whats the difference between christianity and jehovah's witnesses??

[AngelsKiss]

Sorry, I don't think they accept bribes there.

Aww shucks Ramesh, you just had to go burst my bubble huh? Here I am thinking I could bribe my way into heaven.

Oh well such is life, I guess I just have to resign myself to becoming life long friends with the devil. In any event it's so hot here in Toronto that it seems I am already in training for hell

[Malloc-X]

AK

Yer so silly. Why am I thinking of Giant Killer Robots?

u just miss gundam, thats all. i started this thread some time ago and totally forgot about because in the first few days it wasn't gettin any responses.

the reason why people believe in these cults and dont know the truth is because they dont read. they just beleive what ever the pastor tells them. lazy F$#%s

[AngelsKiss]

u just miss gundam, thats all. i started this thread some time ago and totally forgot about because in the first few days it wasn't gettin any responses.

the reason why people believe in these cults and dont know the truth is because they dont read. they just beleive what ever the pastor tells them. lazy F$#%s

LOL... So us cult followers are all going to hell because we are lazy F$#%s huh?

[Malloc-X]

no i said the ones that believe everythin they hear and dont thry to find out for themselves are lazt f#$@*s

[Leina]

Here is what we as Jehovah's Witnesses Believe

Beliefs—God, Man, and the Future
The Bible

It is God's infallible, inspired Word, upon which Jehovah's Witnesses base all their beliefs. Some portions of the Bible are to be understood figuratively, or symbolically.—2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Revelation 1:1.
God

Jehovah is the name of the only true God, the Creator of all things. As such, he is worthy of our worship and devotion. His outstanding qualities are love, justice, wisdom, and power.—Psalm 83:18; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 4:11.
Jesus

He is the Son of God. He came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. His death and resurrection made salvation to eternal life possible for those exercising faith in him. He is now ruling as King of God's heavenly Kingdom, which will soon bring peace to the entire earth. Jesus never claimed equality with God and thus is not part of a Trinity.—John 3:16; 14:28; Revelation 11:15.
Sin and Death

Death is a result of sin inherited from the first man, Adam, who chose to disobey God. The original sin was not sex relations but was the deliberate disobedient act of eating of "the tree of the knowledge of good and bad." The dead are conscious of nothing. In the future, God through Jesus will resurrect the dead.—Genesis 2:17; Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10; John 11:25; Romans 5:12.
Worship

True worship emphasizes, not ritual and outward show, but spirit and truth. It is characterized by genuine love for God, obedience to his commandments, and love for one's fellowman. Jehovah's Witnesses do not use religious symbols, such as the cross, in their worship.—Matthew 22:37-39; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 10:14.
God's Kingdom

It is the heavenly Kingdom for which Jesus taught all his followers to pray. Soon it will become the one government over all the earth and will solve mankind's pressing problems. The Bible does not give a date for these events, but it provides evidence to show that we are living in "the last days" of this troubled world.—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10; 24:3-8, 36.
Judgment

Jesus is God's appointed Judge who determines what each one's future will be. Those judged righteous will be given everlasting life on a paradise earth. Those judged unrighteous will not be tormented but will die and cease to exist. Humans are not responsible for this judgment, nor will they be involved when God takes action to remove all wickedness from the earth.—Proverbs 2:21, 22; John 5:22; Acts 17:30, 31; Revelation 21:3, 4.
Earth

The earth will never be destroyed or depopulated but will become a peaceful paradise.—Psalm 37:29; Isaiah 45:18; Luke 23:43.


Is There Any Hope of Salvation?

The 20th century has been called one of the bloodiest centuries humanity has ever known. Crime, wars, ethnic strife, drug abuse, dishonesty, and violence have been especially rampant during the last few decades. Add to this the pain and suffering that have been the result of sickness, old age, and death. Who does not long for liberation from the enormous problems that exist in the world today? As we look to the future, is there any hope of salvation?

CONSIDER the vision that the apostle John was entrusted with some 2,000 years ago. He wrote: "Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. And God himself will be with them. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away." (Revelation 21:3, 4) The prophet Isaiah likewise foretold: "He will actually swallow up death forever, and the Sovereign Lord Jehovah will certainly wipe the tears from all faces. And the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for Jehovah himself has spoken it."—Isaiah 25:8.

Just imagine what the fulfillment of God's promises will mean! Mankind will be rescued, or delivered, from oppression and violence, from the causes of suffering and distress. Why, even sickness, old age, and death will not plague us! God's Word, the Bible, promises everlasting life under perfect conditions on earth. (Luke 23:43; John 17:3) And it is available to all who desire it. "[God's] will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth."—1 Timothy 2:3, 4.

To benefit from God's promises, though, we must understand the role Jesus Christ plays in our salvation and exercise faith in him. Jesus himself said: "God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) Pointing to the central role of Jesus Christ in this matter, the apostle Peter said: "There is no salvation in anyone else, for there is not another name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved." (Acts 4:12) The apostle Paul and his associate Silas urged a sincere inquirer: "Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will get saved, you and your household."—Acts 16:30, 31.

Yes, Jesus Christ is "the Chief Agent of life," and salvation is possible only through him. (Acts 3:15) But how can one man be such a key figure in saving us? Having a clear understanding of his role in this regard should strengthen our hope of salvation.

Beliefs—Role in Society
Respect for Authority

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that it is their Christian responsibility to be model citizens. For this reason, they honor and respect governmental authority. Only on those rare occasions when a government demands what is in direct conflict with what God commands do Jehovah's Witnesses decline to comply. Their publications and public ministry encourage everyone to be law-abiding.—Matthew 22:17-21; Acts 5:29; Romans 13:1-7.
Relationship to Society

Jehovah's Witnesses are found at all levels of society, and they do not physically separate themselves from those who do not share their beliefs. They live, work, and go to school with people of different religious beliefs, and they enjoy cordial relationships with them. Jehovah's Witnesses follow Jesus' example of being "no part of the world" by avoiding the unchristian prejudices and controversies that divide mankind today. Although not ascetics, they avoid being excessive in the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, or prominence.—John 17:15, 16; 1 John 2:15, 16.
Neutrality

Following the examples set by Jesus and first-century Christians, Jehovah's Witnesses do not share in the politics or wars of any nation. Their stand of Christian neutrality is well documented in history. They firmly believe that they must "beat their swords into plowshares" and not "learn war anymore." (Isaiah 2:4) At the same time, Jehovah's Witnesses recognize the authority of nations to raise armies and defend themselves, and they do not interfere with what others choose to do.—John 18:36.

Beliefs—Medical Treatment
Medical Care

Jehovah's Witnesses actively seek medical care when needed, and many work in the health-care field. They accept the vast majority of treatments available today.—Luke 5:31.
Abortion

Life begins at conception. Deliberately induced abortion is viewed as the willful taking of human life.—Exodus 21:22, 23.
Blood Transfusion

Christians are commanded to "abstain from . . . blood." Since the Bible makes no clear statement about the use of minor blood fractions or the immediate reinfusion of a patient's own blood during surgery, a medical process known as blood salvaging, the use of such treatments is a matter of personal choice. Jehovah's Witnesses accept reliable nonblood medical alternatives, which are increasingly recognized in the medical field.—Acts 15:19, 20, 28, 29; compare Genesis 9:3, 4; Leviticus 17:10-14.

Beliefs—Membership and Organization
Baptism

This act symbolizes one's dedication to God and is taken by those of responsible age who have made an informed decision. Baptism is by complete water immersion.
Organization

Following the model of first-century Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses have no clergy-laity division. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work. Witnesses are organized into congregations of up to 200 members. Spiritually mature men in each congregation serve as elders. A body of elders supervises each congregation. About 20 congregations form a circuit, and about 10 circuits are grouped into a district. Congregations receive periodic visits from traveling elders. Guidance and instructions are provided by a multinational governing body made up of longtime Witnesses who currently serve at the international offices of Jehovah's Witnesses in Brooklyn, New York.—Acts 15:23-29; 1 Timothy 3:1-7.
Conscience

Jehovah's Witnesses avoid making rules and regulations beyond those provided in the Scriptures, and they do not follow traditions that contradict Bible teachings. Emphasis is placed on personal application of Bible principles and the value of a sound, Bible-based conscience.—Matthew 15:9; 2 Corinthians 1:24.

[Manu]

I'm sorry...that post was a bit long man......could you split it?

[Xenocrates]

I have questions/comments:

It is God's infallible, inspired Word, upon which Jehovah's Witnesses base all their beliefs. Some portions of the Bible are to be understood figuratively, or symbolically.—2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Revelation 1:1.

- With this, I agree. But are you aware of the fact that the JWs have used modified versions of the original KJV? (Yes or No is fine)

Jehovah is the name of the only true God, the Creator of all things. As such, he is worthy of our worship and devotion. His outstanding qualities are love, justice, wisdom, and power.—Psalm 83:18; 1 John 4:8; Revelation 4:11.

- I concur. But are you aware that no man can come to Jehovah, save through Christ? Although this is a rather trivial issue, isn't it a little backward to be making direct relation to Jehovah when He takes audience with no man? Isn't that Jesus' job?

[Jesus] is the Son of God. He came to earth from heaven and gave his perfect human life as a ransom sacrifice. His death and resurrection made salvation to eternal life possible for those exercising faith in him. He is now ruling as King of God's heavenly Kingdom, which will soon bring peace to the entire earth. Jesus never claimed equality with God and thus is not part of a Trinity.—John 3:16; 14:28; Revelation 11:15.
Sin and Death

- Explain St. John 17:5; I'll save you the task of looking it up:

And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

Does this not explicitly state that Christ shared the same "glory" as it were, with God the Father in the beginning? Personally I don't subscribe to the Holy Trinity doctrine (another false teaching of the Catholics) - but I do believe that Jesus Christ is a part of the God head. He is not equal in power with God, but he does share in the same glory. Do you agree or disagree?

Death is a result of sin inherited from the first man, Adam, who chose to disobey God...

- I concur. In fact I never had an issue with this teaching.

Jehovah's Witnesses do not use religious symbols, such as the cross, in their worship.—Matthew 22:37-39; John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 10:14.

- Catholics again. They're big on iconifications and symbols. They're the ones that also teach that a Priest at mass (eucharist) can literally convert the wafer that is given to parishoners, into the physical body of Christ. So with this one, I can relate to. Symbols mean nothing really. I concur.

Soon it will become the one government over all the earth and will solve mankind's pressing problems.

- No issues here either. But you conveniently failed to mention the Jehovah's Witnesses view that only 144,000 will go to Heaven. I need you to comment on that.

Jesus is God's appointed Judge who determines what each one's future will be...

- Again, no issues.

The earth will never be destroyed or depopulated but will become a peaceful paradise.

- Again, no issues. But I get the feeling you're only telling me stuff that all Christendom already agrees on. You're not telling me stuff about what the JWs believe that don't coincide with everything else. Those are the issues I want you to comment about. So I'll skip the next few commentaries (which you seemed to have Copy / Pasted here) and deal with the meat of the matter:

[More to come...]

[Xenocrates]

Beliefs—Role in Society
Respect for Authority

Only on those rare occasions when a government demands what is in direct conflict with what God commands do Jehovah's Witnesses decline to comply.

- That's not true! It can't be! The Jehovah's Witness are not encouraged to partake in any kind of politically motivated action or event. That means that Jehovah's Witnesses do not honour the national flag, nor do they say the national pledge, nor any of those other things. You can't tell me this is not so Leina. Let me tell you why:

A number of my good brejins are JWs. I have a neighbour that's a JW. We talk all the time. We've been having these discussions since I was 12 years old! We've been friends for many years. I have some good friends over on TechJamaica who are also JWs and they all concur with this teaching! (unless y'all changed it recently!) I've never seen the dude sing the anthem ONCE. When we're @ the cinema seeing a movie, he's the only dude sitting down when everone else gets up in respect of the national anthem. When we were in primary school together, he never said the pledge, nor participated in devotion. ...although in those days, I was too young to understand what the Jehovah's Witnesses were or what they were about. I just thought they were yet another denomination.

In FACT, he declined an IT job I hooked up for him in the public sector through another brejin, because he says that the JWs don't take jobs in Government institutions (again, no relations with the Gov't!). Somebody's been lying to you Leina. I've been hearing the same thing for well over 15 years now. Are you telling me the Jehovah's Witnesses have suddenly changed this rule? Since when?

Jehovah's Witnesses are found at all levels of society, and they do not physically separate themselves from those who do not share their beliefs. They live, work, and go to school with people of different religious beliefs, and they enjoy cordial relationships with them.

- I concur. Like I said, many of my good brejins are JWs. But this is not an issue I want you to discuss. I've never had a problem with this.

Life begins at conception. Deliberately induced abortion is viewed as the willful taking of human life.—Exodus 21:22, 23.

- Leina, have you READ what that scripture says? This is MOSES' LAW. This is NOT the law that God gave to man!! This is EYE for an EYE scripture! This doesn't abate abortion on the principle of the foetus being an intelligent lifeform with a soul. That's the debate with Abortion. Do you believe that a foetus is a living soul? Does it have a fate in the judgement?

...the use of such treatments is a matter of personal choice.

- I have to ask my brejin to signup on CaribYard and comment on this one. This is news to me (as are many things you're telling me). According to JW teaching, this is not a personal choice. Persons who take blood are excommunicated. I'll ask him to sign up later this eve. Maybe he can shed some light on why we know two very different things.

Jehovah's Witnesses avoid making rules and regulations beyond those provided in the Scriptures, and they do not follow traditions that contradict Bible teachings.

- I gotta say, of all the things that I do admire about Jehovah's Witnesses, this is the most superlative of them. I agree wholeheartedly. Anything that is non scriptural is a false teaching. I definitely concur.

Kindly supply me with your comments on the others. I'm gonna see if I can get those dudes on TechJamaica who are JWs to participate and also my other frenz who are JWs. I don't want to continue this discussion without them.

[tradag]

their is no diffrents, i dont like most jehovah's witnesses ppl they act liike they know more than other ppl and is better than most ppl and gwan like their never wrong about wat they say about god

[Leina]

Does this not explicitly state that Christ shared the same "glory" as it were, with God the Father in the beginning? Personally I don't subscribe to the Holy Trinity doctrine (another false teaching of the Catholics) - but I do believe that Jesus Christ is a part of the God head. He is not equal in power with God, but he does share in the same glory. Do you agree or disagree?

Yes Xeno I do agree, with you on that part Jesus did say that no one can approach the Father unless he goes through him, and since he is God's only begotten son then he would have some glory.