Jehovah's Witnesses
From RationalWiki
The Jehovah's Witnesses (also known as the "Watchtower Bible and Tract Society") are a Christian religious sect who send their converts out to peddle copies of The Watchtower and Awake! magazines, and leave them in laundromats and phone booths.
Neatniks all, they wear snappy white shirts and ties (with the now common sports backpack ruining up the smarts) and annoy people by getting them out of the bed to answer the door at ungodly hours of the day. They insist the one true name of God is Jehovah and publish their own Bible translation with all references to the LORD translated as "Jehovah" to prove it. When referring to God they will often say "Jehovah God." Their teachings also include rejection of the celebration of most holidays, such as Christmas and Easter due to their pagan roots, "nationalist" holidays such as independence days, and birthdays. Sadly for many German JWs their refusal to be nationalistic made them targets for the Nazis and they were persecuted along with Jews and Roma during the Holocaust. They also believe that only 144,000 believers will go to Heaven and rule with God, and the rest will live eternally on a new Earth.[1]
They're also opposed to blood transfusions and sometimes die because of this.[2] Former Jehovah's Witnesses are considered apostates and risk being shunned by devout Jehovah's Witnesses, including close family and former friends. Shunning can also result from asking difficult questions about the faith, or sharing concerns with others.[3]
The Jehovah's Witnesses and its predecessor groups have predicted the Second Coming of Christ and/or the start of the battle of Armageddon would be in 1873, 1874, 1914, 1925, and 1975. They now seem to have settled on merely proclaiming Jesus' return is "imminent". The 144,000 places for going to heaven were pretty muched all filled in 1935, by the way, so even if you are a Jehovah's Witness, don't go getting your hopes up about that.
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ↑ Eternal Happiness—In Heaven or on Earth?
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ "Although individual members are allowed to contact the Governing Body directly about concerns they may have, they never know if their feelings are shared by others." in [2]
