Centuries have passed, but we remain the same as the original Christians.

[TJ86]

Dialogue between a Roman citizen and a first-century Christian

 

Roman: You are very strange. We always hear about you. They say you are a dangerous sect. Followers of some Nazarene… you follow men.

Christian: I understand why you think that. But what you call a sect, we call the Way. And we do not follow men.

Roman: How can you say you don’t follow men? You follow Jesus, don’t you?

Christian: We follow Jesus, yes. But he is not just a man. He is the Christ, the Son of God, and the Head of the congregation — not Caesar, nor any human leader. “Christ is the head of the congregation.” — Ephesians 5:23

Roman: Even so, I think you are atheists. You don’t worship the gods of Rome. You don’t burn incense to Caesar.

Christian: We are not atheists. We simply do not worship men or images. We worship the living, invisible God who created heaven and earth. We do not worship Caesar because he is a man. We respect the authorities, but our worship belongs only to God. “God is Spirit.” — John 4:24

Roman: You hate humanity: You don’t go to the theater, you don’t watch the games, you don’t serve in the army.

Christian: We do not hate humanity. In fact, we love it deeply. Precisely out of love: we do not take part in violent spectacles, we do not kill other men in wars. We do not involve ourselves in practices that dishonor what is holy. We speak to people about the love of God, who sent his Son to save humanity. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” — John 3:16

Roman: But there are terrible rumors… they say you eat children in your meetings.

Christian: That is a cruel lie. We love life. Life is sacred to us. Christ died to save lives, not so that we would destroy them. We would never do such a thing. “Choose life.” — Deuteronomy 30:19

Roman: Then why do so many hate you?

Christian: Because we do not belong to this world. We live differently. Our goal is not to cause division. It is to show, through words and actions, that love is the mark of the true Christian. “They are not of the world.” — John 17:16 “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you have love among yourselves.” — John 13:35

 

The Roman falls silent for a moment. He does not agree with everything. But he realizes something he did not expect: those Christians are not enemies of humanity — they are people moved by love.

 

 

 

Dialogue between someone outside the organization and a Jehovah’s Witness today

 

 

Person: I’ll be honest with you. You are a sect. You follow men. Russell, Rutherford… now there’s this so‑called Governing Body. In the end, you follow men.

Jehovah’s Witness: I understand why you think that. But that does not correspond to what we truly believe. We do not follow men. These brothers are neither infallible nor inspired. They never claimed to be. They are our brothers in the faith, used to organize the work, just as Jehovah has always dealt with His people on earth. But the one we truly follow is Jesus Christ. He is our Head. “Christ is the head of the congregation.” — Ephesians 5:23

Person: Even so, you are not real Christians. You deny the divinity of Jesus. Jesus is God, and you deny that.

Jehovah’s Witness: We do not deny Jesus. On the contrary, we believe deeply in him. We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for us, and that his sacrifice is the basis of our salvation. What we do not accept is a doctrine called the Trinity, which does not appear in the Bible. For us, the true God is Jehovah, the Father of Jesus. “Christ died for our sins.” — 1 Corinthians 15:3 “For us there is actually one God, the Father.” — 1 Corinthians 8:6

Person: You are very strange. You don’t celebrate Christmas, Easter, or New Year’s Eve. You don’t serve in the army. You hate people.

Jehovah’s Witness: We do not hate people. In fact, we love them. Precisely out of love: we do not take part in religious practices that have no biblical basis, we do not celebrate holidays tied to traditions that contradict Christ’s teachings, we do not kill others in wars. Our conscience, trained by the Bible, helps us choose what pleases God. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” — Matthew 22:39

Person: But what about this blood issue? You let your children die. You don’t love life.

Jehovah’s Witness: That is not true. We do not want to die. We do not wish death on anyone. We value life so much that we seek medical treatment, go to hospitals, and accept many medical procedures. The only thing we ask is that our biblical position of not using blood be respected. For us, respecting blood means respecting life. “Keep abstaining from blood.” — Acts 15:28, 29

Person: Then why do so many people hate you?

Jehovah’s Witness: Because we live differently. We do not try to impose our faith on anyone. But we choose to live according to the Bible. And unfortunately, that bothers some. Yet we follow Jesus’ counsel: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples: if you have love among yourselves.” — John 13:35 “They are no part of the world.” — John 17:16

 

The conversation ends without full agreement. But one thing becomes clear: Jehovah’s Witnesses are not motivated by hatred, but by biblical conviction and love for God and neighbor. And we act just as our brothers did in the first century.