This series will consist of four parts. This is only part 1 of 4. The parts will be posted in the following order:
1. Their History (today’s post)
2. Their Prophet
3. Their Hermeneutic
4. Their Logic
At the end of part 4 a downloadable pdf of the entire article with footnotes will be available.
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Everybody knows that Jehovah’s Witnesses are identified by going door to door with Watchtower and Awake magazines. Jehovah’s Witnesses are one of the premier cults of our day and age. There are more than 6.5 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide and though they definitely have a tremendous zeal that even most Christian’s do not have, they have no knowledge of the true gospel for they defend a false gospel. In this paper I will present four reasons why we ought to reject Jehovah’s Witnesses and consider them as they are: ministers of a false gospel and therefore in need of evangelization.
1. Their History
Jehovah’s Witnesses were birthed during a time of cults. They are not as unique as they claim. Many people fail to recognize the history surrounding their origin. They began in the 19th century, which was a spawning ground of the cults and occult. It was a new era of history, for the reign of kings ended and the industrial revolution was happening. With this taking place, people were leaving the local church to the city. This was also the time when religious liberals and secular scholars attacked the Bible vehemently. With brand new weapons of mass destruction people believed that Biblical prophecies speaking of ‘wars and rumors of wars’ was being fulfilled. On November 13, 1833 the Great Leonid meteor shower hit (there were over 200,000 shooting stars). Many believed that this was the ‘signs in the sky’ that the Bible spoke about and people believed the world was near its end. With all these things going on, it provided fertile soil for heresies to sprout. If you are familiar with the nineteenth century you know there were a ton of heresies and the Jehovah’s Witness heresy was just one of them. Most of the cults we know of and are familiar with were birthed in this so called “Restoration Movement.”
These so called ‘restorers’ all claimed the following:
1. The true church disappeared in the first century.
2. Roman Catholic and all Protestant churches are apostate.
3. The Millennium was going to be ushered in this lifetime.
4. Salvation came through baptism (most groups).
5. Nothing is allowed in the church unless there is a book, chapter and verse for it (i.e. instruments).
6. The historic creeds of Christianity are worthless.
The facts of history tell us that Jehovah’s Witnesses sprang forth from the Campbellite movement that took place in the 19th century. Thomas and Alexander Campbell, Barton Stone, Walter Scott were all part of this movement. They all believed that Alexander Campbell was called by God to restore the true gospel. One Campbellite Evangelist named John Thomas agreed with Alexander Campbell that 1866 was the beginning of Armageddon. Thomas disagreed in a few areas with the Campbellites and left with many starting what would be called the Christadelphians. They said that they ought to throw out the Trinity since it is not a word in the Bible. He then threw out the bodily resurrection of Christ, the personality of the Holy Spirit, salvation by grace through faith, the physical literal Second Coming of Christ and the teaching of an eternal conscious torment in Hell.
A man named Benjamin Wilson followed Thomas and though he never knew Greek published a word for word interlinear translation of the New Testament called The Emphatic Diaglott. Wilson introduced Charles Taze Russell in 1852 to these teachings and then the Jehovah’s Witnesses were born. Russell founded Watchtower Magazine and published his own Bible interpretation. He wrote Millennial Dawn, which was re-titled Studies in the Scripture in 1886. Russell said, “people cannot see the divine plan in studying the Bible by itself. Our experience shows that within two years you will be in darkness. But if you read my book you will be in the light at the end of two years” (Watchtower Reprints 298). Under the second president Rutherford the name Jehovah’s Witnesses came about. In 1961 the third president Knorr, mainly with Frederick Franz produced the New World Translation of the Bible.
There is nothing unique in their history, nothing altogether different from the beginning of other cults in this time period. Russell, Campbell, Thomas, all these individuals believed they were in the last days and all made numerous outlandish prophecies to which went unfulfilled. Therefore, the history of the Jehovah’s Witnesses demonstrates beyond all shadow of a doubt that they are not unique but just another cult.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Mike,
It’s funny how, as in #1 under the restoration section, they all say, “[t]he true church disappeared in the first century,” and how that becomes the basis for their new reveal-ations. I’ve never seen any valid arguments for this.
An EO once told me that we use the same argument and point to the Reformation as the great restoration, making us like Mormons, etc.
Anyhow, thanks again for another well-written piece. Looking forward to the next 3 parts!
So Stephen…what was your response to the EO?
Aww…I’m tearing up…missing ol’ Perry…sigh…
Well, I had to point out his error in equating the two while pointing out several major differences, one being that we don’t claim that the true church had hell’s gates prevail. Two being that we don’t claim to have received a prophet from God to restore true religion. Third, being that the Reformation was a theological movement verifiable by Scripture, not a novel religion based on new reveal-ation.
He eventually agreed that he misrepresented Protestants, but we went on to argue over deification and other tomfooleries!
“Aww…I’m tearing up…missing ol’ Perry…sigh…”
He needs prayer. He lost his teaching job and may be on the streets soon. He has a wife and kids, mortgage, etc. I just saw it on his blog, although it was posted a while ago.
Some of the best words I have ever read about a cult.
Thanks for your encouraging words, brothers.
Stephen,
You are right about their lack of valid arguments. You know, this week I explained to some my 4th and 5th grade students how the J.W’s Bible did not even come into existence until recently. It took a few attempts to break it down on their level. When it clicked for them they could not grasp how the religion could be true if they did not have a Bible this whole time. They were up in arms when I told them they deny that Jesus is God and are now ready to tell them never to come knocking on their doors again. Of course, they hate the fact that the J.W’s are telling them not to celebrate Christmas. It was hilarious.
Stephen, I will pray God’s perfect will for Perry…I didn’t know about his troubles…
This history of cults is something that is woefully missing from many of the apologetics classes I have taken. It was also missing from the JWs “official” history, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose or Jehovah’s Witnesses-Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom, books that I was very familiar with having grown up a JW
We must understand that cults, such as JWs, did not form in a vacuum, but were propducts of their times. At this point liberalism, rationalism, and evolution were beginning to make in roads into the religious, philiosphical and educational institutions of America. Couple this with the shift that America was experiencing – transitioning from a largely rural society to a largely urban society, and you had a great deal of people that were ripe for thepickings by these servants of Belial such as, Charles Taze Russell, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, Ellen G. White, et. al.
Currently the Watchtower is suffering greatly in the United States and other first-world countries. So much so, that they are currently attempting to sell-off their Brooklyn properties, many of which have been sold.
However, just because they are not growing at the pace they once did in English speaking America, do not think they have stopped. The Spanish-speaking congregations are growing by leaps and bounds due to the unabated flow of illegal immigrants from countries south of the border. When I lived in a predominately English speaking neighborhood, I was called on by JWs maybe twice a year. However once they determined that I was an “opposer” the visits ended. Now that I live in a primarily Spanish-speaking neighborhood, the JWs are knocking on my door about twice a month. Pray that I will learn Spanish quicker.
Sadly, there is no countering Christian outreach (that I am aware of) to deal with the great influx of these poor misguided souls into the Watchtower. Couple this with the fact that many Spanish-speaking pastors seem to be wrapped up in Pentecostal piety and blab it-grab it, and do not want to pursue their biblical calling of equiping the sheep to do the work of the ministry.
Interesting, but being an ex JW myself, in my own research I found that Charles Taze Russell had been attending 2nd Adventist meetings with Nelson Barbour and George Storrs. This was actually an extension of Millerite Aventism. I am not familiar with what used to be called International Bible Students being an offshoot of Cambellites. I really had never heard of that one before.
It is true, that like the Mormon church, they think that their group is a restoration of the “truth”, that the true church died out with the 1st Century church Christians.
Today, JW’s are waiting for “Armageddon”, and believe that “maybe they will be shielded in the day of Jehovah’s anger”. No JW is absolutely sure of their salvation, EVEN IF they are baptised and spend lots of hours going door to door and attend all the meetings. There is no assurance of salvation in the Watchtower, because you never know if you have done enough “works” for Jehovah to approve of you.
I would love to hear your argument on deification and other tomfooleries. I don’t deal much with JW. I interact with more mormons and Catholics than anything. Catholics are the hardest to pin down for various reasons. But I try to tread lightly with both since I work with them everyday.
Could you please gives references to where, as you state it, the JWs claim “The historic creeds of Christianity are worthless.”
Thanks.
Jeff,
In regards to the statement that I made about those from the restoration movement believing the historic creeds of Christianity to be worthless, here are some references:
Craig Blomberg, The New Mormon Challenge.
Steven Shields, Divergent Paths of the Restoration.
Carmel Christian Church (www.carmelchristianchurch.org/), which is a Disciples of Christ church specifically states this when talking about their own history. Here is what they say:
The Disciples originated in the then frontier regions of Western Pennsylvania, what was to become W. Virginia, and Kentucky. Two key founders were Alexander Campbell (whose followers were called Disciples) and Barton Stone (whose followers were called Christians) — thus the dual name of the denomination today. The Cane Ridge revival in 1801 was a major event in the origin of the new denomination. The movement originated as an effort to do away with denominations by abolishing historic creeds. “Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” The only requirement was a confession of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Because of this the Disciples have always been an inclusive fellowship incorporating people in one family who have a variety of Christian beliefs. The Disciples were part of a broader “Restoration Movement” intended to restore the primitive New Testament church. Reluctantly the young movement gradually became a denomination itself. We share common roots with two other groups, the Churches of Christ and the (Independent) Christian Churches.
There is an article, A Tale of Two Restorations, written by a Mormon, Kevin Barney. In it he states, “The creeds rejected by Alexander included not only the Protestant confessions, but also the historic creeds of the first millennium.” Barney goes on to uphold Alexander Campbell as a man “deserving of our honor and respect” on the level of “Calvin and Luther.”
There is just a few. Hope that helps…
Mike
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