Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian denomination that believes in the Bible as the word of God and Jesus as their Savior. They focus on biblical prophecy and believe in an imminent end of the world. They do not believe in the Trinity, pray to God instead of Jesus, and believe in a permanent paradise on Earth for virtuous people. They preach to impart resurrection hope, avoid politics, and do not celebrate holidays like Christmas or birthdays. They are conservative and consider homosexuality, premarital sex, and abortion sins. They refuse blood transfusions but have influenced hospitals to seek alternatives.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are Christians who believe that the Bible is the word of God and that Jesus is their Savior. This Christian denomination dates back to the end of the 19th century. Charles Taze Russel is credited with organizing the first Bible study groups that later gave rise to the sect of Jehovah’s Witnesses; these groups focused on biblical prophecy and the second coming of Christ. This second coming is said to have occurred invisibly in the 19th, a date originally thought to mark the end of the world or Armageddon.
Their name comes from the Bible, the Book of Isaiah, chapter 43, verses 10 and 11. The meaning behind the name is pretty clear. Indicates that they bear witness to Jehovah, Jehovah being the personal name of God.
There are approximately 16.6 million Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide, with just three countries (the United States, Brazil, and Mexico) having a population of over half a million. Of that number, about 6.7 million are involved in active preaching and are part of the official statistical count.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in a supreme God, a spirit that has a body, but not a human body. Jesus is Lord and Savior, but he is not part of God. They do not believe in the Trinity—father, son, and holy spirit—as, for example, Catholics do. Rather, Jesus is separate from God and was God’s servant on Earth. Jesus is also said to have received an elevated status in heaven at a higher level than the angels. Because Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus is not God, and because they believe that prayer is a form of worship and that false gods should not be worshipped, they pray to God, not Jesus.
People in this belief system believe that after the end of the world, which is imminent, 144,000 people will have a chance to go to heaven. The others will have the opportunity to be resurrected and live in a permanent paradise on Earth, as long as they are virtuous in life. Those judged unjust will cease to exist. They don’t believe in a soul left over after death.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that all other religions are false and are deeply involved in preaching as a way to impart resurrection hope to mankind. Politics is not a big part of life, as they believe governments will also imminently be destroyed. As a result, they rarely vote and take no part in anything to do with national politics, including the singing of the national anthem or flag salute. They also don’t celebrate birthdays or Christmas, and most avoid Thanksgiving, which they consider a pagan holiday. Weddings and funerals are observed, and anniversaries are not prohibited.
Jehovah’s Witnesses tend to be conservative. Homosexuality, premarital sex and abortion are considered sins. For many, gambling and excessive drinking are forbidden, although some choose to drink in moderation. They won’t accept blood transfusions, even if it means death. However, more and more hospitals are now using bloodless techniques in surgery, often crediting Jehovah’s Witnesses as their drive to seek alternatives.
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