This book examines the historic tensions between Jehovah’s Witnesses and government authorities, civic organisations, established churches and the broader public. Witnesses originated in the 1870s as small, loose-knit groups calling themselves Bible Students. Today, there are some eight million Witnesses worldwide, all actively engaged in evangelism under the direction of the Watch Tower Society. The author analyses issues that have brought them global visibility and even notoriety, including political neutrality, public ministry, blood transfusion, and anti-ecumenism. It also explores anti-Witness discourse, from media portrayals of the community as marginal and exotic to the anti-cult movement. Focusing on varied historical, ideological and national contexts, the book argues that Witnesses have had a defining influence on conceptions of religious tolerance in the modern world.
This book, first published in 1956, is the first authoritative, comprehensive account of the worldwide activities of Jehovah’s Witnesses. It traces their origins and development, and a special section covers the founding, organization and development of the movement in Great Britain.
Discusses the history and religious doctrines of the Jehovah's Witnesses and examines the parallels between the religion and George Orwell's novel, 1984
Originating from a small group of Bible students led by Charles Taze Russell in the 1870s, the Watch Tower Society grew into an international society. After Russell's death in 1916, Franklin Rutherford was named his successor and gave the society a new name: 'Jehovah's Witnesses.' The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses shows how World War I & II influenced Watch Tower attitudes to civil government, armed conflict, and medical innovations like blood transfusion, as well as to mainstream churches and the development of Jehovah's Witnesses' door-to-door evangelism. The theme of prophecy, the doctrine of the 144,000, end-time calculations, Armageddon, and the Witnesses' denial of hell are all considered in The A to Z of Jehovah's Witnesses, which contains a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and 250 cross-referenced dictionary entries relating to key people and concepts.
The 10 Questions & Answers on Jehovah’s Witnesses pamphlet provides answers to 10 of the most important questions regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses, including information on eight important topics including how the Jehovah’s Witnesses began, the prophecies made by their leader, Charles Taze Russell, the number of people who will go to heaven, and the reliability of the Watchtower’s New World Translation, and much more. Full color and glossy, the pamphlet explains the key beliefs, practices, and history of this group. This bestselling tool is excellent for any group wanting to learn more about the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Size: 8.5"x 5.5" unfolds to 33" long. Fits inside most Bible covers. 10 Questions & Answers on Jehovah’s Witnesses is an excellent tool for outreach and missions groups, or for anyone wanting to understand more about this controversial religious group. This compelling 10 Q & A pamphlet examines critical questions regarding the beliefs and practices of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and responds with what the Bible teaches about each: How did Jehovah’s Witnesses begin? Is God’s true name really Jehovah? Is the Trinity really a pagan doctrine? Is Jesus Christ God? Is the Holy Spirit just God’s active force? Will only 144,000 people go to heaven? Can only Jehovah’s Witnesses be saved? Is the Watchtower’s New World Translation reliable? Which is the final authority: the Bible or the Watchtower? What else do Jehovah’s Witnesses believe? 10 Questions & Answers on Jehovah’s Witnesses pamphlet provides answers to 10 of the most important questions regarding Jehovah’s Witnesses. Readers and students of other religions and cults will find answers to these and other claims Jehovah’s Witnesses make: It’s critical to call God by his personal name, Jehovah Christianity’s idea of the Trinity is like Babylonian and Egyptian mythology After the death of the original apostles, Christianity slipped into the Great Apostasy In heaven, Jesus was an archangel Only the 144,000 Christians living between Pentecost and 1935, called the anointed class, will live in Heaven as spirits forever Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe in holidays and celebrations
"A fascinating glimpse into the consciousness of being an outsider in every possible way, and what it takes to find your path into the life you'd like to lead."--Nylon A riveting memoir of losing faith and finding freedom while a covert missionary in one of the world's most restrictive countries. A third-generation Jehovah's Witness, Amber Scorah had devoted her life to sounding God's warning of impending Armageddon. She volunteered to take the message to China, where the preaching she did was illegal and could result in her expulsion or worse. Here, she had some distance from her community for the first time. Immersion in a foreign language and culture--and a whole new way of thinking--turned her world upside down, and eventually led her to lose all that she had been sure was true. As a proselytizer in Shanghai, using fake names and secret codes to evade the authorities' notice, Scorah discreetly looked for targets in public parks and stores. To support herself, she found work at a Chinese language learning podcast, hiding her real purpose from her coworkers. Now with a creative outlet, getting to know worldly people for the first time, she began to understand that there were other ways of seeing the world and living a fulfilling life. When one of these relationships became an "escape hatch," Scorah's loss of faith culminated in her own personal apocalypse, the only kind of ending possible for a Jehovah's Witness. Shunned by family and friends as an apostate, Scorah was alone in Shanghai and thrown into a world she had only known from the periphery--with no education or support system. A coming of age story of a woman already in her thirties, this unforgettable memoir examines what it's like to start one's life over again with an entirely new identity. It follows Scorah to New York City, where a personal tragedy forces her to look for new ways to find meaning in the absence of religion. With compelling, spare prose, Leaving the Witness traces the bittersweet process of starting over, when everything one's life was built around is gone.
John Ankerberg, John Weldon, and Dillon Burroughs team up to revise and update The Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses, part of the popular Facts On Series (more than 1.9 million copies of books from this series sold). Known for their extensive research and Bible knowledge, these authors offer readers the essential facts they need to evaluate and discuss today's issues regarding the Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious organization, and the Watchtower Society. The concise, easy-to-follow information helps readers answer such questions as: What is the Watchtower Society and what power does it hold? Is the Watchtower Society's translation of the Bible accurate? Is the Society's teaching on salvation biblical? Whether the reader is merely curious or searching for specific information, The Facts on Jehovah's Witnesses will give them what they are looking for—easy-to-understand, factual, and relevant information about this group.
No other book answers the Jehovah's Witnesses' misinterpretation of Scripture so immediately and shows how to use the same Scripture in leading Jehovah's Witnesses to Christ.
Did you know that one in every 282 Americans is a Jehovah’s Witness? When a Jehovah’s Witness knocks on your door, do you know what to say? Now you can! In What Do Jehovah’s Witnesses Believe? you’ll experience Dr. Ankerberg’s interviews with three former Jehovah’s Witnesses and two experts on this growing religious movement. Topics include: The background of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. What do Jehovah’s Witnesses teach about Jesus, the Trinity, and other biblical beliefs? What is different about their Bible, the New World Translation? Why don’t Jehovah’s Witnesses celebrate birthdays, Christmas, Easter, participate in patriotic activities or the armed forces, and refuse blood transfusions? How can I share my faith with a Jehovah’s Witness? This and much more are included in this book. You’ll find yourself more equipped in your own beliefs and be better prepared to discuss your faith with Jehovah’s Witnesses.
M. James Penton offers a comprehensive overview of a remarkable religious movement, from the Witnesses' inauspicious creation by a Pennsylvania preacher in the 1870s to its position as a religious sect with millions of followers world-wide. This second edition features an afterword by the author and an expanded bibliography.
