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History of Jehovah’s Witnesses
Jehovah’s Witnesses belong to a sect of Christianity that many people don’t know much about, with more than 8.5 million members.
Jehovah’s Witnesses developed from the late 1800s out of 19th-century American Adventist tradition. Though they didn’t take on the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” until 1931, from its earliest days the group was focused on conversion and spreading their interpretation of Christianity through magazines (Zion’s Watchtower and Herald of Christ’s Presence) from their own publishing company, and membership spread from Pennsylvania out to nearby states.
By 1880, with the help of their publications, there were dozens of congregations all across the United States. At this point, the Zion’s Watchtower Tract Society was officially formed, but a few years later the name was changed to what it is now: the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.
Significant growth began in the early 1900s, and the society’s headquarters moved to Brooklyn, New York, where they remain to this day. By 1913, there were printed sermons in four languages in 3,000 newspapers across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
During the First World War, several leaders in the organization were arrested for conspiring to promote draft evasion, after which they decreed that secular law did not need to be followed if it was not in accordance with God’s law. This belief surfaced in the 1940s when Witnesses resisted conscription into the Allied forces in World War II, leading to beatings, lost jobs, and jail time for many.
In the 1920s, a major structural change led to a highly centralized structure rather than truly democratic elections but, within the group, obedience to the leadership was akin to obedience to God. At this point, missionary work was the priority of the group, and every member who wanted to remain in the organization had to actively visit non-members to attempt to convert them.
In the 1930s and 1940s, German Witnesses were persecuted by Nazis, over half were sent to concentration camps, and one in four died during this time.
Missionary schools were set up in the 1940s, and in the 1960s, the group published its New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, which remains their preferred version of the traditional Bible.
Who Founded Jehovah’s Witnesses?
The beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses were introduced by Charles Taze Russell (1852–1916), a Pittsburgh man with a Presbyterian background who discovered Adventist beliefs in his teenage years. In 1875, when he was 23 years old, Russell became devoted to his faith and started the religious publishing company that would become a cornerstone of the spread of Jehovah’s Witnesses beliefs for years to come. He became president when the society was incorporated.
What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe?
The beliefs of this organization stem from more mainstream Christianity. Some of the group’s core beliefs are that the Bible is historically accurate (some of it may be metaphorical); the general Christian belief in the Trinity (God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is an inaccurate interpretation of God; Hell does not exist in the traditional sense, though Satan does, and controls the world, which is why there is suffering; and the End Times are coming, which will allow 144,000 anointed (taken from all people who have ever lived) to get to Heaven and rule alongside Jesus.
For a long time, 1975 was expected by Witnesses to be the end of the world (or at least, a significant change to the world order), but when this didn’t occur, the movement lost some steam for a few years. Several new interpretations of the End Times have since taken hold.
What Is the Watchtower?
The Watchtower is the major ongoing religious publication of the group that disseminates its teachings to the membership every month. A public edition of The Watchtower is brought door-to-door for the masses, along with the companion magazine, Awake!
Jehovah’s Witness Litigation
In the ongoing scandal of child sex abuse cover-ups in religious organizations, the Catholic Church has been at the center. However, more and more current and former Jehovah’s Witnesses are coming forward, alleging they were sexually molested as children by leaders within the organization. Many allege that their complaints were not taken seriously when brought to other leaders they thought they could trust, and even that the abuse was actively covered up.
If you or someone you love has suffered from sexual abuse within a religious organization like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, even if that abuse took place years or decades ago, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation.
