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Are there any statements in JW literature that indicate that they do not dogmatically believe that they are the only channel of God's truth and direction today, or that today, one does not have to be a JW to be saved? (By salvation I mean being reconciled to God, not merely being resuscitated to be given a chance to be taught by a JW in the millennium if they didn't receive that chance before they died.)

My emphasis on the word today is because JWs believe prior to the existence of their organization, people could obviously be saved without becoming a JW, or will be given that opportunity in the millennium. However, what about after their organization came into existence?

A JW might attempt to diplomatically respond that they are not to judge who will be saved (as I have seen from other responses from JWs on this forum). This is, of course, techically a correct response, yet begs the question, as JWs implicitly seem to believe a fellow JW will be saved if he stays loyal and obedient to their organization (which I assume to a JW this is equivalent to being obedient to God) throughout all eschatological trials such as Armageddon, whereas they believe others need to become JWs in order to be saved. However, my understanding of their beliefs might be inaccurate.

I'm looking for official statements from JW literature.

למה זה תשאל לשמי
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    https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/who-saved/. This and related info found here may answer some questions – Kris Jun 08 '18 at 13:26
  • @Kris - I don’t think the question is asking who will be resurrected after Armageddon. “Are there any statements in JW literature that indicate that they do not dogmatically believe that they are the only channel of God's truth and direction today, or that today, one does not have to be a JW to be saved?... JWs implicitly seem to believe a fellow JW will be saved if he stays loyal and obedient to their organization... throughout all eschatological trials such as Armageddon.” Will non-Jehovah’s Witnesses survive Armageddon or will they be annihilated which means they will not be resurrected? – Lesley Jun 08 '18 at 13:51
  • This question is similar to asking if the Catholic Church dogmatically states that Mary was not perpetually a virgin. – Kris Jun 08 '18 at 17:15
  • @Kris Not exactly, please note that the "not" in my question comes before the word "dogmatically". I think it would be more similar to asking whether there is any indication that the RCC does not dogmatically assert the perpetual virginity of Mary, in which case the answer would be "no" as far as I understand, but would welcome any official Catholic statements that might indicate the contrary. – למה זה תשאל לשמי Jun 08 '18 at 22:07
  • Ok I may have read the question wrong then. Could it be rephrased as “Do Jehovah’s Witnesses allow that it is possible that some nonJWs will survive Armageddon and be saved?” – Kris Jun 08 '18 at 23:51
  • @Kris I don't think so, see the parenthesis in the first paragraph. I think that eliminates that option, if you don't think it does, you can give it your best shot :-), It could possible be rephrased as, is it possible for someone to be right with God while not being a member of the Watchtower Organization after its inception and before the millennium ? – למה זה תשאל לשמי Jun 09 '18 at 08:57
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    Adherents to any religion generally believe that the beliefs of their religion are especially "correct" and provide a path to God/some higher form of existence simply because otherwise (e.g. if it did not matter what you believed in) there would not be much point in believing/following the tenets of their religion. But that FAQ linked by @Kris above does make the statement which should answer your question: "In any case, it’s not our job to judge who will or won’t be saved. That assignment rests squarely in Jesus’ hands." – Michael R Jun 09 '18 at 14:08
  • I think the reason we often respond with something like "we are not the judge", is that telling people we have the only true religion existing today often does not help people to believe or accept this as their personal belief. We want to help people come to their own opinion rather than push this belief on them. Also, while it is true that in general we don't expect people who don't eventually become obedient, baptized Jehovah's Witnesses to survive Armageddon, we simply cannot state for sure there will not be any exceptions for for specific situations. –  Jun 28 '18 at 15:20
  • For example, what if someone had begun studying, had not yet gotten baptized, but seemed to be on that path? What if someone was still too young to make a personal dedication? Simply put, we don't want to say dogmatically who exactly will and will not survive Armageddon because we don't know everything and we will have to wait and see how some of the details play out. –  Jun 28 '18 at 15:23
  • @still_dreaming_1 Ok, are their any official statements from JW literature that say this? Thanks for your comment. – למה זה תשאל לשמי Jun 28 '18 at 15:35
  • @למהזהתשאללשמי It is difficult to find definite statements that say these things. This is the closest I can think of "God’s battle is directed solely against those humans whom God judges to be incorrigibly wicked." https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2008250?q=jehovah+incorrigibly+wicked&p=par#h=10 –  Jun 28 '18 at 15:42
  • On the other end of the spectrum, this article explains that baptism is a requirement for Christians, and it explains that they mean explicitly getting baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/2018322?q=baptism+a+requirement&p=par –  Jun 28 '18 at 15:49
  • This also seems relevant, though also holds back from making very definitive statements. "Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe That They Have the One True Religion?" https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/true-religion/ –  Jun 28 '18 at 16:00
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    @still_dreaming_1 ok thanks for the references. – למה זה תשאל לשמי Jun 28 '18 at 16:12

2 Answers2

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The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society was founded in 1886 by Charles Russell. He and his followers were known as Bible Students and “Russellites” until 1931 when the second President, Joseph Rutherford, renamed the organisation as “Jehovah’s Witnesses.” Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that true religion became corrupted after the first century, and especially when the Catholic Church came to power. Between then and 1886 they claim there have only been a very small number of true Christians. Then Jesus chose them as his earthly organisation in 1919:

1 April 2007 Watchtower, p.22: “‘On arriving’ to inspect the ‘slave’ in 1918, Christ found a spirit-anointed remnant of faithful disciples who since 1879 had been using this journal [the Watchtower] and other Bible-based publications to provide spiritual ‘food at the proper time.’ He acknowledged them as his collective instrument, or ‘slave,’ and in 1919 entrusted them with the management of all his earthly belongings.”

February 2017 Study Watchtower article: Who Is Leading God’s People Today? “8. In the late 19th century, Charles Taze Russell and some of his associates endeavored to re-establish true Christian worship... 10. In 1919, three years after Brother Russell’s death, Jesus appointed “the faithful and discreet slave.” For what purpose? To give his domestics “food at the proper time.” (Matt. 24:45)”

Below are quotations from their own publications on who will survive Armageddon:

15 February 1983 Watchtower, pp 12-13, article You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth​—But How? subheading Four Requirements: “Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.”

Watchtower December 15, 1975 p 753: “Only Christian witnesses of Jehovah who successfully pass this test will survive and come forth like fire-refined gold for God’s use in his precious new order.”

Watchtower September 1, 1989 p 19: "Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the "great crowd," as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil."

Watchtower September 15, 1993 p 22: “But if we were to draw away from Jehovah’s organization, there would be no place else to go for salvation and true joy.”

Watchtower May 15, 2006: "During the final period of the ancient world that perished in the Flood, Noah was a faithful preacher of righteousness. (2 Peter 2:5) In these last days of the present system of things, Jehovah's people are making known God's righteous standards and are declaring good news about the possibility of surviving into the new world. (2 Peter 3:9-13) Just as Noah and his God-fearing family were preserved in the ark, survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah's universal organization."

Watchtower December 15, 2007: "But Jehovah's servants already belong to the only organization that will survive the end of this wicked system of things."

March 2016 Watchtower article Jehovah Guides His People in the Way of Life: “Indeed, to keep receiving God’s blessing, we need to pay attention to all the directions provided through the Christian congregation. Having an obedient spirit now will help us to follow directions during the “great tribulation,” which will eliminate Satan’s entire evil system. Thereafter, we will need new directions for new world living on an earth totally free of any satanic influence.”

November 2016 Study Watchtower article They Broke Free From False Religion: “In 1919, a “faithful and discreet slave” was appointed to provide spiritual food to the household of faith. (Matt. 24:45) God’s people were now free of the influence of Babylon the Great.”

Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe the Antichrist is made up of Trinitarian churches "promoting the use of Bible translations that omit God's personal name, Jehovah, from the text." June 2015 Watchtower article Who is the Antichrist? http://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/wp20150601/who-is-the-antichrist/

Today, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe only they will survive Armageddon. They view every Christian denomination (whether Catholic or Protestant) as part of Babylon the Great, the harlot of Revelation, soon to be destroyed. However, they never say that to non-Witnesses when they go from house to house. They are careful to promote the idea of living forever on a paradise earth after Armageddon.

I am unaware of any official statements that indicate they do NOT dogmatically believe that they are the only channel of God's truth and direction today, or that today, one does not have to be a Jehovah’s Witness to be saved. Of course, such statements may exist and if they do, I would be pleased to read them.

Lesley
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  • @agarza - Thanks for editing the links. – Lesley Jun 03 '21 at 17:06
  • +1 Interesting stuff! I have to wonder what JWs views are on non-Trinitarian churches - are they part of the antichrist too? – Only True God Jun 03 '21 at 23:00
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    @OneGodtheFather See this 2020 question and answer for more information: https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/75610/what-do-jehovahs-witnesses-believe-about-the-activities-of-the-antichrist-in-th – Lesley Jun 04 '21 at 08:02
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The following statement from a question from Watchtower readers applies to any questions about who may be saved.

Jehovah’s Witnesses think that they have found the true religion. If they did not think so, they would change their beliefs. Like adherents of many religious faiths, Jehovah’s Witnesses hope to be saved. However, they also believe that it is not their job to judge who will be saved. Ultimately, God is the Judge. He decides. —Isaiah 33:22.

However as the sources in Lesley’s answer show the strong implication is that Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the only safe bet for survival of Armageddon is to be associated with and practicing the form of worship advocated by Jehovah’s Witnesses.

According to JWs exegesis the Scriptures say that the ungodly will perish at Armageddon and that these are not to be resurrected but are gone forever.

So given that JWs believe only they will survive Armageddon and that those who die in it will not be resurrected the answer to your question about if JWs teach anywhere that some not associated with their organization may in fact gain salvation is “Ultimately, God is the Judge. He decides. “

Kris
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