The main difference relates to one thing: Putting faith in traditions over the explicit teachings of the Bible. This is something Jesus faced from those who worshipped the biblical God in his day (Mark 7:9-13). It hasn't changed much since that time, except to get worse for many Jewish and Christian groups. That is why Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe in a triune God, the Trinity, though even on this doctrine they do not all agree in every respect. Nonetheless, the Trinity doctrine has been used as a basis for condemning non-Trinitarians since at least the early 4th century CE, this in spite of the fact it is not explicitly taught in the Bible.
While the Bible does teach us about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28-18-20), the Trinity doctrine developed after the first century CE. Watch this video for more on the development of the Trinity doctrine and those who opposed the Trinity leading up to and during the council of Nicaea. The Bible does not identify a triune God as the "one God" of Christians. It does identify "the Father" as this one God, and no one else is called the "one God" in the Bible (1 Corinthians 8:4-6). The Trinity doctrine teaches, in critical part, that God is three "Persons" who are "consubstantial" with each other (share the same essence of being), versus separate spirit beings like the Bible teaches and like Christian Witnesses of Jah believe. -- John 4:24; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Revelation 1:4-5.
The post-biblical, pagan belief about God as a Trinity was adopted by the new pagan church of Rome in the early 4th century, when the pagan emperor Constantine became the head of this new church. Constantine also oversaw the council of Nicaea and contributed the term "consubstantial" to the new pagan creed, overriding the terms used in the Bible such as the Son being an "imprint of his [God's] being" in Hebrews 1:3. This language relates directly to the use of an ancient ring used as a stamp in wax, which creates an exact image in another substance, which exact image is temporally distinct from God's "being" according to the Bible, in direct conflict with Nicene paganism. To learn more about the period of Constantine and his becoming the first "Christian" Roman Emperor, watch this video. To learn more about the decades following Constantine's becoming Emperor, and the ongoing debate about Nicene theology after the council of Nicaea through the end of the 4th century, watch this video.
Later in the 4th century and thereafter, other non-biblical councils helped further establish a false belief about the Holy Spirit and about Jesus having two natures though only one person. These and other non-biblical beliefs such as "the Angel of the LORD" being an eternal person of this new triune God (which is angel worship--Colossians 2:18), the use of idols in religious service and worship, removing God's name from the Bible, praying to Mary and other Saints, and an unbiblical church structure are just some important differences between Christians Witnesses of Jah, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox faiths.
Like with Catholics and Eastern Orthodox, most Protestant groups today follow many of the same unbiblical traditions as Catholics and Eastern Orthodox. These include the Trinity, use of the cross and other images and pictures (for example, of Jesus) in religious services and worship. These and other traditions, including the removal of God's name from most Protestant Bible translations, make Christian Witnesses of Jah different from most Protestant groups. In spite of these differences, we do agree with Protestants on the preexistence of Jesus as a conscious person, and we also agree on the (39) Old Testament and (27) New Testaments books as biblical.
Not if by "Jehovah's Witnesses" you mean persons associated with and/or part of the Watchtower Society. While there are some important doctrinal similarities between Jehovah's Witnesses associated with the Watchtower Society and the Christian Witnesses of Jah, this is largely due to each group's rejection of post-biblical creeds and traditions which conflict with the Bible. Foremost among these agreements based on explicit biblical teachings are: Belief in "one God, the Father" (1 Corinthians 8:4-6); belief in Jesus as the only begotten Son of God, the real Firstborn of God in heaven who has been "made Lord" to God the Father's glory (John 1:1-18; 3:16; Acts 2:36; Colossians 1:15; Philippians 2:9-11; Hebrews 1:1-3; compare Deuteronomy 21:17); and our shared belief Christians are supposed to use God's name, not remove it from the Bible. -- Exodus 3:15; Psalm 68:4; 102:18; Micah 5:1-4; John 5:43; 10:25; 12:13, 28; 17:6, 11-12, 26; Revelation 19:1-6.
Aside from our agreement on these and some other explicit biblical teachings, there are many significant differences between Christian Witnesses of Jah and Jehovah's Witnesses associated with the Watchtower. For example, Christian Witnesses of Jah only require Three Things, leaving the responsibility for everything else to each Christian before the Master, as long as the Three Things are not compromised, and no one is sinned against. Should our Three Things become compromised or if someone is clearly sinned against (such as by lying, stealing, and other clearly prohibited practices), we follow Mathew 18:15-18. Like the Ephesian Christians whom the Master approved, we are not afraid to openly call out those who make strong claims and to verify whether they are telling the truth or lying. -- Revelation 2:2.
By contrast, Jehovah's Witnesses associated with the Watchtower must follow every single teaching put forth by the Governing Body, regardless of whether it is a clear or explicit Bible teaching. These include the Governing Body's applications of Bible prophecy, interpretation of Bible chronology, celebrating holidays, and understanding of medical and other sciences. If a Jehovah's Witness does not follow the Governing Body on all of these beliefs and practices, the person will be considered weak, disobedient, and eventually disfellowshipped from the Watchtower's congregations.
This video explores the New Testament accounts where Christians met in homes and congregated together in different homes based on location. While the earliest Christians were involved in public ministry and open discussion with non-Christians, such as in the synagogues and temples, when they met privately for prayer and for upbuilding each other (compare Hebrews 10:24-25), they did so in homes until the early 4th century CE.
For these reasons, along with the practical aspect of saving money for a separate location and keeping our gatherings more private and, therefore, less open to being targeted, are why Christian Witnesses of Jah meet in our private homes for prayer and for worship (compare Matthew 6:5-6). See the video linked above for further discussion of New Testament accounts involving the early Christians meeting in homes, and how it compares to modern-day ministries like the door-to-door work of the Watchtower Society and Mormons, both earlier in this century and throughout the 20th century.
Believe, accept, and teach the Three Things listed below above all else where it concerns the Bible. We follow the Bible by allowing each person to decide all other questions before his or her own Master (Romans 14:4-13). The only exception to this is if a person is directly sinned against by someone. In this case, we follow Jesus' direction in Matthew 18:15-17, and the entire congregation of Christian in the area of the allegation(s) witness the process if "two or three witnesses" cannot resolve the matter.
There are no backroom, secret meetings with us. We meet in our homes like the early Christians (see preceding Q&A), and like Jesus and the early Christians we teach openly, in public, or where others meet privately to discuss the Bible or related subjects (John 6:59; 7:26; 18:20; Acts 20:20; Romans 10:8-10; 1 Timothy 5:24-25). To learn more about Christian Witnesses of Jah beliefs, or how you can set up your own house congregation and help others to do the same, visit our YouTube channel and our Discussion Forum.
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