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A look at the history, beliefs and worldwide reach of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Who are they? What do they believe?
[1] [2] Since 1976, all doctrinal decisions have been made by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, [3] a group of elders at the denomination's headquarters. These teachings are disseminated through The Watchtower magazine and other publications of Jehovah's Witnesses , and at conventions and congregation meetings.
[en 1] A central teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses is that the world faces imminent destruction through intervention by God and Jesus Christ. [186] This belief has been present since the group's founding. [187] They believe that Jesus' inauguration as king in 1914 is a sign that the great tribulation is about to take place. [188]
A Jehovah's Witnesses Convention in Kraków, Poland. Each year, Jehovah's Witnesses hold two one-day "Circuit Assemblies", held in each circuit worldwide. Each circuit comprises several congregations in a geographical area. These are held either in Assembly Halls owned by Jehovah's Witnesses, or in rented facilities, such as public auditoriums.
In 2016, Jehovah's Witnesses had the lowest average household income among surveyed religious groups, with approximately half of Witness households in the United States earning less than $30,000 a year. [5] As of 2016, Jehovah's Witnesses are the most racially diverse Christian denomination in the United States. [6]
Jehovah's Witnesses believe that God's kingdom is a literal government in heaven, ruled by Jesus Christ and 144,000 "spirit-anointed" Christians drawn from the earth, which they associate with Jesus' reference to a "new covenant". [1]
Jehovah's Witnesses being baptized. Jehovah's Witnesses believe salvation is a gift from God attained by being part of "God's organization" and putting faith in Jesus' ransom sacrifice. They do not believe in predestination or eternal security. They believe in different forms of resurrection for two groups of Christians: that the 144,000 ...
In practice, Jehovah's Witnesses "view the United Nations organization as they do other governmental bodies of the world," as "superior authorities" that "exist by God's permission," based on their interpretation of Romans 13:1–2. They believe "this Scriptural position does not condone any form of disrespect toward governments or their ...