What about Jehovah's Witnesses?

[Nelka]

A JW at work said they do not celebrate Christmas or Easter which seems strange although he did celebrate what we call Maundy Thursday.

He said something about Jehovah obliterating the earth at the end or something.

Basically, would a good JW go to Heaven (directly or through Purgatory) or are they doomed?

Is it a form of Christianity?

I am in my thirties and this is the first JW I have ever spoken to and he was converted a few years ago when he was an alcoholic.

Thanks.

 

[jrtrent]

Basically, would a good JW go to Heaven (directly or through Purgatory) or are they doomed?

Good question, but I have no answer. The catechism does seem to hold out hope for those outside the Catholic church under certain circumstances.

“Outside the Church there is no salvation”

846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336

847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men."338

There is enough information given in the Jehovah’s Witness organization itself, even if presented as a way of converting Catholics to become Jehovah’s Witnesses, to say that they are not wholly ignorant of the Gospel, but that’s different from “knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ,” which, of course, JW’s deny, seeing that they believe the Roman Catholic church is a major part of the false religions they see as Babylon the Great.

 

[minkymurph]

Basically, would a good JW go to Heaven (directly or through Purgatory) or are they doomed?

I suppose it depends on your definition of ‘good.’

I would say no one can answer that question. Judgement is God’s business and as such, we can never speculate how he will judge individuals, irrespective of their denomination.

Jesus preached baptism and faith in him as the way to heaven, but he did not preach it is a certainty that every individual who is baptized or whose faith in him is wanting in some way will go to Hell. Outside the Sacraments, we don’t know how individuals may enter Heaven because Jesus never told us. What we do know is God will not judge unjustly, that all things are possible with God, and God is not bound by the Church or the Sacraments. It is also our belief that those in Hell are there because they want to be, and they are not sent there against there will. As such, all have hope.

 

[MaeganFlinchum]

They don’t believe in the divinity of Jesus, so no I don’t believe they are Christians

 

[meltzerboy]

A JW at work said they do not celebrate Christmas or Easter which seems strange although he did celebrate what we call Maundy Thursday.

He said something about Jehovah obliterating the earth at the end or something.

Basically, would a good JW go to Heaven (directly or through Purgatory) or are they doomed?

Is it a form of Christianity?

I am in my thirties and this is the first JW I have ever spoken to and he was converted a few years ago when he was an alcoholic.

Thanks.

As Jharek points out, Catholics (and some Protestant denominations) do not regard JW’s as Christians. However, JW’s consider themselves Christians, indeed the true Christians. Insofar as heaven is concerned, my personal belief is that all “good” people will go to heaven regardless of their religious beliefs or lack of belief. The Catholic perspective, according to what the CCC says, is that anyone, whether they are Catholic or not, who goes directly, or indirectly through purgatory, to heaven does so by means of the mercy of Jesus. Some Protestants hold a different view.

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

Its a cult of revived heresy which was condemned long ago.

 

[Bill_Pick]

The JV are like the Morman both are cults

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

Well the JW are more like arrian gnostics whereas the Mormons genuinely seem to have a polytheistic philosophy with some of that old greek view of creation (that is there is a substance which God molds existing eternally with him).

 

[Gwendolen]

they believe only a few will go to Heaven – don’t remember the exact number, but somewhere between 100k and 150K will go to Heaven and the rest of the righteous will inherit the kingdom on Earth. These “chosen” who are going to Heaven know who they are, and are the only ones allowed to take the JW form on the Eucharist, which held as a memorial once a year.

So they believe the vast majority, even faithful JW do not go to Heaven, let alone purgatory. Something more along the lines of God’s kingdom here on Earth. Never completely understood it.

 

[fms]

A JW at work said they do not celebrate Christmas or Easter which seems strange although he did celebrate what we call Maundy Thursday.

He said something about Jehovah obliterating the earth at the end or something.

Basically, would a good JW go to Heaven (directly or through Purgatory) or are they doomed?

Is it a form of Christianity?

I am in my thirties and this is the first JW I have ever spoken to and he was converted a few years ago when he was an alcoholic.

Thanks.

Check out this tract Distinctive Beliefs of the Jehovah’s Witnesses on this website/catholic.com and other JW tracts.

 

[coachkfan1]

Its a cult of revived heresy which was condemned long ago.

Yes, this is true. But many of them are in the same situation that so many Protestants are in, in that they are born and raised in families that have always taught this. Leaving the JW’s means that one is completely shunned by their family and community. I work with several of them and they are decent people who truly believe in what they teach. But they have several peculiar and heretical beliefs, particularly that they do not esteem Christ to His proper place. As someone else said, judgment is up to God, but I would like to think that would be given a final offering to choose salvation.

 

[DTrent]

Please see jw.org for accurate info re: their beliefs.
It’s the best way to find out for sure what’s what re: JW’s.