Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Talk:Jehovah's Witnesses

2011-06-06T01:01:52Z

George1971:

This was ''completly'' one sided. It must have been written by a JW eager to show how wonderful their religion is because the whole thing is just a glowing review of their wonderous organisation - the savour of human rights, community builder, carer for the old and infirm... if it was any more sugar-coated, it would be attracting wasps.

I read it, and found ''not even a single negative statement'' about the JW - even though they are one of the most contriversial of Christian denominations.

I dont know enough to correct this one-sided problem. For now, I have copy-pasted some of the more interesting statements over from wikipedia. Its untidy to steal from the competition, I know, but the Wikipedia licence says its acceptable. We use the same one ourselves.
::You are wrong, wrong, wrong about copying from Wikipedia, for two reasons.
:::First, User:Aschlafly does not like copying from Wikipedia. There isn't any well-articulated formal policy, so there's wiggle-room, but he has said things like:
::::*note that we do not copy directly from Wikipedia or other sources, so please do not repeat that approach"
::::*"I'd prefer that we don't copy anything at all!"
::::*"there is little point in wholesale copying of material from another Wiki into Conservapedia. What would that accomplish? Let's try to be original here."
:::Second, Conservapedia does ''not'' use the same GFDL license as Wikipedia, or any other kind of "free" license.
:::Third, the Wikipedia license says its acceptable to copy their content under fairly strict conditions. You're remembering the "acceptable to copy part" but conveniently forgetting the "strict conditions" part. For example, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verbatim_copying says you can copy an entire article but only if you make no changes, ''and only if the copy itself is licensed under the GFDL.'' Conservapedia isn't licensed under the GFDL, so reproducing Wikipedia material here violates the terms of their license. I won't get into the further complications if you want to ''modify'' the article. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 14:16, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

It will do as a temporary solution, until we can get some of our own experts to rewrite the accusations in Conservapedia-friendly terms. Its certinly preferable to bias by ommision: The JWs are a very contriversial organisation, and conservapedia needs to reflect that.

- BornAgainBrit

Just don't trash them too much. [[User:Cracker|Cracker]]<sup>[[User_Talk:Cracker|talk]]</sup> 14:03, 19 March 2007 (EDT)
I don't think that Conservapedia is using GFDL. This will likely be rv so don't work on it too much. [[User:Cracker|Cracker]]<sup>[[User_Talk:Cracker|talk]]</sup> 14:10, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

*I just did revert it. I'm more than willing to discuss it, but this should be hashed out before attempting to reinsert the material. The burden of proof is on those who think it is OK to copy such large quantities of material from Wikipedia to explain why it is OK, given that Conservapedia does ''not'' license its material under the GFDL.

== "which some Christians consider to be a cult" ==
I snipped out the parenthetical comment in

:a Christian denomination (which some Christians consider to be a cult)

pending someone's providing a good published source.

If you don't say ''which'' Christians and cite a published source for the statement, then this is pure weasel-wording, a simple unsupported statement of opinion which is not magically transformed into a fact by adding the phrase "some Christians consider."

I don't doubt that there are Christians who consider it to be a cult. There are probably some Catholics who consider the Pope to be the Antichrist (i.e. would answer the question "is the Pope Catholic?" with "No.") It is perfectly legitimate to cite facts about opinions, but the reader is entitled to know ''whose'' opinions they are. Who is calling them "a cult?" A U. N. official annoyed by their identification of the U. N. with the Beast of the Revelation? A hospital official troubled by their stance on blood transfusions? A Catholic retaliating for their Catholic-bashing? It matters. Who, when, and what, exactly did they say?

''With'' a good published source, this would be a valid addition to the article. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 18:23, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

Perhaps the most famous book on cults in Christian History, Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin, has a chapter on this group. [[User:MountainDew|MountainDew]] 18:26, 20 March 2007 (EDT)

'''Update'''

After looking at this entry for a while, decided to give it a bit of a tweaking to be a little tighter and (hopefully) read a little easier. Noticed some of the above commentary and tried to make updates in line with feedback provided on whatever the former entries had been. For those who are intersted, I've including the following logic/rationale on the updates provided:

* Edited the first line with regard to J.W.'s being a "religious organization which considers itself Christian," but rejects the divinity of Jesus Christ. According to the dictionary, ''Christian'' is defined as: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ, a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ, or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus (Merroam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary - 10th Edition; Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary - Deluxe 2nd Edition). Their principal magazine, The Watchtower, meets those definitions when it states that it promotes "faith in Jesus Christ, who died so that we might gain everlasting life and who is now ruling as King of God's Kingdom".
* Info re: C.T. Russell ... ran across interesting book by early J.W. (A.H. Macmillan) who gave insight into how the Bible study routine of the J.W.'s got started. Frank S. Mead's ''Handbook of Demoninations in the United States'' (copyright 1970, pages 117-120) noted that J.W.'s use the proof-text method in verifying their beliefs.
* Noted comments regarding previous lack of notation of "controversy" surrounding J.W.'s. and added interesting note from former J.W. president N.H. Knorr regarding infallibilty. While I personally believe it is beneficial to do research on what a religion believes, I'm not one for doing a hack job on them. Have J.W.'s made mistakes (sometimes what some might consider to be whoppers)? Undoubtedly (and I think they usually acknowledge them). Show me a religion that hasn't and I'll show you a religion that isn't doing anything.

I will probably see what else I can round up regarding their beliefs. Rediscovered Leo Rosten's ''Religions of America''.

Respectfully yours, [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 21:45, 6 January 2008 (EST)

==New Contributor==
I left WP because of constant edit wars and little supervision. I made some changes just now and am willing to help with the articles on JW's if I can do so without having to argue endlessly with former adherents about every nitpicking point. Just look at WP's first sentence in the JW article: "Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian[1] restorationist[2] Christian[3] denomination[4] with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity." How tiresome is that?

If my help is desired and accepted I will contribute.
[[User:George1971|George1971]] 21:01, 5 June 2011 (EDT)

Jehovah's Witnesses

2011-06-06T00:52:34Z

George1971: /* History */ some to most, most C docts are about morality, etc; Other similar cahnges; spelling; punctuation; removed 'weasely' phrases/sentences; addeed citation request; added citation enough fo

'''Jehovah's Witnesses''', are a religious organization that is headquartered in the [[United States]] and legally known as the ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.'' Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the Church has about 12,000 churches in the U.S. with 1 million members. Outside the U.S. membership is over 6 million in 90,000 local churches. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work; there is no paid clergy.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in the United States in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell of Pittsburgh. A small group of non-conformist Christian Adventists who professed loyalty only to Jehovah, they refused to swear allegiance to any government or to serve in the army of any nation. They believed that after the battle of Armageddon they would be the elect in a thousand-year period of heavenly peace. They were disliked for their opposition to the First World War, their door-to-door proselytizing, their disdain toward government, their early support of the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and their loud criticism of other churches as the work of Satan.

==Theology==
They primarily use the ''[[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'', their translation of the Bible. It was produced because in their words: "No translation of the Bible can ever be considered final. Translations must keep pace with the growth in biblical scholarship and the changes in language."<ref> The Watchtower October 15, 1999 p.28 </ref>

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their faith is the restoration of the early Church. This belief is based on their attempts to align their organizational structure as closely as possible to their view of the Christian congregation of the first century. There is no clergy-laity distinction as all, male and female members, are considered to be ordained ministers at the time of [[baptism]] (note that Witnesses do not practice [[infant baptism]]).

Jehovah's Witnesses reject certain Orthodox beliefs of mainstream Christianity. These include the [[Trinity]] and the immortality of the soul.

Witnesses do observe an annual celebration of the [[Last Supper]], or Lord's Evening Meal (1 Corinthians 11:20). This event, which they refer to as the Memorial of Christ's Death, falls on the night of Nisan 14 which corresponds with the ancient [[Passover]] celebration observed by Jews.

== History ==
The group originated in the 1870s with a movement called the Bible Students, founded by [[Charles Taze Russell]] (1852-1916). As a young man, Russell was critical of some Christian doctrines, and was attracted to the teachings of William Miller and other [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|adventists]] who speculated upon the return of the Savior. During the repeated crises of the Adventists, when all dates calculated for the second coming proved erroneous, Russel started his own movement in the 1870's. Predictions concerning the second coming of a spiritual Lord and intensive distribution of tract literature and of 'Watchtower' materials characterize the organization of his group. Russell organized a Bible class to study the scriptures from the ground up. The study process involved raising a question, discussing the topic and reviewing all known related scriptures that the participants could find on the point. The results were recorded whether or not they matched long-standing theological viewpoints. His group was known first as Russellites and then as the "International Bible Students." Russell founded Zion's Watch Tower, (now The Watchtower), in 1879, and Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1884 (later renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
"Judge" Joseph F. Rutherford (1869-1942), a prolific writer, served as the second president, 1916-42, and renamed the movement "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931. By 1938 there were 115,000 members, and local churches were becoming more directly organized by the Society's headquarters in Brooklyn.

Witnesses are well known worldwide for their door-to-door preaching which features use of the Bible and distribution of ''[[The Watchtower]]'' and ''[[Awake!]]'' magazine. They do not celebrate holidays that are not discussed in the Bible or that they feel serve to exalt individuals, human organizations or national groups, believing them to be an affront to God. In the 1920s and 1930s Witnesses would enter communities in large numbers, play loud phonograph records, and go door-to-door in search of potential converts, and denouncing organized religion as evil. [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], whose mother was a leader of the Witnesses in Kansas, came under attack for his connection; he defended the group but never affiliated with it. {{citation needed}}

===Pledge of Allegiance===
Their view of idolatry led to their refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (or other governments) and participation in military service.<ref> Rutherford: “God, Jehovah, is the only source of life. No one else can give life. The State of Pennsylvania cannot give life. The American Government cannot. God made this law [forbidding the worship of images], as Paul puts it, to safeguard His people from idolatry. That is a small thing, you say. So was the act of Adam in eating of the forbidden fruit. It was not the apple that Adam ate, but it was his act of disobeying God. The question is whether man will obey God or obey some human institution. . . - Jehovah's Witnesses Proclaimers of God's Kingdom p.684</ref> Jehovah's Witnesses base this belief on their understanding of [[Book of Romans|Romans]] 13:1,5-7; [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 12:17; and [[Book of Acts|Acts]] 5:28, 29.

In 1935, two young Witnesses Lillian Gobitas and her younger brother William refused to salute the American flag in school in Minersville, Pennsylvania; both were expelled from public school. Their father found relief in the 3d Circuit Court of Appeals, but the children were still not accepted back in school. The case went to the Supreme Court, where the court held for the school board in an opinion written by Justice [[Felix Frankfurter]]. The Supreme Court ruled that the flag salute could be made mandatory despite religious convictions. The ruling led to assaults on Jehovah's Witnesses, Three years later the court reversed its ruling against the Witnesses in 'West Virginia State Board of Education' v. 'Barnette' (1943). The Witnesses' trials support the position that American liberty does not emanate so much from localities and states taking their stand against a potentially tyrannical federal government as from an elite legal culture that places the Constitution and individual rights above the passions of communities and crowds.<ref> See Francis (2000)</ref>

The many legal battles waged by the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Supreme Court during the 1930's-40's were not accidental but rather a result of a strategy employed by leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to secure the right to proselytization through winning key 1st Amendment cases in the high courts. Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford envisioned using the law to empower and protect Jehovah's Witnesses against canvassing prohibitions and mob violence, but it was Hayden Covington of the group's legal department who actively steered Witnesses into legal confrontations nationwide. Covington deliberately sent Witnesses into areas where their activity was either prohibited or unpopular.{{citation needed}} Witnesses were aptly prepared for arrest and were given legal guidance about how to get their cases appealed to higher courts. The end result of this strategy was that 19 cases regarding Jehovah's Witnesses reached the Supreme Court during 1939-50.<ref> Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, "Witnesses and their Plan to Expand First Amendment Freedoms," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2004 46(4): 811-832, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
===Canada===
The Canadian government treated Jehovah's Witnesses harshly during World War II, outlawing their organization from 1940 to 1943. Some Witnesses were denied the opportunity to do alternative service, were drafted into the army, and then imprisoned for pacifism. The Jehovah's Witnesses antagonized the Canadian government and other Christian faiths by claiming that all governments were controlled by Satan, by dismissing any distinctions between clergy and laity, and by refusing to admit that they belonged to a religious group.<ref> Penton (1976)</ref>
=== Germany and Japan===
Witnesses were victims of the [[Holocaust]] under [[Nazi Germany]]. Of the approximately 20,000 Witnesses in Germany in 1933, about 6,000 were arrested. Hundreds died of mistreatment in prisons and camps; some were executed.<ref> See Penton (2004)</ref>

In Japan, all members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested and imprisoned in 1939. The destruction of records by the Japanese at the end of the war make it impossible to determine how many survived. Extant accounts of torture and brutality relate mostly to Japanese converts who refused to serve in the Japanese military because of their religious convictions.<ref>Carolyn R. Wah, "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Empire of the Sun: a Clash of Faith and Religion During World War II," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2002 44(1): 45-72, full text in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

===Recent persecution===
Successful missionary work has created a presence in many countries, with controversy quick to follow.
Opposition to the Witnesses has been manifested in recent years in such diverse countries as South Korea, Greece, Spain, Chile, and various republics of the former [[Soviet Union]] including Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. There has been persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Quebec, Canada due to their refusal to hold loyalty to a government during wartime.

== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900's, this practice stopped in 1926. <ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref> Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween and others. Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.

Regarding their position on secular holidays, Jehovah's Witnesses reference Christ's words at [[Gospel of John|John]] 17:16, that his followers would be no part of the world. They also refrain from most celebrations that focus on individuals, such as birthdays, referencing scriptures such as Acts 10:25, 26; 12:21-23; [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 19:10.<ref>Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life (p. 214) </ref>

{{See also|Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs}}

==Blood==
Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments. All adult Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse whole blood, packed red blood cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters. The legal procedure is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability. <ref> Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>
==Further reading==
* Bergman, Gerald. "The Influence of Religion on President Eisenhower's Upbringing," ''Journal of American & Comparative Cultures'' 2000 23(4): 89-107, in [[EBSCO]]
* Eddy, G. Norman. " The Jehovah's Witnesses: An Interpretation," ''Journal of Bible and Religion,'' Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1958), pp. 115-121 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1459283 in JSTOR]
* Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. ''Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1978), popular history
* Horowitz, David. ''Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist'' (1986). 159 pp.
* Newton, Merlin Owen. ''Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946'' (1995). 221 pp.
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics under Persecution'' (2004), 412 pp.,
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada: Champions of Freedom of Speech and Worship'' (1976). 388 pp.
* Peters, Shawn Francis. ''Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: religious persecution and the dawn of the rights revolution'' (2000)
* Poewe, Karla O. "Religion, Matriliny, and Change: Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists in Luapula, Zambia," ''American Ethnologist'', Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1978), pp. 303-321 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/643293 in JSTOR]
* Wah, Carolyn R. "An Introduction to Research and Analysis of Jehovah's Witnesses: A View from the Watchtower," ''Review of Religious Research,'' Vol. 43, No. 2 (Dec., 2001), pp. 161-174 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3512060 in JSTOR]
== Links ==
Jehovah's Witnesses operate three official websites:

*[http://www.watchtower.org Watchtower Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses]
*[http://www.jw.org Worldwide Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses ]
*[http://www.jw-media.org Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses]
* [http://www.quotedstatements.com/fotm.htm ''Faith on the March''] (by A.H. Macmillan, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1957)

*[http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site]. A resource providing information on opposing views with regards the Jehovah's Witness Organization. Discussion and Recovery site for former Jehovah's Witnesses; those considering leaving; or simply interested individuals.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:Christian Denominations]]
[[category:Religion and Politics]]
[[category:Holocaust]]
[[category:Fundamentalism]]

Jehovah's Witnesses

2011-06-06T00:25:08Z

George1971: /* Theology */ hmm formatting code is a little different than I remember WP

'''Jehovah's Witnesses''', are a religious organization that is headquartered in the [[United States]] and legally known as the ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.'' Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the Church has about 12,000 churches in the U.S. with 1 million members. Outside the U.S. membership is over 6 million in 90,000 local churches. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work; there is no paid clergy.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in the United States in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell of Pittsburgh. A small group of non-conformist Christian Adventists who professed loyalty only to Jehovah, they refused to swear allegiance to any government or to serve in the army of any nation. They believed that after the battle of Armageddon they would be the elect in a thousand-year period of heavenly peace. They were disliked for their opposition to the First World War, their door-to-door proselytizing, their disdain toward government, their early support of the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and their loud criticism of other churches as the work of Satan.

==Theology==
They primarily use the ''[[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'', their translation of the Bible. It was produced because in their words: "No translation of the Bible can ever be considered final. Translations must keep pace with the growth in biblical scholarship and the changes in language."<ref> The Watchtower October 15, 1999 p.28 </ref>

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their faith is the restoration of the early Church. This belief is based on their attempts to align their organizational structure as closely as possible to their view of the Christian congregation of the first century. There is no clergy-laity distinction as all, male and female members, are considered to be ordained ministers at the time of [[baptism]] (note that Witnesses do not practice [[infant baptism]]).

Jehovah's Witnesses reject certain Orthodox beliefs of mainstream Christianity. These include the [[Trinity]] and the immortality of the soul.

Witnesses do observe an annual celebration of the [[Last Supper]], or Lord's Evening Meal (1 Corinthians 11:20). This event, which they refer to as the Memorial of Christ's Death, falls on the night of Nisan 14 which corresponds with the ancient [[Passover]] celebration observed by Jews.

== History ==
The group originated in the 1870s with a movement called the Bible Students, founded by [[Charles Taze Russell]] (1852-1916). As a young man, Russell was critical of most Christian doctrines, but attracted to the teachings of William Miller and other [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|adventists]] who speculated upon the return of the Savior. During the repeated crises of the adventists, when all dates calculated for the second coming proved erroneous, Russel started his own movement in the 1870's. Predictions concerning the second coming of a spiritual Lord and intensive distribution of tract literature and of 'Watchtower' materials characterize the organization of his group. Russell organized a Bible class to study the scriptures from the ground up. The study process involved raising a question, discussing the topic and reviewing all known related scriptures that the participants could find on the point. The results were recorded whether or not they matched long-standing theological viewpoints. His group was known first as Russellites and then as the "as International Bible Students." . Russell founded Zion's Watch Tower, (now The Watchtower), in 1879, and Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1884 (later renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
"Judge" Joseph F. Rutherford (1869-1942), a prolific writer, served as the second president, 1916-42, and renamed the movement "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931. By 1938 there were 115,000 members, and local churches were brought under central control, subservient to the Society's headquarters in Brooklyn.

Witnesses are well known worldwide for their door-to-door preaching which features use of the Bible and distribution of ''[[The Watchtower]]'' and ''[[Awake!]]'' magazine. They do not celebrate holidays that are not discussed in the Bible or that they feel serve to exalt individuals, human organizations or national groups, believing them to be an affront to God. In the 1920s and 1930s Witnesses would enter communities in large numbers, play loud phonograph records, and go door-to-door in search of potential converts, and denouncing other churches as evil. They became very popular indeed. [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], whose mother was a leader of the Witnesses in Kansas, came under attack for his connection; he defended the group but never affiliated with it.

===Pledge of Allegiance===
Their alienation from government led to their refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (or other governments) and participation in military service. Jehovah's Witnesses base their position on their understanding of [[Book of Romans|Romans]] 13:1,5-7; [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 12:17; and [[Book of Acts|Acts]] 5:28, 29. The Witnesses considered such idolatry akin to worshiping the Roman emperor in the ancient world, and attack those who do salute the flag as idolaters. Individual Witnesses are expected to be law abiding, tax paying citizens of the country in which they reside, but they do not vote.

In 1935, two young Witnesses Lillian Gobitas and her younger brother William refused to salute the American flag in school in Minersville, Pennsylvania; both were expelled from public school. Their father found relief in the 3d Circuit Court of Appeals, but the children were still not accepted back in school. The case went to the Supreme Court, where the court held for the school board in an opinion written by Justice [[Felix Frankfurter]]. The Supreme Court ruled that the flag salute could be made mandatory despite religious convictions. The ruling led to assaults on Jehovah's Witnesses, Three years later the court reversed its ruling against the Witnesses in 'West Virginia State Board of Education' v. 'Barnette' (1943). The Witnesses' trials support the position that American liberty does not emanate so much from localities and states taking their stand against a potentially tyrannical federal government as from an elite legal culture that places the Constitution and individual rights above the passions of communities and crowds.<ref> See Francis (2000)</ref>

The many legal battles waged by the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Supreme Court during the 1930's-40's were not accidental but rather a result of a strategy employed by leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to secure the right to proselytization through winning key 1st Amendment cases in the high courts. Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford envisioned using the law to empower and protect Jehovah's Witnesses against canvassing prohibitions and mob violence, but it was Hayden Covington of the sect's legal department who actively steered Witnesses into legal confrontations nationwide. Covington deliberately sent Witnesses into areas where their activity was either prohibited or unpopular. Witnesses were aptly prepared for arrest and were given legal guidance about how to get their cases appealed to higher courts. The end result of this strategy was that 19 cases regarding Jehovah's Witnesses reached the Supreme Court during 1939-50.<ref> Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, "Witnesses and their Plan to Expand First Amendment Freedoms," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2004 46(4): 811-832, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
===Canada===
The Canadian government treated Jehovah's Witnesses harshly during World War II, outlawing their organization from 1940 to 1943. Some Witnesses were denied the opportunity to do alternative service, were drafted into the army, and then imprisoned for pacifism. The Jehovah's Witnesses antagonized the Canadian government and other Christian faiths by claiming that all governments were controlled by Satan, by dismissing any distinctions between clergy and laity, and by refusing to admit that they belonged to a religious group.<ref> Penton (1976)</ref>
=== Germany and Japan===
Witnesses were victims of the [[Holocaust]] under [[Nazi Germany]]. Of the approximately 20,000 Witnesses in Germany in 1933, about 6,000 were arrested. Hundreds died of mistreatment in prisons and camps; some were executed.<ref> See Penton (2004)</ref>

In Japan, all members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested and imprisoned in 1939. The destruction of records by the Japanese at the end of the war make it impossible to determine how many survived. Extant accounts of torture and brutality relate mostly to Japanese converts who refused to serve in the Japanese military because of their religious convictions.<ref>Carolyn R. Wah, "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Empire of the Sun: a Clash of Faith and Religion During World War II," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2002 44(1): 45-72, full text in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

===Recent persecution===
Successful missionary work has created a presence in many countries, with controversy quick to follow.
Opposition to the Witnesses has been manifested in recent years in such diverse countries as South Korea, Greece, Spain, Chile, and various republics of the former [[Soviet Union]] including Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. There has been persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Quebec, Canada due to their refusal to hold loyalty to a government during wartime.

== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900's, this practice stopped in 1926. <ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref> Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween and others. Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.

Regarding their position on secular holidays, Jehovah's Witnesses reference Christ's words at [[Gospel of John|John]] 17:16, that his followers would be no part of the world. They also refrain from most celebrations that focus on individuals, such as birthdays, referencing scriptures such as Acts 10:25, 26; 12:21-23; [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 19:10.<ref>Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life (p. 214) </ref>

{{See also|Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs}}

==Blood==
Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments. All adult Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse whole blood, packed red blood cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters. The legal procedure is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability. <ref> Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>
==Further reading==
* Bergman, Gerald. "The Influence of Religion on President Eisenhower's Upbringing," ''Journal of American & Comparative Cultures'' 2000 23(4): 89-107, in [[EBSCO]]
* Eddy, G. Norman. " The Jehovah's Witnesses: An Interpretation," ''Journal of Bible and Religion,'' Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1958), pp. 115-121 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1459283 in JSTOR]
* Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. ''Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1978), popular history
* Horowitz, David. ''Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist'' (1986). 159 pp.
* Newton, Merlin Owen. ''Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946'' (1995). 221 pp.
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics under Persecution'' (2004), 412 pp.,
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada: Champions of Freedom of Speech and Worship'' (1976). 388 pp.
* Peters, Shawn Francis. ''Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: religious persecution and the dawn of the rights revolution'' (2000)
* Poewe, Karla O. "Religion, Matriliny, and Change: Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists in Luapula, Zambia," ''American Ethnologist'', Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1978), pp. 303-321 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/643293 in JSTOR]
* Wah, Carolyn R. "An Introduction to Research and Analysis of Jehovah's Witnesses: A View from the Watchtower," ''Review of Religious Research,'' Vol. 43, No. 2 (Dec., 2001), pp. 161-174 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3512060 in JSTOR]
== Links ==
Jehovah's Witnesses operate three official websites:

*[http://www.watchtower.org Watchtower Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses]
*[http://www.jw.org Worldwide Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses ]
*[http://www.jw-media.org Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses]
* [http://www.quotedstatements.com/fotm.htm ''Faith on the March''] (by A.H. Macmillan, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1957)

*[http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site]. A resource providing information on opposing views with regards the Jehovah's Witness Organization. Discussion and Recovery site for former Jehovah's Witnesses; those considering leaving; or simply interested individuals.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:Christian Denominations]]
[[category:Religion and Politics]]
[[category:Holocaust]]
[[category:Fundamentalism]]

Jehovah's Witnesses

2011-06-06T00:22:53Z

George1971: /* Theology */ captialization error

'''Jehovah's Witnesses''', are a religious organization that is headquartered in the [[United States]] and legally known as the ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.'' Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the Church has about 12,000 churches in the U.S. with 1 million members. Outside the U.S. membership is over 6 million in 90,000 local churches. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work; there is no paid clergy.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in the United States in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell of Pittsburgh. A small group of non-conformist Christian Adventists who professed loyalty only to Jehovah, they refused to swear allegiance to any government or to serve in the army of any nation. They believed that after the battle of Armageddon they would be the elect in a thousand-year period of heavenly peace. They were disliked for their opposition to the First World War, their door-to-door proselytizing, their disdain toward government, their early support of the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and their loud criticism of other churches as the work of Satan.

==Theology==
They primarily use the ''[[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'', their translation of the Bible. It was produced because in ther words: "No translation of the Bible can ever be considered final. Translations must keep pace with the growth in biblical scholarship and the changes in language."<ref> 'The Watchtower' October 15, 1999 p.28 </ref>

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their faith is the restoration of the early Church. This belief is based on their attempts to align their organizational structure as closely as possible to their view of the Christian congregation of the first century. There is no clergy-laity distinction as all, male and female members, are considered to be ordained ministers at the time of [[baptism]] (note that Witnesses do not practice [[infant baptism]]).

Jehovah's Witnesses reject certain Orthodox beliefs of mainstream Christianity. These include the [[Trinity]] and the immortality of the soul.

Witnesses do observe an annual celebration of the [[Last Supper]], or Lord's Evening Meal (1 Corinthians 11:20). This event, which they refer to as the Memorial of Christ's Death, falls on the night of Nisan 14 which corresponds with the ancient [[Passover]] celebration observed by Jews.

== History ==
The group originated in the 1870s with a movement called the Bible Students, founded by [[Charles Taze Russell]] (1852-1916). As a young man, Russell was critical of most Christian doctrines, but attracted to the teachings of William Miller and other [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|adventists]] who speculated upon the return of the Savior. During the repeated crises of the adventists, when all dates calculated for the second coming proved erroneous, Russel started his own movement in the 1870's. Predictions concerning the second coming of a spiritual Lord and intensive distribution of tract literature and of 'Watchtower' materials characterize the organization of his group. Russell organized a Bible class to study the scriptures from the ground up. The study process involved raising a question, discussing the topic and reviewing all known related scriptures that the participants could find on the point. The results were recorded whether or not they matched long-standing theological viewpoints. His group was known first as Russellites and then as the "as International Bible Students." . Russell founded Zion's Watch Tower, (now The Watchtower), in 1879, and Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1884 (later renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
"Judge" Joseph F. Rutherford (1869-1942), a prolific writer, served as the second president, 1916-42, and renamed the movement "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931. By 1938 there were 115,000 members, and local churches were brought under central control, subservient to the Society's headquarters in Brooklyn.

Witnesses are well known worldwide for their door-to-door preaching which features use of the Bible and distribution of ''[[The Watchtower]]'' and ''[[Awake!]]'' magazine. They do not celebrate holidays that are not discussed in the Bible or that they feel serve to exalt individuals, human organizations or national groups, believing them to be an affront to God. In the 1920s and 1930s Witnesses would enter communities in large numbers, play loud phonograph records, and go door-to-door in search of potential converts, and denouncing other churches as evil. They became very popular indeed. [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], whose mother was a leader of the Witnesses in Kansas, came under attack for his connection; he defended the group but never affiliated with it.

===Pledge of Allegiance===
Their alienation from government led to their refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (or other governments) and participation in military service. Jehovah's Witnesses base their position on their understanding of [[Book of Romans|Romans]] 13:1,5-7; [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 12:17; and [[Book of Acts|Acts]] 5:28, 29. The Witnesses considered such idolatry akin to worshiping the Roman emperor in the ancient world, and attack those who do salute the flag as idolaters. Individual Witnesses are expected to be law abiding, tax paying citizens of the country in which they reside, but they do not vote.

In 1935, two young Witnesses Lillian Gobitas and her younger brother William refused to salute the American flag in school in Minersville, Pennsylvania; both were expelled from public school. Their father found relief in the 3d Circuit Court of Appeals, but the children were still not accepted back in school. The case went to the Supreme Court, where the court held for the school board in an opinion written by Justice [[Felix Frankfurter]]. The Supreme Court ruled that the flag salute could be made mandatory despite religious convictions. The ruling led to assaults on Jehovah's Witnesses, Three years later the court reversed its ruling against the Witnesses in 'West Virginia State Board of Education' v. 'Barnette' (1943). The Witnesses' trials support the position that American liberty does not emanate so much from localities and states taking their stand against a potentially tyrannical federal government as from an elite legal culture that places the Constitution and individual rights above the passions of communities and crowds.<ref> See Francis (2000)</ref>

The many legal battles waged by the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Supreme Court during the 1930's-40's were not accidental but rather a result of a strategy employed by leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to secure the right to proselytization through winning key 1st Amendment cases in the high courts. Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford envisioned using the law to empower and protect Jehovah's Witnesses against canvassing prohibitions and mob violence, but it was Hayden Covington of the sect's legal department who actively steered Witnesses into legal confrontations nationwide. Covington deliberately sent Witnesses into areas where their activity was either prohibited or unpopular. Witnesses were aptly prepared for arrest and were given legal guidance about how to get their cases appealed to higher courts. The end result of this strategy was that 19 cases regarding Jehovah's Witnesses reached the Supreme Court during 1939-50.<ref> Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, "Witnesses and their Plan to Expand First Amendment Freedoms," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2004 46(4): 811-832, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
===Canada===
The Canadian government treated Jehovah's Witnesses harshly during World War II, outlawing their organization from 1940 to 1943. Some Witnesses were denied the opportunity to do alternative service, were drafted into the army, and then imprisoned for pacifism. The Jehovah's Witnesses antagonized the Canadian government and other Christian faiths by claiming that all governments were controlled by Satan, by dismissing any distinctions between clergy and laity, and by refusing to admit that they belonged to a religious group.<ref> Penton (1976)</ref>
=== Germany and Japan===
Witnesses were victims of the [[Holocaust]] under [[Nazi Germany]]. Of the approximately 20,000 Witnesses in Germany in 1933, about 6,000 were arrested. Hundreds died of mistreatment in prisons and camps; some were executed.<ref> See Penton (2004)</ref>

In Japan, all members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested and imprisoned in 1939. The destruction of records by the Japanese at the end of the war make it impossible to determine how many survived. Extant accounts of torture and brutality relate mostly to Japanese converts who refused to serve in the Japanese military because of their religious convictions.<ref>Carolyn R. Wah, "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Empire of the Sun: a Clash of Faith and Religion During World War II," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2002 44(1): 45-72, full text in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

===Recent persecution===
Successful missionary work has created a presence in many countries, with controversy quick to follow.
Opposition to the Witnesses has been manifested in recent years in such diverse countries as South Korea, Greece, Spain, Chile, and various republics of the former [[Soviet Union]] including Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. There has been persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Quebec, Canada due to their refusal to hold loyalty to a government during wartime.

== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900's, this practice stopped in 1926. <ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref> Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween and others. Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.

Regarding their position on secular holidays, Jehovah's Witnesses reference Christ's words at [[Gospel of John|John]] 17:16, that his followers would be no part of the world. They also refrain from most celebrations that focus on individuals, such as birthdays, referencing scriptures such as Acts 10:25, 26; 12:21-23; [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 19:10.<ref>Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life (p. 214) </ref>

{{See also|Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs}}

==Blood==
Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments. All adult Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse whole blood, packed red blood cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters. The legal procedure is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability. <ref> Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>
==Further reading==
* Bergman, Gerald. "The Influence of Religion on President Eisenhower's Upbringing," ''Journal of American & Comparative Cultures'' 2000 23(4): 89-107, in [[EBSCO]]
* Eddy, G. Norman. " The Jehovah's Witnesses: An Interpretation," ''Journal of Bible and Religion,'' Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1958), pp. 115-121 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1459283 in JSTOR]
* Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. ''Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1978), popular history
* Horowitz, David. ''Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist'' (1986). 159 pp.
* Newton, Merlin Owen. ''Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946'' (1995). 221 pp.
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics under Persecution'' (2004), 412 pp.,
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada: Champions of Freedom of Speech and Worship'' (1976). 388 pp.
* Peters, Shawn Francis. ''Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: religious persecution and the dawn of the rights revolution'' (2000)
* Poewe, Karla O. "Religion, Matriliny, and Change: Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists in Luapula, Zambia," ''American Ethnologist'', Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1978), pp. 303-321 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/643293 in JSTOR]
* Wah, Carolyn R. "An Introduction to Research and Analysis of Jehovah's Witnesses: A View from the Watchtower," ''Review of Religious Research,'' Vol. 43, No. 2 (Dec., 2001), pp. 161-174 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3512060 in JSTOR]
== Links ==
Jehovah's Witnesses operate three official websites:

*[http://www.watchtower.org Watchtower Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses]
*[http://www.jw.org Worldwide Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses ]
*[http://www.jw-media.org Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses]
* [http://www.quotedstatements.com/fotm.htm ''Faith on the March''] (by A.H. Macmillan, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1957)

*[http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site]. A resource providing information on opposing views with regards the Jehovah's Witness Organization. Discussion and Recovery site for former Jehovah's Witnesses; those considering leaving; or simply interested individuals.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:Christian Denominations]]
[[category:Religion and Politics]]
[[category:Holocaust]]
[[category:Fundamentalism]]

Jehovah's Witnesses

2011-06-06T00:21:52Z

George1971: /* Theology */ Removed commentary and added reference; moved and reworded deleted comments

'''Jehovah's Witnesses''', are a religious organization that is headquartered in the [[United States]] and legally known as the ''Watchtower Bible and Tract Society.'' Headquartered in Brooklyn, New York, the Church has about 12,000 churches in the U.S. with 1 million members. Outside the U.S. membership is over 6 million in 90,000 local churches. All baptized members are ordained ministers and share in the preaching and teaching work; there is no paid clergy.

The Jehovah's Witnesses were founded in the United States in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell of Pittsburgh. A small group of non-conformist Christian Adventists who professed loyalty only to Jehovah, they refused to swear allegiance to any government or to serve in the army of any nation. They believed that after the battle of Armageddon they would be the elect in a thousand-year period of heavenly peace. They were disliked for their opposition to the First World War, their door-to-door proselytizing, their disdain toward government, their early support of the return of the Jews to the Holy Land, and their loud criticism of other churches as the work of Satan.

==Theology==
They Primarily use the ''[[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'', their translation of the Bible. It was produced because in ther words: "No translation of the Bible can ever be considered final. Translations must keep pace with the growth in biblical scholarship and the changes in language."<ref> 'The Watchtower' October 15, 1999 p.28 </ref>

Jehovah's Witnesses believe their faith is the restoration of the early Church. This belief is based on their attempts to align their organizational structure as closely as possible to their view of the Christian congregation of the first century. There is no clergy-laity distinction as all, male and female members, are considered to be ordained ministers at the time of [[baptism]] (note that Witnesses do not practice [[infant baptism]]).

Jehovah's Witnesses reject certain Orthodox beliefs of mainstream Christianity. These include the [[Trinity]] and the immortality of the soul.

Witnesses do observe an annual celebration of the [[Last Supper]], or Lord's Evening Meal (1 Corinthians 11:20). This event, which they refer to as the Memorial of Christ's Death, falls on the night of Nisan 14 which corresponds with the ancient [[Passover]] celebration observed by Jews.

== History ==
The group originated in the 1870s with a movement called the Bible Students, founded by [[Charles Taze Russell]] (1852-1916). As a young man, Russell was critical of most Christian doctrines, but attracted to the teachings of William Miller and other [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|adventists]] who speculated upon the return of the Savior. During the repeated crises of the adventists, when all dates calculated for the second coming proved erroneous, Russel started his own movement in the 1870's. Predictions concerning the second coming of a spiritual Lord and intensive distribution of tract literature and of 'Watchtower' materials characterize the organization of his group. Russell organized a Bible class to study the scriptures from the ground up. The study process involved raising a question, discussing the topic and reviewing all known related scriptures that the participants could find on the point. The results were recorded whether or not they matched long-standing theological viewpoints. His group was known first as Russellites and then as the "as International Bible Students." . Russell founded Zion's Watch Tower, (now The Watchtower), in 1879, and Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society in 1884 (later renamed Watchtower Bible and Tract Society)
"Judge" Joseph F. Rutherford (1869-1942), a prolific writer, served as the second president, 1916-42, and renamed the movement "Jehovah's Witnesses" in 1931. By 1938 there were 115,000 members, and local churches were brought under central control, subservient to the Society's headquarters in Brooklyn.

Witnesses are well known worldwide for their door-to-door preaching which features use of the Bible and distribution of ''[[The Watchtower]]'' and ''[[Awake!]]'' magazine. They do not celebrate holidays that are not discussed in the Bible or that they feel serve to exalt individuals, human organizations or national groups, believing them to be an affront to God. In the 1920s and 1930s Witnesses would enter communities in large numbers, play loud phonograph records, and go door-to-door in search of potential converts, and denouncing other churches as evil. They became very popular indeed. [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]], whose mother was a leader of the Witnesses in Kansas, came under attack for his connection; he defended the group but never affiliated with it.

===Pledge of Allegiance===
Their alienation from government led to their refusal to pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America (or other governments) and participation in military service. Jehovah's Witnesses base their position on their understanding of [[Book of Romans|Romans]] 13:1,5-7; [[Gospel of Mark|Mark]] 12:17; and [[Book of Acts|Acts]] 5:28, 29. The Witnesses considered such idolatry akin to worshiping the Roman emperor in the ancient world, and attack those who do salute the flag as idolaters. Individual Witnesses are expected to be law abiding, tax paying citizens of the country in which they reside, but they do not vote.

In 1935, two young Witnesses Lillian Gobitas and her younger brother William refused to salute the American flag in school in Minersville, Pennsylvania; both were expelled from public school. Their father found relief in the 3d Circuit Court of Appeals, but the children were still not accepted back in school. The case went to the Supreme Court, where the court held for the school board in an opinion written by Justice [[Felix Frankfurter]]. The Supreme Court ruled that the flag salute could be made mandatory despite religious convictions. The ruling led to assaults on Jehovah's Witnesses, Three years later the court reversed its ruling against the Witnesses in 'West Virginia State Board of Education' v. 'Barnette' (1943). The Witnesses' trials support the position that American liberty does not emanate so much from localities and states taking their stand against a potentially tyrannical federal government as from an elite legal culture that places the Constitution and individual rights above the passions of communities and crowds.<ref> See Francis (2000)</ref>

The many legal battles waged by the Jehovah's Witnesses in the Supreme Court during the 1930's-40's were not accidental but rather a result of a strategy employed by leaders of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society to secure the right to proselytization through winning key 1st Amendment cases in the high courts. Judge Joseph Franklin Rutherford envisioned using the law to empower and protect Jehovah's Witnesses against canvassing prohibitions and mob violence, but it was Hayden Covington of the sect's legal department who actively steered Witnesses into legal confrontations nationwide. Covington deliberately sent Witnesses into areas where their activity was either prohibited or unpopular. Witnesses were aptly prepared for arrest and were given legal guidance about how to get their cases appealed to higher courts. The end result of this strategy was that 19 cases regarding Jehovah's Witnesses reached the Supreme Court during 1939-50.<ref> Jennifer Jacobs Henderson, "Witnesses and their Plan to Expand First Amendment Freedoms," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2004 46(4): 811-832, in [[EBSCO]]</ref>
===Canada===
The Canadian government treated Jehovah's Witnesses harshly during World War II, outlawing their organization from 1940 to 1943. Some Witnesses were denied the opportunity to do alternative service, were drafted into the army, and then imprisoned for pacifism. The Jehovah's Witnesses antagonized the Canadian government and other Christian faiths by claiming that all governments were controlled by Satan, by dismissing any distinctions between clergy and laity, and by refusing to admit that they belonged to a religious group.<ref> Penton (1976)</ref>
=== Germany and Japan===
Witnesses were victims of the [[Holocaust]] under [[Nazi Germany]]. Of the approximately 20,000 Witnesses in Germany in 1933, about 6,000 were arrested. Hundreds died of mistreatment in prisons and camps; some were executed.<ref> See Penton (2004)</ref>

In Japan, all members of the Jehovah's Witnesses were arrested and imprisoned in 1939. The destruction of records by the Japanese at the end of the war make it impossible to determine how many survived. Extant accounts of torture and brutality relate mostly to Japanese converts who refused to serve in the Japanese military because of their religious convictions.<ref>Carolyn R. Wah, "Jehovah's Witnesses and the Empire of the Sun: a Clash of Faith and Religion During World War II," ''Journal of Church & State'' 2002 44(1): 45-72, full text in [[EBSCO]] </ref>

===Recent persecution===
Successful missionary work has created a presence in many countries, with controversy quick to follow.
Opposition to the Witnesses has been manifested in recent years in such diverse countries as South Korea, Greece, Spain, Chile, and various republics of the former [[Soviet Union]] including Russia, Georgia, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. There has been persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Quebec, Canada due to their refusal to hold loyalty to a government during wartime.

== Jehovah's Witnesses and Holidays ==

Jehovah's Witnesses base their refraining from celebrating many popular religious holidays on II Corinthians 6:14, 17 which states: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? ... Therefore, 'Come out from among them, and be ye separate,' saith the Lord. 'And touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you.'" ([[King James Version]]) <ref>The Watchtower, December 15, 1974 (p. 740).</ref>

Although Jehovah's Witnesses, then known as International Bible Students, celebrated Christmas during the early 1900's, this practice stopped in 1926. <ref>Jehovah's Witnesses - Proclaimers of God's Kingdom(p. 198)</ref> Since that time they have published information regarding the allegedly "pagan" origins of other holidays such as Easter, New Year's, Halloween and others. Their sources have been varied, drawing upon ''The Encyclopædia Britannica'', ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'', ''The World Book Encyclopedia'', ''The Encyclopedia Americana'', and similar publicly available resources.

Regarding their position on secular holidays, Jehovah's Witnesses reference Christ's words at [[Gospel of John|John]] 17:16, that his followers would be no part of the world. They also refrain from most celebrations that focus on individuals, such as birthdays, referencing scriptures such as Acts 10:25, 26; 12:21-23; [[Book of Revelation|Revelation]] 19:10.<ref>Knowledge That Leads to Everlasting Life (p. 214) </ref>

{{See also|Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs}}

==Blood==
Since 1945 the Jehovah's Witnesses' governing body has stipulated that accepting whole blood or whole blood cell transfusions is in violation of the Bible's commandments. All adult Jehovah’s Witnesses refuse whole blood, packed red blood cells, white cells, platelets, and plasma. There has been ongoing controversy, especially when they prohibit children from receiving life-saving transfusions, which has led many states and countries to override parents' authority in medical matters. The legal procedure is to obtain a court order allowing doctors to transfuse children over their parents’ objections if withholding blood is likely to lead to death or disability. <ref> Susan E. Lederer, ''Flesh and Blood: Organ Transplantation and Blood Transfusion in Twentieth-Century America'' (2008), ch 7.</ref>
==Further reading==
* Bergman, Gerald. "The Influence of Religion on President Eisenhower's Upbringing," ''Journal of American & Comparative Cultures'' 2000 23(4): 89-107, in [[EBSCO]]
* Eddy, G. Norman. " The Jehovah's Witnesses: An Interpretation," ''Journal of Bible and Religion,'' Vol. 26, No. 2 (Apr., 1958), pp. 115-121 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1459283 in JSTOR]
* Harrison, Barbara Grizzuti. ''Visions of Glory: A History and a Memory of Jehovah's Witnesses'' (1978), popular history
* Horowitz, David. ''Pastor Charles Taze Russell: An Early American Christian Zionist'' (1986). 159 pp.
* Newton, Merlin Owen. ''Armed with the Constitution: Jehovah's Witnesses in Alabama and the U.S. Supreme Court, 1939-1946'' (1995). 221 pp.
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses and the Third Reich: Sectarian Politics under Persecution'' (2004), 412 pp.,
* Penton, M. James. ''Jehovah's Witnesses in Canada: Champions of Freedom of Speech and Worship'' (1976). 388 pp.
* Peters, Shawn Francis. ''Judging Jehovah's Witnesses: religious persecution and the dawn of the rights revolution'' (2000)
* Poewe, Karla O. "Religion, Matriliny, and Change: Jehovah's Witnesses and Seventh-Day Adventists in Luapula, Zambia," ''American Ethnologist'', Vol. 5, No. 2 (May, 1978), pp. 303-321 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/643293 in JSTOR]
* Wah, Carolyn R. "An Introduction to Research and Analysis of Jehovah's Witnesses: A View from the Watchtower," ''Review of Religious Research,'' Vol. 43, No. 2 (Dec., 2001), pp. 161-174 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3512060 in JSTOR]
== Links ==
Jehovah's Witnesses operate three official websites:

*[http://www.watchtower.org Watchtower Official Website of Jehovah's Witnesses]
*[http://www.jw.org Worldwide Association of Jehovah’s Witnesses ]
*[http://www.jw-media.org Office of Public Information of Jehovah's Witnesses]
* [http://www.quotedstatements.com/fotm.htm ''Faith on the March''] (by A.H. Macmillan, published by Prentice-Hall, Inc. 1957)

*[http://exjehovahswitnessforum.yuku.com Ex-Jehovah's Witness Forum and Recovery Site]. A resource providing information on opposing views with regards the Jehovah's Witness Organization. Discussion and Recovery site for former Jehovah's Witnesses; those considering leaving; or simply interested individuals.

==References==
<references/>

[[category:Christian Denominations]]
[[category:Religion and Politics]]
[[category:Holocaust]]
[[category:Fundamentalism]]

Talk:Jehovah's Witnesses Beliefs

2011-06-05T13:39:58Z

George1971:

As referenced in main article on [[Jehovah's Witnesses]], ran across a copy of Leo's Rosten's [[Religions in America]] (about which I will also be creating an article). Also included some information that provide about themselves to the public. Looking to keep information focused on what Witnesses say are the tenets of their faith vs. what others say are the tenets of their faith. The list is by no means exhaustive but I think represents a decent attempt at encapsulating their doctrines. [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 20:42, 29 January 2008 (EST)

:Where is the section on what Jehovah's Witnesses believe? Christ came down to earth during World War I. The 144,000, etc. This is nothing more than a theology pamphlet. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 11:24, 1 February 2008 (EST)

::I'll see what I can pull together on those beliefs. My understanding, however, is that JWs have never claimed that Christ came to earth during World War I. Not sure if the statement "nothing more than a theology pamphlet" is meant to indicate that it is a good thing or a bad thing. If it's a compliment, thanks. If not, sorry ... trying to provide information on what JWs believe. If there is a better format to be employed, please advise. Also please note that I'm not looking to do a critique of their beliefs (influencing content through POV), merely report what it is they believe. [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 11:57, 2 February 2008 (EST)

:::Added the last of the beliefs section of JWs that I plan on providing at this time. [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 13:05, 23 February 2008 (EST)

::::I am still concerned with the way the article reads. For instance, there is no mention that the coming of Christ in 1914 was only declared to be an invisible coming in retrospect. The earlier dates that did not come to pass are also not mentioned. [[User:Learn together|Learn together]] 03:30, 8 March 2008 (EST)

:::::Did some more digging into Russell's writings specifically re: 1914 and Christ's invisble return and found that Russell specified both before 1914. At one time Russell had been convinced by a mentor that Christ's presence began in 1874 but he ultimately rejected the chronology on which that belief rested. Watchtowers in 1879 and 1880 identified 1914 as a significant year based on chronology that identified the start of the Gentile Times Jesus referred to at Luke 21:24 with the removal of Zedekiah from kingship. Regarding Christ's presence, Russell wrote a pamphlet called "The Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return" and said "that, at His coming and for a time after He has come, He will remain invisible; afterward manifesting or showing Himself injudgments and various forms, so that “ every eye shall see Him." (p. 24). In doing my research I've run across acknowledgements that their expectations don't always jibe with what happens, but they tend to mark that up to wrong expectations and not with whether or not something happened. For instance, many thought they would go to heaven in 1914. The fact they didn't go to heaven didn't dissuade them from believing Christ returned in 1914. [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 14:42, 7 April 2008 (EDT)

==Beliefs summary==
I am a litte concerned about the unencyclopedic nature of this section. There are a lot of statements with biblical verse references given as support. Does this mean that JWs only believe in these sections and not others? Or do they believe in the Bible in its entirety? In which case what distinguishes them from other Evangelicals? I think it should be edited drastically. [[User:BrianCo|BrianCo]] 04:30, 8 March 2008 (EST)
:This section was originally a placeholder as I did research and could be revised or removed. My understanding is that these are central beliefs of JWs but not necessarily the entire scope of their theology. If included in an encyclopedia the section would most likely appear as a sidebar. [[User:BibleBrown|BibleBrown]] 14:42, 7 April 2008 (EDT)

==Praise==
I have some issues with the occasional word or phrase (which seem to be attempts to be accurate) but this is much better than the Wikipedia article(s) on JW's. Almost nothing that appears to be commentary on the faith, just the facts. Good job.