![]() The Watchtower Society advises Witnesses to minimize socializing with those who aren’t members, in order to maintain their spiritual integrity and morality. Those who commit a serious sin or who decide to leave the Watchtower Society, whether formally or informally, are “disfellowshipped.” Contact with members who are disfellowshipped is limited to certain people, such as those who have contractual obligations or family members living in the same home. Each congregation is led by a body of ministerial servants and appointed, unpaid male elders. Members practice baptism and dedication, but there is no tithing or collection funds are raised through voluntary contributions. Authority for doctrinal and organizational decisions rests with the Governing Body, a small group of men based in the Watchtower Society’s Brooklyn headquarters. They study Watch Tower Society literature and the Bible at their meetings, which typically include two gatherings each week. Witnesses attend meetings at Kingdom Halls, which normally contain no religious symbols but are rather more functional. The belief that they should “abstain from…blood” comes from a biblical passage in the book of Acts. They hold that blood is sacred and represents life. They also refuse blood transfusions, even those that could be life saving.Ī Jehovah’s Witness is prohibited from ingesting or being transfused with natural human blood or its products, although there are exceptions for some artificial blood products or “non-blood alternatives.” The Witnesses’ stand against blood transfusions reflects the significance of blood in their faith. They do not salute the national flag or sing the national anthem, and they refuse military service. Jehovah’s Witnesses do not observe holidays they believe to have pagan origins, such as Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. They study both the Bible and Watchtower publications, using the latter to help them interpret scripture. Witnesses believe in baptism and follow Christian standards on morality and love. Members believe that, 3 ½ years after 1914, Jesus came to “inspect and cleanse” the Watchtower Society, choosing it as the only organization through which he would work and “the only means of salvation.”īecause they believe theirs is the only true religion, Jehovah’s Witnesses place a strong emphasis on outreach and sharing their beliefs. ![]() This date is said to also mark when the Last Days began. The Holy Spirit is believed to be a force rather than a person.Ī significant underpinning belief of Jehovah’s Witnesses is that Jesus’ heavenly rule (or “heavenly Kingdom power”) began in 1914. ![]() Witnesses use the name “Jehovah” rather than “God,” and they focus their worship on Jehovah rather than on Jesus, whom they believe was Jehovah’s only direct creation. Members believe that only Jehovah’s Witnesses will be saved when most of the world’s population is killed at Armageddon. “They believe that the destruction of the present world system at Armageddon is imminent, and that the establishment of God’s kingdom on earth is the only solution for all problems faced by humankind.”. The leadership predicted and believe that the end of the world is soon to come. They believe that Christ died for the sins of man, but that he was resurrected spiritually rather than physically. For example, they believe that God is one person, not a trinity. Since the inception in 1879 of what is now known as the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, its adherents, called Jehovah’s Witnesses, have had distinctive beliefs that separate them from mainstream Christianity. c Of course, these rights carry with them the obligation to respect the rights of others both to maintain their beliefs and to reject ideas that they disagree with.The Beliefs and Practices of Jehovah’s Witness The right to change religions is supported by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United Nations has called “the foundation of international human rights law.” That document states that everyone has the “freedom to change his religion or belief” and “to seek, receive and impart information and ideas,” including religious ideas. ( Joshua 24:2 Ruth 1:14-16 Acts 17:22, 30-34 Galatians 1:14, 23) In addition, the Bible even acknowledges a person’s right to make the unwise decision to abandon the worship approved by God.- 1 John 2:19. Abraham, Ruth, some of the people of Athens, and the apostle Paul are just a few examples. It records many who chose not to follow the form of religion practiced by their relatives and who, of their own free will, decided to worship the true God. Yes, the Bible shows that people have the right to change their religion. The prophet Abraham left the religion of his relatives
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