What are the different beliefs of Jehovah witnesses fron church of England?

Answer 1

The Church of England is a mainstream protestant Christian denomination and part of the worldwide Christian Church. Its doctrine is that of the early Church as was founded by Jesus Christ and the disciples. Its three foundations of faith are:

Scripture: The Church recognises the importance of the Bible as the Word of God and a basis of faith. Some accept the Bible literally but the majority accept the Bible as inspired by God and, in part should be taken literally, but also much should be read allegorically, as it was in the first centuries.

Tradition: The Church also recognises the importance of the historical church in formulating doctrine. This avoids the danger of blind faith and misinterpreting the scriptures should there be a conflict between history and a bogus interpretation of scripture.

Reason: The Church recognises that humanity was given an intellect by God, and therefore we use God-given reason to ensure that doctrine is correct and is revealed by God, and not at odds with what is revealed in the world by other means.

The Church is a body of Christ with a wide tradition - from charismatic evangelical worship through to high Anglocatholicism. The Church holds the Trinitarian belief of the Nicene Creed as handed down through the ages since the disciples themselves, and, in these doctrines, has identical beliefs with the rest of the Christian Church, including Roman Catholics. However, the Church rejects certain Roman beliefs as man-made - especially doctrines surrounding the Virgin Mary and the infallible authority of the pope.

The Jehovah's Witnesses, however, are a group that was founded only in the 19th century by a self-styled 'pastor' who began a publishing company (eventually termed the 'Watchtower') whose aim was to sell tracts at a great profit.

Jehovah's Witnesses will claim to be the 'true' Church and regard Trinitarian doctrine as satanic.

They accept the Bible as the Word of God, but unlike the mainstream Church which has all the benefits of tradition, history, the thoughts of many theologians and scholars and a heritage that can trace its roots back to the disciples themselves, the JWs are obliged to take all their teaching from the Watchtower Society. As the Watchtower is based on shifting sands theology and its contributors are ignorant of bibliocal Greek and Hebrew, the JW organisation has been subject to many gross misinterpretations of scripture over the years since its founding. These include the denial of Christ's divinity, the refusal to accept his dying on a Cross, the refusal to accept a bodily resurrection, 'predictions' of the end of the world, the belief that Jesus and Satan were once brothers (!), the refusal to accept blood or to celebrate birthdays, Christmas or Easter, and many other doctrines that the JW will insist are 'true' Christianity but which are based on gross misconceptions and misunderstanding of scripture.

Unlike the minor differences between Christian denominations like the Church of England and the Roman Catholics, Methodists, Baptists etc, the doctrines of the Watchtower are so far removed from the Christian Church, of which the Church of England is one small part, that some critics have denied the Christian roots of the organisation. At best some see the JW movement as a maverick group on the fringes of the Christian Church. Others who are more voiciferously critical see the JW movement, especially when one looks at the inner workings of the Watchtower and the treatment of Witnesses themselves, as little more than a dangerous cult. On a personal note, I feel that the latter description is unfair on the many Witnesses who believe that they are 'doing God's work' but I cannot confirm that the beliefs of the Watchtower resemble in any shape or form mainstream Christian belief.