Jesus Christ Worthy of Worship?

Is Jesus Christ
Worthy of Worship?

The Watchtower Society teaches that only Jehovah God deserves worship. They claim that Jesus is not Jehovah, but only an angel. They say it would be idolatry to worship angels.1 But, is this what they have always taught Jehovah's Witnesses?

At one time they claimed:

Was he really worshipped or is the translation faulty? Yes, we believe our Lord Jesus while on earth was really worshipped, and properly so.2

Regarding the worship of Jehovah, they also said:

...whosoever would worship him must ALSO woship and bow down to Jehovah's chief one..namely,
Christ Jesus...3

So, here the Watchtower directed Jehovah's Witnesses to ALSO worship Jesus Christ.
One way that worship is performed is throught prayer. CAN JESUS BE PRAYED TO? It is taught that the Christian martyr Stephen, properly prayed to Jesus Christ.4
Let's look at this Biblical account in Acts 7:59 of the Watchtower's own Bible:5

And they went on casting stones at Stephen as he made appeal0 and said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."...

__________
...0Or, "invocation; prayer."

Here the Watchtower, in a footnote, admits Stephen PRAYED to Jesus. Stephen is certainly a good example for the rest of us.

Yet, today, the Watchtower has changed it's teaching. Now they claim that Jesus doesn't deserve woship but only "obeisance." They say "obeisance" is merely a form of respect. Let us now read from their own Bible an example of "obeisance." In Acts 10:25 we find Cornelius bowing down to do obeisance to the apostle Peter. Does Peter accept this "bowing down " merely as respect or as worship? In verse 26 he says: "Rise; I myself am also a man." Elsewhere in Scripture, angels refuse to be bowed down to in worship as in Revelation 19 and 22. Unlike Peter and the angels, Jesus Christ NEVER REFUSED WORSHIP but always freely accepted it. One example is
Mathew 28:9:

...they came and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him.

We have seen how the Watchtower Society had formerly acknowledged that Christ is to be worshipped the same as the Father.

Yet, now they have changed this doctrine. Based oin what the Bible teaches,
why do you think they have done this?

____________________

1Make Sure of All Things-Hold Fast to What is Fine, 1965, p. 249
2Watchtower, July 15, 1898, p. 216
3Watchtower, October 15, 1945, p. 313
4Watchtower, February 1, 1959, p. 96
5The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, 1971

Witness Inc.

Is Jesus Christ Worthy of Worship?

Is Jesus Christ
Worthy of Worship?