Jehovah Witnesses
When people think of Jehovah Witnesses they automatically think of the people that are always knocking on your door at seven in the morning or people that don’t celebrate any holidays. But Jehovah Witnesses are more than that. In this essay I will be briefly examining what Jehovah Witnesses are and the many rituals that they practice.
Who are Jehovah’s Witnesses? “Jehovah’s Witnesses are a religious sect begun by Charles Taze in the late 1870s”(Ankerberg p.1). Jehovah Witnesses are people who are a member of a Christian Church of American source, the followers of which believe that the end of the present world system of government is near, that all other Churches and religions are untruthful or evil, that all war is unlawful, and that the civil law must be resisted whenever it conflicts with their Church's own religious principles. According to BeliefNet, they are known for their potent evangelism and their unique translation of the Bible called the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. “Through aggressive door-to-door proselytizing and authoritarian leadership, the group has grew from a small number of students to allegedly more than 7 million in over 200 countries and territories” (Ankerberg p.9).
What do Jehovah witnesses believe? Jehovah witnesses believe that there is one God Almighty--a Spirit Being with a body but not a human body. There is only one God and no Trinity. They believe that God created the heavens and earth in six days, but each "day" is equal to thousands of years. God created and controls all processes and events. Also, No soul remains after death. Soon, Jesus Christ will return to resurrect the dead, restoring soul and body. Those judged righteous will be given everlasting life on a paradise earth. Those judged unrighteous will not be tormented, but will die and cease to exist. According to Beliefnet, the original sin caused humans to inherit death and sin. Satan and his demons pervade the earth as spirits tempting all to sin, which God allows as a test of faith in Him. In order to get salvation they must show faith in God and in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and Avoid behaviors that God dislikes, including celebration of birthdays and holidays originating from false religions.
Some Jehovah’s Witness Statistics from 2004 are there were about 6 Million active Jehovah’s Witnesses at this time, about 1.2 Billion hours spent annually in door-to-door proselytizing, the “The Watchtower and Awake!” magazines were distributed in over 230 countries, about 6 Million “Bible Studies” were conducted with potential converts, and there were about 98 Thousand Congregations ("Jehovah's Witness Beliefs and History | Jehovah's Witness Beliefs Exposed."). Jehovah witnesses practice many different rituals. One is known as baptism. Jehovah's Witnesses baptize those "of a responsible age" who have made a conscious decision to join the faith. Baptism is done by full water immersion and is a sign of one's devotion to God. After baptism, primary duties expected of a Jehovah's Witness include regular attendance at Kingdom Hall meetings and evangelism. Probably one of the most well-known practice of the Jehovah's Witnesses is evangelism, which is most often done door-to-door, as stated in the beginning of this essay. Jehovah's Witnesses hold religious ceremonies in buildings called