...Jehovah’s Witnesses Cassandra Poe Hum 130 March 26, 2010 Sheila Farr Introduction “The Jehovah’s Witnesses are one of the world’s fastest growing religious groups. They are well known for their distinctive beliefs, door to door proselytism, political neutrality, and legal battles for religious freedom. However, as Rodney Stark and Laurence R Ianaccone have recently noted, research on the Jehovah’s Witness is surprisingly scarce. This paper seeks to assist non-Witness scholars interested in studying witness teachings, activities, and institutions. The Watchtower, Awake, and annual yearbooks and many other Witness publications are primary sources readily available in Witness congregations throughout the United States and the world. Most congregations also maintain archives of past publications in their libraries. Any researcher can use these and many other sources to document Witness statements, statistics, trends and organizational developments”.Wah (Dec. 2001), History of The Jehovah’s Witnesses The Jehovah’s Witnesses was begun by Charles Taze Russell in 1872. He was born on February 16, 1852, the son of Joseph L. and Anna Eliza Russell. He had difficulty in dealing with the doctrine of eternal hell fire and in his studies came to deny not only eternal punishment, but also the Trinity, and the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. When Russell was 18 years old he organized his first Bible class in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1879 he started The Watchtower...
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...Witnesses are cult activity, unusual Christian practices, and domineering individuals. This paper will take a look at the life as a Jehovah’s Witness. The paper will cover some of the common practices and beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses. The paper will also try to clear up some of the misconceptions that others believe about Jehovah’s Witnesses. The author of this paper has taken the time to research the Jehovah Witness religion by visiting a local Kingdom Hall, conducting an in-person interview with an actual Jehovah Witness, and also conducting research on the internet, as well as the library. Background Information The religion of the Jehovah’s Witness began in at the end of the 19th century. The religion was started a small group of Bible students close to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1879 the students began publishing what is known as the Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom. The group that was formerly known as International Bible Students became Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1931. Membership of religion is marked by baptism. According to the Jehovah’s Witness website (2009),” Baptism symbolizes one’s dedication to God and is taken by those of responsible age who have made an informed decision. Baptism is by complete water immersion.—Matthew 28:19; Acts 18:9”. The organization of the Jehovah’s Witness According to the Jehovah’s Witness website (2009), is “Following the model of first-century Christianity, Jehovah’s Witnesses...
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...Paper ENG 1020 Many people view Jehovah witnesses as being that religious group that knocks on your door and hands you out magazines when you are in a rush. Others believe that they are a group of people who are always talking about the world ending, and lastly some believe that witnesses aren’t Christians, they don’t believe in Jesus (anti-Christ), or they are some type of cult. On the contrary, Jehovah witnesses aren’t as bad as people make them seem, they are respectable genuine people. Many people in today’s society form biases and beliefs of someone, something, and especially a religious group without even finds facts about it. Jehovah’s witnesses actually serve a biblical purpose to educate the world spiritually about the one true god Jehovah. Once you understand them you, the principles they live by, and their duty you will think twice about judging them. I believe that the world is close minded to Jehovah’s witnesses because they know very seldom of them. History of Jehovah’s Witnesses: Firstly, when people hear Jehovah’s witnesses they think who is Jehovah? You guys don’t believe in Jesus? Where did they come from? Jehovah’s witnesses have been around for ages; Jehovah is the name of God, like anybody “God” is a title like boy or girl. You wouldn’t want to be called boy or girl every time someone addresses you everyone has a name, like God he has a name which is Jehovah. A number of other bible translations leave out the name of Jehovah, replacing it with such titles...
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...jehovah’s witness religion versus my own which is the historically black church also known as the baptist religion. I have always been intrigued by Jehovah witness religion because it’s a lot I don’t understand. I know Jehovah witness are known for their non traditional approach by going door to door to preach their beliefs. They don’t meet on Sunday’s at a church and their place of meeting is called kingdom hall. Jehovah's Witnesses are directed by the Governing Body of Jehovah's Witnesses, a group of elders in Brooklyn, New York, which establishes all doctrines based on its interpretations of the Bible;they prefer to use their own translation, the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures. Jehovah witness came about in 1870 from The Bible student Movement In my research I also found out that a couple of their beliefs were they refused military services and blood transfusions. I know from my religious background that I have never heard anyone refusing those things. Also we do like to minister to the community but it is not done so often that it is a part of our Baptist background. jehovah Witness do not celebrate holidays such as christmas, thanksgiving , and birthdays. At my church we have Christmas plays and pass out gifts, We have Easter egg hunts for the children and the third Sunday of the month we sing Happy Birthday to the members whose birthdays are that month! I know I attend church services on Sunday’s and Wednesday nights for bible study and jehovah witness attend...
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...Ethnic Diversity Culture Diversity June 2, 2013 June 2, 2013 Religious Group Jehovah Witness The religious group Jehovah’s Witness was founded in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell; he believed that hell did not exist. Jehovah’s Witness also believe in the end of times and Armageddon. Jehovah’s Witness reject the cross because to them the cross represents a fertility symbol; they do not wear crosses nor print the cross on their bibles. “Although Jehovah’s Witnesses identify themselves as comprising a Christian denomination, other groups regard them as a cult that stands outside orthodox Christianity.” (Sharpe, 2010, p. 1) There are other religious groups like the Roman Catholics that believe in forgiveness of sin with a church ritual through confession with help from a priest, the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world; he is the only way to return to the heavenly Father. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. Hinduism believe in reincarnation and Karma which tells a person’s destiny in the life they are living now and in the next life. The beliefs and views of the Jehovah’s Witness is not shared by everyone. “In the precedent-setting 1944 Prince v. Massachusetts decision, which involved a Jehovah's Witness, the court ruled that a child's welfare trumps the religious beliefs of the parents.” (Goodenow, 2009, p. 1) The Judge believed that the parents could follow...
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...Introduction The purpose of the paper is to analyze Jehovah’s Witnesses as a false religion. The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be discussed as well as the flaws in their religion. There will be a step by step method on how to approach Jehovah’s Witnesses with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Summary of Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses are a modern-day religious sect that is Gnostic in its belief and legalistic in its religious practice . They were founded by Charles Taze Russell. As a young boy, Russell was brought up in a Presbyterian home. At age 16, he moved his membership to a Congregational church and was heavily influence by an Adventist Christian preacher by the name of Jonas Wendell. Russell had a difficult time believing in eternal punishment, the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. With these disbeliefs, he organized his own bible class in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1872, this class became known as the International Bible Students Association. Shortly afterwards in 1879, Russell help co-publish The Herald of the Morning magazine with his financial help in which he renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom. In 1884, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Today it is known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society where over two million pieces of literature are printed yearly. It was not until 1931 the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” became the official name of the Watch Tower Tract Society under the leadership...
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...Ethnic Diversity Culture Diversity June 2, 2013 June 2, 2013 Religious Group Jehovah Witness The religious group Jehovah’s Witness was founded in the 1870s by Charles Taze Russell; he believed that hell did not exist. Jehovah’s Witness also believe in the end of times and Armageddon. Jehovah’s Witness reject the cross because to them the cross represents a fertility symbol; they do not wear crosses nor print the cross on their bibles. “Although Jehovah’s Witnesses identify themselves as comprising a Christian denomination, other groups regard them as a cult that stands outside orthodox Christianity.” (Sharpe, 2010, p. 1) There are other religious groups like the Roman Catholics that believe in forgiveness of sin with a church ritual through confession with help from a priest, the Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) believe that Jesus Christ is the savior of the world; he is the only way to return to the heavenly Father. Mormons believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for the sins of the world. Hinduism believe in reincarnation and Karma which tells a person’s destiny in the life they are living now and in the next life. The beliefs and views of the Jehovah’s Witness is not shared by everyone. “In the precedent-setting 1944 Prince v. Massachusetts decision, which involved a Jehovah's Witness, the court ruled that a child's welfare trumps the religious beliefs of the parents.” (Goodenow, 2009, p. 1) The Judge believed that the parents could follow...
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...In your grievance filed at Huachuca Unit, you claim you have repeatedly missed the opening hymn and prayer of the Jehovah Witness religious service due to the afternoon meal turn out running late. Your resolution is to be placed on the early turn out for chow. Your grievance appeal has been reviewed and the Warden's response is affirmed. Pursuant to DEPARTMENT ORDER 904 INMATE RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES/MARRIAGE RESQUESTS 904.03 RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES 1.5 Number/Length of Religious Activities or Services 1.5.1 The senior chaplain/chaplain, in conjunction with Wardens, shall determine the number of formal religious activities per unit per week following an assessment of the religious needs of the institution/unit. Private prison facilities shall...
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...Analyse a religious tradition(s) in New Zealand The New Zealand society has undergone many significant changes over the past 50 years, especially those involving the religious expression and teachings of the Catholic Church. Both educational and cultural changes have affected the positioning of religion in our society and as a consequence to this the amount of citizens who claim to be Christian does not match the amount of people who actually live in New Zealand. This is evolving New Zealand from being a country known as Christian to be known as a religiously diverse. This is evident through the census data. A census taken in 2006 shows that 55.6 percent of the people who answered the religious affiliation questions claimed to be within the Christian religion. This is compared to the 2001 Census which shows that 60.6 percent of people claimed to be Christian. From this census data it is becoming more obvious that religious expression in New Zealand is becoming more and more diverse. As the numbers of immigrants continue to rise the diversity of New Zealand continues to change dramatically. It is now common to find other religious groups such as Buddhists and Muslims in New Zealand and due to this the traditional religions, especially the Catholic Church, have seen fallen numbers. From this census data shown above, it states that the overall number of people who claim to be Catholic has dropped. Although the amount of people who claim to be Hindi, Muslim and Sikh have all...
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...A COMPARISON OF CHRISTIAN BELIEFS TO THOSE OF JEHOVAHS WITNESSES A comparison of Christian beliefs to those of Jehovah’s Witnesses Dana A. Lambert Axia College of The University of Phoenix This small step into identifying and exploring the beliefs and practices of Jehovah’s Witnesses has been both interesting and challenging. Relatively young in years, the religion was founded in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania in 1879 by Charles Taze Russell. (Carmen 2005) Its current practicing members total an estimated 6.95 million people. Its current headquarters is in Brooklyn New York, where the governing body of elders is located. Although constantly under scrutiny by various other religions, Jehovah’s Witnesses have continued to grow over the past 200 years. (Willis 2006) For the purpose of this paper, I spoke in depth to Mr. Michael Campbell, an Elder of the Jehovah’s Witness Kingdom Hall located in Green Cove Springs, Florida. Mr. Campbell has been a Jehovah’s Witness for the past 35 years, and is a personal friend and neighbor to my family. There are approximately 75 members in the Green Cove Springs hall, being established in 2005. Being a friend, Mr. Campbell understands that my questioning of his religious practices is not to confirm or deny, interrogate or subrogate his beliefs or mine in any adversarial way. Actually he stated that it would give him a chance to “speak what he has been learning for the past 35 years from his family room recliner.” I...
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...Religious And Racial Groups Michele Allen ETH/125 Mrs. Deena Religious And Racial Groups Religious And Racial Groups Have you thought about researching the signifigance of religion and ethnic groups other than your own? I am a African American who practice Christianity as a religion. I have choose to research Islam and Whites, which is the European descent. The information that you are about to read in this content is unique and will become familiar within your own religion and race. There are somethings that maybe slightly different as comparison to other religions. There are three major groups in this world that has been created. Islam happens to be one of the major groups. The other major groups are Christians and Judaism. Islam belief, is that there is one God. God is the higher power who created the world. Islam believe that we as people should surrender to the higher power, which is God. Islam is God. In the Islamic religion, if you follow God, you would be considered a Muslim. In Arabic, Muslim is defined as, one who surrenders to God. Allah is the Arabic name for God. Muslims are considered equal before God. Islam provide a sense of loyalty to God that connects their race, nationality, and differences with other religion. Islam is originated from Arabia. Islam begin to Syria, North America, Spain , India, and Egypt. In the 10th century they began to spread east, north, and the south. Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Islam is open to new members...
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...are really different in a big way from the religions of the world. This alone would not be so very interesting. But the interesting point is, that the Christian religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses are different in a positive way. For example: Every Jehovah’s Witness knows outstandingly what the Bible is telling all about. How’s that come to be? Before somebody can become a Witness of Almighty God Jehovah (Jehovah is the Name of God, according to the Bible), he or she must really study the Bible. To that point, that he or she knows and really understands the main Bible teachings. This is one big difference to most other religions. Jehovah’s Witnesses have really a good understanding of the teachings of the Bible. It is also amazing, that even the little ones among Jehovah’s Witnesses know the teachings of the Bible. But this is just one of the reasons, why Jehovah’s Witnesses are in a very positive way different from other religions. We have many different experiences; from the slamming of doors on us; to those who respectfully listen and converse with us. Quite often we find that we can really get people thinking about what they've been taught by their own religion. Some get upset that they've been paying into their religious system all their lives, and haven't really gotten their money's worth in the way of spiritual food. We're conducting well over 10 million free Bible studies in people's homes as we speak. They're telling us they're learning things they never knew before. Some...
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...Health Care ethics is concerned with the implementation of well researched decisions while taking into cognizance the patients’ religious and cultural beliefs, and wellbeing in relation to the treatment that is rendered unto the patient. It is mandatory by healthcare professionals to abide by medical ethics principles, most especially when dealing directly with patients. Some professionals confront the ethical issues directly while others turn away (Colonel John S. Murray, PhD, RN, USAF, NC, 2014). How individuals respond to these ethical dilemmas depends on their previous experiences with unethical behavior, their individual personality traits, and their ethical values, as well as their knowledge of ethical principles (Clancy, 2003). In this modern era, there are certain ethical issues that might arise in relation to a patient’s clinical management. A prominent medical ethical issue is the refusal of a patient for treatment, such as receiving blood transfusion because of his or her belief. The most renowned international religious group of people that refuse blood transfusions is the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah witnesses believe that blood transfusion "may result in the immediate and very temporary prolongation of life, but at the cost of eternal life for a dedicated Christian" (Jason Barker, 2000). In June 2000, the governing body of Jehovah’s Witness called the Watchtower Society changed its policy regarding members who choose to receive blood...
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...Present Day Arianism: Jehovah Witnesses Back in the 4th Century, Arianism was a big problem. It eventually came to the point, that all the books had to be burned and Arius,himself, was exiled. Is Arianism still a problem today? They are in a way, but not as big as in the 4th century. The modern day Arians are Jehovah Witnesses. Although they do not threaten us bodily, they threaten us spiritually. They are a heresy that should be treated as a threat. They do not believe the same things we do. Most importantly, they do not believe in the one thing that saves us, the Son of God-- Jesus Christ. Early in the 4th century, there was a pastor named Arius. He was a pastor in Alexandria, Egypt. He believed that there was only one true God. God could not share his deity with someone else. Only he could be immortal. He believed that Jesus is a good teacher, a wise rabbi, a beautiful example, and a martyr for a noble cause. However, he was not God. (Arianism Today) He couldn’t believe that some people believed in the Trinity. He knew there was only one true God, so why is everyone worshipping 3? He started teaching that Jesus was not true God, but a created being. Of course people listened to him. It was completely logical. Even though it may be logical, we are told in the bible that Jesus is in fact, God. John 10:30 says, “I and the Father are one”. His bishop tried to dissuade him, but Arius was not easily silenced. There was a time that Arianism was actively favored. There were even...
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...Faith Diversity The United States is a very faith diverse country. There are people from all different cultures, religions, and faiths. Nurses must become educated about these different religious beliefs in order to provide appropriate care for their patients. “Personal faith is a reflection of an individual’s transcendent values and philosophy of life.” (O’Brien, 2008, p. 62) Nurses’ care for the ill and deal with many end of life situations. It is imperative that they understand their patients faith or “philosophy of life” in order to provide the type of care that will support them physically, emotionally, and spiritually. First Interview- Buddhism The first person that I interviewed was a friend that is practicing Buddhism. “The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end.” (Public Broadcasting Station [PBS], n.d., para. 3) They believe in Karma (belief of the law cause and effect). According to my friend, they are private in their religious practices and would rather not discuss their beliefs. Healing is found in the belief in Buddha. She is a vegetarian and does not believe that harm should be done to animals. Buddha is known...
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