NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses

The beliefs and doctrines of Jehovah's Witnesses were initially formulated by Charles Taze Russell beginning in the early 1870s. Since that time, additional Biblical studies and interpretations have been introduced by other founders and leaders of the movement. Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The following reflects the current beliefs and practices of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Image File history File links WT_Logo. ... Average Publishers, 1945-2005 As of August 2005, Jehovahs Witnesses have a membership of more than 6. ... // 1870-1916 Charles Taze Russell and his associates formed a Bible study group in the 1870s in Allegheny. ... Jehovahs Witnesses are organized into a hierarchy. ... The Governing Body of Jehovahs Witnesses is a body of elders that oversees all the activities of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Bible verses quoted from the New World Translation except where noted The spiritual authority among Jehovahs Witnesses is vested in the Faithful and Discreet Slave (also known as the remnant,[1] the anointed,[2] Gods prophet[3], and Gods channel[4]), which is a term used to... A number of corporations are in use by Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Jehovahs Witnesses face legal or governmental opposition in many countries. ... Practices of Jehovahs Witnesses include activities common to many churches, such as evangelism, gathering for group worship and study, and donating money to support their religious activities. ... Bible verses quoted from the New World Translation except where noted Beliefs of Jehovahs Witnesses and Jesus role in their doctrine are based on the beliefs Jehovah is the Almighty God, the theme of the Bible is Gods Kingdom, and Adam was a literal person who is responsible... The eschatology of Jehovahs Witnesses is central to their religious beliefs. ... It has been suggested that Jehovahs Witnesses: Controversial Issues be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... At times, Jehovahs Witnesses have met controversy from governments, the scientific profession, and mainstream Christian religious groups over some of their unique beliefs, doctrines and practices. ... Following is a list of Jehovahs Witnesses who are in some way prominent Joshua Elliot Rodrigues - English Student, name comes from the Book of Joshua Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Japanese musician, name comes from the Book of Isaiah Tom Edur - Former NHL ice hockey player. ... Charles Russell in 1911 Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 â€“ October 31, 1916), known as Pastor Russell, was an American evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who founded what is known as the Bible Student movement. ... Milton George Henschel (August 9, 1920 - March 22, 2003) was the person who succeded Frederick W. Franz as the president of Watchtower Society. ... Joseph F. Rutherford Joseph Franklin Rutherford 8 November 1869â€”8 January 1942, is best known as the second president of the Watch Tower Society, the legal organization used by Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Frederick William Franz - (12 September 1893â€“22 December 1992) served as President of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, the legal organization used to direct the work of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Don A. Adams is the current president of the Watch Tower Society, the most important of the Legal instruments of Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Nathan Homer Knorr (April 23, 1905 - June 8, 1977) was the third president of the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society doing so on January 13, 1942, replacing Joseph Franklin Rutherford, who had served in the position since 1916. ... Charles Russell in 1911 Charles Taze Russell (February 16, 1852 â€“ October 31, 1916), known as Pastor Russell, was an American evangelist from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania who founded what is known as the Bible Student movement. ...

The Bible

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the entire Bible, including both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is inspired of God and important for the Christian faith. Witnesses generally use a translation of the Bible that they developed in the mid-twentieth century, known as the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT). The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: ×ª× ×´×š tanakh, Greek: Î· Î’Î¯Î²Î»Î¿Ï‚ hÄ“ biblos, the book) (sometimes The Holy Bible, Scripture, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their differing (and overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ... John 21:1 Jesus Appears to His Disciples--Alessandro Mantovani: the Vatican, Rome. ... The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a modern-language translation of the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. ...

The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures, a version of the New Testament that includes the Greek text with a literal, word-for-word English translation underneath the Greek text, states: "From the time of the Roman Catholic clergyman John Wycliffe, of the 14th century, until the final decades of this 20th century, many English translations of the inspired writings of Christ's disciples have been made. All of these have had their own commendable features. They have considerably met the needs of the day for a rendering of God's Word into the common language of the people. Much good has been accomplished by them and yet will be. However, it is to be noted that, while each of them has its points of merit, they have fallen victim to the power of religious traditions in varying degrees."^{[citation needed]} John Wycliffe (also Wyclif, Wycliff, or Wickliffe) (c. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses accept the literalness of the Genesis account of the Flood, and the historicity of Biblical persons such as Noah, Samson and Jonah. While they do not consider the Bible a scientific book, they believe that it is scientifically accurate.^{[citation needed]} Noahs Ark, FranzÃ¶sischer Meister (The French Master), Magyar SzÃ©pmÃ¼vÃ©szeti MÃºzeum, Budapest. ... Samson or Shimshon (×©Ö´××žÖ°×©××•Ö¹×Ÿ Of the sun (perhaps proclaiming he was radiant and mighty) or [One who] Serves [God], Standard Hebrew Å imÅ¡on, Tiberian Hebrew Å imÅ¡Ã´n) is the third to last of the Judges of the ancient Children of Israel mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. ... The Prophet Jonah, as depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel Jonah (×™×•Ö¹× Ö¸×” Dove, Standard Hebrew Yona, Latin Ionas, Tiberian Hebrew YÃ´nÄh) was a person in the Biblical Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh, the son of Amittai, from the Galilean village of Gath-hepher, near Nazareth. ...

Beliefs about God

The name of God

Witnesses emphasize the importance of God's name, Jehovah, which is an English form of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton.^[1] The Tetragrammaton is used extensively throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, or "Old Testament", appearing nearly 7,000 times in the original text. Yohoua [1]is a medieval era Latin transcription of the Biblical Hebrew name ×™Ö°×”Ö¹×•Ö¸×”. Its first known appearance is in a work by Spanish monk Raymundus Martini, in 1278 A.D. Jehovah is a late medieval era German transcription of the Biblical Hebrew name ×™Ö°×”Ö¹×•Ö¸×”. Iehouah [2]is the first English transcription... Hebrew (×¢Ö´×‘Ö°×¨Ö´×™×ª or ×¢×‘×¨×™×ª, â€˜Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... The Tetragrammaton (Greek: Ï„ÎµÏ„ÏÎ±Î³ÏÎ¬Î¼Î¼Î±Ï„Î¿Î½; word with four letters) is the usual reference to the Hebrew name for God, which is spelled (in the Hebrew alphabet): (yodh) (heh) (vav) (heh) or (YHWH). ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ...

Citing Christ's words in the Lord's Prayer, "hallowed be thy name", as well as other biblical passages, they believe that "our salvation is closely linked with a proper appreciation of God's name." [2]. The Witnesses' New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures reflects this emphasis by using the name Jehovah in the English of both the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures ("New Testament"). Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Lords Prayer The Lords Prayer, sometimes also known amongst English speakers as the Paternoster, a term derived from the first two words in Latin versions, is probably the best-known prayer in Christianity. ... The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a modern-language translation of the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the Tetragrammaton originally appeared in some places in the autographs of the New Testament, but was subsequently removed by scribes. There is no direct way to prove or disprove this claim, however, since the original autographs have been lost. Jehovah's Witnesses support this claim by citing some ancient fragments of the Septuagint Greek Old Testament that contain the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew letters. They feel that when the New Testament writers quoted the Greek Septuagint, where the Tetragrammaton appeared, or quoted the Hebrew text, that they would have been obliged to faithfully include the Tetragrammaton. ^[2] They do acknowledge, however, that no extant New Testament manuscript contains the Tetragrammaton.

They identify God using the most commonly accepted English rendering of the Tetragrammaton: "Jehovah". The English form "Jehovah" is a Romanised transliteration of the Hebrew name for God. Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide identify God by whatever form of the Tetragrammaton is common in their language. While not opposed to the name “Yahweh”, there are at least two reasons why it is not commonly used in English. First, they feel it could be inconsistent to use “Yahweh” and not change other Biblical names that have the Divine name included. For example, if Yahweh was used so should Ye·shua, instead of Jesus, or Yehoh-sha·phat́ instead of Jehoshaphat, etc. The second reason is brought out in an issue of Biblical Archaeology Review. There reference is made to the fact that a two-syllable pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton as “Yahweh” would not allow for the o vowel sound to exist as part of God’s name. Thus the article stated, “When the Tetragrammaton was pronounced in one syllable it was ‘Yah’ or ‘Yo.’ When it was pronounced in three syllables it would have been ‘Yahowah’ or ‘Yahoowah.’ If it was ever abbreviated to two syllables it would have been ‘Yaho.’”“ Thus “Jehovah” preserves three syllables, whereas “Yahweh” only two. ^[3] ^[4] A romanization or latinization is a system for representing a word or language with the Roman (Latin) alphabet, where the original word or language used a different writing system. ... Hebrew (×¢Ö´×‘Ö°×¨Ö´×™×ª or ×¢×‘×¨×™×ª, â€˜Ivrit) is a Semitic language of the Afro-Asiatic language family spoken by more than seven million people in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. ... Yahweh2 (yaÂ·we) in the Bible, the God of Israel. ...

They believe that the use of God's personal name is required in order to build a personal relationship with him, and to be saved.^[5]

In the Old Testament

The Hebrew divine name of God, ("YHWH" in Latin characters), is found in the Old Testament 6,828 times. In the process of translation into modern languages, most Bibles, in keeping with a Jewish tradition, translate this as "LORD" in all capitals, or less commonly, transliterate it as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh". The New World Translation of Jehovah's Witnesses (NWT), as well as the Roman Catholic Jerusalem Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, differ significantly here from almost all other Bibles. The NWT renders all instances of the Hebrew Tetragrammaton as "Jehovah" and, for a variety of other reasons. The NWT also introduces 141 more instances in the Old Testament where they believe the name should appear, even though it is not found in the available and commonly recognized sources. They cite the works of C.D. Ginsburg to justify these additional uses, with the exception of one verse supported by the "Biblia Hebraica" and the "Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia".^[6] Such deliberate use of the name is a result of what they believe to be a deep respect for the "Author of our salvation." The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a modern-language translation of the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Jerusalem Bible is a Catholic translation of the Bible which first was introduced to the English-speaking public in 1966. ... The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) is a Catholic translation of the Bible published in 1985. ... NOTE: Judaism commonly uses the term Tanakh, but not Old Testament, because it does not recognize the New Testament as a continuation or completion of the Jewish bible. ...

In the New Testament

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the early Christians used the divine name in their worship, preaching, and writings, even though no extant New Testament manuscript contains the Tetragrammaton. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Tetragrammaton was removed from New Testament manuscripts and replaced by the word for Lord in the first and second centuries due to the influence of the Jewish tradition. They also argue that “the Old Testament says that the name of God should always be used (Exodus 3:15; Malachi 1:11)” ^[7] In total, the NWT is has 237 instances of the Tetragrammaton in the New Testament. Exodus is the second book of the Torah (the Pentateuch) and also the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), and the Christian Old Testament. ... Malachi or Malachi (מַלְאָכִי My messenger/angel, Standard Hebrew Malʾaḫi, Tiberian Hebrew Malʾāḵî) was a prophet in the Bible Old Testament and Jewish Tanakh. ...

To support the belief in the prominent usage of the divine name, they refer to scriptures such as this as evidence: "I have revealed your name to those whom you took from the world to give me" (John 17:6 NWT). "Making God's name known" is believed by Jehovah's Witnesses to have been a fundamental emphasis of early Christians, as a reaction to the Jewish tradition of not uttering the divine name. The act of using the name in the New Testament is considered a continuation of this supposed early Christian precedent. Therefore, in the NWT, New Testament passages that quote Old Testament scriptures containing the Tetragrammaton are assumed to require "restoration" of the divine name, as the translators do not believe that the author of a New Testament writing would have used a word such as Lord in place of the Tetragrammaton.^[8]

Jehovah's Witnesses also claim evidences of early use of the divine name including:

This article is mainly about Hebrew letters. ... Yodh (also spelled Yud or Yod) is the tenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic (in abjadi order, 28th in modern order). ... Origen (ca. ... The Church Fathers or Fathers of the Church are the early and influential theologians and writers in the Christian church, particularly those of the first five centuries of Christian history. ... Hexapla (Gr. ...

The nature of God

Jehovah's Witnesses believe the Bible teaches that God has four cardinal attributes: love, justice, wisdom, and power. Similar to other monotheists in the Judeo-Christian tradition, they believe God to be "personal" and not an impersonal "higher power". In addition, God is believed to reside in the spirit realm (i.e. heaven), and not present in all things (as in pantheism). He is believed to take an interest in human affairs and can be communicated with via prayer. In theology, monotheism (in Greek Î¼ÏŒÎ½Î¿Ï‚ = single and Î¸ÎµÏŒÏ‚ = God) is the belief in the existence of one deity or God, or in the oneness of God. ... Pantheism (Greek: pan = all and Theos = God) literally means God is All and All is God. It is the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. ... Maria Magdalene in prayer. ...

Unlike most other Christian churches, Jehovah's Witnesses reject the doctrine of the Trinity, holding it to be unscriptural and of pagan origin^{[citation needed]}. They believe that Jehovah God (the Father) and Jesus (the Son) are distinct spirit persons; that Jesus is a being created by God and is not God's equal; and that the Holy Spirit is not a person, but God's active force. They believe that this is a restoration of the beliefs of the first-century Christian Church. For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ... Jesus (8â€“2 BC/BCE â€” 29â€“36 AD/CE),[1] also known as Jesus of Nazareth, is the central figure of Christianity. ... This article uses excessive clichÃ©s and jargon associated with topic . ...

The polemic, Should You Believe in the Trinity?, is an example of the Jehovah's Witnesses' arguments against the doctrine of the Trinity, and their view of the nature of God.

Beliefs about Jesus Christ

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is second in authority to - and subject to - his father Jehovah (God). They view Jesus as the perfect reflection of Jehovah's very being (Hebrews 1:3) as God's only begotten Son. They believe Jesus is a god, even a "Mighty God", and the "Prince of Peace" (a title applied to him from Isaiah 9:6).

Witnesses subscribe to the belief that the Greek term theos, applied to Jesus in the beginning of the Gospel of John, should be interpreted to mean that he is "divine", or of a "divine nature", but not "God", although this is the traditional rendering. Jehovah's Witnesses reject the Trinity doctrine, particularly in the equality of the persons, as well as the notion that Jesus is Jehovah (Oneness). The Gospel of John is the fourth gospel in the canon of the New Testament, traditionally ascribed to John the Evangelist. ... For other uses, see Trinity (disambiguation). ... Oneness (concept) is related to Enlightenment and is referring to the experience of oneness and nonduality. ...

Witnesses believe that Colossians 1:15 states that Jesus is "the firstborn of all creation" in a literal sense, as opposed to the Eastern Orthodox notion of his being "Eternally Begotten". Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is the highest order of created being, but not the self-existent, uncreated God as is Jehovah.^[9] (See Arianism.) The Epistle to the Colossians is a book of the Bible New Testament. ... Eastern Orthodoxy (also called Greek Orthodoxy and Russian Orthodoxy) is a Christian tradition which represents the majority of Eastern Christianity. ... This article is about theological views like those of Arius. ...

Witnesses believe Jesus was born of the virgin Mary as the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy in order to bring the means of salvation to the world. After his ministry on Earth, his death on a stake (they do not believe Jesus died on a cross), subsequent resurrection, and exaltation to the "right hand of God" (Acts 2:33-36), Jesus was given authority over all things (1 Corinthians 15:27, 28). They hold that Jesus did not rise from the dead in his physical body, as most Christians believe, but was raised as a spirit.^[10] They also believe that in his non-human form (prior to Incarnation and after Resurrection) he is Michael the Archangel (literally "The Preeminent Angel"). (Redirected from 1 Corinthians) See also: Second Epistle to the Corinthians and Third Epistle to the Corinthians The First Epistle to the Corinthians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. ... Look up Incarnation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Incarnation, which literally means enfleshment, refers to the conception, and live birth of a sentient creature (generally human) who is the material manifestation of an entity or force whose original nature is immaterial. ... The resurrection of Jesus is an event in the New Testament in which God raised him from the dead[1] after his death by crucifixion. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

They believe that "Jesus Christ, is the Mediator between his heavenly Father, Jehovah God, and the nation of spiritual Israel, which is limited to only 144,000 members." ^[11] Only about 8,500 Jehovah's Witnesses claim to be of the 144,000 today. However, they believe that Jesus' responsibilities as Shepherd and Savior over God's people extend to those who do not profess the "heavenly hope". ^[12] 144,000 is a positive whole integer between 100,000 and 200,000. ...

Problem of evil

Jehovah's Witnesses believe in the literality of the Bible's accounts for explaining the existence of evil. They believe that Satan (the Devil) is a literal spirit being, who has cast aspersions on God's absolute sovereignty (right to rule) over humans (as implied in the serpent's words to Eve in Genesis Chapter 3). Witnesses believe that in order to be just, God has decided to allow humanity time to rule itself in order to prove to Satan that its inevitable failure to do so will prove that God's ways are superior.^{[citation needed]} This page does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Adam and Eve. ... Genesis (Greek: Î“ÎÎ½ÎµÏƒÎ¹Ï‚, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin), also called The First Book of Moses, is the first book of Torah (five books of Moses), and is the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of...

Witnesses also believe that the Devil raised a second issue in the Book of Job. In that book Satan is depicted as accusing Job of following God's commands out of self-interest. Witnesses believe that this charge has been leveled at all of humanity through the example of Job. Jesus, his disciples, and other pre-Christian worshippers of God, are said to overcome this defense by being willing to serve God while suffering, even directly as a result of deliberate evil actions. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

God, therefore, allows the world to suffer so that Man is allowed freedom of choice. Intervening before all significant choices are exhausted could reduce the freedom of Man and also act to reduce the loyalty of the angels who are viewed as watching human history take place.

Witnesses also believe that the time for allowing humanity to rule <<this needs explanation>>was predetermined by God, and that the end of that time was with the installment of Jesus as King in heaven. The "last days" of human rule began in 1914, and Witnesses expect the "Great Tribulation" to culminate in the destruction of one element of evil<<explanation>>, false religions (all other religions, even those claiming to be Christian), followed by Armageddon, the destruction of governments and everyone who opposes God's intended Thousand Year rule through Christ.

Baptism

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that "Christian water baptism is an outward symbol that the one being baptized has made a complete, unreserved, and unconditional dedication through Jesus Christ to do the will of Jehovah God." (Reasoning From the Scriptures, page 54.)

To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Salvation

See Jehovah's Witnesses and salvation for details To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses reject the doctrine of universal salvation<<explain>>. They teach that salvation requires faith in Jesus Christ. They believe that salvation is a free gift from God, and that Christian works are evidence of their genuine faith (James 2:24). They reject the concept "once saved, always saved" believing that salvation will be granted to those who endure faithfully until the end.^[13] The Epistle of James is a book in the Christian New Testament canon. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that people currently alive must be actively associated with the Jehovah's Witnesses alone, and become one of them as an essential requirement for salvation. Their literature states: "A third requirement is that we be associated with God's channel, his organization. . . Jehovah is using only one organization today to accomplish his will. To receive everlasting life in the earthly Paradise we must identify that organization and serve God as part of it." (Watchtower 15 February 1983 p. 12) They also believe faithful Christians and worshippers of God in the past will also gain salvation via a resurrection, along with the resurrected non-Christians who then choose to serve God. February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The group also rejects the doctrine of predestination. Predestination is a religious idea, under which the relationship between the beginning of things and the destiny of things is discussed. ...

Neutrality

As they feel that their allegiance and subjection belongs, above all, to God's Kingdom, Jehovah's Witnesses remain politically neutral. For this reason, they refrain from saluting the flag of any country, believing that such an act would be equivalent to worshipping an idol. Correspondingly, they do not use any images or icons in their worship, including the symbol of the cross. The kingdom of heaven (or the kingdom of God) is a key concept in both Judaism and Christianity. ... The Savior Not Made By Hands (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek εικων, eikon, image) is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. ... The traditional form of the Western Christian cross, known as the Latin cross. ...

The political neutrality of Jehovah's Witnesses is also expressed by their refusal to participate in military service, even when such is of a compulsory nature, and by their detachment from secular politics. Jehovah's Witnesses are discouraged, but not prohibited under all circumstances, from voting in elections. (Watchtower 1 November 1999. p.28) They do not run for any political office, as they believe that Jesus set an example by fleeing from those who sought to make him king. Jehovah's Witnesses do not consider themselves member or citizen of any particular country. They consider themselves citizens of God's Kingdom. They consider war as detestable in the eyes of God. November 1 is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 60 days remaining. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Creation and the Flood

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jehovah was the First Cause of creation, bringing all living and non-living things into existence, as well as the Universe itself. They believe that Jesus was the first direct creation of God, and that in his pre-human existence as a spirit creature, Jesus was actively involved in the creation of all other things (see also Christology below). Categories: Wikipedia cleanup | Stub | Philosophy of science | Religious Philosophy | Theology ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ...

Because of the political issues associated with the term, Witnesses prefer not to be called "creationists", identifying more closely with adherents of intelligent design theory. They can be classified as "gap" creationists rather than "young earth" creationists. They believe that the universe's creation (described in Genesis 1:1) was followed by billions of years prior to the creative "days" beginning in Genesis 1:2. They do not believe that the "days" of Genesis chapter 1 were literal 24-hour days, as the Hebrew word yohm translated "day" can encompass a much longer time, such as in "the days of Uzziah" (Isaiah 1:1). Furthermore, all days in Genesis are said to have a beginning and an end, except for the last day. Witnesses believe that the the author the book of Hebrews held that this seventh day was still continuing when he lived (Hebrews 4:1-10), and could therefore not have been 24 hours long. The Creation of Light by Gustave DorÃ©. In the Abrahamic religions, creationism is the belief that humans, life, the Earth, and the universe have a miraculous origin in a deity or supreme beings supernatural intervention. ... Intelligent design (ID) is the concept that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. ... Gap Creationism, also called Restitution creationism or Ruin-Reconstruction, are terms used to describe a particular set of Christian beliefs about the creation of the Universe and the origin of man. ... Created in Gods image. ... Genesis (Greek: Î“ÎÎ½ÎµÏƒÎ¹Ï‚, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin), also called The First Book of Moses, is the first book of Torah (five books of Moses), and is the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of... The Epistle to the Hebrews (abbreviated Heb. ...

As recently as the 1970s, they stated that each day was exactly 7,000 years long. This belief has never been explicitly abandoned, and Witness literature continues to refer to the described events as taking "thousands of years"^[14], never the hundreds of millions that paleontologists would estimate. They do, however, accept the possibility that the acts of each day could have continued on subsequent ones. A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ...

Witnesses acknowledge the existence of microevolution, or progressive developments and adaptation within the limits of a what Genesis calls a 'kind' They say Noah took a limited number of ‘kinds’ aboard the ark, and that these diverged after the flood – for example, as lions and tigers are partially cross-breedable, they could both be descended from a common ancestor pair^[15]. However, they do not accept that one 'kind' may evolve to the extent it is no longer fertile with the original animal, and thus reject all forms of speciation or the idea of evolution based upon natural selection. They do not believe that life arose as a result of purely natural processes, but instead hold that the first humans, and indeed all species, were created directly by God. Microevolution is the occurrence of small-scale changes in allele frequencies in a population, over a few generations, also known as change at or below the species level. ... Charles Darwins first sketch of an evolutionary tree from his First Notebook on Transmutation of Species (1837) Speciation is the evolutionary process by which new biological species arise. ... A hypothetical phylogenetic tree of all extant organisms, based on 16S rRNA gene sequence data, showing the evolutionary history of the three domains of life, bacteria, archaea and eukaryotes. ... Natural selection is the process by which individual organisms with favorable traits are more likely to survive and reproduce. ... Michelangelos Creation of Adam, from the Sistine Chapel. ...

As Witnesses believe that the chronology contained in the Bible is accurate, they date Adam’s creation as occurring in 4026 BC ^[16] and the flood in 2370 BC. ^[17] Pictoral chronology of intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency Chronology is the science of locating events in time. ... Dionysius Exiguus invented Anno Domini years to date Easter. ...

Religious symbols

Jehovah's Witnesses categorically reject the use of images or icons in worship, as they believe this violates Biblical prohibitions against idolatry. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that an idol is any image, symbol or object that is an object of intense devotion, veneration, or worship. The Savior Not Made By Hands (1410s, by Andrei Rublev) An icon (from Greek εικων, eikon, image) is an artistic visual representation or symbol of anything considered holy and divine, such as God, saints or deities. ... The neutrality of this article is disputed. ...

Regarding the cross as a religious symbol, Jehovah's Witnesses cite three reasons why Christians should not use it as a symbol for Christianity: The traditional form of the Western Christian cross, known as the Latin cross. ...

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (NWT) is a modern-language translation of the Bible published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc. ...

Eschatology

Christ's presence is considered to be his invisible rule from heaven and is believed to have begun in 1914. Witnesses believe that Jesus' prophecy recorded in &verse=24&src=31 Matthew 24 have been being fulfilled since that time. They identify the same period with the 'last days' referred to by the Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. It is taught that starting with World War I in 1914 (which actually began several months before the prophesied October fulfilment), as well as increases in other conflicts and natural disasters since they are proof that world conditions have worsened since the alleged expulsion of Satan from heaven in 1914. This article or section should be merged with First Epistle to Timothy The Second Epistle to Timothy is a book of the canonic New Testament, one of the three so-called pastoral epistles (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and the Epistle to Titus). ... This page does not cite its references or sources. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the dead are unconscious, citing Ecclesiastes 9:5, "the dead know not any thing". They view death as the end of the existence of a "soul" or person. Right from their movement's inception, they have rejected the concept of a literal hell fire as repugnant and incompatible with God's qualities, and interpret the references to fire in connection with the fire that destroyed garbage outside Jerusalem, ie., a synonym of destruction, not punishment. Their doctrine has no equivalent of the Catholic concept of purgatory. Ecclesiastes, Qohelet in Hebrew, is a book of the Hebrew Bible. ... The term purgatory is generally defined as the means by which the elect reach perfection before entering into the Kingdom of Heaven. The term purgatory in accordance with Catholic teaching, is a place or condition of temporal punishment for those who, departing this life in Gods grace are not...

Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in an immortal soul that is separate from the body, but rather understand the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek word psyche - both often translated as soul - to mean the person as one indivisible whole. Similarly, they make a sharp distinction between the soul and the spirit (Hebrew: ruach, Greek: pneuma), considering the latter to be the impersonal life-force in every human, sustained by breathing. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ... The soul, according to many religious and philosophical traditions, is a self aware ethereal substance particular to a unique living being. ...

This has clear consequences for their beliefs about the afterlife. They believe that people who die merely cease to exist, except in God's memory. They therefore consider the resurrection to be a re-creation of the person.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the earth will continue to exist and be inhabited forever. In their view, God's intention is for faithful humans to eventually live forever in a state of robust and perfect physical health on earth, which will have been restored to a state of splendor similar to the Garden of Eden. They believe that literally 144,000 faithful Christians will be taken to heaven to be Governors with Christ for 1,000 years.

The group teaches that all other human beings, except for those deemed by God to be incorrigibly wicked, will be restored to life (resurrected) in the thousand-year period directly after Armageddon, known as Judgement Day. During Judgement Day, the dead will be resurrected, "righteous and unrighteousness" (Acts 24:14), and people will have the opportunity to learn righteousness (Isaiah 26:9-10). God will provide a new communication to humankind to augment the Bible, and gradually restore all humans to a state of physical perfection. At the end of Judgement Day, there will be a final test when Satan the Devil will be let out of his prison (Revelation 20:3). Those rebelling against God at that time, or even earlier during Judgement Day, will be destroyed, along with the Devil (Revelation 20:7-10). Those who fall to their old ways shall be eternally eliminated, given the 'second and final death from which there is not escape', along with the Devil. Perfect humans will inherit everlasting life on Paradise Earth to worship Jehovah. The term Judgement Day may refer to: The Last Judgement; the ethical-judicial trial, judgement, and punishment/reward of individual humans (assignment to Heaven or to Hell) by a divine tribunal at the end of time. ... The Acts of the Apostles (Greek Praxeis Apostolon) is a book of the Bible, which now stands fifth in the New Testament. ... Isaiah the Prophet in Hebrew Scriptures was depicted on the Sistine Chapel ceiling by Michelangelo. ... The Devil is the name given to a supernatural entity, who, in most Western religions, is the central embodiment of evil. ... Visions of John the Evangelist, as depicted in the TrÃ¨s Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. ...

Moral standards

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the Bible strictly forbid all sexual relations outside of marriage and they oppose all homosexual activities. (See Homosexuality and Christianity) Only when one's spouse has committed adultery can one of Jehovah's Witnesses divorce and remarry. Other circumstances where divorce is allowed but remarriage is not an option include such situations as a violent marriage. They are against polygamy in any case. In countries where polygamy is common, men are required to separate from all wives but their first before being eligible for baptism. See also: List of Christian denominational positions on homosexuality See also: History of Christianity and homosexuality The issue of Homosexuality and Christianity has become a matter of intense theological debate among some Christians, with ongoing argument over whether homosexuality, and specifically homosexual sex, is immoral or a sin. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Moderate use of alcohol is viewed as acceptable, but drunkenness is forbidden, along with all recreational use of drugs, including tobacco.

Witnesses view dating, or courtship, not as a recreational activity, but as a means of getting to know a prospective marriage partner. Courtship is therefore not taken lightly. Courting couples are encouraged to avoid potentially compromising situations that could lead to fornication. Youth conversing with suitorsYoung men courting a youth in a garden. ... Fornication refers to any sexual activity between unmarried partners. ...

Many parties and other festivities are supervised by elders (overseers of the congregation), ministerial servants (assistants of elders), or any other experienced and/or well-respected congregational member.

Members are expected to dress modestly. Modesty comprises a set of culturally or religiously determined values that relate to the presentation of the self to others. ...

A major focus of Witness publications and meetings is the development of Christlike personality traits. Physical or verbal aggression and the use of threats or obscenities are strongly discouraged.

Strict honesty is expected in all aspects of life. They are strictly expected to obey the government (Romans 13:1-7), as long as it is not against their beliefs. Witnesses are expected to pay taxes conscientiously, avoid lying and stealing, even in relatively minor matters, and to give their employers an honest day's work.

Blood

Based on their understanding of the Bible admonition to "keep abstaining from blood" (Acts 15:28-29), Jehovah's Witnesses refrain from accepting any blood transfusion or whole blood products. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the successor to the Apostles of the early church is the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, and their decisions are binding. It has been suggested that Jehovahs Witnesses: Controversial Issues be merged into this article or section. ... The Governing Body of Jehovahs Witnesses is a body of elders that oversees all the activities of Jehovahs Witnesses. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses take into consideration other parts of the Bible in formulating their view of blood. They believe that, due to the sacredness of blood as the symbol of life, the proper use of blood is to be "poured out" and not stored for some other purpose. Also, they note that the command to not eat blood was given during Noah's time, and therefore not purely a Jewish dietary law, which Jehovah's Witnesses consider to no longer be binding upon Christians (Genesis 9:4; Leviticus 17:10)

Jehovah's Witnesses consider blood transfusion to be both a misuse of blood, as well as violating an explicit admonition to not "eat" or consume blood in any fashion. A common illustration that is used is if a physician tells a patient to "abstain from alcohol" it would not follow that the patient can inject it into his bloodstream. Therefore, abstinence from blood is similarly believed to include transfusion.

Development of doctrine

Main article: Development of Jehovah's Witnesses doctrine Since the doctrines have been openly published for over 120 years in The Watchtower magazine, all changes in teaching are a matter of record. ...

Witness teachings and practices have evolved over the past century to reach their present form. This has generated considerable controversy among critics, who maintain that Jehovah's Witnesses have made many significant changes to their teachings over the past hundred years.

Jehovah's Witnesses agree that this is true, and attribute gradual modifications in doctrine to an improved understanding of the Bible over time. They view this as positive.

Importance of doctrine

Most Jehovah's Witnesses are well-grounded in the doctrines of their religion and are able to explain what they believe and what they consider to be the basis for these beliefs in the Bible. Before baptism, they go through a period of weekly study of doctrinal matters, and doctrines are discussed frequently at their congregational meetings. The Gutenberg Bible owned by the United States Library of Congress The Bible (Hebrew: ×ª× ×´×š tanakh, Greek: Î· Î’Î¯Î²Î»Î¿Ï‚ hÄ“ biblos, the book) (sometimes The Holy Bible, Scripture, is the name used by Jews and Christians for their differing (and overlapping) canons of sacred texts. ...

Jehovah's Witnesses and other religions

Like many conservative Christian denominations, Witnesses believe that there is only one true religion - that taught by Jesus Christ in the Bible, namely true Christianity (Ephesians 4:4-6). However, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that their own faith is the only true restoration of that first-century Christianity. They believe that the existence of absolute truth precludes the possibility that different religions, confessing a multitude of conflicting doctrines, are equally acceptable. Because they deem it inappropriate to engage in forms of organizational cooperation with "unbelievers", they do not participate in interfaith initiatives or the ecumenical movement. List of Christian denominations ordered by historical and doctrinal relationships. ... This article outlines the history of Christianity and provides links to relevant topics. ... La VÃ©ritÃ© by the French painter Jules Joseph Lefebvre Common dictionary definitions of truth mention some form of accord with fact or reality. ... The terms interfaith or interfaith dialogue refer to cooperative and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions, (ie. ... The word ecumenical comes from a Greek word that means pertaining to the whole world. ...

While believing the teachings of other religious organizations to be in error, Jehovah's Witnesses recognize that there are sincere individuals in all religious traditions and respect the right of each person to choose his or her religion. However, they further believe that people need to take action to align themselves with God's word in order to survive at the imminent battle of Armageddon (2 Peter 3:11-13)^{[citation needed]}. This is one reason why door-to-door preaching is considered to be an urgent life-saving work.

Marrying of non-Jehovah's Witnesses is strongly discouraged due to the scriptural exhortation to "marry only in the Lord". However, "mixed homes" do occur when one of the spouses converts to another faith (when a non-Jehovah's Witness becomes a Jehovah's Witness or vice versa). Children are encouraged to respect both their parents, even if one does not share their convictions. In such cases, the parent who is a Jehovah's Witnesses may teach children of the Jehovah's Witness faith while also paying full respect to their spouse.

Reference and research materials

Past editions of The Watchtower and Awake! are available to Witnesses in book form (bound volumes). These for the most part remain unchanged (however there have been exceptions) and are therefore generally a historical resource on the details of what the Witnesses taught at the time of their publication. Additionally, a host of books have been published by them over the decades. Kingdom Halls have a library of these publications. Much of the material has been published as a CD-ROM known as the Watchtower Library, which is available only to members. The Watchtower Library license agreement explicitly forbids its transfer to non-Witnesses, and its contents are considered to be confidential. In spite of this, however, most of its contents have been made publicly available in printed form [3]). Jehovahs Witnesses offer copies of The Watchtower from door to door or, when approval is given, wherever people might read them. ... Awake! is a general-interest magazine published by Jehovahs Witnesses. ... Kingdom Hall is the name of meeting places for Jehovahs Witnesses. ...

Categories: Articles to be merged | Articles with unsourced statements | Jehovah's Witnesses February 1 is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... May 15 is the 135th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (136th in leap years). ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (214th in leap years), with 152 days remaining. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

Contents