I am writing this to those of you who belong to the religious group called 'Jehovah's Witnesses'. I have had a few friends that are Jehovah's Witnesses. Before I start, I want you to know that I am not your enemy. You do have an enemy just like I do. We all have this enemy in common. He is a trickster and will fool any person who will listen to him. He is known by many names; Lucifer, Satan and the devil are his common names. No matter what a person's religious beliefs are, they have a spiritual enemy who wants to keep them in darkness.
The Jehovah's Witness religion began in the late 1800s, started by a man named Charles Taze Russell. In 1931, the group came under the leadership of Joseph Franklin Rutherford, and the name 'Jehovah's Witnesses' was developed. It has a strong focus on the return of Christ, and has claimed that this has already happened, but will happen in visible form at some point prior to the establishment of the millennial Kingdom that Christ will bring on earth. A big difference the Jehovah's Witnesses have from traditional Christianity is their use of 'The New World' translation of the Bible, which was developed and altered many times to fit their agenda, in the early 1900s. Verses having to do with the deity of Christ are rewritten in such a way to project Jesus as either a 'lesser' god or someone who has God-like qualities, but is not God in the flesh.
If you are reading this as a Jehovah's Witness, I have a couple of questions and a challenge for you. I know most Jehovah's Witnesses will stop right here and basically say that they are the only true religion and they will go no further in seeking out why they believe in what they believe in. That's ok, but if you are reading this, please ponder the questions I want to ask you. I am not trying to bully you around with the knowledge that I have, but all of us need to understand the foundations of whatever it is we believe in and hold to. Many people just believe that a certain church or denomination is the only right one because that is the one they were raised in. They don't question why it is supposed to be the right one. They just seem to know that it is the right one.
In Communist countries, many times, children are taught things that aren't true. For example, in North Korea, there is a painting in a museum that depicts a child being tortured because he stole a piece of fruit off a tree. The North Korean teachers teach the children that Christian missionaries are not to be trusted and that they are in their country to harm the people. The children are taught that the mean person in the picture who is beating the child is like the missionaries who come to that country. In other Communist countries, people are taught false things about Americans through the use of the sports sections of newspapers. For example, a headline might read, 'Miami Beats Oklahoma', and students are taught that cities in America are fighting each other. This is deception at its best. In North Korea, the children are also taught that their leader has divine qualities. One of the leaders even took the 10 Commandments and inserted his name in the places where God's name is! How horrible that is!
Let's talk about a few things concerning the Jehovah's Witness beliefs. One of the beliefs that they hold to is the return of Christ to earth. One of their leaders prophesied that it would happen on a certain day. That day came and went. He set another date. That day came and went. This happened several times. If you are Jehovah's Witness, I know it will be hard for you to get on the Internet with a clear conscience because you are not encouraged to do this. The Governing Body doesn't want you to research the History of Jehovah's Witnesses. But, if you are a person who is sure that you are right in believing in the Jehovah's Witness doctrine, what do you have to lose? If you are right, then no amount of information that you read will change your mind. But perhaps, there are things you never learned or heard before, that will make you think.
Islam believes that Mohammed is the true prophet. Mormons trust in Joseph Smith as having the words of life. Catholics trust in what they consider the word of God to be infallible when it is spoken by the Pope. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Governing Body holds the infallible word of God. If that is what you believe in, do you have valid reasons for believing that is true? What are your reasons for believing the Governing Body is God's perfect representation on earth? Or do you believe this because that is what you were taught as a Jehovah's Witness?
My challenge to you is this; Would you consider reading through, maybe just the New Testament for now, using a version that is not the New World Translation. You will be amazed to see things differently. You can go to www.biblegateway.com . They have several versions to choose from to read. The versions are taken from old manuscripts of the Scriptures. There are many copies of these manuscripts and they are pretty much say the same thing. Most of the modern versions of the Bible are taken directly from these manuscripts. They have not been passed down like the telephone game. They are very close to the original writings. Please notice that all the work done through the ages, produced the Bibles we have today. They do not match the New World Translation in many places.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses today have repented of their sins, and trusted in Jesus Christ as their Savior. They understood what God was saying in His word about sin needing to be punished, and that Jesus took the punishment for your sins and mine. Jehovah's Witnesses are not taught this. They are taught that people are saved by doing good works. They also do not believe in hell as a real place of punishment. The Bible teaches about hell in many places. You need to think about why Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in hell, especially when it is in the Bible.
So, how do you know the New World Translation is authentic? You probably don't because there is no reason given of why it should be. But you are expected to listen and trust in what the Governing Body is telling you without questioning them. But in reality, you need to seek God and find out what is true.
I am writing this out of care. I am not better than you are. I have done many bad things in my life which need God's forgiveness and an atoning sacrifice to pay for my sin. Every person needs this, including the Jehovah's Witness. We can never be good enough to earn heaven or to cancel out our sins. Even when we do good works, they don't atone for our sins, and we will be judged for them. But God made a way that we could go free. He also gives us the power to break sins hold on us so we can be free.
For more information on the Gospel here are some links:
http://thegospelconversation.blogspot.com
Are You Good Enough For Heaven?
The Gospel Told Using Colors
The Good Person Test
If you want to look further on the History of the Jehovah's Witnesses, here is a link you can go to:
http://www.patheos.com/Library/Jehovahs-Witnesses.html
Here are some recommended books:
10 Most Important Things You Can Say To A Jehovah's Witness
20 Questions A Jehovah's Witness Cannot Answer
The Bible vs The Watchtower
Index of Watchtower Errors
The Facts On Jehovah's Witnesses
30 Years A Watchtower Slave
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