Jehovah's Witnesses vs. other Christians

[Justin108]

To non-Jehovah's Witnesses - what do Jehovah's Witnesses believe about Christianity that is simply not true according to your own denomination?

To Jehovah's Witnesses - what beliefs do other denominations hold that is simply not true according to your own denomination?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 1 by Justin108]

Well as one of Jehovah's Witnesses we just stick to the bible and our own interpretation thereof. We respect others right to interpret scripture different, I personally won't concentrate here on the beliefs of others; I will however share some things we (Jehovah's Witnesses) believe , if the OP will be indulgent enough to allow me to do that instead to respect forum guidelines* and my own personal code of conduct:




We do NOT believe in

- the trinity
- an immortal "soul"
- life after death
- eternal hellfire
- We do not believe all good people go to heaven (only in fact 144,000 individuals do).


- We believe God has a personal name (YHWH; Jehovah in English) which belongs in scripture and in our worship

- that God's kingdom is a in fact a governmental system of rulership
- that the hope for the majority of mankind is to live forever on this planet earth
- that all Christians have the personal responsibility to preach the kingdom
- that that kingdom has been in operation since 1914
- that very soon within a biblical "generation" it will take control of this planet
- We believe God will destroy (kill off) the incorrigibly wicked.
- and that millions of people will have the opportunity to live in paradise conditions on this our planet earth.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not vote and believe that Christians should be politically neurtral. We believe that military service, support of human wars is incompatible for Christians: Jehovah's Witnesses are decidedly non-violent. We believe that it is a Christian responsiblity to show love to all people.

We believe our religion is the only True Christian religion on earth today.


We have a website that presents the totality our official beliefs:
https:/www.jw.org




What Do Jehovahs Witnesses Believe?
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesse ... s-beliefs/

*Guidelines: Do not say know the truth and others do no
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 537#855537

[Willum]

[Replying to post 2 by JehovahsWitness]

Well, one of your beliefs can be dismissed out of hand.
Will JW give me a reward for improving their religion?

Anyway, the tetragrammaton YHWH is not special by any means. It is simply how you write God, however you call him, in Hebrew, or Phonetician.

It has no lower case or vowel-conventions. So you write Yahu, or if you prefer Yahweh,or Yohveh. Yhvh, or YHWH.

I trust I don't need to demonstrate the relation be tween u, v and w (double-u).

[Justin108]

[Replying to post 1 by Justin108]

Well as one of Jehovah's Witnesses we just stick to the bible and our own interpretation thereof. We respect others right to interpret scripture different, I personally won't concentrate here on the beliefs of others; I will however share some things we (Jehovah's Witnesses) believe:

We do NOT believe in

- the trinity
- an immortal "soul"
- life after death
- eternal hellfire

We do not believe all good people go to heaven

- We believe God has a personal name (YHWH; Jehovah in English) which belongs in scripture and in our worship

- that God's kingdom is a in fact a governmental system of rulership
- that the hope for the majority of mankind is to live forever on this planet earth
- that all Christians have the personal responsibility to preach the kingdom
- that that kingdom has been in operation since 1914
- that very soon within a biblical "generation" it will take control of this planet



We have a website that presents our official beliefs, its https:/www.jw.org

Do you have biblical support for all of these beliefs? I'm mainly curious about your claim that the kingdom has been operational since 1914. It's relatively easy to see where you get the rest of your beliefs from (paradise on earth, preaching the kingdom, etc) but I have no idea where you get 1914 from. What method did Jehovah's Witnesses use to conclude that the kingdom has been in operation since 1914?

[JehovahsWitness]

[Replying to post 2 by JehovahsWitness]

Well, one of your beliefs can be dismissed out of hand.

Feel free to dismis them all if you wish, I was simply presenting our beliefs. Anyone is free and welcome to dismiss themall if they want to.

JW

[JehovahsWitness]

Anyway, the tetragrammaton YHWH is not special by any means. It is simply how you write God, however you call him, in Hebrew, or Phonetician.

It has no lower case or vowel-conventions. So you write Yahu, or if you prefer Yahweh,or Yohveh. Yhvh, or YHWH.

I trust I don't need to demonstrate the relation be tween u, v and w (double-u).

Jehovah's Witnesses are not hung up about the pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton, we will adopt any pronunciation that is common and recognizable in whichever language we speak; indeed in many countries the Divine name is written with a "Y" or a "U"

Arabic - Yoahw
Awabakal - Yeha
Cantonese - Yehwowah
Swahili - Yehova
Venda - Yehova
Xhosa - uYehova

Zulu - uJehova
Japanese - Ehoba
Maori - Ihowa
Motu - Iehova
Malaysian Yehowa
Norway IEHOVA
Futuna - Ihova
Romanian - Iehova
Samoan - Ieova

We do however believe that God's Name is important; it is a central feature in our worship as it for us more than a mere label, it represents the God we worship.

JW

[Elijah John]

Anyway, the tetragrammaton YHWH is not special by any means. It is simply how you write God, however you call him, in Hebrew, or Phonetician.

Not special, perhaps for one who is at odds with the Bible and with Judeo-Christian tradition.

But beyond special for those of us who embrace that Tradition, for many of us essential.

YHVH is found in the Hebrew Bible almost 7000 times, more than any other name.

It is the foundation for names of Bible heroes, such as "EliJAH, JeremIAH, IsaIAH, JOel, and JOshua, and many others. The name Jesus itself, like Johshua, (YAHshua) means "YHVH is salvation."

Also the term "HalleluJAH, "Praise YHVH".

YHVH is not simply another way to write "God". That would be variations of "EL" , "Elohim", "El Shaddai", etc.

And any name with the suffix "EL", incorporates the term "God" into the name. "AngEL" MichaEL" "RaphaEL", JoEL, etc.

("Joel" means YHVH is God, and Elijah means "My God is YHVH". Two examples of Hebrew names that incorporate both "YHVH" and "God".)

Read the book of Psalms in a translation that honors the Name of God, such as the Jerusalem Bible.

You will then see for yourself the importance of the Divine Name YHVH (Yahweh) for those of us who embrace the Bible, and the Judao-Christian Tradition.

King David and others constantly implore the reader/hearer to praise the name of YHVH, to call on the name of YHVH, to give thanks to the name of YHVH, over and over and over again.

The Tetragrammaton may not be special to you, but it is essential for us, and I'm not even a JW!

[Willum]

[Replying to post 6 by JehovahsWitness]

So why do you use the name of a pagan god to represent "Him?"
Yahu

[McCulloch]

[]
- that God's kingdom is a in fact a governmental system of rulership
[]
- that that kingdom has been in operation since 1914
- that very soon within a biblical "generation" it will take control of this planet

Was Jesus in error when he told his disciples to teach that the kingdom of God was at hand?

[marco]

Well as one of Jehovah's Witnesses we just stick to the bible and our own interpretation thereof.

This is a remarkably candid confession that JWs don't rely on Jehovah's actual words but on some interpretation of them. Clearly, JWs are not infallible, like the Pope in some circumstances, and they don't claim to be error-free, so interpretations are poor shadows of the real meaning.

Thus, when you say you believe " that that kingdom has been in operation since 1914"
it is awfully hard to restrain a smile. I failed. But as you admit, this is just a guess and 1665, the Plague Year or sometime in the 14th century, during the Black Death, could be even better guesses. The word "kingdom", used figuratively, does have a childish look. But as you say, we must respect the guesses of others, however wild.
For all its flaws I think I'd put my money on Catholicism which has been around long before the Battle of the Somme.... but only if I had to.