A millenarian movement organized in the USA in 1884 under Charles Taze Russell (18521916). They adopted the name Jehovah's Witnesses in 1931; previously they were called Millennial Dawnists and International Bible Students. They have their own translation of the Bible, which they interpret literally. They believe in the imminent second coming of Christ, avoid worldly involvement, and refuse to obey any law which they see as a contradiction of the law of God - refusing, for example, to take oaths, enter military service, or receive blood transfusions. They publish The Watchtower, meet in Kingdom Halls, and all witness through regular house-to-house preaching. They numbered some 6 million in 2006, and are now an international movement.
Jehovah's Witnesses are members of an international religious group of the same name, which is the restoration of first-century Christianity. The preaching, evangelistic and publishing activities of Jehovah's Witnesses are extensive, and congregations have been established in most parts of the world. Each congregation is overseen by a group of elders, which is appointed by representatives of the Governing Body.
The teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses are largely focused on the Kingdom of God and what they call the "presence" of Christ, analogous to the Second Coming. The Bible is considered by Jehovah's Witnesses to be the inspired word of God. They believe that the recognition and use of God's personal name, יהוה (or YHWH, translated as Jehovah in English - an anglicized rendering of the original Hebrew tetragrammaton), is vital for acceptable worship. Jehovah's Witnesses differ from mainstream Christianity in that they reject doctrines such as the Trinity, eternal torment in hell, the immortality of the soul, and the reward of heavenly life for all who remain faithful to God.
Jehovah's Witnesses refuse to become involved in social, religious, or political conflicts.
Members who are judged to be unrepentant sinners, for such actions as committing adultery, stealing or continued drunkenness, are "disfellowshipped", i.e. The Witnesses view the procedure as a Biblical practice of keeping a congregation in clean moral standing before God. Any disfellowshipped person can apply for readmission ("reinstatement") after demonstrating that they no longer behave in a way contrary to behaviour deemed appropriate for Jehovah's Witnesses.
History
Jehovah's Witnesses trace their origin to the religious movement known as Bible Students, which was founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell.
In the early 1870s, Russell organized a Bible study group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they would study the bible topic by topic.
In July 1879, Russell broke with Barbour over the concept of substitutionary atonement and he soon began publishing his own magazine, Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence (now known as The Watchtower). He was known as "Pastor Russell", and in 1881 formed the legal entity which developed into the non-profit organization: The Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania (currently headquartered in New York City).
| History of Eschatological Doctrine | ||||||
| Last Days Begin | Christ's Return | Christ as King | Resurrection of Anointed | Judgment of Religion | Great Tribulation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1879–1920 | 1799 | 1874 | 1878 | 1914, 1915, 1918, 1920 | ||
| 1920–1925 | 1925 | |||||
| 1925–1927 | 1914 | 1878 | 1878 | within generation of 1914 | ||
| 1927–1930 | 1918 | |||||
| 1930–1933 | 1919 | |||||
| 1933–1966 | 1914 | |||||
| 1966–1975 | 1975? | |||||
| 1975–1995 | within generation of 1914 | |||||
| 1995-2006 | imminent | |||||
Following Russell's death on October 31, 1916, an editorial committee of five was set up to supervise the writing of the Watch Tower magazine, as set forth in Russell's Last Will and Testament. On January 6, 1917, Joseph Franklin Rutherford (also known as "Judge Rutherford") was elected second President of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society. Initially, the board of directors for the Watch Tower Society accepted this change, but four of the board members withdrew their support.
The Watchtower Society's opposition to the draft during World War I resulted in legal action by the United States federal government.
Despite an emphasis on house-to-house preaching beginning in 1922, attendance at their yearly Memorial dropped nearly 75% by 1928, due to the previous power struggle, the failed predictions for the year 1925, and the evolving doctrinal changes which alienated those who sided with Russell's views.
From 1925 to 1933, their eschatological beliefs underwent significant changes. In 1931, the name "Jehovah's Witnesses" was adopted.
Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted by the Nazi government of Germany before and during World War II. Since such submission would violate their religious beliefs, the vast majority of Jehovah's Witnesses refused to abandon their faith even in the face of persecution, torture in concentration camps, or death."
Under Rutherford, membership grew from about 44,000 in 1928 to about 115,000 at the time of his death in 1942.
Nathan Homer Knorr succeeded Rutherford as president of the Watch Tower Society. Known as an efficient administrator, Knorr founded the Watchtower Bible School of Gilead to train missionaries, as well as the Theocratic Ministry School to train preaching and teaching at the congregational level.
Knorr's vice-president Frederick William Franz became the leading theologian, and is believed to have been the principal translator of the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Also produced were a Greek-English New Testament interlinear (The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures) and a Bible dictionary (Aid to Bible Understanding). The offices of elder and ministerial servant (deacon) were restored to Witness congregations in 1972, with appointments being made from headquarters.
During the 1960s and early 1970s, various references were made in Witnesses' literature and at assemblies, implying that Christ's thousand-year millennial reign might begin by 1975.
In 1976, the leadership of Jehovah's Witnesses was reorganized, and the power of the presidency passed on to the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses. Subsequent presidents of the Watch Tower Society after Knorr's death in 1977 have been Frederick William Franz, Milton George Henschel and Don A. Witnesses no longer teach that the generation of people alive in 1914 will survive until Armageddon, but they continue to emphasize its nearness.
Demographics
As of August 2005, Jehovah's Witnesses have a reported membership of more than 6.6 million actively involved in preaching. Jehovah's Witnesses' preaching activity is self-reported, each member submitting a 'Field Service Report' monthly.
Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, though they do not form a large part of the population of any country. Brazil, Mexico, and the United States are the only countries where the number of active Witness publishers exceeds half a million.
Organizational structure
See also: Legal instruments of Jehovah's WitnessesJehovah's Witnesses are currently led by a small, ecclesiastical Governing Body.
Elders are prominent in congregational matters, particularly in religious instruction and spiritual counseling; All baptized Witnesses are considered to be ordained ministers, and are expected to be able to provide religious instruction to others.
Doctrine is disseminated primarily by means of the bi-monthly journal The Watchtower.
In 2000, the religion restructured its administrative divisions into three non-profit corporations:
The Christian Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses - coordinates all service (i.e., proselytic) activities, including door-to-door proselytism, circuit and district conventions, etc. The Religious Order of Jehovah's Witnesses - coordinates the activities of those involved in full-time service, including pioneers, missionaries, and circuit and district overseers.Beliefs and practices
The following highlights some of the current beliefs and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses. As such, it reflects the point of view of Jehovah's Witnesses.
Overview
The entire Biblical canon, excluding the Apocrypha, is considered the inspired word of God. Interpretation of scripture and codification of doctrines is the responsibility of the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses.
God is the creator and supreme being, sovereign of the universe. Using God's name, Jehovah (a derivative of the Tetragrammaton), is a requirement for true worship.
The period known as the "last days" began in 1914.
Their view of sexual behavior reflects conservative Christian views.
Aid work after large natural disasters is considered an important part of their work. Witnesses have also had an active share in the relief work of hurricane Katrina in the United States of America. However, on-going aid work as provided by some other religious groups, such as soup kitchens, clothing donations, or building homes for the homeless is not practiced.
The most important annual event is the commemoration of the death of Jesus (Memorial, Jesus' sacrifice for all mankind) held after sundown on the date corresponding to Nisan 14 on the Hebrew calendar.
Jehovah's Witnesses are politically neutral. Members are expected to obey all laws, including the paying of taxes, of the country in which they reside, so long as these do not violate what they view as God's law. The political neutrality of Jehovah's Witnesses is also expressed by their refusal to participate in military service, even when such is of a compulsory nature, and by their detachment from secular politics. Before 1996, Jehovah's Witnesses also refused alternatives to military service. Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged, but not prohibited under all circumstances, from voting in elections.
Blood
Whole blood transfusions are rejected. In current medical practice, whole blood transfusions are very rare, and individual blood components are used instead. Witnesses may accept a process called normovolemic hemodilution, a treatment that processes the individual's own blood in a closed loop that does not interrupt the circulation of blood, and delivers it immediately back into the body.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have been known to highlight the potential dangers of blood transfusions. Witness representatives have stated that plasma volume expanders are often sufficient to take care of various medical emergency situations. However, Witnesses explain that their objections to blood transfusions are for religious rather than medical reasons.
A growing number of hospitals are offering bloodless techniques in medicine and surgery. A number of medical professionals have credited Jehovah's Witnesses and their related organizations for their contribution to the dissemination of information regarding bloodless surgery techniques. Experts in the fields of orthopedic and cardiac surgery have collaborated with Jehovah's Witnesses to produce information regarding the benefits of bloodless techniques and therapies.
Congregational discipline
Congregational discipline is administered by congregation elders through a 'judicial committee'. If a member does not accept counsel from the elders, a talk is given regarding the conduct (without naming the individual), 'marking' the member in the minds of those who know of the conduct.
The most severe discipline administered is disfellowshipping. Members of the judicial committee ask detailed questions and review actions of the member being considered, in consultation with the Bible and guidelines as set forth by the Governing Body. If no legitimate appeal is made, the disfellowshipping will be announced to the congregation by letting them know that the person "is no longer one of Jehovah's Witnesses". If the disfellowshipped person is living in the same home with other baptized family members, religious matters are not discussed. Disfellowshipped members are still permitted to attend Kingdom Hall meetings, but are not allowed to take an active part in meetings or the ministry.
Members can officially leave the religion by writing a letter requesting to be "disassociated".
A disfellowshipped individual may return to the congregation if they demonstrate sincere repentance of past sins.
Critical views
One of the most outspoken critics of Jehovah's Witnesses is Raymond Franz, a former third-generation Jehovah's Witness. Franz, who served nine years on the Governing Body, uses Galatians 1:16–20 to support his claim that Paul of Tarsus did not view the apostles in Jerusalem as a governing body. He compares 27 Bible translations, for Acts 2:46, Acts 5:42 and Acts 20:20 showing phrases such as "at home", "at your houses" and "in your homes" are used more often than "house to house".
According to a peer-reviewed article published in 2005 in Journal of Church and State, Jehovah's Witnesses are allowed to accept blood provided it is in the form of blood fractions. She also claims that Witness publications misrepresent the medical risks of taking blood and the efficacy of non-blood medical therapies in critical situations.
Criticism regarding the procedures on reporting child abuse has also occurred. The current procedure that is followed when allegations of abuse are reported is based on a strict application of the principle at Deuteronomy 18:15: "No single witness should rise up against a man respecting any error or any sin, in the case of any sin that he may commit. At the mouth of two witnesses or at the mouth of three witnesses the matter should stand good" (New World Translation). If there are none, the elders do not disfellowship the accused individual. However, according to the Jehovah's Witness office of Public information: "Even if the elders cannot take congregational action, they are expected to report the allegation to the branch office of Jehovah's Witnesses in their country, if local privacy laws permit. However, the Watchtower organization's policy does not always actively encourage victims of child molestation to report alleged perpetrators to authorities. serving as elders or ministerial servants (deacons)), even if the crime was committed years before, or even prior to the person's becoming a Witness. The general policy is not premised as punishment to the offender, but rather as a means of protecting the congregation's members.
Controversy
A number of doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses differ from that of mainstream Christianity. Many of these doctrines are considered heresy by mainstream Christian denominations, and as a result many label Jehovah's Witnesses as a cult.
Critics have also attacked the New World Translation, the translation of the Bible published by Jehovah's Witnesses. They state that the group has changed the Bible to suit their doctrine, and that the translation contains a number of errors and inaccuracies.
A large number of books have been published that are critical of the Watchtower Tract & Critics state that the Watchtower Society has made a number of unfulfilled predictions and doctrinal changes over the years, while claiming that it is the "one and only channel" used by God to continually dispense truth, and that "it alone, in all the earth, is directed by God's holy spirit or force".
Critics have also argued that various Witness policies and practices, including the treatment of members who dissociate or are disfellowshipped, freedom to access external information about the group from former members, and the regulation of members' lives, impact negatively on the ability of members to exercise freedom of mind.
Jehovah's Witnesses' attitudes towards the United Nations and towards members of other religions, particularly the Roman Catholic Church, have also been controversial.
Persecution
Animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression, particularly under the Nazi regime and during the 1940s war frenzy in the United States.
Some communities have also opposed the building of facilities (such as Kingdom Halls) and the holding of large conventions in their areas. Lafontaine (Village)), disputes that have been about appropriate land use have been claimed by the Witnesses to have come out against them due to religious bias.
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