Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity

Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity

1. A Brief History of Jehovah’s Witnesses
• 1870’s Russell (1852-1916) studied the doctrines of Second Adventists:
• 1879: Russell began publishing Zion’s Watchtower And Herald of Christ’s Presence (The Watchtower magazine)
• 1881: Main Legal Entity Founded - Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
• 1909: Headquarters Moved to Brooklyn, New York - Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc
• 1917-1942: Second Watchtower President “Judge” Joseph F. Rutherford
• 1931: The name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” adopted.
• 1942-1977: Third Watchtower President Nathan H. Knorr & 1978-1992: Fourth President: Frederick W. Franz
• 1992-2000: Fifth Watchtower President: Milton George Henschel
• 2000: Three Corporations Formed: Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Religious Order of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Kingdom Support Services

2. The New World Translation and the Watchtower
• Translators had insufficient knowledge of biblical manuscripts
• Translation distorts the Deity of Christ at John 1:1; 8:58; Hebrews 1:8 and other passages
• Inserts God Name “Jehovah” into the New Testament without manuscript support

3. Theology
• Jesus is the created Archangel “Michael”
• God’s “holy spirit” is an impersonal force
• Only a special group of 144,000 people interpret Scripture
• All Old Testament believers and Christians who are not in the 144,000 group will live on earth eternally.
• Conditional Mortality, Soul Sleep = Soul does not survive death, Resurrection of only the worthy; No Hell
• Restoration of Paradise Earth by believers after the Tribulation

4. Salvation
• Salvation is found through faith in Jehovah, Jesus and performance in the Watchtower organization

5. Ethics and Practices
• No holiday or birthday celebrations
• No participation in flag salutes, voting, politics or war activities
• No blood transfusions
• Limited higher education
• Limited contact with non-Jehovah’s Witness friends and family
• Shunning of former Jehovah’s Witnesses
• Forbidding critical thinking and disagreement and literature critical of the group
• Forbidding non-Jehovah’s Witness religious broadcasting and church attendance
• Mandatory door-to-door proselytizing

6. False Prophesies
• 1874: Date for Christ’s “invisible presence,” changed to 1914
• 1914: End of the world
• 1915: Replaced 1914 for the end of the world
• 1918: End of the world, the destruction of churches
• 1925: End of the world with the return of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
• 1929: “Beth Sarim” House of Princes built in San Diego, deeded to king David and other biblical prophets for their “soon” return upon the earth
• 1940’s: End of the World would come with the “soon” battle of Armageddon
• 1975: 6,000-years of human history, the end of the world would come within “months, not years.”
• 1994: 80-year Generation of 1914 should bring the end of the world, 1995 redefined the word “generation” to be symbolic of general readiness for the end.

7. Jehovah’s Witnesses and Christianity