The Watchtower taught to worship Jesus until 1954, afterwards they changed their beliefs saying to worship Jesus Christ was idolatrous. Now The Jehovah Witness religion is in reality a polytheistic religion claiming Jesus is not God but a god.

Most Jehovah Witnesses are ignorant of the history of the Watchtower and what they taught. Charles Taze Russell taught the worship of Jesus Christ in the initial Watchtower Charter’s. In the 1950’s and onward worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ became viewed as idolatry.

First, we have to understand what Paul meant here by worship. He used the Greek word pro·sky·neʹo. Unger’s Bible Dictionary says that this word literally means to ‘kiss the hand of someone in token of reverence or to do homage.’ An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, by W. E. Vine, says that this word “denotes an act of reverence, whether paid to man . . . or to God.” In Bible times pro·sky·neʹo often included literally bowing down before someone of high stature.

Is It Proper to Worship Jesus? Awake! April 8, 2000

προσκυνέω proskynéō, pros-koo-neh’-o; from G4314 and a probable derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):—worship.

1. to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence
2. among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence
3. in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication
   1. used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank
      1. to the Jewish high priests
      2. to God
      3. to Christ
      4. to heavenly beings
      5. to demons

The Watchtower changed the word “worship” which all bibles use in order to show Jesus Christ is to be worshipped as God, and replaced it with “obeisance” in the verses which speaks about Christ deity.

Here are Watchtower quotes which prove they used to teach to worship Jesus Christ as God.

“Question. The fact that our Lord received worship is claimed by some to be an evidence that while on earth he was God the Father disguised in a body of flesh and not really a man. Was he really worshiped, or is the translation faulty? Answer. Yes, we believe our Lord Jesus while on earth was really worshiped, and properly so. It was proper for our Lord to receive worship in view of his having been the only begotten of the Father and his agent in the creation of all things, including man.”

Zion’s Watch Tower 1898 Jul 15 p.216

Russell’s understanding of who the Lord Jesus Christ is was incorrect because he thought Jesus was God the Father. That aside Russell did teach Jesus was to be worshipped. When Russell died the new president Joseph Franklin Rutherford continued teaching the same.

“Jehovah God commands all to worship Christ Jesus because Christ Jesus is the express image of his Father, Jehovah, and because he is the Executive Officer of Jehovah always carrying out Jehovah’s purpose (Heb.:3-6).”

Watchtower 1939 Nov 15 p.339

In the 1950’s, the Watchtower organisation changed their teaching on Jesus to correspond with their manipulated the New World Translation. In opposition to other scholarly translations, the Jehovah Witness “bible” translates the word proskuneō as obeisance rather than worship when pertaining to Jesus Christ. Every other occurrence, in the New World Translation translates the word proskuneō as worship.

“Should we worship Jesus? Consequently, since the Scriptures teach that Jesus Christ is not a trinitarian co-person with God the Father, but is a distinct person, the Son of God, the answer to the above question must be that no distinct worship is to be rendered to Jesus Christ now glorified in heaven. Our worship is to go to Jehovah God. However, we show the proper regard for God’s only-begotten Son by rendering our worship to God through and in the name of Jesus Christ. Even now when we kneel in prayer, as Paul did according to Ephesians 3:14-19, we offer prayer in the name of Jesus Christ in obedience to his own directions (John 15:16; 16:23-26), but the prayer itself is addressed, not to Jesus, but to God his Father. In this way we keep things in their relative positions.”

Watchtower 1954 Jan 1 p.31

With all the flip flops in doctrine we can clearly see that the Watchtower is not being used by God in anyway. We have verse upon verse which proves the Lord Jesus is to be worshipped as God.

Matthew 2:11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

Luke 24:49-52 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

John 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.

Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

It’s abundantly clear the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy of all our praise and worship as God. God bless.