Jehovah's Witnesses...

Yo, Ellie here. Here's a bit of something, even though it's not related to science. It's a paper I wrote for school, so yeah...

Christianity Vs. The Watchtower

Jehovah's Witnesses and Christians; what's the difference? Many people don't know enough about one or both to look at the differences. Others simply don't care.

The Jehovah's Witnesses or “Russelites” were formed in 1870 by Charles Taze Russel. He decided he didn't like some of the ideas and doctrines taught in the Bible, so he removed them from his new religion and his own false translation of the Bible, the New World Translation. He started with the concept of hell, which he thought was unfair, even though Jesus mentioned hell more times than he mentioned heaven.

On July 1, 1879, Charles started a publication called the Watchtower, and later the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which is now the head of their religion. They believe that the Watchtower is the “only channel through which truth can come”, whereas Christians believe that the Bible is the sole basis of truth.

The Jehovah's Witnesses believe that “God” (The Father) created Jesus Christ in the form of Michael the Archangel. Their “Jesus Christ” is not the all-powerful Jesus of the Bible, and they believe that their “Jesus” is not an equal with God. They believe that “Jesus” or Michael existed in heaven as a spirit, then came to earth and became fully and only a man, with no supernatural divinity. This “Jesus” lived for 33 years and then died and was returned to heaven in spirit form. They do not believe in the Holy Spirit.

Christians, on the other hand, believe that Jesus, God the Father, and the Holy Spirit exist together in equality as the Holy Trinity, three persons in one. Michael is just another angel created by God to serve him. Christians believe that Jesus Christ came to earth and became a man, retaining his full and absolute power and divinity, while being fully human. He lived on earth and died, then rose, body and spirit, from the grave and walked on earth a while longer before ascending to heaven.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that men have no souls, and there is only an afterlife for the most religious of their group: only the 144,000 chosen can attain an earthly “paradise”. And no one can know whether they will go to this “paradise”. The best they can do is to obey the Watchtower society and try to witness to others. Heaven is only inhabited by God and there is no hell or punishment for unbelievers. Those not “chosen” cease to exist when they die. The “chosen” get to live in the new earth or “paradise”. They have the ability to sin there, and if any one of them does an evil deed, he will immediately cease to exist.

Christians believe that all men have an eternal soul, and all men have sinned and are therefore damned and deserving an eternity in hell. But if a person places their faith in Jesus, God will “legally” consider you not only sinless but righteous! When a person dies, they either go to heaven or hell, depending on whether they accepted Jesus as their savior. Hell is a place of eternal torture. Heaven is a place of perfect, sinless happiness.