would you like to know what jehovah’s witnesses believe? Jehovah’s Witnesses were created in the United States in the 1870s. They were created by charles taze russell and initially they were called “students of the bible”. Even today, the community’s headquarters is based in new york, within the very wealthy watchtower society. We invite you to stay with us to learn more about this sect with false doctrine.
They believe in Jesus but not in the Trinity
The religious movement claims to be Christian and believes in Jesus dead and risen, but not in the Trinity. Jehovah is the personal name that members of the religion give to God. It is translated as “I am” or as “the Lord”.
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The doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses is characterized by its “restorationism”: they believe that Jehovah has commissioned them to bear witness to true Christianity, which is the only acceptable true faith. According to the movement’s beliefs, only Jehovah’s Witnesses will be saved at the end of the world, which they call Armageddon, named after a small mountain in Galilee mentioned in the book of Revelation.
They are slow expanding
Jehovah’s Witnesses first settled in the north in the early 1900s. According to community spokesman Guy Canonici, there are currently around 150,000 active faithful (more than 8 million worldwide). There are a thousand places of worship affiliated with the movement: the Kingdom Halls.
“The number of baptized people is increasing by about 1% per year in France,” says Guy Canonici. “On the other hand, I cannot say that we are in a real expansion. We are certainly opening new rooms, but most of the time to replace others, too old or too small, that we are closing. “
A recognized freedom
Asked about the community’s relations with France, the spokesman assures that “relations have always been normal with the State. Since 2013, the Council of State has authorized us to send chaplains to prison. We currently have about 120.”
The opinion of public authorities on Jehovah’s Witnesses has not always been so clear. In 1995, a parliamentary report – without legal value – classified the group known for its proselytism in a list of sectarian movements.
In 2011, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that by taxing donations made to the community, it violated Article 9 of the European Convention on Religious Freedom. Since then, the congregation has benefited from the tax exemption enjoyed by religious associations.
Sectarian aberrations?
The state does not recognize any cults and therefore does not classify any as “sects”. Jehovah’s Witnesses consider themselves a simple religious movement. Often suspected of sectarian aberrations, the community remains a special case, as recalled by Serge Blisko, president of the Inter-Ministerial Mission to Surveillance and Fight against Sectarian Abuses (Miviludes): “In various aspects, we can see them almost as a classical Christian religious . Minority”.
But there are still many questions in their eyes, particularly regarding the education of children: “Young people receive an apocalyptic education often contrary to school curricula. The child immediately feels separated from others at school and turns completely to the group. His socialization is also incomplete, because he developed in a logic of mistrust towards the outside world. “
As for the story told in the film in theaters on April 19 -that of a young member of the community and her difficulties for those around her to accept her relationship with a young man who is outside of her-, the bearer- word of the community in assures him: “Marrying a member outside the group is certainly not advised by the Scriptures, but those who choose to do so are free. Marriage is a private matter.”
The Society of Jehovah’s Witnesses has also been involved in recent years in unreported pedophilia cases before civil justice, especially in Australia and the United States.
The Thorny Problem of Jehovah’s Witness Prophecies!
In the May 1, 1992 Watchtower on page 22, one title is significant: “Meditate on the prophecies that have been fulfilled.”
In our long study, instead, we will meditate on the prophecies that have not been fulfilled. The distinctive mark of all false prophets, false prophecies and factual predictions allow us to detect at high speed whether or not any organization is led by the Lord the God of true prophecies. The Bible, the infallible Word of God, gives us explicit references on this important issue:
- “Perhaps you will say in your heart: How will we know the Word that the Lord has not spoken? When what the prophet says does not come to pass and does not come to pass, it will be a word that the Lord has not spoken. Do not be afraid of him”. Deuteronomy 18:20-22 ).
- “… It is by the fulfillment of what he prophesies that he will be recognized as truly sent by the Lord.” ( Jeremiah 28:9).
According to the Bible, we recognize the various false prophets by their fruits, that is, simply false prophecies. The verdict is simple and unequivocal! joseph rutherfordwho was the second president of Jehovah’s Witnesses, aptly specifies the following:
- “Then they issued prophecies after prophecies, particularly since 1918. Now the whole world knows that nothing of what has been announced has happened. It only proves that they are false prophets and that far from representing Jehovah, they have always been at the service of Satan’s organization.” ( Rutherford, Lumiere, vol. 2, 1930, page 50).
Note that according to Rutherford, the mere statement of false prophecies proves that they are false prophets and workers of Satan. This criterion, we agree, is decisive. The Watchtower, in the same vein, states:
- “His prophecies have not been fulfilled. Then they are false prophets and we should no longer consider them as reliable guides. (The Watchtower of May 15, 1930, page 156, English edition).
Jehovah’s Witnesses like to stigmatize the many other false prophets who don’t realize that their arguments are overwhelming:
- Despite a certain percentage of accuracy, the vast majority of predictions made by astrologers do not come true. For example, astrologers had predicted a flood for 1186 and 1524, but this did not happen. In 1939 the greatest astrologers in Britain declared that there would be no war. When it broke, they announced that it would end the following year with the defeat of Hitler…more recently, Hindu astrologers announced that the end of the world would come in early February 1962…but once again nothing happened.” ( ohAwake!, February 22, 1974, page 7).
If they are honest, Jehovah’s Witnesses must admit that they have been given many prophecies that have never come to pass. Therefore, they will have to undertake a whole intellectual gymnastics to justify their own mistakes. To do this, they will use two main arguments to explain their position.
First, they will claim that the light is increasing and the truth becomes clearer with time. The other argument is the simple denial that the leaders of the organization are not prophets. Unfortunately for them, other statements taken from their brochures quickly contradict their scheme. This is what we set out to demonstrate now!
The light is growing!
- The Jehovah’s Witness Organization considers itself the “prophet of God”! “The Earth Channel is a prophet or an organization that acts as a collective prophet.” (The Watchtower of September 15, 1955, page 278).
- “He raised up a prophet to warn them. This prophet was not a man, but a group of men and women… Today, they bear the name of Jehovah’s Christian Witnesses…”. (The Watchtower October 15, 1972, page 625).
- The Organization of Jehovah’s Witnesses constantly affirms the truth of its claims. He insists that successive revelations must harmonize perfectly with previous revelations and truths. Let’s find out what she says:
- “A new vision of truth can never contradict an old one. A new light never removes an old, but completes it.” (The Watchtower, February 1881, No. 8, page 188, in English).
- “Jehovah’s Visible Organization is truly trustworthy. She has never cheated on me in any way.” (The Watchtower of September 1, 1984, page 12).
In this case, the Organization withdraws the testimony of a supporting Japanese witness!
“One version (the Anchor Bible) goes like this: ‘I’m not zigzagging.’ If we saw crisscrossed footprints on a beach, describing all kinds of curves, sometimes even backwards, it would not occur to us that the one who made these footprints was running, let alone knew where he was going. On the other hand, if they were traces forming a long straight line, all the steps well placed one in front of the other and at the same distance, we would conclude that these traces belong to someone who knows exactly where they are. . (The Watchtower, August 1, page 17).
However, the Organization is well aware that it has announced many false predictions. Therefore, it will try to get out of the quagmire by quoting “Proverbs 4:18“. “The path of the righteous is like the resplendent light, whose brightness increases until noon.”
Does Solomon say that doctrine can be changed or that prophecies can be changed?
It is clear that it is about walking in righteousness and holiness as the psalmist says: “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path! “. This spiritual path of a life of righteousness and sanctification becomes increasingly clear as we walk with the Lord, however, the truths that guide us do not change with time.
- Proverbs 4:19 adds the following illumination: “The path of the wicked is like darkness; they do not perceive what will cause them to fall.”
It is the path of a screw of injustice that leads men to perdition.
- Proverbs 21:8 confirms this truth: “The guilty follow indirect paths, but the innocent act with righteousness.”
So it’s not about truths that change over time, but about people choosing or not choosing to live according to the light of God’s Word!
Let us now consider some concrete situations that prove that Jehovah’s Witnesses have changed their position by justifying themselves with the text of Proverbs 4:18…
- We will give a taught doctrine first.
- Next, we will present the rejection of this doctrine! (the light grows) and the presentation of a new point of view.
- So, we will attend the return of the first proposal!
The Higher Authorities of Romans 13
From its founding until 1929, the Jehovah’s Witness Organization taught that the Higher Authorities of this world were the political powers to which Christians pay their taxes:
“Christians must recognize the true nature of these kingdoms and stand…