by Giuseppe Monno
Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious movement that arose in the United States in the nineteenth century and subsequently spread worldwide.
I. HISTORICAL ORIGINS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
The movement originated around 1870 through the initiative of Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), a young American from a Presbyterian Protestant background. Troubled by certain traditional Christian doctrines, such as hell and the Trinity, Russell began organising private Bible studies in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From these gatherings emerged the “Bible Students Association,” which later developed into the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, founded in 1881.
After Russell’s death, leadership of the movement passed to Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who reorganised its structure, gave it a more structured and authoritative character, and in 1931 introduced the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Since then, the movement has been marked by sustained proselytising activity and the wide dissemination of publications such as The Watchtower and Awake!.
II. THE DOCTRINE OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
The principal beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses may be outlined as follows:
Jehovah God
Jehovah’s Witnesses employ the name “Jehovah” as the sole legitimate designation of God, deriving it from a particular vocalisation of the sacred Tetragrammaton YHWH. According to Catholic teaching, however, while the divine name is indeed revealed, it does not exhaust the mystery of God’s being: God cannot be reduced to a mere appellation, but is truly known within a personal relationship of love with humanity.
Jesus Christ
Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the divinity of Jesus Christ: according to their teaching, he is the first creature brought into being by God and is identified with the archangel Michael. This position stands in direct opposition to the Catholic dogma of the Trinity, according to which the Son is “consubstantial” with the Father (cf. homoousios, Nicene Creed, 325).
The Holy Spirit
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not regard the Holy Spirit as a divine Person, but rather as the active force of God; for this reason, they frequently write “holy spirit” in lowercase. Here again, the divergence from Catholic doctrine is clear: for the Church, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, “the Lord, the giver of life” (cf. Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, 381).
The Bible
Jehovah’s Witnesses use their own translation of the Bible, known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, first published in 1950. This version has been the subject of considerable criticism from Christian scholars and biblical specialists, who note its tendency to render certain passages in a manner consistent with the movement’s distinctive doctrines. A frequently cited example is John 1:1, rendered as “the Word was a god” rather than “the Word was God.”
Eschatology and Salvation
Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that a literal number of 144,000 elect will reign with Christ in heaven, while the great majority of the righteous are destined to live forever on a renewed earth as a paradise. They also deny the existence of hell as an eternal punishment: in their view, the wicked are ultimately annihilated.
They further reject the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, maintaining that the human person constitutes an indivisible unity and that death entails a complete cessation of existence until God restores life through the resurrection. Such views exhibit certain affinities with the thought of Arnobius of Sicca.
The Church and the Sacraments
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not recognise the existence of a visible Church endowed with sacramental authority, nor do they accept the sacraments as effective means of grace. Baptism, in their understanding, functions primarily as a public sign of affiliation with the organisation rather than as an act conferring divine grace.
The Lord’s Supper likewise assumes distinctive characteristics: it is observed only once a year, and only those who regard themselves as belonging to the “anointed” partake of the bread and wine, while the remaining faithful attend without receiving communion.
III. DOCTRINES CONTRARY TO CHRISTIAN REVELATION
The teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses include several elements regarded as incompatible with Christian Revelation.
Foremost among these is the denial of the Trinity, together with the rejection of the divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit. To this is added an understanding of Scripture reduced to private interpretation, lacking reference to Tradition and the Magisterium.
Moreover, there emerges an apocalyptic outlook of a millenarian type, closer to a sectarian reading than to the authentic Christian hope concerning the last things. On the sacramental plane, there is a rejection of the sacraments and of sacramental grace, particularly the Eucharist, Baptism, and Reconciliation.
Finally, ecclesial authority is set aside: the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society presents itself as the sole authorised interpreter of the Bible, effectively supplanting the Church’s Magisterium.
IV. BIBLICAL ALTERATIONS AND DOCTRINAL MANIPULATIONS
Many scholars, including those outside the Catholic tradition, have identified controversial renderings in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.
Among the most notable examples is John 1:1, where we read “the Word was a god,” a formulation that departs from the traditional translation and is linked to the rejection of the Nicene homoousios (“consubstantial”). In Colossians 1:16–17, the word “other” is introduced (“all other things were created through him”), thereby contributing to the portrayal of Christ as a creature. In Hebrews 1:6, the term “worship” is rendered as “do obeisance,” thus attenuating its force.
Another significant case is Luke 23:43, where the placement of the comma—“In truth I tell you today, you will be with me in Paradise”—alters the theological sense of Christ’s promise.
Such renderings are frequently interpreted as indicative of an exegetical method subordinated to particular doctrinal presuppositions rather than to a rigorous adherence to the original text.
V. SOCIOLOGICAL AND PASTORAL ASPECTS
Jehovah’s Witnesses are characterised by a highly centralised organisation, founded upon strict internal discipline and careful doctrinal oversight. Members are expected to engage consistently in proselytising activity and are encouraged to limit religious contact with what is termed “the world.” The practice of exclusion, known as disfellowshipping, may entail significant consequences at the familial and social levels, at times resulting in profound relational divisions.
The Catholic Church, while acknowledging the sincere religious zeal of many Jehovah’s Witnesses, invites the faithful to exercise prudent discernment. She recalls that authentic faith arises from a personal encounter with Christ within the ecclesial community, and not from a private and isolated interpretation of Sacred Scripture.
VI. THEOLOGICAL CONCLUSION
From a theological standpoint, the doctrine of Jehovah’s Witnesses represents a re-emergence of elements traceable to Arianism and millenarianism, yet without the sacramental foundation and the Trinitarian dimension proper to the Christian faith.
Although it presents itself as a form of “biblical Christianity,” it diverges from the historic Christian tradition, inasmuch as it does not recognise the centrality of the Paschal mystery of Christ, of grace, and of ecclesial communion.