Beliefs of the Jehovah's Witnesses
Organization:
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe the Watchtower is God’s channel of communication here on earth and that everyone outside the organization is lost. A group of eight men called the Governing Body runs the organization from its headquarters in New York.
God:
Concerning God, they believe the father is the one and only God and that he should be always referred to as Jehovah.
The Bible:
When it comes to the Bible, the organization put together the New World Translation in 1950 and is used to this day by the organization. They believe there are no errors in the New World Translation and keep the names of those who wrote it private. By not revealing the names, they believe they give all the glory to Jehovah God for the translation.
Jesus Christ:
The Watchtower teaches that Jesus Christ is only a god, not God almighty. They also believe that Jesus is Michael the Archangel when he is in Heaven.
The Holy Spirit:
Witnesses believe that the Holy Spirit is God’s active force and is not God or even a person. They believe the Holy Spirit is used by Jehovah God to perform his perfect will.
Salvation:
It is taught that salvation is not by faith in Christ alone. Witnesses believe that good works must be performed in order to enter paradise and they never know if they have done enough to make it. They believe those outside the organization have no chance for salvation.
Heaven:
When it comes to Heaven, the Watchtower teaches that only 144,000 individuals will go to Heaven and that this number was filled in 1935. Any Jehovah’s Witness that were born after 1935 only have the hope of living forever in paradise earth. The 144,000 is referred to as the anointed while everyone born after 1935 is referred to as the great crowd.
Hell:
The Watchtower teaches that Hell is an unjust doctrine and that Jehovah God would never create such a place. Instead, they believe that the soul dies after death which they call soul-sleep.
The Trinity:
They believe the trinity is a pagan doctrine and was started by pagans over three hundred years after the time of Christ.
The Cross:
Witnesses are taught that Jesus died on an upright stake, not the traditional cross. The Watchtower teaches their members that the cross is a pagan symbol and even go as far to claim that evangelical Christians worship the cross.
The Resurrection:
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the bodily resurrection and believe that Jesus rose spiritually on the third day. As a result of this, they believe his return will be a spiritual return, not a physical one.
Armageddon:
The Watchtower teaches that everyone who is not a Jehovah’s Witness will be destroyed in one way or another during Armageddon. Armageddon will take place in the end times when Jehovah God finally decides to wipe out all worldly people and even disobedient Jehovah’s Witnesses. Only the obedient Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive Armageddon and obedient Witnesses who passed away before Armageddon will be resurrected and live on paradise earth forever.
Politics:
It is taught by the Watchtower the earth is run by Satan’s government and that they should never be involved in it. They cannot vote, say the pledge of allegiance, run for office or join the army. If a witness were to get drafted, they are taught to choose prison instead of serving Satan’s government. They also believe all wars are crimes against Jehovah God.
Shunning:
Members that get disfellowshipped from the organization or believe it is no longer the truth and leave get shunned by all practicing Witnesses. Witnesses are taught to not in any way acknowledge ex-Jehovah’s Witnesses. Even eye contact or a simple hello would be wrong. The one and only exception are family business matters such as a death in the family.
Holidays/Birthdays:
All holidays and birthdays are considered to be “worldly celebrations” and are forbidden by the Watchtower. Any involvement in these celebrations can quickly lead to one being disfellowshipped.
Blood Transfusions:
Witnesses are taught that accepting a blood transfusion is one of the worst sins and would instantly lead to any member getting disfellowshipped. The refusal of blood transfusions has led to the death of many Jehovah’s Witnesses.