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#8 The Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses
The Worldview of the Jehovah's Witnesses:
Practices and Teachings
8. What do Jehovah's Witnesses believe about Christianity?
The Jehovah's Witnesses
believe that Christianity is an apostate religion that has taught false
doctrines and deceived people for over 1800 years. Until Jehovah's Witnesses
appeared in the late nineteenth century and began teaching the Bible correctly,
God's truth was largely absent from the world. Thus, the Witnesses believe that
the Christian Church is a satanic deception and that they alone are the true
church.
Consider the following statements that have been made by some
of the Watchtower presidents and official leaders:
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"Jehovah's Christian Witnesses are the ones
that have identified who Babylon the Great is . . . the world empire of false
religion. The Chief component member and mouthpiece in that religious world
empire is Christendom! She is the most reprehensible member thereof because
she claims to be 'Christian.' Her blasphemies exceed those of 'pagandom.' . .
. Her blood guilt exceeds that of all the non-Christian religious realm."
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"Christendom's course is 'the way to death.' "
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"The Anglo-American empire system, which
chiefly is 'Christendom,' Satan makes his chief spokesman on earth . . . "
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"Christendom's religion id demonism . . . "
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"As the most reprehensible ones among the
people of Christendom, the clergy and religious leaders will drink the potion
of death . . . "
It is clear from this that
Jehovah's Witnesses view Christians and the Christian faith as one of their most
powerful enemies. Dose this mean they have compassion on Christians and hope to
rescue them from their collision course with God's judgment? Do they take Jesus
seriously and love their enemies (Matthew 5:44)? While some do, WS literature
has offered sentiments that may make this difficult:
Haters of God and His people . . . are to be
hated . . . We must hate in the truest sense, which is to regard with extreme
and active aversion, to consider as loathsome, odious, filthy, to detest. Surely
any haters of God are not fit to live on this beautiful earth . . . We must have
a proper perspective of these enemies . . . We cannot love those hateful
enemies, for they are fit only for destruction . . . We pray with intensity . .
. and plead that [Jehovah's] anger be made manifest . . . Oh, Jehovah God of
Hosts . . . be not merciful to any wicked transgressors . . . consume them in
wrath, consume them that they shall be no more.
Regardless, in that Jehovah's
Witnesses go door-to-door, this presents the perfect opportunity for Christians
to show them Christ's love. To do this effectively, however, it is important to
understand what the Witnesses believe and why it is not biblical. It is also
important to help them begin to question the authority claims of the Watchtower
Society.
John Ankerberg & John Weldon
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