What are the main doctrinal differences between Jehovah's Witnesses and mainstream Christianity?

[David in NJ]

1 John 3:10-18

Since its inception, Christendom has supported the wars of their respective nations!
During the times when showing love was needed the most (during conflicts), religions in Christendom have encouraged their members to kill each other!

That’s how you “know”! - John 13:35.

And it’s also the standard by which we know who isn’t!

“Workers of evil.” - Matthew 7:23

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Very clear, therefore we love the Gospel of God which is Salvation in Christ.

If not, you will end up vilifying those who are in Christ.

 

[Taken]

What are the main doctrinal differences between Jehovah's Witnesses and mainstream Christianity?

Main highlight I would say, is the Differing in concept regarding the TRINITY….

Which in my opinion…hangs on the inability to comprehend the similitude relationship examples among humans….and the parallel it reveals when a human has relationship with his Creator and Maker “Spirit”…ie God.

Glory to God,
Taken

 

[Aunty Jane]

In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest:
Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.
For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

This then is the clincher for all who claim to be Christians….who is our “brother”? Is it someone who worships a different god to the one Jesus worshipped? The one whom he still calls “my God” even in heaven? (Rev 3:12)

If the churches of Christendom support the political agendas of their nation’s governments and go to war with those who also identify as “Christians”….where does that leave them in compliance with that scripture?

Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death.
Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

So is it possible to “hate” your brother of another nation because of the fact that he resides in a land that is in conflict with your own? Even in the current conflict with Russia and Ukraine, both sides accept the teachings of the Catholic church…..supposedly “brothers in the faith” separated by what? Nationality? Politics? In the two world wars, “Christians” were on both sides.…so whose side was God on?
Whoever has blood on their hands, does not have God on their side. (Isa 1:15)

Christians are to have no divisions of nationality (Acts 10:34-35)……nor should they be divided by politics because Christ said that they are to be “part of the world”. (John 18:36)
What is Christendom’s record in these things…?

Very clear, therefore we love the Gospel of God which is Salvation in Christ.

And yet, “many” of those who claim Jesus as their “Lord”, are going to suffer rejection as those he “never knew” (Matt 7:21-23) So what is the “gospel of love“ in reality? It is obedience to the Christ in all things….evidenced by the way you live your life, not by any label you wear.

If not, you will end up vilifying those who are in Christ.

Unless you know the true identity of God and his Christ, you end up vilifying the one Jesus called “the only true God”….Yahweh….who “sent” his son (John 17:3) to redeem mankind because he was the only one who could become a sinless mortal human, to pay the price set by God’s perfect justice.
Christ died instead of us…an exchange that released us from sin and death inherited from our first parents.

So why do we still die if Jesus has saved us? Do we live on after death? The Bible does not teach that we have an “afterlife”……there is no immortal soul ever mentioned in the Bible….so where did that idea originate?

What is the truth about death? Do we sleep in death till the resurrection, or does a spiritual part of us live on somewhere else?

 

[Randy Kluth]

Sounds wonderful Randy, as though the Kingdom has arrived! The reality is every Christian forum is experiencing precisely what the early Churches experienced as Paganism and Christianity collided and resulted in what we have today. I'm sure you have something to offer but if you leave I hope you find a home.

Thank you. I'm on at least 3 other forums, but I don't like to leave any forum behind. There are brothers and sisters in the faith in all of them. Can we really leave "family" behind?

One of the forums I got into had an immediate problem with the Trinity. And so, I do now have a better understanding as to why there is a ban. I don't like it, but I understand it, and will try to comply with the rules, as best I can.

Even across 4 forums the subject matter seems somewhat limited. But I'm always looking for ways to contribute my own knowledge without seeming like I "know it all." My interest is in serving other Christians, while learning from them, as well.

 

[David in NJ]

This then is the clincher for all who claim to be Christians….who is our “brother”? Is it someone who worships a different god to the one Jesus worshipped? The one whom he still calls “my God” even in heaven? (Rev 3:12)

If the churches of Christendom support the political agendas of their nation’s governments and go to war with those who also identify as “Christians”….where does that leave them in compliance with that scripture?

So is it possible to “hate” your brother of another nation because of the fact that he resides in a land that is in conflict with your own? Even in the current conflict with Russia and Ukraine, both sides accept the teachings of the Catholic church…..supposedly “brothers in the faith” separated by what? Nationality? Politics? In the two world wars, “Christians” were on both sides.…so whose side was God on?
Whoever has blood on their hands, does not have God on their side. (Isa 1:15)

Christians are to have no divisions of nationality (Acts 10:34-35)……nor should they be divided by politics because Christ said that they are to be “part of the world”. (John 18:36)
What is Christendom’s record in these things…?

And yet, “many” of those who claim Jesus as their “Lord”, are going to suffer rejection as those he “never knew” (Matt 7:21-23) So what is the “gospel of love“ in reality? It is obedience to the Christ in all things….evidenced by the way you live your life, not by any label you wear.

Unless you know the true identity of God and his Christ, you end up vilifying the one Jesus called “the only true God”….Yahweh….who “sent” his son (John 17:3) to redeem mankind because he was the only one who could become a sinless mortal human, to pay the price set by God’s perfect justice.
Christ died instead of us…an exchange that released us from sin and death inherited from our first parents.

So why do we still die if Jesus has saved us? Do we live on after death? The Bible does not teach that we have an “afterlife”……there is no immortal soul ever mentioned in the Bible….so where did that idea originate?

What is the truth about death? Do we sleep in death till the resurrection, or does a spiritual part of us live on somewhere else?

Jeremiah 10:10
But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

Who is this King whom "the nations will not be able to endure His indignation."???

 

[Aunty Jane]

Jeremiah 10:10
But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.

Who is this King whom "the nations will not be able to endure His indignation."???

I’m not sure that this addresses a thing I said….
Is this a distraction? You’re changing the subject….

Jeremiah was speaking about the only God Israel knew, who was Yahweh. (Deut 6:4)
No triune God existed until the 4th century when Roman Catholicism made it official “church” doctrine.

Only God through the power of his spirit can cause the earth to tremble and allow people to contemplate the magnitude of his indignation. His patience will have run out.

God‘s justice is administered through his appointed judge…..the king of God’s Kingdom, as Jesus is never said to be a king in his own Kingdom. It was Daniel who saw his coronation in vision some 500 years before he was even born. (Daniel 7:13-14)
He is backed up angelic forces who will carry out the sentence. Imagine the power involved, when one angel exterminated 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in just one night….(2 Kings 19:35) Jesus will have legions of them.

The King who provides his servants with the power to carry out his will and purpose, is Yahweh. He was the only King over mankind in the beginning. Not until sin entered into the world, was there a need for a savior and redeemer who would be appointed as king of a kingdom that would deliver the redeemed and sinless human creation back to the Father, before he hands the reins back to our rightful Sovereign.

1 Cor 15:20-26….ESV….
”But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. . . .When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”

Subjection makes Christ subservient to his God and Father…..(1 Cor 11:3)

 

[David in NJ]

I’m not sure that this addresses a thing I said….
Is this a distraction? You’re changing the subject….

Jeremiah was speaking about the only God Israel knew, who was Yahweh. (Deut 6:4)
No triune God existed until the 4th century when Roman Catholicism made it official “church” doctrine.

Only God through the power of his spirit can cause the earth to tremble and allow people to contemplate the magnitude of his indignation. His patience will have run out.

God‘s justice is administered through his appointed judge…..the king of God’s Kingdom, as Jesus is never said to be a king in his own Kingdom. It was Daniel who saw his coronation in vision some 500 years before he was even born. (Daniel 7:13-14)
He is backed up angelic forces who will carry out the sentence. Imagine the power involved, when one angel exterminated 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in just one night….(2 Kings 19:35) Jesus will have legions of them.

The King who provides his servants with the power to carry out his will and purpose, is Yahweh. He was the only King over mankind in the beginning. Not until sin entered into the world, was there a need for a savior and redeemer who would be appointed as king of a kingdom that would deliver the redeemed and sinless human creation back to the Father, before he hands the reins back to our rightful Sovereign.

1 Cor 15:20-26….ESV….
”But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. . . .When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.”

Subjection makes Christ subservient to his God and Father…..(1 Cor 11:3)

Jeremiah 10:10 can only be speaking of this King

Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. 12He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,c and His name is The Word of God.

14The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. 15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter.
He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

 

[Aunty Jane]

Jeremiah 10:10 can only be speaking of this King

Then I saw heaven standing open, and there before me was a white horse. And its rider is called Faithful and True. With righteousness He judges and wages war. 12He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows. 13He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,c and His name is The Word of God.

14The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses. 15And from His mouth proceeds a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with an iron scepter.
He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh:

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

What are you missing here David? Who is “the rider of the white horse?….the appointed King and judge who wages war on the enemies of his Father…? (John 5:22) Whose wrath is he expressing? It is “the wrath of God the Almighty”….just as he did when he drove the money changers out of the Temple….making his Father’s house into “a den of thieves.”

There is only one “Almighty God” and that is Yahweh…..it was Yahweh who “sent” his son to redeem mankind (John 3:16) because God himself is immortal and cannot die….
The Almighty also has “servants” to do his bidding, among whom is his firstborn son. (Acts 4:27)
This designation is literally “King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords”…..giving it an earthly application. The earth is after all, the domain of his Kingdom. (Rev 21:2-4)

He is also called “Faithful and True“ which is a designated title for God’s son as it states….

In Rev 3:14 Jesus speaks of himself….in his message to the seven congregations….
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.” (ESV)
Notice three things that Jesus discloses about himself there….he is the “Amen”…the “yes” in all of God’s promises. (2 Cor 1:19-20)
He is the “faithful and true witness“ to his Father’s will and purpose for mankind on this earth.
And he is “the beginning of God’s creation”…..

I often wonder about the reading skills of those who quote Scripture without really reading the words…and comprehending what they say, in the light of other Scripture.

 

[David in NJ]

What are you missing here David? Who is “the rider of the white horse?….the appointed King and judge who wages war on the enemies of his Father…? (John 5:22) Whose wrath is he expressing? It is “the wrath of God the Almighty”….just as he did when he drove the money changers out of the Temple….making his Father’s house into “a den of thieves.”

There is only one “Almighty God” and that is Yahweh…..it was Yahweh who “sent” his son to redeem mankind (John 3:16) because God himself is immortal and cannot die….
The Almighty also has “servants” to do his bidding, among whom is his firstborn son. (Acts 4:27)
This designation is literally “King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords”…..giving it an earthly application. The earth is after all, the domain of his Kingdom. (Rev 21:2-4)

He is also called “Faithful and True“ which is a designated title for God’s son as it states….

In Rev 3:14 Jesus speaks of himself….in his message to the seven congregations….
“And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation.” (ESV)
Notice three things that Jesus discloses about himself there….he is the “Amen”…the “yes” in all of God’s promises. (2 Cor 1:19-20)
He is the “faithful and true witness“ to his Father’s will and purpose for mankind on this earth.
And he is “the beginning of God’s creation”…..

I often wonder about the reading skills of those who quote Scripture without really reading the words…and comprehending what they say, in the light of other Scripture.

Who is the Bride of Christ for?
a.) Christ
b.) the Father

 

[Aunty Jane]

Who is the Bride of Christ for?
a.) Christ
b.) the Father

What kind of question is that? Another distraction?
Why does Christ even have a “bride”?

You do understand the symbolic nature of this marriage I assume?
Many of the relationships applied to God and his son are symbolic because humans have to understand them, based on what they mean to us.

God’s relationship with his heavenly family of angels is symbolic……called “Father“ and “sons”, but created, not born in the way we understand.
The Father has a “firstborn” son, who was his first and only direct creation. This firstborn son spent unknown eons of time being educated by his Father before he was used to create everything else. (Col 1:15-17) He told us that everything he taught was from his Father, not himself. (John 7:16)

Time is not really relevant to eternal beings, so creation did not take place in a literal earth week. We can relate the time element to how long it took for Jesus to come into the world, over 4000 years after Adam’s sin…..and why we are still here, almost 2000 years later, awaiting his return for the judgment of “the sheep and the goats”. Are we getting the idea of what universal time is?

Do you have a big picture David? Do you have a timeline of events from Genesis to Revelation outlining what God originally purposed for mankind on this beautifully prepared planet…..what went wrong……and how God brings his human creation back to that first purpose, using his precious son to provide the basis for doing so?……as the appointed King of a Kingdom that will facilitate a reconciliation with God, his original purpose never went away. (Isa 55:11)
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”…..there it is….this is what the Kingdom is for….bringing harmony back to God’s family both in heaven (where it all started with a rebel spirit) and on earth (where it will be successfully concluded, thanks to Christ and his “bride”.)

Why is everyone assuming that they are heaven bound, when that was never God’s purpose in our creation?
Some are chosen for a role in heaven, to bring us back to God….but by and large, the destiny for mankind has always been planet Earth.…which was designed to be our permanent home. (Isa 45:18)

The big picture puts everything in its right place. There are no unanswered questions.

 

[David in NJ]

What kind of question is that? Another distraction?
Why does Christ even have a “bride”?

You do understand the symbolic nature of this marriage I assume?
Many of the relationships applied to God and his son are symbolic because humans have to understand them, based on what they mean to us.

God’s relationship with his heavenly family of angels is symbolic……called “Father“ and “sons”, but created, not born in the way we understand.
The Father has a “firstborn” son, who was his first and only direct creation. This firstborn son spent unknown eons of time being educated by his Father before he was used to create everything else. (Col 1:15-17) He told us that everything he taught was from his Father, not himself. (John 7:16)

Time is not really relevant to eternal beings, so creation did not take place in a literal earth week. We can relate the time element to how long it took for Jesus to come into the world, over 4000 years after Adam’s sin…..and why we are still here, almost 2000 years later, awaiting his return for the judgment of “the sheep and the goats”. Are we getting the idea of what universal time is?

Do you have a big picture David? Do you have a timeline of events from Genesis to Revelation outlining what God originally purposed for mankind on this beautifully prepared planet…..what went wrong……and how God brings his human creation back to that first purpose, using his precious son to provide the basis for doing so?……as the appointed King of a Kingdom that will facilitate a reconciliation with God, his original purpose never went away. (Isa 55:11)
“Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”…..there it is….this is what the Kingdom is for….bringing harmony back to God’s family both in heaven (where it all started with a rebel spirit) and on earth (where it will be successfully concluded, thanks to Christ and his “bride”.)

Why is everyone assuming that they are heaven bound, when that was never God’s purpose in our creation?
Some are chosen for a role in heaven, to bring us back to God….but by and large, the destiny for mankind has always been planet Earth.…which was designed to be our permanent home. (Isa 45:18)

The big picture puts everything in its right place. There are no unanswered questions.

Thank you for all the extra

Can you please let me know, according to Scripture, who the Bride of Christ is for:
a.) Christ
b.) the Father

 

[Aunty Jane]

Thank you for all the extra

if you cannot explain things to yourself, how can you explain them to anyone else?
The extras are all inextricably linked to your first question…..which I answered….
You cannot discuss “what” without “why”…because both are equally important.

Can you please let me know, according to Scripture, who the Bride of Christ is for:
a.) Christ
b.) the Father

According to scripture…it is ”the bride of Christ”…why would you even ask such a question after the explanation I just gave you?

But, the Father is also said to have a symbolic “wife”….so, who is “she”? The “woman” who produced his son as a man on earth. He came from her….”Heavenly Jerusalem“ is the mother of God’s son.

And apparently you have no big picture…..? Most people don’t, which is why there is so much debate on so many subjects on these boards. People poking around in the dark, not knowing where to put their faith…..who is the author of confusion? NOT GOD.

 

[David in NJ]

if you cannot explain things to yourself, how can you explain them to anyone else?
The extras are all inextricably linked to your first question…..which I answered….
You cannot discuss “what” without “why”…because both are equally important.

According to scripture…it is ”the bride of Christ”…why would you even ask such a question after the explanation I just gave you?

But, the Father is also said to have a symbolic “wife”….so, who is “she”? The “woman” who produced his son as a man on earth. He came from her….”Heavenly Jerusalem“ is the mother of God’s son.

And apparently you have no big picture…..? Most people don’t, which is why there is so much debate on so many subjects on these boards. People poking around in the dark, not knowing where to put their faith…..who is the author of confusion? NOT GOD.

According to scripture…it is ”the bride of Christ”…why would you even ask such a question after the explanation I just gave you?

A couple of reasons why i am being specific:
#1 - i like @Aunty Jane
#2 - Making 100% certain we are on the same Page of Scripture and understanding
and the Most important
#3 - God loves you

Agree?