...˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝˝ 2013 Yearbook of Jehovah’s Witnesses CONTENTS 2013 Yeartext A Letter From the Governing Body Highlights of the Past Year Preaching and Teaching Earth Wide Myanmar One Hundred Years Ago—1913 Grand Totals 2 4 9 ...
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...It is really interesting to make a thorough search in what way the religions of the world are different from the religion of Jehovah's Witnesses. Because then we can find out, that the Christian religion of Jehovah’s Witnesses 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...
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...------------------------------------------------- Religion and 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.”...
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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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...World Religions Report Jehovah’s Witnesses Stephen Devon Hill Jr. Axia College of the University of Phoenix January 10, 2009 In modern society there are numerous forms of Christianity. Many may be familiar with Catholics, Baptist, or Protestants. One form of Christianity that has created mixed views since its start is that of Jehovah’s Witnesses. Some thoughts that may come to mind when people think of Jehovah’s 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...
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...In the health care world there are many factors like religion that play a role in the type of care a patient receives. In class we were given a story about how an eight year old boy died from refusing a blood transfusion because he was a Jehovah's witness. In our Clinical Ethics book we had to read a case in Delaware about how a three year old boys Christian Scientist parents refused chemotherapy for the boy. In the story about the boy, he was sick with leukemia and had a seventy percent survival rate of the next five years if he accepted the blood transfusion. Also, they boys legal guardian was his aunt who was a Jehovah's witness. This is what caused a controversy because the boys original parents said that the boy had been wrongly influenced by the aunt and should receive the transplant. To me this raises a couple of concerns; why was the boy in the custody of the aunt in the first place? Does this mean that there was already family issues beside this? Do they let the boy make such a big decision? When we were first talking about this in class my first opinion was they shouldn't let the boy make such a big decision on his own being so young and on the basis of being a Jehovah's witness. But after a woman made a comment about the boys quality of life not being well from the leukemia, that maybe he did not want to live his life being hospitalized and sick all the time made my opinion really torn about this issue. I mean if I was a eight years old and I did not have a hopeful...
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...Bates. The interviewee name is will be stated as Amber. The purpose of this interview was to inform myself of a religion that is not of my own. The religion being discussed is Jehovah Witnesses. The following questions were asked during the interview, 1. Were you born into this religion? 2. If you converted, what was your previous religion? 3. Why did you choose this religion to convert too? 4. What do you think about other religions? 4. Why do you refer to God as Jehovah and not by the name of God? 7. How do you personal respond to individuals who claim that Jehovah’s Witnesses is a cult? 8. What are your thoughts and beliefs on afterlife? 9. Is it true that Jehovah Witness is not allowed to receive blood transfusions? 10. What is the most fulfilling thing about being a Jehovah Witness? The interview started off with introductions of both parties. I then preceded with the interview questions. I asked Amber “Was she born into this religion”? In response to my question she stated that yes, she was in fact born into this religion. In fact so we’re both of her parents. After asking this question, question number two or three were not needed to be asked. But also in response to question one, Amber stated that throughout her family’s history, including her ancestors, everyone was a Jehovah Witnesses. I then asked Amber questions four, “Why do you refer to God as Jehovah and not by the name of God”? Amber’s response was, “Jehovah-Jireh” is one of the many different names of God...
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...Jehovah's Witnesses Report Jonquil McDaniel HUM/130 11/16/11 Paxton Reed Introduction The Jehovah's Witnesses is a religion that started out with humble beginnings in the 19th century as The Bible Students, the followers of a man named Charles Taze Russell. Charles Taze Russell was the original publisher of the Jehovah's Witnesses' magazine The Watchtower (then called Zion's Watchtower) and their book Studies in the Scriptures (then called Millennial Dawn) (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1993). C.T. Russell was born in the United States in Pennsylvania on February 16, 1852. C.T. Russell grew up in a deeply religious household and was brought up on the Christian concepts that God is love yet had created men inherently immortal and provided a fiery place in which he would eternally torment all except those that had been predestined to be saved. Such an idea repulsed the teenaged C.T. Russell, and he reasoned that such a God would have standards lower than that of many men (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1993). One day while walking along near his parent's store he heard religious singing coming from a basement hall. It was here that C.T. Russell ran in to the Second Day Adventists. This re-fueled his belief in the Bible's inspiration from God, and he began to study the Bible like never before. He soon came to believe the time was coming near for those who served God to come to a full understanding of His purpose. Fueled by...
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...watch on world events as these fulfill Bible prophecy. It comforts all peoples with the good news that God’s Kingdom will soon destroy those who oppress their fellow men and that it will turn the earth into a paradise. It encourages faith in God’s now-reigning King, Jesus Christ, whose shed blood opens the way for mankind to gain eternal life. The Watchtower, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses continuously since 1879, is non-political. It adheres to the Bible as its authority.” [ (The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom, 2007) ] Selling Religion Door to Door What do we truly know about Jehovah’s Witnesses? We have all avoided the door when we see them on the doorstep, but what do we know about their beliefs? Are their beliefs similar or different from our own? Why are they on the doorstep? What are they selling? These are the questions I have asked myself many times. This is also one of the reasons I chose to learn more about this religion. I have known a few Jehovah’s Witnesses in my life, and they both had drastically different ways of practicing the religion. Not all Jehovah’s Witnesses conform to the strict rules. In my journey to learn more, I found that more and more followers are becoming disassociated with the group; which puts the future of this organized religion in jeopardy. Charles Taze Russell was a follower and teacher of the Adventist movement of the late 19th century. The Adventists were a group that under the direction of William Miller, believed the...
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...Report on Religious Field Research Assignment 2 December 7th , 2011 Religious understanding is a touchy subject. Many people are ignorant by choice to the principles, teachings, and interpretations of other religions because they feel as though the religion that they were raised in is the one true and correct religion and understanding. Personally, the religion that I have the most interest in learning about is the Jehovah’s Witness religion. I have a lot of question that are rooted in the understanding of my religion and the inconsistencies that I feel the Jehovah Witnesses as a whole possess. Needless to say, I learned quite a bit from my sit down and acute immersion in the Jehovah’s Witness religion. I chose to interview my friend Wyendi and her grandmother to get a well-rounded outlook and understanding ( at least partially) of the religion as a whole. This report will attempt to discuss the misconceptions that I had about the religion, analyze my prior understanding against my understanding now that I have spoken to a Jehovah Witness, discuss whether or not I believe that the misconceptions about the Jehovah Witness religion are common, and present one way that I think could minimize misconceptions that people may have about religions that are not their own. Based on my understanding of the Jehovah Witness religion I had about 6 key questions that I wanted to ask. The first question that I posed to my friend Wyendi and her grandmother dealt with their non-celebration...
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...they can relate to or that they believe is morally correct. Religion has become one of the top organizations to create structure and balance in ones’ life. Religion can be found across the entire world; some religions are practiced in multiple parts of the world. In this paper it will analyze two monotheist religions, first by describing some of the things they share in common and their differences. In addition each religion’s history, rituals, doctrines, and beliefs will be examined. Jehovah witnesses are a smaller group of people who believes in Christianity but does not believe in the same traditions, rituals and doctrines as other Christians like non-denominational Christians. This group was founded in 1852-1916 by a man name C.T. Russell. Russell, thought the teachings of Christianity was unreal and fictitious. When he read the bible he didn’t believe in the “Trinity”. The “Trinity” is as a form of polytheism where Jesus came in three different forms. Witnesses do not acknowledge the...
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...with forensic accountants, and in particular those acting as Expert Witnesses, should be aware that the existing standard, APES 215 Forensic Accounting Services (‘APES 215’ or ‘the Standard’) has been revised. The revisions are designed to ensure the provision of quality and ethical Forensic Accounting Services. In this issue of Forensic Matters, Fionna Oliver-Taylor, a director in our Melbourne office, discusses the key revisions to APES 215, which include: • Guidance on the types of services that constitute Forensic Accounting Services. • Extending the definition of Expert Witness to include Members ‘otherwise obligated’. • Expert Witnesses may provide opinion or Other Evidence. The revised Standard The Australian Professional and Ethical Standards Board (‘the APESB’) revised APES 215 last month (December 2013) to replace the existing standard which was originally issued in December 2008. The revised Standard is effective for Engagements1 or Assignments2 commencing on or after 1 April 2014, with earlier adoption permitted. The revised Standard: • provides assistance to determine whether a particular service is a Forensic Accounting Service and if so, what type • requires the explicit identification of opinions in the Report of the Expert Witness which are not based wholly or substantially on the Member’s specialised knowledge derived from training, study and experience • clarifies that Expert Witnesses may provide opinion or Other Evidence to the court • extends the definition...
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...Jehovah's Witnesses is a group[->0] with more than seven million members throughout the world. They believe God[->1] is about to end the present system of life in the world, with its crime, violence, sickness and death, and replace it with his Kingdom which will bring about peace for all humans who live by Bible[->2] standards. Most of the religion's beliefs are based on the Bible and these beliefs were taught by Charles Taze Russell, a preacher who started a Bible study group in Pennsylvania[->3], USA[->4] in 1876, and later started publishing a religious magazine called The Watchtower[->5]. Many of those beliefs, especially about who God is and what his plans are for humans and the earth, are different to what is taught in mainstream Christian churches. Jehovah's Witnesses believe that only 144,000 people will go to heaven and that the remaining people who obey God will live forever[->6] on a paradise[->7] Earth[->8]. They do not believe that God is a Trinity[->9], and teach that when people die, they remain in their grave until Jesus Christ[->10] resurrects them after God's Kingdom, or government, is ruling over earth. Witnesses are best known for preaching[->11] their beliefs from door-to-door and in other public places, and offering their magazines, The Watchtower and Awake! They are also well known for refusing to join armies and refusing blood transfusions. In 1870 a young clothing shop owner named Charles Taze Russell heard an Adventist[->12] preacher explain that...
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...Could you ever imagine being judged or persecuted for your religious views in today’s time? Were Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted during the Holocaust along with the Jews? Did they have any impact on how the Holocaust began or ended? The Jehovah’s Witnesses were a religious group who had very little impact on the Holocaust, an event in which they were persecuted in large quantities. In 1872, it became Charles Taze Russell’s personal mission to find God’s word, which in his mind had been buried under years of mistakenly Pagan translations through intensive Bible study. He then led the International Bible Students until 1931 when his successor, Joseph Franklin Rutherford, overtook him. In the 1930’s, the Jehovah’s Witnesses (formerly known as...
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...RELIGON AND ETHNIC DIVERSITY The religious beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses are in many ways similar to those of mainstream Christians. For instance, Witnesses rely on the authority of the Bible, worship only one God, and trust in Jesus’ death and resurrection for salvation. Some other beliefs of Jehovah’s Witnesses differ from mainstream Christianity, most notably their rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity and the existence of Hell. Witnesses also have a stronger apocalyptic expectation than most Christians-since the founding of the group, Witnesses have been expecting the imminent arrival of Armageddon and the end times. Jehovah’s Witnesses disagree with the mainstream Christian belief that Jesus was “fully God, fully Man.” In accordance with their rejection of the doctrine of the Trinity, Witnesses disagree with mainstream Christianity that the Holy Spirit to be “God’s active force.” Like most Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses trace humanity’s current situation to the sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Jehovah’s Witnesses consider themselves true Christians, but most mainstream Christians do not agree that they are. The feeling is mutual, however, Jehovah’s Witnesses deny that other Christian groups are true Christians. The Jehovah’s Witnesses are native to the United States with roots dating back to the teachings of Charles Taze Russell, a minister in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the 1870s. The organization does not advertise in the media and strives to remain separate...
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