History of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The Jehovah's Witnesses are a controversial minority religion. Under the direction of the Society's president, J.F. Rutherford, the Feb 1927 Watchtower said, 'now it is
the privilege of the Christian to be Jehovah’s witnesses,
declaring to the peoples of earth that Jehovah is God
and that Christ Jesus is King.' WT, Feb 1927, page 63.
In 1932 and part of 1931 the term 'Jehovah's witnesses' began to be used extensively. 'Prior to that they referred to themselves as 'Bible Students'. The founder of the Watchtower magazine was Charles Taze Russell and he published the first issue in July 1879.
Russell believed that he was living 'in the last days' and 'in the dawn of a "new" age'. WT, July 1879, page 3. The goal of the Watchtower was to warn people 'against the approach of danger' and 'to defend the truth against errors'. WT, Dec 1879, page 59, J.H.Paton
It is remarkable that in many ways the message of the Watchtower is still the same today as it was in 1879.
Beliefs of Jehovah's Witnesses.
The beliefs in the Jehovah Witness faith are based on their understanding of the entire Bible. Although they believe they are the only true Christian religion on the planet today, their beliefs are radically different than what other Christian religions teach. To a Jehovah Witness, this means they have 'the truth'.
Armageddon.
A Jehovah Witness believes that armageddon is coming soon and they must be ready. Armageddon is a time when their God Jehovah destroys all wickedness. They believe that in order to survive through armageddon they must be a dedicated, baptized Jehovah Witness. They believe that only Jehovah's Witnesses have any scriptural hope of surviving armageddon. WT Sept 1989
What A Jehovah Witness Believes.
Because a Jehovah Witness is ready for armageddon at any time, he or she has a sense of urgency to warn their neighbors before it's too late. They do this out of love for the people in their community. In order to make it through armageddon a Jehovah Witness believes that a person needs to join their religion and be baptized into the faith in addition to dedicating their life to God.
If anyone inside or outside of their religion dies before armageddon, a Jehovah Witness believes they will be resurrected and live again after armageddon for a thousand years in God's kingdom. During that time people who don't know their God Jehovah will learn his ways and be given an opportunity to live their lives in harmony with God's purpose.
What a Jehovah Witness believes is that only 144,000 go to heaven to rule with Jesus. Everyone else will either survive armageddon, or be resurrected to life on a paradise earth.
Why Is A Jehovah Witness Different?
A Jehovah Witness believes their religion is God's channel of communication to the world and they are 'witnesses' of Jehovah God. In other words they are on a mission to warn the world about armageddon and teach outsiders about what God requires. They hope that everyone will join their religion before it's too late.
What Is Known About The Jehovah Witness Faith.
The religion is said to be a theocratic organization, - i.e. run by God through his representatives on earth. Very little is known about the faith for several reasons.
- It is a minority
- A Jehovah's Witnesses are encouraged to be separate from the world and avoid association with outsiders
- They are trained not to say anything negative about their religion. They believe that rebellion against the organization is virtually the same as rebellion against God.
Many Jehovah's Witnesses have left their religion, but most of them do not teach others about what it means to be a Jehovah Witness. Some are embarrassed to say they were a Jehovah Witness out of fear that they'll be judged and rejected. Others just want to bury the past and move on with their lives, hoping that they pain they feel will one day go away.
Thus the only reliable sources of information about the Jehovah Witness faith comes from these sources.
- Current and older Watchtower publications
- Former Jehovah Witness believers who have come to terms with their former religion. These are affectionately called 'apostates'
What Is A Disfellowshipped Jehovah Witness?
Someone who is disfellowshipped or disassociated has left the organization. Breaking the rules of their religion and not being repentant can lead to judicial committee action and excommunication from the church.
Being disfellowshipped is hard on a Jehovah Witness because their former friends and family are required to shun them (with rare exceptions). One must remember that since JW's are separate from the world, it is particularly harsh that the only people that really matter in their life no longer want to associate with them, or even say a greeting.
When a Jehovah Witness sees a former Jehovah Witness or apostate, it is a very uncomfortable situation. Since they are told not to say a greeting, they're afraid of making eye contact. It's better just to walk right by, pretending the disfellowshipped Jehovah Witness does not exist or they didn't notice them. A former Jehovah Witness can easily feel like a ghost or that they're literally dead because the majority of Jehovah's Witnesses will not acknowledge them.
Common Jehovah Witness Rules.
- They must not have a blood transfusion
- They must not celebrate any religious or political holidays
- They put Jehovah ahead of Jesus
- They must be separate from the world
- Read all the Jehovah Witness beliefs
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