Things You May Not Know About Jehovah’s Witnesses

#1 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Saved?

This is a difficult question to answer. No one has absolute confirmation that they will be saved since no one knows with certainty what happens when we die.

If you asked a Jehovah’s Witness, they might answer both yes and no.

Here is the rationale behind both answers:

Others may take the Bible highly-literally with no room for abstract interpretation. To this point, they could use scriptures such as Romans 10:9-10 to validate that by merely embracing Jesus, you are saved:

“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved”.

In their resource, Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Feel that They are The Only People That Will Be Saved? They tell:

“No. Many millions who lived in centuries past and who weren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses will have an opportunity for salvation. The Bible explains that in God’s promised new world, “there is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) Additionally, many now living may yet begin to serve God, and they too will gain salvation. In any case, it’s not our job to judge who will or won’t be saved. That assignment rests squarely in Jesus’ hands.—John 5:22, 27.”

Related Scripture(s):

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” – Ephesians 2:8-9.

#2 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Allowed to Dance?

Yes, Jehovah’s Witnesses are allowed to dance.

You will not see a Witness dancing provocatively, under the influence of recreational substances, or using dance as a tool for temptation. Dancing is referenced in the Bible as a means for joy and celebration, but it is also referenced as a provoker of sin.

Sometimes leading to lustful, indulgent, or dangerous situations, such as when Herodias’s daughter danced for King Herod in Mark 6:22 – This form of dancing is not acceptable.

However, Witnesses will find great beauty in forms of dance, such as:

Ballet
Ballroom
Contemporary
Some folk
Some modern
Some swing or jazz if it is not too risqué
Tap

Ultimately, a Witness would see dancing more through the lenses of being a beautiful form of human expression. Ecclesiastes 3:4 says there is, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”

PBS.org explores the myths and realities of myths and realities of Jehovah’s Witnesses, finding:

“Jehovah’s Witnesses are not against parties, music, dancing and drinking of alcohol, as long as they are done in moderation. Witnesses are cautious about their entertainment choices, avoiding R-rated movies and music with immoral lyrics. They dance, but discourage sexually suggestive moves. Witnesses are expected to avoid recreational drug use, citing the scripture that says “let us cleanse ourselves of every defilement of flesh and spirit.” There is no restriction on caffeine and Witnesses can drink alcohol in moderation.”

JW.org explores the Bible’s viewpoint on Dancing as Communication and Expression:

“The full range of emotions may be expressed in dance—from the joy and exuberance of a celebration to the solemnity of religious rite and tradition. (2 Samuel 6:14-17; Psalm 149:1, 3).”

Figure 2 – Jehovah’s Witnesses At International Ballroom Convention

Related Scripture(s):

“Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!” – Psalm 149:3 .
“Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.” – Jeremiah 31:13
“Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.” –Jeremiah 31:4

#3 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses The True Religion?

Yes, 8 in 10 Jehovah’s Witness would say their religion is the one true faith. PewResearch.org discovered that 83% of Jehovah’s Witnesses find their religion to be the singular route leading towards ‘eternal life,’ in a resurrected paradise on earth:

“Our survey found at least two other interesting ways in which Jehovah’s Witnesses stand out in their beliefs. For one, while half of Jehovah’s Witnesses say they believe in Heaven, very few (7%) say they believe in Hell, the traditional image of which is challenged by the denomination’s teaching.

The share of all U.S. Christians who believe in Hell is 10 times larger (70%). And most Jehovah’s Witnesses (83%) say their religion is the one true faith leading to eternal life; only about three-in-ten U.S. Christians (29%) believe this about their own religious faith.”

Essentially, Witnesses are in the top 30% of most-confident religions in the U.S. regarding their accuracy. 70% of Christian Americans are not as confident or steadfast in their exactitude, legitimacy, or correctness.

They have stated on their official JW.org website that they do not believe they are the only Christians that will be accepted into the Heaven with God, or the Heaven on earth – agreeing that other Christians will be accepted if they have lived a relatively honorable and God-fearing life.

In addressing the question directly, JW.org – Are we the True Religion? They propose the fair argument of, ‘why wouldn’t you think you were the one true religion?:’

“Jesus Christ didn’t agree with the view that there are many religions, many roads, all leading to salvation. Rather, he said: “Narrow is the gate and cramped the road leading off into life, and few are the ones finding it.” (Matthew 7:14) Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that they’ve found that road. Otherwise, they’d look for another religion.”

Related Scripture(s):

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” – Isaiah 41:10.

#4 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Pro-Life?

Compared to other Christians in the United States, Jehovah’s Witnesses do have a longer list of ‘serious sins,’ one of which is abortion.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are pro-life and strongly anti-abortion, based on their biblical interpretation that all life is sacred. There are exceptions to this rule and forgiveness to be had, but they fundamentally do not support abortion.

JW.org cover the subject of Biblical Views on Abortion, citing:

“In God’s eyes, life—especially human life—is sacred. (Genesis 9:6; Psalm 36:9) This principle applies to a baby growing in the womb, a place designed by God to be a safe haven for a developing child. “You kept me screened off in my mother’s womb,” said a Bible writer. He added: “Your eyes even saw me as an embryo; all its parts were written in your book regarding the days when they were formed.”—Psalm 139:13, 16.

They do add the following exceptions to these rules. Abortion is reasonable:

If the mother is in danger or may die due to the pregnancy
If the unborn child is in danger
If you’ve had an abortion, you are still able to be forgiven by God, embraced, and should not feel ‘overwhelmed with guilt.’ “Jehovah is merciful,” and “will forgive all of those who repent for their past sins, (Psalm 86:5).

According to PewResearch.org’s religious landscape on abortion within the Jehovah’s Witness denomination, noteworthy figures include:

75% feel it should be illegal
18% feel it should be legal
7% don’t know
The highest percentage that feel it should be illegal (34%) are those ages 30-49
The smallest percentage that feel it should be illegal (16%) are those ages 18-29
67% of women feel it should be illegal; 33% of men agree

Regarding racial influence and ethnic composition amongst the members regarding abortion, the ones that feel it should be illegal are:

36% Latino
34% White
24% Black
6% Mixed/All Other

Figure 4 – JW protesting, Pro-Life Position

Related Scripture(s):

“On you was I cast from my birth, and from my mother’s womb you have been my God.” – Psalm 22:10.
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” – Psalm 139:13-16.

#5 Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Protestant?

No, Jehovah’s Witnesses are not protestant.

The correct descriptors for the Jehovah’s Witness denomination are:

Millenarian – Any religion that believes in a second coming, armageddon, or major future event (whether utopian or apocalyptic)
Restorationist – Supporter or believer in a temporary punishment. One who believes that God will restore all to a positive outcome.
Universalist – Synonym and related term to Restorationalist
Christian – Distinct from Mainstream Christianity
Nontrinitarian – Do not support the belief of the trinity; Seeing Jesus as the Son, Witnesses reject the idea that Jesus is a partial element of a three-part power. They do not see the Holy Spirit as highly-significant compared to other Christian denominations

Protestant Christians were once the leading denomination in the U.S., with 53.6% of the population. Today that number has decreased to 46.5% of the American adult population (with one-third of all American Protestants being Baptist).

The reasons that they do not consider themselves to be Protestant are:

What protestants teach conflicts with the JW interpretation of the Bible
Protestantism is highly-connected to the history of ’a religious movement which opposes Roman Catholicism.’ This aspect is in harmony with JWs, but they describe that this definition against Catholicism does not make them innately Protestant.
Witnesses do not attempt to reform other denominations; they only teach their approach
They do not support trinitarian beliefs, a very Protestant quality or characteristic

You can read more here about the reasons Jehovah’s Witnesses are not Protestant.

Related Scripture(s):

“In flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” – 2 Thessalonians 1:8.

Related Video(s):

JW.org – Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Protestant?

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#6 Why Was the Jehovah’s Witness Religion Started? The early history of the Jehovah’s Witness denomination began in the late 19th century of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a relatively new religion, this group of disciples has been through a great deal of persecution and punishment for their beliefs, even being tortured and murdered with Jewish disciples in the WWII holocaust.

With various forms of torment and difficulty in their short duration of existence, the Jehovah’s Witness denomination was initially developed during the Adventist Movement within the United States but quickly made waves globally. The denomination would soon significantly impact the religious culture of Europe, even causing a great fear in Russia that would result in severe turmoil. Even today, Russia is escalating the persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses through arrests, violence, and harassment.

The religion was initiated and developed by Charles Taze Russell, it’s founder, who lived from 1852-1916. He wrote that he did not intend to create a religious movement and never received a ‘divine message,’ revelation, or inspiration from God. He simply wanted to create a devotion that rejected Trinitarian theology while also dismissing the notion of Hell.

During the 1830s, Adventists predicted Christ would arrive between 1843 and 1844.

When these predictions did not come true, Adventists started to split up.

Flash-forward thirty years later, and Russell was departing from his Adventists teachings. Still considering himself an Adventist in the 1870s, Russel was finding his own ‘style’ and way of teaching these Adventist-based pillars. Asking many questions, he wanted to change the way people had viewed things, creating something new.

By 1879, Russell was able to produce the long-standing publication of religious texts, a magazine still known as The Watchtower. The Watchtower was written for members of his new denomination, a group that was called IBSA (International Bible Students Association) that would later be known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.

The major reason we can attribute to Russell writing this theology is due to the fact that the Adventist Movement failed to predict the second coming of Jesus Christ. Without the failed projection of Adventism, Russell may not have ever chosen to depart from his Adventist faith.

PBS.org describes of this history:

“Although Russell’s message appears to have been quite popular among the general population, clergy of various denominations quickly branded it as heretical and launched public attacks against him. Nevertheless, Russell became an internationally recognized figure on the religious scene, touring and speaking extensively throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

In 1910, Russell established the International Bible Students Association (IBSA), creating the faint outlines of a distinct religious community. The IBSA would later become known as Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

The founder would foretell a great unraveling that was soon impending; he predicted it would be four decades in the future. The time that he predicted ended up being World War I, which was viewed as proof of his accuracy.

Russell project that this fortune wouldsignify the ‘last days’ before Armageddon. Being that this was over a century ago, Jehovah’s Witnesses have been readily preparing and fearing this apocalypse for more than 100 years.

Related Scripture(s):

“For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty.” – Revelation 16:14.

#7 Why Don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Holidays?

The reasons why Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate holidays include:

Many have pagan roots
The Christmas tree is a pagan symbol
The Easter bunny is a Greek Goddess of fertility; pagan-links and worshiping false Gods
The blowing out of Birthday Candles is summoning magic; demonic
None of these holidays are mentioned in the Bible
There is no proof of a specified date for Christmas or Easter, only assumptions
Avoiding birthdays, sometimes anniversaries, and Mothers/Father’s Day, these are seen as holidays that are ‘not pertaining to God.’
Scriptures like Jeremiah 10:3-4 describe these celebrations as proof of people’s ‘vanity:’

“For the customs of the peoples are vanity. A tree from the forest is cut down and worked with an axe by the hands of a craftsman. They decorate it with silver and gold; they fasten it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move.”

All days should be for worship, not just special ones developed for human-made rationalities
Some holidays are based on luck or superstition
Some holidays indicate that the soul is immortal, a contradictory belief to the JW theology
Some holidays such as St. Patty’s Day encourage lewd behavior of overindulgence
Some holidays can be divisive, just like politics, which JWs avoid
Some holidays glorify Jesus’s death instead of his life
Some holidays place too much importance on objects and idolatry-adjacent practices

Related Scripture(s):

“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” – Romans 14:5.

Learn More

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