Catholic Answers Live Episode #12469 Summary

Episode Title: Why Are Jehovah’s Witnesses Considered Non-Christian? (with Jimmy Akin)
Date: November 21, 2025
Host: Edgar Lujano (filling in for Sy Kellett)
Guest: Jimmy Akin (Catholic apologist and author)

Episode Overview

This episode features an open Q&A ("Ask Me Anything") with Jimmy Akin, focusing on Catholic theology, apologetics, and distinctions between Catholicism and other faith traditions—particularly Jehovah’s Witnesses and why they are considered non-Christian from a Catholic perspective. Other topics include angelic and ghostly apparitions, Marian dogmas, the nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist, and practical advice for integrating into Catholic parish life.

Contents

• 1. Angels, Ghosts, and Apparitions (00:30–17:37)
• 2. Why Aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Considered Christians? (19:09–25:52)
• 3. Marian Dogmas and Early Church Evidence (28:26–38:35)
• 4. Does Jesus Sleep in Heaven? (41:04–42:18)
• 5. The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (43:17–49:30)
• 6. Finding Community as a Young Catholic (49:41–54:38)
• 7. Notable Quotes

1. Angels, Ghosts, and Apparitions (00:30–17:37)

Definitions and Distinctions

• Apparition: A spirit appearing to the senses or to one’s awareness. This includes visual, auditory, or other sensory phenomena.
  • “Any kind of appearance of a spirit is an apparition.” (Jimmy Akin, 02:08)
• Types of Apparitions: Angels, saints, ghosts (usually souls in purgatory), and demons.
• Angels: Created non-human spirits, commonly described as God's messengers ("angel" means "messenger").
• Saints: Holy persons, either human or angelic. E.g., St. Michael or St. Peter.
• Ghosts: Now typically refers to human spirits, especially those not yet in heaven (i.e., souls in purgatory).
  • “In its broadest sense, any spirit could be called a ghost, that’s why the Holy Spirit is also called the Holy Ghost.” (Jimmy Akin, 06:04)

Purpose and Nature of Apparitions

• Angelic Appearances: Often involve delivering messages but can also include other missions (e.g., bringing plagues or protection).
  • Example: Angels appearing to Mary and Zechariah (Gospel of Luke), and to David in the Old Testament.
• Saintly Apparitions: Less common in the Bible, occur via dreams or visions and typically deliver encouragement or messages.
  • Example: Vision of deceased Onias and Jeremiah to Judas Maccabee (2 Maccabees).
• Ghostly Apparitions: Often occur as part of their purification in purgatory; sometimes request prayers or other help from the living.
  • Example: St. Thomas Aquinas’ sister appears asking for Masses to be said.

Similarities & Differences

• Angels are more powerful than humans, sometimes capable of physical interactions (e.g., the “aerial bodies” theory—angels using material for physical manifestation).
• Human spirits may also appear fully real to senses, but this is more about illusion created by the apparition.
• Appearance: Angels sometimes manifest as humans with wings (per cultural expectation), but ghosts tend to appear as healthy, younger versions of themselves.

Memorable moment:
“Sometimes... you may not initially be able to tell that's what you're dealing with. That's why the book of Hebrews talks about how some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Jimmy Akin, 15:07)

2. Why Aren’t Jehovah’s Witnesses Considered Christians? (19:09–25:52)

Caller: Katie (former Jehovah’s Witness)

Key Points:

• No disrespect intended; Jehovah’s Witnesses sincerely desire to please God.
• Catholic Definition: To be considered Christian, one must profess the Christian faith and have a valid baptism (“in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” using both water and the Trinitarian formula).
• Two main differences:
  1. Doctrine: Jehovah’s Witnesses do not accept the Trinity (Jesus and the Holy Spirit aren’t considered God along with the Father).
     • Historically, Arians (who had similar views) were regarded as heretical but still Christian.
     • “You could argue that even though Jehovah's Witnesses don't understand the Christian faith properly, they understand it well enough that it wouldn't be a block to them being Christians.” (Jimmy Akin, 22:32)
  2. Baptismal practice: Jehovah’s Witnesses do not use any baptismal formula—just water—so from a Catholic view, their baptisms are invalid.
     • “Jehovah's Witnesses don't use the words. And not only do they not use the words that Jesus says to use, they don’t use any words.” (Jimmy Akin, 24:11)
• Conclusion: The main issue is invalid baptism, not just doctrinal differences.
  • “The fundamental reason from a Catholic perspective is they're not Christian because they're not actually baptized.” (25:10)

3. Marian Dogmas and Early Church Evidence (28:26–38:35)

Caller: Keith (convert, struggles with Marian dogmas)

Key Points:

• Four main Marian dogmas: Theotokos (Mother of God), Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception, Assumption.
• Early Evidence:
  • Perpetual Virginity: Strong evidence from the New Testament and 2nd-century Church sources.
  • Assumption: Some 3rd-century references, though historical records are sparse but still close enough to the New Testament era to be credible.
  • Immaculate Conception: Terminology such as “original sin” didn’t develop until the 5th century. Early Christians recognized Mary’s special holiness (“immaculate,” “stainless”), but the precise doctrine developed over time.
    • “There are even very early sources that describe her as stainless or immaculate. It's just the concept of original sin hadn't been named yet.” (Jimmy Akin, 33:09)
• Doctrinal Development: The Church gradually articulated these beliefs more precisely as theological language and understanding developed.
  • “This is an example of what Catholics call doctrinal development, where a concept is present early on and then it gradually, over time, the Holy Spirit leads the Church to be able to articulate it more clearly and more precisely.” (Jimmy Akin, 34:30)

Memorable moment:
“We can have a really bad pope, but God can still use him to articulate Christian teaching in an infallible way.” (Jimmy Akin, 36:24)

Jimmy offers to send Keith “The Fathers Know Best,” a book with source quotations from Church Fathers on Marian dogmas and more.

4. Does Jesus Sleep in Heaven? (41:04–42:18)

Caller: Alba and Anna (children, Honduras)

Jimmy’s Answer:

• No explicit teaching or biblical mention about sleeping in heaven.
• Implies that since bodily needs (like eating) no longer exist in heaven, “Jesus does not sleep in heaven, that he is always awake and he never gets tired.” (41:56)

5. The Presence of Christ in the Eucharist (43:17–49:30)

Caller: Brian (RCIA convert)

Main Question: Are the consecrated bread and wine each the full Body and Blood of Christ, or are they separate?

Jimmy’s Explanation:

• Gospel depiction: Jesus says, “This is my body” (bread) and “This is my blood” (chalice), depicted separately to prefigure the separation by his death.
• In the Mass, it is Christ’s glorified, resurrected body that becomes present—and in heaven, his body and blood are united.
  • “That’s why both the appearance of bread and the appearance of wine have both his body and blood under them, because literally they're not separate anymore.” (Jimmy Akin, 46:58)
• Technical terms: “Concomitance” describes how both the Body and Blood are present under either species (bread or wine), though each is most directly connected to one (bread: Body; wine: Blood).
  • “The appearance of bread... contains the body of Christ, and his blood is present by concomitance. The appearance of wine... contains his blood, and his body is also there by concomitant.” (47:46)

6. Finding Community as a Young Catholic (49:41–54:38)

Caller: Andrew (recent convert, Murfreesboro, TN)

Struggle: Difficulty connecting with peers at parish due to interests differing from the typical (prefers “nerd” hobbies).

Jimmy’s Advice:

• Start by consulting groups and events in your parish (youth group, Bible study, Knights of Columbus, volunteering).
• If nothing fits, consider starting your own group tailored to your interests (“nerd” games, tabletop RPGs) with parish approval.
• Expand outreach to other parishes or online—invite others who may share your interests.
  • “I would say, you know, keep hosting events like that, and maybe some of the people from your parish will develop an interest or invite people from other local parishes or even invite other people who aren't even Catholic.” (Jimmy Akin, 54:22)

Notable Quotes

• “No one's questioning their sincerity and their desire to please God...” (Jimmy Akin, on Jehovah’s Witnesses, 20:21)
• “Angel overlaps with saint, saint overlaps with a little kind of with ghost. But they're all apparitions.” (Jimmy Akin, 06:51)
• “We can have a really bad pope, but God can still use him to articulate Christian teaching in an infallible way.” (Jimmy Akin, 36:24)
• “The fundamental reason from a Catholic perspective is they're not Christian because they're not actually baptized.” (Jimmy Akin, 25:10)
• “This is an example of what Catholics call doctrinal development, where a concept is present early on and then it gradually, over time, the Holy Spirit leads the Church to be able to articulate it more clearly and more precisely.” (Jimmy Akin, 34:30)

Key Timestamps

• 00:30 – Show open, host introduction
• 02:08–07:26 – Apparitions: definitions and types
• 13:24 – Comparing angel, ghost, and saintly apparitions
• 19:09–25:52 – Why Jehovah's Witnesses are considered non-Christian (main segment)
• 28:26–38:35 – Marian dogmas and early church evidence
• 41:04–42:18 – Does Jesus sleep in heaven?
• 43:17–49:30 – Nature of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist
• 49:41–54:38 – Advice on Catholic community and finding like-minded friends

Conclusion

This episode offers clear, compassionate, and robust Catholic answers to a wide range of theological and practical questions, with special attention to the Catholic understanding of what it means to be a Christian and distinctions from Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jimmy Akin emphasizes doctrinal development, historical context, and practical pathways for Catholic life, making the show insightful for listeners at all levels of familiarity with Catholicism.