NOVEMBER 2011

Jehovah Witnesses
Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend the truth is to suppress it" Pope St. Felix III Note: In this letter I may occasionally use bold print, italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting. Q: What are the beliefs of the Jehovah Witnesses? Are they Christians? M.E.

A:

To answer the second part of your question first, no Jehovah Witnesses are not Christians although they often claim to be in their writings. "The Jehovah Witnesses were found by Charles T. Russell (in Columbus, Ohio in 1931)."1 J.W. DOCTRINE: They deny the Holy Trinity and the divinity of Jesus Christ, and so are not a Christian denomination. J.W. DOCTRINE: "The Trinity is seen as a demonic doctrine. The Holy Spirit is robbed of His personality, and Jesus is stripped of His deity."2 CATHOLIC DOGMA: "The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these three persons being truly distinct one from the other. Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God. In this Trinity of Persons the Son is begotten of the Father by an eternal generation, and the Holy Spirit proceeds by an eternal generation from the Father and the Son. Yet, not withstanding this difference as to origin, the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. This, the Church teaches, is the revelation regarding Gods nature which Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came upon earth to deliver to the world: and which she proposes to man as the foundation of her whole dogmatic system"3 CATHOLIC DOGMA: "The witness of Sacred Scripture is clear about the divinity of Christ and is polyphonic in nature. From the perspective of Christs preexistence, we see that He was with God from the beginning and was God (John 1:1). Jesus use of 'I Am' (John 8:58) is normally taken as a direct reference to Gods words to Moses (Exodus 3:14), thus implying His divinity; Christ is supreme above all things and prior to all things (in this instance, priority implying superiority: (John 1; Colossians 1:16-17)."4 J.W. DOCTRINE: "Witnesses do not consider Christ to be eternal God, the Creator of the universe, and our Great High Priest."5 CATHOLIC DOGMA: (Note there are numerous Catholic dogmas about Jesus so I only mention a few here). "Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. The word Jesus means 'Jehovah is salvation'. The word Christ means anointed."6 "Jesus gives us to understand that He Himself is 'the Lord'. To confess that Jesus is Lord is distinctive of Christian faith."7 "Moved by the grace of the Holy Spirit and drawn by the Father, we believe in Jesus and confess: 'You are Christ, the Son of the living God'."8

1 2

Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL., P. 147 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL., P. 148 3 The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. Fifteen, (1913), Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, Robert Appleton Co., New York, NY, P. 47 4 Our Sunday Visitors Catholic Encyclopedia Revised Edition, ISBN. 0-87973-669-0, (1998), Rev. Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., - Editor, Our Sunday Visitor, Inc., Huntington, IN., P. 338 5 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 148 6 The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. Eight, (1913), Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, Robert Appleton Co., New York, NY, P. 374 7 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraph 202, P. 55 8 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraph 424, P. 106

"The Gospels report that on two solemn moments, the Baptism and the Transfiguration of Christ, the voice of the Father designates Jesus His 'beloved Son'. Jesus calls Himself the 'only Son of God', and by this title affirms His eternal preexistence."9 J.W. DOCTRINE: "They deny the existence of a soul which can exist apart from the body. To Witnesses, the soul is just the life animating force which gives life to a material body. When a human being dies, his soul ceases to exist and his body ultimately deteriorates."10 CATHOLIC DOGMA: "The Church teaches that every spiritual soul is created immediately by God it is not 'produced' by the parents and also that it is immortal: it does not perish when it separates from the body at death, and it will be reunited with the body at the final Resurrection."11 J.W. DOCTRINE: "They are politically inactive and pacifists."12 "They also refuse to vote, salute the flag, sing any nationalistic anthem, do not donate vital organs or receive transplants and will not serve in the military."13 CATHOLIC DOCTRINE: "The common good requires peace, that is, the stability and security of a just order. It presupposes that authority should ensure by morally acceptable means the security of society and its members. It is the basis of the right to legitimate personal and collective defense. It is the role of the state to defend and promote the common good of civil society, its citizens, and intermediate bodies."14 "The common good consists of three essential elements: respect for and promotion of the fundamental rights of the person; prosperity, or the development of the spiritual and temporal goods of society; the peace and security of the group and of its members. Everyone should be concerned to create and support institutions that improve the conditions of human life (voting is a common way to do this)."15 "Submission to authority and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend ones country."16 "Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good that is sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as an expression of generous solidarity."17 J.W. DOCTRINE: They will not permit blood transfusions because of their erroneous interpretation of Genesis 9:3-4 and Leviticus 17:10-15).18 CATHOLIC DOCTRINE: The same principal as elaborated previously on organ transplants. Blood transfusions are permitted. J.W. DOCTRINE: "They have been taught that all other beliefs are satanic."19 "Jehovahs Witnesses are militantly opposed to all other church organizations."20 CATHOLIC DOCTRINE: "The sacred Council (Vatican II) exhorts, therefore, all the Catholic faithful to recognize the signs of the times and to take an active and intelligent part in the work of ecumenism. The term 'ecumenical movement' indicates the initiatives and activities encouraged and organized, according to the various needs of the Church and as opportunities offer, to promote Christian unity."21
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Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraph 444, P. 112 10 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 149 11 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraph 366, P. 93 12 Catholic Dictionary, ISBN. 978-0-87973-390-2, (2002), Rev. Fr. Peter M.J. Stravinskas, Ph.D., S.T.D., Our Sunday Visitor, Huntington, IN., P. 421 13 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 146 14 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraphs 1909-1910, P. 465 15 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraphs 1925-1926, P. 468 16 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 0-932406-23-8, (1994), Apostolate for Family Consecration, Bloomingdale, OH., Paragraph 2240, P. 540 17 Catechism of the Catholic Church Modifications, ISBN. 1-57455-166-3, (1998), U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Washington, D.C., Paragraph 2296, P. 20 18 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 146 19 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 148 20 Larsons Book of Cults, ISBN. 0-8423-2104-7, (1982), Bob Larson, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, ILL., P. 147 21 Vatican Council II Volume 1 the Conciliar and Post Conciliar Documents, ISBN. 0-918344-39-5, (1996), Nihil Obstat & Imprimatur, editor Rev. Fr. Austin Flannery, O.P., Costello Publishing Co., Northport, N.Y., P.P. 456-457

"Indeed, love impels the followers of Christ to proclaim to all the truth which saves."22 "To evangelize does not mean simply to teach a doctrine, but to proclaim Jesus Christ by ones words and actions, that is, to make oneself an instrument of His presence and action in the world."23 As you see above, the main beliefs and doctrines of Jehovah Witnesses are opposed to Catholic and other Christians doctrines/dogmas.

This report prepared on October 18, 2010 by Ronald Smith, 11701 Maplewood Road, Chardon, Ohio 44024-8482, E-mail: hfministry@roadrunner.com. Readers may copy and distribute this report as desired to anyone as long as the content is not altered and it is copied in its entirety. In this little ministry I do free Catholic and occult related research and answer your questions. Questions are answered in this format with detailed footnotes on all quotes. If you have a question(s), please submit it to this landmail or e-mail address. Answers are usually forthcoming within one week. Let us recover by penance what we have lost by sin michaelprabhu@vsnl.net www.ephesians-511.net

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Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization, (12/03/2007), Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, The Vatican, P. Doctrinal Note on some Aspects of Evangelization, (12/03/2007), Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, The Vatican, P.

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