Criticisms of JWs
1. The Nature of God and the Trinity
JW Belief: Jehovah's Witnesses reject the Trinity, teaching that God (Jehovah) is one being, and Jesus is His first creation, not God Himself. They believe the Holy Spirit is not a person but an impersonal force.
Criticism & Counterpoints:
Biblical Evidence for the Trinity:
John 1:1 – "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." JWs translate this as "a god," but this translation is widely rejected by scholars.
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
– Jesus commands baptism "in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit," implying equality among the three.
Hebrews 1:8
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Here God is stating that Jesus (the Son) is God for ever and ever
How JWs Change the Meaning
The New World Translation book distorts this verse by translating it as “God is your throne” instead of “Your throne, O God.”
This changes the subject from Jesus being called God to simply saying that God supports Jesus.
However, the correct translation (as seen in KJV, and Greek manuscripts) clearly shows that God the Father is calling Jesus “O God.”
1 John 5:7
For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
How JWs Change the Meaning
In their version it says "For there are three that bear witness." this phrase is changed in the New World Translation book and most modern translations because they say the “so Called early Greek manuscripts do not contain this verse.”
So what we will see begin to see is that everything is based on their translation which we will discuss later
Holy Spirit is a person
Acts 5:3-4
But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? [4] Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.
– Peter equates lying to the Holy Spirit with lying to God, implying the Holy Spirit is a person and divine, as you can’t lie to a force?
2. Jesus Christ
JW Belief: Jesus is not God but Michael the Archangel, the first creation of Jehovah. He was a perfect man on earth, died on a "torture stake" (not a cross), and was resurrected as a spirit being, not bodily.
Criticism & Counterpoints:
Jesus is Worshiped as God:
John 20:28
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Thomas calls Jesus "My Lord and my God," and Jesus does not correct him.
Philippians 2:6-7
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
– Jesus is described as "being in very nature God."
Jesus’ Bodily Resurrection:
Luke 24:39
Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
Jesus shows His disciples His wounds, saying, "A spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
Michael the Archangel vs. Jesus:
Hebrews 1:5-8
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? [6] And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. [7] And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. [8] But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
– God tells the Son, "Your throne, O God, will last forever," and states that no angel is ever called "Son" in the same way Jesus is, So to think that Michael the archangel is Jesus is only speculation and not based on facts.
3. Salvation and Works
JW Belief: Salvation is achieved through faith in Jehovah, obedience to His laws, and active participation in the Watchtower organization (especially door-to-door preaching). Only 144,000 anointed ones will go to heaven, while most faithful Witnesses will live forever on a paradise earth.
Criticism & Counterpoints:
Salvation by Grace through Faith:
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
- Salvation is clearly by faith alone in what Jesus did for us not anything we did, Jesus paid for the free gift of eternal life with his own blood, nowhere does the Bible teach that our works are added to salvation, thats also speculation and misinterpretation of the Bible
Romans 11:6
6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
- We are saved by grace meaning we didn’t deserve it and we couldn’t get it ourselves.
Romans 4:3-5
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Heaven Is Not Limited to 144,000:
Revelation 7:1-8
1 And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
- from this chapter verse 1-8 we see that the 144,000 are Israelites, 12,000 from each tribe, this cannot be JWs, gentiles or anybody else for that matter, a misinterpretation of this chapter, but look at the next verse because we see in heaven a multitude of people uncountable!
Revelation 7:9
After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
4. The Afterlife
JW Belief: There is no eternal hell. The wicked will be annihilated (cease to exist). Only Jehovah’s Witnesses will survive Armageddon and be resurrected to live in an earthly paradise.
Criticism & Counterpoints:
Hell as Eternal Punishment:
Matthew 25:46
And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
- The JWs have no real way of explaining this one its clear that people will suffer for eternity because they reject the free gift of eternal life, look again….
Revelation 14:10-11
The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: [11] And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
Resurrection of All People:
John 5:28-29
Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, [29] And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
- Need to look deeper into this verse because the saved and the unsaved will both be resurrected some to life and some to damnation, this is because God will Judge both the Saved at the Judgement seat of Christs (2 Corinthians 5:10) and the Unsaved at the great white throne judgement (Revelations 20:11-15)
5. Watchtower Authority and Bible Translation
JW Belief: The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society is Jehovah’s organization on earth and the sole channel of truth. The New World Translation (NWT) is the only accurate Bible translation.
Criticism & Counterpoints:
Watchtower's History of False Prophecies:
JWs predicted Armageddon in 1914, 1925, and 1975, but these did not happen.
Deuteronomy 18:22
When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.
- the Bible teaches us that we know if prophets are false when they prophesy something that didn’t come to pass we can mark that prophet down as false.
Problems with the New World Translation (NWT):
The NWT mistranslates key verses (e.g., John 1:1, Colossians 1:16) to fit JW theology.
Greek scholars, including those not affiliated with Christianity, have criticized the NWT for being doctrinally biased.
Who Made the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Bible Translation (New World Translation - NWT)?
The New World Translation (NWT) was produced by the Jehovah’s Witnesses' Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, first published in 1950 (New Testament) and 1961 (full Bible).
Who Translated It?
The translators' names were never officially revealed by the Watchtower Society. However, former Jehovah’s Witness Raymond Franz (a former Governing Body member) and other researchers exposed that the main people behind the translation were:
Alleged NWT Translators:
1️⃣ Frederick W. Franz (Main Translator) – No formal Hebrew or Greek training. Self-taught but lacked academic expertise.
2️⃣ Nathan H. Knorr – No Greek or Hebrew knowledge.
3️⃣ Albert D. Schroeder – Limited biblical language training.
4️⃣ George D. Gangas – No known Hebrew or Greek background.
5️⃣ Milton G. Henschel – No expertise in biblical languages.
The Main Problem: Lack of Credentials
Unlike legitimate Bible translators (e.g., those behind the King James Version) none of these men were recognized biblical scholars or had degrees in Greek or Hebrew.
🔴 Red Flag: When Frederick W. Franz was asked in a Scottish court (1954, Douglas Walsh Trial) to translate a simple passage from Hebrew, he failed and admitted he could not do it.
So what we see is when people have to make a translation just for their own use instead of using the common bible translation then its a red flag because they have so many holes in their doctrine its only good hey have their own bible so that no one can challenge them.
The “Name Jehovah" Is Not in the New Testament Greek Manuscripts
The Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (NWT) adds "Jehovah" 237 times in the New Testament.
However, no Greek manuscript of the New Testament contains "Jehovah."
Instead, the Greek New Testament always uses "Kyrios" (Lord) or "Theos" (God).
The NWT dishonestly replaces "Lord" (Kyrios) with "Jehovah" to fit their doctrine.
🔴 Example of Their Mistranslation:
✅ Romans 10:9 (Correct)
"..That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
❌ Romans 10:9 (NWT)
"...if you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Jehovah..." (They added "Jehovah" when "Kyrios" (Lord) was used!)
Conclusion
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a high-control religious group that distorts biblical teachings to fit their own ever-changing doctrines, rejecting core Christian beliefs like the deity of Christ and salvation by grace. They deny the Trinity, teach that Jesus is merely an exalted angel (Michael), and claim only 144,000 will go to heaven while the rest labor for salvation on a paradise earth. Their governing body enforces extreme authoritarianism, demanding absolute obedience and cutting off members who question them. They falsely predicted the world's end multiple times, proving themselves to be false prophets. Their Bible translation is heavily altered to support their teachings, and they forbid blood transfusions, birthday celebrations, and patriotic observances to maintain control. Ultimately, they masquerade as Christians while leading millions into spiritual deception.
