## 1. Beliefs About God/Jesus
- **Created being**
- Jesus was Michael the archangel who became a man (_The Watchtower_, May 15, 1963, p. 307; _The New World_, p. 284).
- Michael was made first; everything else was made through Michael. They think “firstborn” means first one created.
- Michael became Jesus, then Jesus ceased to exist and Michael now exists.
- **Not God, just “a” god**
- John 1:1 – Not God, just “a” god.
- “The justice of God would not permit that Jesus, as a ransom, be more than a perfect man; and certainly not the Supreme God almighty in the flesh” (_Let God Be True_, pg. 87).
- **Not enough for salvation**
- “the ‘ransom for all’ given by ‘the man Christ Jesus’ does not give or guarantee everlasting life or blessing to any man” (Russel, _Studies in the Scriptures_, I, p. 150).
- **Invisible rule**
- Jesus began his invisible rule over the earth in 1914 (_The Truth Shall Make You Free_, p. 300).
- **Resurrection**
- Don’t believe in the resurrection: “the man Jesus is dead… forever dead” (Russel, _Let God Be True_, pp. 453–454).
- “so the King Jesus Christ was put to death in the flesh, and was resurrected an invisible spirit creature” (_Let God Be True_, pg. 122).
- “He was put to death a man, but was raised from the dead a spirit being of the highest order of the divine nature” (Russel, _Let God Be True_, pp. 453–454).
- Jesus did not die on a cross but on a stake (_Reasoning from the Scriptures_, 1985, p. 89-90).
- The Holy Spirit is a force, not a person.
- “Jehovah” is God’s name – they claim He won’t respond if you don’t use it.
- **No hell, only annihilation**
- They teach that hell is a doctrine Satan made up and spread.
- All people just die and stop existing.
- Those who are resurrected are recreated.
## 3. Three Categories of People
1. **The Anointed Class – 144,000 people**
- From Pentecost till now. Most modern ones are in Brooklyn, NY.
- Resurrected as spirit beings and rule and reign with Christ (who is 1 of the 144,000).
- In 1935 God “stopped” calling people into the anointed class.
- Only 144,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses go to heaven (_Reasoning from the Scriptures_, 1985, pp. 166–167, 361; _Let God be True_, p. 121).
- Only the 144,000 are born again (_Reasoning from the Scriptures_, 1985, p. 76; _Watchtower_ 11/15/54, p. 681).
2. **The Great Crowd**
- “Earthly hope.”
- Resurrected as physical beings and live on paradise earth.
3. **Everyone else**
- Cease to exist.
## 4. Salvation Requirements
1. Taking in knowledge of God and Jesus Christ (false knowledge).
2. Obeying God’s laws.
3. Belonging to the Jehovah’s Witness organization (they use Acts 4:12 for this).
4. “Loyalty” or promoting the JW organization and giving out or selling its material.
- This is why they go door to door. An “active publisher” does 10 hours a month.
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## 5. Beliefs About Their Church
- Their church is the self-proclaimed prophet of God (_Watchtower_, April 1, 1972, p. 197).
- They claim to be the only channel of God’s truth (_Watchtower_, Feb. 15, 1981, p. 19).
- Only their church members will be saved (_Watchtower_, Feb. 15, 1979, p. 30).
**Quotes**:
- “We all need help understand the Bible, and we cannot find the Scriptural guidance we need outside the 'faithful to and discreet slave' organization” (_Watchtower_, Feb. 15, 1981).
- “The Vatican belittles Bible study by claiming it is the only organization authorized and qualified to interpret the Bible” (_Watchtower_, July 1, 1943, p. 201).
## 6. Practices They Cannot Do
- Salute any flag or serve in the military.
- Celebrate birthdays.
- Accept blood transfusions (_Reasoning from the Scriptures_, 1985, pp. 72–73).
- Use the cross (they say it’s pagan; _Reasoning from the Scriptures_, 1985, p. 90–92).
- Talk to former JWs.
- Read or study anything contrary to Watchtower teachings. Members aren’t allowed to get info from other sources.
## 7. Translation Issues
- 2 Peter 1:1, Titus 2:13, Colossians 1 all mistranslated in NWT.
- They routinely change anything that doesn’t fit their theology. They quote scholars out of context. They have their own New Testament translation (NWT), considered very poor by scholars.
- Members aren’t allowed to double-check.
## 8. False Prophecies
- 1914: Armageddon.
- 1915: Armageddon.
- 1918: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob to return (_Millions Now Living Will Never Die_, p. 89).
- 1925: Expected end (_Watchtower_, 1926, p. 232).
- 1968: Watchtower admitted past date-setters were guilty of false prophesying (_Awake_, Oct. 8, 1968).