Difference between Jehovah Witness and Mormon | 8 Basic Comparisons

Despite emergence from the same root, many denomination sects of Christianity discrete from one another. The difference between Jehovah Witness and Mormon lies in their beliefs, history, rituals, etc.

Jehovah Witness and Mormon are known to some people as restorationist denominations of Christianity. Restorationists claim that Christianity should be restored as a purer and ancient form of religion. Yet, each denomination has its individual process and belief of reformation.

However, the Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that God’s true name is Jehovah, and they regard Jesus as Michael the Archangel, who is the son of God. On the contrary, the Mormons consider Jesus and Jehovah as the same person. According to Mormons’ belief, the True name of God-the father is Elohim.

Comparison chart

Difference	Jehovah Witness	Mormon
Orientation	Premillennialist.	Latter-day Saints movement
God	Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that the real name of God-the father is Jehovah.	Mormons believe that the actual name of God-the father is “Elohim.”
Jesus	According to Jehovah’s Witnesses belief, Jesus is Michael, the Archangel.	Jesus Christ is Jehovah in Latter-day Saints’ belief.
Archangel	Jesus is Michael, according to Jehovah’s Witnesses’ belief.	Mormons claim Adam is Michael, the Archangel.
The Bible	Jehovah’s Witnesses have their own translated version of the Bible, which is called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.	The Mormons believe the Bible is not perfect because it is not translated correctly. “THE BOOK OF MORMON” is the most authentic scripture for mormons.
Leadership	Governed by the Governing body.	President, Ministers and other leaders
Death and the resurrection	Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that after demise, the physical body and soul both don’t exist. However, resurrection occurs under some specific conditions.	Mormonism believes in all human beings’ resurrection.
Millenarianism	Millenarianism	Amillennialist
Food prohibition	Jehovah’s Witnesses abstain from eating the meat of animals from which blood has not been properly drained.	Drinking coffee, tea, alcohol are strictly prohibited in Mormonism. However, they allow eating meat sparingly.

What is Jehovah witness?

There are thousands of Christian denominations around the globe. Jehovah’s witnesses is one of the faiths that emerged from Christianity. Currently, this religion has almost 9 million followers worldwide; around 70% of them are Americans.

Jehovah witness definition

Jehovah’s Witnesses is a sect of Christianity that believes in a forthcoming theocratic rule of God. A millenarianism restorationist Christian denomination founded in the latter 19th century in the United States.

The founder of this denomination was Charles Taze Russell, an American religious leader and a restorationist minister born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. He was also a co-founder of Zion’s Watch Tower Tract Society that established in 1881. Initially, he formed an organization called the International Bible students association, which can be considered as a precursor of the Jehovah’s witnesses. 

Jehovah’s witnesses have their own translated Bible that differs from mainstream Christianity faiths in some basic points. According to this belief, the name of God-the Father is Jehovah: the only true God. Although they consider Jesus a savior and the only begotten son of God, they still don’t obey him as an incarnation (Jehovah’s witnesses reject the Trinitarian doctrine).

Jehovah witness beliefs

Jehovah’s witnesses regard Jehovah as the God, the supreme of all. According to their belief, Jesus Christ is an agent of Jehovah, who is manifested to lead the imminent establishment of God’s kingdom. They believe this current era is the last one before God establishes his reign on earth.

Jehovah’s witnesses do not uphold the trinitarian doctrine. They deny Jesus and the holy spirit as equal to God Jehovah: Jesus is inferior to God, and the holy spirit is an active force of Father Jehovah. That’s a pivotal point where they distinguish themselves from the orthodox Christian faiths.

Jehovah witness rules

Jehovah’s witnesses maintain some rules which they believe are God’s will and command.

• Celebrating holidays: Jehovah’s witnesses never celebrate Christmas or Easter Sunday. That is because they don’t believe that Jesus is equal to God. Neither do they participate in national holidays.
• Supporting political parties: It is against their faith to support any particular political party; it breaks their neutrality state. For the same reason, Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t vote or praise any national leader as they only pledge fidelity to god’s kingdom.
• Blood transfusion: Jehovah’s witnesses don’t transfuse blood. The New American Standard Bible states,  “but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.”Jehovah’s witnesses believe it is god’s command that refrains themselves from transfusing blood.
• Jehovah witness rules funeral: Jehovah’s witnesses funeral takes place within a week after demise. The ritual usually lasts not more than 30 minutes. Both men and women follow particular dress codes, and the funeral service is similar to other Christian beliefs.

What is Mormon?

Among all the sects of Christianity, Mormons hold a bold place with around 16 million followers worldwide. Mormons are basically a religious and cultural group that embraces the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Mormon definition

Mormon generally refers to a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as the LDS movement / LDS restorationist movement/ Smith–Rigdon movement or Mormonism: A collection of independent church groups.

They are the fourth largest church in the United States, and a religious movement that was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr. Mormons believe that God has a plan for them to return to live with Him and become joint-heirs with Christ.

Mormons consider themselves Christians and have extreme faith in the teachings and the divinity of Jesus Christ. However, many Orthodox and mainstream Christians don’t grant them as Christians.

God the Father is supreme of all in Mormonism. They often call him by the name of Elohim: who is mentioned as God of Israel in the Old testament.

At the age of 24, Joseph Smith Jr. published his book THE BOOK OF MORMON  Another Testament of Jesus Christ. 

Smith Jr. said that the last prophet, a man named “Moroni,” buried this testament in the Cumorah Hill before his death. Then Moroni reappeared in a vision of Smith Jr. in 1827 and revealed the golden plates’ location on which the testament was written. In that dream, Moroni commanded Smith jr. to translate the plates into English to restore the true church of Christ in the latter days. In 1844, Joseph Smith Jr. was assassinated. After his death, an apostle of the LDS named Brigham Young became the leader of the church. The adherents of The LDS churches are colloquially known as Mormons.

Mormons beliefs:

Mormons believe that God is changeable. According to their faith, Elohim, God-the father was once a human being on another planet. Who later became a God by gaining a perfect life.

Mormons claim that any human being can become a God and achieve immortality in the afterlife and be the rulers of their own divine kingdoms. This whole idea is mentioned as “Exaltation” and “Eternal progression” in Mormonism.

Jesus Christ is one of the central persons in LDS. They believe in his crucifixion, resurrection, and divinity. In Mormonism, Jesus is the firstborn spirit child of God who was later physically conceived in the womb of mother mary. He is also considered as the messiah.

However, Mormons don’t recognize the traditional Christian concept of the trinity. They don’t believe in the idea that God exists in three persons, rather they believe the father, the son, and the holy spirit are three individual Gods.

Mormon rules

Being a member of the LDS church, a person has to follow some rules. These rules are referred to as “commandants” in a Mormon church. Some rules are mentioned below:

• No drugs and alcohols: Mormonism doesn’t allow drugs or alcohol or any other substances that provoke a person to make dishonest and poor decisions. Drinking coffee and tea is also prohibited in Mormonism.
• No fornication and adultery:  Fornication and adultery are prohibited in Mormonism (you may also check out our detailed article on fornication vs adultery). Mormons believe that family is an essential institution under god’s plan. Anything that harms the peace and order of a family is considered a violation of god’s will.
• Homosexuality is forbidden: Homosexuality is forbidden in Mormonism. Engaging in a same-sex relationship is a violation of commandants. However, LDS churches have many gay members, as they believe that everybody should be loved in this world.
• No pornography, foul languages, gambling:  like other Christian faiths, LDS churches don’t allow viewing pornography, using foul words in order to keep the language clean, and engaging in any kind of gambling.
• Abortion is forbidden: The churches of latter-day saints strongly oppose abortion.
• Attend church on Sunday: Mormons attend church on Sundays. They listen and study the words of Jesus Christ and worship the Lord.
• Donation for the kingdom of God: Mormons donate at least 10% of their income or more in order to build the kingdom of God.
• Mormon funerals: The difference between Jehovah witness and Mormon regarding funeral customs are not very broad. Like Jehovah’s witnesses, the burial part occurs within a week after the death. And all the attending members follow certain dress codes.  However, the funerals in Mormons are literally celebrated by singing songs, hymns, and prayers. The clothing worn by the dead is a pretty important element, as Mormons believe in the afterlife.

Jehovah witness vs Mormon: Holy scriptures

The name of the holy book of the Jehovah’s witnesses is New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT), published in1961 by Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania.

NWT is a translated version of the Bible. Initially, the book was published in five individual volumes from 1953-1960. Witnesses call the New testament part “Christian Greek Scripture,” and the Old testament part refers to as the “Hebrew scripture.” 

On the other hand, the name of the Mormons’ holy scripture is “The Book of Mormon.” It was first published in 1830. This book contains writings on ancient prophets and also focuses on its two significant leaders: Joseph Smith Jr. and Brigham Young (revered as prophets in Mormonism)

Similarities between Jehovah Witness and Mormon:

Here are some similarities mentioned below:

• Nontrinitarianism:  Both don’t believe in the trinitarian doctrine.
• Episcopal: Jehova’s witnesses and Mormon churches both have a strict hierarchy of leadership
• Both of the beliefs consider Jesus as the savior of the world.
• Family: Both of them are Patriarchal Society. This means the Husband is the chief of the family.
• Marriage:
  • Jehovah witness beliefs on marriage are quite similar to Mormon beliefs on marriage. They both allow monogamous marriage, and polyamory is utterly impermissible.
  • Both of the beliefs allow the dissolution of marriage, whether the couples were married civilly or in a temple. Not to mention, Jehovah’s Witnesses allow divorce if only any of the married partners involve him/herself in adultery.
  • Remarriage is permissible in both Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Mormons. The believers of both faiths can remarry after a spouse’s death or after divorce.
  • Interfaith marriage is permitted in both beliefs.

Frequently asked questions(FAQs):

Conclusion

Here in this article, we’ve tried to discuss the difference between Jehovah witness and Mormon from doctrinal and practical viewpoints. Despite being emerged from Christianity, both faiths have their individual beliefs, rules, and practices that distinguish them from one another.