How Christianity compares
Jehovah's Witnesses
A Bible-study movement begun by Charles Taze Russell, known for door-to-door witnessing.
Jehovah's Witnesses study the Bible earnestly and share their faith door to door. They believe Jehovah alone is God and that Jesus is God's first creation, not God himself. They teach that most of the faithful will live forever on a paradise earth, while 144,000 will rule with Christ in heaven.
- Began
- 1870s in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with Charles Taze Russell's Bible Student movement; the name Jehovah's Witnesses was adopted in 1931
- Followers
- About 9.2 million active members ('publishers') in 2025, with 20.6 million attending their yearly Memorial
- Scriptures
- The Bible, in their own New World Translation, as explained in Watch Tower publications
- Main groups
- One worldwide organization, led by the Governing Body in Warwick, New York
Where it began and how it spread
The story
Charles Taze Russell led Bible studies in the 1870s that focused on prophecy and the timing of Christ's return. Under his successor, Joseph Rutherford, the movement took the name Jehovah's Witnesses and became known for door-to-door preaching.
Witnesses refused to salute flags or serve in the military, and many were persecuted, including in Nazi concentration camps. In the United States they won important Supreme Court cases for religious freedom. Their New World Translation of the Bible was completed in 1961.
What they believe
God
Jehovah alone is Almighty God. They reject the Trinity.
Jesus
God's first creation, who was the archangel Michael before his human life. He died on a stake as a ransom for humanity, was raised as a spirit, and began ruling invisibly as King in 1914.
The Holy Spirit
God's active force, not a person.
The future
Armageddon is near. Then 144,000 anointed ones will rule with Christ in heaven, and the 'great crowd' of the faithful will live forever on a paradise earth.
After death
The soul is not immortal and there is no eternal hell. The dead are unconscious; the wicked will simply cease to exist.
Practice
Preaching, meetings at the Kingdom Hall, and the yearly Memorial of Christ's death. Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas, refuse blood transfusions, and stay out of politics.
Side by side
| Jehovah's Witnesses | Christianity | |
|---|---|---|
| God | Jehovah alone is God; the Trinity is rejected, and the Holy Spirit is God's active force, not a person. | One God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: the eternal, holy, loving Creator. |
| Jesus | God's first creation, once the archangel Michael; 'a god,' but not Almighty God; raised as a spirit. | God the Son, who became fully human, died for our sins, rose bodily from the dead, and is Lord and the only Savior. |
| The problem | Sin and death inherited from Adam. | Sin, our rebellion against a holy God, separates us from him and corrupts everything. |
| The answer | Faith in Jesus's ransom, together with obedience, preaching, and loyalty to Jehovah's organization; final salvation decided after Armageddon. | Grace: forgiveness and new life as a free gift, received by faith in Jesus's death and resurrection, not earned. |
| Scripture | The Bible (New World Translation), as interpreted by the Governing Body. | The Old and New Testaments (66 books), the inspired Word of God. |
| After death | No immortal soul; 144,000 in heaven, others raised to a paradise earth, and the wicked cease to exist. | Judgment, the resurrection of the body, and eternal life with God for all who are in Christ, in a new heaven and new earth. |
Common ground
- High respect for the Bible
- Honoring God's name
- Clean moral living
- Zeal in sharing their faith
- Jesus's death as a ransom
Talking with a friend
- Witnesses are well trained and sincere. Be kind and patient.
- Read key passages together in several translations, including John 1:1 and John 20:28.
- Ask the central question: who is Jesus?
- Ask whether they have assurance of salvation, and share why you do.
Key differences
The New Testament calls Jesus God: 'the Word was God' (John 1:1); Thomas called the risen Jesus 'My Lord and my God!' (John 20:28); and 'in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily' (Colossians 2:9; see also Hebrews 1:8).
The Holy Spirit speaks and can be lied to (Acts 5:3–4; 13:2), which only a person can be.
Jesus rose bodily, with flesh and bones and the marks of the nails (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
Christians can know now that they have eternal life (1 John 5:13), as a gift of grace rather than a reward for faithful service.
Read in the Bible
- John 1:1–3 The Word was God
- John 20:28 My Lord and my God
- Colossians 2:9 The fullness of deity
- Hebrews 1:8 Your throne, O God
- Acts 5:3–4 Lying to the Holy Spirit is lying to God
- 1 John 5:13 That you may know