What Jehovahs Witnesses really believe

[T_More]

"Originally Posted by T More
Just a few highlights of their beliefs:

Jesus is not divine (Therefore, no Holy Trinity)" …

Not sure how “divine” is being defined. However, JW belief includes that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, was on earth in human form, was crucified,really died, and was resurrected. Jesus Christ is a VERY important part of the JW faith.

di·vine   /dɪˈvaɪn/ Show Spelled
[dih-vahyn] Show IPA
adjective, -vin·er, -vin·est, noun, verb, -vined, -vin·ing.
–adjective

1. of or pertaining to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
3. proceeding from God or a god: divine laws.
4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
5. heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
6. Informal . extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice.
7. being a god; being God: a divine person.
8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence: Beauty is divine.
9. Obsolete . of or pertaining to divinity or theology.

How would this square with Isaiah 43 & 44?

 

[yellowbird]

"Originally Posted by T More
Just a few highlights of their beliefs:

Jesus is not divine (Therefore, no Holy Trinity)" …

Not sure how “divine” is being defined. However, JW belief includes that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, was on earth in human form, was crucified,really died, and was resurrected. Jesus Christ is a VERY important part of the JW faith.

JWs do not believe Jesus was fully God, fully man. They believe he was previously an angel - a created being. He is not worthy of worship.

Other beliefs:

May not serve in the military or be a member of a police force

Men may not wear beards. For some reason, a mustache is OK

Men may not wear their hair longer than their collar.

Women may not wear pants to the kingdom hall or out in service

Must attend 3 “meetings” weekly.

May not celebrate holidays including birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving

May not vote

May not read any religious material not published by the Watchtower

May not receive blood transfusion

Children are strongly discouraged from participating in extra cirricular activities

Graduating high schoolers are STRONGLY discouraged from attending 4 year universities

May not speak to “disfellowshipped” Jehovah’s Witnesses including family members who do not reside in their home. (Example: Mother may not speak to adult daughter who has “left the truth”)

Must submit a montly report of the amount of time spent in “field service work.” (knocking on doors distributing literature)

Once a person is “disfellowshipped” he/she must continue to attend meetings but not speak to anyone. After a period of time (6 months) the disfellowshipped one may ask to meet with the elders who decide if he/she has been forgiven. The answer may be yes - you have been forgiven, or no - you have not been forgiven. If no - the disfellowshipped one continues to attend meetings for an unspecified amount of time and then he/she may request another meeting w/ the elders to repeat the process.

 

[T_More]

I would be interested in this as well

From April 15, 2010 Watchtower, under the article, “Holy Spirit’s Role in the Outworking
of Jehovah’s Purpose”, paragraph’s 13-14:

13 Third, holy spirit is at work in bringing Bible
truths to light. (Prov. 4:18) This magazine has
long been used by “the faithful and discreet slave”
as the primary channel for dispensing increased
light. (Matt. 24:45) For example, consider our understanding
of those who make up “this generation”
mentioned by Jesus. (Read Matthew 24:32-
34.) To what generation did Jesus refer? The article
“Christ’s Presence—What Does It Mean to You?”
explained that Jesus was referring, not to the wicked,
but to his disciples, who were soon to be anointed
with holy spirit. Jesus’ anointed followers, both
in the first century and in our day, would be the ones
who would not only see the sign but also discern its
meaning—that Jesus “is near at the doors.”
14 What does this explanation mean to us? Although
we cannot measure the exact length of “this
generation,” we do well to keep in mind several
things about the word “generation”: It usually refers
to people of varying ages whose lives overlap during
a particular time period; it is not excessively long;
and it has an end. (Ex. 1:6) How, then, are we to
understand Jesus’ words about “this generation”?
He evidently meant that the lives of the anointed
who were on hand when the sign began to become
evident in 1914 would overlap with the lives of other
anointed ones who would see the start of the great
tribulation. That generation had a beginning, and it
surely will have an end. The fulfillment of the various
features of the sign clearly indicate that the tribulation
must be near. By maintaining your sense of
urgency and keeping on the watch, you show that
you are keeping up with advancing light and following
the leadings of holy spirit.—Mark 13:37.

Compare this article with this chart (Post #133 in the link,you may need to save this to your computer to enlarge it):

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=418225&page=9

 

[fbl9]

From April 15, 2010 Watchtower, under the article, “Holy Spirit’s Role in the Outworking
of Jehovah’s Purpose”, paragraph’s 13-14:

]

The impression i get from the 2010 wording is:
it is now a rock rolling down a hill, sure it will carry for awhile. But what going to happen when it hits the bottom?

 

[benidict]

"Originally Posted by T More
Just a few highlights of their beliefs:

Jesus is not divine (Therefore, no Holy Trinity)" …

Not sure how “divine” is being defined. However, JW belief includes that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, was on earth in human form, was crucified,really died, and was resurrected. Jesus Christ is a VERY important part of the JW faith.

Hello my friend. Quick question. Do the J.W.s believe that Jesus was ressurected physically or as a Spirit being? I could be dead wrong on this, seeing as I have not studied J.W. teaching as much as I have Mormon and SDA, but I believe I read this somewhere. Please correct me if I am off base here. Thank you In advance. Peace

 

[benidict]

JWs do not believe Jesus was fully God, fully man. They believe he was previously an angel - a created being. He is not worthy of worship.

Other beliefs:

May not serve in the military or be a member of a police force

Men may not wear beards. For some reason, a mustache is OK

Men may not wear their hair longer than their collar.

Women may not wear pants to the kingdom hall or out in service

Must attend 3 “meetings” weekly.

May not celebrate holidays including birthdays, Mother’s Day, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving

May not vote

May not read any religious material not published by the Watchtower

May not receive blood transfusion

Children are strongly discouraged from participating in extra cirricular activities

Graduating high schoolers are STRONGLY discouraged from attending 4 year universities

May not speak to “disfellowshipped” Jehovah’s Witnesses including family members who do not reside in their home. (Example: Mother may not speak to adult daughter who has “left the truth”)

Must submit a montly report of the amount of time spent in “field service work.” (knocking on doors distributing literature)

Once a person is “disfellowshipped” he/she must continue to attend meetings but not speak to anyone. After a period of time (6 months) the disfellowshipped one may ask to meet with the elders who decide if he/she has been forgiven. The answer may be yes - you have been forgiven, or no - you have not been forgiven. If no - the disfellowshipped one continues to attend meetings for an unspecified amount of time and then he/she may request another meeting w/ the elders to repeat the process.

In all fairness to the J.W.s and their standards. There are other Christian movements who have similar views on things. Mennonites cannot vote, hold office, serve in the military, women may not wear pants, or have cut hair, men MUST have a beard, may not have mustache, unless they are Beachy Mennonite. May not serve on a jury, may not be a police officer. may not use buttons, because of their martial background. No ties. etc etc. This is a rundown of the more conservative elements within this movement. These things I dont have a problem with, because there are holiness congregations that teach the same thing. It is their doctrines on the Trinity, Jesus, the Church etc. that I find most interesting. Peace

 

[ADouglass]

"Originally Posted by T More
Just a few highlights of their beliefs:

Jesus is not divine (Therefore, no Holy Trinity)" …

Not sure how “divine” is being defined. However, JW belief includes that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God, was on earth in human form, was crucified,really died, and was resurrected. Jesus Christ is a VERY important part of the JW faith.

They don’t believe he was crucified. See there website. “Christ died on a stake, not a cross” source: watchtower.org/e/jt/article_03.htm

 

[benidict]

They don’t believe he was crucified. See there website. “Christ died on a stake, not a cross” source: watchtower.org/e/jt/article_03.htm

What is interesting is, that there is a pentacostal preacher who teaches the same thing. I dont know his name at the moment. But its not just the J.W.s who teach this. I do not believe there is any historical evidence for Jesus dying on a stake. Physically I dont know if it would be possible to hang a body like this. I believe all the evidence points to a cross. But is there any possiblity they could be correct? Peace

 

[ADouglass]

What is interesting is, that there is a pentacostal preacher who teaches the same thing. I dont know his name at the moment. But its not just the J.W.s who teach this. I do not believe there is any historical evidence for Jesus dying on a stake. Physically I dont know if it would be possible to hang a body like this. I believe all the evidence points to a cross. But is there any possiblity they could be correct? Peace

The old testament speaks of those who are hanged on a pole (stake) are cursed. I wonder if by pole is meant gallows? I can think of ways in which it is possible to hang a body on a simple pole without the perpendicular pole on the top which places the rope away from the pole that is vertical. It could involve a rope (they would want to tie the persons hands first), or it could involve the pole being pointed on top. No need to go into the more gruesome details. Is it possible Christ died on a pole? No. Not only does history show it was a cross, but the Holy Spirit shows that it was a cross.

 

[ohioszo]

Hell, what is it in their dictionary? My niece, a JW, used the phrase “What the hell are you talking about?!”. I said to her that he’ll is a very bad place, and was surprised that she used that word. She said that to her it meant something quite different. It seems to me that the usage as a cuss word bears out the meaning as we believe.

My niece was in a Facebook conversation with a cousin who is miserable due to his bad choices in life. His mother thought that the niece was trying to tempt her cousin into JWs, by encouraging him to move to CA. That phrase was her reaction. Since it was so virulent, IMO, for her to respond like that; I wondered at how accurate was the suspicions, and, since she has the training to entice others in their way. Her cousin would save himself from her fate, because he is self-serving, IMO, and would use who he will. (I was trying to warn her away from him, for he really needs to remain with his family in order to straighten himself out at the age of 35.)

 

[jonpd]

The old testament speaks of those who are hanged on a pole (stake) are cursed. I wonder if by pole is meant gallows? I

My Old Testament (Douay Rheims) for Deut 21:23 reads “gibbet” which is more like a gallows. The NT references that the JW’s reference as “pole” are also translated as “tree” in the bibles I am familiar with. I assume they are quoting from the NWT which I understand is not a reliable translation.

 

[confusedius]

Hello my friend. Quick question. Do the J.W.s believe that Jesus was ressurected physically or as a Spirit being? I could be dead wrong on this, seeing as I have not studied J.W. teaching as much as I have Mormon and SDA, but I believe I read this somewhere. Please correct me if I am off base here. Thank you In advance. Peace

Benidict-

Here is a reference I got from the official JW web site at www.watchtower.org:

Christ was raised from the dead as an immortal spirit person
1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:9; Rev. 1:17, 18

I need to qualify that although I was raised in the JW faith, and applaud many of their teachings and works, I left the church (yes, I said church) many years ago when I became a father.

As with most heady decisions, this one was complex. Part was simply selfishness- the JW faith is not theoretical- it is hands-on, and can take over all of your discretionary time. This may sound bad, but if I can’t speak truth here, then where is there? And that truth is, I could see no reason for life if it is to be spent totally in worship or the Lord’s work. What about tennis?

Another big part was my children. I can tell you from experience that the JW faith it is not easy for the young. If any of you were fat, or had pimples, or were in any way unusual you may know of what I speak. To publically refuse to salute the flag, say the pledge, refuse a Christmas present, etc. etc. etc. is almost beyond what a young person could be expected to accomplish. I learned ridicule from the perspective of the recipient, and I did not want that for my children. So, we became Methodists.

A third part is what I felt was useless gauntlet-tossing. Does God really think I consider the flag a God? Is stake vs… cross of any useful purpose in light of the fact that humanity murdered the most precious gift it was ever given? What, exactly, would God find wrong with the boyscouts? And, of course, why not say church?

There are other parts, but I don’t want to bore or be told I have drifted off thread.

I guess I am saying that I am a little unsure of myself, especially in light of some criticism of the changes that have evidently taken place over the years. I don’t think change is bad, quite the opposite. I just am not up on the latest in the JW faith.

See why I am confused?

 

[T_More]

Hello my friend. Quick question. Do the J.W.s believe that Jesus was ressurected physically or as a Spirit being? I could be dead wrong on this, seeing as I have not studied J.W. teaching as much as I have Mormon and SDA, but I believe I read this somewhere. Please correct me if I am off base here. Thank you In advance. Peace

JW’s believe that Christ took on another body at His resurrection. They surmise this because His disciples did not recognize Him after the resurrection. So the short answer is, no, they don’t believe He was raised physically.

 

[GaryTaylor]

“Another big part was my children. I can tell you from experience that the JW faith it is not easy for the young. If any of you were fat, or had pimples, or were in any way unusual you may know of what I speak. To publically refuse to salute the flag, say the pledge, refuse a Christmas present, etc. etc. etc. is almost beyond what a young person could be expected to accomplish. I learned ridicule from the perspective of the recipient, and I did not want that for my children. So, we became Methodists.”

Could I ever relate to this. I was given the task a few times as a youg adult of being responsible for a large group. A responsibility I despised btw. My coach’s or superiors constant cry was “our eggs are in your basket”. I contantly found myself protecting those ridiculed, mocked and picked-on. To this day decades later now and again, one of these Souls will appraoch me and remind me of such a distant incident that I find it amazed they would remember. But it shows how an incident like that sticks with a person for many years, if not life. Life is a long lesson in humility

My son who is in HS came home last week with the JW questions, which I lead him to here and showed him a few posts from you guys. He read them, but he won’t participate as I suggested. My thinking is, he should join the forum, or use my membership and ask the questions I can’t answer. But of course Playstation and Sports hold the priority. Both which I have little use for, yet his marks are good, so I can’t complain. We clash most on sports. I went to college on an athletic scholarship, so I have little use for this as opposed to the focus on Grades. But I will support him as long as his marks are A-B, and being I traveled that path theres little which he has found me to be wrong about.

Its life something the way the reap and sow words of God work?

Sorry to distract.

God Bless, GT

 

[Heliotropium]

Old doctrine that they once promulgated as truth is considered “old light” and is to be ignored and it then becomes replaced with new doctrine or “new light”. So truth that was once truth is no longer truth.

Honestly if you were never familiar with the history of the Christian faith, the sacred scriptures, or anything else that had to do with Christianity for that matter, you should by this very admission above never join the JW since it doesn’t take a genius to know that a contradiction is the clearest sign that something is FALSE! A lie by its very nature has to change in order to survive. You can see this whenever you tell one…it keeps getting bigger and bigger and more and more complicated until it finally becomes a blatant contradiction. Truth however by its very nature is unchanging and constant!

I thank you for your insight T More. When I was looking for the true Christian faith to follow I also came agross this when speaking with the JWs. Besides them going into victim mode everytime I question them…this 'old light" and “new light” belief was enough for me to see the True Light and keep searching.

God Bless

 

[SteveVH]

What is interesting is, that there is a pentacostal preacher who teaches the same thing. I dont know his name at the moment. But its not just the J.W.s who teach this. I do not believe there is any historical evidence for Jesus dying on a stake. Physically I dont know if it would be possible to hang a body like this. I believe all the evidence points to a cross. But is there any possiblity they could be correct? Peace

The cross was the common method used by the Romans, in the time of Christ, for executing murderers, theives and other criminals. It was considered very humiliating as well as they were hung naked. However, what does it really matter? The point is Christ suffered and died for us whether it was a cross or a pole. This argument is really nothing more than a distraction.

 

[pablope]

What is interesting is, that there is a pentacostal preacher who teaches the same thing. I dont know his name at the moment. But its not just the J.W.s who teach this. I do not believe there is any historical evidence for Jesus dying on a stake. Physically I dont know if it would be possible to hang a body like this. I believe all the evidence points to a cross. But is there any possiblity they could be correct? Peace

Hi, Ben…I believe there is not possibility.

Remember, the crowds shouted “Crucify him…” The crowds knew the Roman way of execution.

 

[confusedius]

As my posts above show, I agree with SteveVH that stake vs. cross is no more than a distraction. But just for the sake of an enjoyable discussion, is it possible that at that time in history people did just what we now do- borrow, alter, misuse, etc. the language?

Technically crucify means about the same now as it always has- technically. But I have heard, with mine own ears mind you, people use crucify totally outside the boundaries of its technical definition. Think Big Time Wrestling as an example!

James

 

[benidict]

Benidict-

Here is a reference I got from the official JW web site at www.watchtower.org:

Christ was raised from the dead as an immortal spirit person
1 Pet. 3:18; Rom. 6:9; Rev. 1:17, 18

I need to qualify that although I was raised in the JW faith, and applaud many of their teachings and works, I left the church (yes, I said church) many years ago when I became a father.

As with most heady decisions, this one was complex. Part was simply selfishness- the JW faith is not theoretical- it is hands-on, and can take over all of your discretionary time. This may sound bad, but if I can’t speak truth here, then where is there? And that truth is, I could see no reason for life if it is to be spent totally in worship or the Lord’s work. What about tennis?

Another big part was my children. I can tell you from experience that the JW faith it is not easy for the young. If any of you were fat, or had pimples, or were in any way unusual you may know of what I speak. To publically refuse to salute the flag, say the pledge, refuse a Christmas present, etc. etc. etc. is almost beyond what a young person could be expected to accomplish. I learned ridicule from the perspective of the recipient, and I did not want that for my children. So, we became Methodists.

A third part is what I felt was useless gauntlet-tossing. Does God really think I consider the flag a God? Is stake vs… cross of any useful purpose in light of the fact that humanity murdered the most precious gift it was ever given? What, exactly, would God find wrong with the boyscouts? And, of course, why not say church?

There are other parts, but I don’t want to bore or be told I have drifted off thread.

I guess I am saying that I am a little unsure of myself, especially in light of some criticism of the changes that have evidently taken place over the years. I don’t think change is bad, quite the opposite. I just am not up on the latest in the JW faith.

See why I am confused?

I think you made the right decision. We haver another poster on another thread, who was in the process of joining them, and it was incredible the amount of control they as an organization desire to have on a person. I could not live like that. It defeats the purpose of life. I have done alot of volunteer work, for the Catholic Church, but it was never them pushing me. It was out of a desire to serve God and my neighbor. I also dont want anyone telling me how to wear my hair, what I can wear, etc. etc. Hold it, Im the Military, and they do this to a degree… But the J.W.s are even worse when it comes to this. I can read what I want, I can to a certain degree go where I want when Im not on duty. I wouldnt wish this life on a civilian though. Peace

 

[panner]

Isn’t Pope B16’s bother a JW?

On edit: Actually it is his cousin