Are JW’s actually Christians? I was always told that they do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God, and therefore has a Divine nature. Am I wrong in this?
My impression of the Jehovah’s Witnesses is that they do not even belong to the category of ‘Protestants’, in that the prevailing definition of Protestant is being a believing Christian, outside the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Eastern traditions.
That's my understanding. They deny the Divinty of Jesus and they deny the Blessed Trinity. I've got some sneaky little JW who leaves watchtower in the office break room. I consider it my sacred duty to toss them when I find them.
No, they’re not Christians.
They are a cult.
Then you are under the impression that RCs would be consistent and fair in their use of the term, seeing as they even deny EOs as being Catholic, and Prots as having churches.
Instead, we see thread after thread attacking Protestants, the definition of which is so wide you can drive a Unitarian Scientology Swedenborgian 747 thru it, simply based upon the common denominator that they are not Catholic/Orthodox, then RCs whining when she is exposed for what she is, and actually operates out of the same sola ecclesia model that cults as the" JW's" do.
For just as the atheistic definition of "Christian" which includes Hitler must be rejected as it is contrary to the Scriptural manifestation of what Christians were, that being where the term originates, (Acts 17:11) so also it is absurd to label groups that deny not only the core Truths that both Reformers and RCs held to, but also their core distinctives that defined them as being Protestant.
Of course, one should not be so ignorant as to recognize that "Answering Protestants" blog that has refuted time and again here, is simply used JWs as a means to attack conservative evangelicals, which are the greatest threat to liberal as well as conservative RCs dwelling together in the amalgamation called Roman Catholicism in all its diversity,
Merriam-Webster primarily defines Protestant in its capitalized form as:
a : any of a group of German princes and cities presenting a defense of freedom of conscience against an edict of the Diet of Spires in 1529 intended to suppress the Lutheran movement
b : a member of any of several church denominations denying the universal authority of the Pope and affirming the Reformation principles of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth; broadly : a Christian not of a Catholic or Eastern church
While this can be used more broadly to even mean "one who makes or enters a protest," this and the definition "a Christian not of a Catholic or Eastern church" is an etymological fallacy, that of defining a word according to how it came to be used, not its actual original meaning. Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and evolving changes in form and meaning. over time . Etymologies are not definitions. An etymological fallacy is a linguistic misconception, a genetic fallacy, that erroneously holds that the present-day meaning of a word or phrase should necessarily be similar to its historical meaning.
WP states Protestantism "refers to the letter of protestation by Lutheran princes against the decision of the Diet of Speyer in 1529, which reaffirmed the edict of the Diet of Worms condemning the teachings of Martin Luther as heresy." [2 ]
http://www.ascensioncatholic.net/pastors-column/church-history-part-9-the-protestant-reformation-1517-1603-ad/ states,
The word Protestant is first used to describe German princes and free cities which have declared their dissent from the decision of the Diet of Speyer (1529) denouncing the Reformation.
http://history-world.org/reformation.htm writes that "Another great event in the Reformation occurred in 1529, when the word Protestant was first used formally. In Germany the Diet of Speyer decreed that changes of religion must stop and that the authority of the Catholic church be restored. The Lutheran minority in the Diet signed a protest against that decree, however. From this protest comes the modern term for the religious denominations of Protestantism."
It is in in this confession that we can see how the term "Protestant" came to describe them, as they stated,
To this Convention of a General Council, as also to Your I. M., we have in the due method and legal form before made our protestation and appeal in this greatest and gravest of matters.
...in friendship and love; concerning which appeal we here also make our solemn and public protest [protestamur (Latin) - conjugation of prōtestor (first-person plural present active indicative)].
Looking at these chief articles of faith (theses) we can best see "Protestant" defined as being Lutheran:[edit]
| Article | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| I | God | Lutherans believe in the Triune God and reject other interpretations regarding the nature of God. |
| II | Original Sin | Lutherans believe that the nature of man is sinful, described as being without fear of God, without trust of God and with concupiscence. Sin is redeemed through Baptism the resurrection of Jesus Christ. |
| III | The Son of God | Lutherans believe in the incarnation, that is, the union of the fully human with the fully divine in the person of Jesus. Jesus Christ alone brings about the reconciliation of humanity with God. |
| IV | Justification By Faith | Man cannot be justified before God through our own abilities; we are wholly reliant on Jesus Christ for reconciliation with God. (This is often described as the one article by which the "Lutheran church stands or falls".) |
| V | The Office of Preaching | Lutherans believe that to ensure that the gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed throughout the world, Christ has established His office of the holy ministry. |
| VI | Of The New Obedience | Lutherans believe that good deeds of Christians are the fruits of faith and salvation, not a price paid for them. |
| VII | Of The Church | Lutherans believe that there is one holy catholic church, and it is found wherever the gospel is preached in its truth and purity and the sacraments are administered according to the gospel. |
| VIII | What The Church Is | Despite what hypocrisy may exist in the church (and among men), the Word and the Sacraments are always valid because they are instituted by Christ, no matter what the sins may be of the one who administers them. |
| IX | Of Baptism | Lutherans believe that Baptism is necessary, and that through Baptism is offered the grace of God. Children are baptized as an offering to them of God's grace. |
| X | Of the Lord's Supper | Lutherans believe that Christ's body and blood is truly present in, with, and under the bread and wine of the sacrament and reject those that teach otherwise. |
| XI | Of Confession | Lutherans believe that private absolution should remain in the church, though a believer does not need to enumerate all of his sins as it is impossible for a man to enumerate all of the sins for which he should be forgiven. |
| XII | Of Repentance | Repentance comes in two parts: in contrition for sins committed according to the Law and through faith offered through the Gospel. A believer can never be free from sin, nor live outside of the grace of God. |
| XIII | Of the Use of the Sacraments | The Sacraments (Baptism and the Eucharist) are physical manifestations of God's Word and His commitment to us. The Sacraments are never just physical elements, but have God's word and promises bound to them. |
| XIV | Of Ecclesiastical Order | Lutherans allow only those who are "rightly called" to administer the Sacraments. |
| XV | Of Ecclesiastical Usages | Lutherans believe that church holidays, calendars and festivals are useful for religious observance, but that observance and ritual is not necessary for salvation. Human traditions (such as observances, fasts, distinctions in eating meats) that are taught as a way to "merit" grace work in opposition to the Gospel. |
| XVI | Of Civil Affairs | Secular governments and vocations are considered to be part of God's natural orders; Christians are free to serve in government and the military and to engage in the business and vocations of the world. Laws are to be followed unless they are commandments to sin. |
| XVII | Of Christ's Return to Judgment | Lutherans believe that Christ will return to raise the dead and judge the world; the godly will be given everlasting joy, and the ungodly will be "tormented without end". This article rejects notions of a millennial kingdom before the resurrection of the dead. |
| XVIII | Of Free Will | Lutherans believe that we have free will in the realm of "civil righteousness" (or "things subject to reason"), but that we do not have free will in "spiritual righteousness". In other words, we are free to choose and act in every regard except for the choice of salvation. Faith is not the work of men, but of the Holy Spirit. |
| XIX | Of the Cause of Sin | Lutherans believe that sin is caused not by God but by "the will of the wicked", turning away from God. |
| XX | Of Good Works | The Lutheran notion of justification by faith does not somehow condemn good works; faith causes them to do good works as a sign of our justification (or salvation), not a requirement for salvation. |
| XXI | Of the Worship of the Saints | Lutherans keep the saints, not as saviors or intercessors to God, but rather as examples and inspirations to our own faith and life. |
Thus the most accurate definition would exclude almost all of those called Protestant today, including historically Pentecostal denominations which constitute the largest Protestant denominational families, and would be much closer to Rome.
However, just as a more basic definition of Christian, which Rome herself subscribes to, would be that of salvific essentials, so also within basic Reformed theology there are also salvific essentials, which would certainly exclude cults and those who preach formal justification based on man's own holiness, as per Rome and cults, and instead the heart if purified by faith, (Acts 15:7-9) a faith that will follow Christ, and which appropriates justification on His blood-expense and righteousness. (Acts 3:23-4:7ff) .
Yet even more basic would be the distinctive fundamental doctrinal basis for the Protestant protest, that of Scripture alone being the supreme transcendent standard for obedience and Truth, which it is abundantly evidenced to be, as as literally being the wholly Divinely inspired and thus assured authoritative Word of God.
This is in contrast to the church being supreme transcendent standard as basically being infallible, which "sola ecclesia" model both Rome and cults effectively operate out of. For Rome presumes that both Divine revelation and its meaning is only assuredly what she says it is, based upon the premise of her assured veracity, and thus dissent from her is held as rebellion to God.
Likewise in cults such as Mormonism, in which a person or office is formally or effectively held as the supreme infallible authority.
It is due to this fundamental basis that those who hold most strongly to Scripture being supreme as literally being the assured authoritative Word of God that evangelicals have been the most unified in core beliefs and historically have most strongly contended for core truths they hold with Catholics, and against cults which deny them, as well as against her traditions of men which Rome holds, and those of cults.
You are correct.