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Does Your Religion Really Please God?The Watchtower—1985 | July 15
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[Box on page 6]
BELIEFS OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
BELIEF BIBLICAL BASIS
Jehovah is God’s name Exodus 6:3; Psalm 83:18
The Bible is God’s Word John 17:17;
Jesus Christ is God’s Son Matthew 3:16, 17; John 14:28
Man did not evolve but was created Genesis 1:27; 2:7
Human death is due to Adam’s sin Romans 5:12
Soul ceases to exist at death Ecclesiastes 9:5, 10;
Hell is mankind’s common grave Job 14:13; Revelation 20:13,
King James Version
Resurrection is the hope of the John 5:28, 29; 11:25;
dead Acts 24:15
Bible’s laws on morals must be 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10
obeyed
Images must not be used in worship Exodus 20:4-6;
Spiritism must be avoided Deuteronomy 18:10-12;
Blood must not be taken into Genesis 9:3, 4;
one’s body Acts 15:28, 29
A Christian must keep separate John 15:19; 17:16;
from the world James 1:27; 4:4
Religious titles are improper Job 32:21, 22;
Christ’s presence is in spirit Matthew 24:3; John 14:19;
Satan is the invisible ruler John 12:31;
of the world 1 John 5:19
God will destroy present wicked Daniel 2:44;
system of things Revelation 16:14, 16; 18:1-8
Kingdom under Christ will Isaiah 9:6, 7;
rule the earth in righteousness Daniel 7:13, 14;
“Little flock” to rule with Christ Luke 12:32;
in heaven Revelation 14:1-4; 20:4
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Does Your Religion Really Please God?The Watchtower—1985 | July 15
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True Worshipers Exhibit Love
What does God’s Word lead us to expect of true worship? We have an immediate clue in three words: “God is love.” (1 John 4:16) Therefore, worship that pleases God must be based on genuine love.
In practical terms, what does that mean? Religion that pleases God cannot inculcate or allow for hatred of fellow humans. The Bible’s simple command is, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39) That means separating from this world’s hatreds, prejudices, and conflicts. It means learning war no more and pursuing peace.—Isaiah 2:2-4.
To illustrate the point: Could we imagine a “French” apostle Paul going out to kill a “German” apostle Peter just because their respective nations had declared war? Yet, during the second world war most religions were so deeply involved in the war efforts of their nations that they even supplied chaplains for the armies! At the same time, “Christian” clergymen on both sides prayed to the same God for victory. But does God stand divided? Can he be dragged into what Professor Albert Einstein described as the “infantile sickness” of nationalism, “the measles of humanity”? Of course not! That is why worshipers who really please God must remain neutral and practice genuine love. (John 13:34, 35; 17:16) They ‘do not wage war according to what they are in the flesh.’—Compare 2 Corinthians 10:3, 4.
True Worship Exalts God’s Name
The apostle Paul pointed to another mark of religion that is pleasing to God when he said that although many are called gods and lords, among true worshipers there is only “one God the Father.” (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6) Surely, then, those pleasing God would know and use his name.
The Bible, in its original languages, specifically mentions the name of God over 7,000 times. For instance, Psalm 83:18 reads: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Then why do adherents of so many religions worship a nameless God? And why do they omit his name from their Bible translations? That certainly is not the way to please God, for Jesus prayed: “Let your name be sanctified.”—Matthew 6:9.
The Religion That Pleases God
Is there any worldwide religious group that fulfills the two basic requirements of true worship that we have just discussed? Is there any religion that really practices the love that Christ taught? And do those same worshipers truly glorify God and honor his name in this 20th century?
It is a well-attested fact that Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain neutrality toward the wars of the nations. For this reason, they have suffered in concentration camps and prisons. Rather than compromising their Bible-based principles, they have preferred the pathway of martyrdom trodden by the early Christians. This stand has been motivated by their love for God and fellow humans. Such love is one mark of true worship that pleases God.
Many have noted the fine record of Jehovah’s Witnesses in this respect. For example, a few years ago a South American newspaper publisher noted that the Witnesses “refuse for conscientious reasons to serve in the armed forces.” He continued: ‘Even as children, Jehovah’s Witnesses are aware that on reaching the age of eighteen they will have to serve an extended period in prison because of their neutrality. They accept the punishment as part of their religious faith. They are gentle and peaceful.’
What about another requirement of religion that pleases God? Indeed, who honor the divine name, Jehovah? It is self-evident that only Jehovah’s Witnesses are doing this worldwide by both their preaching and their conduct.—Romans 10:13-15.
Why not get better acquainted with Jehovah’s Witnesses? The accompanying chart lists some of their beliefs, along with Scriptural reasons for them. Submit the Witnesses’ form of worship to this simple test: Does it meet God’s standards of truth as laid down in the Bible? Is it producing the peaceable fruit of love that must form a part of true worship? Does it honor God’s name? If you find that it does all of this, you will have discovered the religion that really pleases God.
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