Jehovah's Witnesses
The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in Pittsburgh in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916). The Witnesses, who are known for their proselytizing on American streets and door to door, have little or no association with other denominations, nor with secular governments. A millenarian movement, the Jehovahs interpret the Bible literally, reject the Trinity, and assert the millennium will begin after a final battle (Armageddon), after which the witnesses will rule with Christ.
Among other beliefs, they hold that world powers and political parties are the unwitting allies of Satan. They refuse to salute the flags of nations or to perform military service; they almost never vote. They reject other churches as ruled by Satan.
The belief grew from the International Bible Students Association founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. A successor to Charles Taze Russell, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, aimed to have Jehovah (Yahweh) reaffirmed as the true God and to identify those who witness in his name as God's specially accredited followers. It was Rutherford's successor, Nathan Homer Knorr, who directed a group of Witnesses to produce a new translation of the Bible.
They are a high-intensity faith group that expects a dedicated commitment from its members. Jehovah's Witnesses are in over 200 countries and may number as many as 7 million adherents.
Scripture
Publishing activities have formed a major part of the belief's work, including books, tracts, recordings, and the successful semimonthly magazines Watchtower and its companion publication Awake!, which are claimed to have a circulation of over 10 million distributed in eighty languages.
The Witnesses are known for controversial beliefs. These include a refusal to serve the military and a rejection of blood transfusions, even when they are required to save a life. They acknowledge a group of elders who are authoritative on matters of their way of life, and governments have no such authority.
Beliefs
The goal of their belief is the establishment of God's Kingdom, the Theocracy (or government by God). They believe that this will come about after Armageddon, based on their interpretation of the Biblical books of Daniel and Revelation, which they used to make apocalyptic calculations. Pastor Russell determined that 1874 would be the year of Christ's invisible return. He also figured that 1914 would be the year of Christ's Second Coming and the end of the Gentiles. Apparently, making prophecies is not done in this way anymore, which isn't surprising considering the track record. Nowadays, analysis is based on modern life and current events.
Jehovah's Witnesses insist that Jesus Christ is God's agent and that through him man will be reconciled to Jehovah. The Bible is considered to be infallible and the revealed word of God. Their own version of the Bible is called New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Biblical scholars have disagreed sharply about what they claim are distortions in the translations.
As far as hell and the inevitability of eternal life are concerned, Jehovah's Witnesses dismiss both. Many believe that death is total extinction.
Witnesses meet in churches called Kingdom Halls. There are appointed members called Overseers or Elders; there are also Presiding Overseers and Service Overseers. Members are baptized by immersion, and must adhere to a strong moral code. Members refuse stimulants. Divorce is not approved of, except on the grounds of adultery.
A much-criticized condition of membership is the prohibition against blood transfusions. Even the storing of one's own blood for auto transfusion, generally done prior to major elective surgery, is not permitted. Witnesses believe that any blood that leaves the body must be destroyed. In 1967, they stated that organ transplants are a form of cannibalism and are to be shunned. This directive was reversed in 1980 and left up to personal conscience, a policy of little value to those members who needed transplants to save their lives during the thirteen years of prohibition. There have been many court cases over the claims of the deaths of children, mothers, and other adults who might possibly still be alive had a transfusion been given.
Rituals and Customs
Only one day of celebration is acknowledged: Memorial of Christ's Death at the time of Passover. They believe that Jesus was born on October 2. Neither that date nor any so-called pagan holidays — Christmas, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Halloween, birthdays — are celebrated. There is no Sabbath; all days are regarded as holy.
All positions of authority are reserved for men.
As most people know, doorstep preaching is a very visual part of Jehovah's Witness practices. In addition to those activities, members are expected to spend five hours a week at meetings in Kingdom Hall.
