Jehovah Witness, Essay Example

Jehovah’s Witnesses, a religious movement, was officially founded in 1884 as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society by Charles Taze Russell (1852-1916) and officially adopted the name of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931. Doctrine consists of 66 books of The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) as the only reliable  and divinely inspired Word of God. The most distinguishing feature of this religion is the belief that God is a single being, not a Trinity. In contrast to Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Christ, his physical resurrection, and salvation by grace.

Different types of celebrations and holydays such as weddings, anniversaries, and funerals are allowed by Jehovah’s Witnesses though they avoid participating certain traditions they perceive to have pagan origins. Another remarkable characteristic of religion is that according to Jehovah’s Witnesses Bible prohibits the consumption, storage and transfusion of blood. The church is totally millennial and believes that humanity  now has the ‘last days’, and that the last battle between good and evil will happen soon and only those who have faith will survive after the Armageddon.

Jehovah’s Witnesses are present in most countries nowadays, but they do not form a large part the majority or of the population of any country. According to the official web-site, by the end of 2009 there were 7.313.173 “publishers” in 236 lands throughout the world, with the biggest accumulation in the US (1.154.275). “Publishers” is a term used for members who involved in preaching actively. In 2009 reports indicated a total of 1.557.788.344 hours spent in active preaching and studying Bible. The official published membership statistics include those who have reported about preaching activity, and do not include “inactive” members. Total number of congregations by the end of 2009 was 105.298. The official published membership statistics include  those who have reported preaching activity, but  do not include “inactive” and disfellowshipped members. Jehovah’s Witnesses call disfellowshipped members those baptized members who violate the organization’s fundamental moral principles or who dispute doctrinal matters.

Jehovah’s Witnesses  organized under a hierarchical arrangement, called a “theocratic government”, reflecting their belief that it is God’s organization on earth. The organization  headed by the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which consists of 9 male-members, located in the Watch Tower Society’s Brooklyn, New York headquarters. The Governing Body directs six committees that are responsible for different administrative functions within the Witness community, including evangelizing activity, publication and assembly programs. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not recognize the legitimacy of any governmental authority, since they believe all earthly authority is of Satan. They do not serve in the military, vote, salute the flag, run for office, or serve of labor unions.

The popularity of Jehovah’s Witnesses may be explained by way of preaching their believes. According to Jehovah’s Witnesses rules, you have to preach a lot to be a good publisher. The most popular way of spreading their beliefs is visiting people from house to the house and religionize those who interested. Jehovah’s Witnesses are instructed to devote as much time as possible to preaching activities, and it is required to report every month on their ‘witnessing’ activity to their congregation. The  Witness organization also requires of its members regular and obligatory weekly attendance at their  meetings called “Bible Study”where they are repeatedly indoctrinated with their teachings. It is done by reading the Watchtower and Awake! magazine, following along with what it says, reading the questions it asks and learning by heart the answers it gives.  In other words, the Watchtower Organization carefully trains its publishers to let the Organization do their thinking for them. Another meeting is a school for training Witnesses to be better proclaimers of the good news, followed by a part devoted to discussing the witnessing work in the local territory.

Recourses

Jehovah’s Witnesses Official Web Site.  Statistics: 2009 Report of Jehovah’s Witnesses Worldwide Retrieved Apr. 10, 2010 from http://www.watchtower.org/e/statistics/worldwide_report.htm

Jehovah’s Witnesses Official Media Web Site. Our Beliefs Retrieved Apr. 10, 2010 from http://www.jw-media.org/aboutjw/beliefs.htm

The Watchtower. How the Governing Body Is Organized, May 15, 2008, page 29