JW Beliefs                  Home

The following is a list of several key beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses followed by the Biblical response refuting these beliefs.

JW: Jesus is not God

Response:  See Jesus Diety

JW: Jesus was the archangel Michael who became a man.

Response: No Biblical basis for this whatsoever; See Jesus Diety

JW: Jesus did not physically rise from the dead - in spirit only

Response: Jesus DID physically rise from the dead.

Luke 24:36-47
36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” 40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence. 44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

JW: No hell or punishment after death

Response: This is another hallmark of a man-made theology as there is NO Biblical support for this, but quite the contrary.  If there is one thing clear in the Bible, it's that there is a hell and those condemned to it will never leave it. Never!

See Hell for several conclusive passages.

JW: A person's soul simply ceases to exist that was not a JW

Response: No Biblical support.  See Hell.

JW: Jesus was born again

Response: No biblical support; does not make sense given Jesus own references to His divinity;

JW: Do not believe in the Trinity

Response: See Trinity.

JW: Holy Spirit is not alive or part of who God is, but rather God's "active force".

Response: See Trinity, "Holy Spirit is God"

JW: Salvation can be lost

Response: Nothing can separate us from the love of God

Romans 8:38-39
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

JW: Satan oversaw the creation of the earth

Response: No biblical support; only the contrary

John 1:3
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made

See Jesus - Creator

JW: Watchtower speaks for God and is only source of truth

Response: This is one true sign of a cult, that one single man or organization on the earth holds all truth or exclusively speaks for God.

There is no Biblical support for any single organization speaking for God.  He has already spoken and continues to speak through His Word, which all people can read for themselves to hear from God directly.  In fact, the Watchtower has proven itself to be nothing more than a false prophet on many occasions.  Most recently the Watchtower predicted the end of the world to occur in 1975.  Many followers sold their belongings, quit their jobs only to be bitterly dissapointed by the false predictions by the Watchtower. (See 1975 Predictions and many, many more unfulfilled prophesies here)  The Watchtower has proven itself time and again as nothing more than a man-made organization, fallible with a proven track record of not speaking God's truth. 

Note that the Biblical standard for a true prophet is that they are NEVER wrong, and if they are, they are clearly a false prophet and were to be killed:

Deuteronomy 18:20-22
20 But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, is to be put to death.” 21 You may say to yourselves, “How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the LORD?” 22 If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously, so do not be alarmed.

JW: Died on a "stake" not a cross

Response: While some crucifixions were done on a single pole or "stake", historians generally refer to the cross used when Jesus was crucified as having a cross member. "The very form of the cross, too, has five extremities, two in length, two in breadth, and one in the middle, on which [last] the person rests who is fixed by the nails" (Irenaeus (c. 130–202), Adversus Haereses II, xxiv, 4 [2]).

Luke 23:26-27
26 As the soldiers led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him.

See http://carm.org/jehovahs-witnesses-beliefs for more details