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?

[2timothy316]

[Replying to post 19 by marco]

So what you are saying is that you have never been wrong? Or is it that you 'always feel right'?

[marco]

Indeed, this remind me of Jesus' words to keep knocking, keep asking, keep seeking ... and you shall find.

But some people seek and seek and then believe they have found when they should have continued their search. They then tell others they have found gold but it seems they found iron pyrite. Apparently an easy mistake to make.

I am aware of the IRONy you are cleverly underlining. Appreciated.

[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).

I forgot to mention another thing in my earlier post, that is that even in English the actual pronunciation varies from country to country or accent to accent... some regions says "Jeh-hovar" others "Je-hova" others "Jee-hovar"... so the pronunciation is absolutely not the important thing for us, rather the using and respecting of the name (however its pronounced)


Here is a video lecture on the subject
[youtube][/youtube]

[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?

[onewithhim]

[Replying to post 6 by JehovahsWitness]

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

What pagan God has the name YHWH?


.

[onewithhim]

[]
- 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?

He was not in error. The Kingdom of God was indeed "at hand," 2 thousand years being a mere couple of years to God. A very short time. "At hand."

.

[onewithhim]

[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?

According to Bible chronology, examining the account of the great tree chopped down in Daniel chapter 4, and other related verses, we figured that the number of years involved was a specific number, and they ended at 1914 A.D. That is when God would give the crown to whom He wanted to rule. Jesus didn't take over the whole world in 1914, but he started to rule, first with his true church on the earth---his organization of worshippers of Jehovah (which he himself is). He has concentrated on guiding his church in the preaching work to be carried out throughout the earth before the end of the system of things. He is just waiting now for his Father to say, "Enough. Go and fulfill Revelation 19:11-21."

[onewithhim]

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.

That date is not arbitrary, it is based on the failed prediction of Charles Taze Russell, who claimed that Jesus would return in 1914.

When Jesus 2nd coming failed to materialize on that date, they revised the meaning of the prediction to a "spiritual", invisible return.

Instead of simply admitting Russell was wrong, JWs double down to the point of absurdity.

We have admitted that Bro. Russell was wrong about the chosen ones going to heaven in 1914. But he was right about something happening in relation to the earth that would be the biggest change yet, this side of Armageddon. He was right about "the times of the Gentiles" coming to an end, when God would no longer keep restrained from interfering in Earth's affairs. The nations had had their day. The book of Revelation correlates Jesus' taking the crown in 1914 and casting Satan and his demons out of heaven. 1914 also signaled Satan's great wrath, with the start of an unprecedented world war (Revelation 12:9,12). That was in line with Jesus' teaching concerning the last days that there would be "nation rising against nation." (Matt.24:7)

So something monumental happened in 1914, in line with the nations "having their day," as indicated at Luke 21:24. Russell was right about that. No other religions were aware of any of that. 1914 was indeed a very significant year.

It's sad that some folks think we are absurd.

[onewithhim]

I feel sympathy for those that stop looking and think they know it all. JWs can't afford to be dogmatic and call ourselves truth seekers. 'Seeker' being the word of focus. Eventually though truth is found and then it starts being refined. So even when we do find truth, we don't stop examining what we found.

Socrates would have counted himself as ignorant but he would still condemn patently foolish ideas. Oscar Wilde expressed the situation thus: "On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one's mind. It becomes a pleasure.

All this bumping into furniture to decide if Christ was appearing in Rhineland in 1915 or on Dover Beach in 1916 or, riskily, in St. Petersburg in 1917 makes for nice metaphor but does little to put the bumpers into a good light. Do you suppose that divine inspiration and guidance are best portrayed by such awkward activity? Why not tear all the failed ideas up and just accept one is completely wrong? Then shout: "Help!" For, of course: Knock, and it shall be opened.

Isn't it better to look for another, clearer explanation than to keep on bumping into the same piece of furniture for two thousand years such as one church can claim? Isn't it pretty senseless and counterproductive to keep bumping without finding the truth, and just repeat the same errors over and over?

.

[rikuoamero]

[Replying to post 28 by onewithhim]

with the start of an unprecedented world war (Revelation 12:9,12).

That quote from Rev only says that the whole world will be deceived. It doesn't say anything about a world war.
Even if it did, did what happened in Europe 1914-1918 count as a world war? Not in my opinion. Yes, it involved the greatest powers of the day, but the ENTIRE WORLD was not at war. South America didn't fight. Neither did Australia.

That was in line with Jesus' teaching concerning the last days that there would be "nation rising against nation." (Matt.24:7)

Does this not strike you as being incredibly vague? Surely literally ANY date in history would count here, as nations are always almost rising against each other!

in line with the nations "having their day,"

What does that mean? It's been literally over a century and we still have nations.

It's sad that some folks think we are absurd.

Shrugs. So?