jehovah's witnesses

jehovas witnesses belief

1. Who are the jehova’s witnesses ? The sect known today as the Jehovah's Witnesses started out in Pennsylvania in 1870 as a Bible class led by Charles Taze Russell . The group was known as the “ Russellites ” until 1931 when, due to a split in the organization, it was renamed the “Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

2. Jehovah and Jesus Christ They believe that Jehovah is the only true God, the creator of all things, and the "Universal Sovereign". They believe that all worship should be directed toward him, and that he is not part of a Trinity ; the religion places more emphasis on God than on Christ . They believe that the holy spirit is God's applied power or "active force", rather than a person.

3. Jehovah and Jesus christ They believe Jesus died on a single stake rather than the traditional cross . They refer to Jesus as the Archangel Michael, Abaddon (Apollyon ).

4. satan Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Satan and his demons were cast down to earth from heaven after October 1, 1914, at which point the end times began . They believe that human governments are controlled by Satan, but that he does not directly control each human ruler.

5. Life after death Jehovah's Witnesses believe death is a state of non-existence with no consciousness. There is no Hell of fiery torment. Jehovah's Witnesses teach that only they meet scriptural requirements for surviving Armageddon, but that God is the final judge.

6. God’s kingdom Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's kingdom is a literal government in heaven, ruled by Jesus Christ and 144,000 "spirit-anointed" Christians drawn from the earth. People God approves will receive eternal life

7. Ethics and morality All sexual relations outside of marriage are grounds for expulsion if the individual is not deemed repentant JW agree with Christians in the matter of abortion and homosexuality. Marrying a non-believer, or endorsing such a union, is strongly discouraged and carries religious sanctions. Divorce is discouraged, and remarriage is forbidden unless a divorce is obtained on the grounds of adultery, which they refer to as "a scriptural divorce ".

8. worship Meetings for worship and study are held at Kingdom Halls. Their most important and solemn event is the commemoration of the "Lord's Evening Meal", or "Memorial of Christ's Death" on the date of the Jewish Passover.

9. evangelism The objective is to start a regular "Bible study" with any person who is not already a member, with the intention that the student be baptized as a member of the group. Witnesses are taught they are under a biblical command to engage in public preaching.

10. separateness Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible condemns the mixing of religions. Jehovah's Witnesses believe their highest allegiance belongs to God's kingdom They do not celebrate Christmas and Easter, nor do they observe birthdays, nationalistic holidays, or other celebrations they consider to honor people other than Jesus.

11. separateness They do not work in industries associated with the military They do not salute or pledge allegiance to flags or sing national anthems or patriotic songs .

12. Blood transfusions Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, which they consider a violation of God's law based on their interpretation of Acts 15:28, 29 Though Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions of whole blood, they may accept some blood plasma fractions at their own discretion . 28  “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements : 29  You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

13. As of August 2014, Jehovah's Witnesses report an average membership of approximately  7.86 million  actively involved in preaching, with a peak of  8.2 million . Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country.

14. Conclusion I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him… Whoever has seen me has seen the Father… I am in the Father and the Father is in me… -John 14:6, 7,9,10

15. https://carm.org/jehovahs-witnesses-beliefs https://carm.org/biblical-response-to-jehovahs-witnesses https://carm.org/questions-for-jehovahs-witnesses http://www.gotquestions.org/Jehovahs-Witnesses.html http://www.christchurchcentralsheffield.co.uk/tough-questions/whats-the-difference-between-christians-and-jehovahs-witnesses/ http://www.godandscience.org/cults/jwdiff.html https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/ http://www.cogwriter.com/jehovahswitnesses.htm