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Wikipedia

Jehovah's Witnesses

February 02, 2023

Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity.[6] The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.5 million adherents involved in evangelism and an annual Memorial attendance of over 19.7 million.[5] Jehovah's Witnesses are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders in Warwick, New York, United States, which establishes all doctrines[7] based on its interpretations of the Bible.[8][9] They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God's kingdom over the earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humanity.[10]

Jehovah's Witnesses
ClassificationRestorationist
OrientationPremillennialist[1]
TheologyNontrinitarian
GovernanceGoverning Body
StructureHierarchical[2]
RegionWorldwide
HeadquartersWarwick, New York, U.S.
FounderCharles Taze Russell[3]
Origin1870s
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Branched fromBible Student movement, Adventism[4]
SeparationsJehovah's Witnesses splinter groups
Congregations117,960
Members8,514,983
Official websitejw.org
Statistics from 2022 Grand Totals[5]

The group emerged from the Bible Student movement founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell, who also co-founded Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881 to organize and print the movement's publications.[3] A leadership dispute after Russell's death resulted in several groups breaking away, with Joseph Franklin Rutherford retaining control of the Watch Tower Society and its properties.[11] Rutherford made significant organizational and doctrinal changes,[12] including adoption of the name Jehovah's witnesses[en 1] in 1931 to distinguish them from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell's traditions.[14][15][16]

Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their door-to-door preaching, distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake!, and for refusing military service and blood transfusions. They consider the use of God's name vital for proper worship. They reject Trinitarianism, inherent immortality of the soul, and hellfire, which they consider to be unscriptural doctrines. They do not observe Christmas, Easter, birthdays or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity.[17] They prefer to use their own Bible translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures,[18] although their literature occasionally quotes and cites other Bible translations.[19][20] Adherents commonly refer to their body of beliefs as "The Truth" and consider themselves to be "in the Truth".[21] They consider "human society" to be morally corrupt and under the influence of Satan, and most limit their social interaction with non-Witnesses.[22][23] Congregational disciplinary actions include disfellowshipping, their term for formal expulsion and shunning, a last resort for what they consider serious offenses.[24][25] Baptized individuals who formally leave are considered disassociated and are also shunned. Disfellowshipped and disassociated individuals may eventually be reinstated if deemed repentant.[26]

The group's position regarding conscientious objection to military service and refusal to salute state symbols (like national anthems and flags) has brought it into conflict with some governments.[27][28][29][30] Consequently, some Jehovah's Witnesses have been persecuted and their activities are banned or restricted in some countries. Persistent legal challenges by Jehovah's Witnesses have influenced legislation related to civil rights in several countries.[31]

The organization has received criticism regarding biblical translation, doctrines, and alleged coercion of its members. The Watch Tower Society has made various unfulfilled predictions about major biblical events such as Christ's Second Coming, the advent of God's kingdom, and Armageddon. Their policies for handling cases of child sexual abuse have been the subject of various formal inquiries.

History

Main article: History of Jehovah's Witnesses

Background (1870–1916)

See also: Bible Student movement

In 1870, Charles Taze Russell and others formed a group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to study the Bible.[32] During the course of his ministry, Russell disputed many beliefs of mainstream Christianity including immortality of the soul, hellfire, predestination, the fleshly return of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, and the burning up of the world.[33] In 1876, Russell met Nelson H. Barbour. Later that year they jointly produced the book Three Worlds, which combined restitutionist views with end time prophecy.[33]

The book taught that God's dealings with humanity were divided dispensationally, each ending with a "harvest," that Christ had returned as an invisible spirit being in 1874[33] inaugurating the "harvest of the Gospel age", and that 1914 would mark the end of a 2,520-year period called "the Gentile Times",[34] at which time world society would be replaced by the full establishment of God's kingdom on earth.[35][36][37] Beginning in 1878, Russell and Barbour jointly edited a religious journal, Herald of the Morning.[38] In June 1879, the two split over doctrinal differences, and in July, Russell began publishing the magazine Zion's Watch Tower and Herald of Christ's Presence,[39] stating that its purpose was to demonstrate that the world was in "the last days," and that a new age of earthly and human restitution under the reign of Christ was imminent.[40]

From 1879, Watch Tower supporters gathered as autonomous congregations to study the Bible topically. Thirty congregations were founded, and during 1879 and 1880, Russell visited each to provide the format he recommended for conducting meetings.[41][42][43] In 1881, Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society was presided over by William Henry Conley, and in 1884, Russell incorporated the society as a non-profit business to distribute tracts and Bibles.[44][45] By about 1900, Russell had organized thousands of part- and full-time colporteurs,[39] and was appointing foreign missionaries and establishing branch offices. By the 1910s, Russell's organization maintained nearly a hundred "pilgrims," or traveling preachers.[46] Russell engaged in significant global publishing efforts during his ministry,[47][48] and by 1912, he was the most distributed Christian author in the United States.[49]

Russell moved the Watch Tower Society's headquarters to Brooklyn, New York, in 1909, combining printing and corporate offices with a house of worship; volunteers were housed in a nearby residence he named Bethel. He identified the religious movement as "Bible Students," and more formally as the International Bible Students Association.[50] By 1910, about 50,000 people worldwide were associated with the movement[51] and congregations re-elected him annually as their pastor.[52] Russell died October 31, 1916, at the age of 64 while returning from a ministerial speaking tour.[53]

Reorganization (1917–1942)

 
Joseph F. Rutherford, founder of Jehovah's Witnesses

In January 1917, the Watch Tower Society's legal representative, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, was elected as its next president. His election was disputed, and members of the Board of Directors accused him of acting in an autocratic and secretive manner.[54][55] The divisions between his supporters and opponents triggered a major turnover of members over the next decade.[8][56] In June 1917, he released The Finished Mystery as a seventh volume of Russell's Studies in the Scriptures series. The book, published as the posthumous work of Russell, was a compilation of his commentaries on the Bible books of Ezekiel and Revelation, plus numerous additions by Bible Students Clayton Woodworth and George Fisher.[57][58][59] It strongly criticized Catholic and Protestant clergy and Christian involvement in the Great War.[60] As a result, Watch Tower Society directors were jailed for sedition under the Espionage Act in 1918 and members were subjected to mob violence; the directors were released in March 1919 and charges against them were dropped in 1920.[61]

Rutherford centralized organizational control of the Watch Tower Society. In 1919, he instituted the appointment of a director in each congregation, and a year later all members were instructed to report their weekly preaching activity to the Brooklyn headquarters.[62] At an international convention held at Cedar Point, Ohio, in September 1922, a new emphasis was made on house-to-house preaching.[63] Significant changes in doctrine and administration were regularly introduced during Rutherford's twenty-five years as president, including the 1920 announcement that the Hebrew patriarchs (such as Abraham and Isaac) would be resurrected in 1925, marking the beginning of Christ's thousand-year earthly kingdom.[64][65][66]

Because of disappointment over the changes and unfulfilled predictions, tens of thousands of defections occurred during the first half of Rutherford's tenure, leading to the formation of several Bible Student organizations independent of the Watch Tower Society,[67][68][69][70] most of which still exist.[71] By mid-1919, as many as one in seven of Russell-era Bible Students had ceased their association with the Society, and as many as three-quarters by the end of the 1920s.[69][72][73][74]

On July 26, 1931, at a convention in Columbus, Ohio, Rutherford introduced the new name – Jehovah's witnesses – based on Isaiah 43:10: "'Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.'" (King James Version, KJV) —which was adopted by resolution. The name was chosen to distinguish his group of Bible Students from other independent groups that had severed ties with the Society, as well as symbolize the instigation of new outlooks and the promotion of fresh evangelizing methods.[14][15][16] In 1932, Rutherford eliminated the system of locally elected elders and in 1938, introduced what he called a "theocratic" (literally, God-ruled) organizational system, under which appointments in congregations worldwide were made from the Brooklyn headquarters.[62]

From 1932, it was taught that the "little flock" of 144,000 would not be the only people to survive Armageddon. Rutherford explained that in addition to the 144,000 "anointed" who would be resurrected—or transferred at death—to live in heaven to rule over earth with Christ, a separate class of members, the "great multitude," would live in a paradise restored on earth; from 1935, new converts to the movement were considered part of that class.[75][76] By the mid-1930s, the timing of the beginning of Christ's presence (Greek: parousía), his enthronement as king, and the start of the "last days" were each moved to 1914.[77]

 
Nathan H. Knorr, the third president of the Watch Tower Society

As their interpretations of the Bible evolved, Witness publications decreed that saluting national flags is a form of idolatry, which led to a new outbreak of mob violence and government opposition in the United States, Canada, Germany, and other countries.[78][79]

Worldwide membership of Jehovah's Witnesses reached 113,624 in 5,323 congregations by the time of Rutherford's death in January 1942.[80][81]

Continued development (1942–present)

See also: Development of Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine and Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses

Nathan Knorr was appointed as third president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1942. Knorr commissioned a new translation of the Bible, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, the full version of which was released in 1961. He organized large international assemblies, instituted new training programs for members, and expanded missionary activity and branch offices throughout the world.[82] Knorr's presidency was also marked by an increasing use of explicit instructions guiding Witnesses in their lifestyle and conduct, and a greater use of congregational judicial procedures to enforce a strict moral code.[83][84]

From 1966, Witness publications and convention talks built anticipation of the possibility that Christ's thousand-year reign might begin in late 1975[85][86][87] or shortly thereafter.[88][89] The number of baptisms increased significantly, from about 59,000 in 1966 to more than 297,000 in 1974. By 1975, the number of active members exceeded two million. Membership declined during the late 1970s after expectations for 1975 were proved wrong.[90][91][92][93] Watch Tower Society literature did not state dogmatically that 1975 would definitely mark the end,[88] but in 1980 the Watch Tower Society admitted its responsibility in building up hope regarding that year.[94][95]

The offices of elder and ministerial servant were restored to Witness congregations in 1972, with appointments made from headquarters[96] (and later, also by branch committees). It was announced that, starting in September 2014, appointments would be made by traveling overseers. In a major organizational overhaul in 1976, the power of the Watch Tower Society president was diminished, with authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions passed to the Governing Body.[97] Since Knorr's death in 1977, the position of president has been occupied by Frederick Franz (1977–1992) and Milton Henschel (1992–2000), both members of the Governing Body, and since 2000 by others who are not Governing Body members. In 1995, Jehovah's Witnesses abandoned the idea that Armageddon must occur during the lives of the generation that was alive in 1914 and in 2010 changed their teaching on the "generation".[98][99][100]

Organization

Main article: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses are organized hierarchically,[2] in what the leadership calls a "theocratic organization", reflecting their belief that it is God's "visible organization" on earth.[101][102][103] The organization is led by the Governing Body—an all-male group that varies in size. Since January 2018, it has comprised eight members,[104] all of whom profess to be of the "anointed" class with a hope of heavenly life—based in the Watch Tower Society's Warwick headquarters.[105][106] There is no election for membership; new members are selected by the existing body.[107] Until late 2012, the Governing Body described itself as the representative[108][109] and "spokesman" for God's "faithful and discreet slave class" (then approximately 10,000 self-professed "anointed" Jehovah's Witnesses).[110][111]

At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society, the "faithful and discreet slave" was defined as referring to the Governing Body only.[112] The Governing Body directs several committees that are responsible for administrative functions, including publishing, assembly programs and evangelizing activities.[113] It appoints all branch committee members and traveling overseers, after they have been recommended by local branches, with traveling overseers supervising circuits of congregations within their jurisdictions. Traveling overseers appoint local elders and ministerial servants, while branch offices may appoint regional committees for matters such as Kingdom Hall construction or disaster relief.[114] The leadership and supporting staff lives in properties owned by the organization worldwide referred to as "Bethel" where they operate as a religious community and administrative unit.[115] Their living expenses and those of other full-time volunteers are covered by the organization along with a basic monthly stipend.[116][117][118]

Each congregation has a body of appointed unpaid male elders and ministerial servants. Elders maintain general responsibility for congregational governance, setting meeting times, selecting speakers and conducting meetings, directing the public preaching work, and creating "judicial committees" to investigate and decide disciplinary action for cases involving sexual misconduct or doctrinal breaches.[119] New elders are appointed by a traveling overseer after recommendation by the existing body of elders. Ministerial servants—appointed in a similar manner to elders—fulfill clerical and attendant duties, but may also teach and conduct meetings.[113] Witnesses do not use elder as a title to signify a formal clergy-laity division,[120] though elders may employ ecclesiastical privilege regarding confession of sins.[121][122]

Baptism is a requirement for being considered a member of Jehovah's Witnesses. Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice infant baptism,[123] and previous baptisms performed by other denominations are not considered valid.[124] Individuals undergoing baptism must affirm publicly that dedication and baptism identify them "as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in association with God's spirit-directed organization,"[124] though Witness publications say baptism symbolizes personal dedication to God and not "to a man, work or organization."[125][126] Their literature emphasizes the need for members to be obedient and loyal to Jehovah and to "his organization,"[127][128][en 2] stating that individuals must remain part of it to receive God's favor and to survive Armageddon.[129][130]

Publishing

The organization produces a significant amount of literature as part of its evangelism activities.[131] The Watch Tower Society has produced over 227 million copies of the New World Translation in whole or in part in over 185 languages.[132] In 2010, The Watchtower and Awake! were the most widely distributed magazines in the world.[133] Translation of Witness publications is done by over 2,000 volunteers worldwide, producing literature in 1,000 languages.[134][135] Publications are also available online at the organization's official website.

Funding

Much of their funding is provided by donations, primarily from members. There is no tithing or collection.[94] In 2001 Newsday listed the Watch Tower Society as one of New York's forty richest corporations, with revenues exceeding $950 million.[131][136] The organization reported for the same year that it "spent over $70.9 million in caring for special pioneers, missionaries, and traveling overseers in their field service assignments."[137][en 3]

Beliefs

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses beliefs

Sources of doctrine

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their denomination is a restoration of first-century Christianity.[138] Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses are established by the Governing Body, which assumes responsibility for interpreting and applying scripture.[8][139][140] The Governing Body does not issue any single, comprehensive "statement of faith", but prefers to express its doctrinal position in a variety of ways through publications published by the Watch Tower Society.[141] Their publications teach that doctrinal changes and refinements result from a process of progressive revelation, in which God gradually reveals his will and purpose,[142][143][144][145] and that such enlightenment or "new light"[146] results from the application of reason and study,[147] the guidance of the holy spirit, and direction from Jesus Christ and angels.[148] The Society also teaches that members of the Governing Body are helped by the holy spirit to discern "deep truths", which are then considered by the entire Governing Body before it makes doctrinal decisions.[149] The group's leadership, while disclaiming divine inspiration and infallibility,[150] is said to provide "divine guidance"[151] through its teachings described as "based on God's Word thus ... not from men, but from Jehovah."[152][153]

The entire Protestant canon of scripture is considered the inspired, inerrant word of God.[154] Jehovah's Witnesses consider the Bible to be scientifically and historically accurate and reliable[155] and interpret much of it literally, but accept parts of it as symbolic.[156] They consider the Bible to be the final authority for all their beliefs.[157] Sociologist Andrew Holden's ethnographic study of the group concluded that pronouncements of the Governing Body, through Watch Tower Society publications, carry almost as much weight as the Bible.[158]

Regular personal Bible reading is frequently recommended. Witnesses are discouraged from formulating doctrines and "private ideas" reached through Bible research independent of Watch Tower Society publications, and are cautioned against reading other religious literature.[159][160][161] Adherents are told to have "complete confidence" in the leadership, to avoid skepticism about what is taught in the Watch Tower Society's literature, and to "not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding."[162][163][164][165] The organization makes no provision for members to criticize or contribute to official teachings.[166] All Witnesses must abide by its doctrines and organizational requirements.[167]

Jehovah

Jehovah's Witnesses emphasize the use of God's name, and they prefer the form Jehovah—a vocalization of God's name based on the Tetragrammaton.[168][169][170] They believe that Jehovah is the only true God, the creator of all things, and the "Universal Sovereign". They believe that all worship should be directed toward him, and that he is not part of a Trinity;[171] consequently, the group places more emphasis on God than on Christ.[172][173] They believe that the Holy Spirit is God's applied power or "active force", rather than a person.[174][175]

Jesus

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is God's only direct creation, that everything else was created through Christ by means of God's power, and that the initial unassisted act of creation uniquely identifies Jesus as God's "only-begotten Son".[176] Jesus served as a redeemer and a ransom sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity.[177] They believe Jesus died on a single upright post rather than the traditional cross.[178] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus was resurrected with a "spirit body", and that he only assumed human form for a temporary period after his resurrection.[179]

Biblical references to the Archangel Michael, Abaddon (Apollyon), and the Word are interpreted as names for Jesus in various roles.[180] Jesus is considered to be the only intercessor and high priest between God and humanity, and appointed by God as the king and judge of his kingdom.[181] His role as a mediator (referred to in 1 Timothy 2:5) is applied to the 'anointed' class, though the 'other sheep' are said to also benefit from the arrangement.[182]

Satan

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan was originally a perfect angel who developed feelings of self-importance and craved worship. Satan influenced Adam and Eve to disobey God, and humanity subsequently became participants in a challenge involving the competing claims of Jehovah and Satan to universal sovereignty.[183] Other angels who sided with Satan became demons.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Satan and his demons were cast down to earth from heaven after October 1, 1914,[184] at which point the end times began. They believe that Satan is the ruler of the current world order,[183] that human society is influenced and misled by Satan and his demons, and that they are a cause of human suffering. They also believe that human governments are controlled by Satan,[185] but that he does not directly control each human ruler.[186]

Life after death

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation

Jehovah's Witnesses believe death is a state of non-existence with no consciousness. There is no Hell of fiery torment; Hades and Sheol are understood to refer to the condition of death, termed the common grave.[187] Jehovah's Witnesses consider the soul to be a life or a living body that can die.[188] Jehovah's Witnesses believe that humanity is in a sinful state,[188] from which release is only possible by means of Jesus' shed blood as a ransom, or atonement, for the sins of humankind.[189]

Witnesses believe that a "little flock" of 144,000 selected humans go to heaven, but that the majority (the "other sheep") are to be resurrected by God to a cleansed earth after Armageddon. They interpret Revelation 14:1–5 to mean that the number of Christians going to heaven is limited to exactly 144,000, who will rule with Jesus as kings and priests over earth.[190] They believe that baptism as a Jehovah's Witness is vital for salvation[191] and that only they meet scriptural requirements for surviving Armageddon, but that God is the final judge.[192][193] During Christ's millennial reign, most people who died prior to Armageddon will be resurrected with the prospect of living forever; they will be taught the proper way to worship God to prepare them for their final test at the end of the millennium.[194][195]

God's kingdom

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's kingdom is a literal government in heaven, ruled by Jesus Christ and 144,000 "spirit-anointed" Christians drawn from the earth, which they associate with Jesus' reference to a "new covenant".[196][197] The kingdom is viewed as the means by which God will accomplish his original purpose for the earth, transforming it into a paradise without sickness or death.[198] It is said to have been the focal point of Jesus' ministry on earth.[199] They believe the kingdom was established in heaven in 1914,[200] and that Jehovah's Witnesses serve as representatives of the kingdom on earth.[201][202]

Eschatology

Main article: Eschatology of Jehovah's Witnesses

A central teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses is that the current world era, or "system of things", entered the "last days" in 1914 and faces imminent destruction through intervention by God and Jesus Christ, leading to deliverance for those who worship God acceptably.[203] They consider all other present-day religions to be false, identifying them with "Babylon the Great", or the "harlot", of Revelation 17,[204] and believe that they will soon be destroyed by the United Nations, which they believe is represented in scripture by the scarlet-colored wild beast of Revelation chapter 17. This development will mark the beginning of the "great tribulation".[205][206]

Satan will subsequently use world governments to attack Jehovah's Witnesses, an action that will prompt God to begin the war of Armageddon, during which all forms of government and all people not counted as Christ's "sheep" will be destroyed. After Armageddon, God will extend his heavenly kingdom to include earth, which will be transformed into a paradise similar to the Garden of Eden.[207] Most of those who had died before God's intervention will gradually be resurrected during the thousand year "judgment day".[208][209]

This judgment will be based on their actions after resurrection rather than past deeds. At the end of the thousand years, Christ will hand all authority back to God. Then a final test will take place when Satan is released to mislead perfect mankind. Those who fail will be destroyed, along with Satan and his demons. The result will be a fully tested, glorified human race on earth.[210][211]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ began to rule in heaven as king of God's kingdom in October 1914, and that Satan was subsequently ousted from heaven to the earth, resulting in "woe" to humanity. They believe that Jesus rules invisibly, from heaven, perceived only as a series of "signs". They base this belief on a rendering of the Greek word parousia—usually translated as "coming" when referring to Christ—as "presence". They believe Jesus' presence includes an unknown period beginning with his inauguration as king in heaven in 1914, and ending when he comes to bring a final judgment against humans on earth. They thus depart from the mainstream Christian belief that the "second coming" of Matthew 24 refers to a single moment of arrival on earth to judge humans.[212][213]

Gender roles

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that women were designed by God to perform a complementary role. Women actively participate in the public preaching work and can serve at Bethel.[214] Women may profess to be members of the 144,000.[215] Only men are allowed to hold positions of authority. Congregational roles such as ministerial servants and elders are exclusively male positions. Women are not allowed to address the congregation directly.[216] In rare circumstances, women can substitute in certain capacities if there are no eligible men. In these situations, women must wear a head covering if they are performing a teaching role.[214]

Practices

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses practices

Worship

 
Worship at a Kingdom Hall in Portugal
 
Kingdom Hall in Kuopio, Finland

Meetings for worship and study are held at Kingdom Halls, which are typically functional in character, and do not contain religious symbols.[217] Witnesses are assigned to a congregation in whose "territory" they usually reside and attend weekly services they refer to as "meetings" as scheduled by congregation elders. The meetings are largely devoted to study of Watch Tower Society literature and the Bible. The format of the meetings is established by the group's headquarters, and the subject matter for most meetings is the same worldwide.[217]

Congregations meet for two sessions each week comprising four distinct meetings that total about three-and-a-half hours, typically gathering mid-week (two meetings) and on the weekend (two meetings). Prior to 2009, congregations met three times each week; these meetings were condensed, with the intention that members dedicate an evening for "family worship".[218][219] Gatherings are opened and closed with hymns (which they call Kingdom songs) and brief prayers.[220]

Twice each year, Witnesses from a number of congregations that form a "circuit" gather for a one-day assembly. Larger groups of congregations meet once a year for a three-day "regional convention", usually at rented stadiums or auditoriums.[221] Their most important and solemn event is the commemoration of the "Lord's Evening Meal", or "Memorial of Christ's Death" on the date of the Jewish Passover.[222]

Evangelism

See also: Jehovah's Witnesses publications
 
Jehovah's Witnesses outside the British Museum, 2017

Jehovah's Witnesses are known for their efforts to spread their beliefs, most notably by visiting people from house to house,[223][224][225] distributing literature published by the Watch Tower Society.[226] The objective is to start a regular "Bible study" with any person who is not already a member,[227] with the intention that the student be baptized as a member of the group;[228][229] Witnesses are advised to consider discontinuing Bible studies with students who show no interest in becoming members.[230][231]

Witnesses are taught they are under a biblical command to engage in public preaching.[232][233] They are instructed to devote as much time as possible to their ministry and are required to submit an individual monthly "Field Service Report".[234][235] Baptized members who fail to report a month of preaching are termed "irregular" and may be counseled by elders;[236][237] those who do not submit reports for six consecutive months are termed "inactive".[238]

Ethics and morality

See also: Jehovah's Witnesses list of "serious sins"

All sexual relations outside of marriage are grounds for expulsion if the individual is not deemed repentant;[239][240] homosexual activity is considered a serious sin, and same-sex marriages are forbidden. Abortion is considered murder.[241] Suicide is considered to be "self-murder" and a sin against God.[242] Modesty in dress and grooming is frequently emphasized. Gambling, drunkenness, illegal drugs, and tobacco use are forbidden.[243] Drinking of alcoholic beverages is permitted in moderation.[241]

The family structure is patriarchal. The husband is considered to have authority on family decisions, but is encouraged to solicit his wife's thoughts and feelings, as well as those of his children. Marriages are required to be monogamous and legally registered.[244][245] Marrying a non-believer, or endorsing such a union, is strongly discouraged and carries religious sanctions.[246][247]

Divorce is discouraged, and remarriage is forbidden unless a divorce is obtained on the grounds of adultery, which they refer to as "a scriptural divorce".[248] If a divorce is obtained for any other reason, remarriage is considered adulterous unless the prior spouse has died or is since considered to have committed sexual immorality.[249] Extreme physical abuse, willful non-support of one's family, and what the denomination terms "absolute endangerment of spirituality" are accepted as grounds for legal separation.[250][251]

Disciplinary action

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses congregational discipline

Formal discipline is administered by congregation elders when a baptized member is accused of committing a serious sin—usually cases of sexual misconduct[119][252] or charges of apostasy for disputing Jehovah's Witness doctrines.[253][254] A judicial committee is formed to provide spiritual guidance and determine guilt. This can lead to the subject being disfellowshipped.[255] Disfellowshipping, a form of shunning, is the strongest form of discipline, administered to an offender deemed unrepentant.[256] Contact with disfellowshipped individuals is limited to direct family members living in the same home, and with congregation elders who may invite disfellowshipped persons to apply for reinstatement.[257] Formal business dealings may continue if contractually or financially obliged.[258]

Witnesses are taught that avoiding social and spiritual interaction with disfellowshipped individuals keeps the congregation free from immoral influence and that "losing precious fellowship with loved ones may help [the shunned individual] to come 'to his senses,' see the seriousness of his wrong, and take steps to return to Jehovah."[259] The practice of shunning may also serve to deter other members from dissident behavior.[260] Members who disassociate (formally resign) are described in Watch Tower Society literature as wicked and are also shunned.[261][262][263]

Expelled individuals may eventually be reinstated to the congregation if deemed repentant by elders in the congregation in which the disfellowshipping was enforced.[26] Reproof is a lesser form of discipline given formally by a judicial committee to a baptized Witness who is considered repentant of serious sin; the reproved person temporarily loses conspicuous privileges of service, but suffers no restriction of social or spiritual fellowship.[264] Marking, a curtailing of social but not spiritual fellowship, is practiced if a baptized member persists in a course of action regarded as a violation of Bible principles but not a serious sin.[en 4]

Separateness

See also: Jehovah's Witnesses and governments

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible condemns the mixing of religions, on the basis that there can only be one truth from God, and therefore reject interfaith and ecumenical movements.[265][266][267] They believe that only Jehovah's Witnesses represent true Christianity, and that other religions fail to meet all the requirements set by God and will soon be destroyed.[268] Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that it is vital to remain "separate from the world." The Witnesses' literature defines the "world" as "the mass of mankind apart from Jehovah's approved servants" and teach that it is morally contaminated and ruled by Satan.[269][270][271]

Witnesses are taught that association with "worldly" people presents a "danger" to their faith,[272] and are instructed to minimize social contact with non-members to better maintain their own standards of morality.[273][274][275][276] Attending university is discouraged and trade schools are suggested as an alternative.[277][278][279] Receiving a post-secondary education is considered "spiritually dangerous". Anthony Morris III, a member of the Governing Body, has been quoted as saying "the most intelligent and eloquent professors will be trying to reshape the thinking of your child, and their influence can be tremendous."[280]

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their allegiance belongs to God's kingdom,[281] which is viewed as an actual government in heaven, with Christ as king. They remain politically neutral, do not seek public office, and are discouraged from voting, though individual members may participate in uncontroversial community improvement issues.[282][283] Although they do not take part in politics, they respect the authority of the governments under which they live.[284] They do not celebrate religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter, nor do they observe birthdays, national holidays, or other celebrations they consider to honor people other than Jesus. They feel that these and many other customs have pagan origins or reflect a nationalistic or political spirit. Their position is that these traditional holidays reflect Satan's control over the world.[285][286][287] Witnesses are told that spontaneous giving at other times can help their children to not feel deprived of birthdays or other celebrations.[288]

They do not work in industries associated with the military, do not serve in the armed services,[289] and refuse national military service, which in some countries may result in their arrest and imprisonment.[290] They do not salute or pledge allegiance to flags or sing national anthems or patriotic songs.[291] Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as a worldwide brotherhood that transcends national boundaries and ethnic loyalties.[292] Sociologist Ronald Lawson has suggested the group's intellectual and organizational isolation, coupled with the intense indoctrination of adherents, rigid internal discipline and considerable persecution, has contributed to the consistency of its sense of urgency in its apocalyptic message.[293]

Rejection of blood transfusions

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses and blood transfusions

Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood transfusions, which they consider a violation of God's law based on their interpretation of Acts 15:28, 29 and other scriptures.[294][295][296] Since 1961, the willing acceptance of a blood transfusion by an unrepentant member has been grounds for expulsion from the group.[297][298] Members are directed to refuse blood transfusions, even in "a life-or-death situation".[299][300][301] Jehovah's Witnesses accept non-blood alternatives and other medical procedures in lieu of blood transfusions, and their literature provides information about non-blood medical procedures.[302]

Jehovah's Witnesses do not accept the transfusion of "whole blood, packed red cells, platelets, white cells or plasma". Autologous blood donation, where an individual's own blood is stored for later use, is also not considered acceptable.[303] Members may accept some blood plasma fractions at their own discretion.[304][305][306] The Watch Tower Society provides pre-formatted durable power of attorney documents prohibiting major blood components, in which members can specify which allowable fractions and treatments they will personally accept.[307][308] Jehovah's Witnesses have established Hospital Liaison Committees as a cooperative arrangement between individual Jehovah's Witnesses and medical professionals and hospitals.[309][310]

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Jehovah's Witnesses
 

Jehovah's Witnesses have an active presence in most countries, but do not form a large part of the population of any country. For 2022, Jehovah's Witnesses reported approximately 8.5 million publishers—the term they use for members actively involved in preaching—in about 118,000 congregations.[5] For the same year, they reported over 1.5 billion hours spent in preaching activity, and conducted Bible studies with more than 5.7 million individuals (including those conducted by Witness parents with their children[311][312]).

In 2022, Jehovah's Witnesses reported a worldwide annual increase of 0.4%. Over 19.7 million people attended the annual memorial of Christ's death.[5] According to the Watch Tower Society, more than 25,600 members have died from COVID-19.[313]

The official published membership statistics, such as those mentioned above, include only those who submit reports for their personal ministry;[314] official statistics do not include inactive and disfellowshipped individuals or others who might attend their meetings. As a result, only about half of those who self-identified as Jehovah's Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered active by the faith itself.[315][316]

The 2008 US Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life survey found a low retention rate among members of the denomination: about 37% of people raised in the group continued to identify themselves as Jehovah's Witnesses.[317][318] The next lowest retention rates were for Buddhism at 50% and Catholicism at 68%. The study also found that 65% of adult Jehovah's Witnesses in the US are converts.[319]

Sociological analysis

See also: Sociological classifications of religious movements

Sociologist James A. Beckford, in his 1975 study of Jehovah's Witnesses, classified the group's organizational structure as Totalizing, characterized by an assertive leadership, specific and narrow objectives, control over competing demands on members' time and energy, and control over the quality of new members. Other characteristics of the classification include likelihood of friction with secular authorities, reluctance to co-operate with other religious organizations, a high rate of membership turnover, a low rate of doctrinal change, and strict uniformity of beliefs among members.[320]

Beckford identified the group's chief characteristics as historicism (identifying historical events as relating to the outworking of God's purpose), absolutism (conviction that Jehovah's Witness leaders dispense absolute truth), activism (capacity to motivate members to perform missionary tasks), rationalism (conviction that Witness doctrines have a rational basis devoid of mystery), authoritarianism (rigid presentation of regulations without the opportunity for criticism) and world indifference (rejection of certain secular requirements and medical treatments).[321]

Sociologist Bryan R. Wilson, in his consideration of five religious groups including Jehovah's Witnesses, noted that each of the denominations:[322]

  1. "exists in a state of tension with the wider society;"
  2. "imposes tests of merit on would-be members;"
  3. "exercises stern discipline, regulating the declared beliefs and the life habits of members and prescribing and operating sanctions for those who deviate, including the possibility of expulsion;"
  4. "demands sustained and total commitment from its members, and the subordination, and perhaps even the exclusion of all other interests."

A sociological comparative study by the Pew Research Center found that Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States ranked highest in statistics for getting no further than high school graduation, belief in God, importance of religion in one's life, frequency of religious attendance, frequency of prayers, frequency of Bible reading outside of religious services, belief their prayers are answered, belief that their religion can only be interpreted one way, belief that theirs is the only one true faith leading to eternal life, opposition to abortion, and opposition to homosexuality. In the study, Jehovah's Witnesses ranked lowest in statistics for having an interest in politics.[323][324] It was also among the most ethnically diverse religious groups in the US.[319]

Opposition

Controversy surrounding various beliefs, doctrines and practices of Jehovah's Witnesses has led to opposition from governments, communities, and religious groups. Religious commentator Ken Jubber wrote that "Viewed globally, this persecution has been so persistent and of such intensity that it would not be inaccurate to regard Jehovah's Witnesses as the most persecuted group of Christians of the twentieth century."[325]

Persecution

Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses

Political and religious animosity against Jehovah's Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression in various countries. Their stance regarding political neutrality and their refusal to serve in the military has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription during World War II and at other times where national service has been compulsory. Their religious activities are currently banned or restricted in some countries,[326] including China, Russia, Vietnam, and many Muslim-majority countries.[327][328]

 
Countries where Jehovah's Witnesses' activities are banned

Authors including William Whalen, Shawn Francis Peters and former Witnesses Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, Alan Rogerson and William Schnell have claimed the arrests and mob violence in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s were the consequence of what appeared to be a deliberate course of provocation of authorities and other religious groups by Jehovah's Witnesses.[329][330] Harrison, Schnell and Whalen have suggested Rutherford invited and cultivated opposition for publicity purposes in a bid to attract dispossessed members of society, and to convince members that persecution from the outside world was evidence of the truth of their struggle to serve God.[331][332][333] Watch Tower Society literature of the period directed that Witnesses should "never seek a controversy" nor resist arrest, but also advised members not to co-operate with police officers or courts that ordered them to stop preaching, and to prefer jail rather than pay fines.[334]

Canada

Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada

In 1940, one year following Canada's entry into World War II, the denomination was banned under the War Measures Act. This ban continued until 1943.[335] Hundreds of members were prosecuted for being members of an illegal organization.[336] Jehovah's Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Chinese and Japanese descent.[337] Jehovah's Witnesses faced discrimination in Quebec until the Quiet Revolution, including bans on distributing literature or holding meetings.[338][339] Roncarelli v Duplessis was a legal case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. The court held that in 1946 Maurice Duplessis, both Premier and Attorney General of Quebec, had overstepped his authority by ordering the manager of the Liquor Commission to revoke the liquor licence of Frank Roncarelli, a Montreal restaurant owner and Jehovah's Witness who was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec. Roncarelli provided bail for Jehovah's Witnesses arrested for distributing pamphlets attacking the Roman Catholic Church. The Supreme Court found Duplessis personally liable for $33,123.56 in damages plus Roncarelli's court costs.[340]

Germany

Main article: Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany
 
Jehovah's Witness prisoners were identified by purple triangle badges in Nazi concentration camps.

In 1933, there were approximately 20,000 Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany,[341] of whom about 10,000 were imprisoned. Jehovah's Witnesses suffered religious persecution by the Nazis because they refused military service and allegiance to Hitler's National Socialist Party.[342][343] Of those, 2,000 were sent to Nazi concentration camps, where they were identified by purple triangles;[343] as many as 1,200 died, including 250 who were executed.[344][345]

In socialist East Germany, from the 1950s to the 1980s, Jehovah's Witnesses were persecuted extensively by the State Security Service (the Stasi), who frequently used decomposition methods against them. Jehovah's Witnesses were considered to be a threat because their belief system did not conform to socialist standards, and their members sometimes had contact with the West.[346]

Russia

In April 1951, about 9,300 Jehovah's Witnesses in the Soviet Union were deported to Siberia as part of Operation North.[347]

In April 2017, the Supreme Court of Russia labeled Jehovah's Witnesses an extremist organization, banned its activities in Russia and issued an order to confiscate the organization's assets.[348]

Legal challenges

Main article: Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses by country

Several cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world.[349] The cases generally relate to their right to practice their religion, displays of patriotism and military service, and blood transfusions.[350]

In the United States, legal challenges by Jehovah's Witnesses prompted a series of state and federal court rulings that reinforced judicial protections for civil liberties.[351][352] Among the rights strengthened by Witness court victories in the United States are the protection of religious conduct from federal and state interference, the right to abstain from patriotic rituals and military service, the right of patients to refuse medical treatment, and the right to engage in public discourse.[353] Similar cases in their favor have been heard in Canada.[354]

Criticism and controversy

Main article: Criticism of Jehovah's Witnesses

Jehovah's Witnesses have received criticism from mainstream Christianity, members of the medical community, former members and commentators regarding their beliefs and practices. The movement has been accused of doctrinal inconsistency and reversals, failed predictions, mistranslation of the Bible, harsh treatment of former members and autocratic and coercive leadership. Criticism has also focused on their rejection of blood transfusions, particularly in life-threatening medical situations, and failing to report cases of sexual abuse to the authorities.

Free speech and thought

Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses are established by the Governing Body.[355][356] The denomination does not tolerate dissent over doctrines and practices;[153][357][358][359] members who openly disagree with the group's teachings are expelled and shunned.[254] Witness publications strongly discourage followers from questioning doctrine and counsel received from the Governing Body, reasoning that it is to be trusted as part of "God's organization".[359][360][361][362] It also warns members to "avoid independent thinking", claiming such thinking "was introduced by Satan the Devil"[363][364] and would "cause division".[365] Those who openly disagree with official teachings are condemned as "apostates" who are "mentally diseased".[260][366][367]

Former members Heather and Gary Botting compare the cultural paradigms of the denomination to George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four,[106] and Alan Rogerson describes the group's leadership as totalitarian.[368] Other critics say that by disparaging individual decision-making, the group's leaders cultivate a system of unquestioning obedience[159][369] in which Witnesses abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives.[370][371] Critics also accuse the group's leaders of exercising "intellectual dominance" over Witnesses,[372] controlling information[254][373][374] and creating "mental isolation", which former Governing Body member Raymond Franz argued were all elements of mind control.[375]

Jehovah's Witness publications state that consensus of faith aids unity, and deny that unity restricts individuality or imagination.[376] Historian James Irvin Lichti has rejected the description of the denomination as "totalitarian".[377] Sociologist Rodney Stark states that Jehovah's Witness leaders are "not always very democratic" and that members "are expected to conform to rather strict standards," but adds that "enforcement tends to be very informal, sustained by the close bonds of friendship within the group", and that Jehovah's Witnesses see themselves as "part of the power structure rather than subject to it."[92] Sociologist Andrew Holden states that most members who join millenarian movements such as Jehovah's Witnesses have made an informed choice.[378] However, he also states that defectors "are seldom allowed a dignified exit",[260] and describes the administration as autocratic.[355]

New World Translation

Main article: New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

Various Bible scholars, including Bruce M. Metzger[379] and MacLean Gilmour,[380] have said that while scholarship is evident in New World Translation, its rendering of certain texts is inaccurate and biased in favor of Witness practices and doctrines.[113][381][382][383][384][385] Critics of the group such as Edmund C. Gruss,[386] and Christian writers such as Ray C. Stedman,[387] Walter Martin, Norman Klann,[388] and Anthony Hoekema[389] state that the New World Translation exhibits scholastic dishonesty. Most criticism of the New World Translation relates to its rendering of the New Testament, particularly regarding the introduction of the name Jehovah and in passages related to the Trinity doctrine.[390][391]

Unfulfilled predictions

Main article: Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions

Watch Tower Society publications have claimed that God has used Jehovah's Witnesses (and formerly, the International Bible Students) to declare his will[392][393] and has provided advance knowledge about Armageddon and the establishment of God's kingdom.[394][395][396] Some publications also claimed that God has used Jehovah's Witnesses and the International Bible Students as a modern-day prophet.[en 5] George D. Chryssides stated, "while prediction may be part of a biblical prophet's role, the root meaning of prophecy is that of proclaiming God's word." He went on to say that, "Jehovah's Witnesses ... are the recipients of prophecy, who regard themselves as invested with the interpretation of biblical writings."[397][en 6] With these interpretations, Jehovah's Witnesses' publications have made various predictions about world events they believe were prophesied in the Bible.[398][399] Failed predictions have led to the alteration or abandonment of some doctrines.[400][401] Some failed predictions had been presented as "beyond doubt" or "approved by God".[402]

The Watch Tower Society rejects accusations that it is a false prophet,[403] stating that its interpretations are not inspired or infallible,[404][405][406] and that it has not claimed its predictions were "the words of Jehovah."[403] Chryssides has suggested that with the exception of statements about 1914, 1925 and 1975, the changing views and dates of the Jehovah's Witnesses are largely attributable to changed understandings of biblical chronology rather than to failed predictions. Chryssides further states, "it is therefore simplistic and naïve to view the Witnesses as a group that continues to set a single end-date that fails and then devise a new one, as many counter-cultists do."[407] However, sociologist Andrew Holden states that since the foundation of the movement around 140 years ago, "Witnesses have maintained that we are living on the precipice of the end of time."[408]

Handling of sexual abuse cases

Main article: Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of child sex abuse

Jehovah's Witnesses have been accused of having policies and culture that help to conceal cases of sexual abuse within the organization.[409] The group has been criticized for its "two witness rule" for church discipline, based on its application of scriptures in Deuteronomy 19:15 and Matthew 18:15–17, which requires sexual abuse to be substantiated by secondary evidence if the accused person denies any wrongdoing.[410][411][412] In cases where corroboration is lacking, the Watch Tower Society's instruction is that "the elders will leave the matter in Jehovah's hands".[413]

A former member of the headquarters staff, Barbara Anderson, says the policy effectively requires that there be another witness to an act of molestation, "which is an impossibility". Anderson says the policies "protect pedophiles rather than protect the children."[414] Jehovah's Witnesses maintain that they have a strong policy to protect children, adding that the best way to protect children is by educating parents; they also state that they do not sponsor activities that separate children from parents.[410][415][416][417]

The group's failure to report abuse allegations to authorities has also been criticized.[418] The Watch Tower Society's policy is that elders inform authorities when required by law to do so, but otherwise leave that action up to the victim and his or her family.[410][419][420] William Bowen, a former Jehovah's Witness elder who established the Silentlambs organization to assist sex abuse victims within the denomination, has claimed Witness leaders discourage followers from reporting incidents of sexual misconduct to authorities, and other critics claim the organization is reluctant to alert authorities in order to protect its "crime-free" reputation.[409][421]

In court cases in the United Kingdom and the United States, the Watch Tower Society has been found negligent in its failure to protect children from known sex offenders within the congregation.[422][423] The Society has settled other child abuse lawsuits out of court, reportedly paying as much as $780,000 to one plaintiff without admitting wrongdoing.[414] In 2017, the Charity Commission for England and Wales began an inquiry into Jehovah's Witnesses' handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom.[424][425]

The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that "there was no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah’s Witness organisation having or not having reported to police any of the 1,006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse identified by the organisation since 1950."[356] The Royal Commission also found that the Watch Tower Society legal department routinely provided incorrect information to elders based on an incorrect understanding of what constitutes a legal obligation to report crimes in Australia.[426][427] In 2021, Jehovah's Witnesses in Australia agreed to join the nation's redress scheme for sexual assault survivors to maintain its charity status there.[428]

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Based on Isaiah 43:10–12,[13] the name was restyled as Jehovah's Witnesses (with capital W) in the 1970s.
  2. ^ Raymond Franz (In Search of Christian Freedom, 2007, p.449) cites various Watch Tower Society publications that stress loyalty and obedience to the organization, including:
    "Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View". The Watchtower. October 1, 1967. p. 591. Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every aspect.
    "Jehovah's Word Is Alive - Highlights From Book Five of Psalms". The Watchtower. September 1, 2006. p. 15. Have we formed a loyal attachment to the organization that Jehovah is using today?
    "Your Reminders Are What I Am Fond Of". The Watchtower. June 15, 2006. p. 26. We too should remain faithful to Jehovah and to his organization regardless of injustices we suffer and regardless of what others do.
    "Are You Prepared for Survival?". The Watchtower. May 15, 2006. p. 22. Just as Noah and his God-fearing family were preserved in the ark, survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah's universal organization.
    Worship The Only True God. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2002. p. 134. Jehovah is guiding us today by means of his visible organization under Christ. Our attitude toward this arrangement demonstrates how we feel about the issue of sovereignty ... By being loyal to Jehovah's organization, we show that Jehovah is our God and that we are united in worship of him.
  3. ^ 2013 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. p. 178. During the 2012 service year, Jehovah's Witnesses spent over $184 million in caring for special pioneers, missionaries, and traveling overseers in their field service assignments.
  4. ^ A common example given is a baptized Witness who dates a non-Witness; see "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. July 15, 1999. p. 30.
  5. ^ Raymond Franz cites numerous examples. In Crisis of Conscience, 2002, pg. 173, he quotes from "They Shall Know That a Prophet Was Among Them". The Watchtower. April 1, 1972. pp. 197–200. which states that God had raised Jehovah's Witnesses as a prophet "to warn (people) of dangers and declare things to come". He also cites "Identifying the Right Kind of Messenger". The Watchtower. May 1, 1997. p. 8. which identifies the Witnesses as his "true messengers ... by making the messages he delivers through them come true", in contrast to "false messengers", whose predictions fail. In In Search of Christian Freedom, 2007, he quotes Commissioned to Speak in the Divine Name. Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 1971. pp. 70, 292. which describes Witnesses as the modern Ezekiel class, "a genuine prophet within our generation". The Watch Tower book noted: "Concerning the message faithfully delivered by the Ezekiel class, Jehovah positively states that it 'must come true' ... those who wait undecided until it does 'come true' will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them." He also cites "Execution of the Great Harlot Nears". The Watchtower. October 15, 1980. p. 17. which claims God gives the Witnesses "special knowledge that others do not have ... advance knowledge about this system's end".
  6. ^ In Jehovah's Witnesses Continuity and Change Chryssides states, after discussing the April 1, 1972 Watchtower article, that, "It would be tedious to comment on each passage in which Watch Tower literature explains the Jehovah's Witnesses' position on prophecy. Some of it may lack the precision that its detractors appear to demand, but the Society's position is quite clear. Jehovah's Witnesses do not claim to have any new revelation or people who are designated as prophets. As cessationists, they identify the ability to prophesy as a gift that died out with the first generation of Christians, but prophetic utterances remain in the Bible, which serves as the key source of authority. ... since the Bible is held to contain predictive prophecy, Jehovah's Witnesses claim to see into the future through the Society's interpretation of scripture." pg 225.

References

  1. ^ Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses. Rowman & Littlefield. 2019. p. 164. ISBN 9781538119525. Jehovah's Witnesses are pre-millennialist
  2. ^ a b Cobb v. Brede (California Superior Court, San Mateo County February 22, 2012) ("I am general counsel for the National Organization of Jehovah's Witnesses out of Brooklyn, New York. ... We are a hierarchical religion structured just like the Catholic Church.").
  3. ^ a b Stanley I. Kutler, ed. (2003). "Jehovah's Witnesses". Dictionary of American History (3rd ed.). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. ISBN 978-0-684-80533-7.
  4. ^ America's Alternative Religions. SUNY Press. January 1995. ISBN 9780791423974.
  5. ^ a b c d "2022 Grand Totals". Watchtower Bible and Tract Society. 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
  6. ^ Sources for descriptors:
  7. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 221: "Doctrine has always emanated from the Society's elite in Brooklyn and has never emerged from discussion among, or suggestion from, rank-and-file Witnesses."
  8. ^ a b c Penton 1997, pp. 58, 61–62.
  9. ^ Paul Lagasse, ed. (2000). "Jehovah's Witnesses". The Columbia Encyclopedia (6th ed.). New York: Columbia University Press. ISBN 978-0-7876-5015-5. The Witnesses base their teaching on the Bible
  10. ^ "Jehovah's Witness". Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59339-293-2.
  11. ^ Michael Hill, ed. (1972). "The Embryonic State of a Religious Sect's Development: The Jehovah's Witnesses". Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain (5): 11–12. Joseph Franklin Rutherford succeeded to Russell's position as President of Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, but only at the expense of antagonizing a large proportion of the Watch Towers subscribers. Nevertheless, he persisted in moulding the Society to suit his own programme of activist evangelism under systematic central control, and he succeeded in creating the administrative structure of the present-day sect of Jehovah's Witnesses.
  12. ^ Leo P. Chall (1978). "Sociological Abstracts". Sociology of Religion. 26 (1–3): 193. Rutherford, through the Watch Tower Society, succeeded in changing all aspects of the sect from 1919 to 1932 and created Jehovah's Witnesses—a charismatic offshoot of the Bible student community.
  13. ^ "Bearers of the Fear-inspiring Name". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. November 1, 1961. p. 654. in 1931, ... embracing the name ... Jehovah's witnesses{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ a b Rogerson 1969, p. 55: "In 1931, came an important milestone in the history of the organization. For many years Rutherford's followers had been called a variety of names: 'International Bible Students', 'Russellites', or 'Millennial Dawners'. In order to distinguish clearly his followers from the other groups who had separated in 1918 Rutherford proposed that they adopt an entirely new name—Jehovah's witnesses."
  15. ^ a b Beckford 1975, p. 30: "The new title symbolized a break with the legacy of Russell's traditions, the instigation of new outlooks and the promotion of fresh methods of administering evangelism."
  16. ^ a b "A New Name". The Watch Tower. October 1, 1931. p. 291. Since the death of Charles T. Russell there have arisen numerous companies formed out of those who once walked with him, each of these companies claiming to teach the truth, and each calling themselves by some name, such as "Followers of Pastor Russell", "those who stand by the truth as expounded by Pastor Russell," "Associated Bible Students," and some by the names of their local leaders. All of this tends to confusion and hinders those of good will who are not better informed from obtaining a knowledge of the truth.
  17. ^ Franz 2007, pp. 274–275.
  18. ^ Edwards, Linda (2001). A Brief Guide to Beliefs. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press. p. 438. ISBN 978-0-664-22259-8. The Jehovah's Witnesses' interpretation of Christianity and their rejection of orthodoxy influenced them to produce their own translation of the Bible, The New World Translation.
  19. ^ "When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed?—Part One". The Watchtower. October 1, 2011. p. 26. Jehovah's Witnesses produce a reliable Bible translation known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. However, if you are not one of Jehovah's Witnesses, you may prefer to use other translations when considering Bible subjects. This article quotes from a number of widely accepted Bible translations.
  20. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 100: "Although it is the preferred translation by the Witnesses, they remain willing to use other translations in house-to-house ministry and in countries where a NWT has not yet been published."
  21. ^ Singelenberg, Richard (1989). "It Separated the Wheat From the Chaff: The 1975 Prophecy and its Impact Among Dutch Jehovah's Witnesses". Sociological Analysis. 50 (Spring 1989): 23–40. doi:10.2307/3710916. JSTOR 3710916. 'The Truth' is Witnesses' jargon, meaning the Society's belief system.
  22. ^ Penton 1997, p. 280–283: "Most Witnesses tend to think of society outside their own community as decadent and corrupt ... This in turn means to Jehovah's Witnesses that they must keep themselves apart from Satan's 'doomed system of things.' Thus most tend to socialize largely, although not totally, within the Witness community."
  23. ^ "God's Kingdom—A Government With No Corruption". The Watchtower. January 1, 2015. p. 4. Would you not agree that if human society is corrupt, then any government that is a part of it will inevitably be corrupt? If that is the case, then a government free of corruption must come from outside human society.
  24. ^ Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. London: Continuum. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8264-5959-6. The Jehovah's Witnesses are well known for their practice of 'disfellowshipping' wayward members.
  25. ^ Chryssides 2016, pp. 139–140: "The transgressor is invariably given the opportunity to repent and to be counselled for his or her weaknesses: disfellowshipping is a last resort, and is effectively a formal recognition that a Witness has placed himself or herself beyond the pale, and does not accept the fundamental teachings and practices of the organisation."
  26. ^ a b Shepherd the Flock of God. Watch Tower Society. p. 119. The committee should be careful to allow sufficient time, perhaps many months, a year, or even longer, for the disfellowshipped person to prove that his profession of repentance is genuine.
  27. ^ "Tanzania: Dons Fault Court Over Suspension of Students (Page 1 of 2)". allAfrica.com. June 17, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
  28. ^ Kibakaya, Esther (August 18, 2013). . The Citizen. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.
  29. ^ Flag Salute, Voting, and Civilian Service. Keep Yourselves in God's Love. Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. pp. 212–215. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
  30. ^ Manwaring, David R. (1962). Render Unto Caesar, The Flag-Salute Controversy. p. 32.
  31. ^ Botting 1993, pp. 1–13.
  32. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 6.
  33. ^ a b c Beckford 1975, p. 2.
  34. ^ Crompton 1996, pp. 37–39.
  35. ^ "Gentile Times: When Do They End?". Bible Examiner. October 1, 1876. pp. 27–28. The seven times will end in A.D. 1914; when Jerusalem shall be delivered forever ... when Gentile Governments shall have been dashed to pieces; when God shall have poured out of his fury upon the nations and they acknowledge him King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
  36. ^ Studies in the Scriptures. Vol. IV. Watch Tower Society. 1897. p. xii.
  37. ^ Russell, Charles (1889). The Time is at Hand. Watch Tower Society. p. 101. ... the 'battle of the great day of God Almighty' (Rev. 16:14), which will end in A. D. 1914 with the complete overthrow of Earth's present rulership, is already commenced.
  38. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 36.
  39. ^ a b Holden 2002, p. 18.
  40. ^ "Prospectus". Zion's Watch Tower. July 1, 1879. p. 1. This is the first number of the first volume of "Zion's Watch Tower," and it may not be amiss to state the object of its publication. That we are living "in the last days"—"the day of the Lord"—"the end" of the Gospel age, and consequently, in the dawn of a "new" age.
  41. ^ "Part 1 - United States of America". 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 1975. p. 38.
  42. ^ "The Ecclesia". Zion's Watch Tower. September 1, 1884. pp. 7–8.
  43. ^ Russell, Charles (1904). Studies in the Scriptures. Vol. VI. Watch Tower Society. pp. 195–272.
  44. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. xxxiv: "Russell wanted to consolidate the movement he had started. ...In 1880, Bible House, a four-story building in Allegheny, was completed, with printing facilities and meeting accommodation, and it became the organization's headquarters. The next stage of institutionalization was legal incorporation. In 1884, Russell formed the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society, which was incorporated in Pennsylvania... Russell was concerned that his supporters should feel part of a unified movement.
  45. ^ Vergilius Ture Anselm Ferm (1948). Religion in the Twentieth Century. Philosophical Library. p. 383. As the [unincorporated Watch Tower] Society expanded, it became necessary to incorporate it and build a more definite organization. In 1884, a charter was granted recognizing the Society as a religious, non-profit corporation.
  46. ^ Holden 2002, p. 19.
  47. ^ A Chronology and Glossary of Propaganda in the United States. Greenwood Press. 1996. p. 35. Russell is naturally media literate, and the amount of literature he circulates proves staggering. Books, booklets, and tracts are distributed by the hundreds of millions. This is supplemented by well-publicized speaking tours and a masterful press relations effort, which gives him widespread access to general audiences.
  48. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 26–29.
  49. ^ W.T. Ellis (October 3, 1912). "(Title unknown)". The Continent. Vol. 43, no. 40. McCormick Publishing Company. p. 1354.
  50. ^ by Walter H. Conser; Sumner B. Twiss (1997). Religious Diversity and American Religious History. University of Georgia Press. p. 136. The Jehovah's Witnesses...has maintained a very different attitude toward history. Established initially in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell under the title International Bible Students Association, this organization has proclaimed...
  51. ^ The New Schaff–Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Vol. 7. 1910. p. 374.
  52. ^ Penton 1997, p. 26.
  53. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 31.
  54. ^ Penton 1997, p. 53.
  55. ^ A.N. Pierson (1917). Light After Darkness. p. 4.
  56. ^ Crompton 1996, p. 101.
  57. ^ "The Fall of Babylon" (PDF). The Bible Students Monthly. Vol. 9, no. 9. pp. 1–4. The following article is extracted mainly from Pastor Russell's posthumous volume entitled 'THE FINISHED MYSTERY,' the 7th in the series of his STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES and published subsequent to his death.
  58. ^ Lawson, John D. (1921). American State Trials. Vol. 13. Thomas Law Book Company. p. viii. After his death and after we were in the war they issued a seventh volume of this series, entitled The Finished Mystery which, under the guise of being a posthumous work of Pastor Russell, included an attack on the war and an attack on patriotism, which were not written by Pastor Russell and could not have possibly been written by him.
  59. ^ Crompton 1996, pp. 84–85: "One of Rutherford's first actions as president ... was, without reference either to his fellow directors or to the editorial committee which Russell had nominated in his will, to commission a seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures. Responsibility for preparing this volume was given to two of Russell's close associates, George H. Fisher and Clayton J. Woodworth. On the face of it, their brief was to edit for publication the notes left by Russell ... and to draw upon his published writings ... It is obvious ... that it was not in any straightforward sense the result of editing Russell's papers, rather it was in large measure the original work of Woodworth and Fisher at the behest of the new president."
  60. ^ Penton 1997, p. 55.
  61. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 44.
  62. ^ a b Franz 2007, "Chapter 4".
  63. ^ "7. Advertise the King and the Kingdom! (1919-1941)". Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. pp. 72–77.
  64. ^ Franz 2007, p. 144.
  65. ^ Rutherford, Joseph F. (1920). Millions Now Living Will Never Die!. Brooklyn, New York: International Bible Students Association. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-1-4116-2898-4.
  66. ^ Chryssides, George D. (2010). "How Prophecy Succeeds: The Jehovah's Witnesses and Prophetic Expectations". International Journal for the Study of New Religions. 1 (1): 27–48. doi:10.1558/ijsnr.v1i1.27. ISSN 2041-952X.
  67. ^ Rogerson 1969, pp. 39, 52.
  68. ^ Herbert H. Stroup (1945). The Jehovah's Witnesses. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 14, 15. Following his election the existence of the movement was threatened as never before. Many of those who remembered wistfully the halcyon days of Mr Russell's leadership found that the new incumbent did not fulfill their expectations of a saintly leader. Various elements split off from the parent body, and such fission continued throughout Rutherford's leadership.
  69. ^ a b Penton 1997, pp. 58, 61
  70. ^ Gruss, Edmond C. (2001). Jehovah's Witnesses: Their Claims, Doctrinal Changes, and Prophetic Speculation. What Does the Record Show?. Xulon Press. p. 218. ISBN 978-1-931232-30-2.
  71. ^ Reed, David (1993). . Christian Research Journal: 27. Archived from the original on September 9, 2011. By gradually replacing locally elected elders with his own appointees, he managed to transform a loose collection of semi-autonomous, democratically run congregations into a tight-knit organizational machine controlled from his office. Some local congregations broke away, forming such groups as the Chicago Bible Students, the Dawn Bible Students, and the Laymen's Home Missionary Movement, all of which continue to this day.
  72. ^ Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave, William J. Schnell, Baker, Grand Rapids, 1956, as cited by Rogerson 1969, p. 52. Rogerson notes that it is not clear exactly how many Bible Students left, but quotes Rutherford (Jehovah, 1934, page 277) as saying "only a few" who left other religions were then "in God's organization".
  73. ^ The Present Truth and Herald of Christ's Epiphany, P.S.L. Johnson (April 1927, pg 66). Johnson stated that between late 1923 and early 1927, "20,000 to 30,000 Truth people the world over have left the Society."
  74. ^ Gruss, Edmond C. (1970). Apostles of Denial: An Examination and Exposé of the History, Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-87552-305-7.
  75. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 31
  76. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 71–72.
  77. ^ Crompton 1996, pp. 109–110.
  78. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 35
  79. ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 145. ISBN 978-0-299-20794-6.
  80. ^ 1943 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 1942. pp. 221–222.
  81. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses in the Divine Purpose. Watch Tower Society. 1959. pp. 312–313.
  82. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 47–52
  83. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 52–55
  84. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 89–90.
  85. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 19
  86. ^ "What will the 1970's Bring?". Awake!. Watch Tower Society. October 8, 1968. p. 14. Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the complete end of this system of things? Since the Bible does not specifically state this, no man can say... If the 1970s should see intervention by Jehovah God to bring an end to a corrupt world drifting toward ultimate disintegration, that should surely not surprise us.
  87. ^ "How Are You Using Your Life?". Our Kingdom Ministry. May 1, 1974. p. 63. Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service. Certainly, this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world's end.
  88. ^ a b Penton 1997, p. 95
  89. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 46.
  90. ^ Franz, Raymond (2002). "1975—The Appropriate Time for God to Act" (PDF). Crisis of Conscience. pp. 237–253. ISBN 978-0-914675-23-5. Retrieved July 27, 2006.
  91. ^ Singelenberg, Richard (1989). . Sociological Analysis. 50 (1): 23–40. doi:10.2307/3710916. JSTOR 3710916. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2006. Notes a nine percent drop in total publishers (door-to-door preachers) and a 38 per cent drop in pioneers (full-time preachers) in the Netherlands.
  92. ^ a b Stark and Iannoccone (1997). (PDF). Journal of Contemporary Religion: 142–143. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
  93. ^ Dart, John (January 30, 1982). "Defectors Feel 'Witness' Wrath: Critics say Baptism Rise Gives False Picture of Growth". Los Angeles Times. p. B4. Cited statistics showing a net increase of publishers worldwide from 1971 to 1981 of 737,241, while baptisms totaled 1.71 million for the same period.
  94. ^ a b Hesse, Hans (2001). Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah's Witnesses During the Nazi-Regime. Chicago: Edition Temmen c/o. pp. 296, 298. ISBN 978-3-861-08750-2.
  95. ^ "Choosing the Best Way of Life". The Watchtower. March 15, 1980. pp. 17–18. With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting—in Freedom of the Sons of God, ... considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975. ... there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility. It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated. ... persons having to do with the publication of the information ... contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date.
  96. ^ Chryssides 2008, pp. 32, 112
  97. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 64
  98. ^ Penton 1997, p. 317.
  99. ^ Joel P. Engardio (December 18, 1995). "Apocalypse Later". Newsweek. Vol. 236, no. 3146. pp. 24–25. Bibcode:2017NewSc.236Q..24L. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(17)31969-3.
  100. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Abandon Key Tenet: Doctrine: Sect has quietly retreated from prediction that those alive in 1914 would see end of world". Los Angeles Times. November 4, 1995.
  101. ^ "Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed". The Watchtower. January 15, 2001. p. 16. Theocratic appointments come from Jehovah through his Son and God's visible earthly channel, "the faithful and discreet slave" and its Governing Body.
  102. ^ "Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View". The Watchtower. October 1, 1967. pp. 591–592. Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every aspect. We cannot claim to love God, yet deny his Word and channel of communication. Therefore, in submitting to Jehovah's visible theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements.
  103. ^ Penton 1997, p. 211.
  104. ^ "What Is the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses?". Official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society.
  105. ^ 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. pp. 4, 6.
  106. ^ a b Botting & Botting 1984, p. [page needed].
  107. ^ Franz 2007, p. 123.
  108. ^ "How the Governing Body Is Organized". The Watchtower. May 15, 2008. p. 29.
  109. ^ "Seek God's Guidance in All Things". The Watchtower. April 15, 2008. p. 11.
  110. ^ Franz 2007, p. 153.
  111. ^ "Preaching and Teaching Earth Wide - 2009 Grand Totals". 2010 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 2010. p. 42.
  112. ^ "Annual Meeting Report". Official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society.
  113. ^ a b c Penton 1997, pp. 174–176
  114. ^ Penton 1997, p. 101, 233–235.
  115. ^ Chryssides 2008, pp. 17–18
  116. ^ Penton, M. James (2015). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses (3rd ed.). University of Toronto Press. pp. 326, 460–461. ISBN 978-1442616059. For many years they received only $14 per month, but that has been increased during the last several decades to $100 or more per month, and their clothing allowance has also been increased significantly. Barbara Anderson relates that she and her husband received $100 a month, were given board and room, and had a yearly clothing allowance of $250 during the years they were at Bethel until they left in 1997. Although Bethelites may receive somewhat more today, they are certainly not paid anything like 'real wages.'
  117. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 32: "Missionaries, circuit overseers, district overseers, special pioneers, and branch-office workers receive small allowances each month."
  118. ^ "Watchtower Society". Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics. p. 466. The religious order of Jehovah's Witnesses caters to the needs of all volunteers who have taken a vow of poverty and obedience.
  119. ^ a b Gallagher, Eugene V.; Ashcraft, W. Michael (2006), Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America, vol. 2, Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, p. 69, ISBN 978-0-275-98712-1
  120. ^ Taylor, Elizabeth J. (2012). Religion: A Clinical Guide for Nurses. Springer Publishing Company. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-8261-0860-9.
  121. ^ Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock. Watch Tower Society. 1981. p. 147.
  122. ^ "Case Study 29: Transcript (day 147)" (PDF). Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. July 27, 2015. p. 16.
  123. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 291
  124. ^ a b Franz 2007, pp. 116–120.
  125. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 14
  126. ^ "Baptism and Your Relationship With God". What Does the Bible Really Teach. Watch Tower Society. p. 182. Going beneath the water symbolizes that you have died to your former life course. Being raised up out of the water indicates that you are now alive to do the will of God. Remember, too, that you have made a dedication to Jehovah God himself, not to a work, a cause, other humans, or an organization.
  127. ^ Franz 2007, pp. 449–464.
  128. ^ Holden 2002, p. 32: "The structure of the movement and the intense loyalty demanded of each individual at every level demonstrates the characteristics of totalitarianism."
  129. ^ "30. What You Must Do to Live Forever". You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. Watch Tower Society. 1989. p. 255. It is simply not true that all religions lead to the same goal. (Matthew 7:21–23; 24:21) You must be part of Jehovah's organization, doing God's will, in order to receive his blessing of everlasting life.
  130. ^ "You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth—But How?". The Watchtower. February 15, 1983. p. 12. Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it.
  131. ^ a b Meyers, Jim (October 2010). "Jehovah's Witnesses — Publishing Titans" (PDF). Newsmax. West Palm Beach, FL: Newsmax Media.
  132. ^ "Online Bible". Official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society.
  133. ^ Joe Pompeo (September 30, 2010). "Did You Know The Most Widely Circulated Magazine In The World Is The Monthly Publication Of Jehovah's Witnesses?". Business Insider.
  134. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses Reach New Preaching Milestone—JW.ORG Now Features Content in 1,000 Languages". Official website of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society.
  135. ^ "8. Tools for Preaching—Producing Literature for the Worldwide Field". God's Kingdom Rules!. Watch Tower Society. 2014. p. 79.
  136. ^ "At the Top / NYC Company Profiles / NYC 40". Newsday.
  137. ^ 2002 Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 2002. p. 31.
  138. ^ Van Voorst, Robert E. (2012). RELG: World. Cengage Learning. p. 288. ISBN 978-1-1117-2620-1.
  139. ^ "Remember Those Who Are Taking the Lead Among You". Organized to Do Jehovah's Will. Watch Tower Society. 2015. pp. 17–19.
  140. ^ "Cooperating With the Governing Body Today". The Watchtower. March 15, 1990. p. 19.
  141. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 119
  142. ^ "Focus on the Goodness of Jehovah's Organization". The Watchtower. July 15, 2006. p. 22.
  143. ^ "Impart God's Progressive Revelation to Mankind". The Watchtower. March 1, 1965. pp. 158–159.
  144. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 165–171.
  145. ^ "Flashes of Light—Great and Small". The Watchtower. May 15, 1995. p. 15.
  146. ^ "The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter". The Watchtower. December 1, 1981. pp. 26–31.
  147. ^ Penton 1997, p. 165.
  148. ^ Rutherford, Joseph (1933). Preparation. Watch Tower Society. pp. 64, 67. Enlightenment proceeds from Jehovah by and through Christ Jesus and is given to the faithful anointed on earth at the temple, and brings great peace and consolation to them. Again Zechariah talked with the angel of the Lord, which shows that the remnant are instructed by the angels of the Lord. The remnant do not hear audible sounds, because such is not necessary. Jehovah has provided his own good way to convey thoughts to the minds of his anointed ones ... Those of the remnant, being honest and true, must say, We do not know; and the Lord enlightens them, sending his angels for that very purpose.
  149. ^ "The Spirit Searches into the Deep Things of God". The Watchtower. July 15, 2010. p. 23. When the time comes to clarify a spiritual matter in our day, holy spirit helps responsible representatives of 'the faithful and discreet slave' at world headquarters to discern deep truths that were not previously understood. The Governing Body as a whole considers adjusted explanations. What they learn, they publish for the benefit of all.
  150. ^ "Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible?". The Watchtower. February 15, 1981. p. 19. True, the brothers preparing these publications are not infallible. Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers. (2 Tim. 3:16) And so, at times, it has been necessary, as understanding became clearer, to correct views. (Prov. 4:18)
  151. ^ "Do You See the Evidence of God's Guidance?". The Watchtower. April 15, 2011. pp. 3–5. How, then, do we react when we receive divine direction? Do we try to apply it "right afterward"? Or do we continue doing things just as we have been accustomed to doing them? Are we familiar with up-to-date directions, such as those regarding conducting home Bible studies, preaching to foreign speaking people, regularly sharing in family worship, cooperating with Hospital Liaison Committees, and conducting ourselves properly at conventions? ... Do you clearly discern the evidence of divine guidance? Jehovah uses his organization to guide us, his people, through "the wilderness" during these last days of Satan's wicked world.
  152. ^ "Unity Identifies True Worship". The Watchtower. September 15, 2010. p. 13.
  153. ^ a b "Overseers of Jehovah's People". The Watchtower. June 15, 1957. pp. 369–375. Let us now unmistakably identify Jehovah's channel of communication for our day, that we may continue in his favor ... It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the "slave" as we would to the voice of God, because it is His provision.
  154. ^ Penton 1997, p. 172.
  155. ^ "Archaeology and the Inspired Record". All Scripture is Inspired of God. Watch Tower Society. 1990. p. 336.
  156. ^ "All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial". All Scripture is Inspired of God. Watch Tower Society. 1990. p. 9.
  157. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses". Reasoning From The Scriptures. Watch Tower Society. 1989. pp. 199–208.
  158. ^ Holden 2002, p. 67: "Materials such as The Watchtower are almost as significant to the Witnesses as the Bible, since the information is presented as the inspired work of theologians, and they are, therefore, believed to contain as much truth as biblical texts."
  159. ^ a b James A. Beverley, Crisis of Allegiance, Welch Publishing Company, Burlington, Ontario, 1986, ISBN 0-920413-37-4, pages 25–26, 101, "For every passage in Society literature that urges members to be bold and courageous in critical pursuits, there are many others that warn about independent thinking and the peril of questioning the organization ... Fear of disobedience to the Governing Body keeps Jehovah's Witnesses from carefully checking into biblical doctrine or allegations concerning false prophecy, faulty scholarship, and injustice. Witnesses are told not to read books like this one."
  160. ^ "Keep Clear of False Worship!". The Watchtower. March 15, 2006. pp. 27–31. True Christians keep clear of false worship, rejecting false religious teachings. This means that we avoid exposure to religious programs on radio and television as well as religious literature that promotes lies about God and his Word.
  161. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. May 1, 1984. p. 31. Why do Jehovah's Witnesses decline to exchange their Bible study aids for the religious literature of people they meet? … So it would be foolhardy, as well as a waste of valuable time, for Jehovah's Witnesses to accept and expose themselves to false religious literature that is designed to deceive.
  162. ^ "Question Box". Our Kingdom Ministry. September 1, 2007. p. 3. Throughout the earth, Jehovah's people are receiving ample spiritual instruction and encouragement at congregation meetings, assemblies, and conventions, as well as through the publications of Jehovah's organization. Under the guidance of his holy spirit and on the basis of his Word of truth, Jehovah provides what is needed so that all of God's people may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought and remain stabilized in the faith. Surely we are grateful for Jehovah's spiritual provisions in these last days. Thus, the faithful and discreet slave does not endorse any literature, meetings, or Web sites that are not produced or organized under its oversight.
  163. ^ "Make Your Advancement Manifest". The Watchtower. August 1, 2001. p. 14. Since oneness is to be observed, a mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned. He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding. Rather, he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son, Jesus Christ, and the faithful and discreet slave.
  164. ^ Testimony by Fred Franz, Transcript, Lord Strachan vs. Douglas Walsh, 1954. page 123, "Q: Did you imply that the individual member has the right of reading the books and the Bible and forming his own view as to the proper interpretation of Holy Writ? A: ... No ... The Scripture is there given in support of the statement, and therefore the individual when he looks up the Scripture and thereby verifies the statement,...search[es] the Scripture to see whether these things were so."
  165. ^ "Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible?". The Watchtower. February 15, 1981. p. 19. Jesus' disciples wrote many letters to Christian congregations, to persons who were already in the way of the truth. But nowhere do we read that those brothers first, in a skeptical frame of mind, checked the Scriptures to make certain that those letters had Scriptural backing, that the writers really knew what they were talking about. We can benefit from this consideration. If we have once established what instrument God is using as his 'slave' to dispense spiritual food to his people, surely Jehovah is not pleased if we receive that food as though it might contain something harmful. We should have confidence in the channel God is using.
  166. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 84, 89, 92, 119–120
  167. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. April 1, 1986. pp. 30–31.
  168. ^ Holden 2002, p. 24
  169. ^ Ringnes, Hege Kristin; Sødal, Helje Kringlebotn, eds. (2009). Jehovas vitner: en flerfaglig studie (in Norwegian). Oslo: Universitetsforlaget. p. 27. ISBN 978-82-15-01453-1.
  170. ^ Holden, A. (2002). Cavorting With the Devil: Jehovah's Witnesses Who Abandon Their Faith (PDF). Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YL, UK. p. Endnote [i]. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  171. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 87.
  172. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 105
  173. ^ Revelation Its Grand Climax. Watch Tower Society. 1988. p. 36. In the songbook produced by Jehovah's people in 1905, there were twice as many songs praising Jesus as there were songs praising Jehovah God. In their 1928 songbook, the number of songs extolling Jesus was about the same as the number extolling Jehovah. But in the latest songbook of 1984, Jehovah is honored by four times as many songs as is Jesus. This is in harmony with Jesus' own words: 'The Father is greater than I am.' Love for Jehovah must be preeminent, accompanied by deep love for Jesus and appreciation of his precious sacrifice and office as God's High Priest and King.
  174. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 90.
  175. ^ "What is the Holy Spirit?". The Watchtower. October 1, 2009. p. 5. There is a close connection between the holy spirit and the power of God. The holy spirit is the means by which Jehovah exerts his power. Put simply, the holy spirit is God's applied power, or his active force.
  176. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 262
  177. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 276–277
  178. ^ Penton 1997, p. 372.
  179. ^ "After Jesus' Resurrection, Was His Body Flesh or Spirit?". Jehovah’s Witnesses—Official Website: jw.org. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
  180. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 270
  181. ^ "Stay in the "City of Refuge" and Live!". The Watchtower. November 15, 1995. p. 19.
  182. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 188–189.
  183. ^ a b Penton 1997, pp. 188–190
  184. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 298–299
  185. ^ Holden 2002, p. 25
  186. ^ "Identifying the Wild Beast and Its Mark". The Watchtower. April 1, 2004. p. 5. This does not mean, however, that every human ruler is a direct tool of Satan.
  187. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 322–324
  188. ^ a b Hoekema 1963, pp. 265–269
  189. ^ Penton 1997, p. 186.
  190. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 193–194.
  191. ^ "Young Ones—Are You Ready to Get Baptized". The Watchtower (study ed.). March 1, 2016. p. 4. It is a great privilege to get baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses. Moreover, baptism is a requirement for Christians, and it is a vital step toward gaining salvation.
  192. ^ "Remaining Organized for Survival Into the Millennium". The Watchtower. September 1, 1989. p. 19. Only Jehovah's Witnesses, those of the anointed remnant and the 'great crowd,'as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer, have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil.
  193. ^ You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth. Watch Tower Society. 1989. p. 255. Do not conclude that there are different roads, or ways, that you can follow to gain life in God's new system. There is only one ... there will be only one organization—God's visible organization—that will survive the fast-approaching 'great tribulation.' It is simply not true that all religions lead to the same goal. You must be part of Jehovah's organization, doing God's will, in order to receive his blessing of everlasting life.
  194. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 315–319
  195. ^ "Declare Righteous". Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. 1. Watch Tower Society. 1988. p. 606.
  196. ^ "A Royal Priesthood to Benefit All Mankind". The Watchtower. January 15, 2012. pp. 26–30.
  197. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 295–296.
  198. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 106.
  199. ^ "God's Kingdom—Earth's New Rulership". The Watchtower. October 15, 2000. p. 10.
  200. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 298
  201. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 105.
  202. ^ "Daniel's Prophetic Days and Our Faith". The Watchtower. November 1, 1993. pp. 8–9. In 1914 the appointed times of the nations ended, and the time of the end for this world began. The Davidic Kingdom was restored, not in earthly Jerusalem, but invisibly in "the clouds of the heavens." ... Who would represent on earth the restored Davidic Kingdom? ... Without any doubt at all, it was the small body of anointed brothers of Jesus who in 1914 were known as the Bible Students but since 1931 have been identified as Jehovah's Witnesses.
  203. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 297
  204. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 286
  205. ^ "Tell Us, When Will These Things Be?". The Watchtower. July 15, 2013. pp. 4–5. In the larger fulfillment, the "standing" will occur when the United Nations (the modern-day "disgusting thing") attacks Christendom (which is holy in the eyes of nominal Christians) and the rest of Babylon the Great. The same attack is described at Revelation 17:16-18. That event will be the beginning of the great tribulation.
  206. ^ "Apocalypse—When?". The Watchtower. February 15, 1986. p. 6.
  207. ^ Penton 1997, p. 180.
  208. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 307–321
  209. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. November 1, 1952. p. 670.
  210. ^ Hoekema 1963, pp. 307–321
  211. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. November 1, 1952. p. 670.
  212. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 17–19.
  213. ^ "The Messiah's Presence and His Rule". The Watchtower. October 1, 1992. p. 16.
  214. ^ a b Chryssides, p. 67.
  215. ^ Chryssides, p. 68.
  216. ^ Chryssides, p. 13.
  217. ^ a b Holden 2002, pp. 64–69
  218. ^ "Highlights of the Past Year". Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses. Watch Tower Society. 2010. p. 6.
  219. ^ "Christian Families—"Keep Ready"". The Watchtower. May 15, 2011. p. 14.
  220. ^ Torres-Pruñonosa, Jose; Plaza-Navas, Miquel-Angel; Brown, Silas (2022). "Jehovah's Witnesses' adoption of digitally-mediated services during Covid-19 pandemic". Cogent Social Sciences. 8 (1). doi:10.1080/23311886.2022.2071034. S2CID 248581687. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  221. ^ Organized to Do Jehovah's Will. Watch Tower Society. 2015. pp. 63–64.
  222. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 292
  223. ^ Crompton 1996, p. 5.
  224. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 1.
  225. ^ Whalen, William J. (1962). Armageddon Around the Corner: A Report on Jehovah's Witnesses. New York: John Day Company. pp. 15, 18.
  226. ^ "Global Printing—Helping People to Learn About God". Watch Tower Society.
  227. ^ Ringnes & Sødal 2009, p. 43
  228. ^ "Be "Intensely Occupied" With Your Ministry". Our Kingdom Ministry. April 1, 2001. p. 3. Your goal is to help the student achieve greater insight into the truth, qualify as an unbaptized publisher, and become a dedicated and baptized Witness of Jehovah
  229. ^ "18-Baptism and Your Relationship With God". What Does the Bible Really Teach?. pp. 174–183.
  230. ^ "Question Box: How long should a formal Bible study be conducted with an individual in the Knowledge book?". Our Kingdom Ministry. October 1, 1996. We want people to receive a basic knowledge of the truth. Yet it is expected that within a relatively short period of time, an effective teacher will be able to assist a sincere average student to acquire sufficient knowledge to make an intelligent decision to serve Jehovah... Appreciation for taking in even a basic knowledge of the truth should motivate the student to attend Christian meetings. This could lead the student to giving some clear evidence of his desire to serve Jehovah. If such spiritual appreciation is not evident after the study in the Knowledge book has been conducted for an extended period, it may be advisable to discontinue the study.
  231. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 77: "The society states explicitly that all Bible studies should quickly show signs of 'real progress' to be deemed worthy of pursuit ... unless the potential converts are willing to give clear indication that they accept both the doctrines and the consequent responsibilities of attending meetings and going from door to door themselves, the study should be discontinued."
  232. ^ Bearing Thorough Witness About God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 2009. p. 63. Do you obey the command to bear thorough witness, even if the assignment causes you some apprehension?
  233. ^ "Determined to Bear Thorough Witness". The Watchtower. December 15, 2008. p. 19. When the resurrected Jesus spoke to disciples gathered in Galilee, likely 500 of them, he commanded: 'Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you.' That command applies to all true Christians today.
  234. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 52.
  235. ^ "Do You Contribute to an Accurate Report?". Our Kingdom Ministry. December 1, 2002. p. 8. Jehovah's organization today instructs us to report our field service activity each month ... At the end of the month, the book study overseer makes sure that all in the group have followed through on their responsibility to report their activity.
  236. ^ "Regularity in Service Brings Blessings". Our Kingdom Ministry. May 1, 1984. p. 7.
  237. ^ "Helping Irregular Publishers". Our Kingdom Ministry. December 1, 1987. p. 7.
  238. ^ "Keep the Word of Jehovah Moving Speedily". Our Kingdom Ministry. October 1, 1982. p. 1.
  239. ^ Chryssides, G.D. (1999). Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-304-33651-7.
  240. ^ "Imitate Jehovah—Exercise Justice and Righteousness". The Watchtower. August 1, 1998. p. 16.
  241. ^ a b Holden 2002, pp. 26–27, 173
  242. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. June 15, 2002. pp. 30, 31.
  243. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 152, 180.
  244. ^ "The Bible's Viewpoint—What Does It Mean to Be the Head of the House?". Awake!. July 8, 2004. p. 26.
  245. ^ "Christian Weddings That Bring Joy". The Watchtower. April 15, 1984. p. 11.
  246. ^ Shepherd the Flock of God. Watch Tower Society. pp. 37–38, 124–125.
  247. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. March 15, 1982. p. 31. How should individual Christians and the congregation as a whole view the Bible advice to marry "only in the Lord"?
  248. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 110–112.
  249. ^ "Adultery". Insight on the Scriptures. Vol. 1. p. 53.
  250. ^ "Marriage—Why Many Walk Out". Awake!. July 8, 1993. p. 6. A legal divorce or a legal separation may provide a measure of protection from extreme abuse or willful nonsupport.
  251. ^ "When Marital Peace Is Threatened". The Watchtower. November 1, 1988. p. 22.
  252. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 54–55.
  253. ^ Penton 1997, pp. 106–108.
  254. ^ a b c Muramoto, O. (August 1998). "Bioethics of the refusal of blood by Jehovah's Witnesses: Part 1. Should bioethical deliberation consider dissidents' views?". Journal of Medical Ethics. 24 (4): 223–230. doi:10.1136/jme.24.4.223. PMC 1377670. PMID 9752623.
  255. ^ McIlveney, Fiona; Pace, Nick (2004). "Jehovah's Witnesses". Anaesthesia & Intensive Care Medicine. 5 (2): 57–59. doi:10.1383/anes.5.2.57.28690.
  256. ^ "Discipline That Can Yield Peaceable Fruit". The Watchtower. April 15, 1988. pp. 26–31.
  257. ^ "Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is Disfellowshipped". Our Kingdom Ministry. August 1, 2002. pp. 3–4.
  258. ^ "Disfellowshipping—How to View It". The Watchtower. September 15, 1981. p. 24.
  259. ^ "Appendix: How to Treat a Disfellowshipped person". Keep Yourselves in God's Love. Jehovah's Witnesses. 2008. pp. 207–209.
  260. ^ a b c Holden 2002, p. 163
  261. ^ "Disfellowshiping—How to View It". The Watchtower. September 15, 1981. p. 23.
  262. ^ "Do You Hate Lawlessness?". The Watchtower. February 15, 2011. p. 31.
  263. ^ Franz, Raymond. Crisis of Conscience. p. 358.
  264. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. January 1, 1983. pp. 30–31.
  265. ^ "Should the Religions Unite?". The Watchtower. December 15, 1953. pp. 741–742.
  266. ^ "Is Interfaith God's Way?". The Watchtower. February 1, 1952. p. 69.
  267. ^ Beckford 1975, p. 202, "The ideological argument states that, since absolute truth is unitary and exclusive of all relativisation, there can only 'logically' be one human organization to represent it. Consequently, all other religious organizations are in error and are to be strictly avoided. The absolutist view of truth further implies that, since anything less than absolute truth can only corrupt and destroy it, there can be no justification for Jehovah's witnesses having any kind of association with other religionists, however sincere the motivation might be."
  268. ^ "Worship That God Approves". What Does The Bible Really Teach?. p. 145.
  269. ^ "World". Reasoning From the Scriptures. Watch Tower Society. 1989. pp. 435–438.
  270. ^ "Live a Balanced, Simple Life". The Watchtower. July 15, 1989. p. 11.
  271. ^ Holden 2002, p. 12
  272. ^ "Keep Your Distance When Danger Threatens". The Watchtower. February 15, 1994. p. 23. Steering Clear of Danger ... We must also be on guard against extended association with worldly people. Perhaps it is a neighbor, a school friend, a workmate, or a business associate. ... What are some of the dangers of such a friendship? We could begin to minimize the urgency of the times we live in or take a growing interest in material rather than spiritual things. Perhaps, because of a fear of displeasing our worldly friend, we would even desire to be accepted by the world.
  273. ^ Holden 2002, pp. 109–112.
  274. ^ Franz 2007, p. 409.
  275. ^ "Each One Will Carry His Own Load". The Watchtower. March 15, 2006. p. 23.
  276. ^ Bryan R. Wilson (1993). "The Persistence of Sects". Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions. 1 (2). They have extensive contact with the wider public, [in Britain in 1989, 108,000 publishers undertook 23 million hours of house-calls]. Yet, they remain little affected by that exposure—they confine their contacts to their single-minded purpose and avoid all other occasions for association.
  277. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. 47: "Most Witnesses do not pursue higher education. It is not forbidden but is a matter of conscience. Higher education creates the risk of detracting from one's spiritual work and can result in harmful associations with fellow students who may lack integrity. It is therefore recommended that, if possible, Witnesses who undergo should continue to live at home. Those who seek education beyond school level are urged to consider their motives for doing so: education should not be for personal status or for a high salary."
  278. ^ Ingersoll-Wood, Carrie S. (2022). "The Educational Identity Formation of Jehovah's Witnesses, Religion & Education". Religion & Education. 49 (3): 310–338. doi:10.1080/15507394.2022.2102875. S2CID 251542550.
  279. ^ "Parents-What Future Do You Want for Your Children?". The Watchtower. October 1, 2005. pp. 26–31.
  280. ^ Ploeg, Luke. "Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah's Witnesses". NPR. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  281. ^ "What Should Christians Do Today?". The Watchtower. Watch Tower Society. May 1, 2012. p. 7. True Christians give allegiance only to God's Kingdom
  282. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. November 1, 1999. p. 28. As to whether they will personally vote for someone running in an election, each one of Jehovah's Witnesses makes a decision based on his Bible-trained conscience and an understanding of his responsibility to God and to the State.
  283. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. March 1, 1983. p. 30.
  284. ^ "Why Do Jehovah's Witnesses Maintain Political Neutrality?". Watch Tower Society.
  285. ^ Reasoning From The Scriptures. Watch Tower Society. p. 178.
  286. ^ "Keep Yourselves in God's Love". The Watchtower. August 15, 2009. p. 22.
  287. ^ "The Seriousness of It". The Watchtower. September 15, 1968. p. 6.
  288. ^ "Work to Preserve Your Family Into God's New World". The Watchtower. October 15, 1992. p. 21.
  289. ^ Worship the Only True God. Watch Tower Society. 2002. p. 159.
  290. ^ . Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media Web Site. Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses. October 4, 2007. Archived from the original on December 24, 2009.
  291. ^ Education. Watch Tower Society. 2002. pp. 20–23.
  292. ^ Owens, Gene (September 1, 1997). "Trials of a Jehovah's Witness. (The Faith of Journalists)". Nieman Reports.
  293. ^ Ronald Lawson (1995). "Sect-state relations: Accounting for the differing trajectories of Seventh-Day Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses". Sociology of Religion. 56 (4): 351–377. doi:10.2307/3712195. JSTOR 3712195. The urgency of the Witness's apocalyptic has changed very little over time. The intellectual isolation of the Witness leaders has allowed them to retain their traditional position, and it is they who continue to be the chief purveyors of the radical eschataology ....This commitment (to principle) was bolstered by their organizational isolation, intense indoctrination of adherents, rigid internal discipline, and considerable persecution.
  294. ^ Penton 1997, p. i.
  295. ^ Reasoning From the Scriptures. Watch Tower Society. 1989. pp. 70–75.
  296. ^ Holden 2002, p. 91.
  297. ^ Muramoto, O. (January 6, 2001). "Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah's Witnesses". BMJ. 322 (7277): 37–39. doi:10.1136/bmj.322.7277.37. PMC 1119307. PMID 11141155.
  298. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 183.
  299. ^ United in Worship of the Only True God. Watch Tower Society. 1983. pp. 156–160.
  300. ^ Bowman, R. M.; Beisner, E. C.; Ehrenborg, T. (1995). Jehovah's Witnesses. Zondervan. p. 13. ISBN 978-0-310-70411-9.
  301. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, pp. 29–30.
  302. ^ How Blood Can Save Your Life. Watch Tower Society. 1990. pp. 13–17.
  303. ^ Gohel, MS; Bulbaria, RA; Slim, FJ; Poskitt, KR; Whyman, MR (2005). "How to approach major surgery where patients refuse blood transfusion (including Jehovah's Witnesses)". The Royal College of Sugeons of England. 87 (1): 3–14. doi:10.1308/1478708051414. PMC 1963852. PMID 15720900.
  304. ^ "Questions From Readers". The Watchtower. June 15, 2000. p. 30. Do Jehovah's Witnesses accept any medical products derived from blood?
  305. ^ Sniesinski; Chen, EP; Levy, JH; Szlam, F; Tanaka, KA; et al. (April 1, 2007). "Coagulopathy After Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Jehovah's Witness Patients: Management of Two Cases Using Fractionated Components and Factor VIIa" (PDF). Anesthesia & Analgesia. 104 (4): 763–5. doi:10.1213/01.ane.0000250913.45299.f3. PMID 17377078. S2CID 45882634. Retrieved December 30, 2008.
  306. ^ "The Real Value of Blood". Awake!. August 1, 2006. p. 11.
  307. ^ Durable Power of Attorney form. Watch Tower Society. January 2001. p. 1. Examples of permitted fractions are: Interferon, Immune Serum Globulins January 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine and Factor VIII; preparations made from Hemoglobin such as PolyHeme July 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine and Hemopure. Examples of permitted procedures involving the medical use of one's own blood include: cell salvage July 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, hemodilution September 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, heart lung machine, dialysis, epidural blood patch September 5, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, plasmapheresis, blood labeling or tagging January 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine and platelet gel January 6, 2008, at the Wayback Machine (autologous)
  308. ^ "How Do I View Blood Fractions and Medical Procedures Involving My Own Blood?" (PDF). Our Kingdom Ministry. November 1, 2006. pp. 5–6.
  309. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses and Medical Profession Cooperate". Awake!. November 22, 1993. pp. 24–27.
  310. ^ Kim Archer (May 15, 2007). "Jehovah's Witness liaisons help surgeons adapt". Tulsa World.
  311. ^ "Question Box". Our Kingdom Ministry. Watch Tower Society. November 1, 2003. p. 3. Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation?
  312. ^ "Question Box-May both parents report the time used for the regular family study?". Our Kingdom Ministry. September 1, 2008. p. 3.
  313. ^ "2021 Governing Body Update #10". Watch Tower Society.
  314. ^ . Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses. Archived from the original on December 4, 2012. While other religious groups count their membership by occasional or annual attendance, this figure reflects only those who are actively involved in the public Bible educational work [of Jehovah's Witnesses].
  315. ^ U.S. Religious Landscape Survey Religious Affiliation: Diverse and Dynamic (Report). Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. February 1, 2008. pp. 9, 30.
  316. ^ "Advent Christian Church-Religious Groups—The Association of Religion Data Archives".
  317. ^ Van Biema, David (February 25, 2008). "America's Unfaithful Faithful" – via content.time.com.
  318. ^ (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2017. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
  319. ^ a b "A closer look at Jehovah's Witnesses living in the U.S." Pew Research Center.
  320. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 92, 98–100
  321. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 196–207
  322. ^ Bryan R. Wilson (1993). "The Persistence of Sects". Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions. 1 (2).
  323. ^ "Religious Beliefs and Practices". U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Pew Research Center. June 1, 2008. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  324. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses". U.S. Religious Landscape Survey. Pew Research Center. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  325. ^ Jubber, Ken (1977). "The Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Southern Africa". Social Compass. 24 (1): 121–134. doi:10.1177/003776867702400108. S2CID 143997010.
  326. ^ "UN investigator: Rights of minorities to worship undermined". Associated Press. November 4, 2020.
  327. ^ Morton, Jason; Bakken, Keely; Omer, Mohy; Greenwalt, Patrick (2020). "The Global Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses" (PDF). United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
  328. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 490.
  329. ^ Peters, Shawn Francis (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution. University Press of Kansas. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-7006-1008-2.
  330. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 59.
  331. ^ Barbara Grizzuti Harrison (1978). "6". Visions of Glory.
  332. ^ Schnell, William (1971). 30 Years a Watchtower Slave. Baker Book House, Grand Rapids. pp. 104–106. ISBN 978-0-8010-6384-8.
  333. ^ Whalen, William J. (1962). Armageddon Around the Corner: A Report on Jehovah's Witnesses. New York: John Day Company. p. 190.
  334. ^ Advice for Kingdom Publishers. Watch Tower Society. 1939. pp. 5–6, 14.
  335. ^ "CANADIAN WRONGS: QUEBEC'S ATTACK ON JEHOVAH'S WITNESSES". University of Toronto Libraries. University of Toronto. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  336. ^ Kaplan 1989.
  337. ^ Yaffee, Barbara (September 9, 1984). "Witnesses Seek Apology for Wartime Persecution". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
  338. ^ Supreme Court of Canada. . [1953] 2 SCR 299. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011.
  339. ^ Supreme Court of Canada. . [1959] SCR 121. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013.
  340. ^ Scott, Stephen A. (February 7, 2006). "Roncarelli v Duplessis". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  341. ^ Penton, James (2004). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich. University of Toronto Press. p. 376. ISBN 978-0802086785.
  342. ^ Chu, Jolene (September 1, 2004). "God's things and Caesar's: Jehovah's Witnesses and political neutrality". Journal of Genocide Research. Taylor & Francis. 6 (3): 319–342. doi:10.1080/1462352042000265837. S2CID 71908533.
  343. ^ a b Wrobel, Johannes S. (August 2006). "Jehovah's Witnesses in National Socialist concentration camps, 1933–45" (PDF). Religion, State & Society. Taylor & Francis. 34 (2): 89–125. doi:10.1080/09637490600624691. S2CID 145110013. (PDF) from the original on May 21, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  344. ^ Garbe, Detlef (2008). Between Resistance and Martyrdom: Jehovah's Witnesses in the Third Reich. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 484. ISBN 978-0-299-20794-6.
  345. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses". Holocaust Education Foundation.
  346. ^ Mike Dennis &, Norman LaPorte (2011). "Jehovah's Witnesses: From Persecution to Survival". State and Minorities in Communist East Germany. Berghahn Books. pp. 61–86. ISBN 978-0-85745-196-5.
  347. ^ Валерий Пасат ."Трудные страницы истории Молдовы (1940–1950)". Москва: Изд. Terra, 1994 (in Russian)
  348. ^ "Russian court bans Jehovah's Witnesses as extremist". Reuters. April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  349. ^ Botting 1993, p. [page needed].
  350. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. pp. 679–701.
  351. ^ Botting 1993, pp. 1–14.
  352. ^ Shawn Francis Peters (2000). Judging Jehovah's Witnesses. University Press of Kansas. pp. 12–16.
  353. ^ . Knocking.org. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  354. ^ Botting 1993, pp. 15–201.
  355. ^ a b Holden 2002, p. 22.
  356. ^ a b "Case Study 29: Jehovah's Witnesses". Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. July 27, 2015.
  357. ^ "Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View". The Watchtower. October 1, 1967. p. 591. Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king, Jesus Christ. It is essential for life. Doing so, be complete in accepting its every aspect ... in submitting to Jehovah's visible theocratic organization, we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements.
  358. ^ "Loyal to Christ and His Faithful Slave". The Watchtower. April 1, 2007. p. 24. When we loyally submit to the direction of the faithful slave and its Governing Body, we are submitting to Christ, the slave's Master.
  359. ^ a b Beckford 1975, pp. 89, 95, 103, 120, 204, 221.
  360. ^ "Exposing the Devil's Subtle Designs/Armed for the Fight Against Wicked Spirits". The Watchtower. January 15, 1983. pp. 18–27.
  361. ^ "Serving Jehovah Shoulder to Shoulder". The Watchtower. August 15, 1981. p. 28.
  362. ^ "Jehovah's Theocratic Organization Today". The Watchtower. February 1, 1952. pp. 79–81.
  363. ^ "Exposing the Devil's Subtle Designs". The Watchtower. January 15, 1983. p. 27. From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God's way of doing things. He promoted independent thinking. ... How is such independent thinking manifested? A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God's visible organization.
  364. ^ "Visits from Older Men Benefit God's People". The Watchtower. February 15, 1979. p. 20. In a world where people are tossed about by confusing winds of religious doctrine, Jehovah's people need to be stable, full-grown Christians. (Eph. 4:13, 14) Their position must be steadfast, not shifting quickly because of independent thinking or emotional pressures.
  365. ^ "Building a Firm Foundation in Christ". The Watchtower. May 1, 1964. pp. 277–278. It is through the columns of The Watchtower that Jehovah provides direction and constant Scriptural counsel to his people, and it requires careful study and attention to details in order to apply this information, to get a full understanding of the principles involved, and to assure ourselves of right thinking on these matters. It is in this way that we "are thoroughly able to grasp mentally with all the holy ones" the fullness of our commission and of the preaching responsibility that Jehovah has placed on all Christians as footstep followers of his Son. Any other course would produce independent thinking and cause division.
  366. ^ Franz 2007, p. 358.
  367. ^ "Will You Heed Jehovah's Clear Warnings?". The Watchtower. July 15, 2011. p. 15.
  368. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 50.
  369. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 204, 221: "The habit of questioning or qualifying Watch Tower doctrine is not only under-developed among the Witnesses: it is strenuously combated at all organizational levels"
  370. ^ Botting & Botting 1984, p. 90: "Most Witnesses, although capable of intelligent, reasonable thought, have as part of the payment for paradise delegated authority to the organization for directing their lives ... and finally abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives—in effect, allowing the society to do their thinking for them."
  371. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 178: "The newly converted Witness must conform immediately to the doctrines of the Watchtower Society, thus whatever individuality of mind he possessed before conversion is liable to be eradicated if he stays in the movement."
  372. ^ James A. Beverley (1986). Crisis of Allegiance. Burlington, Ontario: Welch Publishing Company. pp. 25–26, 101. ISBN 0-920413-37-4.
  373. ^ Holden 2002, p. 153.
  374. ^ Rogerson 1969, p. 2: "In addition to the prevalent ignorance outside the Witness movement, there is much ignorance within it. It will soon become obvious to the reader that the Witnesses are an indoctrinated people whose beliefs and thoughts are shaped by the Watchtower Society.
  375. ^ Franz 2007, "Chapter 12".
  376. ^ "Maintaining our Christian Oneness". The Watchtower. August 15, 1988. pp. 28–30.
  377. ^ The Routledge History of the Holocaust. Routledge. 2010. ISBN 9781136870606. Labeling the Jehovah's Witnesses as totalitarian trivializes the term totalitarian and defames the Jehovah's Witnesses.
  378. ^ Holden 2002, pp. x, 7.
  379. ^ Metzger, Bruce (July 1, 1964). "Book Review: New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures". The Bible Translator. 15 (3): 151. doi:10.1177/000608446401500311. S2CID 220318160. Retrieved October 30, 2018. On the whole, one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators (their names are not divulged.). They refer not only to modern translations, including various English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese translations, but to ancient versions as well, including the Old Latin, Old Syriac, Vulgate, Armenian, and Ethiopic versions. Frequently an intelligent use of critical information is apparent.
  380. ^ Gilmour, MacLean (September 1, 1966). "The Use and Abuse of the Book of Revelation". Andover Newton Quarterly. 7 (1): 25–26. The New World translation was made by a committee whose membership has never been revealed-a committee that possessed an unusual competence in Greek ... It is clear that doctrinal considerations influenced many turns of phrase, but the work is no crack-pot or pseudo-historical fraud.* ... *See Robert M. McCoy 'Jehovah's Witnesses and Their New Testament', Andover Newton Quarterly, Jan., 1963, Vol. 3, No. 3, pp. 15–31
  381. ^ Metzger, Bruce M. (April 1, 1953). "The Jehovah's Witnesses and Jesus Christ". Theology Today. 10 (1): 74. Bibcode:1998ThT....55..305G. doi:10.1177/004057365301000110. S2CID 170358762.
  382. ^ Bruce Metzger (July 1, 1964). "The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures". The Bible Translator.
  383. ^ McCoy, Robert (January 1, 1963). "Jehovah's Witnesses and Their New Testament". Andover Newton Quarterly. 3 (3): 15–31. The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation. ... In not a few instances the New World Translation contains passages which must be considered as 'theological translations.'
  384. ^ Haas, Samuel S. (December 1955). "Book Review: New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Vol. I by New World Bible Translation Committee". Journal of Biblical Literature. 74 (4): 282–283. doi:10.2307/3261681. JSTOR 3261681. this work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship, it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages. See also Owens, John Joseph (April 1, 1956). "Book Review: New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures". Review & Expositor. 53 (2): 253–254. doi:10.1177/003463735605300239. S2CID 147233464.
  385. ^ John Ankerberg; John Weldon; Dillon Burroughs (2008). The Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses. Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers. pp. 43–45. ISBN 978-0-7369-3907-2. See also John Ankerberg and John Weldon, 2003, The New World Translation of the Jehovah's Witnesses, accessible
  386. ^ Edmond C. Gruss. Apostles of Denial. p. 211. the honest mind can only conclude that this work, although outwardly scholarly, is plainly in many places, just the opposite.
  387. ^ Stedman, R.C., "The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures", Our Hope 50; 34, July 1953. 30 as quoted in Edmond C. Gruss, Apostles of Denial, p. 209: "A close examination, which gets beneath the outward veneer of scholarship, reveals a veritable shambles of bigotry, ignorance, prejudice, and bias which violates every rule of biblical criticism and every standard of scholarly integrity."
  388. ^ Martin, W.; Klann, N. (1974). Jehovah of the Watchtower. Minneapolis: Bethany. p. 161.
  389. ^ Hoekema 1963, p. 208–209.
  390. ^ G. Hébert, ed. (2005). "Jehovah's Witnesses". The New Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. Gale. p. 751.
  391. ^ Anthony A. Hoekema (1963). The Four Major Cults: Christian Science, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormonism, Seventh-day Adventism. William B. Eerdmans. pp. 208–209. ISBN 0802831176.
  392. ^ "Messengers of Godly Peace Pronounced Happy". The Watchtower. May 1, 1997. p. 21.
  393. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. p. 708.
  394. ^ "Execution of the 'Great Harlot' Nears". The Watchtower. October 15, 1980. p. 17.
  395. ^ "What Jehovah's Day Will Reveal". The Watchtower. July 15, 2010. p. 5.
  396. ^ "Staying Awake with the "Faithful and Discreet Slave"". The Watchtower. July 15, 1960. p. 444. In 1942 the faithful and discreet slave guided by Jehovah's unerring spirit made known that the democracies would win World War II and that there would be a United Nations organization set up ... Once again the faithful and discreet slave has been tipped off ahead of time for the guidance of all lovers of God.
  397. ^ Chryssides 2016, p. 224.
  398. ^ "Down with the Old-Up with the New!". The Watchtower. January 15, 1959. pp. 39–41.
  399. ^ Crompton 1996, pp. 9, 115.
  400. ^ Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom. Watch Tower Society. 1993. pp. 78, 632.
  401. ^ Beckford 1975, pp. 219–221.
  402. ^ James A. Beverley (1986). Crisis of Allegiance. Burlington, Ontario: Welch Publishing Company. pp. 86–91. ISBN 0-920413-37-4.
  403. ^ a b "Why So Many False Alarms?". Awake!. March 22, 1993. pp. 3–4. footnote
  404. ^ Revelation—Its Grand Climax. Watch Tower Society. 1988. p. 9.
  405. ^ "False Prophets". Reasoning From the Scriptures. Watch Tower Society. p. 137.
  406. ^ "To Whom Shall We Go but Jesus Christ?". The Watchtower. March 1, 1979. p. 23. the "faithful and discreet slave" has alerted all of God's people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God's Kingdom rule. In this regard, however, it must be observed that this "faithful and discreet slave" was never inspired, never perfect. Those writings by certain members of the "slave" class that came to form the Christian part of God's Word were inspired and infallible [the bible], but that is not true of other writings since.
  407. ^ Chryssides 2008, p. xiv.
  408. ^ Holden 2002, p. 7.
  409. ^ a b Goodstein, Laurie (August 11, 2002). "Ousted members say Jehovah's Witnesses' policy on abuse hides offenses". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  410. ^ a b c . Jehovah's Witnesses Official Media website. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009.
  411. ^ Public Hearing - Case Study 29 (Day 152) (PDF). Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia (Report). pp. 67, 72. in the absence of a confession or circumstantial evidence or other indicators, would we act judicially on one witness as the courts would do, the answer would be no, and I don't see that changing, in harmony with the scriptures. ... Q. Insofar as a second witness is concerned, is that requirement covered by, for example, scientific evidence? A. Certainly. Q. So if there was some external forensic scientific or direct evidence which is not of an observer to the incident, but someone who observes some corroborative aspect to the incident, that would be sufficient, would it? A. The answer is yes... we, as the case files will show, have disfellowshipped people for being in an inappropriate setting where there is some allegation.
  412. ^ Public Hearing - Case Study 29 (Day 155) (PDF). Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia (Report). pp. 44, 45.
  413. ^ Shepherd the Flock of God. Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Society. 2010. p. 72.
  414. ^ a b Lisa Myers; Richard Greenberg (November 21, 2007). "New evidence in Jehovah's Witness allegations". NBC News. New York, NY.
  415. ^ "Jehovah's Witnesses' Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection". Official Website of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
  416. ^ "How to Protect Your Children". Awake!. October 1, 2007. pp. 4–8.
  417. ^ Report of case study no.29 (PDF). Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia (Report). pp. 9, 28.
  418. ^ Jones, Ciaran (June 29, 2014). "Jehovah's Witnesses destroyed documents showing child abuse allegations against church elder". Wales Online. Cardiff, UK: Media Wales.
  419. ^ Public Hearing - Case Study 29 (Day 152) (PDF). Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Australia (Report). pp. 24–26.
  420. ^ Shepherd the Flock of God. Brooklyn, New York: Watch Tower Society. 2010. pp. 131–132.
  421. ^ Cutrer, Corrie (March 5, 2001). "Witness leaders accused of shielding molesters". Christianity Today. Paul Carden, executive director for the Centers for Apologetics Research in San Juan Capistrano, California, says this protective attitude is prevalent in the WTBTS. "There is a fortress mentality," Carden says. "The Watchtower Society is loath to admit wrongdoing of any sort. Because they portray themselves as being Jehovah's sole mouthpiece to mankind, they have sought to present themselves as being above question."
  422. ^ Jane Doe (Candace Conti) v. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc. et al. (California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District, Division Three April 13, 2015).Text
  423. ^ "Former Jehovah's Witness Takes on Church Over Sex Abuse Allegations" (VIDEO). New York, NY: ABC News. March 12, 2015.
  424. ^ Michael Buchanan (July 26, 2017). "Jehovah's Witnesses let sex offender interrogate victims". BBC News. Retrieved November 20, 2017. One particular concern is the Church's policy of dismissing an allegation if it fails its two-witness policy, which states two people need to have seen the abuse for the Church to proceed with a full investigation. There are also calls for the independent child abuse inquiry to examine the Church's policy.
  425. ^ "Decision: Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses". Charity Commission for England and Wales. July 26, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  426. ^ Report of Case Study No. 29 (Report). p. 62. The Royal Commission heard evidence that, before the public hearing of this case study, the Jehovah's Witness organisation did not consider that concealment offences were independent of obligations under mandatory reporting laws to report child sexual abuse.
  427. ^ "Case Study 29", Day 153 p.16, 41—44, Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, July 2015.]
  428. ^ Gredley, Rebecca. "Jehovah's Witnesses to join redress scheme". 7News. Retrieved May 25, 2021.

Sources

  • Chryssides, George (2022). Jehovah's Witnesses: A New Introduction. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-3501-9089-4.

Further reading

Further information: Bibliography of works on the Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Beckford, James A. (1975). The Trumpet of Prophecy: A Sociological Study of Jehovah's Witnesses. Oxford: Basil Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-16310-7.
  • Botting, Gary (1993). Fundamental Freedoms and Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Calgary Press. ISBN 978-1-895176-06-3.
  • Botting, Heather; Botting, Gary (1984). The Orwellian World of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-6545-2.
  • Chryssides, George D. (2008). Historical Dictionary of Jehovah's Witnesses. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-6074-2.
  • Chryssides, George D. (2016). Jehovah's Witnesses: Continuity and Change. Routledge. ISBN 9781409456087.
  • Crompton, Robert (1996). Counting the Days to Armageddon. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co. ISBN 0-227-67939-3.
    • A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' eschatology.
  • Franz, Raymond (2007). In Search of Christian Freedom. Commentary Press. ISBN 978-0-914675-16-7. ISBN 978-0-914675-17-4
  • Hoekema, Anthony A. (1963). The Four Major Cults. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans. ISBN 978-0-8028-3117-0.
  • Holden, Andrew (2002). Jehovah's Witnesses: Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-26610-9.
    • An academic study on the sociological aspects of Jehovah's Witnesses phenomenon.
  • Kaplan, William (1989). State and Salvation. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-5842-6.
    • Documents the Witnesses' fight for civil rights in Canada and the US amid political persecution during World War II.
  • Knox, Zoe (2018). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Secular World: From the 1870s to the Present. London: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 9781137396044.
  • Penton, M. James (1997). Apocalypse Delayed: The Story of Jehovah's Witnesses. University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-8020-7973-2.
    • Penton, professor emeritus of history at University of Lethbridge and a former member of the group, examines the history of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their doctrines.
  • Rogerson, Alan (1969). Millions Now Living Will Never Die. London: Constable & Co. ISBN 978-0094559400.
    • Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement, particularly its early years, a summary of Witness doctrines and the organizational and personal framework in which Witnesses conduct their lives
  • Schulz, B. W. (2014). A Separate Identity: Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion's Watch Tower: 1870–1887. Fluttering Wings Press. ISBN 978-1304969408.
    • Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement's earliest years written to an academic standard. Based on fresh research into original documents of the era. This is volume one of a planned two volume work.
  • Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Jehovah's Witnesses—Proclaimers of God's Kingdom (1993)
    • Official history of Jehovah's Witnesses.
  • Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Faith in Action (two-DVD series; 2010–2011)
    • Official history of Jehovah's Witnesses.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jehovah's Witnesses.
  • Official website
  • BBC Religions: Jehovah's Witnesses
  • Jehovah's Witnesses new method - BBC News Magazine article

February 02, 2023
jehovah, witnesses, millenarian, restorationist, christian, denomination, with, nontrinitarian, beliefs, distinct, from, mainstream, christianity, group, reports, worldwide, membership, approximately, million, adherents, involved, evangelism, annual, memorial,. Jehovah s Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity 6 The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8 5 million adherents involved in evangelism and an annual Memorial attendance of over 19 7 million 5 Jehovah s Witnesses are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah s Witnesses a group of elders in Warwick New York United States which establishes all doctrines 7 based on its interpretations of the Bible 8 9 They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent and that the establishment of God s kingdom over the earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humanity 10 Jehovah s WitnessesClassificationRestorationistOrientationPremillennialist 1 TheologyNontrinitarianGovernanceGoverning BodyStructureHierarchical 2 RegionWorldwideHeadquartersWarwick New York U S FounderCharles Taze Russell 3 Origin1870s Pittsburgh Pennsylvania U S Branched fromBible Student movement Adventism 4 SeparationsJehovah s Witnesses splinter groupsCongregations117 960Members8 514 983Official websitejw wbr orgStatistics from 2022 Grand Totals 5 The group emerged from the Bible Student movement founded in the late 1870s by Charles Taze Russell who also co founded Zion s Watch Tower Tract Society in 1881 to organize and print the movement s publications 3 A leadership dispute after Russell s death resulted in several groups breaking away with Joseph Franklin Rutherford retaining control of the Watch Tower Society and its properties 11 Rutherford made significant organizational and doctrinal changes 12 including adoption of the name Jehovah s witnesses en 1 in 1931 to distinguish them from other Bible Student groups and symbolize a break with the legacy of Russell s traditions 14 15 16 Jehovah s Witnesses are known for their door to door preaching distributing literature such as The Watchtower and Awake and for refusing military service and blood transfusions They consider the use of God s name vital for proper worship They reject Trinitarianism inherent immortality of the soul and hellfire which they consider to be unscriptural doctrines They do not observe Christmas Easter birthdays or other holidays and customs they consider to have pagan origins incompatible with Christianity 17 They prefer to use their own Bible translation the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures 18 although their literature occasionally quotes and cites other Bible translations 19 20 Adherents commonly refer to their body of beliefs as The Truth and consider themselves to be in the Truth 21 They consider human society to be morally corrupt and under the influence of Satan and most limit their social interaction with non Witnesses 22 23 Congregational disciplinary actions include disfellowshipping their term for formal expulsion and shunning a last resort for what they consider serious offenses 24 25 Baptized individuals who formally leave are considered disassociated and are also shunned Disfellowshipped and disassociated individuals may eventually be reinstated if deemed repentant 26 The group s position regarding conscientious objection to military service and refusal to salute state symbols like national anthems and flags has brought it into conflict with some governments 27 28 29 30 Consequently some Jehovah s Witnesses have been persecuted and their activities are banned or restricted in some countries Persistent legal challenges by Jehovah s Witnesses have influenced legislation related to civil rights in several countries 31 The organization has received criticism regarding biblical translation doctrines and alleged coercion of its members The Watch Tower Society has made various unfulfilled predictions about major biblical events such as Christ s Second Coming the advent of God s kingdom and Armageddon Their policies for handling cases of child sexual abuse have been the subject of various formal inquiries Contents 1 History 1 1 Background 1870 1916 1 2 Reorganization 1917 1942 1 3 Continued development 1942 present 2 Organization 2 1 Publishing 2 2 Funding 3 Beliefs 3 1 Sources of doctrine 3 2 Jehovah 3 3 Jesus 3 4 Satan 3 5 Life after death 3 6 God s kingdom 3 7 Eschatology 3 8 Gender roles 4 Practices 4 1 Worship 4 2 Evangelism 4 3 Ethics and morality 4 4 Disciplinary action 4 5 Separateness 4 6 Rejection of blood transfusions 5 Demographics 6 Sociological analysis 7 Opposition 7 1 Persecution 7 1 1 Canada 7 1 2 Germany 7 1 3 Russia 7 2 Legal challenges 8 Criticism and controversy 8 1 Free speech and thought 8 2 New World Translation 8 3 Unfulfilled predictions 8 4 Handling of sexual abuse cases 9 Explanatory notes 10 References 11 Sources 12 Further reading 13 External linksHistoryMain article History of Jehovah s Witnesses Background 1870 1916 See also Bible Student movement Pastor Russell founder of the Watch Tower Society In 1870 Charles Taze Russell and others formed a group in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania to study the Bible 32 During the course of his ministry Russell disputed many beliefs of mainstream Christianity including immortality of the soul hellfire predestination the fleshly return of Jesus Christ the Trinity and the burning up of the world 33 In 1876 Russell met Nelson H Barbour Later that year they jointly produced the book Three Worlds which combined restitutionist views with end time prophecy 33 The book taught that God s dealings with humanity were divided dispensationally each ending with a harvest that Christ had returned as an invisible spirit being in 1874 33 inaugurating the harvest of the Gospel age and that 1914 would mark the end of a 2 520 year period called the Gentile Times 34 at which time world society would be replaced by the full establishment of God s kingdom on earth 35 36 37 Beginning in 1878 Russell and Barbour jointly edited a religious journal Herald of the Morning 38 In June 1879 the two split over doctrinal differences and in July Russell began publishing the magazine Zion s Watch Tower and Herald of Christ s Presence 39 stating that its purpose was to demonstrate that the world was in the last days and that a new age of earthly and human restitution under the reign of Christ was imminent 40 From 1879 Watch Tower supporters gathered as autonomous congregations to study the Bible topically Thirty congregations were founded and during 1879 and 1880 Russell visited each to provide the format he recommended for conducting meetings 41 42 43 In 1881 Zion s Watch Tower Tract Society was presided over by William Henry Conley and in 1884 Russell incorporated the society as a non profit business to distribute tracts and Bibles 44 45 By about 1900 Russell had organized thousands of part and full time colporteurs 39 and was appointing foreign missionaries and establishing branch offices By the 1910s Russell s organization maintained nearly a hundred pilgrims or traveling preachers 46 Russell engaged in significant global publishing efforts during his ministry 47 48 and by 1912 he was the most distributed Christian author in the United States 49 Russell moved the Watch Tower Society s headquarters to Brooklyn New York in 1909 combining printing and corporate offices with a house of worship volunteers were housed in a nearby residence he named Bethel He identified the religious movement as Bible Students and more formally as the International Bible Students Association 50 By 1910 about 50 000 people worldwide were associated with the movement 51 and congregations re elected him annually as their pastor 52 Russell died October 31 1916 at the age of 64 while returning from a ministerial speaking tour 53 Reorganization 1917 1942 Joseph F Rutherford founder of Jehovah s Witnesses In January 1917 the Watch Tower Society s legal representative Joseph Franklin Rutherford was elected as its next president His election was disputed and members of the Board of Directors accused him of acting in an autocratic and secretive manner 54 55 The divisions between his supporters and opponents triggered a major turnover of members over the next decade 8 56 In June 1917 he released The Finished Mystery as a seventh volume of Russell s Studies in the Scriptures series The book published as the posthumous work of Russell was a compilation of his commentaries on the Bible books of Ezekiel and Revelation plus numerous additions by Bible Students Clayton Woodworth and George Fisher 57 58 59 It strongly criticized Catholic and Protestant clergy and Christian involvement in the Great War 60 As a result Watch Tower Society directors were jailed for sedition under the Espionage Act in 1918 and members were subjected to mob violence the directors were released in March 1919 and charges against them were dropped in 1920 61 Rutherford centralized organizational control of the Watch Tower Society In 1919 he instituted the appointment of a director in each congregation and a year later all members were instructed to report their weekly preaching activity to the Brooklyn headquarters 62 At an international convention held at Cedar Point Ohio in September 1922 a new emphasis was made on house to house preaching 63 Significant changes in doctrine and administration were regularly introduced during Rutherford s twenty five years as president including the 1920 announcement that the Hebrew patriarchs such as Abraham and Isaac would be resurrected in 1925 marking the beginning of Christ s thousand year earthly kingdom 64 65 66 Because of disappointment over the changes and unfulfilled predictions tens of thousands of defections occurred during the first half of Rutherford s tenure leading to the formation of several Bible Student organizations independent of the Watch Tower Society 67 68 69 70 most of which still exist 71 By mid 1919 as many as one in seven of Russell era Bible Students had ceased their association with the Society and as many as three quarters by the end of the 1920s 69 72 73 74 On July 26 1931 at a convention in Columbus Ohio Rutherford introduced the new name Jehovah s witnesses based on Isaiah 43 10 Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen that ye may know and believe me and understand that I am he before me there was no God formed neither shall there be after me King James Version KJV which was adopted by resolution The name was chosen to distinguish his group of Bible Students from other independent groups that had severed ties with the Society as well as symbolize the instigation of new outlooks and the promotion of fresh evangelizing methods 14 15 16 In 1932 Rutherford eliminated the system of locally elected elders and in 1938 introduced what he called a theocratic literally God ruled organizational system under which appointments in congregations worldwide were made from the Brooklyn headquarters 62 From 1932 it was taught that the little flock of 144 000 would not be the only people to survive Armageddon Rutherford explained that in addition to the 144 000 anointed who would be resurrected or transferred at death to live in heaven to rule over earth with Christ a separate class of members the great multitude would live in a paradise restored on earth from 1935 new converts to the movement were considered part of that class 75 76 By the mid 1930s the timing of the beginning of Christ s presence Greek parousia his enthronement as king and the start of the last days were each moved to 1914 77 Nathan H Knorr the third president of the Watch Tower Society As their interpretations of the Bible evolved Witness publications decreed that saluting national flags is a form of idolatry which led to a new outbreak of mob violence and government opposition in the United States Canada Germany and other countries 78 79 Worldwide membership of Jehovah s Witnesses reached 113 624 in 5 323 congregations by the time of Rutherford s death in January 1942 80 81 Continued development 1942 present See also Development of Jehovah s Witnesses doctrine and Governing Body of Jehovah s Witnesses Nathan Knorr was appointed as third president of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society in 1942 Knorr commissioned a new translation of the Bible the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures the full version of which was released in 1961 He organized large international assemblies instituted new training programs for members and expanded missionary activity and branch offices throughout the world 82 Knorr s presidency was also marked by an increasing use of explicit instructions guiding Witnesses in their lifestyle and conduct and a greater use of congregational judicial procedures to enforce a strict moral code 83 84 From 1966 Witness publications and convention talks built anticipation of the possibility that Christ s thousand year reign might begin in late 1975 85 86 87 or shortly thereafter 88 89 The number of baptisms increased significantly from about 59 000 in 1966 to more than 297 000 in 1974 By 1975 the number of active members exceeded two million Membership declined during the late 1970s after expectations for 1975 were proved wrong 90 91 92 93 Watch Tower Society literature did not state dogmatically that 1975 would definitely mark the end 88 but in 1980 the Watch Tower Society admitted its responsibility in building up hope regarding that year 94 95 The offices of elder and ministerial servant were restored to Witness congregations in 1972 with appointments made from headquarters 96 and later also by branch committees It was announced that starting in September 2014 appointments would be made by traveling overseers In a major organizational overhaul in 1976 the power of the Watch Tower Society president was diminished with authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions passed to the Governing Body 97 Since Knorr s death in 1977 the position of president has been occupied by Frederick Franz 1977 1992 and Milton Henschel 1992 2000 both members of the Governing Body and since 2000 by others who are not Governing Body members In 1995 Jehovah s Witnesses abandoned the idea that Armageddon must occur during the lives of the generation that was alive in 1914 and in 2010 changed their teaching on the generation 98 99 100 OrganizationMain article Organizational structure of Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses are organized hierarchically 2 in what the leadership calls a theocratic organization reflecting their belief that it is God s visible organization on earth 101 102 103 The organization is led by the Governing Body an all male group that varies in size Since January 2018 it has comprised eight members 104 all of whom profess to be of the anointed class with a hope of heavenly life based in the Watch Tower Society s Warwick headquarters 105 106 There is no election for membership new members are selected by the existing body 107 Until late 2012 the Governing Body described itself as the representative 108 109 and spokesman for God s faithful and discreet slave class then approximately 10 000 self professed anointed Jehovah s Witnesses 110 111 At the 2012 Annual Meeting of the Watch Tower Society the faithful and discreet slave was defined as referring to the Governing Body only 112 The Governing Body directs several committees that are responsible for administrative functions including publishing assembly programs and evangelizing activities 113 It appoints all branch committee members and traveling overseers after they have been recommended by local branches with traveling overseers supervising circuits of congregations within their jurisdictions Traveling overseers appoint local elders and ministerial servants while branch offices may appoint regional committees for matters such as Kingdom Hall construction or disaster relief 114 The leadership and supporting staff lives in properties owned by the organization worldwide referred to as Bethel where they operate as a religious community and administrative unit 115 Their living expenses and those of other full time volunteers are covered by the organization along with a basic monthly stipend 116 117 118 Each congregation has a body of appointed unpaid male elders and ministerial servants Elders maintain general responsibility for congregational governance setting meeting times selecting speakers and conducting meetings directing the public preaching work and creating judicial committees to investigate and decide disciplinary action for cases involving sexual misconduct or doctrinal breaches 119 New elders are appointed by a traveling overseer after recommendation by the existing body of elders Ministerial servants appointed in a similar manner to elders fulfill clerical and attendant duties but may also teach and conduct meetings 113 Witnesses do not use elder as a title to signify a formal clergy laity division 120 though elders may employ ecclesiastical privilege regarding confession of sins 121 122 Baptism is a requirement for being considered a member of Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses do not practice infant baptism 123 and previous baptisms performed by other denominations are not considered valid 124 Individuals undergoing baptism must affirm publicly that dedication and baptism identify them as one of Jehovah s Witnesses in association with God s spirit directed organization 124 though Witness publications say baptism symbolizes personal dedication to God and not to a man work or organization 125 126 Their literature emphasizes the need for members to be obedient and loyal to Jehovah and to his organization 127 128 en 2 stating that individuals must remain part of it to receive God s favor and to survive Armageddon 129 130 Publishing The organization produces a significant amount of literature as part of its evangelism activities 131 The Watch Tower Society has produced over 227 million copies of the New World Translation in whole or in part in over 185 languages 132 In 2010 The Watchtower and Awake were the most widely distributed magazines in the world 133 Translation of Witness publications is done by over 2 000 volunteers worldwide producing literature in 1 000 languages 134 135 Publications are also available online at the organization s official website Funding Much of their funding is provided by donations primarily from members There is no tithing or collection 94 In 2001 Newsday listed the Watch Tower Society as one of New York s forty richest corporations with revenues exceeding 950 million 131 136 The organization reported for the same year that it spent over 70 9 million in caring for special pioneers missionaries and traveling overseers in their field service assignments 137 en 3 BeliefsMain article Jehovah s Witnesses beliefs Sources of doctrine Jehovah s Witnesses believe their denomination is a restoration of first century Christianity 138 Doctrines of Jehovah s Witnesses are established by the Governing Body which assumes responsibility for interpreting and applying scripture 8 139 140 The Governing Body does not issue any single comprehensive statement of faith but prefers to express its doctrinal position in a variety of ways through publications published by the Watch Tower Society 141 Their publications teach that doctrinal changes and refinements result from a process of progressive revelation in which God gradually reveals his will and purpose 142 143 144 145 and that such enlightenment or new light 146 results from the application of reason and study 147 the guidance of the holy spirit and direction from Jesus Christ and angels 148 The Society also teaches that members of the Governing Body are helped by the holy spirit to discern deep truths which are then considered by the entire Governing Body before it makes doctrinal decisions 149 The group s leadership while disclaiming divine inspiration and infallibility 150 is said to provide divine guidance 151 through its teachings described as based on God s Word thus not from men but from Jehovah 152 153 The entire Protestant canon of scripture is considered the inspired inerrant word of God 154 Jehovah s Witnesses consider the Bible to be scientifically and historically accurate and reliable 155 and interpret much of it literally but accept parts of it as symbolic 156 They consider the Bible to be the final authority for all their beliefs 157 Sociologist Andrew Holden s ethnographic study of the group concluded that pronouncements of the Governing Body through Watch Tower Society publications carry almost as much weight as the Bible 158 Regular personal Bible reading is frequently recommended Witnesses are discouraged from formulating doctrines and private ideas reached through Bible research independent of Watch Tower Society publications and are cautioned against reading other religious literature 159 160 161 Adherents are told to have complete confidence in the leadership to avoid skepticism about what is taught in the Watch Tower Society s literature and to not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding 162 163 164 165 The organization makes no provision for members to criticize or contribute to official teachings 166 All Witnesses must abide by its doctrines and organizational requirements 167 Jehovah The Tetragrammaton Jehovah s Witnesses emphasize the use of God s name and they prefer the form Jehovah a vocalization of God s name based on the Tetragrammaton 168 169 170 They believe that Jehovah is the only true God the creator of all things and the Universal Sovereign They believe that all worship should be directed toward him and that he is not part of a Trinity 171 consequently the group places more emphasis on God than on Christ 172 173 They believe that the Holy Spirit is God s applied power or active force rather than a person 174 175 Jesus Jehovah s Witnesses believe that Jesus is God s only direct creation that everything else was created through Christ by means of God s power and that the initial unassisted act of creation uniquely identifies Jesus as God s only begotten Son 176 Jesus served as a redeemer and a ransom sacrifice to pay for the sins of humanity 177 They believe Jesus died on a single upright post rather than the traditional cross 178 Jehovah s Witnesses believe that Jesus was resurrected with a spirit body and that he only assumed human form for a temporary period after his resurrection 179 Biblical references to the Archangel Michael Abaddon Apollyon and the Word are interpreted as names for Jesus in various roles 180 Jesus is considered to be the only intercessor and high priest between God and humanity and appointed by God as the king and judge of his kingdom 181 His role as a mediator referred to in 1 Timothy 2 5 is applied to the anointed class though the other sheep are said to also benefit from the arrangement 182 Satan Jehovah s Witnesses believe that Satan was originally a perfect angel who developed feelings of self importance and craved worship Satan influenced Adam and Eve to disobey God and humanity subsequently became participants in a challenge involving the competing claims of Jehovah and Satan to universal sovereignty 183 Other angels who sided with Satan became demons Jehovah s Witnesses teach that Satan and his demons were cast down to earth from heaven after October 1 1914 184 at which point the end times began They believe that Satan is the ruler of the current world order 183 that human society is influenced and misled by Satan and his demons and that they are a cause of human suffering They also believe that human governments are controlled by Satan 185 but that he does not directly control each human ruler 186 Life after death Main article Jehovah s Witnesses and salvation Jehovah s Witnesses believe death is a state of non existence with no consciousness There is no Hell of fiery torment Hades and Sheol are understood to refer to the condition of death termed the common grave 187 Jehovah s Witnesses consider the soul to be a life or a living body that can die 188 Jehovah s Witnesses believe that humanity is in a sinful state 188 from which release is only possible by means of Jesus shed blood as a ransom or atonement for the sins of humankind 189 Witnesses believe that a little flock of 144 000 selected humans go to heaven but that the majority the other sheep are to be resurrected by God to a cleansed earth after Armageddon They interpret Revelation 14 1 5 to mean that the number of Christians going to heaven is limited to exactly 144 000 who will rule with Jesus as kings and priests over earth 190 They believe that baptism as a Jehovah s Witness is vital for salvation 191 and that only they meet scriptural requirements for surviving Armageddon but that God is the final judge 192 193 During Christ s millennial reign most people who died prior to Armageddon will be resurrected with the prospect of living forever they will be taught the proper way to worship God to prepare them for their final test at the end of the millennium 194 195 God s kingdom Jehovah s Witnesses believe that God s kingdom is a literal government in heaven ruled by Jesus Christ and 144 000 spirit anointed Christians drawn from the earth which they associate with Jesus reference to a new covenant 196 197 The kingdom is viewed as the means by which God will accomplish his original purpose for the earth transforming it into a paradise without sickness or death 198 It is said to have been the focal point of Jesus ministry on earth 199 They believe the kingdom was established in heaven in 1914 200 and that Jehovah s Witnesses serve as representatives of the kingdom on earth 201 202 Eschatology Main article Eschatology of Jehovah s Witnesses A central teaching of Jehovah s Witnesses is that the current world era or system of things entered the last days in 1914 and faces imminent destruction through intervention by God and Jesus Christ leading to deliverance for those who worship God acceptably 203 They consider all other present day religions to be false identifying them with Babylon the Great or the harlot of Revelation 17 204 and believe that they will soon be destroyed by the United Nations which they believe is represented in scripture by the scarlet colored wild beast of Revelation chapter 17 This development will mark the beginning of the great tribulation 205 206 Satan will subsequently use world governments to attack Jehovah s Witnesses an action that will prompt God to begin the war of Armageddon during which all forms of government and all people not counted as Christ s sheep will be destroyed After Armageddon God will extend his heavenly kingdom to include earth which will be transformed into a paradise similar to the Garden of Eden 207 Most of those who had died before God s intervention will gradually be resurrected during the thousand year judgment day 208 209 This judgment will be based on their actions after resurrection rather than past deeds At the end of the thousand years Christ will hand all authority back to God Then a final test will take place when Satan is released to mislead perfect mankind Those who fail will be destroyed along with Satan and his demons The result will be a fully tested glorified human race on earth 210 211 Jehovah s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ began to rule in heaven as king of God s kingdom in October 1914 and that Satan was subsequently ousted from heaven to the earth resulting in woe to humanity They believe that Jesus rules invisibly from heaven perceived only as a series of signs They base this belief on a rendering of the Greek word parousia usually translated as coming when referring to Christ as presence They believe Jesus presence includes an unknown period beginning with his inauguration as king in heaven in 1914 and ending when he comes to bring a final judgment against humans on earth They thus depart from the mainstream Christian belief that the second coming of Matthew 24 refers to a single moment of arrival on earth to judge humans 212 213 Gender roles Jehovah s Witnesses believe that women were designed by God to perform a complementary role Women actively participate in the public preaching work and can serve at Bethel 214 Women may profess to be members of the 144 000 215 Only men are allowed to hold positions of authority Congregational roles such as ministerial servants and elders are exclusively male positions Women are not allowed to address the congregation directly 216 In rare circumstances women can substitute in certain capacities if there are no eligible men In these situations women must wear a head covering if they are performing a teaching role 214 PracticesMain article Jehovah s Witnesses practices Worship Worship at a Kingdom Hall in Portugal Kingdom Hall in Kuopio Finland Meetings for worship and study are held at Kingdom Halls which are typically functional in character and do not contain religious symbols 217 Witnesses are assigned to a congregation in whose territory they usually reside and attend weekly services they refer to as meetings as scheduled by congregation elders The meetings are largely devoted to study of Watch Tower Society literature and the Bible The format of the meetings is established by the group s headquarters and the subject matter for most meetings is the same worldwide 217 Congregations meet for two sessions each week comprising four distinct meetings that total about three and a half hours typically gathering mid week two meetings and on the weekend two meetings Prior to 2009 congregations met three times each week these meetings were condensed with the intention that members dedicate an evening for family worship 218 219 Gatherings are opened and closed with hymns which they call Kingdom songs and brief prayers 220 Twice each year Witnesses from a number of congregations that form a circuit gather for a one day assembly Larger groups of congregations meet once a year for a three day regional convention usually at rented stadiums or auditoriums 221 Their most important and solemn event is the commemoration of the Lord s Evening Meal or Memorial of Christ s Death on the date of the Jewish Passover 222 Evangelism See also Jehovah s Witnesses publications Jehovah s Witnesses outside the British Museum 2017 Jehovah s Witnesses are known for their efforts to spread their beliefs most notably by visiting people from house to house 223 224 225 distributing literature published by the Watch Tower Society 226 The objective is to start a regular Bible study with any person who is not already a member 227 with the intention that the student be baptized as a member of the group 228 229 Witnesses are advised to consider discontinuing Bible studies with students who show no interest in becoming members 230 231 Witnesses are taught they are under a biblical command to engage in public preaching 232 233 They are instructed to devote as much time as possible to their ministry and are required to submit an individual monthly Field Service Report 234 235 Baptized members who fail to report a month of preaching are termed irregular and may be counseled by elders 236 237 those who do not submit reports for six consecutive months are termed inactive 238 Ethics and morality See also Jehovah s Witnesses list of serious sins All sexual relations outside of marriage are grounds for expulsion if the individual is not deemed repentant 239 240 homosexual activity is considered a serious sin and same sex marriages are forbidden Abortion is considered murder 241 Suicide is considered to be self murder and a sin against God 242 Modesty in dress and grooming is frequently emphasized Gambling drunkenness illegal drugs and tobacco use are forbidden 243 Drinking of alcoholic beverages is permitted in moderation 241 The family structure is patriarchal The husband is considered to have authority on family decisions but is encouraged to solicit his wife s thoughts and feelings as well as those of his children Marriages are required to be monogamous and legally registered 244 245 Marrying a non believer or endorsing such a union is strongly discouraged and carries religious sanctions 246 247 Divorce is discouraged and remarriage is forbidden unless a divorce is obtained on the grounds of adultery which they refer to as a scriptural divorce 248 If a divorce is obtained for any other reason remarriage is considered adulterous unless the prior spouse has died or is since considered to have committed sexual immorality 249 Extreme physical abuse willful non support of one s family and what the denomination terms absolute endangerment of spirituality are accepted as grounds for legal separation 250 251 Disciplinary action Main article Jehovah s Witnesses congregational discipline Formal discipline is administered by congregation elders when a baptized member is accused of committing a serious sin usually cases of sexual misconduct 119 252 or charges of apostasy for disputing Jehovah s Witness doctrines 253 254 A judicial committee is formed to provide spiritual guidance and determine guilt This can lead to the subject being disfellowshipped 255 Disfellowshipping a form of shunning is the strongest form of discipline administered to an offender deemed unrepentant 256 Contact with disfellowshipped individuals is limited to direct family members living in the same home and with congregation elders who may invite disfellowshipped persons to apply for reinstatement 257 Formal business dealings may continue if contractually or financially obliged 258 Witnesses are taught that avoiding social and spiritual interaction with disfellowshipped individuals keeps the congregation free from immoral influence and that losing precious fellowship with loved ones may help the shunned individual to come to his senses see the seriousness of his wrong and take steps to return to Jehovah 259 The practice of shunning may also serve to deter other members from dissident behavior 260 Members who disassociate formally resign are described in Watch Tower Society literature as wicked and are also shunned 261 262 263 Expelled individuals may eventually be reinstated to the congregation if deemed repentant by elders in the congregation in which the disfellowshipping was enforced 26 Reproof is a lesser form of discipline given formally by a judicial committee to a baptized Witness who is considered repentant of serious sin the reproved person temporarily loses conspicuous privileges of service but suffers no restriction of social or spiritual fellowship 264 Marking a curtailing of social but not spiritual fellowship is practiced if a baptized member persists in a course of action regarded as a violation of Bible principles but not a serious sin en 4 Separateness See also Jehovah s Witnesses and governments Jehovah s Witnesses believe that the Bible condemns the mixing of religions on the basis that there can only be one truth from God and therefore reject interfaith and ecumenical movements 265 266 267 They believe that only Jehovah s Witnesses represent true Christianity and that other religions fail to meet all the requirements set by God and will soon be destroyed 268 Jehovah s Witnesses are taught that it is vital to remain separate from the world The Witnesses literature defines the world as the mass of mankind apart from Jehovah s approved servants and teach that it is morally contaminated and ruled by Satan 269 270 271 Witnesses are taught that association with worldly people presents a danger to their faith 272 and are instructed to minimize social contact with non members to better maintain their own standards of morality 273 274 275 276 Attending university is discouraged and trade schools are suggested as an alternative 277 278 279 Receiving a post secondary education is considered spiritually dangerous Anthony Morris III a member of the Governing Body has been quoted as saying the most intelligent and eloquent professors will be trying to reshape the thinking of your child and their influence can be tremendous 280 Jehovah s Witnesses believe their allegiance belongs to God s kingdom 281 which is viewed as an actual government in heaven with Christ as king They remain politically neutral do not seek public office and are discouraged from voting though individual members may participate in uncontroversial community improvement issues 282 283 Although they do not take part in politics they respect the authority of the governments under which they live 284 They do not celebrate religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter nor do they observe birthdays national holidays or other celebrations they consider to honor people other than Jesus They feel that these and many other customs have pagan origins or reflect a nationalistic or political spirit Their position is that these traditional holidays reflect Satan s control over the world 285 286 287 Witnesses are told that spontaneous giving at other times can help their children to not feel deprived of birthdays or other celebrations 288 They do not work in industries associated with the military do not serve in the armed services 289 and refuse national military service which in some countries may result in their arrest and imprisonment 290 They do not salute or pledge allegiance to flags or sing national anthems or patriotic songs 291 Jehovah s Witnesses see themselves as a worldwide brotherhood that transcends national boundaries and ethnic loyalties 292 Sociologist Ronald Lawson has suggested the group s intellectual and organizational isolation coupled with the intense indoctrination of adherents rigid internal discipline and considerable persecution has contributed to the consistency of its sense of urgency in its apocalyptic message 293 Rejection of blood transfusions Main article Jehovah s Witnesses and blood transfusions Jehovah s Witnesses refuse blood transfusions which they consider a violation of God s law based on their interpretation of Acts 15 28 29 and other scriptures 294 295 296 Since 1961 the willing acceptance of a blood transfusion by an unrepentant member has been grounds for expulsion from the group 297 298 Members are directed to refuse blood transfusions even in a life or death situation 299 300 301 Jehovah s Witnesses accept non blood alternatives and other medical procedures in lieu of blood transfusions and their literature provides information about non blood medical procedures 302 Jehovah s Witnesses do not accept the transfusion of whole blood packed red cells platelets white cells or plasma Autologous blood donation where an individual s own blood is stored for later use is also not considered acceptable 303 Members may accept some blood plasma fractions at their own discretion 304 305 306 The Watch Tower Society provides pre formatted durable power of attorney documents prohibiting major blood components in which members can specify which allowable fractions and treatments they will personally accept 307 308 Jehovah s Witnesses have established Hospital Liaison Committees as a cooperative arrangement between individual Jehovah s Witnesses and medical professionals and hospitals 309 310 DemographicsMain article Demographics of Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses have an active presence in most countries but do not form a large part of the population of any country For 2022 Jehovah s Witnesses reported approximately 8 5 million publishers the term they use for members actively involved in preaching in about 118 000 congregations 5 For the same year they reported over 1 5 billion hours spent in preaching activity and conducted Bible studies with more than 5 7 million individuals including those conducted by Witness parents with their children 311 312 In 2022 Jehovah s Witnesses reported a worldwide annual increase of 0 4 Over 19 7 million people attended the annual memorial of Christ s death 5 According to the Watch Tower Society more than 25 600 members have died from COVID 19 313 The official published membership statistics such as those mentioned above include only those who submit reports for their personal ministry 314 official statistics do not include inactive and disfellowshipped individuals or others who might attend their meetings As a result only about half of those who self identified as Jehovah s Witnesses in independent demographic studies are considered active by the faith itself 315 316 The 2008 US Pew Forum on Religion amp Public Life survey found a low retention rate among members of the denomination about 37 of people raised in the group continued to identify themselves as Jehovah s Witnesses 317 318 The next lowest retention rates were for Buddhism at 50 and Catholicism at 68 The study also found that 65 of adult Jehovah s Witnesses in the US are converts 319 Sociological analysisSee also Sociological classifications of religious movements Sociologist James A Beckford in his 1975 study of Jehovah s Witnesses classified the group s organizational structure as Totalizing characterized by an assertive leadership specific and narrow objectives control over competing demands on members time and energy and control over the quality of new members Other characteristics of the classification include likelihood of friction with secular authorities reluctance to co operate with other religious organizations a high rate of membership turnover a low rate of doctrinal change and strict uniformity of beliefs among members 320 Beckford identified the group s chief characteristics as historicism identifying historical events as relating to the outworking of God s purpose absolutism conviction that Jehovah s Witness leaders dispense absolute truth activism capacity to motivate members to perform missionary tasks rationalism conviction that Witness doctrines have a rational basis devoid of mystery authoritarianism rigid presentation of regulations without the opportunity for criticism and world indifference rejection of certain secular requirements and medical treatments 321 Sociologist Bryan R Wilson in his consideration of five religious groups including Jehovah s Witnesses noted that each of the denominations 322 exists in a state of tension with the wider society imposes tests of merit on would be members exercises stern discipline regulating the declared beliefs and the life habits of members and prescribing and operating sanctions for those who deviate including the possibility of expulsion demands sustained and total commitment from its members and the subordination and perhaps even the exclusion of all other interests A sociological comparative study by the Pew Research Center found that Jehovah s Witnesses in the United States ranked highest in statistics for getting no further than high school graduation belief in God importance of religion in one s life frequency of religious attendance frequency of prayers frequency of Bible reading outside of religious services belief their prayers are answered belief that their religion can only be interpreted one way belief that theirs is the only one true faith leading to eternal life opposition to abortion and opposition to homosexuality In the study Jehovah s Witnesses ranked lowest in statistics for having an interest in politics 323 324 It was also among the most ethnically diverse religious groups in the US 319 OppositionControversy surrounding various beliefs doctrines and practices of Jehovah s Witnesses has led to opposition from governments communities and religious groups Religious commentator Ken Jubber wrote that Viewed globally this persecution has been so persistent and of such intensity that it would not be inaccurate to regard Jehovah s Witnesses as the most persecuted group of Christians of the twentieth century 325 Persecution Main article Persecution of Jehovah s Witnesses Political and religious animosity against Jehovah s Witnesses has at times led to mob action and government oppression in various countries Their stance regarding political neutrality and their refusal to serve in the military has led to imprisonment of members who refused conscription during World War II and at other times where national service has been compulsory Their religious activities are currently banned or restricted in some countries 326 including China Russia Vietnam and many Muslim majority countries 327 328 Countries where Jehovah s Witnesses activities are banned Authors including William Whalen Shawn Francis Peters and former Witnesses Barbara Grizzuti Harrison Alan Rogerson and William Schnell have claimed the arrests and mob violence in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s were the consequence of what appeared to be a deliberate course of provocation of authorities and other religious groups by Jehovah s Witnesses 329 330 Harrison Schnell and Whalen have suggested Rutherford invited and cultivated opposition for publicity purposes in a bid to attract dispossessed members of society and to convince members that persecution from the outside world was evidence of the truth of their struggle to serve God 331 332 333 Watch Tower Society literature of the period directed that Witnesses should never seek a controversy nor resist arrest but also advised members not to co operate with police officers or courts that ordered them to stop preaching and to prefer jail rather than pay fines 334 Canada Main article Persecution of Jehovah s Witnesses in Canada In 1940 one year following Canada s entry into World War II the denomination was banned under the War Measures Act This ban continued until 1943 335 Hundreds of members were prosecuted for being members of an illegal organization 336 Jehovah s Witnesses were interned in camps along with political dissidents and people of Chinese and Japanese descent 337 Jehovah s Witnesses faced discrimination in Quebec until the Quiet Revolution including bans on distributing literature or holding meetings 338 339 Roncarelli v Duplessis was a legal case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada The court held that in 1946 Maurice Duplessis both Premier and Attorney General of Quebec had overstepped his authority by ordering the manager of the Liquor Commission to revoke the liquor licence of Frank Roncarelli a Montreal restaurant owner and Jehovah s Witness who was an outspoken critic of the Roman Catholic Church in Quebec Roncarelli provided bail for Jehovah s Witnesses arrested for distributing pamphlets attacking the Roman Catholic Church The Supreme Court found Duplessis personally liable for 33 123 56 in damages plus Roncarelli s court costs 340 Germany Main article Persecution of Jehovah s Witnesses in Nazi Germany Jehovah s Witness prisoners were identified by purple triangle badges in Nazi concentration camps In 1933 there were approximately 20 000 Jehovah s Witnesses in Nazi Germany 341 of whom about 10 000 were imprisoned Jehovah s Witnesses suffered religious persecution by the Nazis because they refused military service and allegiance to Hitler s National Socialist Party 342 343 Of those 2 000 were sent to Nazi concentration camps where they were identified by purple triangles 343 as many as 1 200 died including 250 who were executed 344 345 In socialist East Germany from the 1950s to the 1980s Jehovah s Witnesses were persecuted extensively by the State Security Service the Stasi who frequently used decomposition methods against them Jehovah s Witnesses were considered to be a threat because their belief system did not conform to socialist standards and their members sometimes had contact with the West 346 Russia In April 1951 about 9 300 Jehovah s Witnesses in the Soviet Union were deported to Siberia as part of Operation North 347 In April 2017 the Supreme Court of Russia labeled Jehovah s Witnesses an extremist organization banned its activities in Russia and issued an order to confiscate the organization s assets 348 Legal challenges Main article Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah s Witnesses by country Several cases involving Jehovah s Witnesses have been heard by Supreme Courts throughout the world 349 The cases generally relate to their right to practice their religion displays of patriotism and military service and blood transfusions 350 In the United States legal challenges by Jehovah s Witnesses prompted a series of state and federal court rulings that reinforced judicial protections for civil liberties 351 352 Among the rights strengthened by Witness court victories in the United States are the protection of religious conduct from federal and state interference the right to abstain from patriotic rituals and military service the right of patients to refuse medical treatment and the right to engage in public discourse 353 Similar cases in their favor have been heard in Canada 354 Criticism and controversyMain article Criticism of Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses have received criticism from mainstream Christianity members of the medical community former members and commentators regarding their beliefs and practices The movement has been accused of doctrinal inconsistency and reversals failed predictions mistranslation of the Bible harsh treatment of former members and autocratic and coercive leadership Criticism has also focused on their rejection of blood transfusions particularly in life threatening medical situations and failing to report cases of sexual abuse to the authorities Free speech and thought Doctrines of Jehovah s Witnesses are established by the Governing Body 355 356 The denomination does not tolerate dissent over doctrines and practices 153 357 358 359 members who openly disagree with the group s teachings are expelled and shunned 254 Witness publications strongly discourage followers from questioning doctrine and counsel received from the Governing Body reasoning that it is to be trusted as part of God s organization 359 360 361 362 It also warns members to avoid independent thinking claiming such thinking was introduced by Satan the Devil 363 364 and would cause division 365 Those who openly disagree with official teachings are condemned as apostates who are mentally diseased 260 366 367 Former members Heather and Gary Botting compare the cultural paradigms of the denomination to George Orwell s Nineteen Eighty Four 106 and Alan Rogerson describes the group s leadership as totalitarian 368 Other critics say that by disparaging individual decision making the group s leaders cultivate a system of unquestioning obedience 159 369 in which Witnesses abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives 370 371 Critics also accuse the group s leaders of exercising intellectual dominance over Witnesses 372 controlling information 254 373 374 and creating mental isolation which former Governing Body member Raymond Franz argued were all elements of mind control 375 Jehovah s Witness publications state that consensus of faith aids unity and deny that unity restricts individuality or imagination 376 Historian James Irvin Lichti has rejected the description of the denomination as totalitarian 377 Sociologist Rodney Stark states that Jehovah s Witness leaders are not always very democratic and that members are expected to conform to rather strict standards but adds that enforcement tends to be very informal sustained by the close bonds of friendship within the group and that Jehovah s Witnesses see themselves as part of the power structure rather than subject to it 92 Sociologist Andrew Holden states that most members who join millenarian movements such as Jehovah s Witnesses have made an informed choice 378 However he also states that defectors are seldom allowed a dignified exit 260 and describes the administration as autocratic 355 New World Translation Main article New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures Various Bible scholars including Bruce M Metzger 379 and MacLean Gilmour 380 have said that while scholarship is evident in New World Translation its rendering of certain texts is inaccurate and biased in favor of Witness practices and doctrines 113 381 382 383 384 385 Critics of the group such as Edmund C Gruss 386 and Christian writers such as Ray C Stedman 387 Walter Martin Norman Klann 388 and Anthony Hoekema 389 state that the New World Translation exhibits scholastic dishonesty Most criticism of the New World Translation relates to its rendering of the New Testament particularly regarding the introduction of the name Jehovah and in passages related to the Trinity doctrine 390 391 Unfulfilled predictions Main article Unfulfilled Watch Tower Society predictions Watch Tower Society publications have claimed that God has used Jehovah s Witnesses and formerly the International Bible Students to declare his will 392 393 and has provided advance knowledge about Armageddon and the establishment of God s kingdom 394 395 396 Some publications also claimed that God has used Jehovah s Witnesses and the International Bible Students as a modern day prophet en 5 George D Chryssides stated while prediction may be part of a biblical prophet s role the root meaning of prophecy is that of proclaiming God s word He went on to say that Jehovah s Witnesses are the recipients of prophecy who regard themselves as invested with the interpretation of biblical writings 397 en 6 With these interpretations Jehovah s Witnesses publications have made various predictions about world events they believe were prophesied in the Bible 398 399 Failed predictions have led to the alteration or abandonment of some doctrines 400 401 Some failed predictions had been presented as beyond doubt or approved by God 402 The Watch Tower Society rejects accusations that it is a false prophet 403 stating that its interpretations are not inspired or infallible 404 405 406 and that it has not claimed its predictions were the words of Jehovah 403 Chryssides has suggested that with the exception of statements about 1914 1925 and 1975 the changing views and dates of the Jehovah s Witnesses are largely attributable to changed understandings of biblical chronology rather than to failed predictions Chryssides further states it is therefore simplistic and naive to view the Witnesses as a group that continues to set a single end date that fails and then devise a new one as many counter cultists do 407 However sociologist Andrew Holden states that since the foundation of the movement around 140 years ago Witnesses have maintained that we are living on the precipice of the end of time 408 Handling of sexual abuse cases Main article Jehovah s Witnesses handling of child sex abuse Jehovah s Witnesses have been accused of having policies and culture that help to conceal cases of sexual abuse within the organization 409 The group has been criticized for its two witness rule for church discipline based on its application of scriptures in Deuteronomy 19 15 and Matthew 18 15 17 which requires sexual abuse to be substantiated by secondary evidence if the accused person denies any wrongdoing 410 411 412 In cases where corroboration is lacking the Watch Tower Society s instruction is that the elders will leave the matter in Jehovah s hands 413 A former member of the headquarters staff Barbara Anderson says the policy effectively requires that there be another witness to an act of molestation which is an impossibility Anderson says the policies protect pedophiles rather than protect the children 414 Jehovah s Witnesses maintain that they have a strong policy to protect children adding that the best way to protect children is by educating parents they also state that they do not sponsor activities that separate children from parents 410 415 416 417 The group s failure to report abuse allegations to authorities has also been criticized 418 The Watch Tower Society s policy is that elders inform authorities when required by law to do so but otherwise leave that action up to the victim and his or her family 410 419 420 William Bowen a former Jehovah s Witness elder who established the Silentlambs organization to assist sex abuse victims within the denomination has claimed Witness leaders discourage followers from reporting incidents of sexual misconduct to authorities and other critics claim the organization is reluctant to alert authorities in order to protect its crime free reputation 409 421 In court cases in the United Kingdom and the United States the Watch Tower Society has been found negligent in its failure to protect children from known sex offenders within the congregation 422 423 The Society has settled other child abuse lawsuits out of court reportedly paying as much as 780 000 to one plaintiff without admitting wrongdoing 414 In 2017 the Charity Commission for England and Wales began an inquiry into Jehovah s Witnesses handling of allegations of child sexual abuse in the United Kingdom 424 425 The Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse found that there was no evidence before the Royal Commission of the Jehovah s Witness organisation having or not having reported to police any of the 1 006 alleged perpetrators of child sexual abuse identified by the organisation since 1950 356 The Royal Commission also found that the Watch Tower Society legal department routinely provided incorrect information to elders based on an incorrect understanding of what constitutes a legal obligation to report crimes in Australia 426 427 In 2021 Jehovah s Witnesses in Australia agreed to join the nation s redress scheme for sexual assault survivors to maintain its charity status there 428 Explanatory notes Based on Isaiah 43 10 12 13 the name was restyled as Jehovah s Witnesses with capital W in the 1970s Raymond Franz In Search of Christian Freedom 2007 p 449 cites various Watch Tower Society publications that stress loyalty and obedience to the organization including Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View The Watchtower October 1 1967 p 591 Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king Jesus Christ It is essential for life Doing so be complete in accepting its every aspect Jehovah s Word Is Alive Highlights From Book Five of Psalms The Watchtower September 1 2006 p 15 Have we formed a loyal attachment to the organization that Jehovah is using today Your Reminders Are What I Am Fond Of The Watchtower June 15 2006 p 26 We too should remain faithful to Jehovah and to his organization regardless of injustices we suffer and regardless of what others do Are You Prepared for Survival The Watchtower May 15 2006 p 22 Just as Noah and his God fearing family were preserved in the ark survival of individuals today depends on their faith and their loyal association with the earthly part of Jehovah s universal organization Worship The Only True God Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 2002 p 134 Jehovah is guiding us today by means of his visible organization under Christ Our attitude toward this arrangement demonstrates how we feel about the issue of sovereignty By being loyal to Jehovah s organization we show that Jehovah is our God and that we are united in worship of him 2013 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses p 178 During the 2012 service year Jehovah s Witnesses spent over 184 million in caring for special pioneers missionaries and traveling overseers in their field service assignments A common example given is a baptized Witness who dates a non Witness see Questions From Readers The Watchtower July 15 1999 p 30 Raymond Franz cites numerous examples In Crisis of Conscience 2002 pg 173 he quotes from They Shall Know That a Prophet Was Among Them The Watchtower April 1 1972 pp 197 200 which states that God had raised Jehovah s Witnesses as a prophet to warn people of dangers and declare things to come He also cites Identifying the Right Kind of Messenger The Watchtower May 1 1997 p 8 which identifies the Witnesses as his true messengers by making the messages he delivers through them come true in contrast to false messengers whose predictions fail In In Search of Christian Freedom 2007 he quotes Commissioned to Speak in the Divine Name Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 1971 pp 70 292 which describes Witnesses as the modern Ezekiel class a genuine prophet within our generation The Watch Tower book noted Concerning the message faithfully delivered by the Ezekiel class Jehovah positively states that it must come true those who wait undecided until it does come true will also have to know that a prophet himself had proved to be in the midst of them He also cites Execution of the Great Harlot Nears The Watchtower October 15 1980 p 17 which claims God gives the Witnesses special knowledge that others do not have advance knowledge about this system s end In Jehovah s Witnesses Continuity and Change Chryssides states after discussing the April 1 1972 Watchtower article that It would be tedious to comment on each passage in which Watch Tower literature explains the Jehovah s Witnesses position on prophecy Some of it may lack the precision that its detractors appear to demand but the Society s position is quite clear Jehovah s Witnesses do not claim to have any new revelation or people who are designated as prophets As cessationists they identify the ability to prophesy as a gift that died out with the first generation of Christians but prophetic utterances remain in the Bible which serves as the key source of authority since the Bible is held to contain predictive prophecy Jehovah s Witnesses claim to see into the future through the Society s interpretation of scripture pg 225 References Historical Dictionary of Jehovah s Witnesses Rowman amp Littlefield 2019 p 164 ISBN 9781538119525 Jehovah s Witnesses are pre millennialist a b Cobb v Brede California Superior Court San Mateo County February 22 2012 I am general counsel for the National Organization of Jehovah s Witnesses out of Brooklyn New York We are a hierarchical religion structured just like the Catholic Church a b Stanley I Kutler ed 2003 Jehovah s Witnesses Dictionary of American History 3rd ed New York Charles Scribner s Sons ISBN 978 0 684 80533 7 America s Alternative Religions SUNY Press January 1995 ISBN 9780791423974 a b c d 2022 Grand Totals Watchtower Bible and Tract Society 2022 Retrieved January 10 2023 Sources for descriptors Millenarian Beckford 1975 pp 118 119 151 200 201 Restorationist Stark Rodney Iannaccone Laurence R 1997 Why the Jehovah s Witnesses Grow so Rapidly A Theoretical Application PDF Journal of Contemporary Religion 12 2 133 157 doi 10 1080 13537909708580796 Archived from the original PDF on December 28 2017 Retrieved December 27 2017 Christian Who is a Christian www religioustolerance org Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance Retrieved December 27 2017 Religious Landscape Study Pew Research Center s Religion amp Public Life Project Pew Research Center May 11 2015 Retrieved December 27 2017 World Almanac and Book of Facts New York NY Infobase Learning 2011 pp 704 705 ISBN 978 1 60057 133 6 Denomination Jehovah s Witnesses at a glance BBC September 29 2009 Retrieved December 27 2017 Jehovah s Witness TheFreeDictionary com The American Heritage Dictionary Retrieved December 27 2017 Imprisoned for Their Faith Jehovah s Witnesses in Auschwitz auschwitz org Auschwitz Birkenau State Museum February 5 2004 Retrieved December 27 2017 Beckford 1975 p 221 Doctrine has always emanated from the Society s elite in Brooklyn and has never emerged from discussion among or suggestion from rank and file Witnesses a b c Penton 1997 pp 58 61 62 Paul Lagasse ed 2000 Jehovah s Witnesses The Columbia Encyclopedia 6th ed New York Columbia University Press ISBN 978 0 7876 5015 5 The Witnesses base their teaching on the Bible Jehovah s Witness Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc 2007 ISBN 978 1 59339 293 2 Michael Hill ed 1972 The Embryonic State of a Religious Sect s Development The Jehovah s Witnesses Sociological Yearbook of Religion in Britain 5 11 12 Joseph Franklin Rutherford succeeded to Russell s position as President of Zion s Watch Tower Tract Society but only at the expense of antagonizing a large proportion of the Watch Towers subscribers Nevertheless he persisted in moulding the Society to suit his own programme of activist evangelism under systematic central control and he succeeded in creating the administrative structure of the present day sect of Jehovah s Witnesses Leo P Chall 1978 Sociological Abstracts Sociology of Religion 26 1 3 193 Rutherford through the Watch Tower Society succeeded in changing all aspects of the sect from 1919 to 1932 and created Jehovah s Witnesses a charismatic offshoot of the Bible student community Bearers of the Fear inspiring Name The Watchtower Watch Tower Society November 1 1961 p 654 in 1931 embracing the name Jehovah s witnesses a href Template Cite magazine html title Template Cite magazine cite magazine a CS1 maint url status link a b Rogerson 1969 p 55 In 1931 came an important milestone in the history of the organization For many years Rutherford s followers had been called a variety of names International Bible Students Russellites or Millennial Dawners In order to distinguish clearly his followers from the other groups who had separated in 1918 Rutherford proposed that they adopt an entirely new name Jehovah s witnesses a b Beckford 1975 p 30 The new title symbolized a break with the legacy of Russell s traditions the instigation of new outlooks and the promotion of fresh methods of administering evangelism a b A New Name The Watch Tower October 1 1931 p 291 Since the death of Charles T Russell there have arisen numerous companies formed out of those who once walked with him each of these companies claiming to teach the truth and each calling themselves by some name such as Followers of Pastor Russell those who stand by the truth as expounded by Pastor Russell Associated Bible Students and some by the names of their local leaders All of this tends to confusion and hinders those of good will who are not better informed from obtaining a knowledge of the truth Franz 2007 pp 274 275 Edwards Linda 2001 A Brief Guide to Beliefs Louisville Kentucky Westminster John Knox Press p 438 ISBN 978 0 664 22259 8 The Jehovah s Witnesses interpretation of Christianity and their rejection of orthodoxy influenced them to produce their own translation of the Bible The New World Translation When Was Ancient Jerusalem Destroyed Part One The Watchtower October 1 2011 p 26 Jehovah s Witnesses produce a reliable Bible translation known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures However if you are not one of Jehovah s Witnesses you may prefer to use other translations when considering Bible subjects This article quotes from a number of widely accepted Bible translations Chryssides 2008 p 100 Although it is the preferred translation by the Witnesses they remain willing to use other translations in house to house ministry and in countries where a NWT has not yet been published Singelenberg Richard 1989 It Separated the Wheat From the Chaff The 1975 Prophecy and its Impact Among Dutch Jehovah s Witnesses Sociological Analysis 50 Spring 1989 23 40 doi 10 2307 3710916 JSTOR 3710916 The Truth is Witnesses jargon meaning the Society s belief system Penton 1997 p 280 283 Most Witnesses tend to think of society outside their own community as decadent and corrupt This in turn means to Jehovah s Witnesses that they must keep themselves apart from Satan s doomed system of things Thus most tend to socialize largely although not totally within the Witness community God s Kingdom A Government With No Corruption The Watchtower January 1 2015 p 4 Would you not agree that if human society is corrupt then any government that is a part of it will inevitably be corrupt If that is the case then a government free of corruption must come from outside human society Chryssides George D 1999 Exploring New Religions London Continuum p 5 ISBN 978 0 8264 5959 6 The Jehovah s Witnesses are well known for their practice of disfellowshipping wayward members Chryssides 2016 pp 139 140 The transgressor is invariably given the opportunity to repent and to be counselled for his or her weaknesses disfellowshipping is a last resort and is effectively a formal recognition that a Witness has placed himself or herself beyond the pale and does not accept the fundamental teachings and practices of the organisation a b Shepherd the Flock of God Watch Tower Society p 119 The committee should be careful to allow sufficient time perhaps many months a year or even longer for the disfellowshipped person to prove that his profession of repentance is genuine Tanzania Dons Fault Court Over Suspension of Students Page 1 of 2 allAfrica com June 17 2013 Retrieved June 19 2014 Kibakaya Esther August 18 2013 How much of our religion must we bring to school The Citizen Archived from the original on July 14 2014 Retrieved June 22 2014 Flag Salute Voting and Civilian Service Keep Yourselves in God s Love Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania pp 212 215 Retrieved October 2 2021 Manwaring David R 1962 Render Unto Caesar The Flag Salute Controversy p 32 Botting 1993 pp 1 13 Rogerson 1969 p 6 a b c Beckford 1975 p 2 Crompton 1996 pp 37 39 Gentile Times When Do They End Bible Examiner October 1 1876 pp 27 28 The seven times will end in A D 1914 when Jerusalem shall be delivered forever when Gentile Governments shall have been dashed to pieces when God shall have poured out of his fury upon the nations and they acknowledge him King of Kings and Lord of Lords Studies in the Scriptures Vol IV Watch Tower Society 1897 p xii Russell Charles 1889 The Time is at Hand Watch Tower Society p 101 the battle of the great day of God Almighty Rev 16 14 which will end in A D 1914 with the complete overthrow of Earth s present rulership is already commenced Botting amp Botting 1984 p 36 a b Holden 2002 p 18 Prospectus Zion s Watch Tower July 1 1879 p 1 This is the first number of the first volume of Zion s Watch Tower and it may not be amiss to state the object of its publication That we are living in the last days the day of the Lord the end of the Gospel age and consequently in the dawn of a new age Part 1 United States of America 1975 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 1975 p 38 The Ecclesia Zion s Watch Tower September 1 1884 pp 7 8 Russell Charles 1904 Studies in the Scriptures Vol VI Watch Tower Society pp 195 272 Chryssides 2008 p xxxiv Russell wanted to consolidate the movement he had started In 1880 Bible House a four story building in Allegheny was completed with printing facilities and meeting accommodation and it became the organization s headquarters The next stage of institutionalization was legal incorporation In 1884 Russell formed the Zion s Watch Tower Tract Society which was incorporated in Pennsylvania Russell was concerned that his supporters should feel part of a unified movement Vergilius Ture Anselm Ferm 1948 Religion in the Twentieth Century Philosophical Library p 383 As the unincorporated Watch Tower Society expanded it became necessary to incorporate it and build a more definite organization In 1884 a charter was granted recognizing the Society as a religious non profit corporation Holden 2002 p 19 A Chronology and Glossary of Propaganda in the United States Greenwood Press 1996 p 35 Russell is naturally media literate and the amount of literature he circulates proves staggering Books booklets and tracts are distributed by the hundreds of millions This is supplemented by well publicized speaking tours and a masterful press relations effort which gives him widespread access to general audiences Penton 1997 pp 26 29 W T Ellis October 3 1912 Title unknown The Continent Vol 43 no 40 McCormick Publishing Company p 1354 by Walter H Conser Sumner B Twiss 1997 Religious Diversity and American Religious History University of Georgia Press p 136 The Jehovah s Witnesses has maintained a very different attitude toward history Established initially in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell under the title International Bible Students Association this organization has proclaimed The New Schaff Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge Vol 7 1910 p 374 Penton 1997 p 26 Rogerson 1969 p 31 Penton 1997 p 53 A N Pierson 1917 Light After Darkness p 4 Crompton 1996 p 101 The Fall of Babylon PDF The Bible Students Monthly Vol 9 no 9 pp 1 4 The following article is extracted mainly from Pastor Russell s posthumous volume entitled THE FINISHED MYSTERY the 7th in the series of his STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES and published subsequent to his death Lawson John D 1921 American State Trials Vol 13 Thomas Law Book Company p viii After his death and after we were in the war they issued a seventh volume of this series entitled The Finished Mystery which under the guise of being a posthumous work of Pastor Russell included an attack on the war and an attack on patriotism which were not written by Pastor Russell and could not have possibly been written by him Crompton 1996 pp 84 85 One of Rutherford s first actions as president was without reference either to his fellow directors or to the editorial committee which Russell had nominated in his will to commission a seventh volume of Studies in the Scriptures Responsibility for preparing this volume was given to two of Russell s close associates George H Fisher and Clayton J Woodworth On the face of it their brief was to edit for publication the notes left by Russell and to draw upon his published writings It is obvious that it was not in any straightforward sense the result of editing Russell s papers rather it was in large measure the original work of Woodworth and Fisher at the behest of the new president Penton 1997 p 55 Rogerson 1969 p 44 a b Franz 2007 Chapter 4 7 Advertise the King and the Kingdom 1919 1941 Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 pp 72 77 Franz 2007 p 144 Rutherford Joseph F 1920 Millions Now Living Will Never Die Brooklyn New York International Bible Students Association pp 89 90 ISBN 978 1 4116 2898 4 Chryssides George D 2010 How Prophecy Succeeds The Jehovah s Witnesses and Prophetic Expectations International Journal for the Study of New Religions 1 1 27 48 doi 10 1558 ijsnr v1i1 27 ISSN 2041 952X Rogerson 1969 pp 39 52 Herbert H Stroup 1945 The Jehovah s Witnesses New York Columbia University Press pp 14 15 Following his election the existence of the movement was threatened as never before Many of those who remembered wistfully the halcyon days of Mr Russell s leadership found that the new incumbent did not fulfill their expectations of a saintly leader Various elements split off from the parent body and such fission continued throughout Rutherford s leadership a b Penton 1997 pp 58 61 Gruss Edmond C 2001 Jehovah s Witnesses Their Claims Doctrinal Changes and Prophetic Speculation What Does the Record Show Xulon Press p 218 ISBN 978 1 931232 30 2 Reed David 1993 Whither the Watchtower Christian Research Journal 27 Archived from the original on September 9 2011 By gradually replacing locally elected elders with his own appointees he managed to transform a loose collection of semi autonomous democratically run congregations into a tight knit organizational machine controlled from his office Some local congregations broke away forming such groups as the Chicago Bible Students the Dawn Bible Students and the Laymen s Home Missionary Movement all of which continue to this day Thirty Years a Watchtower Slave William J Schnell Baker Grand Rapids 1956 as cited by Rogerson 1969 p 52 Rogerson notes that it is not clear exactly how many Bible Students left but quotes Rutherford Jehovah 1934 page 277 as saying only a few who left other religions were then in God s organization The Present Truth and Herald of Christ s Epiphany P S L Johnson April 1927 pg 66 Johnson stated that between late 1923 and early 1927 20 000 to 30 000 Truth people the world over have left the Society Gruss Edmond C 1970 Apostles of Denial An Examination and Expose of the History Doctrines and Claims of the Jehovah s Witnesses Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co p 265 ISBN 978 0 87552 305 7 Beckford 1975 p 31 Penton 1997 pp 71 72 Crompton 1996 pp 109 110 Beckford 1975 p 35 Garbe Detlef 2008 Between Resistance and Martyrdom Jehovah s Witnesses in the Third Reich Madison Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Press p 145 ISBN 978 0 299 20794 6 1943 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 1942 pp 221 222 Jehovah s Witnesses in the Divine Purpose Watch Tower Society 1959 pp 312 313 Beckford 1975 pp 47 52 Beckford 1975 pp 52 55 Penton 1997 pp 89 90 Chryssides 2008 p 19 What will the 1970 s Bring Awake Watch Tower Society October 8 1968 p 14 Does this mean that the above evidence positively points to 1975 as the complete end of this system of things Since the Bible does not specifically state this no man can say If the 1970s should see intervention by Jehovah God to bring an end to a corrupt world drifting toward ultimate disintegration that should surely not surprise us How Are You Using Your Life Our Kingdom Ministry May 1 1974 p 63 Reports are heard of brothers selling their homes and property and planning to finish out the rest of their days in this old system in the pioneer service Certainly this is a fine way to spend the short time remaining before the wicked world s end a b Penton 1997 p 95 Botting amp Botting 1984 p 46 Franz Raymond 2002 1975 The Appropriate Time for God to Act PDF Crisis of Conscience pp 237 253 ISBN 978 0 914675 23 5 Retrieved July 27 2006 Singelenberg Richard 1989 The 1975 Prophecy and Its Impact Among Dutch Jehovah s Witnesses Sociological Analysis 50 1 23 40 doi 10 2307 3710916 JSTOR 3710916 Archived from the original on October 1 2015 Retrieved July 27 2006 Notes a nine percent drop in total publishers door to door preachers and a 38 per cent drop in pioneers full time preachers in the Netherlands a b Stark and Iannoccone 1997 Why the Jehovah s Witnesses Grow So Rapidly A Theoretical Application PDF Journal of Contemporary Religion 142 143 Archived from the original PDF on April 12 2019 Retrieved July 16 2013 Dart John January 30 1982 Defectors Feel Witness Wrath Critics say Baptism Rise Gives False Picture of Growth Los Angeles Times p B4 Cited statistics showing a net increase of publishers worldwide from 1971 to 1981 of 737 241 while baptisms totaled 1 71 million for the same period a b Hesse Hans 2001 Persecution and Resistance of Jehovah s Witnesses During the Nazi Regime Chicago Edition Temmen c o pp 296 298 ISBN 978 3 861 08750 2 Choosing the Best Way of Life The Watchtower March 15 1980 pp 17 18 With the appearance of the book Life Everlasting in Freedom of the Sons of God considerable expectation was aroused regarding the year 1975 there were other statements published that implied that such realization of hopes by that year was more of a probability than a mere possibility It is to be regretted that these latter statements apparently overshadowed the cautionary ones and contributed to a buildup of the expectation already initiated persons having to do with the publication of the information contributed to the buildup of hopes centered on that date Chryssides 2008 pp 32 112 Chryssides 2008 p 64 Penton 1997 p 317 Joel P Engardio December 18 1995 Apocalypse Later Newsweek Vol 236 no 3146 pp 24 25 Bibcode 2017NewSc 236Q 24L doi 10 1016 S0262 4079 17 31969 3 Jehovah s Witnesses Abandon Key Tenet Doctrine Sect has quietly retreated from prediction that those alive in 1914 would see end of world Los Angeles Times November 4 1995 Overseers and Ministerial Servants Theocratically Appointed The Watchtower January 15 2001 p 16 Theocratic appointments come from Jehovah through his Son and God s visible earthly channel the faithful and discreet slave and its Governing Body Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View The Watchtower October 1 1967 pp 591 592 Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king Jesus Christ It is essential for life Doing so be complete in accepting its every aspect We cannot claim to love God yet deny his Word and channel of communication Therefore in submitting to Jehovah s visible theocratic organization we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements Penton 1997 p 211 What Is the Governing Body of Jehovah s Witnesses Official website of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 2007 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society pp 4 6 a b Botting amp Botting 1984 p page needed Franz 2007 p 123 How the Governing Body Is Organized The Watchtower May 15 2008 p 29 Seek God s Guidance in All Things The Watchtower April 15 2008 p 11 Franz 2007 p 153 Preaching and Teaching Earth Wide 2009 Grand Totals 2010 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 2010 p 42 Annual Meeting Report Official website of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society a b c Penton 1997 pp 174 176 Penton 1997 p 101 233 235 Chryssides 2008 pp 17 18 Penton M James 2015 Apocalypse Delayed The Story of Jehovah s Witnesses 3rd ed University of Toronto Press pp 326 460 461 ISBN 978 1442616059 For many years they received only 14 per month but that has been increased during the last several decades to 100 or more per month and their clothing allowance has also been increased significantly Barbara Anderson relates that she and her husband received 100 a month were given board and room and had a yearly clothing allowance of 250 during the years they were at Bethel until they left in 1997 Although Bethelites may receive somewhat more today they are certainly not paid anything like real wages Botting amp Botting 1984 p 32 Missionaries circuit overseers district overseers special pioneers and branch office workers receive small allowances each month Watchtower Society Encyclopedia of American Religion and Politics p 466 The religious order of Jehovah s Witnesses caters to the needs of all volunteers who have taken a vow of poverty and obedience a b Gallagher Eugene V Ashcraft W Michael 2006 Introduction to New and Alternative Religions in America vol 2 Westport Connecticut Greenwood Press p 69 ISBN 978 0 275 98712 1 Taylor Elizabeth J 2012 Religion A Clinical Guide for Nurses Springer Publishing Company p 163 ISBN 978 0 8261 0860 9 Pay Attention to Yourselves and to All the Flock Watch Tower Society 1981 p 147 Case Study 29 Transcript day 147 PDF Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse July 27 2015 p 16 Hoekema 1963 p 291 a b Franz 2007 pp 116 120 Chryssides 2008 p 14 Baptism and Your Relationship With God What Does the Bible Really Teach Watch Tower Society p 182 Going beneath the water symbolizes that you have died to your former life course Being raised up out of the water indicates that you are now alive to do the will of God Remember too that you have made a dedication to Jehovah God himself not to a work a cause other humans or an organization Franz 2007 pp 449 464 Holden 2002 p 32 The structure of the movement and the intense loyalty demanded of each individual at every level demonstrates the characteristics of totalitarianism 30 What You Must Do to Live Forever You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth Watch Tower Society 1989 p 255 It is simply not true that all religions lead to the same goal Matthew 7 21 23 24 21 You must be part of Jehovah s organization doing God s will in order to receive his blessing of everlasting life You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth But How The Watchtower February 15 1983 p 12 Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it a b Meyers Jim October 2010 Jehovah s Witnesses Publishing Titans PDF Newsmax West Palm Beach FL Newsmax Media Online Bible Official website of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society Joe Pompeo September 30 2010 Did You Know The Most Widely Circulated Magazine In The World Is The Monthly Publication Of Jehovah s Witnesses Business Insider Jehovah s Witnesses Reach New Preaching Milestone JW ORG Now Features Content in 1 000 Languages Official website of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 8 Tools for Preaching Producing Literature for the Worldwide Field God s Kingdom Rules Watch Tower Society 2014 p 79 At the Top NYC Company Profiles NYC 40 Newsday 2002 Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 2002 p 31 Van Voorst Robert E 2012 RELG World Cengage Learning p 288 ISBN 978 1 1117 2620 1 Remember Those Who Are Taking the Lead Among You Organized to Do Jehovah s Will Watch Tower Society 2015 pp 17 19 Cooperating With the Governing Body Today The Watchtower March 15 1990 p 19 Beckford 1975 p 119 Focus on the Goodness of Jehovah s Organization The Watchtower July 15 2006 p 22 Impart God s Progressive Revelation to Mankind The Watchtower March 1 1965 pp 158 159 Penton 1997 pp 165 171 Flashes of Light Great and Small The Watchtower May 15 1995 p 15 The Path of the Righteous Does Keep Getting Brighter The Watchtower December 1 1981 pp 26 31 Penton 1997 p 165 Rutherford Joseph 1933 Preparation Watch Tower Society pp 64 67 Enlightenment proceeds from Jehovah by and through Christ Jesus and is given to the faithful anointed on earth at the temple and brings great peace and consolation to them Again Zechariah talked with the angel of the Lord which shows that the remnant are instructed by the angels of the Lord The remnant do not hear audible sounds because such is not necessary Jehovah has provided his own good way to convey thoughts to the minds of his anointed ones Those of the remnant being honest and true must say We do not know and the Lord enlightens them sending his angels for that very purpose The Spirit Searches into the Deep Things of God The Watchtower July 15 2010 p 23 When the time comes to clarify a spiritual matter in our day holy spirit helps responsible representatives of the faithful and discreet slave at world headquarters to discern deep truths that were not previously understood The Governing Body as a whole considers adjusted explanations What they learn they publish for the benefit of all Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible The Watchtower February 15 1981 p 19 True the brothers preparing these publications are not infallible Their writings are not inspired as are those of Paul and the other Bible writers 2 Tim 3 16 And so at times it has been necessary as understanding became clearer to correct views Prov 4 18 Do You See the Evidence of God s Guidance The Watchtower April 15 2011 pp 3 5 How then do we react when we receive divine direction Do we try to apply it right afterward Or do we continue doing things just as we have been accustomed to doing them Are we familiar with up to date directions such as those regarding conducting home Bible studies preaching to foreign speaking people regularly sharing in family worship cooperating with Hospital Liaison Committees and conducting ourselves properly at conventions Do you clearly discern the evidence of divine guidance Jehovah uses his organization to guide us his people through the wilderness during these last days of Satan s wicked world Unity Identifies True Worship The Watchtower September 15 2010 p 13 a b Overseers of Jehovah s People The Watchtower June 15 1957 pp 369 375 Let us now unmistakably identify Jehovah s channel of communication for our day that we may continue in his favor It is vital that we appreciate this fact and respond to the directions of the slave as we would to the voice of God because it is His provision Penton 1997 p 172 Archaeology and the Inspired Record All Scripture is Inspired of God Watch Tower Society 1990 p 336 All Scripture Is Inspired of God and Beneficial All Scripture is Inspired of God Watch Tower Society 1990 p 9 Jehovah s Witnesses Reasoning From The Scriptures Watch Tower Society 1989 pp 199 208 Holden 2002 p 67 Materials such as The Watchtower are almost as significant to the Witnesses as the Bible since the information is presented as the inspired work of theologians and they are therefore believed to contain as much truth as biblical texts a b James A Beverley Crisis of Allegiance Welch Publishing Company Burlington Ontario 1986 ISBN 0 920413 37 4 pages 25 26 101 For every passage in Society literature that urges members to be bold and courageous in critical pursuits there are many others that warn about independent thinking and the peril of questioning the organization Fear of disobedience to the Governing Body keeps Jehovah s Witnesses from carefully checking into biblical doctrine or allegations concerning false prophecy faulty scholarship and injustice Witnesses are told not to read books like this one Keep Clear of False Worship The Watchtower March 15 2006 pp 27 31 True Christians keep clear of false worship rejecting false religious teachings This means that we avoid exposure to religious programs on radio and television as well as religious literature that promotes lies about God and his Word Questions From Readers The Watchtower May 1 1984 p 31 Why do Jehovah s Witnesses decline to exchange their Bible study aids for the religious literature of people they meet So it would be foolhardy as well as a waste of valuable time for Jehovah s Witnesses to accept and expose themselves to false religious literature that is designed to deceive Question Box Our Kingdom Ministry September 1 2007 p 3 Throughout the earth Jehovah s people are receiving ample spiritual instruction and encouragement at congregation meetings assemblies and conventions as well as through the publications of Jehovah s organization Under the guidance of his holy spirit and on the basis of his Word of truth Jehovah provides what is needed so that all of God s people may be fitly united in the same mind and in the same line of thought and remain stabilized in the faith Surely we are grateful for Jehovah s spiritual provisions in these last days Thus the faithful and discreet slave does not endorse any literature meetings or Web sites that are not produced or organized under its oversight Make Your Advancement Manifest The Watchtower August 1 2001 p 14 Since oneness is to be observed a mature Christian must be in unity and full harmony with fellow believers as far as faith and knowledge are concerned He does not advocate or insist on personal opinions or harbor private ideas when it comes to Bible understanding Rather he has complete confidence in the truth as it is revealed by Jehovah God through his Son Jesus Christ and the faithful and discreet slave Testimony by Fred Franz Transcript Lord Strachan vs Douglas Walsh 1954 page 123 Q Did you imply that the individual member has the right of reading the books and the Bible and forming his own view as to the proper interpretation of Holy Writ A No The Scripture is there given in support of the statement and therefore the individual when he looks up the Scripture and thereby verifies the statement search es the Scripture to see whether these things were so Do We Need Help to Understand the Bible The Watchtower February 15 1981 p 19 Jesus disciples wrote many letters to Christian congregations to persons who were already in the way of the truth But nowhere do we read that those brothers first in a skeptical frame of mind checked the Scriptures to make certain that those letters had Scriptural backing that the writers really knew what they were talking about We can benefit from this consideration If we have once established what instrument God is using as his slave to dispense spiritual food to his people surely Jehovah is not pleased if we receive that food as though it might contain something harmful We should have confidence in the channel God is using Beckford 1975 pp 84 89 92 119 120 Questions From Readers The Watchtower April 1 1986 pp 30 31 Holden 2002 p 24 Ringnes Hege Kristin Sodal Helje Kringlebotn eds 2009 Jehovas vitner en flerfaglig studie in Norwegian Oslo Universitetsforlaget p 27 ISBN 978 82 15 01453 1 Holden A 2002 Cavorting With the Devil Jehovah s Witnesses Who Abandon Their Faith PDF Department of Sociology Lancaster University Lancaster LA1 4YL UK p Endnote i Retrieved April 4 2017 Rogerson 1969 p 87 Beckford 1975 p 105 Revelation Its Grand Climax Watch Tower Society 1988 p 36 In the songbook produced by Jehovah s people in 1905 there were twice as many songs praising Jesus as there were songs praising Jehovah God In their 1928 songbook the number of songs extolling Jesus was about the same as the number extolling Jehovah But in the latest songbook of 1984 Jehovah is honored by four times as many songs as is Jesus This is in harmony with Jesus own words The Father is greater than I am Love for Jehovah must be preeminent accompanied by deep love for Jesus and appreciation of his precious sacrifice and office as God s High Priest and King Rogerson 1969 p 90 What is the Holy Spirit The Watchtower October 1 2009 p 5 There is a close connection between the holy spirit and the power of God The holy spirit is the means by which Jehovah exerts his power Put simply the holy spirit is God s applied power or his active force Hoekema 1963 p 262 Hoekema 1963 pp 276 277 Penton 1997 p 372 After Jesus Resurrection Was His Body Flesh or Spirit Jehovah s Witnesses Official Website jw org Retrieved April 26 2022 Hoekema 1963 p 270 Stay in the City of Refuge and Live The Watchtower November 15 1995 p 19 Penton 1997 pp 188 189 a b Penton 1997 pp 188 190 Hoekema 1963 pp 298 299 Holden 2002 p 25 Identifying the Wild Beast and Its Mark The Watchtower April 1 2004 p 5 This does not mean however that every human ruler is a direct tool of Satan Hoekema 1963 pp 322 324 a b Hoekema 1963 pp 265 269 Penton 1997 p 186 Penton 1997 pp 193 194 Young Ones Are You Ready to Get Baptized The Watchtower study ed March 1 2016 p 4 It is a great privilege to get baptized as one of Jehovah s Witnesses Moreover baptism is a requirement for Christians and it is a vital step toward gaining salvation Remaining Organized for Survival Into the Millennium The Watchtower September 1 1989 p 19 Only Jehovah s Witnesses those of the anointed remnant and the great crowd as a united organization under the protection of the Supreme Organizer have any Scriptural hope of surviving the impending end of this doomed system dominated by Satan the Devil You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth Watch Tower Society 1989 p 255 Do not conclude that there are different roads or ways that you can follow to gain life in God s new system There is only one there will be only one organization God s visible organization that will survive the fast approaching great tribulation It is simply not true that all religions lead to the same goal You must be part of Jehovah s organization doing God s will in order to receive his blessing of everlasting life Hoekema 1963 pp 315 319 Declare Righteous Insight on the Scriptures Vol 1 Watch Tower Society 1988 p 606 A Royal Priesthood to Benefit All Mankind The Watchtower January 15 2012 pp 26 30 Hoekema 1963 pp 295 296 Rogerson 1969 p 106 God s Kingdom Earth s New Rulership The Watchtower October 15 2000 p 10 Hoekema 1963 p 298 Rogerson 1969 p 105 Daniel s Prophetic Days and Our Faith The Watchtower November 1 1993 pp 8 9 In 1914 the appointed times of the nations ended and the time of the end for this world began The Davidic Kingdom was restored not in earthly Jerusalem but invisibly in the clouds of the heavens Who would represent on earth the restored Davidic Kingdom Without any doubt at all it was the small body of anointed brothers of Jesus who in 1914 were known as the Bible Students but since 1931 have been identified as Jehovah s Witnesses Hoekema 1963 p 297 Hoekema 1963 pp 286 Tell Us When Will These Things Be The Watchtower July 15 2013 pp 4 5 In the larger fulfillment the standing will occur when the United Nations the modern day disgusting thing attacks Christendom which is holy in the eyes of nominal Christians and the rest of Babylon the Great The same attack is described at Revelation 17 16 18 That event will be the beginning of the great tribulation Apocalypse When The Watchtower February 15 1986 p 6 Penton 1997 p 180 Hoekema 1963 pp 307 321 Questions From Readers The Watchtower November 1 1952 p 670 Hoekema 1963 pp 307 321 Questions From Readers The Watchtower November 1 1952 p 670 Penton 1997 pp 17 19 The Messiah s Presence and His Rule The Watchtower October 1 1992 p 16 a b Chryssides p 67 sfn error no target CITEREFChryssides help Chryssides p 68 sfn error no target CITEREFChryssides help Chryssides p 13 sfn error no target CITEREFChryssides help a b Holden 2002 pp 64 69 Highlights of the Past Year Yearbook of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Society 2010 p 6 Christian Families Keep Ready The Watchtower May 15 2011 p 14 Torres Prunonosa Jose Plaza Navas Miquel Angel Brown Silas 2022 Jehovah s Witnesses adoption of digitally mediated services during Covid 19 pandemic Cogent Social Sciences 8 1 doi 10 1080 23311886 2022 2071034 S2CID 248581687 Retrieved May 7 2022 Organized to Do Jehovah s Will Watch Tower Society 2015 pp 63 64 Hoekema 1963 p 292 Crompton 1996 p 5 Rogerson 1969 p 1 Whalen William J 1962 Armageddon Around the Corner A Report on Jehovah s Witnesses New York John Day Company pp 15 18 Global Printing Helping People to Learn About God Watch Tower Society Ringnes amp Sodal 2009 p 43 Be Intensely Occupied With Your Ministry Our Kingdom Ministry April 1 2001 p 3 Your goal is to help the student achieve greater insight into the truth qualify as an unbaptized publisher and become a dedicated and baptized Witness of Jehovah 18 Baptism and Your Relationship With God What Does the Bible Really Teach pp 174 183 Question Box How long should a formal Bible study be conducted with an individual in the Knowledge book Our Kingdom Ministry October 1 1996 We want people to receive a basic knowledge of the truth Yet it is expected that within a relatively short period of time an effective teacher will be able to assist a sincere average student to acquire sufficient knowledge to make an intelligent decision to serve Jehovah Appreciation for taking in even a basic knowledge of the truth should motivate the student to attend Christian meetings This could lead the student to giving some clear evidence of his desire to serve Jehovah If such spiritual appreciation is not evident after the study in the Knowledge book has been conducted for an extended period it may be advisable to discontinue the study Botting amp Botting 1984 p 77 The society states explicitly that all Bible studies should quickly show signs of real progress to be deemed worthy of pursuit unless the potential converts are willing to give clear indication that they accept both the doctrines and the consequent responsibilities of attending meetings and going from door to door themselves the study should be discontinued Bearing Thorough Witness About God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 2009 p 63 Do you obey the command to bear thorough witness even if the assignment causes you some apprehension Determined to Bear Thorough Witness The Watchtower December 15 2008 p 19 When the resurrected Jesus spoke to disciples gathered in Galilee likely 500 of them he commanded Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you That command applies to all true Christians today Botting amp Botting 1984 p 52 Do You Contribute to an Accurate Report Our Kingdom Ministry December 1 2002 p 8 Jehovah s organization today instructs us to report our field service activity each month At the end of the month the book study overseer makes sure that all in the group have followed through on their responsibility to report their activity Regularity in Service Brings Blessings Our Kingdom Ministry May 1 1984 p 7 Helping Irregular Publishers Our Kingdom Ministry December 1 1987 p 7 Keep the Word of Jehovah Moving Speedily Our Kingdom Ministry October 1 1982 p 1 Chryssides G D 1999 Exploring New Religions Continuum International Publishing Group p 103 ISBN 978 0 304 33651 7 Imitate Jehovah Exercise Justice and Righteousness The Watchtower August 1 1998 p 16 a b Holden 2002 pp 26 27 173 Questions From Readers The Watchtower June 15 2002 pp 30 31 Penton 1997 pp 152 180 The Bible s Viewpoint What Does It Mean to Be the Head of the House Awake July 8 2004 p 26 Christian Weddings That Bring Joy The Watchtower April 15 1984 p 11 Shepherd the Flock of God Watch Tower Society pp 37 38 124 125 Questions From Readers The Watchtower March 15 1982 p 31 How should individual Christians and the congregation as a whole view the Bible advice to marry only in the Lord Penton 1997 pp 110 112 Adultery Insight on the Scriptures Vol 1 p 53 Marriage Why Many Walk Out Awake July 8 1993 p 6 A legal divorce or a legal separation may provide a measure of protection from extreme abuse or willful nonsupport When Marital Peace Is Threatened The Watchtower November 1 1988 p 22 Beckford 1975 pp 54 55 Penton 1997 pp 106 108 a b c Muramoto O August 1998 Bioethics of the refusal of blood by Jehovah s Witnesses Part 1 Should bioethical deliberation consider dissidents views Journal of Medical Ethics 24 4 223 230 doi 10 1136 jme 24 4 223 PMC 1377670 PMID 9752623 McIlveney Fiona Pace Nick 2004 Jehovah s Witnesses Anaesthesia amp Intensive Care Medicine 5 2 57 59 doi 10 1383 anes 5 2 57 28690 Discipline That Can Yield Peaceable Fruit The Watchtower April 15 1988 pp 26 31 Display Christian Loyalty When a Relative Is Disfellowshipped Our Kingdom Ministry August 1 2002 pp 3 4 Disfellowshipping How to View It The Watchtower September 15 1981 p 24 Appendix How to Treat a Disfellowshipped person Keep Yourselves in God s Love Jehovah s Witnesses 2008 pp 207 209 a b c Holden 2002 p 163 Disfellowshiping How to View It The Watchtower September 15 1981 p 23 Do You Hate Lawlessness The Watchtower February 15 2011 p 31 Franz Raymond Crisis of Conscience p 358 Questions From Readers The Watchtower January 1 1983 pp 30 31 Should the Religions Unite The Watchtower December 15 1953 pp 741 742 Is Interfaith God s Way The Watchtower February 1 1952 p 69 Beckford 1975 p 202 The ideological argument states that since absolute truth is unitary and exclusive of all relativisation there can only logically be one human organization to represent it Consequently all other religious organizations are in error and are to be strictly avoided The absolutist view of truth further implies that since anything less than absolute truth can only corrupt and destroy it there can be no justification for Jehovah s witnesses having any kind of association with other religionists however sincere the motivation might be Worship That God Approves What Does The Bible Really Teach p 145 World Reasoning From the Scriptures Watch Tower Society 1989 pp 435 438 Live a Balanced Simple Life The Watchtower July 15 1989 p 11 Holden 2002 p 12 Keep Your Distance When Danger Threatens The Watchtower February 15 1994 p 23 Steering Clear of Danger We must also be on guard against extended association with worldly people Perhaps it is a neighbor a school friend a workmate or a business associate What are some of the dangers of such a friendship We could begin to minimize the urgency of the times we live in or take a growing interest in material rather than spiritual things Perhaps because of a fear of displeasing our worldly friend we would even desire to be accepted by the world Holden 2002 pp 109 112 Franz 2007 p 409 Each One Will Carry His Own Load The Watchtower March 15 2006 p 23 Bryan R Wilson 1993 The Persistence of Sects Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions 1 2 They have extensive contact with the wider public in Britain in 1989 108 000 publishers undertook 23 million hours of house calls Yet they remain little affected by that exposure they confine their contacts to their single minded purpose and avoid all other occasions for association Chryssides 2008 p 47 Most Witnesses do not pursue higher education It is not forbidden but is a matter of conscience Higher education creates the risk of detracting from one s spiritual work and can result in harmful associations with fellow students who may lack integrity It is therefore recommended that if possible Witnesses who undergo should continue to live at home Those who seek education beyond school level are urged to consider their motives for doing so education should not be for personal status or for a high salary Ingersoll Wood Carrie S 2022 The Educational Identity Formation of Jehovah s Witnesses Religion amp Education Religion amp Education 49 3 310 338 doi 10 1080 15507394 2022 2102875 S2CID 251542550 Parents What Future Do You Want for Your Children The Watchtower October 1 2005 pp 26 31 Ploeg Luke Lack Of Education Leads To Lost Dreams And Low Income For Many Jehovah s Witnesses NPR Retrieved September 23 2022 What Should Christians Do Today The Watchtower Watch Tower Society May 1 2012 p 7 True Christians give allegiance only to God s Kingdom Questions From Readers The Watchtower November 1 1999 p 28 As to whether they will personally vote for someone running in an election each one of Jehovah s Witnesses makes a decision based on his Bible trained conscience and an understanding of his responsibility to God and to the State Questions From Readers The Watchtower March 1 1983 p 30 Why Do Jehovah s Witnesses Maintain Political Neutrality Watch Tower Society Reasoning From The Scriptures Watch Tower Society p 178 Keep Yourselves in God s Love The Watchtower August 15 2009 p 22 The Seriousness of It The Watchtower September 15 1968 p 6 Work to Preserve Your Family Into God s New World The Watchtower October 15 1992 p 21 Worship the Only True God Watch Tower Society 2002 p 159 Korea government promises to adopt alternative service system for conscientious objectors Jehovah s Witnesses Official Media Web Site Office of Public Information of Jehovah s Witnesses October 4 2007 Archived from the original on December 24 2009 Education Watch Tower Society 2002 pp 20 23 Owens Gene September 1 1997 Trials of a Jehovah s Witness The Faith of Journalists Nieman Reports Ronald Lawson 1995 Sect state relations Accounting for the differing trajectories of Seventh Day Adventists and Jehovah s Witnesses Sociology of Religion 56 4 351 377 doi 10 2307 3712195 JSTOR 3712195 The urgency of the Witness s apocalyptic has changed very little over time The intellectual isolation of the Witness leaders has allowed them to retain their traditional position and it is they who continue to be the chief purveyors of the radical eschataology This commitment to principle was bolstered by their organizational isolation intense indoctrination of adherents rigid internal discipline and considerable persecution Penton 1997 p i Reasoning From the Scriptures Watch Tower Society 1989 pp 70 75 Holden 2002 p 91 Muramoto O January 6 2001 Bioethical aspects of the recent changes in the policy of refusal of blood by Jehovah s Witnesses BMJ 322 7277 37 39 doi 10 1136 bmj 322 7277 37 PMC 1119307 PMID 11141155 Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 p 183 United in Worship of the Only True God Watch Tower Society 1983 pp 156 160 Bowman R M Beisner E C Ehrenborg T 1995 Jehovah s Witnesses Zondervan p 13 ISBN 978 0 310 70411 9 Botting amp Botting 1984 pp 29 30 How Blood Can Save Your Life Watch Tower Society 1990 pp 13 17 Gohel MS Bulbaria RA Slim FJ Poskitt KR Whyman MR 2005 How to approach major surgery where patients refuse blood transfusion including Jehovah s Witnesses The Royal College of Sugeons of England 87 1 3 14 doi 10 1308 1478708051414 PMC 1963852 PMID 15720900 Questions From Readers The Watchtower June 15 2000 p 30 Do Jehovah s Witnesses accept any medical products derived from blood Sniesinski Chen EP Levy JH Szlam F Tanaka KA et al April 1 2007 Coagulopathy After Cardiopulmonary Bypass in Jehovah s Witness Patients Management of Two Cases Using Fractionated Components and Factor VIIa PDF Anesthesia amp Analgesia 104 4 763 5 doi 10 1213 01 ane 0000250913 45299 f3 PMID 17377078 S2CID 45882634 Retrieved December 30 2008 The Real Value of Blood Awake August 1 2006 p 11 Durable Power of Attorney form Watch Tower Society January 2001 p 1 Examples of permitted fractions are Interferon Immune Serum Globulins Archived January 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine and Factor VIII preparations made from Hemoglobin such as PolyHeme Archived July 23 2008 at the Wayback Machine and Hemopure Examples of permitted procedures involving the medical use of one s own blood include cell salvage Archived July 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine hemodilution Archived September 7 2008 at the Wayback Machine heart lung machine dialysis epidural blood patch Archived September 5 2008 at the Wayback Machine plasmapheresis blood labeling or tagging Archived January 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine and platelet gel Archived January 6 2008 at the Wayback Machine autologous How Do I View Blood Fractions and Medical Procedures Involving My Own Blood PDF Our Kingdom Ministry November 1 2006 pp 5 6 Jehovah s Witnesses and Medical Profession Cooperate Awake November 22 1993 pp 24 27 Kim Archer May 15 2007 Jehovah s Witness liaisons help surgeons adapt Tulsa World Question Box Our Kingdom Ministry Watch Tower Society November 1 2003 p 3 Should a family Bible study be reported to the congregation Question Box May both parents report the time used for the regular family study Our Kingdom Ministry September 1 2008 p 3 2021 Governing Body Update 10 Watch Tower Society Jehovah s Witnesses Official Media Web Site Our History and Organization Membership Office of Public Information of Jehovah s Witnesses Archived from the original on December 4 2012 While other religious groups count their membership by occasional or annual attendance this figure reflects only those who are actively involved in the public Bible educational work of Jehovah s Witnesses U S Religious Landscape Survey Religious Affiliation Diverse and Dynamic Report Pew Forum on Religion amp Public Life February 1 2008 pp 9 30 Advent Christian Church Religious Groups The Association of Religion Data Archives Van Biema David February 25 2008 America s Unfaithful Faithful via content time com PEW Forum on Religion and Public Life U S Religious Landscape Survey Religious Affiliation Diverse and Dynamic PDF Archived from the original PDF on April 17 2017 Retrieved June 20 2017 a b A closer look at Jehovah s Witnesses living in the U S Pew Research Center Beckford 1975 pp 92 98 100 Beckford 1975 pp 196 207 Bryan R Wilson 1993 The Persistence of Sects Journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions 1 2 Religious Beliefs and Practices U S Religious Landscape Survey Pew Research Center June 1 2008 Retrieved December 14 2017 Jehovah s Witnesses U S Religious Landscape Survey Pew Research Center Retrieved December 14 2017 Jubber Ken 1977 The Persecution of Jehovah s Witnesses in Southern Africa Social Compass 24 1 121 134 doi 10 1177 003776867702400108 S2CID 143997010 UN investigator Rights of minorities to worship undermined Associated Press November 4 2020 Morton Jason Bakken Keely Omer Mohy Greenwalt Patrick 2020 The Global Persecution of Jehovah s Witnesses PDF United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 p 490 Peters Shawn Francis 2000 Judging Jehovah s Witnesses Religious Persecution and the Dawn of the Rights Revolution University Press of Kansas p 82 ISBN 978 0 7006 1008 2 Rogerson 1969 p 59 Barbara Grizzuti Harrison 1978 6 Visions of Glory Schnell William 1971 30 Years a Watchtower Slave Baker Book House Grand Rapids pp 104 106 ISBN 978 0 8010 6384 8 Whalen William J 1962 Armageddon Around the Corner A Report on Jehovah s Witnesses New York John Day Company p 190 Advice for Kingdom Publishers Watch Tower Society 1939 pp 5 6 14 CANADIAN WRONGS QUEBEC S ATTACK ON JEHOVAH S WITNESSES University of Toronto Libraries University of Toronto Retrieved July 16 2022 Kaplan 1989 Yaffee Barbara September 9 1984 Witnesses Seek Apology for Wartime Persecution The Globe and Mail p 4 Supreme Court of Canada Saumur v Quebec City of 1953 2 SCR 299 Archived from the original on July 6 2011 Supreme Court of Canada Roncarelli v Duplessis 1959 SCR 121 Archived from the original on January 12 2013 Scott Stephen A February 7 2006 Roncarelli v Duplessis The Canadian Encyclopedia Retrieved April 21 2021 Penton James 2004 Jehovah s Witnesses and the Third Reich University of Toronto Press p 376 ISBN 978 0802086785 Chu Jolene September 1 2004 God s things and Caesar s Jehovah s Witnesses and political neutrality Journal of Genocide Research Taylor amp Francis 6 3 319 342 doi 10 1080 1462352042000265837 S2CID 71908533 a b Wrobel Johannes S August 2006 Jehovah s Witnesses in National Socialist concentration camps 1933 45 PDF Religion State amp Society Taylor amp Francis 34 2 89 125 doi 10 1080 09637490600624691 S2CID 145110013 Archived PDF from the original on May 21 2012 Retrieved October 22 2020 Garbe Detlef 2008 Between Resistance and Martyrdom Jehovah s Witnesses in the Third Reich Madison Wisconsin University of Wisconsin Press p 484 ISBN 978 0 299 20794 6 Jehovah s Witnesses Holocaust Education Foundation Mike Dennis amp Norman LaPorte 2011 Jehovah s Witnesses From Persecution to Survival State and Minorities in Communist East Germany Berghahn Books pp 61 86 ISBN 978 0 85745 196 5 Valerij Pasat Trudnye stranicy istorii Moldovy 1940 1950 Moskva Izd Terra 1994 in Russian Russian court bans Jehovah s Witnesses as extremist Reuters April 20 2017 Retrieved April 20 2017 Botting 1993 p page needed Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 pp 679 701 Botting 1993 pp 1 14 Shawn Francis Peters 2000 Judging Jehovah s Witnesses University Press of Kansas pp 12 16 Jehovah s Witnesses and civil rights Knocking org Archived from the original on September 1 2012 Retrieved August 16 2012 Botting 1993 pp 15 201 a b Holden 2002 p 22 a b Case Study 29 Jehovah s Witnesses Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse July 27 2015 Following Faithful Shepherds with Life in View The Watchtower October 1 1967 p 591 Make haste to identify the visible theocratic organization of God that represents his king Jesus Christ It is essential for life Doing so be complete in accepting its every aspect in submitting to Jehovah s visible theocratic organization we must be in full and complete agreement with every feature of its apostolic procedure and requirements Loyal to Christ and His Faithful Slave The Watchtower April 1 2007 p 24 When we loyally submit to the direction of the faithful slave and its Governing Body we are submitting to Christ the slave s Master a b Beckford 1975 pp 89 95 103 120 204 221 Exposing the Devil s Subtle Designs Armed for the Fight Against Wicked Spirits The Watchtower January 15 1983 pp 18 27 Serving Jehovah Shoulder to Shoulder The Watchtower August 15 1981 p 28 Jehovah s Theocratic Organization Today The Watchtower February 1 1952 pp 79 81 Exposing the Devil s Subtle Designs The Watchtower January 15 1983 p 27 From the very outset of his rebellion Satan called into question God s way of doing things He promoted independent thinking How is such independent thinking manifested A common way is by questioning the counsel that is provided by God s visible organization Visits from Older Men Benefit God s People The Watchtower February 15 1979 p 20 In a world where people are tossed about by confusing winds of religious doctrine Jehovah s people need to be stable full grown Christians Eph 4 13 14 Their position must be steadfast not shifting quickly because of independent thinking or emotional pressures Building a Firm Foundation in Christ The Watchtower May 1 1964 pp 277 278 It is through the columns of The Watchtower that Jehovah provides direction and constant Scriptural counsel to his people and it requires careful study and attention to details in order to apply this information to get a full understanding of the principles involved and to assure ourselves of right thinking on these matters It is in this way that we are thoroughly able to grasp mentally with all the holy ones the fullness of our commission and of the preaching responsibility that Jehovah has placed on all Christians as footstep followers of his Son Any other course would produce independent thinking and cause division Franz 2007 p 358 Will You Heed Jehovah s Clear Warnings The Watchtower July 15 2011 p 15 Rogerson 1969 p 50 Beckford 1975 pp 204 221 The habit of questioning or qualifying Watch Tower doctrine is not only under developed among the Witnesses it is strenuously combated at all organizational levels Botting amp Botting 1984 p 90 Most Witnesses although capable of intelligent reasonable thought have as part of the payment for paradise delegated authority to the organization for directing their lives and finally abrogate all responsibility and rights over their personal lives in effect allowing the society to do their thinking for them Rogerson 1969 p 178 The newly converted Witness must conform immediately to the doctrines of the Watchtower Society thus whatever individuality of mind he possessed before conversion is liable to be eradicated if he stays in the movement James A Beverley 1986 Crisis of Allegiance Burlington Ontario Welch Publishing Company pp 25 26 101 ISBN 0 920413 37 4 Holden 2002 p 153 Rogerson 1969 p 2 In addition to the prevalent ignorance outside the Witness movement there is much ignorance within it It will soon become obvious to the reader that the Witnesses are an indoctrinated people whose beliefs and thoughts are shaped by the Watchtower Society Franz 2007 Chapter 12 Maintaining our Christian Oneness The Watchtower August 15 1988 pp 28 30 The Routledge History of the Holocaust Routledge 2010 ISBN 9781136870606 Labeling the Jehovah s Witnesses as totalitarian trivializes the term totalitarian and defames the Jehovah s Witnesses Holden 2002 pp x 7 Metzger Bruce July 1 1964 Book Review New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures The Bible Translator 15 3 151 doi 10 1177 000608446401500311 S2CID 220318160 Retrieved October 30 2018 On the whole one gains a tolerably good impression of the scholarly equipment of the translators their names are not divulged They refer not only to modern translations including various English German French Spanish Italian and Portuguese translations but to ancient versions as well including the Old Latin Old Syriac Vulgate Armenian and Ethiopic versions Frequently an intelligent use of critical information is apparent Gilmour MacLean September 1 1966 The Use and Abuse of the Book of Revelation Andover Newton Quarterly 7 1 25 26 The New World translation was made by a committee whose membership has never been revealed a committee that possessed an unusual competence in Greek It is clear that doctrinal considerations influenced many turns of phrase but the work is no crack pot or pseudo historical fraud See Robert M McCoy Jehovah s Witnesses and Their New Testament Andover Newton Quarterly Jan 1963 Vol 3 No 3 pp 15 31 Metzger Bruce M April 1 1953 The Jehovah s Witnesses and Jesus Christ Theology Today 10 1 74 Bibcode 1998ThT 55 305G doi 10 1177 004057365301000110 S2CID 170358762 Bruce Metzger July 1 1964 The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures The Bible Translator McCoy Robert January 1 1963 Jehovah s Witnesses and Their New Testament Andover Newton Quarterly 3 3 15 31 The translation of the New Testament is evidence of the presence in the movement of scholars qualified to deal intelligently with the many problems of Biblical translation In not a few instances the New World Translation contains passages which must be considered as theological translations Haas Samuel S December 1955 Book Review New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures Vol I by New World Bible Translation Committee Journal of Biblical Literature 74 4 282 283 doi 10 2307 3261681 JSTOR 3261681 this work indicates a great deal of effort and thought as well as considerable scholarship it is to be regretted that religious bias was allowed to colour many passages See also Owens John Joseph April 1 1956 Book Review New World Translation of the Hebrew Scriptures Review amp Expositor 53 2 253 254 doi 10 1177 003463735605300239 S2CID 147233464 John Ankerberg John Weldon Dillon Burroughs 2008 The Facts on Jehovah s Witnesses Eugene OR Harvest House Publishers pp 43 45 ISBN 978 0 7369 3907 2 See also John Ankerberg and John Weldon 2003 The New World Translation of the Jehovah s Witnesses accessible online Edmond C Gruss Apostles of Denial p 211 the honest mind can only conclude that this work although outwardly scholarly is plainly in many places just the opposite Stedman R C The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures Our Hope 50 34 July 1953 30 as quoted in Edmond C Gruss Apostles of Denial p 209 A close examination which gets beneath the outward veneer of scholarship reveals a veritable shambles of bigotry ignorance prejudice and bias which violates every rule of biblical criticism and every standard of scholarly integrity Martin W Klann N 1974 Jehovah of the Watchtower Minneapolis Bethany p 161 Hoekema 1963 p 208 209 G Hebert ed 2005 Jehovah s Witnesses The New Catholic Encyclopedia Vol 7 Gale p 751 Anthony A Hoekema 1963 The Four Major Cults Christian Science Jehovah s Witnesses Mormonism Seventh day Adventism William B Eerdmans pp 208 209 ISBN 0802831176 Messengers of Godly Peace Pronounced Happy The Watchtower May 1 1997 p 21 Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 p 708 Execution of the Great Harlot Nears The Watchtower October 15 1980 p 17 What Jehovah s Day Will Reveal The Watchtower July 15 2010 p 5 Staying Awake with the Faithful and Discreet Slave The Watchtower July 15 1960 p 444 In 1942 the faithful and discreet slave guided by Jehovah s unerring spirit made known that the democracies would win World War II and that there would be a United Nations organization set up Once again the faithful and discreet slave has been tipped off ahead of time for the guidance of all lovers of God Chryssides 2016 p 224 Down with the Old Up with the New The Watchtower January 15 1959 pp 39 41 Crompton 1996 pp 9 115 Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom Watch Tower Society 1993 pp 78 632 Beckford 1975 pp 219 221 James A Beverley 1986 Crisis of Allegiance Burlington Ontario Welch Publishing Company pp 86 91 ISBN 0 920413 37 4 a b Why So Many False Alarms Awake March 22 1993 pp 3 4 footnote Revelation Its Grand Climax Watch Tower Society 1988 p 9 False Prophets Reasoning From the Scriptures Watch Tower Society p 137 To Whom Shall We Go but Jesus Christ The Watchtower March 1 1979 p 23 the faithful and discreet slave has alerted all of God s people to the sign of the times indicating the nearness of God s Kingdom rule In this regard however it must be observed that this faithful and discreet slave was never inspired never perfect Those writings by certain members of the slave class that came to form the Christian part of God s Word were inspired and infallible the bible but that is not true of other writings since Chryssides 2008 p xiv Holden 2002 p 7 a b Goodstein Laurie August 11 2002 Ousted members say Jehovah s Witnesses policy on abuse hides offenses The New York Times Retrieved October 1 2015 a b c Jehovah s Witnesses and Child Protection Jehovah s Witnesses Official Media website Archived from the original on November 23 2009 Public Hearing Case Study 29 Day 152 PDF Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Australia Report pp 67 72 in the absence of a confession or circumstantial evidence or other indicators would we act judicially on one witness as the courts would do the answer would be no and I don t see that changing in harmony with the scriptures Q Insofar as a second witness is concerned is that requirement covered by for example scientific evidence A Certainly Q So if there was some external forensic scientific or direct evidence which is not of an observer to the incident but someone who observes some corroborative aspect to the incident that would be sufficient would it A The answer is yes we as the case files will show have disfellowshipped people for being in an inappropriate setting where there is some allegation Public Hearing Case Study 29 Day 155 PDF Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Australia Report pp 44 45 Shepherd the Flock of God Brooklyn New York Watch Tower Society 2010 p 72 a b Lisa Myers Richard Greenberg November 21 2007 New evidence in Jehovah s Witness allegations NBC News New York NY Jehovah s Witnesses Scripturally Based Position on Child Protection Official Website of Jehovah s Witnesses How to Protect Your Children Awake October 1 2007 pp 4 8 Report of case study no 29 PDF Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Australia Report pp 9 28 Jones Ciaran June 29 2014 Jehovah s Witnesses destroyed documents showing child abuse allegations against church elder Wales Online Cardiff UK Media Wales Public Hearing Case Study 29 Day 152 PDF Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse Australia Report pp 24 26 Shepherd the Flock of God Brooklyn New York Watch Tower Society 2010 pp 131 132 Cutrer Corrie March 5 2001 Witness leaders accused of shielding molesters Christianity Today Paul Carden executive director for the Centers for Apologetics Research in San Juan Capistrano California says this protective attitude is prevalent in the WTBTS There is a fortress mentality Carden says The Watchtower Society is loath to admit wrongdoing of any sort Because they portray themselves as being Jehovah s sole mouthpiece to mankind they have sought to present themselves as being above question Jane Doe Candace Conti v The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York Inc et al California Court of Appeal First Appellate District Division Three April 13 2015 Text Former Jehovah s Witness Takes on Church Over Sex Abuse Allegations VIDEO New York NY ABC News March 12 2015 Michael Buchanan July 26 2017 Jehovah s Witnesses let sex offender interrogate victims BBC News Retrieved November 20 2017 One particular concern is the Church s policy of dismissing an allegation if it fails its two witness policy which states two people need to have seen the abuse for the Church to proceed with a full investigation There are also calls for the independent child abuse inquiry to examine the Church s policy Decision Manchester New Moston Congregation of Jehovah s Witnesses Charity Commission for England and Wales July 26 2017 Retrieved November 20 2017 Report of Case Study No 29 Report p 62 The Royal Commission heard evidence that before the public hearing of this case study the Jehovah s Witness organisation did not consider that concealment offences were independent of obligations under mandatory reporting laws to report child sexual abuse Case Study 29 Day 153 p 16 41 44 Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse July 2015 Gredley Rebecca Jehovah s Witnesses to join redress scheme 7News Retrieved May 25 2021 SourcesChryssides George 2022 Jehovah s Witnesses A New Introduction Bloomsbury Academic ISBN 978 1 3501 9089 4 Further readingFurther information Bibliography of works on the Jehovah s Witnesses Beckford James A 1975 The Trumpet of Prophecy A Sociological Study of Jehovah s Witnesses Oxford Basil Blackwell ISBN 978 0 631 16310 7 Botting Gary 1993 Fundamental Freedoms and Jehovah s Witnesses University of Calgary Press ISBN 978 1 895176 06 3 Botting Heather Botting Gary 1984 The Orwellian World of Jehovah s Witnesses University of Toronto Press ISBN 978 0 8020 6545 2 Chryssides George D 2008 Historical Dictionary of Jehovah s Witnesses Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 6074 2 Chryssides George D 2016 Jehovah s Witnesses Continuity and Change Routledge ISBN 9781409456087 Crompton Robert 1996 Counting the Days to Armageddon Cambridge James Clarke amp Co ISBN 0 227 67939 3 A detailed examination of the development of Jehovah s Witnesses eschatology Franz Raymond 2007 In Search of Christian Freedom Commentary Press ISBN 978 0 914675 16 7 ISBN 978 0 914675 17 4 Hoekema Anthony A 1963 The Four Major Cults Grand Rapids Michigan William B Eerdmans ISBN 978 0 8028 3117 0 Holden Andrew 2002 Jehovah s Witnesses Portrait of a Contemporary Religious Movement Routledge ISBN 978 0 415 26610 9 An academic study on the sociological aspects of Jehovah s Witnesses phenomenon Kaplan William 1989 State and Salvation Toronto University of Toronto Press ISBN 0 8020 5842 6 Documents the Witnesses fight for civil rights in Canada and the US amid political persecution during World War II Knox Zoe 2018 Jehovah s Witnesses and the Secular World From the 1870s to the Present London Palgrave Macmillan ISBN 9781137396044 Penton M James 1997 Apocalypse Delayed The Story of Jehovah s Witnesses University of Toronto Press ISBN 978 0 8020 7973 2 Penton professor emeritus of history at University of Lethbridge and a former member of the group examines the history of Jehovah s Witnesses and their doctrines Rogerson Alan 1969 Millions Now Living Will Never Die London Constable amp Co ISBN 978 0094559400 Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement particularly its early years a summary of Witness doctrines and the organizational and personal framework in which Witnesses conduct their lives Schulz B W 2014 A Separate Identity Organizational Identity Among Readers of Zion s Watch Tower 1870 1887 Fluttering Wings Press ISBN 978 1304969408 Detailed history of the Watch Tower movement s earliest years written to an academic standard Based on fresh research into original documents of the era This is volume one of a planned two volume work Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania Jehovah s Witnesses Proclaimers of God s Kingdom 1993 Official history of Jehovah s Witnesses Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania Faith in Action two DVD series 2010 2011 Official history of Jehovah s Witnesses External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jehovah s Witnesses Official website BBC Religions Jehovah s Witnesses Jehovah s Witnesses new method BBC News Magazine article Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Jehovah 27s Witnesses amp oldid 1136212950, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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