# Jehovah’s Witnesses

> Claims that come up in conversation about Jehovah’s Witnesses, with a short answer and the texts to open.

Page: https://apologetics.wiki/common-arguments/jehovahs-witnesses

Hub: https://apologetics.wiki/common-arguments

Shelf: https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses

## Who Jesus Is

### Jehovah created Jesus first, and then created everything else through him.

What you will hear.

Hebrews 1 applies the psalm about the LORD, the unchanging Creator, to the Son. John 1:3 leaves nothing that exists apart from the Word.

Texts: [Hebrews 1:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/10), [John 1:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/3), [Isaiah 44:24](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/44/24), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Hebrews 1:10](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/hebrews/1/#v58001010)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-the-creator-or-a-creature)

### Before his life on earth, Jesus was Michael the archangel.

What you will hear.

Hebrews 1 sets the Son apart from every angel. No text calls Jesus Michael.

Texts: [Hebrews 1:5](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/5), [Hebrews 1:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/6), [1 Thessalonians 4:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-thessalonians/4/16), [Jude 9](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/jude/1/9), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Hebrews 1:6](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/hebrews/1/#v58001006)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-michael-the-archangel)

### Jesus is not worshipped. People only do obeisance to him, and worship belongs to Jehovah alone.

What you will hear.

Hebrews 1:6 applies a worship text to the Son, and Revelation 5 gives the Lamb the same praise as the One on the throne.

Texts: [Hebrews 1:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/6), [Revelation 5:13](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/5/13), [Revelation 22:8](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/22/8), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Hebrews 1:6](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/hebrews/1/#v58001006)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/should-jesus-be-worshipped)

### The Father is greater than Jesus, so Jesus is not God.

What you will hear.

The Son’s human life and his place in the work of the Father do not make him a creature. John 5 says the Son is honoured as the Father is.

Texts: [John 14:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/14/28), [John 17:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/17/3), [John 5:23](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/5/23), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 14:28](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/14/#v43014028)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/islam/if-jesus-is-god-why-did-he-pray)

### Jesus said all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father.

A Christian objection.

John 5 says the Son gives life and judges, and that refusing the Son is refusing the Father.

Texts: [John 5:18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/5/18), [John 5:23](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/5/23), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 5:23](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/5/#v43005023)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/deity-of-christ)

### Prayer is offered to Jehovah alone, through Jesus, not to Jesus himself.

What you will hear.

Stephen called on the Lord Jesus, and Paul describes Christians as those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Texts: [Acts 7:59](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/7/59), [1 Corinthians 1:2](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-corinthians/1/2), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Acts 7:59](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/acts/7/#v44007059)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/should-jesus-be-worshipped)

### John 1:1 says the Word was a god, not that the Word was God.

What you will hear.

The Word was with God and was God. A second god beside Jehovah contradicts Isaiah 43:10, and Thomas calls Jesus his Lord and his God.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [John 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/20/28), [Isaiah 43:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/43/10), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word)

### Jesus was raised as a spirit and only appeared in a body.

What you will hear.

The risen Jesus says a spirit does not have flesh and bones as he has, and he tells Thomas to touch his wounds.

Texts: [Luke 24:39](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/luke/24/39), [John 20:27](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/20/27), [John 2:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/2/19), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Luke 24:39](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/luke/24/#v42024039)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/was-jesus-raised-bodily)

### The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) adds the word “other” in Colossians 1:16, so the verse reads as “all other things.”

A Christian objection.

The Greek says “all things.” The added word is what lets a created Son stand inside a verse about the Creator.

Texts: [Colossians 1:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/16), [John 1:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/3), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Colossians 1:16](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/colossians/1/#v51001016)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-the-creator-or-a-creature)

### “Firstborn of all creation” means Jesus was the first creature God made.

What you will hear.

Firstborn often means the pre-eminent heir. The next verse says all things were created by him.

Texts: [Colossians 1:15](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/15), [Colossians 1:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/16), [Psalm 89:27](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/89/27), [Revelation 3:14](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/3/14)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/what-does-firstborn-of-all-creation-mean)

### “The Alpha and the Omega” is Jehovah, not Jesus.

What you will hear.

In Revelation 22 the one who says “I am Alpha and Omega” is the one who is coming, and John answers, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” The one who died and lives in Revelation 1 calls himself the first and the last.

Texts: [Revelation 22:13](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/22/13), [Revelation 1:17](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/1/17), [Isaiah 44:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/44/6), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Revelation 22:13](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/22/#v66022013)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/who-is-the-alpha-and-omega)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in Jesus.

What you will hear.

They believe he is the Christ, the Savior, and the Son of God, and they deny that he is Almighty God. Their Bible renders John 1:1 “the Word was a god.” The King James, and the Greek, say the Word was God.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [John 20:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/20/28), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians)

### Hebrews 3:2 says God made Jesus, so Jesus is a creature.

What you will hear.

The participle is from ποιέω. The King James and the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) both read appointed. The same verb in the Greek of 1 Samuel 12:6 is how that text says the LORD made Moses and Aaron.

Texts: [Hebrews 3:2](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/3/2), [1 Samuel 12:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-samuel/12/6), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Hebrews 3:2](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/hebrews/3/#v58003002)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-jesus-the-creator-or-a-creature)

## The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible)

### The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) is a faithful Bible, and where it differs it is only clearer English, not a doctrinal change.

What you will hear.

The study notes say a literal line would call the Word God, call Jesus the Creator, or have the angels worship him. Read those notes beside the Greek text they publish, then the same paragraph in the King James Version.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [Colossians 1:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/16), [Acts 7:59](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/7/59), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-reliable-is-the-new-world-translation)

### The Trinity depends on 1 John 5:7, and that verse was added later.

What you will hear.

The sentence is not in the early Greek manuscripts, and the Trinity does not rest on it. The confession is older than that addition.

Texts: [1 John 5:7](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-john/5/7), [Matthew 28:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/28/19), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of 1 John 5:7](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/1-john/5/#v62005007)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/does-the-trinity-depend-on-1-john-5-7)

### The divine name Jehovah belongs in the New Testament wherever the writers meant the Father.

What you will hear.

No Greek New Testament manuscript contains that name. The apostles used “Lord” for the Father and for Jesus, including Old Testament lines about the LORD.

Texts: [Acts 7:59](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/7/59), [Romans 10:13](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/romans/10/13), [Joel 2:32](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/joel/2/32), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Acts 7:60](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/acts/7/#v44007060)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/does-jehovah-belong-in-the-new-testament)

### Wording in the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) has stayed the same where it speaks about Jesus.

What you will hear.

The 1984 Reference Bible brackets “[other]” in Colossians 1:16–20; the current text does not. A Questions From Readers article prints “worship” at Hebrews 1:6; the 1984 verse prints “do obeisance.”

Texts: [Colossians 1:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/16), [Hebrews 1:6](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/hebrews/1/6), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Hebrews 1:6](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/hebrews/1/#v58001006)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-has-the-new-world-translation-changed)

### The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) is the most accurate Bible.

What you will hear.

New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) renders John 1:1 so that the Word was a god. The King James Version and the Greek read that the Word was God. Their Colossians 1:16 adds other. The article sets the wordings side by side.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001), [Colossians 1:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/colossians/1/16)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/which-bible-translation-is-most-accurate)

## God and the Holy Spirit

### The holy spirit is not a person.

What you will hear.

Scripture speaks of the Spirit as one who can be grieved, who teaches, who speaks, and who can be lied to.

Texts: [Ephesians 4:30](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/ephesians/4/30), [John 14:26](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/14/26), [Acts 5:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/5/3), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Ephesians 4:30](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/ephesians/4/#v49004030)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-the-holy-spirit-a-person)

### God’s only name is Jehovah, and English Bibles hide it behind LORD.

What you will hear.

The King James Version prints JEHOVAH in Exodus 6:3 and Psalm 83:18, and LORD where the same Hebrew word stands elsewhere. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) prints Jehovah in Deuteronomy 6:4. Philippians 2 gives Jesus the name above every name.

Texts: [Exodus 6:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/6/3), [Psalm 83:18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/83/18), [Deuteronomy 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/6/4), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Deuteronomy 6:4](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/deuteronomy/6/#v5006004)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/what-is-gods-name)

### True worshippers must use the name Jehovah.

What you will hear.

John 4:23–24 says true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The King James prints JEHOVAH in Exodus 6:3 and Psalm 83:18, and LORD elsewhere. Their page hedges the meaning as what a number of scholars suggest.

Texts: [John 4:23](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/4/23), [Exodus 6:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/exodus/6/3), [Psalm 83:18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/psalms/83/18), [Isaiah 43:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/43/10)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe)

### Jehovah is the Father alone, and Jesus is not Jehovah.

What you will hear.

Their page says Jehovah is the Creator whom Jesus worshipped, and it hedges the meaning as what a number of scholars suggest. Their Mark 1:3 says “Prepare the way of Jehovah,” and their note says Mark applies Isaiah to the way prepared for Jesus. The King James says Lord. The spelling essay and the New Testament name count are other pages.

Texts: [John 20:17](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/20/17), [Mark 1:3](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/1/3), [John 12:41](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/12/41), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Mark 1:3](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/mark/1/#v41001003)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/who-is-jehovah)

## Practice and History

### The faithful and discreet slave is the Governing Body, which gives Jehovah’s people their spiritual food.

What you will hear.

Matthew 24:45 is a parable about servants staying faithful until the master returns, not a charter for one modern organization.

Texts: [Matthew 24:45](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/24/45), [Luke 12:42](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/luke/12/42), [Acts 17:11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/17/11), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Matthew 24:45](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/matthew/24/#v40024045)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/who-is-the-faithful-and-discreet-slave)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions because the Bible says to abstain from blood.

What you will hear.

Genesis 9, Leviticus 17, and Acts 15 forbid eating blood. On 18 September 2026 the Governing Body left the four main components to conscience and kept the refusal of whole blood.

Texts: [Acts 15:29](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/acts/15/29), [Genesis 9:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/9/4), [18 September 2026 announcement](https://www.jw.org/en/global-communications/country/global-news/Jehovahs-Witnesses-Each-Witness-Now-Decides-Whether-to-Accept-or-Donate-Main-Blood-Components/)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/why-dont-jehovahs-witnesses-take-blood)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas, because those days displease God.

What you will hear.

Their FAQ ties birthdays to pagan customs and to two grim feasts, and it says the Bible does not explicitly forbid them. Luke 2 calls the birth good news. They keep the Memorial of Jesus’ death.

Texts: [Genesis 40:20](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/genesis/40), [Mark 6:21](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/mark/6), [Luke 2:11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/luke/2/11), [Romans 14:5](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/romans/14)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas)

### Watchtower teachings do not change. What was published about 1925, 1975, and “this generation” still stands.

What you will hear.

The 1920 booklet expected Abraham’s return in 1925. Later articles hedged 1975, redefined “this generation,” and withdrew the organ-transplant ruling.

Texts: [Matthew 24:34](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/24/34), [Millions Now Living Will Never Die!](https://archive.org/stream/millionsnowlivin00ruth/millionsnowlivin00ruth_djvu.txt)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-have-watchtower-teachings-changed)

### A sentence that says “suggests” or “it is reasonable” is still the verse speaking.

A Christian objection.

Those verbs mark the writer’s step. The question is which verse says the conclusion directly.

Texts: [1 Thessalonians 4:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/1-thessalonians/4/16), [Matthew 24:34](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/24/34), [Insight on the Scriptures, “Michael”](https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003035)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/how-do-you-read-watchtower-language)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses worship Jehovah alone, honor Jesus as Savior and Son of God, and deny that he is Almighty God. They say he began ruling in 1914.

What you will hear.

That is their published summary. The Nicene confession is that Jesus is God, and John 1:1 says the Word was God.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [John 14:28](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/14/28), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe)

### Only 144,000 people go to heaven. The great crowd lives forever on earth.

What you will hear.

Revelation 7 numbers 144,000 from the tribes of Israel, then a multitude before the throne. Their Bible’s Revelation 5:10 says the rulers “rule as kings over the earth.” The King James says “we shall reign on the earth.”

Texts: [Revelation 7:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/7/4), [Revelation 7:9](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/7/9), [Revelation 5:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/5/10), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Revelation 5:10](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/5/#v66005010)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/who-are-the-144000)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses are not allowed to drink alcohol.

What you will hear.

Their page says it is not a sin to drink alcohol in moderation, that Jesus drank wine, and that drunkenness is condemned. They also name times when a person should not drink at all.

Texts: [Ephesians 5:18](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/ephesians/5/18), [John 2:1–11](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/2), [What Does the Bible Say About Alcohol?](https://www.jw.org/en/bible-teachings/questions/is-drinking-a-sin/)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-drink-alcohol)

### Armageddon is God’s war that destroys the wicked, and Jesus began ruling as King in 1914.

What you will hear.

Revelation 16:16 names a place where kings are gathered. Their 1914 appendix says Bible students proclaimed that year decades in advance, and it says the date was progressively discerned. Matthew 24:36 says no one knows that day or hour.

Texts: [Revelation 16:16](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/revelation/16/16), [Matthew 24:36](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/24/36), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of Revelation 16:16](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/revelation/16/#v66016016)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/what-is-armageddon)

### Charles Taze Russell founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses.

What you will hear.

Their FAQ says Russell took the lead and was the first editor of The Watchtower, and that he was not the founder of a new religion. They view Jesus as the founder. The name Jehovah’s Witnesses was taken in 1931 under J. F. Rutherford.

Texts: [Isaiah 43:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/isaiah/43/10), [Who Was the Founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses?](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/founder/)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/who-founded-the-jehovahs-witnesses)

### Jehovah’s Witnesses are Christians because they follow Jesus.

What you will hear.

They say yes, and they say Jesus is not Almighty God and not part of a Trinity. The Christian confession is that Jesus is God.

Texts: [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1), [Matthew 28:19](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/28/19), [New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of John 1:1](https://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/john/1/#v43001001)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians)

### Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses are the same religion.

A Christian objection.

They are two churches. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father has a body of flesh and bones. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus is not Almighty God. Neither confession is the Trinity.

Texts: [Doctrine and Covenants 130:22](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/130?lang=eng&id=22), [Jehovah’s Witness beliefs](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/), [John 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1)

[Read the Full Answer](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/mormons-vs-jehovahs-witnesses)