the Watchtower Society claims to have a direct contact with Jehovah, who explains to the Directive Body how to interpret the Bible in a correct way. This is a sort of "private revelation" that needs no more justification through the Bible. "Listen and obey" is the key sentence in this case. They also claim to be able to prophetise the end of the world and even said that they have been revealed that Jesus has been crowned invisibly in 1945.
If I recall correctly, the latter claim is a bit different. Their Brooklyn leadership made some peculiar calculations based on the book of Daniel, and concluded from these calculations that the second "parousia" ("presence") of Christ has started, invisibly, in 1914. That was also the year when the archangel Michael (=Jesus Christ) threw Satan from the heaven down on the earth - and that's why the First World War began. As for 1945, I do not recall any special things about that particular year - but there can be something, because the Watchtower keeps making these calculations and "retrospective" prophesies all the time.
On point #2: it is well known that in the JW's interpretation of eschatology, only and exclusively the Jehovah Witnesses will be saved why all of the others will be destroyed once and for all after the resurrection. They also impose to eliminate all unnecessary contacts with the "apostates" and with what they believe to be Satan's people (i.e. all non-JWs)
That's not quite true. They indeed believe that all "enemies of Jehovah" will be killed, either during the soon-to-start "Battle of Armageddon," or after the general resurrection of the dead (because the latter will concern both "righteous and unrighteous," Acts 24:15). However, that does not mean, according to the Watchtower teachings, that only the baptised members of their organization will remain living. Jehovah is merciful, and so he will give everyone a chance to "learn the truth" and live; a person will be destroyed only if this person deliberately opposes the "true teachings" and deliberately harms the members of their organization.
As for the apostates, oh yes, the JW's attitude to those who were baptised in their organization and then left it is extremely strict. Based on 2 John 10, they are fobidden to even greet the apostates - even if those are their closest relatives, children or parents or siblings. JW's are instructed not to take any phone calls from these former members of their organization, or even as much as nod to them when they meet them on the street. These same rules apply also to the baptised members of the organization who are temporarily "disfellowshipped" for committing an illegal act or an act of sexual immorality. However, these temporarily disfellowshipped people can be admitted back into the fold, usually after a period of several (1 to 5 or more) years.
On the other hand,the attitude of JWs to non-JWs - that is, to people who were never baptised in their organization - must be (and often really is) extremely friendly, the reason being that these people still have their chance to "come to the truth" (Luke 13:6-9). This includes even those who "studied" with them and then quit. I happen to be one of those people; to this day, every now and then I see a JW elder who used to spend time with me, explaining me the Bible from their "angle" back in 1999-2003, and his wife, somewhere on the street or in a supermarket or at a gasoline station. They do not come to me directly (maybe waiting for me to make the first move), but they both always wave, smile, and have this "air" of total friendliness.
On point #3: JW's are one of the most rigid religious systems in the world. They invoke the inferiority of the wife to the husband, and admit divorce only in case of adultery. They aren't allowed to make blood transfusions and menace dismembership/excommunication for those who might have sexual relationships outside of marriage.
This is quite true. Actually, one of my first "wake-up calls" in those years when I "studied" with this JW elder was when he told me that in a real Christian marriage, the husband is like a captain of the ship (there can be only one), and the wife is like a "first mate" - actively working on various things, but always completely submissive to the husband, never assuming the commanding role. When I rendered this story to my wife, she suddenly said, "look, isn't THAT enough for you to sever all communication with these IDIOTS? Do you have any of your intelligence left? Do *I* look like your "first mate" to you???"
So, in one way or the other, Jehovah's Witnesses not only are arians and macedonians, but also montanists.
Yes, perhaps they are a bit of each of these heresies. However, to me the most important thing is that they do not understand Incarnation the way we do. If the Logos Who became man is not God, then pretty much all the rest is different from what we believe. All this strange sectarian behavior, all these Judaizers' traits, all this obsessive-compulsive eschatology, etc. - seems quite secondary and not decisive in the separation between them and us, I think.
