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Jehovahs Witnesses
Columbia Encyclopedia entry: Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses, Christian group originating in the United States at the end of the 19th cent., organized by Charles Taze Russell, whose doctrine centers on the Second Coming of Christ. The Witnesses believe that the event has already commenced; they also believe the battle of Armageddon is imminent and that it will be followed by a millennial period when repentant sinners will have a second chance for salvation. The Witnesses base their teaching on the Bible. They have no churches but meet in buildings that are always named Kingdom Hall. There are no official ministers because all Jehovah's Witnesses are considered ministers of the gospel. Their views are circulated in the Watchtower, Awake!, and other publications and by house-to-house canvasing carried on by members. Since their beginning, the Witnesses have been the subject of harassment virtually everywhere that they have been active. Regarding governments as the work of Satan, the Witnesses refuse to bear arms in war or participate in the affairs of government. Their refusal to salute the flag brought about a controversy that resulted in a decision in their favor by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1943. The Witnesses insist upon a rigid moral code and refuse blood transfusions. Before 1931, Jehovah's Witnesses were called Russellites; abroad the movement is usually known as the International Bible Students Association. Active in almost every country in the world, the group has more than 1 million members in the United States.

See studies by W. J. Whalen (1962), W. C. Stevenson (1967), J. Bergman (1984), and M. J. Penton (1988).

The Columbia Encyclopedia. Copyright © 2001-09 Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

Wikipedia search results for: Jehovah's Witnesses
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jehovah's Witnesses (redirected from Jehovahs Witnesses) is a restorationist, millenarian Christian denomination. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism; they report convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual Memorial attendance of over 17 million. They are directed by the Governing Body, a group of elders which exercises authority on all doctrinal matters, based on their interpretation of the Bible, with preference given to their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. The group emerged from the Bible Student movement, founded in the late 19th century by Charles Taze Russell, with the...more »
Columbia Encyclopedia search results: Jehovahs Witnesses
Results 1 - 4  of 4
  • Rutherford, Joseph Franklin

    Rutherford, Joseph Franklin, 1869–1942, American sectarian leader, b. Missouri. He became leader of the Jehovah's Witnesses (then called Russellites) after the death of the sect's founder, Cha...

  • Russell, Charles Taze

    Russell, Charles Taze, 1852–1916, founder of the movement whose followers are known as Russellites, as Bible Students, and (since 1931) as Jehovah's Witnesses, b. Pittsburgh, Pa. There he pred...

  • conscientious objector

    Conscientious objector, person who, on the grounds of conscience, resists the authority of the state to compel military service. Such resistance, emerging in time of war, may be based on membe...

  • Eritrea

    Eritrea, officially State of Eritrea, republic (2005 est. pop. 4,562,000), c.48,000 sq mi (124,320 sq km), NE Africa. It is bordered on the northeast by the Red Sea, on the southeast by Djibou...

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