do this
  by sharing what they have learned from the Bible
  with friends and neighbors.Isaiah 4310-12.
• Are you Christians?
• Yes. We follow Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and
  put faith in the ransom sacrifice he provided for
  the salvation of mankind. We imitate his example
  in preaching and teaching and in our dealings
  with fellow humans. We also look forward to
  living in true peace on earth under his heavenly
  Kingdom.

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Frequently asked questions(and answers from the
watchtower website)

• Do you believe that you are the only ones who
  will be saved?
• No. Many millions who have lived in centuries
  past and who were not Jehovah's Witnesses will
  come back in a resurrection and have an
  opportunity for life. Many now living may yet
  take a stand for truth and righteousness before
  God's time of judgment, and they will gain
  salvation. Moreover, Jesus said that we should
  not be judging one another. Humans look at the
  outward appearance God looks at the heart. He
  sees accurately and judges mercifully. God has
  committed judgment into Jesus' hands, not
  ours.Matthew 71-5 John 522, 27.

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