On the February 28, 2009 Battle Lines broadcast we addressed Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses meet in Kingdom Halls around the world and conduct aggressive evangelistic campaigns. But Jehovah’s Witnesses are a cult. They claim to be Christian but deviate from the essential doctrines of Christianity. Charles Russell founded the Watchtower Tract Society in late 1800’s in response to his disagreement with and deviance from Adventism. He was succeeded by Joseph Rutherford who first called the group Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW’s) and who embellished the doctrine of Russell. JW's deny every major doctrine of historic, orthodox Christianity. JW’s deny the authority of Scripture. Charles Russell is said to have asserted that if people had to choose between reading his books or the Bible, they should choose his books. He claimed that anyone reading Russell’s work, even without reading the Bible, would have “the light of the Scriptures.” JW’s claim to hold the Bible as their final authority, but they place reason in authority over Scripture. Final authority is their official system of interpretation, the Watchtower. And their version of the Bible, The New World Translation, is mistranslated in order to support their system of belief. JW’s also deny the deity of Jesus Christ. They claim that Jesus was the first creation of God (the ancient heresy of Arianism). Jesus was an angel, Michael, who was born as a man. He was born a perfect man, but, since he gave up his existence as an angel, He was just a man. JW’s also deny the doctrine of the triune God. They claim that Christianity teaches a doctrine of “three Gods in one God.” JW’s deny the resurrection. Jesus rose only spiritually; his body decayed and is gone forever. JW’s deny the orthodox doctrine of the Atonement. They believe that the death of Christ removed the effects of Adam’s sin and put man in a position to work out his salvation. “What the Watchtower means by ‘free gift’ is that Christ’s death only wiped away the sin inherited from Adam. They teach that without this work of atonement, men could not work their way toward salvation.” (former JW Duane Magnani). When Jehovah’s Witnesses come to your door, share with them the free gift of God’s grace that is available, apart from good works, through the God-man Jesus Christ.