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Jehovah’s Witness and Mormons

How to reach them for Christ

Jehovah’s Witnesses Today

Jehovah’s Witnesses Today

Charles Taze Russel

Founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses

Russel’s Founding of JW’s

• Raised Presbyterian, Eastern

Religions, old SDA teachings.

• 1870’s: Started Bible studies.
• 1881: Formed Zion’s Watch Tower

Tracts Society.

• 1906: Divorced.
• Sold mysterious “Miracle Wheat.”

Declared and proven a fraud.

• Lost libel case against opponents.

Claimed to know Greek, but didn’t.

Failed Predictions

• 1914: End of human rulership
• 1918: God’s vengeance against Christianity.
• 1925: Resurrection of the patriarchs
• 1975: The worldwide jubilee

“True” church in possession of JS’ original temple site.

• 2000: Battle of Armageddon before end of 20th century.

“I said it from the platform! We told everyone the end was near. When I became a Witness I gave up my insurance policies, I cancelled all my insurance endowments, I never bought a house because I knew I wouldn't need one, we didn't even want to put the kids' names down for school.” 1976: 5,000 JW’s leave the movement in Netherlands. JW government since then demands greater loyalty and discipline from members.

JW Doctrine

• Denies Trinity, divinity of Jesus Christ, and

divinity of the Holy Spirit. God’s name is Jehovah (though proper pronunciation is Yahweh).

• Christ: Jehovah created Jesus. Jesus is

really archangel Michael. Jesus died on a stake, not on a cross. He was spiritually, not physically, resurrected.

• No hell, no punishment for sin.

Sharing With JW’s

• Establish Christ’s divinity: Heb. 1:8-12;

Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 14:33; 28:9; John 1:1 (w/Luke 3:2); 8:58; Acts 7:59.

• Point out their unfulfilled prophecies, and

thus their interpretation of Scripture must be wrong.

Mormonism Today

Mormonism Today

Joseph Smith

Founder of the “Mormons”

Smith’s Founding of LDS

• 1820: Claimed to receive vision to

restore the gospel.

• 1823: Angel Moroni told him about

golden plates, i.e. the Book of Mormon.

• 1827: Found the plates in

“reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics.”

• 1827-29: Translated plates using

magic glasses – the “Urim and Thummim.”

• 1829: Founded LDS.
• 1830: Published Book of Mormon.

Church Growth and Splits

• Brighamites (14 million)

1000’s led by Brigham Young Instituted polygamy “Church of Jesus Christ of LDS”

• Josephites (250,000)

Led by Emma Smith, w of Joseph Only descendants of JS can be pres. “Reorganized Church of JC of LDS”

• Hedrickites

“True” church in possession of JS’ original temple site.

• Bickertonites

“True” church led by JS’ theologian

• Cutlerites

“True” church led by Alpheus Cutler, who received a revelation that he would lead.

• Strangites

“True” church led by James Strang, who claimed Smith appointed him as next president.

Five Stages of Man (& God)

Five Stages of Man (& God)

Celestial Kingdom Terrestrial Kingdom Telestial Kingdom

Mormon Gospel

• We existed with God as a society of intelligences.
• God evolved into a man and later an exalted man.
• God created his spirit-children – Jesus, Lucifer, us.
• God created the world.
• God created Adam and Eve, so they could produced bodies for us

spirit-children.

• 600 BC -- Jews migrated to North America. Good Jews became

“Nephites.” Bad Jews becames “Lamanites” and were cursed with dark skin, equated with Native Americans.

• Jesus Christ came to earth twice – first to Bethlehem, then to America

after His resurrection.

• 428 AD – Lamanites killed all Nephites. Mormon wrote about this

history on golden plates. His son, Moroni, buried the plates, and later became an angel.

• 1820 -- The angel Moroni led Smith to the plates.

How to Share With Mormons

Joseph Smith