When did Jehovah's witnesses start calling themselves christians ?

Question

We weren't doing it in 1980 !

Answer 1

not sure but if one calls himself or herself Christian it implies that the individual believes in Jesus Christ and has accepted Him to be Lord and Savior.  So how can this be being that JWs see Jesus as a small god, half-brother to lucifer, not as God.  Just adding my two cents.  

Answer 2

How absurd!  I've been a witness since 1956 and we've ALWAYS known we were Christian.

Answer 3

To those who may read this "question" and be mislead by it: The oldest Watchtower publication I can get to right now is the January 1, 1950 issue. To show the fallacy of the claim the questioner makes, I quote from that issue, where we are specifically called Christians:

"What a grand and glorious work a Christian today has in going forth to the nations of the world with this good news which brings comfort to the poor and in being privileged to spend that which he possesses in the interests of those who are captive to this old world."

Actually, though, we have been called Christians for almost 2,000 years now, as it states in Acts 11:26, that "it was first in Antioch that the disciples were by divine providence called Christians."

So when you read these so-called "questions" with negative connotations, please keep this in mind.

EDITED FOR Mom2ThreeAngels:

Brother Russell did not found Jehovah's Witnesses. He established the publication of the Watchtower magazine, and founded the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which is one of the legal entities used by modern day witnesses of Jehovah.

Also, I did not mean to imply the Jehovah's Witnesses have only been around for about 2,000 years. Only that in the last almost 2,000 years have we been called Christian.

Our history stretches all the way back to Abel, one of the children of Adam & Eve, approximately 6,000 years.

Answer 4

Maybe about the same time as Mormons started calling themselves Christian?

Answer 5

My memory is just as Angelmusic pointed out.  I remember being told that JWs were "Christian".... but they wouldn't refer to themselves as such because of the emphasis of the term "Christian" is JESUS and NOT Jehovah.  I remember being told that we are to follow Jesus example and that alone merits the name (undercover)"Christian".

I DO remember kids teasing me in school at a very young age saying "You don't believe in Jesus"...that used to really bother me!  

I was a teenage in the 80's and when I was asked what religion I was...I ALWAYS said I was a "Christian"....and NOT a JW...even though I was baptised at 16.

Answer 6

Technically, anyone who believes in Christ can call themselves a Christian...that's why there are so many different sects.  

Answer 7

In my upbringing, I was taught to identify myself "One of Jehovah's Witnesses."

When I was in fifth grade, I remember some students asking each other what religion each one belonged to.  Some said Catholic, some said Christian, and I said " I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses."

The Catholic didn't say to the Christian. "Catholics ARE Christian."

And I didn't say "Jehovah's Witnesses are TRUE Christians."

There was an understanding of what each one meant.  Even though I didn't know the difference between Catholics and Protestants, we'd each been taught how to identify ourselves, and we did so without conflict.

So, now that I am the Christian (protestants often call themselves nothing more than Christian, unless asked for clarification), it's kind of weird to hear JWs who demand that they be included.  Especially after trying to put as much space between themselves and anything that could be considered related to "Christendom."

Really, anyone can claim to be a Christian.  No matter which beliefs one has, whether it be Catholic, Baptist, JW, LDS, Russellites, etc, many are deceiving themselves!  We are living in the modern-day Laodecia! It is my firm belief that you can walk into any decent sized church in America, and considerable number of them aren't true Christians.  Then there are some churches you can walk into where the teachings are so heretical, that NOT ONE can be a true Christian!

"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" - Matthew 7:22-23

While we may not know for sure who the true Christians are and which ones are false, God's Word does give us some indicators to look out for.  Not so that we can judge, but so that we can beware of falsehoods, and even minister to these individuals, hoping that they will come to true Saving Grace, through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Answer 8

I belonged to a congregation in Chesterton Indiana and they had put a sign outside the Kingdom Hall that said "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses" The Circuit Oversear was visiting and made them take it down.He made them go back to Jehovahs Witnesses.reason there were splinter groups that called themselves Jehovah's Christian Witnesses and also saying Christian in relation to our Bible Given Name would identify us to be part of Christendom.This was in the 80's something must have changed but although I was attending until the early 90's I don't know what.Be interesting to find out though.

Edit

They will read what they want to and see what they want to but I watched my husband help take it down and put the new one up.I heard what the Elders said and I was not deaf or blind.

Edit  .It is not a fallacy it is the truth something you folks know absoultly nothing about."They exchange the truth (Gods Word) for a lie______________I'll let you fill in the word there. I'm sure you all know it well.Go Worker4IAm.You are telling truth!!!!

Answer 9

In the 1969 Yearbook on page 49, it refers to Jehovah's Christian Witnesses.

There are other references I could locate, but that one I know by memory.

EDIT:

I am an older Witness - age and length of time as a Witness.

Where the so-called discrepancy is that for the longest time, it was necessary to stress "Jehovah" because so much attention was being given to Christ only that we had to get it out there that there was actually another person the Bible referred to - and that was Jehovah God.

But in doing this, our neighbors took this to an extreme and began to think we did not believe in Christ Jesus. We have had to get that out now.

Everyone takes things so literally and they automatically assume that if you don't mention everything at the same time, that you aren't or don't believe what you didn't say.

I know that is an awkward sentence. But re-read it and you will see what I was trying to say.

I am a Christian, I am one of Jehovah's Witnesses. I have been both since the 1950's.

Answer 10

I can't recall. When I was a Witness and someone called me a christian, I was programmed to clarify that I was a Jehovah's Witness. At some point they started calling themselves "Jehovah's Christian Witnesses..

Nevertheless: Just because someone claims to be Christian, doesn't make it so.

Answer 11

Uh...pardon my ignorance but...JW's believe in Christ as a divinity right? If so then they're Christians. They could call themselves Pillsbury Doughboyists but if they worship Christ then they are Christians. I don't know why they didn't in the first place.

Answer 12

There have been Jehovah witnesses for 2000 years???? Wow I thought Charles wasn't around to start them up until the 1870's or so.... Just commenting on the answer from someone... Abdijah or something....

When I was studying the people I studied with never called themselves Christian either.

I always thought they were trying to seperate themselves as much as possible from "christiandom" hence denying Jesus deity.....

hmmm 2000 years???

Answer 13

Sorry but you are wrong there.

The phrase "Christian husbands" or "Christian wives" was been used in the earliest weddings I attended, pre 1970.



As others have pointed out Jehovah's Witnesses are "Christians."