“You are my witness, says Jehovah, and I am God,” Isaiah 43:12.
Jehovah’s Witnesses are best known for their door-to-door preaching and comprise over 7 million members worldwide. Aside from Antarctica, a Jehovah’s Witness can be found on every continent on the planet.
Charles Taze Russell, who was born in 1852 and raised Presbyterian, became disenchanted by one belief in his Christian faith: The belief that all non-Christians would be condemned to hell. Russell did not believe that a loving God could condemn anyone to hell, and eventually started his own movement. He began the door-to-door method of converting people.
Alice McCline, a homemaker, said she was depressed, despondent and ready to give up when she received that knock on her door by a Jehovah’s Witness almost 30 years ago. Initially, she and her new friend studied at her home, but soon began to attend services together at the Kingdom Hall in her neighborhood.
“When I finally got there, I really enjoyed the services. Everything was based on the Bible. The congregation was very diverse and there was no (formal) collection,” said McCline. It was just a few months before McCline decided to join the church.
Like many other Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses practice their faith by going to church, praying and being baptized. They believe the Bible is the true Word of God. One way they differ from other Christians is they have their own translation of the Bible called the New World Translation of Holy Scriptures. Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from Christians in other ways as well:
1. They do not serve in the armed forces or vote in elections.
2. They study and distribute “The Watchtower”, a bi-monthly 32-page magazine containing articles on Bible topics, which is almost as important to them as the Bible.
3. They do not celebrate birthdays or religious holidays such as Easter or Christmas.
4. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe that when Jesus comes to Earth that he will rule God’s Kingdom nor will he resurrect the dead.
5. They believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but do not see him as God’s equal.
6. They attend church service five or more times a week.
7. They believe in heaven, but believe that only 144,000 “true Christians” will get there.
8. They reject blood transfusions or the use of transplanted organs from donors.
9. They believe Jesus died on a single upright torture stake instead of on a cross.
10. Jehovah’s Witnesses also believe the Bible condemns the mixing of religions.
“Most people say Jehovah’s Witnesses think their religion is better than other religions, but that’s not true,” said McCline. “We just try harder; we persevere.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses also have some explicit rules of conduct among members. “One of the most difficult things about being a Witness is the rule that a woman should never be alone in a room with a member of the opposite sex and vice versa,” said McCline.
“Women are emotional and men are susceptible to our emotions. They have a tendency to want to console us (when we’re upset). Sometimes simple consoling can get people into a lot of trouble,” she said.
Serious sins can even cause a member to be disfellowshipped or expelled from the church on grounds of immoral conduct or lack of faith. This form of shunning has critics referring to the religion’s leadership as autocratic. “Witnesses are never forced into anything,” said McCline, “We are simply directed or given suggestions, but we always think for ourselves,” she said.
Kevin Magas
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