A STUDY OF THE ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THE MAJOR DENOMINATIONS The Jehovah Witness

Charles Taze Russel aka “Pastor Russel” founded the International Bible Students Assoc. (forerunner to the Jehovah’s Witnesses) in the late 1800’s. By age 20 he left both Presbyterian and Congregational churches because he could not believe in the idea of hell. William Miller taught him he could predict the end of the world through calculations. Introduction and History

The Jehovah Witness He preached that Christ’s “invisible return” had occurred in 1874 and the end of the “Gentile” times would come in In 1879 he started publishing a journal called “The Watch Tower”. In 1884 he founded the “Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society” of which he was the head. Introduction and History

The Jehovah Witness The Watch Tower Society is God’s sole earthly representative. It consists of men that have direct guidance from God. You must have their literature to understand the Bible properly. Independent thinking is not tolerated. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness The Watch Tower Society: What does the Bible say? Christ is head of the Church (Eph 5:23; Col 1:18) The Bible is sufficient (II Tim 3:16-17) The Watch Tower Society cannot be found in the Bible and is not an authoritative body. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Disfellowshipping: They claim it is a loving act. In reality it is a control mechanism. Members must turn each other in. They go before a 3 elder panel; it is conducted like a trial. The elders decide who is repentant and who is not. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Disfellowshipping: They can be disciplined for reciting the pledge of allegiance, joining the military, reading religious material not published by the Society. Once disciplined they have lost all hope of salvation and must “earn” their way back in. Very rare for it to take less than 1 year. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Disfellowshipping: What does the Bible say? Two reasons for disfellowship: 1)To limit the effect of sin 2)To bring to repentance the sinner (II Thess 3:6: II Cor 2:5-11) What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Blood: They will not accept a blood transfusion for any reason. They believe it is forbidden by the command not to eat blood. What does the Bible Say? From the beginning eating blood was forbidden by God (Gen 9:4; Acts 15:29) Transfusion is not eating the blood. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Nationalism: They will not salute the flag of any nation, recite the pledge of allegiance, stand for or sing the national anthem, run for public office or serve in the armed forces. What does the Bible say? God must come first (Mk 12:30; Acts 5:29) Governments are ministers of God (Rom 131-7) and should be shown proper respect. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Holidays: They will not celebrate holidays whether religious or national. They claim they all have pagan roots. What does the Bible say? Only one day is to be celebrated in a religious way (Acts 20:7; I Cor 16:1-2) Non-religious holidays are not prohibited. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Associates: They are not allowed to associate with non- Witnesses. What does the Bible say? God has made no such commandment (I Cor 5:9-10). What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Trinity: They do not believe in the trinity of the Godhead. Jehovah is the Supreme Being. Jesus is the Son of God, a created being. Jesus was not bodily raised from the dead. The Holy Spirit is simply a force God uses. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Man’s Soul: When man dies nothing lives on. He is conscious of nothing. What does the Bible say? Jesus gives us a glimpse of what happens after death: Rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) Killing the body doesn’t kill the soul (Matt 10:28) What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Hell: They totally deny there is a hell. They believe hell is the grave. What does the Bible say? On the last day all will be cast into hell or live with God for an eternity (Matt 25:31- 46) What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness 144,000: The Kingdom came in Little flock began at Pentecost and was fully selected in They will spend eternity in heaven and rule over the “Great Crowd” or “Other sheep”. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness 144,000: What does the Bible say? Christ was King on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:32-36) The 144,000 mentioned in Rev 7 is figurative representing all God’s people. The earth will be destroyed when Christ returns (II Pet 3:10). What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Salvation: One must accept the doctrines as interpreted by the Governing Body. Be baptized as a Jehovah Witness. Follow the program of works laid out by the Governing Body. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Salvation: What does the Bible say? Salvation comes from our faith, repentance, confession and baptism (Rom 10:17; Luke 13:3; Rom 10:10; Acts 2:38) and not from a governing body. You cannot read of one being baptized as a Jehovah witness. What do they believe:

The Jehovah Witness Salvation: What does the Bible say? We are to forgive our brothers each time they ask us to forgive (Matt 18:21-22). God will forgive if we ask (I John 1:9) What do they believe:

A STUDY OF THE ORIGINS AND BELIEFS OF THE MAJOR DENOMINATIONS Next week’s Lesson: The Pentecostal Church