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Jehovah's Witnesses conduct their ministry in obedience to their understanding of Jesus' command to teach and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20). Jehovah's Witnesses identify themselves as Christians, but do not accept the Trinity doctrine taught by most other Christian denominations.
OriginsJehovah's Witnesses believe that some time after the death of the last apostle the Church generally departed in a "Great Apostasy" from the original faith in major points. They believe that a few true Christians have always been on earth since the first century, but full understanding of the scriptures did not begin to be rediscovered until Charles Taze Russell and his friends started a bible study in the 1870's in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. Born a Presbyterian, Russell had gained an appreciation for the importance of Bible study from his earlier involvement with the Millerites and related groups. They formed the Watch Tower Society in 1881, and in 1884 it was incorporated with Russell as president. In 1914 they founded the International Bible Students Association in the United Kingdom. Russell died in 1916, and in 1931, with Joseph Franklin Rutherford as president of the society, they adopted the name "Jehovah's Witnesses," based on Isaiah 43:10 which reads, "'You are my witnesses,' is the utterance of Jehovah..." (New World Translation) ("Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD..." - Authorized Version). Their name is one of the more obvious aspects differentiating them from other Christian denominations. MembershipMain article: Organizational structure of Jehovah's Witnesses The group's members are noted for their diverse but close-knit brotherhood, and their markedly different teachings and practice. As of August 2004, Jehovah's Witnesses have a practicing membership worldwide of more than 6.5 million individuals. According to data reported in the Annual Worldwide Statistics at the Authorized Site of the Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses (http://www.jw-media.org/people/statistics.htm):
This statistic is based on the service report completed by each publisher every month indicating the amount of time they have personally spent in the ministry and other relevant information. (Publishers are both baptized and non-baptized persons who engage in any and all aspects of the evangelizing work.) These reports are compiled and forwarded to the appropriate Branch Office. Jehovah's Witnesses commemorate the Memorial of Christ's death, (also known as the Lord's Evening Meal or Lord's Supper), annually. Worldwide attendance at the 2004 celebration of the Memorial was 16,760,607. This is obviously in excess of the more than 6.5 million individuals regularly associated with the congregations of Jehovah's Witnesses around the world, but includes many visitors and interested persons. Of this only 8,565 persons participated in eating and drinking the memorial emblems of the unleavened bread and of the wine. See the [http://www.watchtower.org/statistics/worldwide_report.htm 2003 Report of Jehovah's Witnesses Worldwide] which shows the "memorial partakers" at the bottom of the spreadsheet. Note: The 2004 Report is not yet available for this article at this time. They are 6th in the Top 10 Largest Highly International Religious Bodies (http://adherents.com/adh_rb.html#International) list from adherents.com (http://www.adherents.com), a site which collects data on religious group size. Jehovah's Witnesses generally exhibit a high degree of commitment to their religion, attending meetings three times a week (totaling approximately five hours) in their local Kingdom Halls and in private homes. Larger gatherings (called assemblies or conventions) are held usually three times a year in assembly halls that are owned or maintained by the Watchtower Society or in rented public facilities, such as sports stadiums or auditoriums. The offices of the world headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses are located in Brooklyn, New York. There are over 100 Branch Offices (http://www.watchtower.org/how_to_contact_us.htm) in various countries and lands around the world. -
Beliefs and doctrinesSee the related article Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses for additional details. The teachings of Jehovah's Witnesses differ from most Christian groups in many ways. For example, they reject the doctrines of the Trinity, immortality of the soul and eternal punishment of the wicked in hell (http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/7/15/article_01.htm). They believe in the eventual restoration of the earth to a global paradise (http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2003/11/15/article_01.htm), to take place following Armageddon, and in the eventual annihilation of the wicked rather than their eternal punishment. Their use in English of the common pronunciation "Jehovah" for the name of God is based on its familiarity in that language. (For more information see the Tetragrammaton article) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that life on Earth, and indeed all things, were directly created by God. They do not accept the modern theory of evolution of species based upon Darwin's theory of natural selection. Jehovah's Witnesses also do not salute the flag of any country for two reasons. First, to do so would be a compromise of their belief of being politically neutral. Secondly, they believe that such an act would be tantamount to worshiping an idol. (Daniel 3:1-30) Correspondingly, they do not use any images or icons in their worship, including the symbol of the cross.(Exodus 20:4,5) Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged from voting in elections, but not prohibited from voting. (Watchtower 1 Nov 1999. p.28) They do not however run for any political office. On the other hand, they do not seek to prevent or discourage others (non-Witnesses) from doing so, if they so desire. PublicationsJehovah's Witnesses make vigorous efforts to spread their beliefs throughout the world in a variety of ways, with particular emphasis on the written word. The Bible is their prime source of teaching.
Their teachings are presented through a wide variety of books, magazines and other publications. Their publications make extensive use of references and quotations from the Bible. They are perhaps best known for their use of a particular pair of journals:
(Some of the articles from these magazines are available online (http://www.watchtower.org).) Both The Watchtower and Awake! are published simultaneously in dozens of languages. Most language editions, including English, are published semimonthly; the remaining are monthly. New books, brochures, and other items pertaining to their current understanding of biblical teachings are released from time to time, major releases being announced at their annual conventions. Additionally, a number of audio- and videocassettes have been produced featuring various aspects of the group's beliefs and practices. Recent years have seen a proliferation of material available on their website (http://www.watchtower.org/current_topics.htm). Jehovah's Witnesses and the legal systemUnited StatesIn the United States, many Supreme Court cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses have shaped First Amendment law. Significant cases affirmed rights such as these:
By 1988, the U.S. Supreme Court had reviewed 71 cases involving Jehovah's Witnesses as an organization, two-thirds of which were decided in their favor. Most recently, in 2002, the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society disputed an ordinance in Stratton, Ohio that required a permit in order to preach from door-to-door. The Supreme Court decided in favor of the Witnesses. EuropeThe European Court of Human Rights have defended the rights of the Witnesses in many cases. For example:
FranceIn France, a number of court cases have involved Jehovah Witnesses and their organizations, especially on the question of their refusing blood transfusions to minor patients. These questions had far-reaching legal implications regarding the tax status of their organizations. The Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah (http://www.jw-media.org/region/europe/france/english/religious_freedom/fra_e041004-report.htm), a not-for-profit religious association used by Jehovah's Witnesses in France, was denied tax-exempt status by the French tax authorities. Religion-supporting organizations (associations cultuelles) in France can ask to be exempted from a number of taxes, including taxes on donations, as long as their purpose is solely to organize religious worship and they do not infringe on public order. The reasons for this denial were stated:
The list alluded to as final argument is given in the report (http://www.assemblee-nat.fr/rap-enq/r2468.asp) (unofficial translation (http://cftf.com/french/Les_Sectes_en_France/cults.html)) from a 1996 Parliamentary Commission on Cults; [2] (http://www.religioustolerance.org/rt_franc1.htm) however, reports such as this carry no legal or regulatory force. On October 5, 2004, the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in France for cases outside of administrative law, made public a decision in the case of Association Les Témoins de Jéhovah v. Direction des Services Fiscaux which rejected the Witnesses' recourse against taxation at 60 percent of the value of some of their contributions, which the fiscal services assimilated to dons gratuits, a legal category close to that of inheritance and subject to the same taxes between non-parents (text of the ruling (http://www.palain.org/rapports/cass_versaille.pdf), in legal French). The amount involved in the controversy could exceed $28 million (U.S.). According to Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society representatives, this includes a 60% tax on contributions used to support a vast humanitarian relief effort to Rwanda in 1994. [3] (http://www.jw-media.org/region/europe/france/english/religious_freedom/fra_e041004-report.htm) French law makes a clear distinction between normal non-profit associations (whose donations solicited from the public are not tax-exempt), non-profit associations of public usefulness (whose donations are tax exempt; this is the legal form normally used for associations engaging in humanitarian aid), and associations supporting religious activities (whose donations are tax exempt). Humanitarian aid is not considered support of religious activities and thus, accordingly, is not considered to be tax-exempt; the usual solution is to found a separate association devoted to humanitarian aid, and have it declared of public usefulness. To summarize the ruling, the fiscal services could legally tax the associations of the witnesses if they received donations in the form of dons manuels or dons gratuits and they were not recognized as associations cultuelles. However, the Conseil d'État, the supreme court for administrative matters, ruled that denying the statute of association cultuelle on grounds of accusations of infringement of public order was illegal unless substantiated by actual proofs of that infringement. For instance, a legal reason for this denial could be that the association incited to felonies such as failing to assist a person in danger; but mere considerations that the doctrine of the association could lead to such incitations were insufficient (court case (http://www.conseil-etat.fr/ce/actual/index_ac_lc0008.shtml); translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.conseil-etat.fr%2Fce%2Factual%2Findex_ac_lc0008.shtml&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)). Other court cases have concerned the right for a patient, or of a minor patient's legal guardians, to refuse medical treatment even in case of lethal consequences should the treatment not be accepted. For instance, in a 2001 court case, doctors at a French public hospital that had given blood products to a patient with an acute renal insufficiency, in clear danger of death, were found not to have committed a mistake of a nature to involve the responsibility of the State (communiqué (http://www.conseil-etat.fr/ce/actual/index_ac_lc0115.shtml), English translation (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.conseil-etat.fr%2Fce%2Factual%2Findex_ac_lc0115.shtml&langpair=fr%7Cen&hl=en&safe=off&c2coff=1&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&prev=%2Flanguage_tools)). The commentary of the Council, however, was that there does not exist, for the doctor, an abstract and unalterable hierarchy between the obligation to treat the patient, and that to respect the will of the patient; that is, doctors, when faced with the question of whether to treat a patient against his will, do not have a legally predefined obligation to treat the patient, nor do they have a legally predefined obligation to abide by his or her wishes. Opposition to Jehovah's WitnessesThroughout their history, their beliefs, doctrines and practices have met controversy and opposition among societies and other religions, including Christian groups. Many religious groups consider the faith of Jehovah's Witnesses to be a false teaching. The Witnesses are often mentioned on lists of "cults" because their religious beliefs are different than those held by the majority of society, because of issues with their organizational structure, or because of their positions on blood transfusions. [4] (http://www.carm.org/cults/cultlist.htm) [5] (http://www.rickross.com/sg_alpha.html) They have often been the subject of religious and political controversy. Political and religious animosity against them has at times led to mob action and government oppression, including the targeting of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Holocaust and widespread criticism from those of other faiths.[6] (http://www.religioustolerance.org/witness1.htm), [7] (http://jehovah.to/gen/holocaust/yonan.htm), [8] (http://www.jw-media.org/), [9] (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=jehovah%27s+witness&btnG=Search) Many criticize the organization's practice of excommunicating termed "disfellowshipping" members, a practice based on scriptural precedent, such as that found at 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. Many also criticize the Witnesses' policies of not participating in political activities, or in some activities commonplace outside of their faith community, and thus allege that the Witnesses willfully do not integrate into their community, and prevent their children from doing so. Many also view door-to-door evangelizing as an invasion of privacy, especially in societies where religious beliefs are considered a private matter not discussed with strangers, and thus prozelytizing is considered unusual and rude. They may also view it as an annoyance akin to door-to-door peddling; some people even pretend to not be at home when the Witnesses stop by. Some people have concerns about prozelytizing among minors (see below). Some Christians avoid welcoming prozelytizing Jehovah Witnesses, citing obedience to 2 John 1:8-12. On the other hand, Jehovah Witnesses base their practice of evangelism on scriptures, such as Matthew 28:18-20; they cite Acts 20:20 as scriptural support for the manner in which this activity is carried out. Hostility from traditional, fundamentalist and evangelical Christians has been common, because of this group's perceived rejection of many of the doctrines of mainstream Christian groups. For example, they teach that Jesus Christ is God's first creation and that the Holy Spirit is not a person but God's active force. This is seen to contradict the traditional translation of John 1:1. Many have been critical of their opinion that our current time period is "the last days." Depending on geographic location, Jehovah's Witnesses have been accused of misleading youth, engaging in satanic worship or supporting zionism, communism, fascism or pacifism. Because of their neutral political stand, Jehovah's Witnesses have often been accused of being disloyal to the state in both totalitarian and "free" nations. They have been sent to prisons, concentration camps, and even been executed. At times non-Witness family members and acquaintences have presented stiff, even violent opposition to their faith.(Watchtower 4/15/1982; 12/1/1980; 9/1/1979)[10] (http://www.jw-media.org/) Although uncommon, hate crimes have occurred against Jehovah's Witnesses because of their beliefs and practices. On the other hand, many people are cordial to the Witnesses. [11] (http://www.freeminds.org/history/conflicts.htm) The installation of Jehovah Witnesses' prayer centers is sometimes met by local opposition. As an example, in 1995 (respectively, 2004) the inhabitants of the village of Remomeix (resp. Deyvillers) in the Vosges département of France opposed the installation of prayer centers.[12] (http://www.lexpress.fr/info/societe/dossier/jehovah/dossier.asp?id=30400)[13] (http://www.bethel-fr.com/afficher_info.php?id=12358.109) Reasons indicated were the fear of aggressive prozelytizing of minors, and the large size of the installations (in both cases, the number of Jehovah Witnesses attending the center would have well exceeded the total population of the village). Jehovah's Witnesses and the Question of BloodIt is well known that Jehovah Witnesses do not accept blood transfusions [14] (http://watchtower.org/library/hb/). This is based on their understanding of the Bible admonition to "keep abstaining from blood" (Acts 15:28, 29), Jehovah's Witnesses refrain from accepting any blood transfusion or whole blood products. - see also Genesis 9:4 and Leviticus 17:10. The refusal of blood transfusions is one point of contention concerning Jehovah's Witnesses. In the United States, state and federal law may impose on limitations on physicians on the ability to withhold or withdraw blood transfusions or blood therapy from minors, particularly in life-threatening situations.
Moral, Legal and Philosophical ConsiderationsJehovah's Witnesses view life as God's gift represented by blood and accordingly want the best medical care possible. But they also believe that their eternal life prospects rest with Jehovah God and they would not want to compromise that by violating what they understand to be God's laws respecting blood. Regardless of the medical considerations, Jehovah Witnesses advocate that physicians should uphold the right of a patient to choose what treatments they accept or do not accept. Accordingly, US courts tend not to hold physicians responsible for adverse health effects that a patient incurred out of his or her own requests.[15] (http://www.watchtower.org/library/hb/index.htm?article=article_07.htm) However, the point of view that physicians must, in all circumstances, abide by the religious wishes of the patients is not acknowledged by all jurisdictions (see above cases in France). The problems are clearly very serious, particularly in the case of minor children. In the United States, many physicians will agree to explore and exhaust all non-blood alternatives in the treatment of children at the request of their legal guardians. However some state laws require physicians to administer blood transfusions to minors if the transfusion is judged (in their opinion) necessary to prevent immediate death or loss of function of a major organ. Bloodless Surgery: Advances in Modern MedicineWhile Jehovah's Witnesses refuse blood for religious reasons, more and more non-Witness patients are choosing to avoid blood because of risks such as AIDS, non-A non-B hepatitis, and immunologic reactions. As a result, bloodless surgery and transfusion alternatives are becoming more commonplace. Many medical facilities offer bloodless medicine and surgery as a special service for adult and pediatric patients who wish to avoid blood transfusions, whatever the reasons for their choice, even in such invasive operations such as open-heart surgery and total hip replacements [16] (http://www.rwjuh.edu/medserv/bloodless.html), , [17] (http://www.theuniversityhospital.com/bloodless/), [18] (http://www.theuniversityhospital.com/bloodless/html/aboutthecenter/casestudies.htm), [19] (http://www.noblood.org/forum/index.php) For example, a major study published in both the Journal of the American Medical Association and the British Medical Journal The Lancet showed that in many cases transfusions were actually not as necessary as healthcare providers often believe. A summary of the study states:
However, in cases of certain medical emergencies when bloodless medicine is not available, blood transfusions may seem to be the only available way to save a life. In this context, refusal can be very problematic. In those instances, Witnesses ask conscientious doctors to provide the best alternative care possible under the circumstances, respecting the religious consciences of their Witness patients. See also
External linksOfficial websites of Jehovah's Witnesses
Additional websites
Links critical of the groupar:شهود يهوه ast:Testigos de Xehová ca:Testimonis de Jehovà da:Jehovas Vidner de:Zeugen Jehovas es:Testigos de Jehová fr:Témoins de Jéhovah ia:Testes de Jehovah it:Testimoni di Geova hu:Jehova tanúi nl:Jehovah's Getuigen ja:エホバの証人 no:Jehovas vitner pl:Świadkowie Jehowy pt:Testemunhas de Jeová fi:Jehovan todistajat sv:Jehovas vittnen vi:Nhân Chứng Giê-hô-va
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