by nicolaou 114 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
Jehovah's Witnesses accept Jesus as Christ, the Son of God. They try, in their own way, to live by his teachings and imitate him. They pray, read the Bible and meet together regularly for worship.
I won't minimise any of the harm and damage they cause but for the life of me, I can't see how anyone can credibly deny that they are Christians.
Why do so many former JWs have a problem with this?
All I know is they deny the Christ by not partaking of the bread and the wine. They basically unknowingly say "No" to the flesh and blood of Christ. Therefore they are not saved according to their belief. They also choose and organization over Christ.
But honestly I could give a crap. They prove by their works they are not Christians by the way they treat outsiders and those who choose to leave the organization.
Christian and JW should never be in the same sentence.
Firstly it works both ways, as JWs don't accept others are Christians either. But each for different reasons.
Other Christians generally do not recognise JWs as Christians because they don't accept the Nicene creed, which many perceive to mark the boundary of what can and cannot be considered Christian. It might seem a narrow definition, but admittedly it is broad enough to include hundreds of denominations all over the world and the vast majority of those who self-identity as Christian.
JWs on the other hand reject others as Christians not only because of doctrine but also because those outside the organisation do not recognise the unique authority of the religious leaders of their own church. So even if another group held all the same doctrines as JWs, but rejected the Governing Body, it is doubtful whether JWs would recognise them as Christian. In this respect they resemble the Catholic Church, although even the Catholic Church has shown some interest in ecumenism.
Since the JW reject partaking the emblems of Jesus' Sacrifice and deny that He is the is mediator, it's a false doctrine of Christ what they follow.
They are so christians as they are the Mormons...
(sorry for my english)
I agree with the OP, nic.
JWs are Christians in the same way that ISIS members are Muslims.
JWs are certainly no part of mainstream Christianity but they're Christians nonetheless.
They believe that the Bible is the word of God and that Jesus was sent to earth and died for peoples' sins.
Just ask one.
it could be that they don't see their sacred service leading to their salvation and as Christ is saviour it may lead to the thought they aren't Christian
Christians without Christ? Christ is the savior for all Christians...hence the name CHRISTians
It's my understanding that in JW land only the 144k are Christians and everyone else is saved by the org.
Another reason outsiders and former members may dispute the name "Christian" for JWs, beyond just doctrine, has more to do with the everyday sense of the word "Christian" as meaning a good or a kind person.
In situations like where JWs allow a family member to die without blood. Outsiders might remark that it doesn't sound very "Christian" to them. Same with shunning, outsiders who hear about cutting off children might say, "and they call themselves Christian?"
But then I suspect we get closer to the heart of what the OP may be about, as certain vehement atheists might resent the equation of Christian with kindness or goodness, and therefore regard it as simply a label for a collection of superstitions they regard as equally applicable to JWs as to other groups. Which is okay as a perspective but we should be honest about the motivation and intention of the gesture. It's not intended as an inclusive gesture toward JWs but rather an attempt to bundle all professed "Christians" together and to disregard their own distinctions about what constitutes a Christian.
