# What Is the Difference Between Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses? > Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses are different churches. One teaches that the Father has a body of flesh and bones. The other says Jesus is not Almighty God. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/mormons-vs-jehovahs-witnesses - Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: jehovahs-witnesses, latter-day-saints, trinity - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses are not the same church. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that the Father has a body of flesh and bones. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jehovah alone is Almighty God and that Jesus is not Almighty God. Neither confession is the Trinity. [What Do Mormons Believe?](/latter-day-saints/what-do-mormons-believe) and [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe) quote each group’s own pages. [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) is the Christian confession that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one God. ## Key Points - Jehovah’s Witnesses say they worship Jehovah, and that Jesus is not Almighty God and that there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity. [(1)](#ref-1) - Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 says the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, and the Son also, and that the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit. [(2)](#ref-2) - Articles of Faith 1:8 says the Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God. [(3)](#ref-3) Jehovah’s Witnesses hold the Bible as God’s word and publish the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). - Jehovah’s Witnesses say 144,000 will be resurrected to rule with Jesus in heaven. [(1)](#ref-1) Articles of Faith 1:3 ties salvation to obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. [(4)](#ref-4) - Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays or Christmas. Latter-day Saint Word of Wisdom pages teach that hot drinks means tea and coffee. [(5)](#ref-5) Those pages, and the Jehovah’s Witness beliefs summary quoted here, do not name deodorant. - Official Declaration 1 says the church is not teaching polygamy. [(6)](#ref-6) Jehovah’s Witnesses say marriage is one man and one woman. [(1)](#ref-1) ## Are Mormons Jehovah’s Witnesses? No. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah’s Witnesses are two organizations, with two sets of books and two accounts of God. A person is not both because both groups send teachers to doors, or because both names come up beside the word Christian. [Are Mormons Christians?](/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) and [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) take that word up for each group. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a separate body from the Catholic Church and from Protestant churches that confess the Trinity. Latter-day Saints are a separate body in the same sense. [What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe?](/what-do-seventh-day-adventists-believe) is a different neighbor: that article quotes their confession of the Trinity. ## What Do They Believe About God and Jesus? Jehovah’s Witnesses state their doctrine on the beliefs page. On [the beliefs page, on Jesus](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/): > However, we have learned from the Bible that Jesus is not Almighty God and that there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity doctrine. The same page says they worship the one true and Almighty God, the Creator, whose name is Jehovah. [(1)](#ref-1) [John 1:1](/bible/john/1/1) says the Word was with God and the Word was God. Their New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) of that verse is quoted on [John 1 and the Word](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word). [Deuteronomy 6:4](/bible/deuteronomy/6/4) says the Lord our God is one Lord. Christians confess that one God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Latter-day Saint scripture says something else about the Father’s body. [Doctrine and Covenants 130:22](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/130?lang=eng&id=22) says the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s, the Son also, and the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones but is a personage of Spirit. [(2)](#ref-2) [The Godhead in Latter-day Saint Teaching](/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching) quotes that verse beside the Nicene confession. [Is Mormonism a Cult?](/latter-day-saints/is-mormonism-a-cult) answers the slur by stating the doctrine. ## What Scripture Do They Use? Latter-day Saints put a limit on the Bible in their own Articles of Faith. On [Articles of Faith 1:8](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng&id=p8): > We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. [(3)](#ref-3) The Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price stand with those two. [The Book of Mormon](/latter-day-saints/the-book-of-mormon) is the church’s account of that book. Jehovah’s Witnesses hold the Bible as God’s word and publish the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible). [How the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) Changes Verses About Jesus](/jehovahs-witnesses/how-the-new-world-translation-changes-verses-about-jesus) quotes the places where that English differs from the Greek and from the King James Version. The two groups do not hand a visitor the same extra books. ## Salvation and the 144,000 The Jehovah’s Witness beliefs page gives a number for heavenly rule. On [the beliefs page, on the 144,000](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/): > A relatively small number of people—144,000—will be resurrected to life in heaven to rule with Jesus in the Kingdom. [(1)](#ref-1) That sentence is their reading of the sealed number in Revelation. It is not the Latter-day Saint sentence. [Articles of Faith 1:3](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng&id=p3) says that through the Atonement of Christ all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel. [(4)](#ref-4) [What Do Mormons Believe?](/latter-day-saints/what-do-mormons-believe) quotes the church’s page on grace beside that article. [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) is [Ephesians 2:8](/bible/ephesians/2/8): by grace, through faith, not of works. ## Birthdays and Christmas Jehovah’s Witnesses do not celebrate birthdays, and they do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, or May Day. [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) quotes those two answers from their own site. Latter-day Saints are not under that rule. [Do Mormons Celebrate Christmas and Easter?](/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-celebrate-christmas-and-easter) quotes the church’s pages on those days. ## Coffee, Tea, and the Word of Wisdom The Word of Wisdom is Latter-day Saint. Gospel Topics says latter-day prophets have taught that “hot drinks” in Doctrine and Covenants 89:9 refers to tea and coffee. [(5)](#ref-5) On [that page](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/word-of-wisdom?lang=eng): > See Doctrine and Covenants 89:9; latter-day prophets have taught that the term “hot drinks,” as written in this verse, refers to tea and coffee. [Why Can’t Mormons Drink Coffee?](/latter-day-saints/why-cant-mormons-drink-coffee) quotes that note and Doctrine and Covenants 89:9. The Jehovah’s Witness beliefs summary quoted on this page does not name coffee. The Word of Wisdom pages quoted on the coffee article, and that beliefs summary, do not name deodorant. ## Marriage and How Many Wives Jehovah’s Witnesses state a marriage rule on the beliefs page. On [the beliefs page, on marriage](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/): > We adhere to God’s original standard of marriage as the union of one man and one woman, with sexual immorality being the only valid basis for divorce. [(1)](#ref-1) The sentence is one wife. It does not describe a second wife as permitted. Latter-day Saints practiced plural marriage in the nineteenth century and say they do not practice it now. Official Declaration 1 says, “We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice.” [(6)](#ref-6) [Do Mormons Practice Polygamy?](/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-practice-polygamy) quotes that declaration and Doctrine and Covenants 132. ## What Religion Is Most Similar to the Latter-day Saints? This page does not rank religions by similarity. It sets Latter-day Saints beside Jehovah’s Witnesses because those two names are the pair the question uses. They disagree on the Father’s body, on which books stand with the Bible, on the 144,000, on Christmas, and on coffee. They agree that they are not the Nicene confession of one God in three persons. Seventh-day Adventists confess the Trinity in the text quoted on [What Do Seventh-day Adventists Believe?](/what-do-seventh-day-adventists-believe). That is a different claim. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Where Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Differ From Christianity? They say Jesus is not Almighty God and that there is no Scriptural basis for the Trinity. [(1)](#ref-1) [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) and [Is Jesus God?](/christianity/is-jesus-god) are the Christian claim. [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) walks through their own words. ### Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Protestant or Catholic? The beliefs page quoted here does not place them in the Catholic Church or in a Protestant confession. It says they worship Jehovah and that Jesus is not Almighty God. [(1)](#ref-1) ### Do the Two Groups Go Door to Door? The pages quoted here do not compare how each group sends teachers out. They do compare God, scripture, salvation, holidays, coffee, and marriage. ## Keep Reading - [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](/jehovahs-witnesses/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe) - [What Do Mormons Believe?](/latter-day-saints/what-do-mormons-believe) - [The Godhead in Latter-day Saint Teaching](/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching) - [Are Mormons Christians?](/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) - [Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christians?](/jehovahs-witnesses/are-jehovahs-witnesses-christians) - [John 1 and the Word](/jehovahs-witnesses/john-1-and-the-word) - [Why Can’t Mormons Drink Coffee?](/latter-day-saints/why-cant-mormons-drink-coffee) - [Do Mormons Practice Polygamy?](/latter-day-saints/do-mormons-practice-polygamy) - [Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Celebrate Birthdays and Christmas?](/jehovahs-witnesses/do-jehovahs-witnesses-celebrate-birthdays-and-christmas) - [The Trinity](/christianity/the-trinity) - [What Does the Bible Say About Salvation?](/christianity/what-does-the-bible-say-about-salvation) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### John 1:1 King James Version. > In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ### Deuteronomy 6:4 King James Version. > Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: ### Doctrine and Covenants 130:22 English, churchofjesuschrist.org. [Open on churchofjesuschrist.org](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/130?lang=eng&id=22) > The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. ### Articles of Faith 1:3 English, churchofjesuschrist.org. [Open on churchofjesuschrist.org](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng&id=p3) > We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. ### Ephesians 2:8 King James Version. > For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: ### Official Declaration 1 English, churchofjesuschrist.org. [Open on churchofjesuschrist.org](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng) > We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that either forty or any other number of plural marriages have during that period been solemnized in our Temples or in any other place in the Territory. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?](https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/) (Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah is Almighty God, Jesus is not Almighty God, 144,000 rule in heaven, and marriage is one man and one woman.) 2. [Doctrine and Covenants 130:22](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/130?lang=eng&id=22) (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Father and the Son have bodies of flesh and bones.) 3. [Articles of Faith 1:8](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng&id=p8) (Pearl of Great Price. The Bible is the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, and the Book of Mormon is the word of God.) 4. [Articles of Faith 1:3](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/a-of-f/1?lang=eng&id=p3) (Pearl of Great Price. Salvation is by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.) 5. [Gospel Topics, Word of Wisdom](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics/word-of-wisdom?lang=eng) (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Latter-day prophets teach that hot drinks means tea and coffee.) 6. [Official Declaration 1](https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/dc-testament/od/1?lang=eng) (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The church is not teaching plural marriage.) 7. [Gospel of John, 1:1](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/john/1/1). King James Version 8. [Deuteronomy, 6:4](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/deuteronomy/6/4). King James Version ## See Also - [Is the Holy Spirit a Person or an Impersonal Force?](https://apologetics.wiki/jehovahs-witnesses/is-the-holy-spirit-a-person) — Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the holy spirit is God’s active force, not a person. The New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible) still has the Spirit speaking, being lied to, and being grieved, and it calls the lie a lie to God. - [Are Mormons Christians?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/are-mormons-christians) — Latter-day Saints worship Jesus Christ and use his name. Their teaching of God, of Jesus, and of salvation is not the Nicene confession, so they are not a denomination inside Trinitarian Christianity. - [Do Mormons Believe in the Trinity?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/the-godhead-in-latter-day-saint-teaching) — No. Latter-day Saints teach that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings, one in purpose. That is not the Nicene confession of one God in three persons. - [What Is the Difference Between Mormons and Catholics?](https://apologetics.wiki/latter-day-saints/what-is-the-difference-between-mormons-and-catholics) — Catholics confess one God in three persons. Latter-day Saints teach three separate beings. In 2001 the Catholic Church answered that Latter-day Saint baptism is not valid. - [Which Bible Translation Is Most Accurate?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/which-bible-translation-is-most-accurate) — The most accurate Bible is the Hebrew and Greek the English translates. Word-for-word English such as Young’s Literal stays closer to that wording. Jehovah’s Witnesses publish the New World Translation (Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible), and at John 1:1 it differs from the Greek and the King James.