Jehovah's Witnesses

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Calvin Driscoll
Chyna Clark
Cade Reichmuth
Jehovah’s Witness

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Jehovah Witness Demographics
 8.4 million worldwide
 Jehovah’s Witnesses make up just less than 1% of
U.S. adults
 Most reside in US with more than 1.2 million in the
US

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Demographic
Charts

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History of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witness’ is an offshoot of the
International Bible Student Association, established
in belief by 19th century Adventist Charles Taze
Russell. Russell laid the foundation for Jehovah’s
Witnesses between the years 1872 and 1881 with
the institution of the Association.
After the passing of Pastor Russell on October
31, 1916, Franklin Rutherford assumed power of the
IBSA. By 1918, Rutherford had created a
community of closely knit followers who he would
call Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931.
(Gordan,1999, para 1-4)
(Karava, 2013) – Image

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History Through the 21st Century
The transition between Russell and
Rutherford proved to be divisive, but those of
Russell’s faithful who followed Rutherford
continued even after Nathan Knorr assumed
control in January 1942.
Knorr’s direction steadily grew the
congregation from a humble break-away to a
steady religious organization. He founded
the Watch Tower Bible School of Gilead on
February 1, 1943. He would even go on to
craft a new translation of the Bible.
The increase of national reach started a
trend of aggressive missionary work that
continued through the second half of the
century and into the 21st century.
(Knox, 2017)
(Spellen, 2016) - Image

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History With ‘Prophetic Visions’
 The religious group was built on the promises of evangelist
William Miller, who in the 1830s prophesied Jesus would return
between 1843-1844.
 Jehovah’s Witnesses founding father, Charles Russell, preached
that Christ would establish the millennial kingdom in 1914.
 The Watch Tower Society predicted in 1966 that Jehovah would
have His millennial rest in 1975. Children were taken out of
school, jobs were lost, and medical procedures were missed in
expectation.

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Jehovah Witness Beliefs
 Everyone is born into sin because Satan and the fall
in the garden
 God created Jesus as a solution to sin
 Jesus was the archangel Michael prior to coming to
earth
 He died on a stake and came back to convince his
disciples that he rose and then ascended back into
heaven

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Salvation
 Salvation is the deliverance from sin and death
 Believe that salvation is unearned and only by grace
 Must have faith in Jesus and be baptized to be saved
 There is a heaven with God that will only have
144,000 believers
 There is also an earthly paradise where all the other
believers go
 Unbelievers go do hell and do not receive salvation

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The View of The Trinity
 Believe in an almighty God (Jehovah)
 Believe that Jesus is a created being and not
God
 Follow Jesus teachings and example
 They believe the Holy Spirit is a force of God
in the world

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Sacred Texts
 Jehovah's Witnesses claim that they believe in
the Bible
 The holy book they use is a translation of the
Bible called the New World Translation
 This translation is a skewed version of the Bible,
and Christians do not accept it as an acceptable
translation because it goes against many Biblical
beliefs

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Traditions
 Christmas, Easter, and birthdays are not observed by Jehovah's
Witnesses because they believe they have pagan roots.
 They refuse to salute the flag or sing the national anthem, and
they refuse to serve in the military.
 They even reject blood transfusions, even though they could
save their lives.

12. z Practices and Ceremonies
 Adults can only be baptized, and that is
done by complete immersion. The Lord's
Evening Meal, also known as the
Memorial, takes place every year to
commemorate Jesus' "Last Supper." The
Memorial is open to the general public.
 The most well known practice
is evangelism, which is most often done
door-to-door.
 Jehovah's Witnesses go door to door to
make disciples because they believe this
is the model Jesus gave the church
(Matthew 10:7, 11-13), as well as the
example of first-century Christians who
went "from house to house" to spread
the Gospel (Acts 5:42; 20:20).

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Shunning/Disfellowship
 The "shunning" or
"disfellowshipping" of those
members or former members is one
of the Jehovah's Witnesses'
practices. Critics of the procedure,
the majority of which are former
Witnesses who were
disfellowshipped, claim that it is
divisive and emotionally destructive.
Some people believe the practice
proves the group is a cult that tries
to manipulate its members.

14. z Baptism
 https://youtu.be/pKJcfAJT2sk
 This video shows what it looks
like to get baptized. Baptism is a
ritual they do when individuals
want to get closer to God. Those
"of a responsible age" who have
made a deliberate decision to
enter the faith are baptized by
Jehovah's Witnesses.
 Baptism is a complete water
immersion ceremony that
signifies one's commitment to
God. Following baptism, a
Jehovah's Witness's primary
responsibilities include routine
attendance at Kingdom Hall
meetings and evangelism.

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Engaging the Followers
 It’s crucial to remember Jehovah’s Witnesses deserve respect
as individuals despite crucial differences in theology.
 Jehovah’s Witnesses believe they are Christians on the straight
and narrow path, while all other denominations have slipped
away into destruction.
 As appropriately as possible, warn against false teachings and
urge Witnesses to search the Scriptures themselves and compare
teachings of the Watchtower to that of Jesus (Matt 24:22, Acts
20:28-30, 2 Tim 4:3-4).
 Witnesses follow a belief system that denies Christ’s deity,
arguing the Father created Him and through Him He created all
other things.
 Present Jesus’ divinity in the Gospel and our role as witnesses to
His glory (Luke 22:70, John 1:1, John 10:30).

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Engaging the Followers
 When talking with Jehovah’s Witnesses, it will be important to
keep the conversation civil rather than arguing over whose Bible
is the correct one to be reading from.
 All in all, loving others as Christ has first loved will open eyes.
Jehovah’s Witness may be deceived, but “the Light pierces the
darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).

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References
Jehovah's Witnesses. ReligionFacts. (2021, January 29). https://religionfacts.com/jehovahs-witnesses/practices.
Karava, Peter. (Apr 27, 2013). The original International Bible Students Association… still alive and well. Friends of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
https://www.friendsofjehovahswitnesses.com/2013/04/10/the-original-international-bible-students-association-still-alive-and-well/
Knox, Zoe K. (2017). The History of the Jehovah’s Witnesses: An Appraisal of Recent Scholarship. The Journal of Religious History,
41(2). https://eds-a-ebscohost-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=1&sid=3c209fd1-d821-4306-bf32-9b4b90e1008e%40sdc-v-
sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=ATLAiAZI170925000187&db=rfh
Lipka, M. (2020, May 30). A closer look At Jehovah's Witnesses living in the U.S. Retrieved April 15, 2021, from
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/04/26/a-closer-look-at-jehovahs-witnesses-living-in-the-u-
s/#:~:text=Jehovah's%20Witnesses%20are%20among%20the,another%20race%20or%20mixed%20race.
Melton, J. Gordan. (Dec 20, 1999). Jehovah’s Witness. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jehovahs-Witnesses
Moore, D. (2002). The Jehovah’s Witnesses: their beliefs and practices (a comparative view with Christianity). Churchman, 116(1), 91–92.
https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/jehovah-witness-beliefs/
Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent
religions and spiritualities of the world. (n.d.). Rites and Ceremonies. Patheos. https://www.patheos.com/library/jehovahs-
witnesses/ritual-worship-devotion-symbolism/rites-and-ceremonies.
Spellen, Suzanne. (2016). The End of the World: Charles T. Russell and Why the Jehovah’s Witnesses Came to Brooklyn. Brownstoner.
https://www.brownstoner.com/history/jehovah-witness-history-brooklyn-religion-origins/