Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian?

They describe themselves as Christian. They accept Jesus as God’s son and the Bible as authoritative, but they reject the Trinity, teaching that Jehovah alone is God and Jesus is his created son.

Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate birthdays or Christmas?

They hold that these festivals have non-Biblical origins and that Scripture records no command to observe them. Weddings, anniversaries and meals with family are not affected.

Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions?

They read Acts 15:28-29 as forbidding the taking in of blood. Many accept certain blood fractions and alternatives such as cell salvage, and most carry an advance medical directive.

Where can I read their own teaching?

On jw.org, the official website operated by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This page is an outside summary and is not connected to them.

What Jehovah's Witnesses believe

A short, neutral summary for anyone who wants to understand the beliefs behind the knock at the door. The name is often written jhovas or jehovas; the group's own website is jw.org.

Who they are

Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian denomination with roughly 8.5 million active members worldwide, organised into local congregations that meet in buildings called Kingdom Halls. The movement began in the United States in the 1870s and is directed today by a Governing Body based in Warwick, New York, under the legal name Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society.

Core beliefs, briefly

God’s name. They use “Jehovah” as the personal name of God and consider using it important. This is where the spellings people search for — jhovas, jehovas, jehova — come from.
The Bible. Treated as accurate and authoritative. They publish their own translation, the New World Translation.
Not the Trinity. They teach that Jehovah alone is Almighty God and that Jesus is his created son, not God himself.
The future. They expect God’s kingdom to replace human governments, with 144,000 ruling in heaven and the rest of the faithful living on a restored earth.
Political neutrality. They do not vote in most cases, do not serve in armed forces, and do not salute flags.
Preaching is expected of everyone. Members are called publishers because each is expected to share the message publicly, including door to door.

Practices outsiders notice most

No birthdays, no Christmas or Easter, no blood transfusions, and no involvement in politics or the military. Members who leave or are expelled are generally avoided socially by the congregation, a practice they call disfellowshipping. These points are where most public debate about the group sits, and they are why reactions to a doorstep visit vary so widely.

Where to read their own words

jw.org publishes their teaching, magazines and meeting times directly and in hundreds of languages. If that is what you were looking for, go there. jhovas.org is an independent consumer privacy service with no connection to jw.org or the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, and we do not speak for them.

Questions people also ask

Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Christian?: They describe themselves as Christian. They accept Jesus as God’s son and the Bible as authoritative, but they reject the Trinity, teaching that Jehovah alone is God and Jesus is his created son.
Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate birthdays or Christmas?: They hold that these festivals have non-Biblical origins and that Scripture records no command to observe them. Weddings, anniversaries and meals with family are not affected.
Why do Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions?: They read Acts 15:28-29 as forbidding the taking in of blood. Many accept certain blood fractions and alternatives such as cell salvage, and most carry an advance medical directive.
Where can I read their own teaching?: On jw.org, the official website operated by the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. This page is an outside summary and is not connected to them.

If the visits are the reason you are reading this

Every congregation keeps an internal “Do Not Call” record. jhovas.org prepares the formal written request that gets an address added to it, addressed to the congregation nearest that home. Read the full guide, see how the service works and what it costs, or start the letter now. The PDF is free to download.