QUICK FACTS ABOUT

QUICK FACTS ABOUT
JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

(Investigator 53, 1997 March)

The Watchtower Society and Jehovah’s Witnesses have been around for over 100 years. Practically all Americans have had some contact with them, but few people know what they believe. The information presented here is drawn from their own books and magazines which they distribute publicly. They claim to have the only true religion on earth. This pamphlet clearly demonstrates that the God they worship is not the God of the Bible. They have another God, another Christ, and another gospel, which is really no gospel at all.

God the Father

The Father is Almighty God. He is not part of a Trinity.
Jesus was his only direct creation.
His personal narne is Jehovah and he should be addressed by that name.
Prayer and worship should be directed to the Father.
At one time they thought he lived on the star Alcyone in the Pleiades constellation.
He limits his knowledge of the future.
He reacts to circumstances as they occur.
He is not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent

Jesus Christ

He is not God. He is not a person of the Trinity. He is not equal to God. He is "a god." He is a created being.
God created everything else through Jesus.
He was Michael the Archangel before coming to earth.
His life force was transferred by holy spirit to Mary.
When on earth he was a perfect sinless man, nothing more and nothing less.
He was raised from the dead as Michael the Archangel without a physical body.
His body was dissolved into gases in the tomb.
He generated bodies to appear to the disciples after his resurrection. These bodies even included nail holes.
His ransom consisted of giving up his fleshly body and the right to live forever on earth as a perfect human, which he had earned by living a sinless life.
His ransom paid for Adam’s sin alone. This gives people the opportunity to earn their salvation by believing in God and doing good works.
You should not pray to or worship Jesus.
Jesus and the devil are referred to as the "Morning Stars."
At one time they taught that Jesus returned invisibly in 1874 to rule the earth. Now they believe he returned invisibly in 1914.
He is the mediator only for the "anointed remnant." He is not mediator for all men.
He died on a stake, not a cross.

The Holy Spirit

It is a force like the wind or electricity.
At one time they taught that holy spirit was taken away from the remnant in 1918.
The baptismal formula followed does not directly call on holy spirit but rather on "Jehovah’s spirit-directed organization."

The Bible

It is the inspired Word of God.
It is a closed book except to the "remnant."
It can only be understood by studying it in combination with the books put out by the Watchtower Society.
At one time they said that reading "Studies in the Scriptures" by the Society’s first president was more profitable than reading the Bible alone.
A similar claim was made by the Society’s second president about his books.
By reading the Bible only, you will believe what Christendom has taught in its creeds.

Heaven

Only 144,000 go there.
Those who go to heaven will rule with Christ as kings over those who remain on paradise earth.
At one time they taught that heaven was closed in 1881, now they believe it closed in the mid 1930s.

Hell

Hell is the common grave of mankind.
It is not a place of eternal torment.

Death

Death is annihilation.
There is no conscious existence when you are dead.

Soul

The "soul" is the entire living person or animal. It is not an immaterial part of you that continues on after death of the body.

Resurrection

God "remembers" people exactly as they were when they died. (Note: this is not you. It is an exact copy of you. This is re-creation, not resurrection.)

Earth

It will remain forever.
The majority of JWs have the opportunity to live on earth forever, instead of going to heaven.

Organization

You must be associated with the organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses to survive Armageddon.
"come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation."
JWs are baptized in the name of "Jehovah’s spirit-directed organization."
You must follow the counsel of the organization and not openly question anything they say.
The organization is not infallibly inspired.
At the same time, you must be fully devoted to obeying the organization.
The organization is known as "mother."
Only the organization understands the Bible. No independent person can.
It is called a theocracy, which means "rule from God."

Anointed Remnant

Those of the 144,000 that are still alive.
They are in the new covenant with Jesus as their mediator.
They must be born again.
They will reign as associate kings with Jesus in heaven.
They give up their physical bodies and are changed into spirit creatures when they die.
They are anointed with holy spirit.
Most of them were born in 1914 or earlier.
There are only about 8,000 left.
The remnant that have died and gone to heaven are somehow guiding the work of JWs here on earth.

Governing Body

Twelve men who are the top leaders.
They set doctrine and policy.
Their judgement is binding on all JWs until "new light" is received that alters the understanding of a matter.
Likened to the early church leaders in Jerusalem.

The Great Crowd

They are not in the new covenant.
They do not need to be born again.
They are not justified by faith.
Jesus is not their mediator.
They will never see Heaven.
They will never see Jesus.
They are not anointed with holy spirit.
Are not God’s children until passing the final test at the end of the millennium.
They are saved by placing faith in Jehovah and the ransom and then assisting the remnant to further the kingdom on earth.

Communion

Held once a year.
Only the surviving "remnant" may partake. This is about 8,000 out of current membership of 4,500,000

1914

This was the year that Christ began to rule invisibly as king towards the earth.
The generation alive in 1914 will live to see Armageddon.

Armageddon.

Early on they taught that it would happen in Oct. 1914.
They changed their prediction to 1915.
Then they taught it would occur in 1918.
They changed it again to 1925.
They changed it again to 1940’s.
They did it again in 1975.
Only loyal JWs will survive Armageddon.

Angels

Angels are used by God to communicate "new light" to the remnant here on earth.
They help guide the preaching work of JWs here on earth by leading them to call on people who are seeking God.
Before the Flood, angels materialized bodies and married human women, producing giant, hybrid offspring spoken of as "Nephilim" in the Old Testament.

Birthdays and Holidays

No birthdays, Christmas, etc.

Blood and Medicine

They cannot accept blood transfusions but they can accept certain blood factors.
1930’s – 1950’s they taught vaccination was wrong.
1968 – 1980 they taught that transplants were cannibalism.
Minor children will be kidnapped from a hospital in order to prevent them from receiving blood.

Christendom

Part of Babylon the Great
Apostasy set into Christianity shortly after the deaths of the apostles.
All of Christendom will be destroyed at Armageddon.
It teaches "God-dishonoring doctrines."

Disfellowshipping

People who have voluntarily left the group or who were kicked out cannot be spoken to except as necessary.

Politics

They cannot salute the flag.
They cannot say the pledge of allegiance.
They are pacifists.
They cannot run for political office or vote in elections.

Friends

Worldly association is considered to be dangerous.

Apostates

People who have left the group are known as apostates.
JWs cannot talk to them or even greet them on the street.
JWs cannot read anything former members have written about the organization. It is called "spiritual pornography" and "dining at the table of demons."
JWs are told that they must hate apostates.

Opposers

Outsiders who ask penetrating questions or try to reveal the history of the organization are known as opposers.
JWs are not to have extended contact with opposers because it is seen as a waste of time that could be spent in reaching others.

The Gospel

It is the message of the kingdom which was established in the heavens in 1914.
By their own admission, it is not the same gospel preached by the early church.

Blacks and Minorities

For many years it was taught that Blacks were that color as a result of God’s curse on Canaan.
The organization taught that Whites were superior in mental capability to Blacks because God had influenced White society to bring this about.

Marriage and Children

Several times in the history of the organization, it has counseled its followers to wait until after Armageddon to marry or have children.
Those following this advice have long since passed child-bearing age.

JUSTIFICATION

It is currently taught that justification is earned by the "great crowd" by putting faith in God and assisting the "remnant" still on the earth. By doing this, the King [Michael, Jesus] will judge them favorably for assisting his "brothers."

Lying

Lying is part of "theocratic war strategy." A JW can he to someone if they are not entitled to know the truth.

Hate

Jws are taught that they must hate God’s enemies, meaning apostate JWs.

Great Pyramid

For many years the Society taught that the Great Pyramid was the "Bible in stone". They drew parallels between lengths of pyramid passages and their own end-times chronology.
Later, they rejected the Great Pyramid and said that it originates with the devil.

New Light

Periodically JW doctrine will change. This is known as "new light."
This adjusting of doctrine is "the result of gaining a better understanding of the Bible or fulfilment of prophecy."
This is seen as proof that Jehovah is leading the organization into more accurate knowledge of him
There are many of these changes resulting in a complete reversal on a specific teaching. JWs must accept the new viewpoint without questioning.
Since the leaders are not infallibly inspired, "new light" may not be right.

Requirements For Salvation

The February 15, 1983 Watchtower identifies four requirements for salvation.
You must take in accurate knowledge of Jehovah and his son Jesus.
You must obey God’s laws.
You must be associated with God’s channel, his visible earthly organization.
You must loyally advocate his kingdom rule to others, primarily through door-to-door witnessing.

Higher Education

For many years JW youths were encouraged to forego college in order to spend more time going door-to-door.
New light was received on this in 1994 and now it is up to the young person to decide if they will attend college.

New World Translation

This Bible is produced by the Watchtower.

The names of the translators and their qualifications are not available from the Watchtower Society.

Qualified Hebrew and Greek scholars have identified the New World Translation as an unreliable and corrupted translation.

The truth about JWs on this website:
www.adam.com.au/bstett/