I have done extensive research into this cult. I spent one year with them studying them and their beliefs. I was not one merely studied them. Yes they are a cult and do not accept Jesus as being God in the flesh. They deny that Jesus and Jehovah are one in the same. They deny the Trinity. They deny the true deity of Jesus Christ. They believe that Jesus was really Michael in Heaven and the brother of Satan.
They believe in a works based salvation and that no one knows for certain if they are saved until the coming Kingdom. They also only believe that 144,000 JWs are going to be saved. They have grossly taken the passage about the 12,000 from the 12 tribes of Israel being set apart as being only those who are saved. They think they are of these tribes. LOL
What some people do not understand is that our salvation is dependent upon understanding WHO Jesus is and what it means to be the Christ. TO deny that Jesus is really God in the flesh, not the Father mind you but co-equal with God is paramount.
Are they saved? Not my call, though I do know a few details of their organization is a bit on the sketchy side...
Though I was rather fond of their translation of the bible (some of it), for the fact that they emphasize the lion laying with the lamb, and they realized that Issiah is stating that the missing cap stone of the pyramid is representative of The Messiah.
I also studied with them for a time. I have to clear up a few points that are important. But I need to say that I, also, was never one of them, so I may make some slight mistakes, but not concerning their main doctrine points. I have a lot of their literature if any one wants to check it out.
They believe that while Jesus walked the earth, He was deity because of the anointing that fell upon Him after baptism. They believe every word He said, and everything He did, were directly from the Father. For all intents and purpose, He was God while here on earth.
They believe that Jesus was Michael the Archangel, and brother to Satan in the same sense that ALL angels are brothers to Satan. They do deny the Trinity, but so did everyone else until about 300 years after Constantine decided to make it part of church doctrine. I, personally, believe in the Trinity, but it has roots in paganism, just as they claim, but so do lots of our modern beliefs.
They do believe in works, but tell you that is not where your salvation comes from. Still, their whole approach to works makes me question that.
They believe the 144,000 will be in spirit form, not receiving their glorified bodies. These will serve God in the new Jerusalem, which they claim is heaven. The rest will live on the new earth in their glorified bodies. Repopulating the earth into the place God intended it to be.
Are they a cult, yes, I think so. Are they saved? Not my place to say. It is possible that they meet the minimum requirements.
The biggest promblem I find with the Jehova Witnesses is that they dont really believe that you have to receive Christ to be saved, They believe as the pharissees of old. that do works out of yourself will make God Jehova well pleased, They remind me a little of the jews who are stuck in the old testament, but there the jews waiting for the messiah, the witnessses are not.
I have a LOT of their official literature here that ALL says salvation is only through Jesus. I have heard from many people that they don't believe Jesus is the only way to heaven, but that just isn't what they teach. They will quote John 14:6 to you as quickly as any other denomination.
I do agree that their actions would indicate that they have a works based salvation theory, but they do teach otherwise. They say works are required, but only to show your obedience to the word. Your works will not save you, they just prove your devotion. While I do not agree with this teaching, it is still short of being works based salvation.
There are some fundamental differences between Christianity and Jehovah's Witnesses and these differences separate JWs from being a Christian organization irregardless of the lip service they give about Jesus.
Declaring someone to be deity because of an "anointing" is not accepting Christ's true deity as God. Even in their perverted translation they define Jesus as "a god"....a lower deity.
Here is a list from Carm.org Carm is a Christian apologetics site which is ok but they are Calvinist/Baptist based. I will interject in this as well. I have had numerous conversations with JWs including "Elders" of their churches and what Carm lists below is accurate as they have admitted this to me on numerous occasions and debates.
1. There is one God in one person, Make Sure of All Things, p 188.
They do not recognize Jesus as being fully God...only a sub deity..."a god".
2. There is no Trinity, Let God be True, p. 100-101; Make Sure of All Things, p.386.
Leon you said that the Trinity is pagan based and did not exist until Constantine. That is simply not true. Where did you get that information? The scriptures clearly demonstrate that God is a plural being. The Trinity was taught in the Early Church way before Constantine even by the direct disciples of John the Apostle. This is irrefutable. You need to study the Ante-Nicene Fathers my brother. Here is a link to an article that explores the ECFs and what they had to say about the Trinity. http://www.pfrs.org/oneness/op04.html
3. The Holy Spirit is a force, not alive, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 406-407.
4. The Holy Spirit is God's impersonal active force, The Watchtower, June 1, 1952, p. 24.
We know from the grammar of the Greek that the Holy Spirit is a being and not a mere "active force" and is alive!
5. Jehovah's first creation was his 'only-begotten Son'. . . was used by Jehovah in creating all other things", Aid to Bible Understanding, p. 390-391.
This is flat out Heresy. Here is a quote from their perverted bible of which I possess a copy.
John 1:1 In [the] beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.NWT
The term "a god" defines a lower deity. They do not accept Jesus as being Jehovah. This is a salvation issue. Believing, accepting Christ is understanding who and what it means to be Christ.
Here is the NKJV which agrees with the Greek text.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. NKJV
Notice that it says the Word was GOD and not "a god" little "g". They impose the "a" to lessen Christ's deity.
6. Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man, The Watchtower, May 15, 1963, p. 307; The New World, 284.
This is utter nonsense and is an attack on the deity of Jesus. Hersey.
7. Jesus was only a perfect man, not God in flesh, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 306.
Heresy! What does the scriptures actually say?
1Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
8. Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, Awake! July 22, 1973, p. 4.
Heresy! This is serious. What do the scriptures say?
1Cor 15:12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.
14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up�if in fact the dead do not rise.
16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen.
17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!
18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. NKJV
9. Jesus was raised "not a human creature, but a spirit." Let God be True, p. 276.
Preterist believe this same nonsense. The scriptures above clearly refute this. To deny Jesus' bodily resurrection is to deny Christ and hense there is no salvation for that person.
10. Jesus was born again, The Watchtower, Nov. 15, 1954, p. 682.
11. Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 89-90.
12. Jesus began his invisible rule over the earth in 1914, The Truth Shall Make You Free, p. 300.
Nonsense!
13. Jesus' ransom sacrifice did not include Adam, Let God be True, p. 119.
Nonsense!
14. Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God, The Watchtower, April 1, 1972, p. 197.
15. They claim to be the only channel of God's truth, The Watchtower, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19.
16. Only their church members will be saved, The Watchtower, Feb, 15, 1979, p. 30.
17. Good works are necessary for salvation, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p. 150, 152.
Again....Heresy! Works based salvation is condemnation!
Rom 11:6 And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.
Gal 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
18. The soul ceases to exist after death, Let God be True, p. 59, 60, 67.
19. There is no hell of fire where the wicked are punished, Let God be True, p. 79, 80.
20. Only 144,000 Jehovah's Witness go to heaven, Reasoning from the Scriptures,1985, pp. 166-167, 361; Let God be True, p. 121.
21. Only the 144,000 Jehovah's Witness are born again. Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 76.; Watchtower 11/15/54, p. 681.
22. Only the 144,000 may take communion.
23. Blood transfusions are a sin, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, pp. 72-73.
24. The Cross is a pagan symbol and should not be used, Reasoning from the Scriptures, 1985, p. 90-92.
All nonsense and easily refuted from scriptures.
25. Salvation is by faith and what you do, Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 1, p.150,152.
Again...a works based salvation is condemnation.
I hope that you can see how Jehovah's Witnesses are Not a Christian Faith but are a Cult and if a person believes as they do then they are not saved.
My church in California gave us a huge packet of information on the JWs so that we could effectively witness to them. The information came from a former JW. It pretty much stated all of the same things that you just did. Also I have a book called Completel Evangelism by Christian Equippers International. They explain the beliefs of all the major cults and how to witness to them. They list many of the same false teachings that you have listed.
How can one who believes these things be saved? I do not believe that they are.
It's been a while, I can't recall exactly how all this goes so my info may be off a bit, but from what I recall, the original founder of the JW did not see the Jews as God's chosen people, rather I guess he was saying that God did not choose his people until the Eighteen Hundreds at some point and time, and I'm pretty sure that the people he had chosen to be "the few" to inherit the kingdom where in fact in his inner circle, cult, or what have you.
Ironically as time passed on, the founder died and his son took over, at which point he came out and said that everything the JW stood for before was bogus, and that God did not choose his chosen until now, and they they were such and such and so and so...
....which is kind of strange that so many people should consider to follow an organization that had up till recently been completely bogus. That the guy who did run the organization was said to be inspired by God, but he was wrong, but this guy is legit and inspired so we'll all jump ship and follow him instead.
Now as for not complying with the Nicene Creed...
...well I'm not trying to suggest that there is no Trinity, no Messiah, or that Yeshua was not the Messiah made flesh...
...after all, like the book of Job suggests, the path to salvation seems to be written in the Mazzaroth as plain as day, and the Mazzaroth has always told the same story, it does not change. If you look at the tales of Yeshua, you will surely see the tale of the Messiah that the ancients (not just the Jews/Hebrews) were quite familiar with, and wrote about...
...and almost lost to the modern world due to peer pressure and scare tactics, but alas God's "Word" can never be lost to the world, even if Lucifer does sit upon it's throne atm.
My point being though is that the Nicene Creed as we know it has a very bloody history, and things became much bloodier after it was made "Orthodoxed" by The Church aka Circe. Unlike the teachings of The Christ, The Church distracted man from their personal relationship with The Spirit, With God, from understanding The Messiah by turning his attention instead towards written word and minor trivialities. These pagans who came to be known as Our Church Fathers twisted the revolution that Yeshua began and tried to twist it, turn it, and consolidate it so that the State and the Institutions underneath it could reclaim the hearts and the minds of men. Unlike Yeshua taught, they turned men's mind rather towards scriptorial worship. They taught men that one was not saved by the Grace of God, but through the Church and through the memorization of tales, and recitation of incantations, hence the modern belief that if you but memorize this tale correctly, and utter these words correctly, and believe in them (or rather hype your self up emotionally enough to sever your self from reason) that Yeshua (we call him Jesus) WILL come into your heart, and you will be saved...
...not unlike mail order...
...well we don't always get what we ask for. Jesus/God/The Spirit/The Messiah, what ever you want to call the Divine, The Alimighty does not act upon deman, IT is NOT a Jin (we call them Jeni's), there is no special incantation, IT can not be summoned, IT just IS, and when we are still, when we are humble, when we have put our Ego's and our imagination, and our illusion, and our pre-conception, and our personal desires aside, then and only then do we have the eyes to see. We can not be full of self, and expect "The Spirit" to co-exist within that. You can not serve two masters for you will praise one and detest the other...
The Process of salvation is an on going event, it is not isntant, it does not happen over night, it is something that gradually works its self out over time through the inspiration of God, but the Church Fathers would have you believe otherwise, much like lucifer, they would have you perceive your pride, your dogma, you dilluted emotions, imagination, neurosis, fear, deperation and the like, as Salvation, as The Way or Tao.
Biblical arguments in such repspect are petty, and beneath the spirit, but alas we are human, we have bad habits, I have bad habits as such....
...but the bottom line is no matter what faith a person may claim to be, no matter if they do not follow a faith, a theology, a myth...
...God is for everyone, and though we may measure a person by their fruit, it is never our place to say wheather they are on "The Path" or not. Granted it may be clear as to weather or not the organization they are a part of is bogus or not, but we may never know for sure with the indivual because they can at any time trancend the illusions of their collective, be it The Witnesses, Baptist, Methodist, Omish, Jew, Hindu, Despotic Nationanist or what have you. If they are onto an ounce of Truth, if they have on any level discovered that mustard seed, then that potential for that seed to geminate is present should the soil be furtile or become furtile. Again stories, and specifics like action does not save a man, but the Grace of God alone.
Likewise while I'm on that subject I'd like to bring up prayer...
...let's examine prayer for a moment in comparison with magick. Have you ever noticed how often a person prays for themselves. They pray to get a better job, they pray for happiness, to find someone to love, this and that...
...not unlike a person who practices wicca or what have you does their thing for personal gain.
I understand that the Bible states that you are supposed to ask the Father for what you want, but I personally don't like to presume on our relationship. Personally the only thing I see worth praying for is for wisdom, compassion, intelligence, humblness...
...those traits, (not words), those states of being that make one a better vessel for The Spirit. As Jesus stated and lived, we are to be living examples, we can accomplish nothing through the emotional and cunning arguments of man. Granted I am far from the perfect example of what The Christ is, but I see that, and I see it when ever I lie to my self which is the worst lie there is. Praying for anything but is the same to me a playing with Tarot cards, or consulting a horiscope for your future, or conspiring against someone at work so you can be promoted to a posistion before them, etc.
Meh, well I'm going to shut up now before I go way off track here, but I hope to some degree what I am trying to convey has been expressed well.
