Wikipedia:WikiProject Jehovah's Witnesses/Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses

This is an archive of an old page that has been merged into Beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses. The information is kept here, as editors may find it useful in editing the above article.

The beliefs and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses were initially formulated by Charles Taze Russell beginning in the early 1870s. Since that time, additional Biblical studies and interpretations have been introduced by other founders and leaders of the movement.

The Bible

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the entire Bible, including both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is inspired of God and important for the Christian faith. (2 Timothy 3:16,17) Witnesses generally use a translation of the Bible that they developed in the mid-twentieth century, known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT).

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, a version of the New Testament that includes the Greek text with a literal, word-for-word English translation underneath the Greek text, states: "From the time of the Roman Catholic clergyman John Wycliffe, of the 14th century, until the final decades of this 20th century, many English translations of the inspired writings of Christ's disciples have been made. All of these have had their own commendable features. They have considerably met the needs of the day for a rendering of God's Word into the common language of the people. Much good has been accomplished by them and yet will be. However, it is to be noted that, while each of them has its points of merit, they have fallen victim to the power of religious traditions in varying degrees."

Jehovah's Witnesses accept the literalness of the Genesis account of the Flood, and the historicity of Biblical persons such as Noah, Samson and Jonah. While they do not consider the Bible a scientific book, they believe that it is scientifically accurate, as it does appear to be centuries ahead of its time.

Beliefs about God

The name of God

Witnesses emphasize the importance of God's name, Jehovah, which is an English form of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton is used extensively throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, or "Old Testament", appearing nearly 7,000 times in the original text.

Citing Christ's words in the Lord's Prayer, "hallowed be thy name", as well as other biblical passages, they believe that "our salvation is closely linked with a proper appreciation of God's name." (see also Romans 10:13,Psalm 9:10, and Levitiua 22:32)[1]. The Witnesses' New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures reflects this emphasis by using the name Jehovah in the English of both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures ("New Testament"), as the literal translation of original texts.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the Tetragrammaton originally appeared in some places in the autographs of the New Testament, but was subsequently removed by scribes. There is no direct way to prove or disprove this claim, however, since the original autographs have been lost. Jehovah's Witnesses support this claim by citing some ancient fragments of the Septuagint Greek Old Testament that contain the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew letters. They feel that when the New Testament writers quoted the Greek Septuagint, where the Tetragrammaton appeared, or quoted the Hebrew text, that they would have been obliged to faithfully include the Tetragrammaton. They do acknowledge, however, that no extant New Testament manuscript contains the Tetragrammaton.

They identify God using the most commonly accepted English rendering of the Tetragrammaton: "Jehovah". The English form "Jehovah" is a Romanised transliteration of the Hebrew name for God. Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide identify God by whatever form of the Tetragrammaton is common in their language. While not opposed to the name “Yahweh”, there are at least two reasons why it is not commonly used in English. First, they feel it could be inconsistent to use “Yahweh” and not change other Biblical names that have the Divine name included. For example, if Yahweh was used so should Ye·shua, instead of Jesus, or Yehoh-sha·phat́ instead of Jehoshaphat, etc. The second reason is brought out in an issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. There reference is made to the fact that a two-syllable pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” would not allow for the o vowel sound to exist as part of God’s name. Thus the article stated, “When the Tetragrammaton was pronounced in one syllable it was ‘Yah’ or ‘Yo.’ When it was pronounced in three syllables it would have been ‘Yahowah’ or ‘Yahoowah.’ If it was ever abbreviated to two syllables it would have been ‘Yaho.’”“ Thus “Jehovah” preserves three syllables, whereas “Yahweh” only two.

They believe that the use of God's personal name is required in order to build a personal relationship with him, and to be saved.

In the Old Testament

The Hebrew divine name of God, ("YHWH" in Latin characters), is found in the Old Testament 6,828 times. In the process of translation into modern languages, most Bibles, in keeping with a Jewish tradition, translate this as "LORD" in all capitals, or less commonly, transliterate it as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh". The New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses (NWT), as well as the Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, differ significantly here from almost all other Bibles. The NWT renders all instances of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton as "Jehovah" and, for a variety of other reasons. The NWT also introduces 141 more instances in the Old Testament where they believe the name should appear, even though it is not found in the available and commonly recognized sources. They cite the works of C.D. Ginsburg to justify these additional uses, with the exception of one verse supported by the "Biblia Hebraica" and the "Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia". Such deliberate use of the name is a result of what they believe to be a deep respect for the "Author of our salvation."

In the New Testament

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the early Christians used the divine name in their worship, preaching, and writings, even though no extant New Testament manuscript contains the Tetragrammaton. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Tetragrammaton was removed from New Testament manuscripts and replaced by the word for Lord in the first and second centuries due to the influence of the Jewish tradition. They also argue that “the Old Testament says that the name of God should always be used (Exodus 3:15; Malachi 1:11)” In total, the NWT is has 237 instances of the Tetragrammaton in the New Testament.

To support the belief in the prominent usage of the divine name, they refer to scriptures such as this as evidence: "I have revealed your name to those whom you took from the world to give me" (John 17:6 NWT). "Making God's name known" is believed by Jehovah's Witnesses to have been a fundamental emphasis of early Christians, as a reaction to the Jewish tradition of not uttering the divine name. The act of using the name in the New Testament is considered a continuation of this supposed early Christian precedent. Therefore, in the NWT, New Testament passages that quote Old Testament scriptures containing the Tetragrammaton are assumed to require "restoration" of the divine name, as the translators do not believe that the author of a New Testament writing would have used a word such as Lord in place of the Tetragrammaton.

Jehovah's Witnesses also claim evidences of early use of the divine name including:

• Ten manuscript fragments rendering the Tetragrammaton in ancient Hebrew characters or in the form of a double letter (Yodh).
• The "J Texts", which are primarily other translations or translation aids to the Bible, were looked at as a guide to see where other translations introduced the Tetragrammaton, and why.
• Origen a church father discussed the use of the Tetragrammaton in his Hexapla stating that "in the most accurate LXX (Septuagint) manuscripts THE NAME occurs in Hebrew characters."

The nature of God

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the Bible teaches that God has four cardinal attributes: love, justice, wisdom, and power. Similar to other monotheists in the Judeo-Christian tradition, they believe God to be "personal" and not an impersonal "higher power". In addition, God is believed to reside in the spirit realm (i.e. heaven), and not present in all things (as in pantheism). He is believed to take an interest in human affairs and can be communicated with via prayer.

Unlike most other Christian churches, Jehovah's Witnesses reject the doctrine of the Trinity, holding it to be unscriptural and of pagan origin. They believe that Jehovah God (the Father) and Jesus (the Son) are distinct spirit persons; that Jesus is a being created by God and is not God's equal; and that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but God's active force. They believe that this is a restoration of the beliefs of the first-century Christian Church.

The brochure Should You Believe in the Trinity?, is an example of the Jehovah's Witnesses' arguments against the doctrine of the Trinity, and their view of the nature of God.

Beliefs about Jesus Christ

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is second in authority to - and subject to - his father Jehovah (God). They view Jesus as the perfect reflection of Jehovah's very being (Hebrews 1:3) as God's only begotten Son. They believe Jesus is sometimes referred to as "a god", even a "Mighty God", and the "Prince of Peace".

Witnesses believe that Colossians 1:15 states that Jesus is "the firstborn of all creation" in a literal sense, as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox notion of his being "Eternally Begotten". Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is the highest order of created being, but not the self-existent, uncreated God as is Jehovah. (See Arianism.)

Witnesses believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy in order to bring the means of salvation to the world. After his ministry on Earth, his death on a stake (they do not believe Jesus died on a cross), subsequent resurrection, and exaltation to the "right hand of God" (Acts 2:33-36), Jesus was given authority over all things (1 Corinthians 15:27, 28). They hold that Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, as most Christians believe, but was raised as a spirit. They also believe that in his non-human form (prior to Incarnation and after Resurrection) he is Michael the Archangel (literally "The Preeminent Angel").

They believe that "Jesus Christ, is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members." Only about 8,500 Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be of the 144,000 today. However, they believe that Jesus' responsibilities as Shepherd and Savior over God's people extend to those who do not profess the "heavenly hope".

Problem of evil

Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the literality of the Bible's accounts for explaining the existence of evil. They believe that Satan (the Devil) is a literal spirit being, who has cast aspersions on God's absolute sovereignty (right to rule) over humans (as implied in the serpent's words to Eve in Genesis Chapter 3). Witnesses believe that in order to be just, God has decided to allow humanity time to rule itself in order to prove to Satan that its inevitable failure to do so will prove that God's ways are superior.

Witnesses also believe that the Devil raised a second issue in the Book of Job. In that book Satan is depicted as accusing Job of following God's commands out of self-interest. Witnesses believe that this charge has been leveled at all of humanity through the example of Job. Jesus, his disciples, and other pre-Christian worshippers of God, are said to overcome this defense by being willing to serve God while suffering, even directly as a result of deliberate evil actions.

God, therefore, allows the world to suffer so that Man is allowed freedom of choice. Intervening before all significant choices are exhausted could reduce the freedom of Man and also act to reduce the loyalty of the angels who are viewed as watching human history take place.

Witnesses also believe that the time for allowing humanity to rule was predetermined by God, and that the end of that time was with the installment of Jesus as King in heaven. The "last days" of human rule began in 1914, and Witnesses expect the "Great Tribulation" to culminate in the destruction of one element of evil, false religions (all other religions, even those claiming to be Christian), followed by Armageddon, the destruction of governments and everyone who opposes God's intended Thousand Year rule through Christ.

Baptism

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that "Christian water baptism is an outward symbol that the one being baptized has made a complete, unreserved, and unconditional dedication through Jesus Christ to do the will of Jehovah God." (Reasoning From the Scriptures, page 54.)

• They believe that baptism involves complete immersion in water.

• Because infants are incapable of making a personal dedication to God, Infant baptism is not practiced among Jehovah's Witnesses.

• They do not baptize using the traditional formula of, "in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit." This causes their baptism to be viewed as invalid in some churches.

• They do not recognize baptisms from any other church, and so converts from all other churches must be baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.

Salvation

See Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation for details

Jehovah's Witnesses reject the doctrine of universal salvation. They teach that salvation requires faith in Jesus Christ. They believe that salvation is a free gift from God, and that Christian works are evidence of their genuine faith (James 2:24). They reject the concept "once saved, always saved" believing that salvation will be granted to those who endure faithfully until the end.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that people currently alive must be actively associated with the Jehovah's Witnesses alone, and become one of them as an essential requirement for salvation. Their literature states: "A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization. . . Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." (Watchtower 15 February 1983 p. 12) They also believe faithful Christians and worshippers of God in the past will also gain salvation via a resurrection, along with the resurrected non-Christians who then choose to serve God.

The group also rejects the doctrine of predestination.

Neutrality

As they feel that their allegiance and subjection belongs, above all, to God's Kingdom, Jehovah's Witnesses remain politically neutral. For this reason, they refrain from saluting the flag of any country, believing that such an act would be equivalent to worshipping an idol. Correspondingly, they do not use any images or icons in their worship, including the symbol of the cross.

The political neutrality of Jehovah's Witnesses is also expressed by their refusal to participate in military service, even when such is of a compulsory nature, and by their detachment from secular politics. Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged, but not prohibited under all circumstances, from voting in elections. (Watchtower 1 November 1999. p.28) They do not run for any political office, as they believe that Jesus set an example by fleeing from those who sought to make him king. Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider themselves member or citizen of any particular country. They consider themselves citizens of God's Kingdom. They consider war as detestable in the eyes of God.

Creation and the Flood

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jehovah was the First Cause of creation, bringing all living and non-living things into existence, as well as the Universe itself. They believe that Jesus was the first direct creation of God, and that in his pre-human existence as a spirit creature, Jesus was actively involved in the creation of all other things (see also Christology below).

Because of the political issues associated with the term, Witnesses prefer not to be called "creationists", identifying more closely with adherents of intelligent design theory. They believe that the universe's creation (described in Genesis 1:1) was followed by billions of years prior to the creative "days" beginning in Genesis 1:2. They do not believe that the "days" of Genesis chapter 1 were literal 24-hour days, as the Hebrew word yohm translated "day" can encompass a much longer time, such as in "the days of Uzziah" (Isaiah 1:1). Furthermore, all days in Genesis are said to have a beginning and an end, except for the last day. Witnesses believe that the author the book of Hebrews held that this seventh day was still continuing when he lived (Hebrews 4:1-10), and could therefore not have been 24 hours long.

As recently as the 1970s, they stated that each day was exactly 7,000 years long. This belief has never been explicitly abandoned, nor has an exact number of years clearly been stated in recent articles. Witness literature continues to refer to the described events as taking "thousands of years", never the hundreds of millions that paleontologists would estimate. They do, however, accept the possibility that the acts of each day could have continued on subsequent ones.

Witnesses acknowledge the existence of microevolution, or progressive developments and adaptation within the limits of a what Genesis calls a 'kind' They say Noah took a limited number of ‘kinds’ aboard the ark, and that these diverged after the flood – for example, as lions and tigers are partially cross-breedable, they could both be descended from a common ancestor pair. They do not believe that life arose as a result of purely natural processes, but instead hold that the first humans, and indeed all 'kinds', were created directly by God.

As Witnesses believe that the chronology contained in the Bible is accurate, they date Adam’s creation as occurring in 4026 BC and the flood in 2370 BC.

Religious symbols

Jehovah's Witnesses categorically reject the use of images or icons in worship, as they believe this violates Biblical prohibitions against idolatry. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that an idol is any image, symbol or object that is an object of intense devotion, veneration, or worship.

Regarding the cross as a religious symbol, Jehovah's Witnesses cite three reasons why Christians should not use it as a symbol for Christianity:

1 - They consider that the instrument of Christ's suffering and death should not be viewed with reverence, even as most people would not love or venerate a knife or a revolver that had been used to murder a loved one.

2 - They teach that Christ was executed on a stake, rather than a cross. (see section on New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Characteristics)

3 - They teach that the cross was introduced into early Christianity by the integration of customs of pagan converts, citing uses of the cross in ancient pagan religions such as those of Egypt and Babylon.

Eschatology

Main article: Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses

Christ's presence is considered to be his invisible rule from heaven and is believed to have begun in 1914. Witnesses believe that Jesus' prophecy recorded in Matthew 24 have been being fulfilled since that time. They identify the same period with the 'last days' referred to by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. It is taught that starting with World War I in 1914 (which actually began several months before the prophesied October fulfilment), as well as increases in other conflicts and natural disasters since they are proof that world conditions have worsened since the alleged expulsion of Satan from heaven in 1914.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the dead are unconscious, citing Ecclesiastes 9:5, "the dead know not any thing". They view death as the end of the existence of a "soul" or person. Right from their movement's inception, they have rejected the concept of a literal hell fire as repugnant and incompatible with God's qualities, and interpret the references to fire in connection with the fire that destroyed garbage outside Jerusalem, i.e., a synonym of destruction, not punishment. Their doctrine has no equivalent of the Catholic concept of purgatory.

They do not believe in an immortal soul that is separate from the body, but rather understand the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psyche - both often translated as soul - to mean the person as one indivisible whole. Similarly, they make a sharp distinction between the soul and the spirit (Hebrew: ruach, Greek: pneuma), considering the latter to be the impersonal life-force in every human, sustained by breathing. This has clear consequences for their beliefs about the afterlife. They believe that people who die merely cease to exist, except in God's memory. They therefore consider the resurrection to be a re-creation of the person.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the earth will continue to exist and be inhabited forever. In their view, God's intention is for faithful humans to eventually live forever in a state of robust and perfect physical health on earth, which will have been restored to a state of splendor similar to the Garden of Eden. They believe that literally 144,000 faithful Christians will be taken to heaven to be Governors with Christ for 1,000 years.

The group teaches that all other human beings, except for those deemed by God to be incorrigibly wicked, will be restored to life (resurrected) in the thousand-year period directly after Armageddon, known as Judgement Day. During Judgement Day, the dead will be resurrected, "righteous and unrighteousness" (Acts 24:14), and people will have the opportunity to learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9-10). God will provide a new communication to humankind to augment the Bible, and gradually restore all humans to a state of physical perfection. At the end of Judgement Day, there will be a final test when Satan the Devil will be let out of his prison (Revelation 20:3). Those rebelling against God at that time, or even earlier during Judgement Day, will be destroyed, along with the Devil (Revelation 20:7-10). Those who fall to their old ways shall be eternally eliminated, given the 'second and final death from which there is not escape', along with the Devil. Perfect humans will inherit everlasting life on Paradise Earth to worship Jehovah.

Moral standards

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible strictly forbid all sexual relations outside of marriage and they oppose all homosexual activities. (See Homosexuality and Christianity) Only when one's spouse has committed adultery can one of Jehovah's Witnesses divorce and remarry. Other circumstances where divorce is allowed but remarriage is not an option include such situations as a violent marriage. They are against polygamy in any case. In countries where polygamy is common, men are required to separate from all wives but their first before being eligible for baptism.

Moderate use of alcohol is viewed as acceptable, but drunkenness is forbidden, along with all recreational use of drugs, including tobacco.

All forms of gambling are prohibited.

Witnesses view dating, or courtship, not as a recreational activity, but as a means of getting to know a prospective marriage partner. Courtship is therefore not taken lightly. Courting couples are encouraged to avoid potentially compromising situations that could lead to fornication.

Many parties and other festivities are supervised by elders (overseers of the congregation), ministerial servants (assistants of elders), or any other experienced and/or well-respected congregational member.

Members are expected to dress modestly.

A major focus of Witness publications and meetings is the development of Christlike personality traits. Physical or verbal aggression and the use of threats or obscenities are strongly discouraged.

Strict honesty is expected in all aspects of life. They are strictly expected to obey the government (Romans 13:1-7), as long as it is not against their beliefs. Witnesses are expected to pay taxes conscientiously, avoid lying and stealing, even in relatively minor matters, and to give their employers an honest day's work.

Blood

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and blood

Based on their understanding of the Bible admonition to "keep abstaining from blood" (Acts 15:28-29), Jehovah's Witnesses refrain from accepting any blood transfusion or whole blood products. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the successor to the Apostles of the early church is the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their decisions are binding.

Jehovah's Witnesses take into consideration other parts of the Bible in formulating their view of blood. They believe that, due to the sacredness of blood as the symbol of life, the proper use of blood is to be "poured out" and not stored for some other purpose. Also, they note that the command to not eat blood was given during Noah's time, and therefore not purely a Jewish dietary law, which Jehovah's Witnesses consider to no longer be binding upon Christians (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10)

Jehovah's Witnesses consider blood transfusion to be both a misuse of blood, as well as violating an explicit admonition to not "eat" or consume blood in any fashion. A common illustration that is used is if a physician tells a patient to "abstain from alcohol" it would not follow that the patient can inject it into his bloodstream. Therefore, abstinence from blood is similarly believed to include transfusion.

See also Jehovah's Witnesses: Controversial Issues

Development of doctrine

Main article: Development of Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine

Witness teachings and practices have evolved over the past century to reach their present form. This has generated considerable controversy among critics, who maintain that Jehovah's Witnesses have made many significant changes to their teachings over the past hundred years.

Jehovah's Witnesses agree that this is true, and attribute gradual modifications in doctrine to an improved understanding of the Bible over time. They view this as positive.

Importance of doctrine

Most Jehovah's Witnesses are well-grounded in the doctrines of their religion and are able to explain what they believe and what they consider to be the basis for these beliefs in the Bible. Before baptism, they go through a period of weekly study of doctrinal matters, and doctrines are discussed frequently at their congregational meetings.

Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions

Like many conservative Christian denominations, Witnesses believe that there is only one true religion - that taught by Jesus Christ in the Bible, namely true Christianity (Ephesians 4:4-6). However, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that their own faith is the only true restoration of that first-century Christianity. They believe that the existence of absolute truth precludes the possibility that different religions, confessing a multitude of conflicting doctrines, are equally acceptable. Because they deem it inappropriate to engage in forms of organizational cooperation with "unbelievers", they do not participate in interfaith initiatives or the ecumenical movement.

While believing the teachings of other religious organizations to be in error, Jehovah's Witnesses recognize that there are sincere individuals in all religious traditions and respect the right of each person to choose his or her religion. However, they further believe that people need to take action to align themselves with God's word in order to survive at the imminent battle of Armageddon (2 Peter 3:11-13). This is one reason why door-to-door preaching is considered to be an urgent life-saving work.

Marrying of non-Jehovah's Witnesses is strongly discouraged due to the scriptural exhortation to "marry only in the Lord". However, "mixed homes" do occur when one of the spouses converts to another faith (when a non-Jehovah's Witness becomes a Jehovah's Witness or vice versa). Children are encouraged to respect both their parents, even if one does not share their convictions. In such cases, the parent who is a Jehovah's Witnesses may teach children of the Jehovah's Witness faith while also paying full respect to their spouse.

Reference and research materials

Past editions of The Watchtower and Awake! are available to Witnesses in book form (bound volumes). These for the most part remain unchanged (however there have been exceptions) and are therefore generally a historical resource on the details of what the Witnesses taught at the time of their publication. Additionally, a host of books have been published by them over the decades. Kingdom Halls have a library of these publications. Much of the material has been published as a CD-ROM known as the Watchtower Library, which is available only to members. The Watchtower Library license agreement explicitly forbids its transfer to non-Witnesses, and its contents are considered to be confidential. In spite of this, however, most of its contents have been made publicly available in printed form [2]).